SR0773 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0773 LRB096 22013 GRL 40290 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Thomas W. Nielsen Sr., who passed away on April 7, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Nielsen Sr. was born on August 15, 1922, in Chicago; he was the son of Thorwald Peter and Nettie (Fladlien) Nielsen; he married his loving wife, Lorraine, on January 30, 1949, in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Nielsen Sr. enlisted in the United States Army on October 2, 1942, and served as a Platoon Sergeant in Company C, 342nd Infantry of the 86th "Blackhawk" Division during combat operations in France, Germany, and Austria; after the German surrender, he served in the Philippines until his honorable discharge on April 22, 1946; he was awarded the American, European-African-Middle Eastern, and Asiatic-Pacific Theater Service medals, among other service awards; and

WHEREAS, Upon his return to the United States after World War II, Thomas Nielsen Sr. resumed his studies at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where he earned his bachelor's degree in zoology, his master's degree in physiology, and his doctorate in physiology; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Nielsen Sr. began his scientific and academic career by joining the faculty of the University of Colorado Medical School in Denver; he was later appointed to the faculty of the University of North Dakota Medical School as a Hill Research professor, where he continued his research and taught at the medical school; in the early 1970s, he was recruited by Southern Illinois University and appointed as a professor at the School of Dental Medicine, which brought him and his family to Alton; he finished his professional career at the National Institutes of Health, where he worked for more than a decade until his retirement in 1989 as Chief of the Cardiac Functions Branch; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Nielsen Sr. was a member of several professional, scientific, and social associations, including the American Society of Nephrology, the International Society of Nephrology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the American Society of Zoologists, the American Association of University Professors, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Physiological Society, the National Veterans of Foreign Wars Association, the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, Zeta Psi Fraternity, and SCORE; he also served as an elder of the First Presbyterian Church, where he also enjoyed organizing and participating in events hosted by its Over Fifty-Five Club; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Nielsen Sr. enjoyed oil painting, fishing, music, American Indian art, biblical archaeology, and collegiate and Rams football; most of all, he enjoyed traveling and dancing with his wife, fishing with his son, spending time with his daughters, and being thoroughly entertained by all his grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Nielsen Sr. is survived by his wife; his children, Dr. Mary Nielsen, Dr. Joanne Graham, Thomas W. Nielsen Jr., and Lisa Nielsen; his daughters' spouses, Dr. James Shoemaker, Dr. Mike Graham, and Michael Moehn; his grandchildren, Kate, Laura, and Joanna Shoemaker, Eric and Matthew Graham, and Patrick and Anna Moehn; his brother, John B. Nielsen; his niece, Kathleen Nielsen; and his nephews, Dr. Mark Grauer and Dr. John Grauer; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Dr. Thomas W. Nielsen Sr.; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Thomas Nielsen Sr. as an expression of our sympathy.