Bill Text: IL HR0832 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Eugene N. Parker, Ph.D. of Chicago.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-04-09 - Resolution Adopted [HR0832 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-HR0832-Introduced.html

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HR0832 LRB102 27206 LAW 38827 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Eugene
N. Parker, Ph.D. of Chicago, who passed away on March 15, 2022;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parker was born to Glenn Parker and Helen
(MacNair) Parker in Houghton, Michigan on June 10, 1927; he
received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from Michigan
State University in 1948; he earned his Ph.D. from the
California Institute of Technology in 1951; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parker was an acclaimed astrophysicist and
professor emeritus of the University of Chicago; he began his
academic career as an instructor and assistant professor at
the University of Utah from 1951 to 1955; he then accepted a
position at the University of Chicago in 1955, where he
remained for the rest of his career; he retired in 1995 and
continued to publish articles and books in retirement; and
WHEREAS, Early in his tenure at the University of Chicago,
Dr. Parker predicted the existence of solar wind, a continuous
outpouring of charged particles traveling from the sun at a
million miles per hour; his initial research was a
collaboration with John A. Simpson about cosmic rays, which

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led him into developing a mathematical theory that predicted
solar wind; he published his prediction in 1958 despite almost
no one believing him, including the reviewers of his paper and
the editor of The Astrophysical Journal that published it; he
was vindicated four years later when, exactly as he predicted,
the NASA spacecraft Mariner 2 observed energetic particles
streaming through interplanetary space while en route to
Venus; he continued to revolutionize the field throughout his
career, advancing ideas that addressed the fundamental
questions about the workings of the sun and stars throughout
the universe; due to his groundbreaking work, he has been
credited by many for bringing the field of heliophysics into
existence; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parker became the first living person to have
a NASA spacecraft named in his honor; he was the namesake of
the Parker Solar Probe that launched in 2018, which was NASA's
first mission to fly a spacecraft directly into the sun's
atmosphere, serving as a tribute to his 1958 work that
developed the concept of solar wind; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parker received numerous accolades for his
work, including being elected into the National Academy of
Sciences in 1967, receiving the National Medal of Science in
1989, and being awarded the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy by the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2020; and

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WHEREAS, Dr. Parker was a visionary and one of the great
scientific minds and leaders of the era; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parker is survived by his wife of 67 years,
Niesje Parker; his brother, Phillip; his son, Eric Glenn
(Susan) Parker; his daughter, Joyce Marie (Ed) Parker; his
grandchildren, Owen (Allison) Loh, Miles (Michelle) Loh, and
Nolan (fiancée, Hillary Wang) Loh; and his
great-grandchildren, Lena and Elliott; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we mourn the passing of Eugene N. Parker, Ph.D. 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. Parker as an expression of our
deepest sympathy.