2024 Annual Report: In Memoriam

JUDITH STOFER BLOCK

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Judy Block dedicated her life to civic service, contributing countless volunteer hours while blazing trails along the way. As a member of the Trust’s Executive Committee from 1988 to 1998, Block served on African American Legacy’s first advisory committee and on the selection committee for the Trust’s Community Service Fellowship Program. In 1997, she became the first female chair of the Field Museum and played an integral role in the acquisition of the T-rex fossil “Sue,” now one of the museum’s most iconic exhibits. Block’s passion for the youngest Chicagoans inspired her to serve on the boards of numerous children’s organizations, including Family Focus (formerly the Chicago Child Care Society) for more than 55 years. In 2007, she was recognized by the Governor of Illinois as an Order of Lincoln Laureate, the state’s highest civilian honor for professional achievement and public service.

BARBARA TAYLOR BOWMAN

COMMUNITY LEADER

Barbara Taylor Bowman was an internationally recognized child development expert and pioneer in the field of early childhood education. In 1966, she co-founded the Chicago School for Early Childhood Education to ensure high-quality training for Head Start teachers. Known today as Erikson Institute, the school offers graduate programs in child development and has influenced early learning policy at the city, state and federal levels. In addition to leading the institute as president from 1994 to 2001, Bowman served as Chicago Public Schools’ chief officer for early childhood education; as a consultant to the U.S. Secretary of Education during the Obama administration; and as president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, an early childhood accreditation organization. An accomplished author, speaker, consultant, and lecturer, Bowman also served several terms on Roosevelt University’s board of trustees.

JENNIFER FLYNN

COMMUNITY LEADER

Jennifer Flynn’s passion for expanding affordable housing opportunities took root during her time at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology in 2017. She immediately joined the Chicago Rehab Network, leading communications and resource development for the housing advocacy organization. Flynn’s dedication to community service extended beyond her professional work. She was also a board member of the Edgewater Mutual Aid Network, where she actively participated in food distribution to support those in need.

DAVID W. GRAINGER

PHILANTHROPIC LEADER

David W. Grainger transformed his father’s industrial distribution company, W.W. Grainger, into a global market leader while serving as chairman and CEO of the company from 1968 to 1997. He joined W.W. Grainger in 1952 after serving two years at Franklin Electric, a Grainger supplier. From 1979 to 2021, he served as president and chairman of the Grainger Foundation, a private, independent foundation that supports many of Chicago’s educational, health care and cultural institutions, including the Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, WTTW, and the University of Illinois. Grainger was a life trustee of Rush University Medical Center and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.

DESMOND “DEZ” LAPLACE

TRUST DONOR

Dez LaPlace was a driving force behind the growth of ACCO World (now ACCO Brands), a global supplier of office and consumer products. He retired from the company as vice chairman in 1996. Dez and his wife, Jeanne, were active supporters of Catholic Charities and a number of major universities, and his collection of personal letters from major U.S. military leaders was donated to the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. A donor advised fund the couple established at the Trust in 2014 will continue providing support to the organizations they cared about as well as funding basic human needs and health services in the Chicago region. An additional estate gift is dedicated to supporting the Trust’s general purposes.

TUYET LE

COMMUNITY LEADER

Tuyet Le championed the civil rights of Chicago’s Asian American, immigrant, refugee, and disability communities. As executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago from 1999 to 2018, Le spearheaded the community’s first joint census outreach effort and co-founded the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) Coalition, which organized the now-annual Asian American Action Day in Springfield and the first mayoral forum on issues affecting Asian Americans. Le convened the first Asian American caucus of Illinois state legislators, and her advocacy played a key role in strengthening and passing laws that support Chicago’s commitment to welcoming immigrants and refugees. She served on the boards of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Access Living, an advocacy organization for people with disabilities.

ANN LURIE

PHILANTHROPIC LEADER

After coming to Chicago in 1973 to work as a pediatric intensive care nurse at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Ann Lurie became one of the city’s most prominent philanthropists. When her husband, Robert, a successful commercial real estate executive, passed away in 1990, Ann gave away $277 million from his estate to organizations at the forefront of health care and social services in Chicago, including Northwestern University, where Robert underwent cancer treatment, and where Ann later became a life trustee. In 2007, she donated $100 million to Children’s Memorial Hospital – the largest gift to any children’s hospital anywhere at the time – to build the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The impact of Ann’s generosity can be seen in organizations across the city, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Gilda’s Club Chicago, and PAWS Chicago.