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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of the
4 Jesse White Tumbling Team on the occasion of the team's 50th
5 anniversary in 2009; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Jesse White Tumbling Team has thrilled
7 audiences since September 26, 1959, when Illinois Secretary of
8 State Jesse White, the team's founder and coach, created the
9 team to provide a recreational, athletic, educational, and
10 cultural enrichment experience for young people throughout the
11 State; the team makes over 1,000 appearances each year; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The Jesse White Tumbling Team's acrobatic
13 performances can frequently be seen during half-time shows for
14 the National Basketball Association, the National Football
15 League, and Major League Baseball games; the team has appeared
16 on numerous television programs, including Late Night with
17 David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, The
18 Jenny Jones Show, the Mickey Mouse Club, and How'd They Do
19 That; the team entertains at business and sporting events
20 year-round, including colleges and universities nationwide;
21 the team also performed during the 52nd and 53rd Presidential
22 Inaugural Parades; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, The Jesse White Tumbling Team also has an
2 international following; the team's fans can be found from
3 Tokyo, Japan, to Hong Kong, China, Bermuda, Jamaica, and
4 Canada; and
 
5     WHEREAS, A number of the Jesse White Tumblers, some of whom
6 are as young as 6 years old, are residents of Chicago's Cabrini
7 Green and Henry Horner housing developments; other members of
8 the team are residents from 10 communities within the Chicago
9 metropolitan area; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The Jesse White Tumbling Team was designed to be a
11 juvenile delinquency prevention program that helps youngsters
12 "grow tall and straight"; the members are required to abide by
13 Jesse White's strict rules, which include staying in school,
14 maintaining a "C" average in academic coursework, and staying
15 away from gangs and drugs; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Due to Jesse White's "tough love" approach and his
17 active involvement as coach, teacher, friend, mentor,
18 confidant, and surrogate father to the members, over 11,500
19 young men and women have benefited from the program since the
20 team's inception; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The Jesse White Tumbling Team will celebrate the
22 50th anniversary of the creation of the team during a reception

 

 

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1 and dinner on February 23, 2010 at the United Center in
2 Chicago; therefore, be it
 
3     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
5 congratulate the members of the Jesse White Tumbling Team on
6 the occasion of the team's 50th anniversary and thank Illinois
7 Secretary of State Jesse White for his involvement with this
8 wonderful program; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10 presented to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White as a
11 symbol of our esteem and respect.