HR0520 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0520 LRB096 13268 GRL 27932 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of John Schaive of Springfield, who passed away on May 11, 2009; and

WHEREAS, John Schaive was born on February 25, 1934 in Springfield; he was a graduate of Lanphier High School; and

WHEREAS, John Schaive had a long and distinguished baseball career; he began his career when he signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1952; he was then released from the White Sox and became a minor league terror; in 1955, he led a Class D league in four offensive categories; the following season, he was in spring training with the big club, an opportunity cut short when he entered the military; and

WHEREAS, After spending two seasons in military service, John Schaive returned to baseball; he spent five seasons in the big leagues, from 1958 to 1960 with the original Senators (who became the Minnesota Twins in 1961) and from 1962 to 1963 with the expansion Washington Senators; his best major league season came in 1962, when he played 82 games and batted .253 with 6 home runs and 29 runs batted in; in the course of his major league career, he batted .232 in 114 games; and

WHEREAS, John Schaive's Major League career, while fruitful, consisted of more sitting than playing; at one point in his career, he went to Senators manager Mickey Vernon and made a request to go back to the minor leagues; and

WHEREAS, John Schaive played for 12 seasons in the minor leagues; throughout his minor league career, he was a career .291 hitter in more than 1,100 minor league games; he also hit .293 on the Class AA level and .282 in five Triple-A seasons; he even had his hand in some pitching, going 2-3 in 13 appearances for Decatur of the Mississippi-Ohio League in 1954 and 2-1 in eight appearances with York of the Class AA Eastern League in 1963; and

WHEREAS, John Schaive ended his career in 1966 as a player-manager in Monterrey, Mexico following a long battle with various sports injuries, including a hurt knee and a dislocated elbow; and

WHEREAS, Following his retirement, John Schaive came back to Springfield, where he helped raise his family; he also coached the Springfield Caps of the Central Illinois Collegiate League in the 1970s and served as coach when Sangamon State University fielded a baseball team; although he never officially worked as a scout for any professional organization, he served as an area scout for his many friends in baseball; he played a role in getting professional baseball contracts for local players such as Roger Erickson, Mike Mathiot, Jerry Fry, Dan Callahan, Myron Hunter, Loren White, and Bill Lamkey; and

WHEREAS, John Schaive was one of the founding fathers of the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame; he was also a charter member of the organization in 1991; and

WHEREAS, John Schaive served as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of John Schaive; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of John Schaive as an expression of our sympathy.