[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1371-E1372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DR. WILLIAM R. WILSON, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SAM GEJDENSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 1999

  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. William 
R. Wilson, Jr. upon receiving his Norwich Rotary Club's Native Son 
award for 1999. Dr. Wilson is a distinguished son of Norwich and an 
extraordinary humanitarian.
  Dr. Wilson is a highly skilled cardiac surgeon specializing in 
pediatric cardiology. He is chief of cardiovascular surgery at The 
Children's Hospital, University Hospital and Clinics in Columbia, 
Missouri. Dr. Wilson has performed more than 120 heart transplants, 
including on the youngest Americans.
  However, Dr. Wilson is more than just a surgeon, he is a 
humanitarian. He has traveled

[[Page E1372]]

across the world to use his skills to better the lives of people who 
live in nations which do not enjoy the medical care available in our 
great country. Thanks to Dr. Wilson, children around the globe have 
been given a precious gift--the opportunity to grow up healthy and 
happy. I have attached an editorial from the Norwich Bulletin 
commending Dr. Wilson which I request be included following my remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I join residents from Norwich in congratulating Dr. 
William Wilson, Jr. on receiving this prestigious award. He is a 
humanitarian, a tribute to his family and a great ambassador for our 
country.

           Dr. William R. Wilson, Jr. Is Native Son for 1999

       William R. Wilson Jr., M.D., today will be awarded the 
     Norwich Rotary Club's Native Son honor for 1999. Bill left 
     Norwich many years ago, and since that departure he has 
     distinguished himself both throughout this country and 
     internationally as a cardiac surgeon and, specifically, a 
     pediatric cardiac surgeon.
       The son of Margaret Sullivan Wilson and the late W. Robert 
     Wilson--and the brother of Margaret, known hereabouts as 
     Peggy--Bill was born in Norwich in 1954 and grew up on 
     Lincoln Avenue and Canterbury Turnpike.
       During his early years here, Bill learned to golf and ski. 
     He and his sister volunteered for Head Start, and Bill had 
     stints locally with a bank and the American Ambulance 
     Service.
       His early learning took place at the John Mason and Samuel 
     Huntington schools, Kelly Junior High and, finally, the 
     Norwich Free Academy from which he graduated in 1972. While 
     his curriculum vitae and individual honors are much too 
     extensive to enumerate here, his education continued at 
     Kenyon College, the University of Connecticut, the Medical 
     Center Hospital of Vermont and Case Western Reserve 
     University.
       During his time in Kenyon, Bill served as a town volunteer 
     firefighter. In the course of those duties, he responded to a 
     horrific car accident where one person died at the scene, 
     another at the hospital. That spurred his initial interest in 
     medicine.
       Bill's skill today--which includes surgery on infants and 
     more than 125 heart transplants--takes brilliance, a steady 
     hand and enormous dedication.
       Bill was 35 before he finished training and went to work.
       He has taught anatomy, been staff and chief physician, and 
     today is chief of cardiovascular surgery at The Children's 
     Hospital, University Hospital and Clinics in Columbia, Mo.
       He's licensed in Vermont, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio and 
     Missouri. He's led medical missions to Peru and the Republic 
     of Georgia in the former Soviet Union.
       Today, when he's not saving or improving the quality of 
     human lives, Bill and his wife, Joan, and their children 
     Bobby, Brandon and Alaina make their home in Columbia, Mo.
       With family, job and an occasional round of golf, the 
     demands on Bill's time are considerable. And though today he 
     calls Missouri home, he will always be a Norwich native, one 
     of whom this community is enormously proud.
       The Norwich Rotary Club has made a fine choice in selecting 
     Dr. Wilson as 1999 Native Son. On behalf of the community, we 
     extend our congratulations to a man who has made us very 
     proud.
       Well done, Bill, and welcome home.

       

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