Joseph Perault Hannon

Joseph Perault Hannon. Superintendent of Schools, Managing Director of McCormick Place and enthusiastic cheerleader for Chicago. The boy from small-town Massachusetts fell in love with Chicago and its high-rise architecture, living in the Hancock Building as soon as it was built and at one time owning a penthouse on the gold coast. Chicago was good to him and he returned the favor, selling Chicago as a place to do business and a tourist destination. A lifelong educator, Joe Hannon first hit Chicago newspapers and television as a glamorous Superintendent of Schools. A natural showman, he brought fun and excitement to all his roles and was always interested in furthering the careers of those around him, buying them books to read and making introductions. Born in Fitchburg, MA and retaining his accent despite almost fifty years in Chicago, Joe was an outstanding athlete and high school hall of famer, winning state and New England titles and a gold medal at the national interscholastic indoor championship at Madison Square Garden. As an athlete he did not drink until he was forty, and he ran three marathons in middle age. From high school he joined the United States Marine Corps, becoming a swimming instructor at Parris Island. Following his service in the Marines, Joe earned a BSc from Fitchburg State University and became a history teacher. He then married Denise Turcotte, a local beauty and grammar school teacher. Remembering his happy summers as a lifeguard on Nantucket, Joe and his young wife moved there as teachers. Although only on Nantucket for four years they made lifelong friends and the island remained a destination for them, not least because their daughter, Kelley, was born there. But they wanted to see more of the world and did so, teaching for periods in Athens and Vienna, where Joe was Assistant Director at the American International School. Joe was by now interested in education policy. Armed with a Masters from Stanford and a PhD in Educational Planning from the University of Northern Colorado, he moved his family to Chicago in 1970 to become Assistant Superintendent of Schools. So began a love for Chicago, with Joe becoming one of the city's greatest fans and cheerleaders. A few years later he became Superintendent, reporting to Mayor Richard J. Daley. This was a high-profile role with tensions over desegregation. Joe tried to do what was best for the students, setting up Magnet schools, one of them being Whitney M. Young. Among the first students were his daughter and one Michelle Robinson, later to become Michelle Obama. President Carter interviewed Joe to become his Education Secretary. Even back then Chicago's finances were difficult, and the school system was chronically underfunded. Unable to pay his staff, Joe resigned. Not long after, he was tapped to become Managing Director of McCormick Place, at the same time becoming President of the Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau. This was a role suited to Joe's strengths as a marketer. Joe and his team expanded the complex, bringing huge international shows to Chicago. All the stars performed there, and Joe persuaded many to have a photo taken with him. During his career Joe served on many boards as a Public Director, including the Chicago Board of Trade. While most of his career was spent in public service, he worked in the private sector running human resources for the Chicago Stock Exchange and setting up the corporate university for Everen Securities. Joe was tough, surviving neck surgery for a recurring football injury suffered in high school and a heart attack aged seventy (he had seven stents, which he claimed was a hospital record). In his fifties he contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare but serious condition that affects the nerves and kept Joe in hospital for many months, leaving him with permanent pain. Not that he ever complained. He bounced back to head up the Illinois Trade Office, setting up a network of international offices to promote not only Chicago but all of Illinois to the world. During this period, he led three missions for the Governor of Illinois to Cuba. He ended his career as Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce, reporting to the Governor. Although Irish, Joe spent much of his childhood with Greeks and having lived in Athens developed a fondness for Greek food, dining in Chicago's Greek town several times a month. Clothes were important to Joe. He loved to look good and was frequently described as dapper, whether wearing three-piece suits in the 1960s, chocolate velvet in the 1970s or seersucker every summer. More recently he would often be seen in patriotic red, white and blue, with natty scarves in the winter. Joe is survived by his wife Denise as well as their daughter Kelley, her husband Alan and granddaughter Sophie, who live in London. There will be a private Memorial Service for family and friends. For info 312-421-0936 or www.michalikfuneralhome.com.