HR0832LRB102 27206 LAW 38827 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Eugene
4N. Parker, Ph.D. of Chicago, who passed away on March 15, 2022;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Dr. Parker was born to Glenn Parker and Helen
7(MacNair) Parker in Houghton, Michigan on June 10, 1927; he
8received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from Michigan
9State University in 1948; he earned his Ph.D. from the
10California Institute of Technology in 1951; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Dr. Parker was an acclaimed astrophysicist and
12professor emeritus of the University of Chicago; he began his
13academic career as an instructor and assistant professor at
14the University of Utah from 1951 to 1955; he then accepted a
15position at the University of Chicago in 1955, where he
16remained for the rest of his career; he retired in 1995 and
17continued to publish articles and books in retirement; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Early in his tenure at the University of Chicago,
19Dr. Parker predicted the existence of solar wind, a continuous
20outpouring of charged particles traveling from the sun at a
21million miles per hour; his initial research was a
22collaboration with John A. Simpson about cosmic rays, which

 

 

HR0832- 2 -LRB102 27206 LAW 38827 r

1led him into developing a mathematical theory that predicted
2solar wind; he published his prediction in 1958 despite almost
3no one believing him, including the reviewers of his paper and
4the editor of The Astrophysical Journal that published it; he
5was vindicated four years later when, exactly as he predicted,
6the NASA spacecraft Mariner 2 observed energetic particles
7streaming through interplanetary space while en route to
8Venus; he continued to revolutionize the field throughout his
9career, advancing ideas that addressed the fundamental
10questions about the workings of the sun and stars throughout
11the universe; due to his groundbreaking work, he has been
12credited by many for bringing the field of heliophysics into
13existence; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Dr. Parker became the first living person to have
15a NASA spacecraft named in his honor; he was the namesake of
16the Parker Solar Probe that launched in 2018, which was NASA's
17first mission to fly a spacecraft directly into the sun's
18atmosphere, serving as a tribute to his 1958 work that
19developed the concept of solar wind; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Dr. Parker received numerous accolades for his
21work, including being elected into the National Academy of
22Sciences in 1967, receiving the National Medal of Science in
231989, and being awarded the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy by the
24Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2020; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Dr. Parker was a visionary and one of the great
2scientific minds and leaders of the era; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Dr. Parker is survived by his wife of 67 years,
4Niesje Parker; his brother, Phillip; his son, Eric Glenn
5(Susan) Parker; his daughter, Joyce Marie (Ed) Parker; his
6grandchildren, Owen (Allison) Loh, Miles (Michelle) Loh, and
7Nolan (fiancée, Hillary Wang) Loh; and his
8great-grandchildren, Lena and Elliott; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
10HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11we mourn the passing of Eugene N. Parker, Ph.D. and extend our
12sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
13and loved him; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the family of Dr. Parker as an expression of our
16deepest sympathy.