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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois 
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learned with regret of the death of Sister Mary Ludgera 
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Pieperbeck, O.S.F., R.N., Ph.D. on August 2, 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Sister Ludgera was born April 24, 1927 in Bochum, 
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Germany, the third of 11 children; she entered religious life 
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in 1948 with The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis; she 
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immigrated to the United States in 1951; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Sister Ludgera received a diploma in nursing from 
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St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Peoria in 1956; in 
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1963, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in 
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Nursing from St. Mary's College in Leavenworth, Kansas; her 
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Master of Science degree in Nursing was awarded in 1969 from 
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Loyola University in Chicago; in 1982, she was conferred with a 
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Master of Arts degree in educational administration from 
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Bradley University in Peoria; and in 1990, she received her 
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Doctor of Philosophy degree in higher education from Loyola 
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University in Chicago; and

 
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    WHEREAS, She began as an obstetrics staff nurse at OSF 
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Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria in 1956; she served as 
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an operating room (OR) staff nurse at Saint Phillip's Hospital 
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in Rock Hill, South Carolina; as an OR supervisor and clinical 
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instructor at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford; as 
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hospital supervisor at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Keokuk, Iowa; 
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as a faculty member of Saint Anthony Medical Center School of 
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Nursing in Rockford; as medical-surgical nursing coordinator 
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and chair of senior level at Saint Anthony School of Nursing in 
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Rockford; as Director and CEO of Saint Francis Medical Center 
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School of Nursing; and as Dean and CEO of Saint Francis Medical 
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Center College of Nursing; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In addition to serving as Dean of the College of 
 


 






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Nursing, Sister Ludgera was also on the boards of OSF 
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Healthcare System and OSF HealthPlans at the time of her death; 
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she had served on a variety of boards and committees in Peoria, 
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most relating to healthcare, education, and her religious 
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community; she received the Pere Marquette Medal from the 
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Diocese of Peoria in 2002, was selected as a Business and 
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Industry Leader by the Peoria YWCA in 1995, and was inducted 
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into the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Heritage Hall of Fame 
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in 2003; in 1981 she was inducted into the Pi Lambda Theta 
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National Honor and Professional Association in Education, and 
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in 1982 she was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor 
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Society; and

 
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    WHEREAS, A leader in nursing education in Illinois, in 1982 
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she led the process toward obtaining State of Illinois 
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accreditation, allowing the School of Nursing to offer the 
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bachelor's degree in nursing and become, in 1985, the Saint 
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Francis Medical Center College of Nursing; in 1998, she began 
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the process that led to the Saint Francis Medical Center 
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College of Nursing offering the master's in nursing degree; the 
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first master's degree students graduated in May 2004; 
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therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of 
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Sister Mary Ludgera Pieperbeck, a leader in the nursing field 
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in the State of Illinois, and we extend our deepest sympathy to 
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her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it 
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further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Sister Mary Ludgera Pieperbeck, to 
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The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, and to the Saint 
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Francis Medical Center College of Nursing as an expression of 
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our sincerest condolences and in recognition of her many 
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contributions to nursing education.