Wayne R. Hannah, Jr. 1931-2023
Wayne R. Hannah, Jr., age 91, of Winnetka, IL, and Palm Beach, FL.
Beloved husband of Patricia Anne Hannah formerly Matthews. Loving father of Tamara Hannah, Wendy Hannah (Stephen Weinig), and Wayne "Rob" Hannah, III (Donna DiBona). Proud grandfather of Tessa and Haley Weinig; Wayne "Robert" Hannah IV, Alyssa, and Ashley Hannah. Dear brother of Margery Tyler, Judith Atz, the late William Hannah, and the late Michael Hannah. Fond uncle of many nieces and nephews.
Wayne attended Illinois College on a scholarship and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He received a Fulbright Scholarship in 1953 to study at the University of Bordeaux, FR, and then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the NYU School of Law in 1957. He served as a Life Trustee of the law school and led the campaign to fully endow the Root-Tilden Kern Scholarship Fund that helped him study law at NYU.
Wayne began his law practice with Dentons in 1957, the year he joined legacy firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. The last of the storied Class of '57, Wayne was one of the pillars on which the firm was built. A partner for well over 60 years, Wayne developed invaluable expertise in the areas of financial institutions, mortgage banking, real estate, and general corporate practice as counsel for companies in such disparate sectors as international equipment sales, mortgage banking, taxicab operations, and casualty insurance. An area of particular strength for Wayne was representing savings and loan associations on regulatory issues in connection with mergers and acquisitions, and regarding real estate investments and commercial lending practices and joint venture financing.
Wayne lectured for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the National Business Institute; he authored a handbook on Condominium Law and Real Property, Financing Real Property and Land Trust Practice; and was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Real Estate Law and Real Estate Litigation. He was honorably discharged as a sergeant in the US Marine Corps. He also served as Chairman of the Chicago City Ballet and was a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, Skokie Country Club, and The Beach Club Palm Beach.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Root-Tilden-Kern Scholars in memory of Wayne Hannah. Checks can be made out to NYU School of Law with Root-Tilden-Kern Sholars "In memory of Wayne Hannah" in the memo line.