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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Santo L. Ruggero of McHenry, M.D., who
4passed away on January 7, 2014; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dr. Ruggero was born on January 24, 1923 in
6Chicago to Lucio and Maria (nee Cutaia) Ruggero; he served his
7country in the United States Army during World War II; he
8attended Loyola University Chicago from 1940 to 1943, the
9University of Chicago in 1943, and the Stritch School of
10Medicine at Loyola University Chicago from 1943 to 1946; he
11married Mary A. Kiss at St. Sylvester Catholic Church in
12Chicago on January 4, 1947; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Ruggero interned at John H. Stroger, Jr.
14Hospital of Cook County in 1946 and 1947; he was certified by
15the American Board of Family Practice (now the American Board
16of Family Medicine) in 1970 and again in 1976, 1982, and from
171988 to 1995; he began his family practice in Chicago from 1948
18to 1950 and then moved it to Wonder Lake, where he served the
19community until 1991; he was an active staff member at Memorial
20Hospital for McHenry County from 1950 until 1991, where he was
21chief of staff for 7 years, and continued as an honorary staff
22member until recently; he was also an Associate Medical
23Director and Medical Consultant for Blue Cross Blue Shield of

 

 

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1Illinois, a board member of the Crescent County Foundation for
2Medical Care, and a member of the American Medical Association,
3the Illinois State Medical Society, the American Academy of
4Family Physicians from 1954 until recently, and the McHenry
5County Medical Society, where he served as President several
6times; he was the co-founder and a member the McHenry County
7Board of Health from 1966 until recently and in 1986 he was
8named "Member of the Year" for the Illinois State Board of
9Health; he co-founded the McHenry County Pioneer Center for
10Disabled Children in 1959, the McHenry County Mental Health
11Association in 1960, the McHenry County Head Start program in
12the 1950's, and the Special Education District of McHenry
13County in 1969; he pioneered prenatal classes at Memorial
14Hospital in 1963 and was a member of the District 36 Board of
15Education from 1959 to 1988, serving as President from 1962 to
161988; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Dr. Ruggero's community involvement extended
18outside the medical field; he was a member of the Loyola
19University Alumni Association, the Cook County Alumni
20Association, and the Kiwanis Club, where he was named "Man of
21the Year" in 1965; he was the recipient of the Loyola
22University of Chicago Founder's Day Alumnus Award in 1993; he
23was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Wonder
24Lake Chamber of Commerce and a life-member of the
25Parent-Teachers Association, the American Legion, and the

 

 

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1Moose Lodge; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Dr. Ruggero was an active lector at Christ the
3King Roman Catholic Church in Wonder Lake, leading by example
4by going on international missions to help others; he and his
5wife traveled with AmDocs on medical missions to Haiti in 1965
6and 1967; he served with the Amigos de los Americanos Mission
7to Honduras in 1969 and the Franciscan Conventual Order Mission
8to Mexico in 1993; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Dr. Ruggero had a passion for trees and was a tree
10farmer from 1972 until recently; he was a life-member of the
11American Foresty Association starting in 1980 and planted over
12200,000 trees; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Santo Ruggero was preceded in death by his
14parents; his wife, Mary; and his sister, Elaine Allen; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Santo Ruggero is survived by his children, Louise
16(Steven) Krater, Nancy (Al Tracy) Ruggero, James (Valerie)
17Ruggero, Robert (Terese Lohmeier) Ruggero, Thomas (Linda
18Brady) Ruggero, Cynthia (Jan Stahl) Ruggero, William Ruggero,
19Therese (Bruce Vierheller) Ruggero, Margaret Ruggero, and
20Lydia (BJ Neff) Ruggero; his 16 grandchildren; his 9
21great-grandchildren; and his sister, Carmella (Jack) McIntire;
22therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
2ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
3Santo L. Ruggero, M.D., and extend our sincere condolences to
4his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
5further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the family of Dr. Ruggero as an expression of our
8deepest sympathy.