SR0269 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0269 LRB104 13223 LAW 25390 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Edgar J. "Ed" Curtis on the occasion of his retirement as president and chief executive officer of Memorial Health on March 31, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis, a Springfield native, was the first person in his working-class family to attend college; he pursued a career in nursing in 1970 at a time when 3% of the nation's nurses were male, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis began working as a registered nurse on a medical/surgical floor at Memorial Hospital in Springfield in 1975; after 15 years, his career led him to holding a series of management jobs and earning a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; he was named senior vice president and chief operating officer of Memorial Health in 1993, and he became president and CEO of Memorial Health in 2008; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis, as president and CEO of Memorial Health, was responsible for the five-hospital health system and the City of Springfield's largest private employer for the past 17 years; while at the helm, he was responsible for approximately 7,200 employees and a $1.6 billion-a-year organization, consisting of Memorial's hospitals and other sites in Springfield, Decatur, Jacksonville, Taylorville, and Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis' tenure was characterized by growth and ongoing partnerships with other entities in the local health care industry, including HSHS St. John's Hospital, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and Springfield Clinic, leading Memorial Health to become known for providing high-quality care to its patients; he tackled workforce and financial challenges at Memorial before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic; he supervised academic partnerships with Memorial to expand local nursing education programs with a number of institutions, including Lincoln Land Community College, Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University, Richland Community College, Illinois College, the University of Illinois Springfield, and the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing; he presided over Springfield Memorial and Jackonsville Memorial Hospitals as both achieved and maintained "magnet status" from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a prestigious designation that recognizes a work culture that supports nurses and the nursing profession, and he played an integral role in growing and supporting the next generation of physicians in central Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis led Memorial Health with a level head, care, and compassion, epitomizing servant leadership and serving as a mentor to others pursuing careers in health care while making a profound impact on the hospital community, health care education, and the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis has served on the boards of the Springfield Urban League, the United Way of Central Illinois, the Central Illinois Foodbank, and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA), which he chaired in 2017; he currently chairs the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, which promotes economic development in the Mid-Illinois Medical District and other parts of the community; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis has received several accolades during his career, including being honored by Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher and the Springfield City Council when they proclaimed March 18, 2025 as Edgar J. Curtis Day; and

WHEREAS, Ed Curtis and his wife, Sharon, reside in Springfield, and they have two adult children and five grandchildren, all of whom live in the Springfield area; his surviving parent, his mother, also resides in Springfield; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Edgar J. "Ed" Curtis on his retirement as president and chief executive officer of Memorial Health, and we thank him for his dedication and service to the patients and staff of Memorial Health for the past 50 years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ed Curtis as an expression of our esteem and respect.