Charles Schmidt of Morris will be president of the 50-member Grundy County Bar Association through September 2005. John Peacock is secretary-treasurer.
Henry County Bar
R. Philip Steele of Alpha will complete his two-year term as president of the 41-member Henry County Bar Association next month. Other officers are Vice President Eugene Stockton and Secretary-Treasurer Terry Patton.
Illinois Paralegal
The Illinois Paralegal Association and Advantage Document Services will sponsor a Night at the Races on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Balmoral Park Race Track in Crete. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for buffet dinner, with 7:40 p.m. post time. Call (815) 462-4620.
Illinois Trial Lawyers
The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association will hold its annual Southern Illinois Judicial and Legislative Dinner on Friday, Sept. 10, at the Marriott Pavillion Hotel, St. Louis. Call (800) 252-8501.
Indian-American Bar
A mentoring reception for law students and attorneys will be conducted by the Indian-American Bar Association from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at Schiff Hardin in Sears Tower. Call Sailesh K. Patel at (312) 258-5698.
Jackson County Bar
Michael Fiello of Murphysboro is the new president of the 88-member Jackson County bar Association. Other officers are Vice President Ryan Rice, Secretary Carey C. Gill and Treasurer Rebecca O'Neill.
Jefferson County Bar
Aaron S. Carnine of Mount Vernon is the new president of the 62-member Jefferson County Bar Association. Other officers are Vice President Scott Quinn and Secretary-Treasurer Sean Featherstun.
Jewish Judges
Joel J. Sprayregen of Shefsky & Froehlich, Chicago, will speak to members of the Jewish Judges Association during a luncheon Tuesday, Sept. 14, in the ISBA Chicago Regional Office. His topic is "My Three Meetings with Arafat."
Participants may bring their own lunches or order kosher lunches in advance by calling Judge Sheldon Gardner at (312) 603-4866.
Knox County Bar
James E. Skinner of Galesburg will be president of the 63-member Knox County Bar Association through the end of December. Other officers are Vice President James H. Harrell, Secretary Karl Johnson and Treasurer Anthony Vaupel.
Lake County Bar
Awards to outstanding members of the Lake County Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyers Program, conducted with Prairie State Legal Services, will be presented during a luncheon Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Ramada Inn, Waukegan.
Lake County Women
The Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County will hold a luncheon meeting and program Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Potesta's Restaurant in Waukegan. Call President Marjorie Sher at (847) 249-2830.
LaSalle County Bar
Michelle A. Vescogni of Peru will be president of the LaSalle County Bar Association through the end of December. Other officers are Vice President Stephen G. Terrando, Secretary Gina E. Goode and Treasurer Steven Osborne.
Livingston County Bar
Taylor Johnson of Pontiac was elected this month to a two-year term as president of the 51-member Livingston County Bar Association. Other officers are Vice President Curt Myers and Secretary-Treasurer Deborah Maas.
Madison County Bar
Ronald S. Motil of Edwardsville is president of the 350-member Madison County Bar Association. Other officers are Vice President J. William Lucco, Secretary Donald J. Ohl and Treasurer David Hylla.
McHenry County Bar
The McHenry County Bar Association has scheduled a Judges' Picnic and softball game on Friday, Aug. 27. Call (815) 338-9559 for details.
North Suburban Bar
Paul R. Shuldiner of Chicago will be installed Thursday, Sept. 9, as president of the North Suburban Bar Association during a dinner at North Shore Country Club, Glenview. Call him at (312) 372-8242 for details.
Other slated officers are Vice Presidents Deidre Baumann, Nancy Vizer, Jeanne Reynolds and Paul Padron, Secretary Diane Damico and Treasurer Daniel O'Brien. Jeanine M. Cunningham is the retiring president.
Peoria County Bar
New officers of the Peoria County Bar Association were installed July 12. They are President Thomas W. O'Neal, President-elect Rex K. Linder, Vice President Dennis R. Triggs and Secretary-Treasurer Karen L. Kendall.
