Joe L. Hakes
Former Illinois Tech Athletics Director Joseph “Joe” Hakes, who led the athletics department from 2014 until 2020, passed away on Monday, January 23, 2023, at his home in Bristow, Virginia. During his tenure at Illinois Tech, which started in August 2014, Hakes oversaw the school’s transition from a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member school to a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III member school; he also secured the school’s membership into the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). Hakes expanded the athletics program by adding men’s volleyball, men’s lacrosse, women’s tennis,z and men’s tennis, the last of which became the first Illinois Tech program to qualify for an NCAA Division III tournament berth in 2019.
Dimitri Gidaspow (GT '62)
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Dimitri Gidaspow (Ph.D. GT ’62), a prolific and innovative chemical engineering researcher and teacher, passed away on January 9, 2023, at the age of 88. Gidaspow’s contribution to the research and education of fluidization and fluid particle systems was extraordinary, and his work has had a huge impact in shortening the gap between lab-scale research and commercial processes. Over the course of his career, he received 10 patents, wrote four books and more than 200 publications, and had close to 20,000 citations.
Peter H. Greene
Professor Emeritus of Computer Science Peter H. Greene passed away on January 29, 2023. Trained as a mathematical biologist, Greene’s interest in understanding how organisms control their actions led him to mathematical models of brain function in the late 1950s, which sparked his interest in the nascent field of artificial intelligence. His first paper on AI was published in 1959; in 1974, Greene joined Illinois Tech to begin the Department of Computer Science’s program in AI. He retired and was bestowed emeritus status in 2003.
Vivien Gross
Clinical Professor of Law Vivien Gross, an expert on legal professional ethics who guided Chicago-Kent College of Law’s two major clinical externship programs, passed away on March 4, 2023. The programs are a strength for Chicago-Kent, where they place students with federal and state court judges and offer them fieldwork in the private and public sector. She was also the professor-reporter for the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility, which reviews the entire body of rules and professional responsibility issues that affect Illinois lawyers. She joined the Chicago-Kent faculty in 1979, and was known as a welcoming and supportive colleague.
Seok Hoon Hong
Associate Professor Seok Hoon Hong passed away on February 18, 2023. Hong joined Illinois Tech’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2015. He was a highly awarded scientist who had recently received a number of prestigious research honors, including receiving Illinois Tech’s 2020 Sigma Xi Excellence in Research Award and the 2020 President Young Investigator Award from the Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers. Additionally, in 2022 Hong was recognized by the dean of Armour College of Engineering with the Excellence in Research Award.
Harvey Kahalas
Former Stuart School of Business Dean Harvey Kahalas passed away on February 4, 2023, at age 81. During his tenure at Stuart, Kahalas successfully led the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business re-accreditation process; hired many outstanding faculty; and revised and updated many of Stuart's programs, in addition to creating multiple new cross- and multi-disciplinary programs. He also developed initiatives to facilitate English language knowledge and proficiency for international students, and implemented an internship program designed to create an understanding of American business processes. In retirement, Kahalas continued to engage with Stuart as a professor emeritus of management and economic development.
Arthur S. Takeuchi (ARCH '54, M.S. '59)
Arthur Shigeo Takeuchi, a pupil of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Illinois Tech’s College of Architecture faculty member who was the chief assistant architect of the Richard J. Daley Center, died October 28, 2022, at age 91. He joined the Illinois Tech faculty in 1965, and opened his own architectural firm in 1970. Takeuchi was the recipient of numerous teaching awards during his time with the College of Architecture, where he served twice as interim dean and taught for 54 years before his retirement in 2019.
Jerome R. Vainisi (LAW '69)
Jerome “Jerry” Vainisi, the general manager of the Super Bowl XX champion Chicago Bears, died on October 4, 2022, at the age of 80. Vainisi spent 15 years with the Bears, serving in various financial and legal roles until Bears owner George Halas appointed him general manager in 1983. During his four years as GM, Vainisi helped lead the Bears to an overall record of 47-17; he later became head of player personnel for the Detroit Lions, where he drafted Barry Sanders, and was also the co-founder and head of football operations for the World League of American Football/NFL Europe. Since 1999 Jerry had been owner and chairman/CEO of Forest Park Bank in Forest Park, Illinois.
Maurice Frank Jr. (MATH M.S. ’69, Ph.D. ’72)
Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics Maurice J. (“Jerry”) Frank Jr. passed away on Feb. 13, 2023. Frank joined the applied mathematics faculty at Illinois Tech in 1976 and continued his teaching and research career until 2008, when he achieved emeritus status. Additionally, he helped to establish the annual Karl Menger Lecture and Awards program. He was an expert in numerous subjects, including functional equations, associativity and related equations, iterative equations and systems, probability distribution theory, probabilistic geometry, and nonlinear dynamics. He spoke on these topics internationally, and was department chair for a time.