Funeral Details

Pioneering real estate developer Marshall Bennett, 97, a passed away on October 13 at his home in Chicago. His adored wife of 70 years, Arlene (née Gettleman), and beloved daughters Bija Bennett and Alice (the late Trauger Groh) Bennett Groh, were at his side. He is also grandfather to Nicola Groh of Vineyard Haven, MA and Theo (Holly) Groh of Manchester, NH. Known for his deep intellect, gentle humor and penetrating nature, he was engaged with family and friends and still curious about the world up until the very end. He succumbed to natural causes.

Marshall and his former business partner Louis Kahnweiler are credited with inventing the modern industrial park. The visionary duo founded Bennett & Kahnweiler in 1946 when Marshall was 25-years-old and just out of the Navy. They realized the potential of building industrial parks in close proximity to airports, and founded their first development, Centex, on 2,250 acres in Elk Grove Village with financial support from Marshall's close friend Jay Pritzker. Marshall and Jay had met when the former was a 16-year-old freshman at the University of Chicago and the latter a 15-year-old sophomore at Northwestern University, and remained lifelong friends and business affiliates.

Bennett & Kahnweiler went on to develop 26 industrial parks nationally before Marshall and Louis parted ways amicably in 1982. Marshall launched an eponymous firm and diversified into office brokerage, property management, pension fund advising and syndication, a shift that accounts for his reputation as a rainmaker and significant accomplishments in commercial real estate. He became an esteemed and effective mentor to many, imparting knowledge to, and making connections between, protégés, partners and colleagues. His efforts facilitated significant real estate transactions and groundbreaking developments nationwide.

"People will stress that Marshall was a great real estate professional, and he certainly was. But such praise falls wide of the mark. He was a person of great integrity, intelligence, curiosity, generosity, perseverance and kindness. He was always more interested in what he could give than what he could receive, and more interested in helping than being helped. He had those rare gifts of character and genuineness. But above all, he was loving to his family, his friends and most of all to his cherished wife Arlene," Peter Linneman said. A friend of almost 30 years, Peter is an accomplished real estate professional who was mentored by Marshall and is the former founding chairman of the real estate department at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Marshall-a lifelong learner and doer-was always deeply engaged in philanthropy, and he brought the same tactical mindset he called on in business to his charitable endeavors. For instance, it was important to him to insure that smart, innovative students would had access to the first-class education needed to become real estate professionals. His strategy to achieve this goal extended far beyond what he could accomplish himself. Combining his passion for education and his years of experience in real estate, he helped raise $11 million to found the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University, which opened in 2002. Today, 325 students have earned graduate degrees in real estate through the program.

Until shortly before his death, he was working for Middle East peace by fostering Israeli/Palestinian commerce (he's been to Israel 46 times), and was working with the Clinton Global Initiative on issues of obesity and healthy food for school children.

Marshall was born September 19, 1921 to Ethel and Theodore at the University of Chicago's Lying-in Hospital. He grew up in South Shore on Chicago's South Side, attending Hirsch High School and the University of Chicago. While an undergraduate, he worked for University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins, and took classes from Professor Mortimer Adler; the two men went on to found the Great Books Foundation.

After graduating from UChicago, Marshall began graduate studies at the University and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, but joined the U.S. Navy in 1941, where he was an officer and later lieutenant of a submarine chaser in the Aleutian Islands. He also served on a destroyer escort in the Northern Atlantic.

One of Marshall's most pressing goals was to make a difference in the world. In 1980, he jointed the board of the East-West Institute, a global think tank responsible for tackling tough international problems through diplomacy and problem solving. He also co-founded the Chicago Ten-a group of prominent Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in the Chicago area, to devise and promote economic-based solutions for peace in the Middle East.

Together with is wife Arlene, Marshall had a lifelong commitment to philanthropy in the arts, medicine, culture and diplomacy. They have supported innovation and philanthropy in both civic and global endeavors, including endowing a chair at the Chicago Symphony, a chair for brain surgery at Evanston Hospital and building Bennett Gordon Hall at the Ravinia Festival for young student musicians and performers.

Marshall was on the board of directors of The Weitzman Institute in Rehovot Israel, the East-West Institute, the Ravinia Festival, the Auditorium Theatre, the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue and the Cardinal Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union. He was also the founding director of the Albert Einstein Peace Prize Foundation and a co-founder of Congregation Solel in Highland Park.

He also received many awards, including honorary doctorates in humane letters from the Catholic Theological Union and Roosevelt University; 1979 Man of the Year from the National Association of Industrial / Office Parks; the Urban Land Institute Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Hall of Fame Award from the Chicago Board of Realtors. He served on the board of governors of the University of Chicago Hospitals, the board of directors of Evanston Hospital, the board of trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the board of trustees (including as treasurer) of the Albert Einstein Peace Prize Foundation and more.

While Marshall had an astonishing array of accomplishments, he will be remembered for his humanity, depth of character and loving commitment above all else. His love was a beacon showing how we could be kinder and more loving to those who are important to us. This capacity to love and to spread love is what made Marshall so special, Peter Linneman said. We will all carry him with us forever, and are all much better people for knowing him. We will miss him greatly.

Service Tuesday 2PM at Congregation Solel, 1301 Clavey Road, Highland Park, IL 60035. Interment Shalom. Memorials to the Ravinia Festival, 418 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IL 60035, www.ravinia.org or the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University, 430 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605 www.roosevelt.edu/centers/real-estate would be appreciated. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com