Full Text of HR0714 96th General Assembly
HR0714 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of one of | 4 |
| the State's most distinguished, respected, and legendary high | 5 |
| school coaches, Mervin "Coach" Baker, of Charleston, who passed | 6 |
| away on October 17, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Mervin Chester Baker was born in Landes on | 8 |
| September 25, 1917, a son of the late Martin and Estella (Shaw) | 9 |
| Baker; he married Rebecca Woolford on August 17, 1947 in | 10 |
| Arcola; he received his high school diploma from Buzzard Lab | 11 |
| School and earned his Bachelors, Masters, and Specialist | 12 |
| Degrees from Eastern Illinois State Teachers College; and
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| WHEREAS, He taught and coached in the Illinois communities | 14 |
| of Findlay, Bradley, and Dupo before returning to Charleston | 15 |
| where he taught and coached from 1953 until 1970; he continued | 16 |
| to teach in the school district until 1985 and in 1986 became | 17 |
| the Athletics Director, a position he held until 1995; and | 18 |
| WHEREAS, His memberships included the Charleston Athletic | 19 |
| Association, Illinois Athletic Directors Association, National | 20 |
| Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association, Illinois | 21 |
| Coaches Association, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, | 22 |
| and Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association, serving as |
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| its President in 1956; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, He was also one of the founders of organized youth | 3 |
| baseball in Charleston, assisting in the building and | 4 |
| maintaining of five baseball fields, organizing and directing | 5 |
| the Tiny Tots, Tee-Ball, and Minor League baseball programs for | 6 |
| twenty-five years, serving sixteen years on the City of | 7 |
| Charleston Recreational Board with ten years as its Chairman, | 8 |
| organizing and managing a sixteen team High School Basketball | 9 |
| Holiday Tournament at Eastern Illinois University for more than | 10 |
| thirteen years, and coordinating and directing two indoor track | 11 |
| meets at Eastern Illinois University every spring drawing | 12 |
| anywhere from 120 to 135 schools; and
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| WHEREAS, His awards included the Illinois High School | 14 |
| Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Illinois Basketball | 15 |
| Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Eastern Illinois University | 16 |
| Hall of Fame, American Softball Association Hall of Fame, Class | 17 |
| "AA" Outstanding Athletic Director from the Illinois High | 18 |
| School Athletic Directors Association, the 1997 Citizen of the | 19 |
| Year presented by the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce, and | 20 |
| the area's Sports Person of the Century; he was also the | 21 |
| recipient of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's | 22 |
| prestigious Buzzy O'Connor Award, and in addition, the | 23 |
| Charleston High School Gym and baseball field are named in his | 24 |
| honor; and
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| WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; | 2 |
| his brother, Leo Baker; and his two sisters, Pauline Askins and | 3 |
| Marjorie Schnorf; and
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| WHEREAS, He is survived by his children, Libby Murray and | 5 |
| husband Mike, Jan Baker, and Ken Baker and wife Sandy; his four | 6 |
| grandchildren, Matthew Schubert, Jonathan Schubert, Andrew | 7 |
| Schubert, and Jenny Baker-Sipes and husband John; his two | 8 |
| great-grandchildren, Anna Joy Sipes and Joshua John Baker | 9 |
| Sipes; his sister, Alberta Allen; and his nephews, Steve, Dave, | 10 |
| Marty, and Jim Schnorf and their families; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 12 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 13 |
| mourn, along with his family, friends, and many players over | 14 |
| the years, the passing of Coach Mervin Baker; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 |
| presented to the family of Coach Mervin Baker as a symbol of | 17 |
| our sincere sympathy.
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