HR1260 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1260 LRB094 20403 HSS 58604 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois learned with sadness of the death of Dr. Ronald Singer, the Robert R. Bensley Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, on Monday, April 17, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Singer was born in 1924 in Cape Town, South Africa; he was educated in South Africa, where he also made his first major archeological find, the Saldanha skull, dating back hundreds of thousands of years; as a young man, he loved playing rugby and was nicknamed "The Rhino"; and

WHEREAS, He attended the University of Cape Town, where he earned a medical degree in 1947, a doctorate in 1962, and met his wife, Shirley; and

WHEREAS, The couple eventually chose to leave South Africa because they were opposed to apartheid; Dr. Singer had been called on by the government to testify on race classification so that descending levels of rights could be assigned to people, and he refused; his wife was a member of Black Sash, a group of white women who showed their political protest and mourning by wearing dark clothes during marches; and

WHEREAS, He left South Africa with his family in 1962, when he became a professor of anatomy and anthropology at the University of Chicago; three years later, he became chair of the anatomy department, a post he held until 1977; and

WHEREAS, As a professor, he was known to use his wit to make a dry subject interesting; he also emphasized honesty and non-compromising integrity; he was humble and down to earth, and students felt comfortable approaching him; and

WHEREAS, He helped to shift the discipline of anatomy away from just the memorization of organs, bones, and tendons to a more dynamic study of the entire organism's biology; the focus changed to what the anatomical pieces are doing for the human body; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Singer was also a world-renowned researcher with more than 140 publications to his credit; in 2001, he finished the Encyclopedia of Paleontology, a two-volume set published to critical acclaim; his academic work also included studies of indigenous African peoples; and

WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, Dr. Singer helped the U.S. Department of Defense design a bulletproof vest for helicopter pilots; in the 1970s, the Japanese government wanted his advice on designing dissection tables; and

WHEREAS, He is credited with organizing archeological digs in South Africa and England that helped fill in gaps in the understanding of early humans; finds on the digs allowed researchers to see the changes in human physical appearance and the changes in human behavior over a very long period of time; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Dr. Ronald Singer has been deeply felt by many, especially his wife of 55 years, Shirley Singer; his sons, Eric Singer and Charles Singer; his daughters, Hazel Singer and Sonia Nyberg; his brother, Martin Singer; and his four grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dr. Ronald Singer, and we extend our deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to his family as an expression of our sincerest condolences.