Thomas A. Hickey, Jr. ("Tom") 78, died May 1, 2017 in Greenville, SC. Tom leaves behind Patricia, his wife of 56 years, his two daughters Sara (TenBroek) and Mary (McCauley), and grandchildren Jake, Tommy and Katie McCauley, and Grace and Elizabeth TenBroek. He also leaves behind his siblings John and David Hickey, Phyllis Howe and Marilyn Lolas, cousins, nieces, nephews, and many dear friends.

Born in Chicago on November 25, 1938, Tom was the eldest son of Ruth and Thomas Alanson Hickey. Growing up in Elgin, Tom attended Elgin High School where he was Class President and a graduate of Class of 1956. He entered Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and was chosen Sachem Orator for the graduating Class of 1960. Tom graduated from John Marshall Law School in 1967. He was licensed to practice law in Illinois and before the U.S. federal bench. Tom worked at American National Bank, G. H. Walker & Co. and G.H. Walker, Laird & Co., before joining the Union National Bank and Trust Company, in Joliet, Illinois, which was acquired by First Midwest Bancorp (FMBI). Tom rose to CEO of First Midwest Bank, Illinois where he was CEO, and a SVP and Director of First Midwest Bancorp. He was also Chairman and CEO of First Midwest Trust Company, Chairman of First Midwest Insurance Company and Chairman of First Midwest Asset Management Company. In 1993, Tom retired from FMBI and founded Prairie Asset Management Inc., an investment advisory business in Illinois. He was also an owner in several rural Illinois banks.

Charles C. Brewer of Silver Spring, MD, passed away on May 10. He was born in Aurora on October 21, 1937, the son of Rev. Jonathan Brewer and Arietta Dyer Brewer.

Charles graduated from East Aurora High School in 1955 where he was an outstanding student, played trombone in the band and orchestra, and also participated in cross country and track. Following graduation he attended Oberlin College (Ohio) for one year and then Aurora College for two years. After serving in the army from 1961-1963, he was employed as an analyst by Automatic Electric Company until August 1968. He then enrolled at Northern Illinois University and received his BA in 1970. In 1972 he received a MBA from Indiana University. Then he enrolled in law school at the University of Illinois and in 1975 received his J.D.

Following law school Charles was a professor at North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC, where he taught business for two years. During this time period he also passed the bar exam. In 1977 he moved to Chicago and was employed as a manager at U.S. League of Savings Association. Then, in January 1981 he moved to Silver Spring, MD, and was employed by the Office of Thrift Supervision, a division of the Treasury Department and retired in August, 2015.

Charles was active in Toastmasters and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and was a Frederick Douglass Scholar. He was a prodigious genealogist, an expert in Civil War Pension files and gave lectures at several conferences. A lover of music he also sang in several choral groups.

He is survived by his daughters Maya Ansong (Charles) and Ashley Childs, his son Joshua Childs and four grandchildren.

Nathan Diamond-Falk, 67, of New Buffalo, Michigan, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, May 14. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, he lived most of his life in Evanston, Illinois, where he raised his two children with his wife, Judi. Nate was a passionate father, husband, and lawyer. As a criminal defense attorney, he advocated vehemently for those who were usually let down by the justice system. He also found joy as an adjunct trial professor and coach of the trial team at Northwestern Law School. He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Judi; his adoring children; his proud parents, James and Audrey Falk of North Dartmouth, Massachusetts; and his loving sister Deborah Augarten (née Falk) of Scarsdale, New York.

ISBA member and professor at Southern Illinois University Law School Cindy Buys recently took nine students from her asylum and refugee law class to visit the International Institute in St. Louis to help them get a better understanding of how the refugee resettlement process works in the United States.

The institute, which was founded in 1919 and provides services ranging from health services and English-language classes to job preparation assistance and employment information, helps both immigrants and refugees settle into their new lives in the U.S. In the past year, over 8,000 individuals have received assistance from the institute.

Professor Buys, who also manages pro bono asylum cases, recognized that there is a gap between what students learn about these subjects in the classroom and what’s happening in nearby communities. “My point in taking the students to the refugee resettlement center was really to give them a sense of what’s happening on the ground, right now,” she recently told The Southern Illinoisan. “We can look at statistics online about where they come from, but I think it’s different when you see it in person."

To learn more about the institute and the experiences of Buys' students, read the full article.