Bill Text: IL SR0864 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Dr. Russell R. Dohner of Rushville.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-08-19 - Resolution Adopted [SR0864 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-SR0864-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of Dr. Russell R. Dohner of Rushville, who | ||||||
4 | passed away on August 7, 2015; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was born on a farm outside of Vermont | ||||||
6 | on February 8, 1925 to David Robert and Ethel May (nee Rowland) | ||||||
7 | Dohner; he graduated from Vermont High School in 1943; he was | ||||||
8 | drafted by the United States Army in the Spring of 1944, and | ||||||
9 | from 1944 to 1946, he served in the military police unit, | ||||||
10 | guarding the Pentagon and seeing such notables as President | ||||||
11 | Harry Truman and General Dwight D. Eisenhower; he was then | ||||||
12 | placed in the medical detachment of a battalion, rising to the | ||||||
13 | rank of Staff Sergeant; and
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14 | WHEREAS, In 1946, Dr. Dohner became one of the first 4 | ||||||
15 | pre-med students at Western Illinois Teacher's College | ||||||
16 | (Western Illinois University), where he attended from 1946 to | ||||||
17 | 1949 on the GI Bill and lived and worked at the | ||||||
18 | Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home in Macomb; he graduated | ||||||
19 | from Northwestern University in 1953 with his medical degree | ||||||
20 | and served as Cardiology Internist at St. Luke's Hospital in | ||||||
21 | 1954; in 1955, he moved to Rushville and practiced medicine for | ||||||
22 | 58 years until October 31, 2013; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner attracted national attention beginning | ||||||
2 | in the early 1970s due to his $2.00 office visit fee, which at | ||||||
3 | that time was being revised to $3.00; the fee was later raised | ||||||
4 | to $5.00 per office visit, which remained his office fee until | ||||||
5 | his practice concluded in 2013; he regularly did house calls | ||||||
6 | and since no appointments were taken at his office, names went | ||||||
7 | on a list and he would see patients in sequential order until | ||||||
8 | everyone had been seen; if a patient was feeling really sick, | ||||||
9 | they came through the back door for quicker attention; he would | ||||||
10 | also see patients who came to his home; he delivered over 3,500 | ||||||
11 | babies in Rushville and encouraged many young people to enter | ||||||
12 | the medical field; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was a regular church attendee at First | ||||||
14 | United Methodist Church in Rushville; he was a member of the | ||||||
15 | Rushville Rotary Club, where he earned his 37-year perfect | ||||||
16 | attendance pin and was a Paul Harris Fellow; he was also a | ||||||
17 | member of the Masons; he enjoyed singing both at church and at | ||||||
18 | the Rotary Club, growing flowers and trees, and fishing; for | ||||||
19 | years, his Rushville home and his cabin located outside of | ||||||
20 | Rushville were the hub of social events for family and friends; | ||||||
21 | and
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22 | WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner received a number of awards and | ||||||
23 | recognitions over the years, including the Western Illinois | ||||||
24 | University Alumni Achievement Award in 1982, the Western |
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1 | Illinois University Distinguished Alumni Award in 1990, the | ||||||
2 | Illinois Public Health Association Distinguished Service Award | ||||||
3 | in 1998, the Illinois Pfizer Quality of Care Award in 2002, the | ||||||
4 | Illinois "Doc Hollywood Award" in 2005, the Western Illinois | ||||||
5 | University Honorary Doctorate Award in 2006, and the | ||||||
6 | Northwestern University Service to Society Award in 2015; he | ||||||
7 | was the recipient of the Illinois Department on Aging's Hall of | ||||||
8 | Fame award presented at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield | ||||||
9 | in 2013; he was second runner-up in the "Country Doctor of the | ||||||
10 | Year" national award in 2004; and
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11 | WHEREAS, In 2004, Rushville celebrated "Dr. Dohner Day", | ||||||
12 | honoring his 50 years of service to community; in 2013, he | ||||||
13 | served as grand marshal of the Illinois State Fair Parade in | ||||||
14 | Springfield and was honored by Rushville with a ceremony and a | ||||||
15 | bronze statue with his likeness, located in the Rushville | ||||||
16 | Central Park Square; he was the subject of the United States | ||||||
17 | Congressional Record, Volume 159, Issue 180, titled "Tribute to | ||||||
18 | Dr. Russell Dohner" by Senator Dick Durbin (2013); he was | ||||||
19 | included in Bob Dotson's book, American Story: A Lifetime | ||||||
20 | Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things | ||||||
21 | (published in 2013); he appeared on NBC's "Today Show", on CNN, | ||||||
22 | and was featured twice in People Magazine; and
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23 | WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was a man of humility; he would say | ||||||
24 | that what he valued most was providing service to others, and |
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1 | that his most cherished "prizes" were the homegrown, canned, | ||||||
2 | baked, and crafted items - including cards, letters, and | ||||||
3 | children's crayoned notes - which were shared with him over the | ||||||
4 | years by patients; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner was preceded in death by his parents; | ||||||
6 | his brother, Robert Dohner; his 3 sisters, Clarice Dohner, | ||||||
7 | Norma Dohner, and Beula Garrabrant; his 3 brothers-in-law, | ||||||
8 | Wendell Copes, Bob Garrabrant, and Lester Goodwin; his | ||||||
9 | sister-in-law, Beulah Gibble Dohner; and his nephew, Michael | ||||||
10 | Garrabrant; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Dr. Dohner is survived by his 2 sisters, Doris | ||||||
12 | (Ronald) Cook and Lydia Goodwin; his 10 nieces and nephews, | ||||||
13 | Sandy (Jeff) Belden, Barb (Gary) Bray, Mary Ann Cook (Joe | ||||||
14 | Cusumano), Ramona Cook, David Dohner, Mark Dohner, Martha (Lee) | ||||||
15 | Fillingham, Jim (Eva) Garrabrant, Marilyn (Garry) Johnson, and | ||||||
16 | Linda (Michael) Kuehl; his 13 great-nieces and nephews; and his | ||||||
17 | 14 great-great-nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
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18 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | ||||||
19 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
20 | Dr. Russell R. Dohner, and extend our sincere condolences to | ||||||
21 | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | ||||||
22 | further
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1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | presented to the family of Dr. Dohner as an expression of our | ||||||
3 | deepest sympathy.
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