Full Text of HR0234 101st General Assembly
HR0234 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Cyril "Pete" Korte on | 4 | | receiving the 2019 Homer Poss Lifetime Achievement Award; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The Homer Poss Lifetime Achievement Award is | 6 | | presented by the Highland Chamber of Commerce to an individual | 7 | | who has made a significant positive impact on the Highland | 8 | | community through their past achievements over a long period of | 9 | | time and who has enhanced the quality of life for Highland-area | 10 | | residents; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte was born and raised in a devout | 12 | | Catholic family in Damiansville, the 11th of 12 children born | 13 | | to Ben and Mary Korte; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte came from humble beginnings; he grew up | 15 | | very poor but worked very hard on the family farm as a young | 16 | | boy and teenager; with an ailing father, two sisters in the | 17 | | Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood Order, and four brothers | 18 | | in the service, he was left to run the family farm at 14; he | 19 | | attended Damiansville Elementary School and Aviston High | 20 | | School; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte landed his first job in Highland at |
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| 1 | | Basler Electric when he was 16 years old; he joined the U.S. | 2 | | Army Reserve when he was 19; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte and Jane were just kids when they first | 4 | | met, which was through courtships and marriages between their | 5 | | siblings; two of Pete's sisters, Alvina and Alice, married two | 6 | | of Jane's brothers, Francis and John; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte and Jane married in 1958, and he says | 8 | | she truly is the love of his life, his rock and his foundation; | 9 | | and | 10 | | WHEREAS, With a small loan from his father-in-law and the | 11 | | little savings he had, Pete Korte bought a backhoe and started | 12 | | doing small jobs around Highland and neighboring towns; soon | 13 | | after, he joined forces with his brother-in-law, Joe Luitjohan, | 14 | | and they formed a brother-like-union, working countless hours | 15 | | side-by-side; in 1960, he and Joe joined the Operating | 16 | | Engineers Local 520 with cards numbers 39 and 40; over the | 17 | | years, they broadened their project scope to include roadwork, | 18 | | bridgework, and building demolition; today, as a full-service | 19 | | general contractor and design builder, their business is unique | 20 | | in that it still performs much of its own excavating work; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte has been one of Highland's hardest | 22 | | workers and very industrious over the years; his business |
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| 1 | | ventures included a tree moving business, a strawberry farm, a | 2 | | subdivision development, crane hoisting services, the Beagle | 3 | | Inn Bar and Grill, and mini warehouses; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte was the brainchild behind Windows on | 5 | | Broadway, a unique business in Highland that houses not just an | 6 | | antique store but also a venue space for intimate events; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Since early in his adult life, Pete Korte has been | 8 | | involved in many civic organizations, including the Knights of | 9 | | Columbus and the Highland Jaycees; he was a volunteer fire | 10 | | fighter for the City of Highland, which he joined together with | 11 | | his brother-in-law, Joe; he believes the Highland Jaycees and | 12 | | being a fire fighter provided him with structure and strength, | 13 | | which taught him many life lessons; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, As a Jaycee, Pete Korte spent many years and long | 15 | | hours setting up and tearing down the Highland Homecoming; Jane | 16 | | and his kids were by his side through much of his work; as vice | 17 | | president and chairman of the Highland Jaycees, they earned the | 18 | | #1 Chapter for Highland both years; he enjoyed his work life | 19 | | and giving back was his second nature; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte devoted himself to his church, St. | 21 | | Paul; he was in the choir and served as Kirchenfest Chairman in | 22 | | 1976, the same year he also chaired the Highland Homecoming on |
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| 1 | | the square, donating equipment, labor and materials when | 2 | | needed; he donated equipment, labor, and many loads of rock for | 3 | | the 2017 renovations of the Knights of Columbus baseball | 4 | | diamonds; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Pete Korte's spirit of giving and dedication to | 6 | | his church and community has certainly filtered down to his | 7 | | children, as they give back to their own churches and | 8 | | communities; therefore, be it
| 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 10 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 11 | | we congratulate Cyril "Pete" Korte on receiving the 2019 Homer | 12 | | Poss Lifetime Achievement Award and thank him for all the hard | 13 | | work he has done for his community; and be it further
| 14 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 15 | | presented to Pete Korte as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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