Bill Text: IL SR0241 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Dr. Sidney J. Blair of West Chester, Pennsylvania, formerly of Oak Park.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-03-21 - Resolution Adopted [SR0241 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SR0241-Introduced.html

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

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

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

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Rotary, the Off the Street Gang of Oak Park and River Forest,
and the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, where he
attempted, after the first Persian Gulf War in 1991, to form
links with medical groups tied to the Middle East; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Blair was preceded in death by his wife of 65
years, LaMoyne, and by his brother, Marshall (Shirley) Blair;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. Blair is survived by his sons, Brian (Cathy)
Blair and David (Marcia) Blair; his grandchildren, Shawn
(Kristen), Brandon, Eryn, and Hannah Blair; and his
great-grandchildren, Liam and Addison Blair; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
Dr. Sidney J. Blair 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. Blair as an expression of our
deepest sympathy.