2023 Annual Report: In Memoriam

JOHN H. “JACK” CATLIN

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Jack Catlin was a disability rights pioneer whose tireless advocacy improved the lives of thousands of people with disabilities across the country. An architect and nationally recognized accessibility expert, he drew on his firsthand knowledge as a wheelchair user for more than 40 years to creatively remove barriers and make physical spaces more welcoming for all. As a Trust Executive Committee member from 2007 to 2017 and chair of the Trust’s Disabilities Fund, Catlin advised the Trust on disability inclusion. He was also a steering committee member of ADA 25 Chicago, a Trust-incubated initiative that convened 200 Chicago-area organizations to promote equal opportunity for people with disabilities. LCM Architects, where he was a founding partner, summed up Catlin’s traits best: “He was affectionately known for his humility, humanity and humor.”

PATRICIA CROWLEY

TRUST FELLOW AND DONOR

Sister Patricia Crowley was a passionate advocate, teacher and nonprofit leader during her 65 years as a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. She served as executive director of some of Chicago’s leading social service organizations, including the Howard Area Community Center, Deborah’s Place, and Chicago Continuum of Care, where Crowley led the merger that resulted in the formation of the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness. Awarded a one-year Trust fellowship in 1989, she traveled to Latin America and the Caribbean to study political organizing led by low-income women. Crowley was a longtime donor and advisor to the Trust, where she and her sister established the Pat and Patty Crowley Fund, named for their parents, in 2009.

JAMES GLASSER

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR AND DONOR

Northwest Side native James Glasser began his long career as an assistant Cook County state’s attorney. In 1961, he joined the legal department of railcar-leasing company GATX, later moving into operations and serving as chairman and CEO for nearly two decades. As Trust Executive Committee chair from 1998 to 2004, Glasser helped to diversify the board and guided the Trust’s shift toward strategic grantmaking to achieve bold goals. He contributed to the Trust’s general endowment through his estate, fulfilling the pledge he made during the Trust’s Centennial Campaign. Glasser had a particular love of the arts, serving as trustee of the Tucson Museum of Art and securing financial support for the development of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.

MARILYN KATZ

DONOR

Marilyn Katz was a driving force behind Chicago politics for more than 40 years. She began her activist career in 1966 as part of the Chicago Freedom Movement and joined Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on his historic march in Marquette Park. Katz was a passionate organizer who brought attention to injustices locally and internationally, from leading protests against the Vietnam War during the Democratic National Convention in 1968 to supporting fair wages and affordable housing. Helping Mayor Harold Washington get elected was one of her many achievements. She continued to work as an advisor to political candidates and elected officials, including former President Barack Obama, right up until her death. In her later years, she channeled her activism into philanthropy by establishing a fund at the Trust.

CHARLES LIEBMAN

DONOR

Charles Liebman was a successful businessman whose views on giving back were deeply shaped by his life experiences: having a brother with developmental disabilities, the loss of his father in a tragic farm accident when he was just six, and relying on the kindness of relatives to get by during the Great Depression. Liebman recognized societal needs and was a great believer in community foundations as a vehicle to address those needs. In 2002, he and his wife, Mary, established the PERT Foundation, a supporting organization of the Trust. One of McHenry County’s most generous residents, Liebman also founded The Community Foundation for McHenry County, which later became a supporting organization of the Trust. He was a longtime supporter of McHenry County College, where the Liebman Science Center is named for him. Daughter Becky recalls, “He was a believer in the role of philanthropy and its potential to nimbly move money, to innovate, and to do this in a collaborative environment. He had faith in the power of good ideas and in people who could implement them.”

JOHN NICHOLS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR

John Nichols was recruited to the Chicago area in 1980 by Illinois Tool Works, where he rose to the position of CEO in just a few years. For the rest of his life, Nichols made the region his home and devoted himself to a wide array of civic, arts, educational, economic, and social institutions. He served on the Trust’s Executive Committee from 1997 to 2004 and as co-chair from 2001 to 2003. He was very active with the Commercial Club of Chicago, Civic Committee, Economic Club of Chicago, and Illinois Business Roundtable. Nichols’ love for his adopted hometown can be seen throughout Chicago, from the Nichols Center at UCAN in the Lawndale neighborhood to the Nichols Bridgeway linking the Art Institute of Chicago with Millennium Park.

JOSEPH PEDOTT

DONOR

Joseph Pedott was the advertising legend behind the iconic American pop culture products the Chia Pet and the Clapper. Despite his success, Pedott never forgot his roots. As a teenage runaway, he turned to SGA Youth & Family Services, then known as Scholarship and Guidance. SGA provided Pedott with the support he needed not only to survive but also to navigate the road to a college degree. Decades later, he was able to repay the favor by establishing a designated fund at the Trust, which he used to create and support college assistance programs at SGA. Pedott later opened four more designated and donor advised funds at the Trust, some of which are endowed to exist in perpetuity. In this way, Pedott’s generosity will live on, continuing to help thousands of Chicago-area students whose stories mirror his.

MARGARET MACKIMM

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Margaret MacKimm was a trailblazer for women in business. She began her career as a senior writer at Kraft Inc. and was promoted to senior vice president of corporate communication, becoming the company’s first female officer. MacKimm’s leadership in business and philanthropy led to her being named one of “Chicago’s Most Powerful Women” by the Chicago Tribune in 1987. As an Executive Committee member from 1985 to 1995 — and a volunteer member of the board’s communications and philanthropic services committee for many years afterward — MacKimm advised the Trust, generously sharing her knowledge and expertise. She also established a donor advised fund and was a member of the 1915 Society, a group of forward-looking donors who have included the Trust in their estate plans.