Bill Text: IL HR0330 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates John Cruz on the occasion of his retirement as a baseball coach after 51 years. Thanks him for his dedication to the game, the teams, and the players.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-26 - Resolution Adopted [HR0330 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0330-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate John Cruz on the occasion | ||||||
| 4 | of his retirement as a baseball coach after 51 years; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Coach Cruz was born to Rafael and Mary | ||||||
| 6 | (Hernandez) Cruz in Spring Valley on September 15, 1949; he | ||||||
| 7 | was one of 14 children; he graduated from DePue High School in | ||||||
| 8 | 1969; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Outside of baseball, Coach Cruz worked at Libbey | ||||||
| 10 | Owens, later renamed Pilkington, for 42 years from 1974 to | ||||||
| 11 | 2015; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Coach Cruz began his 51-year coaching career with | ||||||
| 13 | the Spring Valley Youth Baseball Program in 1972; he proceeded | ||||||
| 14 | to coach various travel programs; he then served under Coach | ||||||
| 15 | Bob Koopmann, assisting in coaching baseball at Illinois | ||||||
| 16 | Valley Community College, Ashford University in Iowa, and | ||||||
| 17 | Rockford University; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Coach Cruz returned to the Illinois Valley to | ||||||
| 19 | coach the Princeton High School boys baseball team, the | ||||||
| 20 | Tigers, in 2009, leading the team to its most productive | ||||||
| 21 | two-year run with an overall record of 46-15; he then coached | ||||||
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| 1 | the Putnam County High School boys baseball team, the | ||||||
| 2 | Panthers, for two years before coaching the freshmen baseball | ||||||
| 3 | team at LaSalle-Peru High School; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Coach Cruz joined the coaching staff of the Hall | ||||||
| 5 | High School freshmen and sophomore boys baseball team, the Red | ||||||
| 6 | Demons, in Spring Valley in 2020, where he has coached for the | ||||||
| 7 | past four years; his last game as coach with the Red Demons | ||||||
| 8 | ended with a 20-6 victory, with the team winning their final 10 | ||||||
| 9 | games, finishing 21-6 overall; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Coach Cruz has coached and mentored countless | ||||||
| 11 | young players during his 51 years of coaching and left a deep | ||||||
| 12 | impression at each place he has served; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Coach Cruz has expressed plans to watch his | ||||||
| 14 | grandchildren play baseball post-retirement; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Coach Cruz is the husband of Christine (Andreoni) | ||||||
| 16 | Cruz, and they have four children, Craig, Lisa, Mary Rae, and | ||||||
| 17 | Billy; therefore, be it
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| 18 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 19 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 20 | we congratulate John Cruz on the occasion of his retirement as | ||||||
| 21 | a baseball coach after 51 years, and we thank him for his | ||||||
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| 1 | commitment and dedication to the game, the teams, and the | ||||||
| 2 | players; and be it further
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| 3 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 4 | presented to Coach Cruz as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
| 5 | respect.
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