Phi Alpha Delta
The Chicago Alumni chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity will hold a reception for recent graduates from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, in the Rare Book Room of the DePaul University College of Law. Call Ben Hyink at (630) 928-1022.
Richland County Bar
Charles Bradley Vaughn of Olney is president of the 18-member Richland County Bar Association. Jeffrey E. Fleming is secretary-treasurer.
St. Clair County Bar
Gregory L. Shevlin of Belleville has been elected president of the St. Clair County Bar Association. Other officers are Vice Presidents Michael K. Nowak and John J. O'Gara Jr., Secretary Joseph R. Hillebrand and Treasurer Jeffrey K. Watson.
South Suburban Bar
Patrick M. Donohue of Continental Funding Corp. will discuss reverse mortgages during a dinner meeting of the South Suburban Bar Association at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15. Call Thomas Edwards, (708) 957-1500, for details.
Southwest Bar
Thomas Scannell of Chicago will complete his term as president of the 120-member Southwest Bar Association at the end of December. Other officers are Vice President Lawrence Leibforth, Secretary Michael McGrath and Treasurer John Eannace.
Stephenson County Bar
Timothy S. Mahoney of Freeport is the new president of the 51-member Stephenson County Bar Association. Other new officers are Vice President Robert Slattery, Secretary Robert Fagan and Treasurer Mark Cilichowski.
Tri-City Bar
Paul Marks of Wood River will complete his term as president of the 65-member Tri-City Bar Association at the end of December. Other officers are Vice President Laura Andrews, Secretary Kristen Dunnett and Treasurer Tanja Cook.
West Suburban Bar
The annual West Suburban Bar Association golf outing will take place Tuesday, Sept. 21, at Carriage Greens Country Club in Darien, with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Call (708) 366-1122.
Whiteside County Bar
Michael A. Lancaster of Sterling is the new president of the 76-member Whiteside County Bar Association. Other new officers are Vice President Thomas J. Potter, Secretary Theron W. Burall and Treasurer Daniel Huffman.
Winnebago Secretaries
New officers of the Winnebago County Association of Legal Secretaries are President Tauna Billups, President-elect Danielle Pastuska, Treasurer Susan Zimmerman, and Secretaries Kirstine Robertson and Connie Peterson.
Women's Bar of Illinois
The ninth annual "No Threat, No Sweat" golf outing of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois will take place Monday, Sept. 13, at Maple Meadows Golf Club, Wood Dale. Call (312) 341-8530 to register.
A 10 a.m. registration and social hour will precede the 11:30 a.m. shotgun start. A reception, buffet dinner and award presentations will follow.
Mary Thompson headed Women's Bar in '93-94
Homewood attorney Mary C. Thompson, a past president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, died July 14 at age 63 of cancer.
She is remember by colleagues as a strong advocate for leadership by women in the legal profession and public service, a willing mentor to young women lawyers, and an avid recruiter of members of the Women's Bar Association.
As WBAI president in 1993-94, Mrs. Thompson made sure that female candidates for state office were the focus of the 52nd annual Joint Professional Dinner in Chicago. Awards were presented to Mary Lou Kearns, who sought election as secretary of state, and Loleta Didrickson, a candidate for state comptroller (see photo above).
A 1981 graduate of the Northern Illinois University College of Law, Mrs. Thompson maintained a solo practice in real estate and family law in Homewood for more than 20 years.
Teree Foster was law dean at DePaul
By Stephen Anderson
Teree E. Foster of Chicago, whose appointment in 1997 as dean of the DePaul University College of Law capped an honored career as a legal educator, died July 12 at age 56 of heart failure in her Lake View home.
A 1976 cum laude graduate of the Loyola University School of Law, Mrs. Foster taught classes there while serving as a law clerk to Judge Robert A. Sprecher of the U.S. Court of Appeals. She also clerked for Philip H. Corboy & Associates.
She went to the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1977 as an associate professor, became a professor in 1983 and was named associate dean in 1990. After stints as a visiting law professor at the Universities of Denver, Florida and Ohio State, she served as dean of the West Virginia University College of Law from 1993 to 1997.
