Bill Text: IL HR0293 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Gordon Gillespie.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-03-19 - Resolution Adopted [HR0293 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HR0293-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Gordon | ||||||
4 | "Gordie" Gillespie, who passed away on February 28, 2015; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie was born in Chicago on April 14, | ||||||
6 | 1926 to Earl and Belle (nee Ross) Gillespie; he attended Kelvyn | ||||||
7 | Park High School and graduated from DePaul University; he | ||||||
8 | served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie began his coaching career in 1950 | ||||||
10 | at what is now Lewis University, when he took over the men's | ||||||
11 | basketball program; he remained there until 1965; he also | ||||||
12 | coached the Flyers baseball team from 1953 to 1976 and was | ||||||
13 | athletic director from 1956 to 1976; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie made 8 trips to the National | ||||||
15 | Association of Intercollegiate Athletics World Series during | ||||||
16 | his tenure with Lewis University and won 3 consecutive national | ||||||
17 | titles from
1974 to 1976; in 1975 and 1976, he also coached | ||||||
18 | Joliet Catholic High School to 2 of the 5 State
championships | ||||||
19 | that he won during a 27-year stint that began in 1959; and
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20 | WHEREAS, In 1976, Gordie Gillespie moved from Lewis | ||||||
21 | University to St. Francis University; he was the school's |
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1 | athletic director from 1976 to 1986; he coached
the Saints' | ||||||
2 | first women's basketball team in the 1976-77 season and was | ||||||
3 | baseball coach from 1976 to 1995; he got back into football in | ||||||
4 | 1986, when he launched the St. Francis program; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie never truly retired; he moved to | ||||||
6 | Ripon, Wisconsin in 1996, where he assumed the role of head | ||||||
7 | baseball coach, assisted his son in basketball, and took the | ||||||
8 | Ripon High School football team to its first ever state | ||||||
9 | championship; and
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10 | WHEREAS, After 1O seasons at Ripon High School, Gordie | ||||||
11 | Gillespie came back to St. Francis University for his second | ||||||
12 | stint as the school's baseball coach; he coached 6 more seasons | ||||||
13 | with the Saints, retiring in 2011 with 1,893 victories - the | ||||||
14 | most by a college
baseball coach at any level at the time; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie he was inducted into Joliet | ||||||
16 | Catholic's Hall of Champions in 2014; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie collected 2,402 coaching wins in | ||||||
18 | 3 different sports over 61 years; he led teams to 4 national | ||||||
19 | titles in college baseball and 5 State titles in high school | ||||||
20 | football; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie was preceded in death by his |
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1 | parents; his wife, Emily; his brother, Earl Gillespie; his aunt | ||||||
2 | and uncle, Howard and Helen Ammeson; his cousin, Donald Ross; | ||||||
3 | his 2 step-sons; and his step-grandson; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Gordie Gillespie is survived by his wife, Joan | ||||||
5 | Hollister Gillespie; his sons, Bob (Penny), Mike (Connie), | ||||||
6 | Gordie, Jr. (Patty), and Greg (Denise); his 3 daughters, Billie | ||||||
7 | K. (Ron) Shimanski-Lipke, Margaret Mary (John) | ||||||
8 | Gillespie-Koenig, and Jacqueline (Steve) Turk | ||||||
9 | Gillespie-Horvat; his cousin, Doris Pretz; his step-children, | ||||||
10 | Reverend Bruce (Susan) Hollister, Linda (Reverend David) | ||||||
11 | Brown, Betsy (Don) Dvorak, and Brian (Priscilla) Hollister; his | ||||||
12 | 40 grandchildren; his 42 great-grandchildren; and numerous | ||||||
13 | nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
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14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
15 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
16 | mourn the passing of Gordon "Gordie" Gillespie, and extend our | ||||||
17 | sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew | ||||||
18 | and loved him; and be it further
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19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
20 | presented to the family of Gordie Gillespie as an expression of | ||||||
21 | our deepest sympathy.
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