As a student at DePaul University, Rose played basketball under Coach Ray Meyer. A stint in the Marine Corps followed his 1954 graduation. He intended to be a teacher-coach in the Marines, but was assigned to defend courts martial.
"I kind of liked that," Rose said, "and I decided that when I got out of the Marines, I'd use the G.I. Bill to go to law school." He graduated from DePaul's College of Law in 1959, becoming the first lawyer in his family.
Settling in Rolling Meadows as a young lawyer with a family, Rose ran for an aldermanic seat and lost, but was appointed city attorney by the mayor in 1961. He was with Moriarty, Rose & Hultquist in Chicago from 1961 to 1980, then headed Donald M. Rose Ltd. in Rolling Meadows until 1998, when he joined Storino, Ramello & Durkin.
Rose's general civil practice has an emphasis in municipal law, corporate law and real estate. "I like the reality of municipal law," he explained, "because it deals with the day-to-day problems of running a municipality.
"This includes everything from land development to zoning to building code enforcement. You work on paper and you eventually see a product up, whether it's a shopping center or a house."
What kinds of issues does Rose see foremost on city agendas? "Sources of revenue for continued operations and redevelopment and upgrading of municipalities are always issues," he said. "You see a lot of that in residential suburbs with fill-ins, when 30- or 40-year-old houses are torn down and replaced with bigger ones."
Rose's most memorable experiences include the challenge by atheist Rob Sherman, who took Rolling Meadows to court because he thought a cross in the city seal had religious implications and violated the First Amendment. Sherman also was suing Zion for its motto, "God Reigns." The cases were consolidated in federal court.
"There was a lot of emotion within the city to leave it alone," Rose said, "especially since it was an outsider who was complaining, but Sherman certainly had rights, too."
Rose won in U.S. District Court, but lost in a 3-2 decision in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. When all 11 judges later heard the case en banc, they ruled 6-5 against the city. "So we changed the city seal and removed the cross," he said.
Rose has practiced long enough to have experienced first-hand the changes that have impacted the profession, including technology. But he emphasizes the lack of compromise in case negotiations.
"It has to go back to where you can sit down and have a reasonable conversation with somebody in order to get some of this litigation out of the courts," he said. "I think there has to be more tolerance among lawyers to have a meaningful dialogue in order to resolve cases before saying, 'I'll see you in court.'
"Many times, you get into conversations that are going nowhere when most things can be compromised," he said. "If they can't be worked out, you always have the courts, but you don't have to be threatening that from the start."
Rose obviously loves his chosen profession. While it's been a lot of work, he maintains that if you're going to something right, you must give it the time.
"I probably will slow down," he said, "but my health is still good so I'll keep going. I've come to the conclusion that a little stress is good for you."
Rose also enjoys traveling, and recently returned from a trip to California. He and his wife also have a Wisconsin vacation home. A former pilot who owned his own airplane, he has flown to Canada for fishing trips and to the Bahamas for the sun.
The first meeting of the new ISBA Board of Governors will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, July 19, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Chicago. The 28th annual board alumni dinner and tribute to past president Tim Eaton will follow.
This board meeting will be preceded by recognition of the Senior Counsellors class of 1952 during a luncheon Thursday, July 18, at the Standard Club, Chicago.
Future board meetings will be conducted Friday, Oct. 11, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Elgin, and Friday, Nov. 8, at the Peninsula Hotel, Chicago.
The ISBA Midyear Meeting will take place Dec. 12 to 14 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Chicago, in conjunction with the annual Illinois Judges Association convention.
CVLS, Nordics offer guilt-free golf for causes
By Stephen Anderson
Ah, June, long cherished as the month of brides, although mention of that is absent from Chase's Calendar of Events. But we do find listed such celebrations as the Eel Festival in Denmark, a Fiddle Fest in Chattanooga and the onset of National Accordion Awareness Month.
In Illinois, there are Turtle Races in Danville to support charities for the disabled and, of course, the ever-popular Horseradish Festival in Collinsville, two days of competition in pungent root tossing and cautious eating.
But what is so rare as a day in June without a bar-related golf outing? We know of eight this month. The entire schedule follows, but two events of a charitable nature are especially worthy of general support throughout the legal community.
The Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation, pinched for benevolence as are so many legal aid providers, has come up with a novel "Golf Fore Justice" outing on June 6 at Tamarack, a relatively new course in Naperville.
Consider this both a contribution toward access to justice for the indigent and a fine way to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the arrest of Susan B. Anthony for testing women's suffrage in New York.
