SR0241 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0241 LRB101 07120 ALS 56097 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Sidney J. Blair of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and formerly a 57-year resident of Oak Park, on November 24, 2018 at the age of 94; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was born on December 15, 1923 in Chicago to Kate and Harry Blair; he attended Sullivan High School and Washington University in St. Louis; in 1948, he received his medical degree in an accelerated program from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was an enlisted member of the United States Army during World War II and was an officer in the United States Navy during the Korean War, serving as the Chief Medical Officer aboard the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Destroyer Escort; he met Joseph Kennedy, his wife, Rose, and their son, John F. Kennedy, during his time stationed in Newport Beach, R.I.; he left active duty in 1954 and was honorably discharged from the Naval Reserve in 1961; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair served his internship at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and his residency at Hines VA Hospital and the Shriners Hospital in Chicago; he worked at what is now Community First Medical Center on the Northwest Side as a general orthopaedic surgeon in the emergency room and, later, held a similar job at Michael Reese Hospital; he did post-graduate study in hand surgery at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine; he returned to Cook County Hospital where he pioneered groundbreaking microsurgery, overseeing the reattachment of four fingers to a patient's hand, the first-ever four-finger reattachment; and

WHEREAS, In 1986, Dr. Blair was appointed chairman of Loyola's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation and was the Dr. William M. Scholl Professorial Chair, holding both appointments until 1991; he continued to serve as Professor for Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief of Hand Section, where he was recognized nationally as an expert in trauma, arthritis, peripheral nerve problems, congenital deformities of the hand and prevention of industrial hand injuries; he retired in 1994 and was appointed emeritus professor, based on a distinguished lifetime career of healing, teaching, mentoring, and guiding; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and numerous other professional organizations; the Sidney J. Blair M. D. Lecture in Hand Surgery was established by donations from numerous Loyola faculty, alumni, staff, and friends in his honor in 1995; he also consulted with the National Safety Council to reduce hand injuries from industrial machinery and with OSHA to develop ergonomic standards for repetitive motion in the workplace; and

WHEREAS, Loyola orthopaedic surgery professor Terry Light, who succeeded Dr. Blair as department head, noted "When he walked into an exam room, he gave that patient full attention for however long as was needed. And other physicians would refer the most challenging of cases to Sid, and he just took care of people"; he was considered a skilled surgeon, an outstanding mentor who was filled with curiosity; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair and his wife, LaMoyne, traveled extensively throughout the world, where he consulted at medical facilities in countries such as Japan and Sweden; he never stopped educating himself, taking courses, traveling and reading; he had a special interest in environmental and medical issues in the Middle East; at the age of 86, he published a book, "The Doctors Beck of Chicago: Men of Integrity", a biography of three doctors and a dentist, all brothers, who made significant contributions to modern medicine in the late 1800s and early 1900s; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was a long-time member of West Suburban Temple Har Zion in River Forest, the Oak Park-River Forest Rotary, the Off the Street Gang of Oak Park and River Forest, and the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, where he attempted, after the first Persian Gulf War in 1991, to form links with medical groups tied to the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, LaMoyne, and by his brother, Marshall (Shirley) Blair; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Blair is survived by his sons, Brian (Cathy) Blair and David (Marcia) Blair; his grandchildren, Shawn (Kristen), Brandon, Eryn, and Hannah Blair; and his great-grandchildren, Liam and Addison Blair; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dr. Sidney J. Blair and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. Blair as an expression of our deepest sympathy.