for the Trust’s centennial.
Title: The Chicago Community Trust: A history of its development, 1915–2015
Project: Book
Design: Galambos + Associates
Client: The Chicago Community Trust
Service: Writing, research, interviews, content organization and editing
This 100-year history of one of the nation’s pioneering and most prominent community foundations is actually two books in one. The first portion was written by the Trust’s third CEO Frank Loomis in 1962, covering the Trust’s activity from its founding in 1915 up to then. The “little green book” was a treasured resource for the Trust’s board, staff, and stakeholders in the greater Chicago community.
The second larger portion, ghostwritten by Michael Vitali for then-CEO Terry Mazany, picks up where the initial history leaves off. The augmented book was carefully designed to reproduce the look and feel of the 1962 hardback, down to the dimensions, page layouts, typography and binding. The history, however, was much more dynamic and expansive, with the years 1962–2015 witnessing the invention of donor advised funds and ushering in the new donor-focused era within an atmosphere of financial innovation.
Working closely with Trust leadership and staff, Vitali crafted the narrative and invited Mazany to speculate as to the philanthropic developments to anticipate in the Trust’s second hundred years.
