| Notes |
- George Larrain, former N. Barrington president
Chicago Sun-Times, Mar 22, 2000 by ERNEST TUCKER
Former North Barrington Village President George Larrain died Sunday of lung cancer at his home. He was 73.
Mr. Larrain, who had lived in North Barrington since 1972, served as a trustee from 1979 to 1995, and then became village president. During his tenure, as the tide of development began to encroach on some rural Northwest suburbs, Mr. Larrain tried to channel growth in positive ways.
Even his opponents lauded his leadership during a battle over a proposal for a regional mall on a 108-acre parcel in unincorporated Lake County near North Barrington. When the fight was over, the leader of the opposition that doomed the plan for a 1.3 million- square-foot upscale mall spoke of Mr. Larrain's sense of fair play during months of highly charged hearings he oversaw in 1997.
"George fought for what he believed in. He ran the process the way it was supposed to be run, and he always listened to the public. I always had respect for him," said Stephen Reiss, now a trustee in neighboring Hawthorn Woods.
"My dad's position was that he looked at (the mall proposal) as an opportunity for the city of North Barrington to expand its tax base for the benefit of the community, for things such as schools and infrastructure," said Mr. Larrain's son, Barry. "His position was that if (development) is what's ultimately going to happen, maybe by being able to acquire and to develop it with some sense of quality would give it some reason and sanity."
Mr. Larrain was born in Shenandoah, Pa. His family moved to Chicago, where he graduated from Lindblom High School in 1944. He served in the Army for nearly 20 months until November 1946 before attending the University of Illinois.
Mr. Larrain worked for Illinois Bell, AT&T and Ameritech from 1952 until 1991, when he retired as director of human resources.
Mr. Larrain had a long commitment to community service, including seven years as chairman of Hazel Crest's planning commission and zoning board of appeals before moving to North Barrington.
He volunteered with a variety of organizations, including the Boy Scouts, the Urban League and the Barrington Council on Aging, and he served as president of the Barrington Area Council of Governments in 1997-98.
Other survivors include another son, Timothy; two daughters, Nancy Ann Larrain and Judy Isabel Liveris; three sisters, Isabel Hedlund, Susan Barber and Mary Larrain; a brother, Anthony, and seven grandchildren.
A funeral mass will be offered at 10 a.m. today at St. Anne Catholic Church, 120 Ela St., Barrington. Burial will follow at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine.
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1926 - 2000 (73 years)
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