Full Text of HR0497 101st General Assembly
HR0497 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to commemorate the 125th anniversary of | 4 | | the birth of Elzie Crisler Segar; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Elzie Segar was born in Chester on December 8, | 6 | | 1894; he spent his formative years in Chester, soaking up the | 7 | | traditions, values, and relationships that would later | 8 | | influence the fantasy comic kingdom he would create; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, On December 19, 1919, Elzie Segar published his | 10 | | first installment of Thimble Theatre, a cartoon series that | 11 | | featured the comic antics of siblings Olive and Castor Oyl, | 12 | | their parents, and Olive's boyfriend, Ham Gravy; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Elzie Segar introduced a salty, one-eyed mariner, | 14 | | Popeye, to the Thimble Theatre cast on January 17, 1929, and | 15 | | the fighting sailor would become the world's earliest | 16 | | superhuman hero, garnering coveted Guinness World Records for | 17 | | the most-produced cartoons and the longest-syndicated series; | 18 | | and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Elzie Segar's Popeye became so popular that he | 20 | | entered TV Guide's listing of the Top 20 Greatest Cartoon | 21 | | Characters of All Time and is endeared by millions of fans |
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| 1 | | across the globe; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, When he eventually took over the original Thimble | 3 | | Theatre comic strip, Elzie Segar's Popeye secured an iconic | 4 | | stature with an international fandom by charming young and old | 5 | | alike and helping to introduce many new characters, including | 6 | | Wimpy, Bluto, Sea Hag, and hundreds more; many of the eccentric | 7 | | characters were inspired by his real-life hometown residents; | 8 | | and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Elzie Segar continued to create additional, | 10 | | exciting, comic personas throughout the rest of his life; The | 11 | | Popeye & Friends Character Trail in Chester was developed to | 12 | | celebrate these entertaining personalities; granite statues of | 13 | | Popeye characters were placed in various areas throughout | 14 | | Chester to pay tribute to Segar's imagination and to his roots; | 15 | | the Character Trail continues to draw thousands of fans and | 16 | | tourists from around the world and is a testimony to the | 17 | | enduring popularity of his achievement; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The Popeye & Friends Character Trail is a work in | 19 | | progress and currently has 24 statues; on the 125th anniversary | 20 | | of his birth, a life-size granite statue of Segar, dressed like | 21 | | his inspiration, Sherlock Homes, will be erected; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, The City of Chester and the people who have |
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| 1 | | created, developed, and financially supported the Character | 2 | | Trail's goal to assure that Elzie Segar and his masterpieces | 3 | | will not be forgotten have demonstrated their devotion to home, | 4 | | county, and State; therefore, be it
| 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 6 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 7 | | we commemorate the 125th anniversary of the birth of Elzie C. | 8 | | Segar and the 100th anniversary of his creation of Thimble | 9 | | Theater and congratulate The Popeye & Friends Character Trail | 10 | | for its resolve in honoring the endeavors of a prominent | 11 | | Illinois artist, its dedication to educating the public about | 12 | | the comic creations that are so much a part of the State's | 13 | | history, and its successful promotion of the local ties with | 14 | | Popeye, which bring thousands of tourists to the region | 15 | | annually; and be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 17 | | presented to the City of Chester and Michael W. McClure, | 18 | | creator and coordinator of the Popeye & Friends Character | 19 | | Trail, as an expression of our esteem and respect.
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