UI COM mourns the passing of former Executive Dean Truman O. Anderson, Jr.
Dr. Truman O. Anderson Jr., a longtime faculty member and administrator in the College of Medicine, died July 6 after suffering a stroke the previous week. He was 92.
Anderson, a longtime resident of Oak Park, was a former professor and emeritus professor of medicine and administrator in the UIC College of Medicine. He taught at UIC for 50 years.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 at the age of 17, serving as a hospital corpsman. After he was discharged, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on the GI Bill and received his bachelor’s degree in 1950. He received his master’s in 1952, Ph.D. in 1955 and MD in 1960 from the UIC College of Medicine.
After graduating, he taught at UIC and Cook County Hospital, later holding professorships in medicine and microbiology, including the Keeton Professorship. After 1969, he served in administrative positions at UIC, including the dean of the School of Basic Sciences (1970-76), and executive dean of the medical campuses in Chicago, Rockford, Peoria and Urbana-Champaign from 1976 to 1980.
Anderson established the UIC College of Medicine’s James Scholar Program for Independent Study and led the program for many years. In 1989, he worked to maintain the independence of the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago.
In 2007, he received the Conscience of the College Award from the UIC College of Medicine. He retired in 2011.
He and his wife, Mary Ann Anderson (née Heineken) had four children: Mary Beth, Barbara, Truman, and Amy. The family moved to Oak Park in 1960 and took an active part in community life for many years.
He is survived by his children, Mary Beth Logas, Barbara (Richard) Hickey, Truman O. Anderson III (Caroline Humes) and Amy Anderson (David) de Jong; his grandchildren, William Logas, Daniel (Kristen) Logas, Richard, Meghan, Elizabeth, Kelly, and Sean Hickey, Erik and Eleanor Anderson, and Evan and Sonja de Jong.
Visitation takes place from 3-8 p.m. July 9 at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home, 203 S. Marion St., Oak Park. The funeral service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. July 10 at Grace Lutheran Church, 7300 Division St., River Forest. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be directed to the University of Illinois College of Medicine or Amita Hospice.