He was a familiar figure around Hyde Park in the last decade or so: pushing his minimalist wheelchair through traffic, over alley potholes, to the bus going downtown, around the Point, up to Trader Joe’s. Many offered “help”, which he invariably resisted. He had a smile for all who greeted him, and ready appreciation for those who offered help he wanted.
Adrian Zeigler Alexander (Alex) died, peacefully, at 96 on December 3, 2023. He leaves no known family but many admirers. I am reporting as one of his later-life fans, since I met him through Chicago Hyde Park Village. He attended some monthly potluck luncheons at my home, he came and stuffed envelopes for our annual fundraising appeals, he participated in the Village Men’s Group, and he much appreciated the Thanksgiving dinners delivered by Village members. In October, he called me for help – which I knew was serious because he was so resolutely independent. By then he was in chronic pain and worried about his future; he felt he was near death. I did what little I could to provide comfort and support, and suggested he draft an obituary. He did not do so, saying “who would care?”
Adrian Zeigler Alexander was born December 28, 1926. His father, Charles Clay Alexander was 47 years old, a commercial artist who lived in Louisville, Ky. His mother, Iva Zeigler Alexander, was 35, a dietitian. Adrian enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school graduation, at 17; he was given an Honorable Discharge with a Victory Ribbon and Technician 5th Grade on 12/1/46. In 1951 he graduated with a B.A. in Art History from the University of Louisville. Alex was a vital member of several communities: at the University of Chicago Physics Department, in Hyde Park civic organizations, and at the Newberry Library.
He worked as a technical assistant in the Enrico Fermi Institute with the research groups of Prof. Valentine Telegdi and later Prof. Bruce Winstein. He helped prepare experimental apparatus used in studies at the Chicago cyclotron and later at Argonne National Lab, and at Fermilab. According to one of the professors in that group, “he was certainly a valued member of their research teams.” He probably retired from the University around 1990.
Beginning in the 1960s he was a leader in the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference. He was elected chair of the 5100 Dorchester block group, served as chair of membership drives, and recruited sponsors and patrons for an International Film Festival in 1964. He was elected to the HPKCC Board in 1975; his platform stated “To be more effective we must broaden the base in the community, reestablish block groups and use all the resources (not just faculty) we have.”
By 1964 he was on a committee of 15 persons who organized and ran the 57th Street Art Fair; he served as Chair in 1967 and 1973. In 1972 he gathered pieces for a 25-year retrospective of the Art Fair; it ran for a month at the Bergman Gallery. In 1983 he coordinated a special exhibit on Loredo Taft at the Hyde Park Historical Society.
His clear passion in later life was for the Newberry Library. He was a volunteer for the Newberry Bookfair, beginning when it started in the mid-80s. He also began volunteering for the map curator, and then in Special Collections creating inventories of modern manuscript and archival collections. He worked with the archives of the Caxton Club (a book collectors’ club) under the direction of Newberry staff member Paul Gehl. As Paul said, this work “requires attention to detail and at the same time an ability to see the big picture of the mission and meaning of the club.” Alex’s commitment to the Newberry is clear in his Will; all remaining assets will be given over to the library.
Plans for a memorial gathering are pending. Contact Natalie Edwards at the Newberry Library (312-255-3544) for more information.
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