HR0842 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0842 LRB099 15101 GRL 39352 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, James Vernon has lived in and served his community of Morton, Illinois since 1968, including his active membership in the Morton Jaycees; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon honorably served his country as a sergeant in a United States Army intelligence unit in Germany from 1962 to 1966; he met and married Hanna Droell in Frankfurt, Germany in 1966; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon was employed by Caterpillar, Inc. in Information Technology, retiring in 2002 after 35 years of service; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon has enjoyed playing and teaching chess to children in Grundy and Lincoln elementary schools in Morton for many years; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon's military training taught him how to defend himself from a knife attack; and

WHEREAS, While James Vernon was teaching chess to 16 home-schooled children at the Morton Public Library on October 13, 2015, a 19 year-old man armed with 2 large knives entered the room in the Morton Library occupied by the young chess players and announced he was there to kill the students; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon quietly approached the assailant while the children first hid, then quickly fled the room; he then put his military training to use to fight off and subdue the assailant until police arrived; he sustained serious knife wounds to his left hand, including 2 cut arteries and a severed tendon; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon's quick thinking, selflessness, and heroic actions saved the lives of many students and thwarted a potentially heinous tragedy; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon was presented with a proclamation by Governor Bruce Rauner designating October 26, 2015 as James Vernon Day in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, James Vernon serves as a model of bravery, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor and thank James Vernon for his act of great bravery in protecting the children at the Morton Public Library on October 13, 2015 and wish him the best in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to James Vernon as a symbol of our great respect and esteem.