Alan Kimmel

Alan Dorf Kimmel has died at the age of 98, his globe by his side. Alan loved maps from an early age. On family drives in the 1930s, he would make his father stop at gas stations so he could add to his growing collection of road maps. High school drafting classes gave him the skills to create detailed maps of his own invented country, Tisonia. After serving in the Army Air Corps in 1944-46, he earned a degree in Geography from the University of Chicago, where he became editor in chief of the school paper, the Maroon. He later earned a Master’s in Geography at Northeastern Illinois University. During a long professional career, he was a city planner, a cartographer, and a researcher, writer and editor for employers such as Compton's Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, Scott Foresman, SRA, Riverside Publishing, and IBM. He also drove a taxi and worked as a substitute high school teacher. His breast pocket always held a reporter’s-style notebook, a mechanical pencil, and a pen. Alan called himself a “Hope-ist” and was deeply committed to social justice and human rights. He worked tirelessly on countless political campaigns, from alderman to president, and in support of progressive causes. Alan was a longtime member of the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago, and edited the society’s newsletter for many years. Alan took great pride in having been a Boy Scout—one merit badge away from Eagle Scout—and he continued to be an avid hiker and camper with his sons and grandkids. He would proudly recount the tale of his solo ascent of Colorado’s Longs Peak (14,259’) at the age of 56. Alan was born in Chicago to Robert and Belle Kimmel, who gave him and his sisters, Judith and Bette, a solid, forward-looking foundation even through the depths of the Depression and the difficulties of being Jews in the years before WW2. Robert held his position as a CPA throughout the Depression. Belle was a powerful force, inspiring and motivating her children, as Alan would often recall. He credited her with having taught him to be an independent thinker. Alan’s “hope-ism” lives on with his loving family. He had two sons, Jamie and Jodie, with his first wife, Alice Jackson Kimmel, and one son, Rob, with his second wife, Harriet “Keke” Hortatsos Kimmel. He had four grandchildren, Ian, Ryan, Kevin, and Ben, and three great-grandchildren, Chloe, Estrella, and Nathan. In their later years, Alan and Keke enjoyed traveling, from the Pacific Northwest to Crete, but were always happy to return home. They were constantly involved with their Rogers Park and Ethical Humanist communities, from musical events to volunteering. Nothing made them happier than their four grandkids. Keke passed in 2008, and Alan lived with his son Jamie, and then his son, Rob. He spent his final chapter in Massachusetts, writing poems and “articles” about his childhood and his philosophical musings. He led a current events group at Christopher Heights assisted living, where he lived, brandishing his globe from his walker. Graveside service, Tuesday, April 1, 1pm, Rosehill Cemetery, 5800 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, IL 60660. Please meet by 12:45pm inside the gates at the Ravenswood entrance. We will drive in procession to the gravesite. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/. Arrangements by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-318-1305, or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.

Alan Kimmel

November 4, 1926 - March 27, 2025