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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3		Representatives wish to congratulate Secretary of State Jesse
4		White on the occasion of his 80th birthday; and
5		WHEREAS, Secretary White was born in Alton; he was an
6		all-city baseball and basketball player at Robert A. Waller
7		High School in Chicago (now Lincoln Park High School); he
8		graduated in 1957 with a bachelor's degree from Alabama State
9		University, where he played baseball and basketball, and served
10		as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division of the United
11		States Army from 1957 to 1959; he also served as a member of
12		the Illinois National Guard; and
13		WHEREAS, In 1959, Secretary White founded the Jesse White
14		Tumblers to serve as a positive alternative for children
15		residing in the Chicago area; since its inception, more than
16		10,700 young men and women have performed with the team; and
17		WHEREAS, Secretary White played minor league professional
18		baseball with the Chicago Cubs organization, which was followed
19		by a 33-year career with the Chicago Public Schools system as a
20		teacher and administrator; and
21		WHEREAS, Secretary White became a political protege of

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1		long-time Cook County Board President and 42nd Ward Democratic
2		Committeeman George Dunne; he was elected to the Illinois
3		General Assembly in 1974 and served for 16 years; he was
4		elected Cook County Recorder of Deeds in 1992, and re-elected
5		in 1996; in recent years, he has also served as Democratic
6		Committeeman of Chicago's 27th Ward; and
7		WHEREAS, Secretary White was first elected Secretary of
8		State of Illinois in 1998, and was re-elected in 2002, 2006,
9		and 2010; he has been an advocate on traffic issues, including
10		teen driver safety, DUI legislation, and truck highway safety;
11		he has improved customer service in the Secretary of State's
12		office and embraced technology to better serve the public; and
13		WHEREAS, Secretary White continues to serve as an advocate
14		for organ and tissue donation; he initiated legislation
15		creating the First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry,
16		which makes a person's decision to donate legally binding;
17		since 2006, more than 5,000,000 people have signed-up for the
18		registry; and
19		WHEREAS, In May 1995, Secretary White was inducted into the
20		Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame; he was inducted
21		into the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Association
22		Hall of Fame in June 1995, and in 1999, he was inducted into
23		the Alabama State University Sports Hall of Fame; therefore, be

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1		it
2		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3		NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4		we congratulate Secretary of State Jesse White on his 80th
5		birthday, and wish him many more wonderful years; and be it
6		further
7		RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8		presented to Secretary White as an expression of our esteem and
9		respect.