CVLS promises you'll be able to bill ample afternoon hours after the 8:30 a.m. shotgun start and concluding buffet luncheon. The contribution is only $100 per golfer, so sign up your foursomes soon with Dan Arnett at (312) 332-8498.
Being of Scandinavian persuasion, we point with pride to the second annual Lutefisk Open, a brainchild of Nordic Law Club President Perry Gulbrandsen that raised a few thousand bucks for scholarships at its inaugural last season. This year's is June 14 at White Pines in Bensenville.
It takes courage to name a golf outing after a dried codfish, but the cause is international. Proceeds will provide funds for law students with ancestors from any of the lands visited by Vikings a millennium ago. Gulbrandsen has identified at least 40 of them, from Iceland to Egypt.
Tee times start at 10 a.m., with food and drink at 5:30. The tab of $125 includes cart, locker, box lunch, buffet dinner and prizes, and non-Scandinavians are valkommen. Call Patricia Oakley at (708) 923-6760 to spend Flag Day with a Norse on the course.
If golf isn't your game, the Justinian Society offers bocce as an alternative pastime. The Belgians call it rolle bolle, and it's bowling on the green in Britain, but the skills are similar and the competition sometimes intense.
The Justinian outing takes place June 4 at Oak Meadows in Addison, a nicely wooded former private club. Golfers tee off at 1 p.m., and the bocce balls will roll in the mid-afternoon. Call Antonio Romanucci at (312) 458-1000, and name your game.
We're advised there will be a solar eclipse on June 10, peaking about 6:48 p.m., well after all golfers have finished the Women's Bar Association's seventh annual "No Threat, No Sweat" outing at Bensenville's venerable White Pines.
We share some of the responsibility for having encouraged initiation of this annual event six years ago, and it has grown more successful each year, thanks to Dawn Gonzalez, Susan Salita, Jennifer Barron, et al.
Male or female, you can expect plentiful collegiality - at the pre-tee networking and registration, on the course and during the reception that follows with buffet and prizes. The 10 a.m. shotgun start will guarantee your safe return from the links before the solar darkening. Call the WBAI office at (312) 341-8530.
The summer solstice at 8:24 a.m. Friday, June 21, precedes by a few hours the start of the Will County Bar's outing at perilous Cinder Ridge, amid the leavings of strip coal mines in Wilmington. It's a fitting challenge to start a new season. Call (815) 726-0383 for details.
If your bar association's golf outing is missing from the following schedule, please send information via e-mail to sanderson@isba.org or by facsimile to (312) 726-1422.
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JUNE 3 (Monday) DANVILLE Vermilion County Bar Assn. golf outing; Danville Country Club; 12 noon buffet lunch, 1:15 p.m. shotgun start, 7 p.m. dinner.
JUNE 4 (Tuesday) ADDISON Justinian Society golf and bocce outing; 1 p.m. shotgun start, 6:30 reception and dinner; Oak Meadows Golf Club; Antonio Romanucci, (312) 458-1000.
JUNE 6 (Thursday) NAPERVILLE Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation "First Annual Golf Fore Justice"; Tamarack Golf Club; 8:30 a.m. shotgun start, buffet luncheon, door prizes and awards; Daniel J. Arnett, (312) 332-8498 ($100).
JUNE 7 (Friday) OAK BROOK Illinois Trial Lawyers Assn. 47th annual golf outing; Oakbrook Hills Resort; tee times 7 a.m.-1 p.m.; (800) 252-8501.
JUNE 10 (Monday) BENSENVILLE Women's Bar Assn. 7th annual No Threat, No Sweat golf outing; White Pines Golf Course; 10 a.m. shotgun start, followed by reception, buffet dinner and awards; (312) 341-8530 ($100/110).
JUNE 10 (Monday) CHICAGO Chicago Bar Assn. golf outing; Ridge Country Club; tee times from 9 a.m., followed by dinner; Angie Crouther, (312) 554-2132 ($150, dinner only $25).
JUNE 14 (Friday) BENSENVILLE Nordic Law Club Scholarship Fund 2nd annual Lutefisk Open benefit golf outing; White Pines Country Club; tee times from 10 a.m., reception and buffet dinner from 5:30 p.m.; Patricia Oakley, (708) 923-6760.
JUNE 21 (Friday) WILMINGTON Will County Bar Assn. golf outing; Cinder Ridge Country Club; 1 p.m. shotgun start, 7 p.m. dinner; (815) 726-0383.
