SR0487 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0487 LRB097 15542 GRL 60679 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. John H. Hess, who passed away on December 5, 2011; and

WHEREAS, Dr. John Hess was born on August 19, 1925, in the country then known as Yugoslavia; he married Anna Willer in 1957; and

WHEREAS, Dr. John Hess graduated from high school in June of 1944, the same month as the D-Day invasion of Europe; soon after, an SS officer "invited" him into his unit, which he demurred; he was then forced to work in Reich Labor Force as an auxiliary to the Wehrmacht; en route to Vienna to be forced into an SS division, Dr. Hess and four others jumped off a train; a Gestapo agent questioned them at a train station, but a convincing lie set them free, and they decided that a big city like Vienna was a good place to hide out; the 5 men found work in a helmet factory and remained until Soviet troops captured Vienna in 1945; despite the fact that he was not a soldier, he was declared a prisoner of war in November of 1945 and sent to the Bor prison camp in Yugoslavia; he was also reported as being ethnically German, which was a death sentence in Yugoslavia at the time, but managed to avoid persecution; and

WHEREAS, After being set free from the prison camp, Dr. John Hess returned to his studies; after graduating from Karl Franzens University Medical School in Graz, Austria, he came to the United States and completed an internship and surgical residency at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park;; he subsequently began his medical career in Fisher in 1958; he retired from practice on February 28, 1995; and

WHEREAS, Dr. John Hess was a charter fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice and served as a diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice for 12 years; he was a member of the staff of Covenant Medical Center and served on the board of directors of Mercy Hospital for 13 years; he also served on the Rantoul Township High School board for 10 years; and

WHEREAS, Dr. John Hess wrote an unpublished book about his life, including his World War II experiences, called "My Life By Hans Hess"; and

WHEREAS, Dr. John Hess is survived by his son, Dr. Art Hess (Kenda Callahan Hess); his daughter, Lydia Haan (Andrew); and his grandchildren, Anna-Kae, Nick, and William; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Dr. John H. Hess; and be it further

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