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| When he was sworn in as the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce President in 1955, Dean J. Adinamis gave the shortest acceptance speech ever recorded: "I am all for Lincoln Square. I will do my best to make Lincoln Square a better place to live and do business in." Though his speech was brief, it appropriately summed up one of Mr. Adinamis' many great achievements. |
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Adinamis Funeral Directors has been a family-owned and operated business since the 1930s. At the turn of the century, John G. Adinamis arrived in Chicago from Paleohori, a small town in Greece, and took a job at a funeral parlor in the Loop. In the early 1930s when he started his own business, he moved into a location on Western Avenue in Lincoln Square, which was then a growing Greek area. He ran the business with a partner, John Molloy, and with the help of his three sons George, Dean and Peter. All three sons helped out at the funeral chapel until Dean and Peter enlisted in the army during World War II. |
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| The war brought Peter and Dean far away from the family business—both were in the medical corps. Dean was stationed at various bases around the US, and Peter served in an army hospital in Oxford, England. While Peter returned to the business after the war, Dean went to officer training school (OCS) and began a 10-year career with various government agencies including the OSS, the CIA and the United Nations. During his career, he came to know many important political figures including New York's Mayor LaGuardia and President Truman. While living in Washington DC, Dean also owned a coffee shop and a popular nightclub called Old New Orleans that once hosted Lena Horne. In 1948, Dean finally returned to Chicago and once again joined the family business. At that time, the Adinamis family decided to move the business a few blocks north into a building they purchased at 4700 N. Western, their current location. |
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When Dean Adinamis returned to Chicago, he became closely involved with his community. Like his brothers, he donated his time to a number of Greek organizations and was known around the neighborhood as someone who helped everyone, in every way he could. At that time, he also was instrumental in founding the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce in 1948. It was his idea to install the famous statue of Lincoln located at Western and Lawrence. After contacting the governor to get funding for the statue, he commissioned a sculptor to complete it. To celebrate its unveiling, Dean planned a parade originating in Lincoln Park and leading to the statue's location. Governor William Stratton was the guest of honor, leading a parade of Lincoln convertibles.
Both Dean Adinamis and his brother Peter were well loved and respected contributors to the community who will be missed. Peter died on August 22, 2000 and Dean recently died on December 29, 2001. The brothers did so much to help the community that after their deaths, many people began to come forward to tell stories about what a difference the brothers made in their lives. |
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| Read more profiles in the Member of the Month Archives |
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