SR0644 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0644 LRB093 22901 HSS 52753 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Sharon L. Merritt on Saturday, July 10, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Merritt was born in Chicago; she graduated from St. Louis University with a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1962; she moved to California and received her master's in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco, in 1964; that same year, she met her future husband at a party; they had their first date on a Thursday, their second the next day, and on Sunday Frank J. Merritt proposed to her; they were married four months later; and

WHEREAS, The Merritts moved to St. Louis in 1971 and Mrs. Merritt taught nursing at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville; she earned her PhD in education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1982, while continuing to teach; in 1987, the Merritts moved to Hinsdale and she took an associate professorship at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Merritt worked for years with people with sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea; she also directed the Center for Narcolepsy Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing; her concentration was on pupillometry, the science of measuring eye pupil size, which can clinically determine sleepiness; her research validated that the sleepier a person gets, the smaller their pupils become; the four-year study on pupillometry will be published soon; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Merritt is remembered as a hands-on director and was good at hiring quality personnel; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Merritt played tennis, a sport she started at age 34; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Sharon L. Merritt has been deeply felt by many, especially her husband, Frank J. Merritt; her daughters, Michelle and Melissa; her sisters, Colette Loecke and Joyce Spizzirri; her brother, Louis Spizzirri; and her three grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Sharon L. Merritt, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Sharon L. Merritt as an expression of our sincerest condolences for their loss.