HR0863 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0863 LRB098 20390 MST 56007 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Heath Family on the occasion of the Heath Candy Company's 100th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The rich history of Heath Candy started in early 1914 when L.S. Heath was looking for a business for his 2 elder sons, Bayard and Everett (Skiv); The Heath Brothers Confectionery opened on January 7, 1914, where they sold fountain drinks, ice cream, and homemade candies; and

WHEREAS, Bayard and Skiv continued to expand their confectionary business by introducing new items, which proved to be very popular with their customers; they acquired a popular "Trail-Toffee" recipe from a Greek candy-maker in Champaign, and Bayard decided to develop it further; in 1928, after many months of trial and error, the brothers declared their formula for "English Toffee" to be "America's Finest", and dubbed it Heath English Toffee; and

WHEREAS, The confectionary was sold in 1931 and the brothers moved into the dairy industry with their father, but they continued creating candy in a small kitchen they built; the brothers had new delivery order forms printed to include an additional selection-"Heath English Toffee Bars"; when this item was checked, the milk route driver left a box of the delicious candy along with the dairy needs; this simple marketing plan worked and the Heath English Toffee Bars grew in popularity as the market base grew; and

WHEREAS, In 1946, the company was incorporated, officially becoming L.S. Heath & Sons, Inc.; included in the original corporation were L.S. Heath and his 4 sons, along with his 2 daughters, Ruby Heath Dowling and Mary Heath Morris, as well as the grandchildren living at that time; and

WHEREAS, The Heath family said farewell on January 24, 1989 when L.S. Heath & Sons became a subsidiary of Leaf, Inc.; Leaf sold their North American operations in January of 1997 to Hershey Chocolate, U.S.A.; under the leadership of Hershey, the Robinson plant manufacturers a variety of candies including, of course, the original Heath English Toffee Bar; and

WHEREAS, The Heath Candy Company was, and still is, a vital part of the Robinson community; L.S. and his sons will forever serve as models of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people in Robinson and the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Heath Family on the occasion of the Heath Candy Company's 100th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Jack Morris, the last living Heath family member who was a full-time employee of the company serving as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Heath Candy Company from 1983-1989, as a symbol of our esteem and respect.