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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Dr. Russell R. Dohner of Rushville, who
4passed away on August 7, 2015; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was born on a farm outside of Vermont
6on February 8, 1925 to David Robert and Ethel May (nee Rowland)
7Dohner; he graduated from Vermont High School in 1943; he was
8drafted by the United States Army in the Spring of 1944, and
9from 1944 to 1946, he served in the military police unit,
10guarding the Pentagon and seeing such notables as President
11Harry Truman and General Dwight D. Eisenhower; he was then
12placed in the medical detachment of a battalion, rising to the
13rank of Staff Sergeant; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1946, Dr. Dohner became one of the first 4
15pre-med students at Western Illinois Teacher's College
16(Western Illinois University), where he attended from 1946 to
171949 on the GI Bill and lived and worked at the
18Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home in Macomb; he graduated
19from Northwestern University in 1953 with his medical degree
20and served as Cardiology Internist at St. Luke's Hospital in
211954; in 1955, he moved to Rushville and practiced medicine for
2258 years until October 31, 2013; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner attracted national attention beginning
2in the early 1970s due to his $2.00 office visit fee, which at
3that time was being revised to $3.00; the fee was later raised
4to $5.00 per office visit, which remained his office fee until
5his practice concluded in 2013; he regularly did house calls
6and since no appointments were taken at his office, names went
7on a list and he would see patients in sequential order until
8everyone had been seen; if a patient was feeling really sick,
9they came through the back door for quicker attention; he would
10also see patients who came to his home; he delivered over 3,500
11babies in Rushville and encouraged many young people to enter
12the medical field; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was a regular church attendee at First
14United Methodist Church in Rushville; he was a member of the
15Rushville Rotary Club, where he earned his 37-year perfect
16attendance pin and was a Paul Harris Fellow; he was also a
17member of the Masons; he enjoyed singing both at church and at
18the Rotary Club, growing flowers and trees, and fishing; for
19years, his Rushville home and his cabin located outside of
20Rushville were the hub of social events for family and friends;
21and
 
22    WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner received a number of awards and
23recognitions over the years, including the Western Illinois
24University Alumni Achievement Award in 1982, the Western

 

 

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1Illinois University Distinguished Alumni Award in 1990, the
2Illinois Public Health Association Distinguished Service Award
3in 1998, the Illinois Pfizer Quality of Care Award in 2002, the
4Illinois "Doc Hollywood Award" in 2005, the Western Illinois
5University Honorary Doctorate Award in 2006, and the
6Northwestern University Service to Society Award in 2015; he
7was the recipient of the Illinois Department on Aging's Hall of
8Fame award presented at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield
9in 2013; he was second runner-up in the "Country Doctor of the
10Year" national award in 2004; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 2004, Rushville celebrated "Dr. Dohner Day",
12honoring his 50 years of service to community; in 2013, he
13served as grand marshal of the Illinois State Fair Parade in
14Springfield and was honored by Rushville with a ceremony and a
15bronze statue with his likeness, located in the Rushville
16Central Park Square; he was the subject of the United States
17Congressional Record, Volume 159, Issue 180, titled "Tribute to
18Dr. Russell Dohner" by Senator Dick Durbin (2013); he was
19included in Bob Dotson's book, American Story: A Lifetime
20Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things
21(published in 2013); he appeared on NBC's "Today Show", on CNN,
22and was featured twice in People Magazine; and
 
23    WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was a man of humility; he would say
24that what he valued most was providing service to others, and

 

 

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1that his most cherished "prizes" were the homegrown, canned,
2baked, and crafted items - including cards, letters, and
3children's crayoned notes - which were shared with him over the
4years by patients; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was preceded in death by his parents;
6his brother, Robert Dohner; his 3 sisters, Clarice Dohner,
7Norma Dohner, and Beula Garrabrant; his 3 brothers-in-law,
8Wendell Copes, Bob Garrabrant, and Lester Goodwin; his
9sister-in-law, Beulah Gibble Dohner; and his nephew, Michael
10Garrabrant; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner is survived by his 2 sisters, Doris
12(Ronald) Cook and Lydia Goodwin; his 10 nieces and nephews,
13Sandy (Jeff) Belden, Barb (Gary) Bray, Mary Ann Cook (Joe
14Cusumano), Ramona Cook, David Dohner, Mark Dohner, Martha (Lee)
15Fillingham, Jim (Eva) Garrabrant, Marilyn (Garry) Johnson, and
16Linda (Michael) Kuehl; his 13 great-nieces and nephews; and his
1714 great-great-nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
19ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
20Dr. Russell R. Dohner, and extend our sincere condolences to
21his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
22further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Dr. Dohner as an expression of our
3deepest sympathy.