As a pioneer in Illinois and national Family Practice medicine, Allison L. Burdick Jr. MD had a passion for education and the need to save the "family" doctor" in medicine. "Al" Burdick was a visionary, a national leader and one of the founding fathers of the Family Medicine movement in the United States. In the 1960's and '70's, specialty medicine was becoming the norm for medical school graduates, where doctors became specialists in a "part" of the body. The General Practice physician was in decline across the country. Al Burdick believed that the "people specialty", now known as Family Practice, needed to serve the "family", with the goal to provide ongoing medical care to patients with an emphasis on the family unit, preventative medicine and patient education. In the early days of the establishment of the specialty of Family Practice, Al Burdick was at the forefront of its movement. In 1971, Allison L. Burdick Jr. established one of the country's first Residency Programs for in-depth training in family medicine at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, IL. In a ceremony in 2009, with nearly 100 graduates from all over the country in attendance, the West Suburban Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program was officially named the A.L. Burdick Family Medicine Center, to honor his legacy. To date, over 250 new physicians have graduated from this program. Al Burdick was a diplomat on the American Board of Family Practice for years, one year serving as Vice President for Education. He also held several offices on the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians and served as President in 1970-71. He held numerous positions on the American Academy of Family Physicians, Illinois State Medical Society, and was President of the Aux Plaines Branch of the Chicago Medical Society in 1968. Dr. Allison L. Burdick Jr., age 94, died peacefully on November 6, 2018. Al was born to Dr. Allison L. Burdick Sr. MD and Adelaide Burdick (Bartholf) on June 7, 1924 and grew up in the Galewood neighborhood of Chicago. He graduated from Austin High School and the University of Illinois Medical School. Al married his high school sweetheart, Beatrice (Bea) King, in June of 1946 in Chicago where they raised 4 children. Following medical school, Al served as a medical doctor for the Navy at Great Lakes Naval Academy as well as in San Diego and Albuquerque, and completed residencies at Hines VA hospital and West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, IL When Al returned from military service in 1952, he joined his father in private practice on the west side of Chicago for 19 years. It was in these later years that Al had a vision for the education for future "family" doctors. He also served as Professor in the Department of Family Practice at Rush Medical University. His passion, leadership and teaching influenced the way his residents practice medicine today. This quiet, dignified leader was beloved by his students, residents, patients and those that had the privilege of working with him. Al had a love for sailing and tennis, where he and Bea were members of various yacht clubs and tennis clubs over the years. He once sailed his boat across Lake Michigan to his summer home on White Lake in Whitehall, MI. Al was a family man and was very proud of his children and grandchildren's achievements in life. Al was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Bea, who passed in October of 2016. He is survived by his children Stephanie Kennington, Susan Merz (Bob), Bradley Burdick (Linda) and Robert Burdick (Alison). He will be missed by all, including his 8 grandchildren – Brandon, Alison, Scott, Kimberly, Marissa, Jenna, Mallory and Collin, as well as 9 great-grandchildren. Our Dad was our biggest hero and we will continue to brag about him for as long as we live. His unconditional love, patience, wisdom and gentle nature will be part of us forever. We admired his love for the good things in life including music, books, tennis, the outdoors, boats, and the sun on his face. His happiest days were with family, especially holidays when he would smile and say, "the whole fam damily is here." The values that both our Mom and our Dad instilled in us are more precious than anything else in this world.