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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois are pleased to announce the approval of a
4 resolution by the United States House of Representatives naming
5 the post office in Clinton in honor of Illini legend Gene
6 Vance; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The resolution, sponsored by U.S. Representative
8 Timothy V. Johnson, was signed into law by President Bush on
9 October 13, 2006; and
 
10     WHEREAS, A native of Clinton, Gene Vance was a member of
11 the 1942-43 University of Illinois basketball team known as
12 "The Whiz Kids"; he is the only surviving member of this team
13 that went 17-1 and won their second straight Big Ten conference
14 title; upon the drafting of three of "The Whiz Kids" by the
15 U.S. Army to serve in World War II, the team decided that if
16 they could not compete together, they would not compete at all;
17 and
 
18     WHEREAS, In June of 1943, Gene joined the infantry and
19 served 16 months in Europe until the end of World War II; upon
20 returning home, he played for Chicago, Tri-Cities, and
21 Milwaukee in the National Basketball Association; his
22 basketball career was again interrupted when he was called to
23 duty in Korea in 1952; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Gene became the University of Illinois athletic
25 director in 1967 and served until 1972; he completed his career
26 in service to the University of Illinois Foundation; he was
27 named to the University of Illinois Basketball's All-Century
28 Team in 2005, and he is the oldest member of the 20-member
29 unit; and
 
30     WHEREAS, Gene Vance remains a legend in Clinton, as well as

 

 

HR1566 - 2 - LRB094 22171 MST 60830 r

1 in the minds of the Illini family; therefore, be it
 
2     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4 we thank Gene Vance for his service to his country and
5 community and congratulate him on having the Clinton Post
6 Office named in his honor; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8 presented to Mr. Vance as a token of our esteem.