2017 -- H 5814

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LC001522

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

JOYFULLY CELEBRATING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF WILLIAM FREDRICK GAGNE

ON MARCH 4, 2017

     Introduced By: Representatives O`Grady, Shekarchi, Keable, and Costantino

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2017

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, In the year 1917, President John F. Kennedy was born, Jeanette Rankin of

Montana became the first woman to serve in the United States Congress, and the United States

entered World War I. A Chevrolet automobile cost $490 dollars, a newspaper cost one cent, a

roasting chicken went for 32 cents per pound, and a women's skirt cost three dollars and seventy-

seven cents; and

     WHEREAS, William Fredrick Gagne was born on March 4, 1917, in Ipswitch

Massachusetts, the seventh of nine siblings, to Napoleon Gagne and Lena La Blanc. His family

moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1925, where he attended school. In 1932, in the midst of

the Great Depression, William went to work for Bill's Auto Parts to help the family; and

     WHEREAS, William has been a passionate motorcyclist since he was sixteen and

belonged to the Jessie Roamers Motorcycle Club, a club that supported the renowned motorcycle

racing champion, Jessie James. It was at this time that he met Bertha Szeliga, marrying her

shortly thereafter. Together, they bought their Lincoln home in 1939, and William still resides

there today; and

     WHEREAS, William was a member of the United States Army in World War II and

served our nation with honor and distinction. He voluntarily joined the 809th Corp of Army Air

Corp Combat Engineers, and was deployed to the Mediterranean region where he took part in five

amphibious invasions including North Africa, Sicily, southern Italy, central Italy, and southern

France. The 809th were part of General Patton's famous 3rd Army; and

     WHEREAS, After earning an Honorable Discharge after the war, William returned home

to his wife and his former place of employment, Bill's Auto Parts, where he was promoted to the

position of General Manager, a title he held for seventy years; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby joyously celebrates the 100th birthday of William Fredrick Gagne

on March 4, 2017, and we thank him for his devoted service to our nation during World War II;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. William Fredrick Gagne.

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