On December 2nd, I attended a dinner hosted by the Anti-Defamation League to present the Americanism Award to Lyle Logan, the Executive Vice President of Northern Trust Corporation. The Anti-Defamation League has been working for 100 years to stand up to anti-Semitism, bigotry, and discrimination, and the Americanism Award is given to a person who exemplifies these ideas. I first met Lyle Logan when I was in preschool, but took a 13-year hiatus from the city of Chicago, and do not remember much about him. The fact that he was honored with such an award filled in a lot of the blanks about his character.
While we ate dinner, numerous people addressed the crowd of about 300 to attest to Lyle’s accomplishments. What stuck out to me was Lyle’s activity in the community. To say he is involved in his community is simply an understatement. Lyle has served on the boards of Children’s Memorial Hospital, Roosevelt University, National Public Radio, City Year Chicago Advisory Board, Chicago Communities In Schools, The Public Education Fund, The Spencer Foundation and The Field Foundation. It is evident that Lyle genuinely cares about the well-being of his locale, especially since he grew up in the city of Chicago.
The Anti-Defamation League’s slogan is “A World Without Hate,” and few others live by these words more than Lyle. The thing about Lyle is that he defaults to a stern, yet soft expression when he isn’t talking. It makes him approachable, especially when he starts conversing and smiling. He is never negative and always supportive. Did he earn the Anti-Defamation League Americanism Award? Absolutely. His demeanor tells you all you need to know.
There is one primary lesson I took from my experience, and that is that a world without hate might actually be possible. Organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, awards like the Americanism award, and people like Lyle Logan make it possible to be a little more optimistic about the future. Lyle makes it seem like it is his civic duty to enrich the community that he lives in. It is those people and organization that will lead us into a post-hate world.
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