HR0725 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0725 LRB099 13808 GRL 37784 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Royce Elliott was born on March 29, 1936, in Stephenville, Texas; his parents were Earl and Loretta Elliott; he married Helen Milford on October 14, 1961; and

WHEREAS, Royce Elliott graduated from Woodruff High School, where he played baseball, basketball, and football and participated in choir; he later attended Western Illinois University, where he played football and baseball, and Bradley University; and

WHEREAS, Royce Elliott was best known as "America's funniest clean comedian"; he traveled all over North America performing as an emcee for sports, corporate, and charity events; he entertained at numerous venues, such as Bally's Las Vegas, the Grand Ole Opry, and Atlantic City; he also performed his routine at the Stadium Club in Peoria, Two Brother's Tap, and local baseball fields; and

WHEREAS, Royce Elliott made dozens of national television appearances on "The Ralph Emery Show", "Crook and Chase", "Nashville Now", and "The Statler Brothers Show"; he worked with many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Lou Rawls, Rich Little, Barbara Mandrell, Vince Gill, and Conway Twitty; he also worked sports banquets and fantasy camps with sports stars Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Buck, Harry Caray, and many others; and

WHEREAS, After semi-retiring, Royce Elliott worked locally as a co-host of "Breakfast With Royce and Roger", where he connected with his all-time favorite comedian, Jonathan Winters; he spent most Thursday mornings at the Sterling Family Restaurant with good friends from the ROMEO club; and

WHEREAS, Royce Elliott enjoyed sports and coaching and sponsoring local teams; he played for several years in the Peoria Sunday Morning League and played fast pitch softball for about 20 years; Elliott's Jesters sponsored fast pitch teams, park district men's basketball teams, and youth track teams; he also coached in the Salvation Army Biddy Basketball league and West Peoria Little League; and

WHEREAS, The City of Peoria has designated the portion of Evans Street between Monroe Street and Perry Avenue in Peoria as "Royce Elliott Place" in honor of his work; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate March 26, 2016 as Royce Elliott Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Mr. Elliott and his legacy of entertainment; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the family of Royce Elliott as a symbol of our respect and esteem.