SR0667 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0667 LRB093 23130 HSS 53337 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Sister Mary Ludgera Pieperbeck, O.S.F., R.N., Ph.D. on August 2, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Sister Ludgera was born April 24, 1927 in Bochum, Germany, the third of 11 children; she entered religious life in 1948 with The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis; she immigrated to the United States in 1951; and

WHEREAS, Sister Ludgera received a diploma in nursing from St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Peoria in 1956; in 1963, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from St. Mary's College in Leavenworth, Kansas; her Master of Science degree in Nursing was awarded in 1969 from Loyola University in Chicago; in 1982, she was conferred with a Master of Arts degree in educational administration from Bradley University in Peoria; and in 1990, she received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in higher education from Loyola University in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, She began as an obstetrics staff nurse at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria in 1956; she served as an operating room (OR) staff nurse at Saint Phillip's Hospital in Rock Hill, South Carolina; as an OR supervisor and clinical instructor at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford; as hospital supervisor at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Keokuk, Iowa; as a faculty member of Saint Anthony Medical Center School of Nursing in Rockford; as medical-surgical nursing coordinator and chair of senior level at Saint Anthony School of Nursing in Rockford; as Director and CEO of Saint Francis Medical Center School of Nursing; and as Dean and CEO of Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing; and

WHEREAS, In addition to serving as Dean of the College of Nursing, Sister Ludgera was also on the boards of OSF Healthcare System and OSF HealthPlans at the time of her death; she had served on a variety of boards and committees in Peoria, most relating to healthcare, education, and her religious community; she received the Pere Marquette Medal from the Diocese of Peoria in 2002, was selected as a Business and Industry Leader by the Peoria YWCA in 1995, and was inducted into the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Heritage Hall of Fame in 2003; in 1981 she was inducted into the Pi Lambda Theta National Honor and Professional Association in Education, and in 1982 she was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society; and

WHEREAS, A leader in nursing education in Illinois, in 1982 she led the process toward obtaining State of Illinois accreditation, allowing the School of Nursing to offer the bachelor's degree in nursing and become, in 1985, the Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing; in 1998, she began the process that led to the Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing offering the master's in nursing degree; the first master's degree students graduated in May 2004; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Sister Mary Ludgera Pieperbeck, a leader in the nursing field in the State of Illinois, 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 Sister Mary Ludgera Pieperbeck, to The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, and to the Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing as an expression of our sincerest condolences and in recognition of her many contributions to nursing education.