Christ Troupis, 88, of Mendota, passed away on Dec. 19, 2011.
Mr. Troupis was born Jan. 28, 1923 in Mendota to Theodore and Efterpe Troupis. He married Marion Roberts on Jan. 2, 1947 in South Bend, Ind.
Mr. Troupis served in the Pacific Theater of Operations with the Army Air Force during World War II. He attended Northwestern University and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1949. Following law school, Mr. Troupis returned to Mendota where he practiced law for more than 50 years. Before his retirement, he was active in the La Salle County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar. His practice focused most often on estate and probate matters although he was well known for his representation of school districts and other local units of government.
He was elected mayor of Mendota in 1953 and served until 1961. During his tenure the Mendota Community Pool was built. He was elected to the Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees in 1967 and served as board president during the acquisition and construction of the campus on the south bluff of the Illinois River. For nearly 20 years, Mr. Troupis also served on Mendota Community Hospital Board of Trustees and was president of that board for several years. He was a member of VFW Post 4079 and the American Legion and was a past member and former president of Mendota Lions Club and Mendota Jaycees. He served as chairman of the local chapter of the American Red Cross and was a past member of the Mendota Elks Lodge and Mendota Moose.
People
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January 23, 2012 |
People
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January 17, 2012 |
People
Michael I Rothstein, a founding partner of Chicago Loop law firm, Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC, was elected on January 9, 2012, to a two-year term as the Chair of the Anti-Defamation League's Chicago/Upper Midwest Regional Board.
Mr. Rothstein is a 1987 graduate of the Boston University School of Law and a 1982 graduate of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. A certified public accountant, he previously worked in the audit department of Arthur Young & Co. (now Ernst & Young).
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January 17, 2012 |
People
Edward Allen Verchota III, a resident of Champaign, passed away Thursday (Jan. 12, 2012) in Champaign.
Mr. Verchota was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Paris, Ill.
Mr. Verchota graduated from Champaign Central High School in 1979. He earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1983 and a juris doctorate from Mississippi College School of Law in 1987.
Allen was admitted to practice law in the state of Illinois in 1988 and was a respected attorney in the Champaign-Urbana area, specializing in litigation and personal injury law.
Allen loved spending time with his son, playing golf and traveling, especially enjoying warm weather, going to the beach and taking cruises.
He also was an avid University of Illinois sports fan and an active participant in a local investment club. Allen's life was ended far too soon by complications from liver disease and alcoholism; another gifted and much loved individual's life cut short by addiction.
A private memorial service will be held for family and close friends. Allen will be greatly missed by all.
Mr. Verchota is survived by his son; his wife, Kristen Conley Verchota of Savoy; his parents, Judy and George Bryan of Champaign and Edward Allen Verchota Jr. of Paris; one brother, Michael (Kara) Verchota of Monticello; four sisters, Valari Verchota (Richard) Dillingham of Monticello, Anne Bryan (Paul) Peebles of Houston, Texas, Melissa Bryan (Thomas Harrison Jr.) of Berwyn and Brandi Verchota (Rich) Temples of High Ridge, Mo.; as well as five nieces and four nephews. He is further survived by other relatives and many dear friends.
1 comment (Most recent January 20, 2012) -
January 12, 2012 |
ISBA News | People
ISBA President-elect John E. Thies recently gave a speech to representatives of the Chinese Ministry of Justice who were visiting the University of Illinois.
He covered several topics including: an overview of the ISBA; the range and purpose of U.S. bar associations and the services they provide; the regulation of the legal profession; the licensing of lawyers; the accreditation of law schools (and the education of law students); minimum continuing legal education; legal aid; and limited scope representation.
Group leader Mr. Ma Chi (photo at right) presented President-elect Thies with a lovely rolled print as a token of the delegation's appreciation. Ma Chi serves as the Vice Deputy Chief Judge from Gansu Province.
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January 12, 2012 |
People
Philip Comstock Wherry, 72, of Chicago, died Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, from complications due to Parkinson’s disease.
He was born in 1939 in Pekin, to Dr. Roland C. and Miriam Platt Wherry. He was raised in Pekin.
His parents preceded him in death.
He is survived by his wife, Cookie; his daughter, Chandler; his brother, Richard (Nancy) Wherry; and a loving circle of family and friends.
He was educated at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.; and graduated from the University of Miami, where he met “the love of his life” and future wife, Helen “Cookie” Reichert.
After moving to Chicago and graduating from IIT Kent College of Law, Philip became a senior clerk to the late Federal Judge Julius J. Hoffman in Chicago. He became an associate at the law firm of Winston & Strawn before founding the firm of Abrams & Wherry, which specialized in business litigation, both in Chicago.
Philip had a life-long devotion to the community and historic preservation. He worked closely with Burt Natarus, former alderman of the 42nd Ward, to achieve down-zoning of the Near North Side of Chicago. For 30 years, Philip was involved with the North Dearborn Association, ultimately serving seven terms as its president. He was a co-founder of the Near North Preservation Coalition, which helped retain the beauty of that neighborhood.
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January 10, 2012 |
People
Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd LLC, a leading national law firm in complex litigation, announced today the appointment of attorney Randy Cohn as a new shareholder. Cohn joined the Simmons Firm in 2004 and has recovered millions on behalf of families throughout the country injured by mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases.
