HR0403 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0403 LRB101 12543 MST 60897 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Kewanee Park District on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The Kewanee Park District was founded in 1919 by Kewanee resident and industrial magnate Emerit E. Baker; and

WHEREAS, Emerit E. Baker was born on April 10, 1855 on a rural farm near Aurora; and

WHEREAS, At the age of only 15, Emerit E. Baker left home and went to work in Chicago for the Anderson Steamer and Heater Company as an office boy; and

WHEREAS, Emerit E. Baker eventually moved to the headquarters of the Anderson Steamer and Heater Company in Kewanee and worked his way up, eventually becoming a member of the board; and

WHEREAS, When the Anderson Steamer and Heater Company sold its boiler business to focus on tubing, Emerit E. Baker saw an opportunity and purchased the boiler company; and

WHEREAS, Emerit E. Baker became the president of the newly created Kewanee Boiler Company, which sold boilers all over the world and even installed a Kewanee boiler in the Statue of Liberty; and

WHEREAS, Emerit E. Baker was a noted leader and philanthropist in the community of Kewanee; he helped organize the local Rotary Club in 1917 and served as the village president and even as a volunteer fire fighter; and

WHEREAS, In 1919, Emerit E. Baker announced at a Chamber of Commerce meeting that he would donate $50,000 toward a park system if the people of Kewanee would pass a referendum to establish a park system and match his donation by authorizing a matching $50,000 in bonds; and

WHEREAS, The bond was approved by the people, and Emerit E. Baker was elected the first president of the Kewanee Park Board; and

WHEREAS, Five parks would ultimately become a part of the Kewanee Park District, including Northeast Park, Chautauqua Park, Windmont Park, Liberty Park, and Baker Park, named after Emerit E. Baker; and

WHEREAS, In 1924, Emerit E. Baker established a foundation, E.E. Baker Incorporated, and funded it with $400,000 dollars in stocks and bonds in order to fund the Elks Crippled Children's Clinic, the Kewanee Public Library, and the Kewanee Park District; and

WHEREAS, The Kewanee Park District's trust is worth nearly $1.3 million today, a legacy of the generosity of Emerit E. Baker; and

WHEREAS, To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Kewanee Park District, the park district will host celebrations during the course of the summer that include music and games; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Kewanee Park District on the occasion of its 100th anniversary and celebrate the legacy of Emerit E. Baker; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Kewanee Park Board of Commissioners as a symbol of our respect and esteem.