SR0864 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0864 LRB099 13775 MST 37745 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Russell R. Dohner of Rushville, who passed away on August 7, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was born on a farm outside of Vermont on February 8, 1925 to David Robert and Ethel May (nee Rowland) Dohner; he graduated from Vermont High School in 1943; he was drafted by the United States Army in the Spring of 1944, and from 1944 to 1946, he served in the military police unit, guarding the Pentagon and seeing such notables as President Harry Truman and General Dwight D. Eisenhower; he was then placed in the medical detachment of a battalion, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant; and

WHEREAS, In 1946, Dr. Dohner became one of the first 4 pre-med students at Western Illinois Teacher's College (Western Illinois University), where he attended from 1946 to 1949 on the GI Bill and lived and worked at the Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home in Macomb; he graduated from Northwestern University in 1953 with his medical degree and served as Cardiology Internist at St. Luke's Hospital in 1954; in 1955, he moved to Rushville and practiced medicine for 58 years until October 31, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner attracted national attention beginning in the early 1970s due to his $2.00 office visit fee, which at that time was being revised to $3.00; the fee was later raised to $5.00 per office visit, which remained his office fee until his practice concluded in 2013; he regularly did house calls and since no appointments were taken at his office, names went on a list and he would see patients in sequential order until everyone had been seen; if a patient was feeling really sick, they came through the back door for quicker attention; he would also see patients who came to his home; he delivered over 3,500 babies in Rushville and encouraged many young people to enter the medical field; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was a regular church attendee at First United Methodist Church in Rushville; he was a member of the Rushville Rotary Club, where he earned his 37-year perfect attendance pin and was a Paul Harris Fellow; he was also a member of the Masons; he enjoyed singing both at church and at the Rotary Club, growing flowers and trees, and fishing; for years, his Rushville home and his cabin located outside of Rushville were the hub of social events for family and friends; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner received a number of awards and recognitions over the years, including the Western Illinois University Alumni Achievement Award in 1982, the Western Illinois University Distinguished Alumni Award in 1990, the Illinois Public Health Association Distinguished Service Award in 1998, the Illinois Pfizer Quality of Care Award in 2002, the Illinois "Doc Hollywood Award" in 2005, the Western Illinois University Honorary Doctorate Award in 2006, and the Northwestern University Service to Society Award in 2015; he was the recipient of the Illinois Department on Aging's Hall of Fame award presented at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield in 2013; he was second runner-up in the "Country Doctor of the Year" national award in 2004; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, Rushville celebrated "Dr. Dohner Day", honoring his 50 years of service to community; in 2013, he served as grand marshal of the Illinois State Fair Parade in Springfield and was honored by Rushville with a ceremony and a bronze statue with his likeness, located in the Rushville Central Park Square; he was the subject of the United States Congressional Record, Volume 159, Issue 180, titled "Tribute to Dr. Russell Dohner" by Senator Dick Durbin (2013); he was included in Bob Dotson's book, American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things (published in 2013); he appeared on NBC's "Today Show", on CNN, and was featured twice in People Magazine; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was a man of humility; he would say that what he valued most was providing service to others, and that his most cherished "prizes" were the homegrown, canned, baked, and crafted items - including cards, letters, and children's crayoned notes - which were shared with him over the years by patients; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Robert Dohner; his 3 sisters, Clarice Dohner, Norma Dohner, and Beula Garrabrant; his 3 brothers-in-law, Wendell Copes, Bob Garrabrant, and Lester Goodwin; his sister-in-law, Beulah Gibble Dohner; and his nephew, Michael Garrabrant; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner is survived by his 2 sisters, Doris (Ronald) Cook and Lydia Goodwin; his 10 nieces and nephews, Sandy (Jeff) Belden, Barb (Gary) Bray, Mary Ann Cook (Joe Cusumano), Ramona Cook, David Dohner, Mark Dohner, Martha (Lee) Fillingham, Jim (Eva) Garrabrant, Marilyn (Garry) Johnson, and Linda (Michael) Kuehl; his 13 great-nieces and nephews; and his 14 great-great-nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dr. Russell R. Dohner, 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. Dohner as an expression of our deepest sympathy.