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92_SR0435
LRB9216873BHbhA
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Senate are saddened to learn
3 of the passing of Joe Jemsek of West Chicago, who passed away
4 on April 2, 2002; and
5 WHEREAS, Joe Jemsek was born in Summit on December 24,
6 1913; he grew up in Argo, 20 miles southwest of Chicago; and
7 WHEREAS, Mr. Jemsek was a pioneer in public golf and a
8 former member of the Executive Committee of the United States
9 Golf Association; his record of achievements and awards is
10 outstanding, and his contributions to the game of golf are
11 reflected throughout the game; and
12 WHEREAS, Joe Jemsek began his career in golf as a caddie
13 at the long gone Laramie golf course in Chicago for 50 cents
14 a round; he became a professional at seventeen, but disliked
15 the tour, despite a game that kept him below par; and
16 WHEREAS, In 1939, Joe Jemsek bought St. Andrews with its
17 clubhouse and two courses (West Chicago) and began his long
18 career of bringing first-rate, well-maintained courses, and
19 good food and drinks to the public golfer; by doing this, Mr.
20 Jemsek forced other public golf operators to raise their
21 standards, bringing the public golfer luxuries that were once
22 exclusive to only private club members; and
23 WHEREAS, Mr. Jemsek's next acquisition was Cog Hill
24 (Lemont) in 1951, followed by Glenwoodie (Glenwood) in 1959,
25 Pine Meadow (Mundelein) in 1985, and Summer Grove (Newman,
26 Georgia) in 1998; Mr. Jemsek added a third course to Cog Hill
27 in 1963 and his beloved Number Four, or Drubsdread, in 1964;
28 Drubsdread and Pine Meadow are ranked in the top 100 public
29 courses in the country, along with courses like Pebble Beach,
30 Doral, and Bethpage; and
31 WHEREAS, Joe Jemsek hosted the first National Golf Day
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1 for the PGA at Cog Hill in 1952 with Bob Hope, Dean Martin,
2 and Jerry Lewis; the same year he started All Star Golf at
3 Cog Hill with Sam Snead and Carry Middlecoff; in 1949, he
4 originated golf on television with "Pars, Birdies and
5 Eagles", a 30 minute weekly show of instruction and rules
6 regularly staffed by leading professionals and amateurs; and
7 WHEREAS, During the 1934 Century of Progress (Chicago's
8 World's Fair) Joe Jemsek won a driving contest, averaging 501
9 yards for three drives atop a 630 foot platform; he shot 63
10 in three successive years on courses #1 and #2 at Cog Hill
11 (1933-1935); and
12 WHEREAS, Mr. Jemsek was interested in educating people in
13 the art of golf, and his courses employ 22 PGA and LPGA
14 teachers, and six high schools use his courses as home
15 courses; and
16 WHEREAS, In 1991, Mr. Jemsek's dream of a top
17 championship came true when the Western Golf Association
18 awarded the Western Open to Cog Hill; the championship has
19 been held there each year since, always with rave reviews
20 from the players; in addition to the now Advil Western Open,
21 Jemsek courses have been sites for the 1997 U.S. Amateur
22 championship, the 1970 and 1989 U.S. Amateur Public Links
23 championships, the 1988 Western Junior, the 1987 U.S. Women's
24 Amateur Public Links championship, the 1987 and 1990 Ram
25 Intercollegiate, the 1992 Great Midwest Conference, and
26 numerous national qualifying rounds; his courses also host
27 many school competitions and charity Pro-Amateurs; and
28 WHEREAS, Of the hundreds of awards and milestones he has
29 earned throughout his incredible life, Joe Jemsek was most
30 proud of being a Class A member of the PGA since the early
31 forties, of receiving the PGA Professional Golfer of the Year
32 award in 1991, and being the first to represent public golf
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1 on the Executive Committee of the United States Golf
2 Association (1988 and 1989); and
3 WHEREAS, Joe Jemsek will be deeply missed by all those
4 who knew him and loved him, especially by his son, Frank; his
5 daughter, Marianne (Gerard) Hinckley; his brothers, Adam and
6 George; his sisters, Helen Moore and Rose Anne Judson; his
7 seven grandchildren; and his ten great-grandchildren;
8 therefore, be it
9 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
10 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
11 his family and friends, the death of Joe Jemsek of West
12 Chicago; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to the family of Joe Jemsek with our sincere
15 condolences.