Bill Text: IL HR0476 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of actor, writer, and folk music singer Burl Ives on June 14, 2009.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2009-05-28 - Resolution Adopted [HR0476 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2009-HR0476-Introduced.html

---

HR0476 LRB096 13104 GRL 27581 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are proud to recognize the life and legacy of
those individuals that have distinguished themselves through
significant personal achievement; and
WHEREAS, Burl Ives was born on June 14, 1909 in Hunt City;
he was the son of Levi "Frank" Ives and Cordelia "Dellie"
White; and
WHEREAS, Burl Ives' musical talent was recognized at an
early age; one day, Mr. Ives was singing in the garden with his
mother, and his uncle overheard them; he invited his nephew to
sing at the old soldiers' reunion in Hunt City; young Burl
performed a rendition of the folk ballad "Barbara Allen" and
impressed both his uncle and the audience; and
WHEREAS, From 1927 to 1929, Burl Ives attended Eastern
Illinois State Teachers College in Charleston (now Eastern
Illinois University), where he played football; during his
junior year, while sitting in English class listening to a
lecture on Beowulf, he suddenly realized that he was wasting
his time in school and rose up to leave; as he walked out the
door, the professor made a snide remark and Mr. Ives slammed
the door behind him; 60 years later, the school named a

HR0476 - 2 - LRB096 13104 GRL 27581 r
building after its most famous dropout; and
WHEREAS, During the early 1930s, Burl Ives traveled about
the U.S. as an itinerant singer, earning his way by doing odd
jobs and playing his banjo; around 1931, he landed on WBOW
radio in Terre Haute, Indiana; he also went back to school,
attending classes at Indiana State Teachers College (now
Indiana State University); and
WHEREAS, In 1940, Burl Ives began his own radio show,
titled "The Wayfaring Stranger" after one of his ballads; the
show became very popular; in the 1940s, he popularized several
traditional folk songs, such as "Lavender Blue", "Foggy Foggy
Dew", "Blue Tail Fly", and "Big Rock Candy Mountain"; and
WHEREAS, Burl Ives was drafted to serve in the military in
early 1942; he first spent time at Camp Dix in New Jersey, then
at Camp Upton in New York, where he joined the cast of Irving
Berlin's "This Is the Army"; when the show went to Hollywood,
he was transferred to the Army Air Force; he was honorably
discharged in September of 1943; in December of 1943, Ives
returned to New York City and went to work again for CBS radio
for $100 a week; and
WHEREAS, On December 6, 1945, Burl Ives married 29-year-old
script writer Helen Peck Ehrlich; the pair would later adopt a

HR0476 - 3 - LRB096 13104 GRL 27581 r
son (Alexander); the following year, Mr. Ives was cast as a
singing cowboy in the film "Smoky"; and
WHEREAS, Burl Ives continued his burgeoning movie career
during the 1950s, with roles in "East of Eden" in 1955, "Cat on
a Hot Tin Roof" in 1958, "The Big Country" in 1958, which won
him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and "Our Man in
Havana" in 1959; and
WHEREAS, In the 1960s, Burl Ives began singing country
music with greater frequency; in 1962, he released three
country music hits, "A Little Bitty Tear", "Call Me Mr.
In-Between", and "Funny Way of Laughing"; all three songs also
became big pop music hits; and
WHEREAS, During the 1960s and 1970s, Burl Ives took on a
number of television roles; he played the narrator, Sam the
Snowman, in the animated television special, Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1964; Mr. Ives' song "A Holly Jolly
Christmas", featured during the special, remains a popular tune
during the Christmas season; he also performed in Pinocchio in
1968 and Roots in 1977; he was the star of two television
series, "O.K. Crackerby!" (1965-1966) and "The Bold Ones: The
Lawyers" (1969-1972); in 1962, he starred alongside Rock Hudson
in the movie "The Spiral Road"; and

HR0476 - 4 - LRB096 13104 GRL 27581 r
WHEREAS, Burl Ives and Helen Peck Ehrlich divorced in 1971;
he then married Dorothy Koster Paul in London, England in that
same year and adopted her two children, Kevin and Robbie; and
WHEREAS, On October 25, 1975, Burl Ives was awarded the
prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit
in honor of his vast influence on American vocal music; and
WHEREAS, In the 1970s, Burl Ives lent his name and image to
the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's "This Land is Your Land,
Keep It Clean" campaign; and
WHEREAS, Burl Ives passed away at the age of 85 on April
14, 1995 in Anacortes, Washington after a valiant fight against
cancer; he is interred at Mound Cemetery in Hunt City Township
in Jasper County; and
WHEREAS, Burl Ives appeared in many Broadway shows,
including "The Boys From Syracuse", "Heavenly Express", "This
is the Army", "Sing Out Sweet Land", "Paint Your Wagon", and
"Dr. Cook's Garden"; his most notable Broadway performance,
however, was the role of Big Daddy Cane in "Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof", a role written specifically for Ives by Tennessee
Williams; he would later reprise the role in the 1958 movie
version; and

HR0476 - 5 - LRB096 13104 GRL 27581 r
WHEREAS, Burl Ives published his autobiography, "The
Wayfaring Stranger", in 1948; he also wrote or compiled several
other books, including the "Burl Ives Songbook" (1953), "Tales
of America" (1954), "Sea Songs of Sailing, Whaling, and
Fishing" (1956), and "The Wayfaring Stranger's Notebook"
(1962); and
WHEREAS, During the course of the multi-decade career; Burl
Ives recorded more than 100 albums and scored dozens of hits;
his music is still adored and emulated by countless numbers of
fans and fellow musicians; and
WHEREAS, Burl Ives' legacy lives on through his legions of
devoted fans and his unforgettable catalog of incredible music;
his contributions to the world of music and the people of the
State of Illinois are enormous; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Burl Ives on
June 14, 2009 and urge the citizens of the State of Illinois to
celebrate as well; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Burl Ives, the Jasper County Board,
and the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce as a symbol of our

HR0476 - 6 - LRB096 13104 GRL 27581 r
esteem and respect.