Reporter remembers
I just saw Jon this week. It was Wednesday and he was holding court at Octane
InterLounge, just like he did many mornings.
Jon always ordered a warm muffin and a dry cappuccino when he kibitzed with his
fellow “big idea” guys: mayoral father Joe Morrissey, architect Gary Anderson,
lawyer Tony Fabiano and others.
I didn’t talk to Jon long that day, just a handshake and a friendly greeting. He
was the kind of guy reporters love: Knowledgeable about nearly everything
Rockford, a straight shooter, eager to talk and patient to explain things.
I know I’ll miss him.
— Nate Legue
Lundin, 64, lauded for history-vision connection
ROCKFORD — Jon Lundin, president of The Abilities Center and a champion of
revitalizing the city’s manufacturing-heavy economy, died Thursday of an
apparent heart attack.
On Friday, his colleagues lamented the loss of a visionary, an unassuming leader
behind dozens of projects, programs and initiatives to improve Rockford. His day
job made him the head of a charitable organization, but they remember him as an
entrepreneur — full of ideas and the energy to see them through.
“One of the things that will be sorely missed, that entrepreneurial vision of
‘where can we go next?’” friend Gary Anderson said. “That is a gift that is so
rare. To me, to Rockford, we lost a giant.”
The Rockford native was a Renaissance man who studied at Yale and Cambridge
universities before returning to his hometown in 1972. The 64-year-old husband
and father of two was an author, a local historian, an educator and an advocate
for the poor.
He is survived by his wife, Gloria Lundin, who is president of the Community
Foundation of Northern Illinois; and their children, Thomas, 30, of the Lake
Tahoe, Nev., area; and Claire, 33, of New York City.
His understanding of the challenges facing local manufacturers made him an
articulate spokesman for them; he provided the steam behind such efforts as the
business incubator EDGE and the Manufacturing Alliance of Rock River Valley, a
cooperative manufacturing network. But he rarely took the credit for them,
friends say.
“His name’s never there, but the result is what will speak,” accountant Dan
Loescher said.
Lundin also was a major force in documenting Rockford’s history with several
books, including “Rockford, An Illustrated History.” Fellow historian John
Molyneaux called that volume “the best, most coherent history of Rockford that
exists.”
Lundin’s latest, a biography of manufacturing giant Howard Colman, was published
late last year. He would point out that Rockford’s manufacturing base had
re-invented itself several times — and argued that it could do so again,
Anderson said.
“He was able to leverage the knowledge of history to a vision of the future and
connect people,” Loescher said.
For almost 24 years, Lundin ran The Abilities Center, an education, job training
and employment provider on Rockford’s southeast side. Under his leadership, the
center grew from an agency relying on government subsidy to one that brought in
its own revenue. It used private money to renovate six dilapidated houses on
Kishwaukee Street and provide affordable housing for its clients.
Lundin was a pioneer who believed in a culture of entrepreneurship, pushing for
a high-technology manufacturing research center, among other efforts. He helped
bring a one-of-a-kind laser-cladding machine to The Abilities Center to spark a
startup company. He started a data-processing operation there that inputs
documents for state agencies, all while providing clients with a job.
“His thought process was, he wanted to give people a ladder for success,” said
Anderson, an Abilities board member. “Just providing one level of jobs wasn’t
enough for him. He wanted them to climb and expose them to different
opportunities.”
Lundin also spearheaded a number of projects still in process. In 2003, he
convinced megadeveloper Sunil Puri to donate the defunct Elks Club and its
upkeep money to Abilities, with hopes of renovating the downtown landmark into a
banquet hall. A project plan and a developer will be announced soon, Mayor Larry
Morrissey said.
Lundin was one of the leaders who persuaded Morrissey to run for office a second
time after a third-place finish in 2001. He also was among Morrissey’s group of
confidants who met for coffee — always a dry cappuccino for him — at Octane
InterLounge and bounced ideas off one another and the mayor.
“He was a great mentor and adviser to me,” Morrissey said. “He’ll be absolutely,
sorely missed.”
Staff writer Sadie Gurman contributed to this article. Staff writer Nate Legue
may be reached at 815-987-1346 or
nlegue@rrstar.com.