Page 4 - The Illinois Sig - Spring 2018

Alumni Spotlight (continued from page 1)

Ed Koenig ’42, cont’d Tom Koenig ’65

When did you meet your wife Norma? After graduating alive, serving as an Instructor for both the Illinois and
We met in Sunday school when we were 15 pre-law from Illinois, Wisconsin Graduate Realtors Institute and authoring
years old. I gave her my pin after a date in our Tom went on to the course “Residential Energy Efficiency.”
senior year in college and we considered that like earn his J.D. from The success of Koenig and Strey led to a sale of the
an engagement ring. We graduated in June 1942 the University of company to GMAC Home Services. Tom became
and married in July. It was a whirlwind mar- Wisconsin Law School, president and CEO, with responsibility for owned
riage, just before I was scheduled to leave for my and enjoys memories real estate, franchise, relocation, and residential
military posting. World War II was upon us, so of being editor-in-chief mortgage. Later, he became the chairman of GMAC
times were very different. Norma and her family of the law school news- Residential Real Estate before retiring.
assembled the entire wedding and reception in paper, The Gargoyle, Tom has had a lifelong relationship with
about two weeks. The ceremony was wonderful and playing on the Wisconsin Rugby Club. Dairymen’s, a private reserve in northern Wisconsin.
and romantic, but unlike any of the weddings of After law school in Madison, Tom moved to San Dairymen’s is another of the family connections,
today, of course. After a night at the Edgewater Francisco and joined VISTA, where he was attached beginning with Tom’s grandfather, Ozzie, who owned
Beach Hotel, we were on a train to Tampa, FL. to San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Koenig Dairy. Tom continues to serve as a director
Seventy-five years later, we are still holding hands, Foundation. A highlight of that time was serving as and senior VP, where he sits at the board table with
and watching the Cubs games and Lawrence a lecturer for the National Institute for Education in Ed, who is a past president.
Welk. Everything we do, we do together. Law Conference in Los Angeles. “One of the more fascinating things dad and I
What do you for fun today? The majority of Tom’s professional career was did together was travel to Deisswil, Switzerland, to
We have a huge family, and there are a lot spent with his dad in the family business, Koenig and the Koenig family ‘stemhaus,’ where the Koenigs have
of people around. We travel a bit. Our home is Strey Realtors. lived for seven generations. There we met Rolandie
in Glenview, IL. We travel to Lake Geneva and “I worked with my dad for the great majority of Koenig, the matriarch of the family, who had some
Dairymen’s, in Wisconsin, in the summers, and my business life. I became president and CEO, and difficultly reconciling the fact that we helped people
Marco Island, FL, in the winter. We are enjoying my bother-in-law, Chris Eigel, was the COO, and we sell their homes, when their family had lived in the
our life together these days. I really enjoy reading, grew the company and expanded it into mortgage, same house for so many generations.”
watching the Cubs games, and keeping up with title, and insurance. Dad was the chairman, and In his free time now, he enjoys travel. More
the family. Lots of birthdays to keep track of! was always the iconic head of the organization. He recently, he has explored the wildlife of the inner
I was very involved with the village activities was very much the spiritual leader, everyone’s ‘father passage of Alaska, visited the polar bears in Churchill,
over the years. I was named Citizen of the Year figure,’ and the ethical rock upon which the company Canada, volunteered with the Pachamama Alliance in
in Glenview, Grand Marshall of the Fourth of was built. the Amazon jungle and worked with the indigenous,
July parade for the American Legion. I was also Mom was the first salesperson, and a very, very traveled to Kenya with the Carter Center, as an inter-
very involved with the parent’s association for my good one. She recruited half the early staff, and she national election observer for the Kenya presidential
children, and helped establish the parents asso- would enjoy speaking at quarterly sales meetings, say- election, and made personal retreats to John of God
ciation at the new high school. From my earliest ing, ‘I am always one of you.’ Everyone loved it and in Brazil.
years when Norma and I were in Sunday School loved her. She always had very special and personal Tom currently serves on the Planning Advisory
together, church has been at the center of our life relationship with everyone in the company.” Board for the City of Naples, FL. He is most proud of
together , and I have always been involved as a During these years Tom kept his love for teaching being the father of two wonderful daughters.
volunteer. Every member of our family came out
to celebrate our 75 anniversary.
th
Add some pizazz to your pocket and show your Sigma
What advice can you give the alumni and Chi support with a new money clip. Gil Sheehan is the
active members about marriage? proud father of two Sigma Chis who share a company
To have a successful marriage, you have to together—greekmoneyclip.com.
have genuine love and respect. It also helps to not “Since I have an affinity for the Sigma Chi Fraternity,
be stubborn. Don’t hold on to some position so I had my factory make one of our best-selling money
strongly that it is detrimental to your love. It is clips and had it customized for Sigma Chi. When you
not that important. Norma and I often ask each have a minute, please look at the options. You can
have your initials put on it, and I own the factory, so
other, “What would you like to do? What do you they are very reasonably priced.”
want?” because what I want doesn’t matter, as long
as we are doing something together.
Save the Date!
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Search for “University of Illinois 866-iLLini-1
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