SR1639 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1639 LRB099 20983 GRL 45970 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Richard Marshall Cronin of Elmhurst, who passed away on February 27, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Richard Cronin was born in Oak Park; he married Claire Cusack in 1952; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Richard Cronin graduated from Fenwick High School and then attended Notre Dame University, where he was a walk-on starter on the university's 1945 football team, playing both offense and defense; after graduating from Notre Dame in 1946, he earned his medical degree in 1950 from Loyola University; he then completed his medical residency at the University of Illinois Research and Education Hospital in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, In 1954, Dr. Richard Cronin enlisted in the United States Air Force and worked for two years as an orthopedic surgery resident at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Richard Cronin began a medical practice in the near west suburbs, opening an office in Oak Park and seeing patients at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, St. Anne's Hospital, and Loretto Hospital; in 1960, he and his family moved from River Forest to Elmhurst; in the early 1960s, he brought together a group of about 10 doctors who purchased land at the corner of Palmer Drive and Kenilworth Avenue in Elmhurst and constructed a medical office building, which still stands today; in 1986, he bought out his other partners and took full ownership of the building; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Richard Cronin was proud of his ties to Notre Dame, and had become a go-to specialist for athletes with injuries by the mid-1960s; during a spring practice in 1964, Notre Dame quarterback and eventual Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte separated his shoulder; doctors at a South Bend, Indiana hospital told Huarte that surgery was necessary; at that point, legendary Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian stepped in and encouraged Huarte to visit Dr. Cronin to see if surgery was really necessary; Huarte and Notre Dame backfield coach Tom Pagna, drove to the Chicago area to be examined by Dr. Cronin, who recommended rest instead of surgery; Huarte, who went on to play in the NFL for teams including the Chicago Bears, said that Dr. Cronin's recommendation "basically just saved my career"; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Richard Cronin was a clinical professor of medicine at Loyola University and the vice chairman and program director of the Medical School's department of orthopedics; he also enjoyed working along the sidelines of football games at York and Immaculate Conception High Schools in Elmhurst, as well as at his alma mater, Fenwick High School, offering help to athletes suffering sprains, fractures, and other injuries; and

WHEREAS, After retiring from his medical practice in the 1990s, Dr. Richard Cronin remained active in the lives of his nine children and his many grandchildren; he also took a keen interest in politics, assisting his son during political campaigns for the Illinois Senate and for the DuPage County Board, and continued to manage his medical office building; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Richard Cronin is survived by his wife, Claire; his sons, Dan, Rich, Brian, Thomas, and John Cronin; his daughters, Cathleen, Cynthia Cronin Cahill, Rosanne Cronin Pompe van Meerdervoort, and Sheila Cronin Bodee; and his 38 grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Dr. Richard Marshall Cronin; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. Richard Cronin as an expression of our sympathy.