Senate Resolution 122 PAG LIN 1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. ___ 1 2 BY HOUSER 1 3 A Resolution recognizing the 100th anniversary of 1 4 Glenn Miller's birthday. 1 5 WHEREAS, Alton Glenn Miller was born in Clarinda, 1 6 Iowa, on March 1, 1904, in the family home located at 1 7 601 S. 16th Street, now Glenn Miller Avenue; and 1 8 WHEREAS, Glenn Miller organized an orchestra in 1 9 1938, performing with an acclaimed style of big band 1 10 swing music that quickly set new records in attendance 1 11 and recording sales and continued to do so until the 1 12 orchestra was disbanded in 1942 at the height of its 1 13 popularity; and 1 14 WHEREAS, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra were the 1 15 first musicians to be recognized with a gold record 1 16 and this recognition has continued with an 1 17 accumulation of 29 gold records, so far; and 1 18 WHEREAS, Glenn Miller showed his patriotism by 1 19 volunteering at the age of 38 to join the U.S. Army 1 20 Air Force "to bring our music to the servicemen here 1 21 and abroad"; and 1 22 WHEREAS, he was commissioned as a captain and 1 23 assembled a military band of top=notch musicians that 1 24 was ordered to England in the spring of 1944, bringing 1 25 a new swinging sound to military music; and 1 26 WHEREAS, despite experiencing a shattering loss 1 27 with the death of Glenn Miller halfway through the 1 28 band's European mission, the band spent 13 months in 1 29 the European theater of operations while performing 1 30 nearly 1,000 times, making musical history while world 2 1 history was being made; and 2 2 WHEREAS, in 1976, Clarinda began honoring its 2 3 famous son by hosting an annual music festival 2 4 featuring performers from all over the world and the 2 5 100th anniversary of Glenn Miller's birthday will be 2 6 specially recognized during this year's five=day 2 7 festival held June 9=13, 2004; and 2 8 WHEREAS, membership in Clarinda's Glenn Miller 2 9 Birthplace Society has grown to 1,500 members 2 10 representing 48 states and 24 nations, indicating the 2 11 continuing popularity of the Glenn Miller style of 2 12 music; and 2 13 WHEREAS, music helps bridge differences, as shown 2 14 by the example of Tamana Girls High School Band of 2 15 Kumamoto, Japan, which made its first appearance at 2 16 the festival in 1990, leading to establishment of a 2 17 Sister City and Sister School relationship with 2 18 Clarinda, a degree of cultural exchange unmatched by 2 19 other cities the size of Clarinda; NOW THEREFORE, 2 20 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate 2 21 salutes Glenn Miller's legacy on the occasion of the 2 22 100th anniversary of his birthday and joins people 2 23 everywhere in recognizing through Glenn Miller's 2 24 influence that when music is shared over the 2 25 generations and around the world, good things happen. 2 26 LSB 6646SS 80 2 27 jp/pj/5