Mrs. Foster was selected Outstanding Law Professor in 1990 at Oklahoma, where she also received three Excellence in Teaching Awards. She coached the moot court team that won a national championship in 1985.
At West Virginia, she won an Outstanding Women in History Award from the Fairmont State University Multi-Cultural Center in 1997. The West Virginia State Conference of NAACP Branches honored her in 1995 for leadership and dedication to equality.
After she stepped down in 2001 as DePaul's law dean, Mrs. Foster taught civil procedure and a seminar on the death penalty. She had recently accepted a teaching position at the University of Washington School of Law.
Mrs. Foster received a Women with Vision Award from the Women's Bar Association of Illinois and an Award of Excellence from the Decalogue Society of Lawyers.
Converted to Judaism six years ago, she served on the Chicago Jewish Day School board and taught a Jewish heritage class at Anshe Emet Synagogue.
Paul Braner
O'Fallon attorney Paul F. Braner Sr. died July 3, one day after his 76th birthday, at Scott Air Force Base Hospital in Shiloh. He was a 1955 graduate of the St. Louis University Law School.
A member of an activated Illinois National Guard unit, Mr. Braner served in the Army field artillery in Korea as a first lieutenant. He flew more than 100 missions in enemy territory as an aerial observer on an unarmed plane and received the Air Medal.
A trust officer at the Belleville National Bank for more than 25 years, Mr. Braner retired as senior vice president, He was a past president of the Serra Club and the Cathedral Grade School board.
Joseph Breen
Joseph R. Breen, a partner in Shefsky & Froehlich, Chicago, died June 29 at age 54 as a result of an automobile accident on the Edens Expressway.
A 1964 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, Mr. Breen received a master of law degree in taxation in 1975 from New York University. He was a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council.
Before joining Shefsky, Froehlich & Devine, Mr. Breen practiced with Panter, Nelson & Bernfield and was a partner in Pretzel & Stouffer.
Robin Pilant Cona
Springfield attorney Robin Pilant Cona died July 5 at age 68 in Memorial Medical Center. She also was a deacon of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul.
Mrs. Cona graduated in 1978 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School and received a master of divinity degree in 2001 at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. She was a director of the Noble Animal Shelter.
William Emery
Retired corporate attorney William R. Emery died July 25 at age 94 in LaGrange Memorial Hospital. A former Western Springs resident, he had lived at Plymouth Place, a retirement home in LaGrange Park, for 18 years.
The son of a Kansas lawyer and grandson of a judge, Mr. Emery graduated in 1937 from the University of Chicago Law School. He joined the law department of Armour & Co. in 1938 and retired in 1974 from its successor, Greyhound Corp.
A past president of two school boards, Mr. Emery served on the Western Springs Elementary School Board from 1954 to 1959 and on the Lyons Township High School Board from 1961 to 1972.
A recipient of a Distinguished Citizen Award from the Western Springs Chamber of Commerce, he was a trustee of the Village Club and an officer of the Forest Hills Association.
Wayne Flanigan
Additional information has been received about the death on June 26 at age 64 of Waukegan attorney Wayne B. Flanigan, which was reported in the July issue of the ISBA Bar News.
Mr. Flanigan reportedly was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes while cleaning his basement with a gasoline-powered washer. Paramedics were unable to revive him.
Frank Gagen
Retired Barrington attorney Frank J. Gagen Jr. died July 13 at age 81 in Florida. A 1950 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, he had a family law practice for 35 years before retiring in 1988.
Ronald Ghilardi
Retired corporate attorney Ronald S. Ghilardi, a former mayor of Lisle, died July 25 at age 65 of cancer in a Cincinnati hospital. A 1970 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, he was director of litigation management for Ohio Casualty.
Mr. Ghilardi worked at Allstate Insurance while attending night classes at the law school, and he remained in the company's law department until he retired in the late 1990s as assistant vice president of litigation management.
A village trustee in Lisle from 1970 to 1981, Mr. Ghilardi was mayor from 1989 to 2001. He was president of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference in 1999 and a member of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.