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1		SENATE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3		learn of the death of Dr. Sidney J. Blair of West Chester,
4		Pennsylvania, and formerly a 57-year resident of Oak Park, on
5		November 24, 2018 at the age of 94; and
6		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was born on December 15, 1923 in Chicago
7		to Kate and Harry Blair; he attended Sullivan High School and
8		Washington University in St. Louis; in 1948, he received his
9		medical degree in an accelerated program from the Stritch
10		School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago; and
11		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was an enlisted member of the United
12		States Army during World War II and was an officer in the
13		United States Navy during the Korean War, serving as the Chief
14		Medical Officer aboard the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Destroyer
15		Escort; he met Joseph Kennedy, his wife, Rose, and their son,
16		John F. Kennedy, during his time stationed in Newport Beach,
17		R.I.; he left active duty in 1954 and was honorably discharged
18		from the Naval Reserve in 1961; and
19		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair served his internship at Cook County
20		Hospital in Chicago and his residency at Hines VA Hospital and
21		the Shriners Hospital in Chicago; he worked at what is now
22		Community First Medical Center on the Northwest Side as a

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1		general orthopaedic surgeon in the emergency room and, later,
2		held a similar job at Michael Reese Hospital; he did
3		post-graduate study in hand surgery at the University of Iowa
4		Carver College of Medicine; he returned to Cook County Hospital
5		where he pioneered groundbreaking microsurgery, overseeing the
6		reattachment of four fingers to a patient's hand, the
7		first-ever four-finger reattachment; and
8		WHEREAS, In 1986, Dr. Blair was appointed chairman of
9		Loyola's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
10		and was the Dr. William M. Scholl Professorial Chair, holding
11		both appointments until 1991; he continued to serve as
12		Professor for Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief of Hand Section,
13		where he was recognized nationally as an expert in trauma,
14		arthritis, peripheral nerve problems, congenital deformities
15		of the hand and prevention of industrial hand injuries; he
16		retired in 1994 and was appointed emeritus professor, based on
17		a distinguished lifetime career of healing, teaching,
18		mentoring, and guiding; and
19		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was a fellow of the American College of
20		Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American
21		Society for Surgery of the Hand, and numerous other
22		professional organizations; the Sidney J. Blair M. D. Lecture
23		in Hand Surgery was established by donations from numerous
24		Loyola faculty, alumni, staff, and friends in his honor in

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1		1995; he also consulted with the National Safety Council to
2		reduce hand injuries from industrial machinery and with OSHA to
3		develop ergonomic standards for repetitive motion in the
4		workplace; and
5		WHEREAS, Loyola orthopaedic surgery professor Terry Light,
6		who succeeded Dr. Blair as department head, noted "When he
7		walked into an exam room, he gave that patient full attention
8		for however long as was needed. And other physicians would
9		refer the most challenging of cases to Sid, and he just took
10		care of people"; he was considered a skilled surgeon, an
11		outstanding mentor who was filled with curiosity; and
12		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair and his wife, LaMoyne, traveled
13		extensively throughout the world, where he consulted at medical
14		facilities in countries such as Japan and Sweden; he never
15		stopped educating himself, taking courses, traveling and
16		reading; he had a special interest in environmental and medical
17		issues in the Middle East; at the age of 86, he published a
18		book, "The Doctors Beck of Chicago: Men of Integrity", a
19		biography of three doctors and a dentist, all brothers, who
20		made significant contributions to modern medicine in the late
21		1800s and early 1900s; and
22		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was a long-time member of West Suburban
23		Temple Har Zion in River Forest, the Oak Park-River Forest

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1		Rotary, the Off the Street Gang of Oak Park and River Forest,
2		and the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, where he
3		attempted, after the first Persian Gulf War in 1991, to form
4		links with medical groups tied to the Middle East; and
5		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was preceded in death by his wife of 65
6		years, LaMoyne, and by his brother, Marshall (Shirley) Blair;
7		and
8		WHEREAS, Dr. Blair is survived by his sons, Brian (Cathy)
9		Blair and David (Marcia) Blair; his grandchildren, Shawn
10		(Kristen), Brandon, Eryn, and Hannah Blair; and his
11		great-grandchildren, Liam and Addison Blair; therefore, be it
12		RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
13		ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
14		Dr. Sidney J. Blair and extend our sincere condolences to his
15		family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
16		further
17		RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18		presented to the family of Dr. Blair as an expression of our
19		deepest sympathy.