Richard G. “Dick” Cline (88) was born on February 17, 1935, and passed away on March 19, 2023, after a short battle with liver cancer. Dick died peacefully at his home in Wheaton, IL surrounded by his loving family.
Dick was born to William and Katharine Cline in Chicago, IL and grew up in Glen Ellyn, IL where he graduated from Glenbard (West) High School. This is where he met his lifelong love and best friend, Carole Costello who later became his wife. Dick attended the University of Illinois in Champaign, Urbana on a Naval ROTC Scholarship graduating in 1957 with a B.A. in LAS majoring in Political Science with recognition as a Phi Beta Kappa and Bronze Tablet Scholar. Dick was a proud member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity where he served as president and later became a Significant Sig recognized for his success in business and civic affairs.
Dick maintained his strong connection to the University of Illinois becoming Chairman of the University of Illinois Foundation’s Board and one of the co-chairs of Campaign Illinois which raised over $1.5B between 1993-2000. Dick and Carole established the Cline Symposium in 1995 and made the founding endowment to start the Cline Center for Democracy in 2004, and Dick was recognized as the Chicago Illini of the Year in 2007. Dick was active in numerous other civic and charitable organizations including the Commercial Club of Chicago, Boy Scouts of America, Central DuPage Hospital, Rush Hospital and the DuPage Community Foundation.
Dick had a distinguished career as a business executive as Chairman and CEO of Jewel Corp, Chairman and CEO of Nicor and as a member of numerous boards including Hussmann Corporation, Northern Trust’s Mutual Funds, K-Mart Corporation, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and PepsiAmericas.
Dick’s business career and civic leadership are notable, but his most treasured time was spent with his family. Dick and Carole have 4 children, 17 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. He was a regular at his grandkids sporting events, dance recitals, graduations and other school events, but the best times were talking as a family or one-on-one with Dick. He was a tremendous listener; whether it was reveling in the joys and successes of his family or as a counselor when one of his family was seeking advice. While he never gave you the answers, Dick had a knack for asking the right questions and instilling confidence in those seeking his advice.
Dick is survived by his wife of 65 years, Carole, his brother, Bill, his two daughters, Patty (Ted McDougal) and Linda (Jim Raymond), his two sons, Rich (Rebecca) and Jeff (Jill), seventeen grandchildren, Sara, Matt, Andrew, Danny, Chris, Richie, Maggie, Timmy, Robbie, Rachel, Molly, Brian, Emily, Olivia, Charlie, Juliet and Phoebe and 5 great-grandchildren, Hunter, Sloane, Leighton, Eloise and Davis.
A memorial service will be held at Cantigny Park Le Jardin Room on March 24, 2023, at 12:30pm, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL 60189. Immediately following the memorial, the family will be hosting a reception at Chicago Golf Club, 25W253 Warrenville Rd, Wheaton, IL 60189. Contributions in Dick’s name may be made to DuPage Forever Fund, Cline Memorial, 3000 Woodcreek Dr., Ste. 310, Downers Grove, IL 60515 https://dupagefoundation.org/clinememorial.html
I was assistant merchandise manager to Bill King and we had created this marketing program called magic prices and I went to St Cloud to install the experiment. Dick was a great leader and a very considerate person . He was a listener and always respected everyone. We were fortunate enough when we went to Chicago in 1967 to live in the same house Dick and family lived at Glen Ellen. What a career he had. I recall how supportive he was for all Osco people when he was president. He treated everyone as his equal with dignity and respect. He was truly a friend and leader at the same time. So many fond memories of Dick and his…
The following link is an in-depth article: "Richard Cline, who led Jewel, Nicor through periods of change" in the Chicago Tribune, written by Bob Goldsborough a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/ct-richard-kline-obituary-20230323-ecqltpyzgfcfhicsqx7mpdr7sy-story.html?utm_source=headtopics&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=2023-03-24
I had the opportunity to work directly for Dick in 1968 when I was assigned to be his “operations manager “in New England. Dick at that time had just taken over the role of General Manager for OSCO DRUG OF NEW ENGLAND INC, a separately owned subsidiary of Jewel that was being run by Star Markets and consisted of five stores. Dick was tasked with operating the five existing drug stores that Star had opened and were losing lots of money. He was challenged by the fact that only the stores in Maine and New Hampshire had pharmacy licenses. The stores in Massachusetts were being denied licenses by the independent controlled Mass Pharmacy board who didn’t want to see cha…
Osco/Savon & Jewel has a rich history and culture, those are traits that can’t be bought, they happen through great leadership by uniquely talented people. Dick Cline was one of those leaders in every one of the positions he served. I was fortunate to work with Dick when he was the manager of Osco #813, St. Cloud, MN. I was also fortunate to be ‘fired’ and ‘re-hired’ by Dick, all in the same day, but that’s a story for another time! I had many life lesson learning experiences working with Dick. A friend that will be missed. Gary Hunstiger
Dick was truly a remarkable man. A compassionate leader. Will always treasure our friendship. Tom Walter