Stanley M. Freehling, trustee emeritus and Chicago arts patron, 1924-2019

Trustee Emeritus Stanley M. Freehling, an investment banker and revered patron of the arts in Chicago, died Sept. He was 95 years old. Freehling served on the University of Chicago Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1989 and as a trustee emeritus from 1989 until his death. He served as a life member of the Smart Museum Board of Governors and a member of the Court Theatre Board of Trustees as well as a member of the Division of the Humanities Visiting Committee and a life member of the Art History Visiting Committee. Freehling had a distinguished career in business, serving for decades as a senior partner at Freehling and Company. He was committed to civic life in Chicago, particularly in the arts, known as the city's "patron saint of the arts" and "the third lion" of the Art Institute of Chicago, in reference to the famed lions at the museum's entrance. Freehling raised millions of dollars for institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago and Ravinia Festival and played a significant role in the success of these two organizations, among many others.