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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate Richard L.
4Duchossois of Barrington Hills on the occasion of his 100th
5birthday; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois was born in Chicago,
7Illinois on October 7, 1921; he was raised in Beverly and
8attended Morgan Park Military Academy, where he graduated in
91940; he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington,
10Kentucky; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 1942, Richard L. Duchossois was given orders
12to report to training at the U.S. Army's Tank Destroyer unit;
13he later became the commander of Company C of the 610th Tank
14Destroyer Battalion and landed on Utah Beach in Normandy while
15serving under the 80th Division of General George Patton's
16Third Army; his company fought through central France and east
17across to the Moselle River; in a German counterattack, he was
18shot and temporarily paralyzed but soon returned to lead his
19battalion in the Battle of the Bulge; and
 
20    WHEREAS, When World War II formally ended, Richard J.
21Duchossois served as the military governor of Kreis Eichstadt
22in Germany and eventually rose to the rank of major; he was

 

 

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1released from active service in 1946 and was awarded the
2Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Richard L Duchossois joined the Thrall Car
4Manufacturing Company, becoming CEO and president; he
5subsequently purchased the Chamberlain Manufacturing Corp,
6later renamed Duchossois Industries, and became its chairman;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, In 1967, Richard L. Duchossois purchased and
9developed Hill 'N' Dale Farm in Barrington Hills in McHenry
10County; it became one of Illinois' top Thoroughbred breeding
11farms; in 1983, he purchased Arlington Park Race Track, which
12later merged with Churchill Downs Incorporated in 2000; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois, affectionately known as
14"Mr. D", developed Arlington Park International Race Track
15into one of the most beautiful and renowned horse racing
16facilities in the world; he has been awarded the American
17Jockey Club's Gold Medal and the Joe Palmer Award for
18Meritorious Service to Racing from the National Turf Writers
19Association and was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall
20of Fame; he was also inducted into the National Museum of
21Racing and Hall of Fame and named one of their Pillars of the
22Turf; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois established the Duchossois
2Family Foundation (DFF), which has made donations in excess of
3$137 million to the University of Chicago Medical Center;
4these donations culminated in the establishment of the
5Duchossois Family Institute; through other philanthropic
6grants, the DFF has made substantial impacts upon dozens of
7charitable organizations benefiting thousands of people in
8Illinois and across the United States; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois received the Sword of
10Loyola Award from Loyola University in Chicago in 2014; he
11became a director of the National World War II Museum in New
12Orleans so he could continue his dedication to his country and
13to the mission of educating current and future generations
14that freedom and independence are not free; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
17we wish Richard L. Duchossois, "Mr. D", a very happy 100th
18birthday and many more happy and healthy years; and be it
19further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to Richard L. Duchossois as an expression of our
22good wishes.