“Randy is an integral part of our firm,” said firm Chairman John Simmons. “As one of the leaders of our asbestos department, he is both a skilled litigator and compassionate advocate for victims of mesothelioma.”
Cohn oversees a team of attorneys and investigators at the firm and has developed a unique focus on helping victims of Navy-related asbestos exposure. He recently represented World War II veteran Frank Curre, a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, until he succumbed to mesothelioma this past December.
“It’s a privilege to serve our clients,” said Cohn, “and I’m honored to become a shareholder at one of the nation’s premier plaintiff’s firms.”
Cohn earned his JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2001. Super Lawyers magazine recently recognized him as a 2012 Illinois Rising Star. He is licensed to practice in Missouri, before the Supreme Court of Illinois and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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January 5, 2012 |
People
The Peoria, Illinois law firm of Johnson, Bunce & Noble, P.C. is pleased to announce that Patrick T. Chambers and Susan Dawson-Tibbits have become shareholders in the firm.
Chambers has practiced law since 1978, having graduated with honors from Chicago Kent Law School. He primarily practices in the areas of real estate, title insurance, estate planning, probate, and unemployment benefits.
Dawson-Tibbits has practiced law since 1979, having graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. A member of the Illinois State Bar Association Elder Law Section Council, the Board of Directors of the Central Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and other related organizations for many years, she concentrates her practice in elder law, advanced directives, guardianships, long-term care advice, and other issues involving the elderly.
Johnson, Bunce & Noble, P.C. is a Central Illinois law firm primarily focusing in: business law, real estate, estate planning/probate, elder law, taxation, creditors’ rights, and related litigation.
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December 21, 2011 |
People
Prominent attorney Thomas G. West, 71, was born in Galesburg on March 21, 1940, the son of Helen Jo (Bondi) and Joseph E. West, and died in Northfield, Minn., on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011.
He was a 1958 graduate of Galesburg High School, a graduate of Northwestern University, BBA, 1962, and University of Chicago Law, JD, 1965. He taught business law at Wisconsin State University, Whitewater, Wis., from 1965-66. He served as assistant state's attorney for Knox County from 1966-67 and Illinois assistant attorney general - condemnation 1968-76.
Tom gave freely of his time to the greater Galesburg community. In addition to his association with Simpson Law Office, he served as vice president of Bondi Building Corporation.
Among other activities and local interests, Tom was past president of Soangetaha Country Club and a member of its Hole-in-One Club. He was past chairman of OSF St.Mary Medical Center Board of Directors and served as a board member of OSF St. Mary Medical Center Foundation. Tom was serving on the IFMC-IL advisory board. From 1971-75, Tom served on the board of trustees for Carl Sandburg College and in 2007 was the recipient of its Founder's Circle Award. He served as attorney for Galesburg District 205 and Knoxville District 202 school boards. Tom was past president and treasurer of Temple Sholom board of directors.
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December 21, 2011 |
People
Hartzell Givens, 99, of Taylorville, IL died at 3:00 am Friday, December 2, 2011 at Taylorville Care Center.
He was born November 29, 1912 in Heyworth, IL the son of John P. and Rosa L. Hawthorne Givens. His mother was a cousin of the famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne. On June 16, 1940 he married Louise D. Dunbar in Taylorville and she preceded him in death on January 11, 1999.
Hartzell graduated from Eureka College in 1936, and on the 75th anniversary of his graduation he was the oldest living graduate of Eureka College. He then went to Loyola University where he graduated with his Juris Doctorate in 1939. Hartzell had the rare distinction among lawyers of having been one of the few that never lost a case. Hartzell specialized in Abstracting and Title work and went to work for Chicago Title Company in Chicago after graduation. He came to Taylorville in January 1946 and worked at the Taylor Abstracting Co. His association with Chicago Title and Trust lasted for 75 years.
Hartzell was a veteran of World War II serving with the Navy in the Seabees. One of his assignments was in the Marshall Islands and he was present at Tinian when the Enola Gay took off for Hiroshima. The Taylorville Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
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December 21, 2011 |
People
Royce Glenn Rowe Jr., 85, died of lung cancer Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter in Skokie. The longtime Wilmette resident was a retired founding partner of the downtown law firm of McKenna, Storer, Rowe, White & Farrug.
Mr. Rowe co-founded the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel in Chicago in the mid-1960s to fill a void in the legal community.
Born in Chicago, Mr. Rowe grew up in Wilmette and graduated in 1944 from Shattuck, a military boarding school in Minnesota. He joined the Navy near the end of World War II, serving for two years at bases in California and Virginia.
After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in history in 1950, Mr. Rowe attended Cornell Law School, receiving his law degree in 1952.
Mr. Rowe worked as a government lawyer for a short time in Washington, until moving to Chicago in the early 1950s, where he helped form the law firm.
Mr. Rowe retired from the firm in 1992, after 40 years.
In 1978, Mr. Rowe was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Mr. Rowe's wife, Kathryn, died in 1998.
He is survived by three daughters, Elizabeth Neary, Sarah Rowe and Katrina Sullivan; a sister, Mary Robertson; and five grandchildren.
No services were held, as was Mr. Rowe's desire.