[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 11, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNITION OF DR. DAVID HARMON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 10, 2003

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. David Harmon 
of Jerseyville, Illinois for being honored as the Illinois Family 
Physician of the Year.
  Inspired by a family doctor's kindness and compassion, Dr. Harmon 
went to medical school at Southern Illinois University in Springfield 
and Carbondale, then did a residency in Davenport, Iowa, spent some 
time in Roodhouse, Illinois, and moved to Jerseyville in 1987. He has 
treated patients there ever since.
  Nominated for the award by both patients and colleagues, Dr. Harmon 
is now well known for his kindness and compassion, as well as his 
dedication to the community. Not only is Dr. Harmon a medical doctor, 
but he has also served as a professor at Saint Louis University and at 
the family practice department at Southern Illinois University School 
of Medicine. He is the medical director of the Jerseyville Manor 
Nursing Home, vice president of the Jersey County Board of Health, a 
volunteer with the Jerseyville Fire Department, an assistant hockey 
coach at Jersey High School, and a Sunday School teacher and board 
member at First United Methodist Church.
  Dr. Michael McNair, one of his former students and now one of his 
partners at Illini Medical Associates praises Dr. Harmon in saying, 
``He taught me that medicine is not about the technology. It's how you 
treat people and how much you listen to them.'' This commitment to the 
people is exemplary, and could be applied to almost every job in 
society.
  While he admits that the business end of being a doctor has become 
more difficult in recent years, Dr. Harmon is not ready to retire 
anytime soon. He plans on being a doctor in Jerseyville for another 20 
years, and I would like to wish him the best. The Illinois Family 
Physician of the Year deserves it.

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