Albert Nader

Albert J. Nader, 84, of Chicago. Beloved husband of Gemma Allen Nader. Devoted son of the late Joshua and Olga Nader. Dear brother of the late Allan (Helen) Nader. He was preceded in death by his first wife Barbara Nader. Loving father of Jason (Margo) Nader, Page (Brian) Weissmann, and stepfather of Bridget (Marcus) Wiley, and Sean Hegarty. Fond uncle of Cara Nader Ameer. Grandfather of Cody, Austin and Trent Nader, Alexander and Christian Weissmann, and Derek Wiley. Albert graduated from James G. Blaine Elementary and Lakeview High School, and played minor league baseball which he loved before entering college. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Philosophy from DePaul University, Chicago. Following graduation, he was commissioned as a Marine Corps Officer and was stationed for two years in Laguna Beach, Calif. A veteran media professional, Albert spent his entire professional career in Chicago as an award-winning writer and producer, establishing an impressive client list including WBBM-TV (CBS), WFLD-TV (Metromedia Fox), WLS-AM (ABC), WAIT-AM (Century Broadcasting), and CBS-FM Network (New York). In 1985, Albert launched Questar, Inc. as an original programming company for television and home video, distributing products at Sam's Club, Costco, Target, Best Buy, and Barnes & Noble, and in major catalogs, such as Reader's Digest and Publisher's Clearing House. Titles such as "Touring Civil War Battlefields" and "Where Jesus Walked" have sold consistently year after year. Questar has won awards from the American Film Institute, the Gospel Music Association of Canada, and Billboard magazine. In the late 90s through 2004, Albert created and co-produced a reality TV series called "It's a Miracle" starring Richard Thomas as the host/narrator. A show, about the power of faith, it remains popular nationally and internationally for its uplifting and timeless message. Over the past 35 years, Albert wrote and produced more than 50 original programs and executive produced more than 100 programs and films which appeared on The Discovery Channel, TLC, The Travel Channel, A&E, The History Channel, and PBS. He wrote scripts for and worked with actors Joe Mantegna, Martin Sheen, Jeff Daniels, Peter Coyote, Richard Thomas, James Whitmore, Shari Belafonte, and Richard Kiley, among others. Always ahead of market trends, Albert foresaw the gravitation towards digital platforms and began digitally streaming Questar's content across the Internet. After acquiring New Dimension Media in 2001, he began the digital streaming of its quality K-12 educational programming into classrooms. Today, that programming extends into more than 100,000 schools nationwide and has won more than 100 of the industry's most prestigious honors, including the CINE Golden Eagle and the Golden Apple. In 2010, Albert was inducted into the University of Illinois at Chicago's Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. He also served on the Advisory Board of the College of Communications at DePaul University and on the board of the Illinois Balanced and Restorative Justice Project for Illinois Teenagers. Albert was a man of faith, and an active and committed member of The Moody Church. Friends and family will gather at The Moody Church, 1635 N. LaSalle, Chicago, on Saturday, January 14, for a receiving line at 9 a.m. followed by a memorial service at 10 a.m. A reception will follow at Westmoreland Country Club, in Wilmette, where he was a member and golfer for many years. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in honor of Albert Nader to The Moody Church, Chicago, the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, or DePaul University. A private interment will be held on Sunday at Elmwood Cemetery, River Grove.