HR0033 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0033 LRB099 03565 MST 23573 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Ella Louise Park Lawrence, known as the Mother of the Illinois State Flag, was born May 13, 1857, during a period of great upheaval preceding the Civil War; and

WHEREAS, Ella Park Lawrence's father, George Park, published an abolitionist newspaper in Parkville, Missouri, where at that time there were ongoing bloody conflicts between pro-slavery factions and abolitionists; her father's printing press was thrown into the Missouri River in 1855 by a pro-slavery mob, and he slept in caves for several months to avoid being killed; after the Civil War, Parkville's commercial activity and population declined and, in 1875, George Park established Park College (now known as Park University), which reinvigorated the town that he founded; and

WHEREAS, The experiences of her childhood stayed with Ella Park Lawrence for the rest of her life; she was devoted to the flag of the United States, and she donated flags to schools and various organizations; and

WHEREAS, In 1874, Ella Park Lawrence began attending Knox College in Galesburg, but she did not complete her studies there; while she was a student at Knox College, she met George A. Lawrence, a lawyer and author, and they married on October 18, 1882 at the Park homestead in Putnam County; during their marriage, they lived in several houses in Galesburg; shortly after her time at Knox College, she enrolled at Vassar College; and

WHEREAS, In 1890, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a women's patriotic lineage society, was organized in Washington, D.C.; in order to become a member, a woman had to provide documents proving she was a descendant of a Revolutionary War participant; and

WHEREAS, The Rebecca Parke Chapter of DAR was organized in Galesburg on January 23, 1901; Rebecca Gibson Parke was an 11-year-old girl living near Lexington, Massachusetts when the Revolutionary War began; her father, Isaac Gibson, and 5 of her 8 brothers responded to the alarm at Lexington in April of 1776; she was an ancestor to 2 members of the new DAR chapter, Ella Park Lawrence and Marietta Howe Ervin; and

WHEREAS, Ella Park Lawrence became a charter member of the Rebecca Parke Chapter, and, in 1906, she was elected regent of the chapter, serving 4 years; in 1911, she was chosen as the State regent of the Illinois DAR; and

WHEREAS, All of the state regents were required to attend the National Congress at the DAR headquarters in Washington, D.C. each year; while attending one of these meetings, Ella Park Lawrence noticed that there was no flag representing Illinois hanging among those in Memorial Continental Hall; in fact, the State had no flag at all; she decided this situation should be remedied and felt that the 5,500 DAR members in Illinois were just the ones to do it; and

WHEREAS, Ella Park Lawrence started writing letters and visiting chapters across the State to promote the idea of adopting a design for a State flag; she also contacted State officials and members of the General Assembly, trying to create interest in the adoption of a State flag; she did not succeed in her goal during her tenure as state regent, but she continued her work; and

WHEREAS, On April 1, 1914, Ella Park Lawrence sent a letter to every DAR chapter in Illinois offering a prize of $25 ($500 in today's dollars) for the winning flag design; and

WHEREAS, The judging was led by Secretary of State Lewis G. Stevenson, father of future Governor Adlai E. Stevenson; the prize was awarded to the Rockford chapter; the design consisted of the Great Seal of Illinois on a white background; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly passed legislation authorizing a State flag, and it became law on July 6, 1915; the legislation specified that the State seal could be reproduced in black or color on a white background and the Secretary of State was required to oversee the use of the seal on the flags; and

WHEREAS, Ella Park Lawrence had 5 "first flags" made; she gave one of the flags to the National Headquarters of the DAR, one to the State DAR, one to Secretary of State Stevenson, one to Governor Edward Deneen, and one to the Illinois State Historical Society; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-four years after the Illinois State Flag was officially designated, a young Chief Petty Officer serving in Vietnam, Bruce McDaniel from Waverly, observed the state flags hanging in his mess hall; he pointed out that the Illinois flag was difficult to identify because the name of the State did not appear on it; and

WHEREAS, Representative Jack Walker of Lansing introduced the bill to add the word 'Illinois' below the Great Seal on the flag; it was passed by the State Legislature on September 17, 1969; Governor Richard B. Ogilvie signed the legislation and appointed a commission to set standards for production of the flag and a uniform design; and

WHEREAS, Ella Park Lawrence continued to give flags to schools and organizations until her death on March 17, 1924; a week after her funeral, the Rebecca Parke Chapter of the DAR conducted a memorial service in her name; Myra Patch, one of the speakers, said of Ella Park Lawrence: "Tremendous in energy, fervent in patriotism, resourceful in plans, Mrs. Lawrence not only gave of her money, her time, her thought, and her physical strength, but she also had the happy faculty of inspiring others to do likewise - by the high standard of her work as State Regent of Illinois, Mrs. Lawrence added greatly to the honor and fame of our chapter"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 100th Anniversary of the creation of the flag of the State of Illinois on July 6, 2015; and be it further

RESOLVED That the State of Illinois honors all of the individuals and organizations who helped with the design and creation of the State Flag; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Illinois Senate.