Bill Text: IL HJR0006 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates the section of Illinois Route 47 over the CSX Railway in Morris between High Street and Benton Street as the Firefighter James Allen Memorial Highway.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-14 - Adopted Both Houses [HJR0006 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HJR0006-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, It is important to recognize those who contributed | ||||||
3 | to the betterment of the State of Illinois through public | ||||||
4 | service; and
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5 | WHEREAS, James Allen was born on December 28, 1960; his | ||||||
6 | parents were Ken and Judy Allen; and
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7 | WHEREAS, James Allen's parents were both public servants; | ||||||
8 | his father served as an Illinois State Trooper for 6 years and | ||||||
9 | as a Volunteer Firefighter in Morris for 27 years; his mother | ||||||
10 | served as a Health Technician for Grundy and Will Counties for | ||||||
11 | 24 years; and
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12 | WHEREAS, James Allen was raised and educated in Morris | ||||||
13 | School District 54 and spent many days at the firehouse with | ||||||
14 | his father; as a young adult, he took a position with the City | ||||||
15 | of Morris Public Works Department; and
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16 | WHEREAS, James Allen became a Morris Volunteer Firefighter | ||||||
17 | at the age of 21, which at that time was the youngest age | ||||||
18 | allowed to join the fire department; and
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19 | WHEREAS, To be a member of the Fire Department in Morris is | ||||||
20 | a greatly desired and very noble status to achieve; the Morris |
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1 | Fire Department is highly respected in the fire service and | ||||||
2 | James Allen knew that being a member required honor and | ||||||
3 | sacrifice; and
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4 | WHEREAS, James Allen married Donna Brown; together, they | ||||||
5 | had a son, Kenneth James Allen; and
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6 | WHEREAS, On March 18, 1985, James Allen responded with his | ||||||
7 | fellow firefighters to a reported house fire on West Southmor | ||||||
8 | Road in Morris; he and 2 other firefighters advanced a hose | ||||||
9 | line down into the basement to the seat of the fire; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The second fire company was in the process of | ||||||
11 | cutting a ventilation hole on the first floor when a back draft | ||||||
12 | occurred in the basement; 2 of the firefighters were able to | ||||||
13 | make it to the exit; however, James Allen did not emerge with | ||||||
14 | the other firefighters; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Several attempts were made to re-enter the | ||||||
16 | basement with additional hose lines in an attempt to rescue | ||||||
17 | James Allen, which were unfortunately unsuccessful; and
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18 | WHEREAS, James Allen's son, Kenneth James Allen, was 3 | ||||||
19 | years old when his father gave his life in the line of duty; | ||||||
20 | and
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1 | WHEREAS, A life-like statue of James Allen stands in a | ||||||
2 | local park dedicated to his memory; the name of the donor has | ||||||
3 | never been made public; and
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4 | WHEREAS, The base of the statue is inscribed "James Allen | ||||||
5 | Embodied the Essence of America's Volunteer Spirit ... The | ||||||
6 | Volunteer Fireman ... A Morris Volunteer Fireman ... Totally | ||||||
7 | Committed ... A Man of Self-Sacrifice and Courage ... A Bearer | ||||||
8 | of Noble Spirit ... A Premier Public Servant ... Killed in The | ||||||
9 | Line of Duty Fighting a Fire March 18, 1985 at age 24"; | ||||||
10 | therefore, be it
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11 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
12 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
13 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of | ||||||
14 | Illinois Route 47 over the CSX Railway in Morris between High | ||||||
15 | Street and Benton Street as the Firefighter James Allen | ||||||
16 | Memorial Highway; and be it further
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17 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation | ||||||
18 | is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with | ||||||
19 | State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs | ||||||
20 | giving notice of the name of the Firefighter James Allen | ||||||
21 | Memorial Highway; and be it further
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22 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
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1 | presented to the family of Firefighter James Allen, the Morris | ||||||
2 | Fire Protection and Ambulance District, the Mayor of the City | ||||||
3 | of Morris, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of | ||||||
4 | Transportation.
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