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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell of Oak Lawn, Commissioner of
3 the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, is retiring after
4 a long and distinguished career in the private and public
5 sector; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell served admirably in the United
7 States Marine Corps during World War II, fighting on the
8 Pacific islands of Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo
9 Jima, where he served with distinction, earning the Bronze
10 Star, the Purple Heart, the Asiatic Pacific Medal with three
11 Stars, and the Presidential Unit Citation Award; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell, born on February 19, 1919, in
13 Hammond, Indiana, moved to Oak Lawn in 1956, where he raised
14 three children with his wife and established a popular Oak Lawn
15 restaurant named "Bus' Drive-in" and was engaged in the
16 insurance brokerage business; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell served with excellence in
18 community and civic affairs by participating in the Heart Fund,
19 the Boy Scouts, the Lions Club, the Elks Club, the Holy Name
20 Society, Rotary, American Legion Post 757, VFW Post 5220, and
21 the Catholic War Veterans; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell was a loyal and active
23 Democrat that served his party as President of the Worth
24 Township Regular Democrats for three years, was elected
25 delegate to the 1964 State Nomination Convention, was six times
26 elected Democratic Committeeman of Worth Township, was a member
27 of the Cook County Democratic Central Committee, and was
28 elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968,
29 1972, and 1976; and
 
30     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell served the Village of Oak Lawn

 

 

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1 as an elected trustee from 1959 to 1963; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell served nine terms as an
3 elected member of the Illinois House of Representatives, where
4 he served as Chairman of the Counties and Townships Committee,
5 Chairman of the Joint Committee Administrative Procedures,
6 Chairman of the Election Laws Commission, Chairman of the
7 County Problems Commission, and was as a member of the
8 Executive Committee, the Cities and Villages Committee, the
9 Financing of Education Commission, and the C-Selm Pollution
10 Control Commission; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell, as Illinois State
12 Representative, was chief sponsor of bills to raise the
13 drinking age to 21 and to create the Joint Committee on
14 Administrative Procedures; he also sponsored legislation
15 creating one of the toughest narcotic bails in the nation,
16 banning look-alike drugs, and the consolidated election law;
17 and
 
18     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell earned several awards and
19 distinctions for his outstanding contributions to legislative
20 service during his tenure as a State Representative, with
21 honors including "1984 Legislator of the Year" by the coalition
22 of Suburban Bar Association; "1984 Legislator of the Year" by
23 the Illinois Library Association; the First Annual Recipient of
24 the Richard J. Daley Citizenship Award; the Illinois Wildlife
25 Federation Award in 1975, 1977, and 1981; the Cook County
26 Suburban Publishers Association award for Outstanding Service
27 in 1975; the Chicago Principals Association Certificate of
28 Recognition in 1975; the Illinois Library Association
29 Certification of Recognition in 1978; the Urban County Council
30 of Illinois 1976 Award; the South Suburban Principals Award in
31 1976; the Mount Greenwood Homeowners Association Award in 1976;
32 the Illinois Association of Park Districts Award in 1976 and
33 1979; the Illinois Coroners Association Meritorious Civic

 

 

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1 Award in 1978; the Village of Chicago Ridge Meritorious Civic
2 Award in 1977; the Illinois Credit Union League Perfect Voting
3 Record Award in 1979; the Joint Committee on Administrative
4 Procedures Award in 1979; the County Problems Study Commission
5 Award in 1979; and the South Suburban Park & Recreational
6 Association Award in 1974; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Harry "Bus" Yourell, due to outstanding civic
8 service to his community, received the honor of having a street
9 (Yourell Drive) in the Village of Oak Lawn named after him, and
10 the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District named the Sepa
11 Station in Worth as the Harry "Bus" Yourell Sidestream Elevated
12 Pool Aeration Station in 1999; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Citizens of our state who serve with distinction
14 deserve to be recognized and honored for their accomplishments;
15 therefore, be it
 
16     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18 we commend Harry "Bus" Yourell for his dedication and service
19 to his family, friends, community, and country, and we wish him
20 all the best in his retirement and future endeavors; and be it
21 further
 
22     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
23 presented to Harry "Bus" Yourell as a sign of our respect,
24 esteem, and admiration for an exemplary career of service and
25 with our best wishes for future successes.