JOHN KOHLMEIER

KOHLMEIER--John M., died of congestive heart failure on March 24th, 2023 at the age of 88. John Mathias Kohlmeier was born February 6, 1935 in New York City to John Mathias "Mat'' and Naomi (nee Fleagle) Kohlmeier. Mat managed the family hardware business and Naomi was the homemaker. John graduated from Bayside High School in 1952 where he was co-captain of the basketball team and student body president. John was an Eagle Scout and member of the Order of the Arrow. John went to Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA where he played basketball and lacrosse and was in ROTC. He graduated with Honors in Economics. He served two years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Antiaircraft Artillery and was a Ranger. He graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA and DBA. In his doctoral research he pioneered the development and use of very large-scale computer-based financial models for businesses which could be used to project future financial results and analyze "what if" questions. He moved to Chicago and joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago where he taught accounting and MIS. He q ualified as a CPA in Illinois. In 1968, he joined the Consulting Practice of Arthur Andersen & Co. where he became a partner and was active in working with utility industry clients to implement large scale financial models. In a notable project for the Electric Power Research Institute, John led a team which developed a strategic planning model which was used by many major electric power companies. He helped Andersen Consulting develop a strategic consulting practice and was a leader in college recruiting and human resources for the firm. He was influential in establishing policies and practices in human resources which has contributed to the success of Accenture. He led a team which applied for the Baldridge Quality Award for Andersen. He retired in 1991 and joined the faculty of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and then taught the Management of IT at DePaul University. John was also a Trustee and Visiting Professor at Dickinson College. The passion of John's life was opera. He was taken to a performance of Hansel & Gretel at age eight and during his lifetime he attended three thousand performances of six hundred different operas in the United States and Europe; including a thousand at Lyric Opera of Chicago and six hundred at the Metropolitan Opera in New York where he was a patron. He especially loved the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. He was active in the Lecture Corps and the Guild Board of Lyric Opera. John married Georgia King in 1960. Together they had three daughters: Lucy Kohlmeier, Julie Martinez, and Catharine Bancroft; and five grandchildren: Laura Martinez, Andy Martinez, Robert Martinez, Amelia VanDyke, and Sophie VanDyke. The marriage ended in divorce. John married Mary Wright in 1991 and they lived in Lake Bluff, IL.