Northwestern University in Evanston in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
David Thomas Hanson
Arts 1905 - Med. 1909
| | Captain Medical Corps, 142nd Infantry, United States Army | |
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 25, 2025
1. David Thomas Hanson Marker
Arts 1905 - Med. 1909
Captain Medical Corps, 142nd Infantry, United States Army
Cited by the French government for bravery
"An officer of great courage. At St. Etienne October 8, 1918, he rushed to the aid of a wounded man and was killed. He was a model of devotion."
Awarded the Croix de Guerre after death.
A student beloved of his associates, generous, persistent, self-sacrificing. He gave himself without reserve to his alma mater and to his country.
"He played four years on the scrubs, he never quit"
Erected 1922 by Northwestern University Alumni.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Education • Heroes • Science & Medicine • War, World I. A significant historical date for this entry is October 8, 1918.
Location. 42° 3.069′ N, 87° 40.605′ W. Memorial is in Evanston, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Northwestern University. It can be reached from Sheridan Road east of Chicago Avenue, on the right when traveling west. The marker is just west of Harris Hall on the campus of Northwestern University. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal
this page online
Regionally, this memorial is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Black House (about 600 feet away); Frances E. Willard (1839-1898) / Woman's Christian Temperance Union (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First House of Worship in Evanston (approx. Ό mile away); First Methodist Church of Evanston (approx. Ό mile away); Northwestern University's First Building (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fountain Square Veterans Memorial Wall (approx. 0.4 miles away); W. Russell Arrington (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Evanston.
More about this memorial.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 25, 2025
2. David Thomas Hanson Marker
The Sheridan-Chicago intersection is in the background. The arch entryway to Northwestern's campus is just off-camera in the background to the right.
Regarding David Thomas Hanson. Hanson was born in 1877 and raised on a farm near the east-central Illinois city of Tuscola. He came to Northwestern for school in the 1890s but interrupted his studies to enlist for the Spanish-American War and the subsequent Philippine-American War. He eventually returned to Northwestern to get his first degree in 1905 and his medical degree in 1908 (not 1909, as stated on the plaque). Hanson set up his medical practice in Amarillo, Texas, and later served in the Texas National Guard. Days after being mustered out of service in 1917, he joined the Medical Corps; in July 1918, with the 36th Infantry Division, he was sent to France. In October, with his unit near St. Etienne, he established an aid station near the front lines and was shot in the head while
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 25, 2025
3. David Thomas Hanson Marker
Harris Hall is to the right, and the tower of University Hall is in the center-background.
Also see . . . Veterans Day: David Thomas Hanson and the heroics of an average alumnus. Northwestern University's archivist shares the story of David Thomas Hanson, who is honored with a memorial rock near Harris Hall.
Excerpt: "Hanson was one of over 60 known members of the Northwestern community, mainly alumni and students, to have died in World War I. Their names are inscribed on plaques now found inside Alice Millar Chapel as well as on a large boulder situated at the north end of campus. Hanson is the sole individual from that war to be recognized with his own monument. Why is that? Certainly his sacrifice and gallantry are worthy of appreciation and his patriotism, serving in three separate conflicts over nearly a 20 year span, was remarkable.(Submitted on May 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
"But the nature of Hansons accomplishments as a student or, rather, his lack of signal distinctions as a student were, in fact, what made him an attractive candidate for special remembrance. Recall, for example, his participation in football: he was for four years a 'scrub.' That is, Hanson, while he participated, was anything but exceptional as an athlete. And Northwesterns president, at the time of the monuments dedication, made a point of publicly stating that Hanson was completely unexceptional as a student. So, in the classroom and on the football field, Hanson was, at best, the personification of the average; someone one likely would hardly notice. And that averageness was the reason, among Northwesterns war dead, that he was singled out for exceptional recognition."
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 154 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 28, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
