Bill Text: IL HR0474 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Richard L. Duchossois on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-10-20 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Randy E. Frese [HR0474 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-HR0474-Introduced.html

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HR0474 LRB102 20378 ECR 29236 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are pleased to congratulate Richard L.
Duchossois of Barrington Hills on the occasion of his 100th
birthday; and
WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois was born in Chicago,
Illinois on October 7, 1921; he was raised in Beverly and
attended Morgan Park Military Academy, where he graduated in
1940; he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington,
Kentucky; and
WHEREAS, In 1942, Richard L. Duchossois was given orders
to report to training at the U.S. Army's Tank Destroyer unit;
he later became the commander of Company C of the 610th Tank
Destroyer Battalion and landed on Utah Beach in Normandy while
serving under the 80th Division of General George Patton's
Third Army; his company fought through central France and east
across to the Moselle River; in a German counterattack, he was
shot and temporarily paralyzed but soon returned to lead his
battalion in the Battle of the Bulge; and
WHEREAS, When World War II formally ended, Richard J.
Duchossois served as the military governor of Kreis Eichstadt
in Germany and eventually rose to the rank of major; he was

HR0474 - 2 - LRB102 20378 ECR 29236 r
released from active service in 1946 and was awarded the
Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars; and
WHEREAS, Richard L Duchossois joined the Thrall Car
Manufacturing Company, becoming CEO and president; he
subsequently purchased the Chamberlain Manufacturing Corp,
later renamed Duchossois Industries, and became its chairman;
and
WHEREAS, In 1967, Richard L. Duchossois purchased and
developed Hill 'N' Dale Farm in Barrington Hills in McHenry
County; it became one of Illinois' top Thoroughbred breeding
farms; in 1983, he purchased Arlington Park Race Track, which
later merged with Churchill Downs Incorporated in 2000; and
WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois, affectionately known as
"Mr. D", developed Arlington Park International Race Track
into one of the most beautiful and renowned horse racing
facilities in the world; he has been awarded the American
Jockey Club's Gold Medal and the Joe Palmer Award for
Meritorious Service to Racing from the National Turf Writers
Association and was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall
of Fame; he was also inducted into the National Museum of
Racing and Hall of Fame and named one of their Pillars of the
Turf; and

HR0474 - 3 - LRB102 20378 ECR 29236 r
WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois established the Duchossois
Family Foundation (DFF), which has made donations in excess of
$137 million to the University of Chicago Medical Center;
these donations culminated in the establishment of the
Duchossois Family Institute; through other philanthropic
grants, the DFF has made substantial impacts upon dozens of
charitable organizations benefiting thousands of people in
Illinois and across the United States; and
WHEREAS, Richard L. Duchossois received the Sword of
Loyola Award from Loyola University in Chicago in 2014; he
became a director of the National World War II Museum in New
Orleans so he could continue his dedication to his country and
to the mission of educating current and future generations
that freedom and independence are not free; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we wish Richard L. Duchossois, "Mr. D", a very happy 100th
birthday and many more happy and healthy years; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Richard L. Duchossois as an expression of our
good wishes.