MEMORIAL RESOLUTION .iSv, ^ f
WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that members of this Chamber learned of the deatrfo;f Nicte&las J>s'
De Leonardis, on March 19, 2016, at the age of eighty-six; and £2 , -o
'* ^
WHEREAS, The City Council has been informed of his passing by The Honorable Margaret Laigyio, Alderman ofthe 39th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Born on November 13, 1929, Nicholas was the beloved husband of Mary Ellen; loving father of Valerie (Mark), Nicolette (Gerhard), Regina (Gustav), John Paul and the late Deborah; dearest grandfather of Nicholas, Katrina, Alexander, Myhka, Lia, Tea, Andrew and Norah; dear brother of Mary Ellen and John; kind uncle of many nieces and nephews and treasured friend to all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Nicholas leaves a legacy of faith, compassion, dignity and love; and
WHEREAS, Nicholas was an active and vital member of his community. This United States Marine Corp veteran of the Korean War was a well-known economist in the Midwest noted for his "Outlook for Interest Rates". He was Senior Vice President and Treasurer of LaSalle National Bank, and a member of the Executive Committee in the Bank's Parent Holding Company, LaSalle National Corporation. He was a Senior Vice President and Chairman of the Asset and Liability Committee; and
WHEREAS, During his banking career he traveled extensively and was known to many of the money managers of major corporations and international organizations; and
WHEREAS, Prior to joining LaSalle, he was Vice President at The First National Bank of Chicago where he headed up the Bank's Money Market Division; and
WHEREAS, Beginning his banking career in 1955 at the First National Bank of Chicago in the Trust Department's Management Training program, he went on to become a fixed income securities analyst, then transferring to the Bond Department as part of the municipal underwriting group. Later he was directed to start a money market operation which evolved into the Bank's Money market Division where he became Vice President and Chairman of the Money Management Committee; and
WHEREAS, He retired after thirty-five years in banking and was invited by the DePaul University College of Commerce to join the College's Finance Department as an Executive in Residence, a position that he held for fifteen years; and
WHEREAS, He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and his Master of Arts degree in Economics and Finance. He lectured in the graduate and undergraduate divisions, including the University's MBA Program in Hong Kong. He also participated and assisted in the development of a special program (1993-1999), designed to assist banks in Poland during Poland's transition period for banks in Poland. Lectures were held in Poland and Chicago; and
WHEREAS, From 1980 to 1987, he was a guest lecturer for seminars at the American Bankers Association Graduate School of Banking held at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. From 1993 to 2003, he was a member of the committee on Specialist Assignment and Evaluation at the Chicago Stock Exchange; and
WHEREAS, Nicholas was an advocate for the developmentally disabled. In 1982, then Governor James Thompson decided to close the facility, located in Dixon, Illinois, for the Developmentally Disabled, and build a prison and transfer the facilities' seven hundred residents to community facilities. His daughter Deborah, who was developmentally disabled and sensory impaired, was one ofthe plaintiffs in a class action suit to prevent the closure. While the suite was upheld in the lower court, the parent group lost at the State Supreme Court level. Although the state won in the final decree, the suit resulted in a reexamination of the programmatic and habilitation programs for the developmentally disabled and the building of a new facility for one hundred twenty four residents who were not only developmentally disabled, but were sensory impaired. The new facility, located in Dixon, Illinois, is known as the Jack Mabley Center. The remaining residents were transferred to other State facilities. The State could only find places, in community facilities, for twenty-five of the original seven hundred residents; and
WHEREAS, Nicholas was appointed, in 1986, by Governor James Thompson, to a Task Force to examine the Future of Mental Health in Illinois and in 1989 to a Commission to examine the State's Mental Health Code; and
WHEREAS, He was President of the Dixon Association for Retarded Citizens for twenty years. From 1968 to 1982, he was a Trustee of the Foundation for Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation. Since 1972, he was a member of the Union League Club of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, In addition to all of his many accomplishments, Nicholas was an avid collector of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia, heading a Sherlock Holmes discussion group at the Edgebrook Branch of the Chicago Public Library from 2009 until 2015; and
WHEREAS, Nicholas touched the lives of all who knew him through his kindness, generosity and spirit, making him a truly unforgettable person. He will be deeply missed, but the memory of his smile, caring spirit, enduring patience, thoughtfulness, character, intelligence and compassion will live on in those who knew and loved him, now, therefore,
Be It Resolved, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago gathered here this thirteenth day of April, 2016, do hereby express our sorrow on the death of the Nicholas J. De Leonardis and express to his family and friends our deepest sympathy; and
MARGARET LAURINO Alderman, 39th Ward
Be It Further Resolved, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of the Nicholas J. De Leonardis as a token of our honor, gratitude, and respect.
