Full Text of HR1570 94th General Assembly
HR1570 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives were deeply saddened to learn of the death of | 4 |
| former President Gerald R. Ford on December 26, 2006; and | 5 |
| WHEREAS, Gerald Ford was born in Omaha, Nebraska on July | 6 |
| 14, 1913 and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he joined | 7 |
| the Boy Scouts and proudly attained the highest rank of Eagle | 8 |
| Scout; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, Gerald Ford attended the University of Michigan, | 10 |
| where he played as a center and linebacker and helped the | 11 |
| Wolverines win national titles in 1932 and 1933; following his | 12 |
| graduation with a Bachelor's degree in economics, he turned | 13 |
| down offers to play professional football and instead went to | 14 |
| Yale, where he was hired as an assistant football coach and | 15 |
| boxing coach; he later attended Yale Law School, where he | 16 |
| received his law degree; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, Gerald Ford set up a law practice in Michigan, but | 18 |
| after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United | 19 |
| States Navy and served aboard an aircraft carrier in the | 20 |
| Pacific Theater in World War II; he attained the rank of | 21 |
| lieutenant commander and for his naval service he earned the | 22 |
| Asian-Pacific Campaign Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, | 23 |
| the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory | 24 |
| Medal; and | 25 |
| WHEREAS, On October 15, 1948 Gerald Ford married Betty | 26 |
| Bloomer Warren, who would later serve as First Lady with | 27 |
| distinction as a champion of women's rights; the couple raised | 28 |
| four children, Michael, John, Steven, and Susan; and | 29 |
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WHEREAS, In 1948 Gerald Ford defeated an incumbent | 30 |
| congressmen in his first political campaign and went on to |
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| serve 13 terms, for a total of 25 years, as United States | 2 |
| Representative for the Grand Rapids area; and | 3 |
| WHEREAS, As a congressman Gerald Ford was prominent on the | 4 |
| Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and used his role on the | 5 |
| House Appropriations Committee to curb spending; over time his | 6 |
| personality and fair leadership helped him secure the House | 7 |
| Minority Leadership position; in 1963 he was appointed to the | 8 |
| Warren Commission, assigned to investigate the assassination | 9 |
| of former President Kennedy; and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, In the wake of political turmoil and corruption, | 11 |
| Gerald Ford rose to the position of Vice President, and then, | 12 |
| following the resignation of President Richard Nixon, Gerald | 13 |
| Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States, | 14 |
| becoming the only person to serve as both President and Vice | 15 |
| President without being elected to those offices; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, President Gerald Ford brought the nation together | 17 |
| at a challenging time and restored confidence and trust in the | 18 |
| White House; he will be long remembered as a leader that served | 19 |
| with integrity, honesty, and strong patriotism; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, Despite facing a strong Democrat-controlled | 21 |
| Congress, President Gerald Ford set definitive goals to | 22 |
| maintain a steady economy, scale back the national deficit, and | 23 |
| reduce regulations and taxes on businesses; in his tenure he | 24 |
| presided over the
evacuation of Americans from Vietnam, worked | 25 |
| to sustain foreign relations, and was the first President to | 26 |
| visit Japan; and | 27 |
| WHEREAS, Following his presidency, Gerald Ford taught at | 28 |
| the University of Michigan, established the Gerald Ford | 29 |
| Institute on Public Policy, continued to represent the nation | 30 |
| at ceremonial and historical events, served on a number of | 31 |
| corporate boards, and devoted time to his love of golf; and |
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| WHEREAS, On August 11, 1999, Gerald Ford was awarded the | 2 |
| Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian | 3 |
| award, for his many years of public service and his legacy of | 4 |
| healing and hope as president; on May 21, 2001 he was presented | 5 |
| the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award for placing the | 6 |
| country's interests over his own political interests in his | 7 |
| decision to pardon Richard Nixon; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, On December 26, 2006, former President Gerald R. | 9 |
| Ford passed away at his home in California at the age of 93; | 10 |
| his family will remember him as a beloved husband, father, | 11 |
| grandfather, and great-grandfather, and the world will | 12 |
| remember him as a faithful and sincere public servant; | 13 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 15 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 |
| we mourn the loss of former President Gerald R. Ford, and we | 17 |
| honor and celebrate his dedication and service to the People of | 18 |
| the United States of America; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 |
| presented to the family of former President Ford and to the | 21 |
| Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Grand Rapids, | 22 |
| Michigan.
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