JULY 1 (Monday) ORLAND PARK South Suburban/Southwest Bar Assn. golf outing; Crystal Tree Country Club; 11:30 a.m. buffet lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start, 6:30 p.m. reception and dinner; Edward Burt, (708) 687-5200 ($165, dinner only $35).
JULY 11 (Thursday) GENEVA Kane County Bar Assn. golf outing; Mill Creek Golf Club; 11:30 a.m. lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start, 5:30 p.m. reception and dinner; (630) 762-1915.
JULY 12 (Friday) GURNEE Lake County Bar Assn. golf outing; Bittersweet Golf Course; 12 noon shotgun start, 5:30 p.m. barbecue dinner; (847)244-3143.
JULY 15 (Monday) WINFIELD DuPage County Bar Assn. golf outing with 1 p.m. shotgun start; Klein Creek Country Club; (630) 653-7779.
JULY 22 (Monday) ST. CHARLES Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Assn. golf outing; St. Charles Country Club; 11:30 a.m. lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start, 6:30 p.m. reception and dinner; (847) 593-5750.
JULY 22 (Monday) ROCK ISLAND Rock Island County Bar Assn. golf outing; Pinnacle Country Club.
JULY 26 (Friday) ROCKTON Winnebago County Bar Assn. 57th annual Clambake golf outing and lobster dinner; Macktown Forest Preserve; (815) 964-4992.
JULY 29 (Monday) WEST CHICAGO West Suburban Bar Assn. golf outing; St. Andrews Golf Club; 9:30 a.m. shotgun start, followed by grill cookout; (708) 366-1122.
AUGUST 2 (Friday) HIGHLAND PARK Workers' Compensation Lawyers Assn. golf outing; Highland Park Country Club; Karen Talty, (312) 832-9255.
AUGUST 12 (Monday) EDWARDSVILLE Illinois Trial Lawyers Assn. Southern Illinois golf outing; Sunset Hills Country Club; (800) 252-8501.
AUGUST 16 (Friday) LINCOLNSHIRE John Marshall Law School Alumni Assn. golf outing; Marriott's Resort; Kevin Farrell, (312) 987-1420.
AUGUST 19 (Monday) PEORIA Peoria County Bar Assn. golf outing; Mt. Hawley Country Club; (309) 674-6049.
AUGUST 26 (Monday) BLOOMINGTON McLean County bar Assn. golf outing; Crestwick Country Club; 1 p.m. shotgun startt, 5:30 p.m. reception, dinner and prizes; Sabrina Siron, (309) 828-4310.
Kane County seeks kids' waiting room
The Kane County Bar Foundation has worked for more than two years on a plan to provide a children's waiting room in the County Judicial Center west of St. Charles.
Similar supervised rooms for children of witnesses and litigants have been in operation in DuPage, Lake and other county court facilities for years, but progress has been slow in Kane County.
Bar Foundation President Lisa M. Nyuli, a member of the ISBA Assembly, recently gave her board the good news that a location has been identified within a large space now allocated for jurors' dining. An architectural firm has drawn plans for the necessary renovation.
The foundation board intends to approach the Kane County Board for approval of the project and a budget for the estimated build-out cost of $125,000, and for a $5 increase in case filing fees, per statutory authority, for ongoing costs of operation.
Funds already have been contributed toward the project, but considerably more will be needed. Donations may be mailed to the Kane County Bar Association, Suite 203, 555 S. Randall Road, St. Charles 60174.
For more information, call Nyuli at Ariano, Hardy, Nyuli, Richmond & Castillo, Elgin, (847) 695-2400.
Director of Legislative Affairs
The General Assembly will probably send Gov. Ryan fewer bills than it did last year. These are a few of the bills that have already passed both chambers.
Consecutive sentencing. House Bill 4473 (Daniels, R-Elmhurst; Dillard, R-Hinsdale) requires a trial judge to impose consecutive sentences if the defendant was convicted of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving death or personal injury and (1) aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; (2) reckless homicide under Sec. 9-3 of the Criminal Code; or (3) both offenses in (1) and (2).
Increase in heroin penalties. House Bill 4245 (Giles, D-Chicago; Sullivan, R-Mt. Prospect) enhances the penalties for the illegal (1) manufacture; (2) delivery; or (3) possession with intent to manufacture or deliver one gram or more (currently 10 or more grams) but less than 15 grams of heroin to a Class 1 felony with a maximum fine of $250,000. It also requires that a person convicted of illegally manufacturing or delivering more than five grams of heroin may not receive a sentence of probation, periodic imprisonment, or conditional discharge. House Bill 4245 would cause an increase of 76 inmates in the corrections population with a fiscal impact of $20.5 million.