Obituaries

Belle Kerman (ARCH ’50)

One of the earliest women to graduate from Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture, Belle Kerman died on March 20, 2024. In 1950, at the age of 25, Kerman studied under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other members of the Bauhaus, masters of twentieth century architecture who escaped Nazi Germany. With her late husband, Harold “Hal” Kerman—a master builder and expert in urban renewal— Belle Kerman shared a dedication to the revitalization of Chicago from within, as well as the upliftment of humanity through culture and the arts.

Mark Finfer (ARCH ’49)

Mark Isaac Finfer, of San Diego, passed away on April 27, 2024, at the age of 99. His career included designing multiple projects in Chicago, highlighted by his development of Four Lakes Village in Lisle, Illinois. Finfer created the Brothers Finfer Endowed Scholarship at Illinois Institute of Technology and the Sydel Silverman Fund for the Advancement of Anthropology at The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York.

Burton A. Lewis (CE ’48)

Burton Lewis, an accomplished engineer who managed numerous major highway projects across the world, died on October 13, 2024, at the age of 99. As a civil and structural engineer, he spent the majority of his career at Parsons Corporation, from where he retired in 1987 as vice president and manager of the company’s Phoenix office. His many projects included the 55-mile Phoenix Outer Loop Project, the Los Angeles Airport’s Second Level Roadway, the Port Access Highway in Anchorage, Alaska, freeways in Sydney, Australia, and Las Vegas, and dozens of railroad-grade separation projects. While residing in Kuwait, he was project manager for a planning study to complete the Kuwait urban highway system. In 2013 he received the Palmer Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois in honor of his distinguished career. Lewis was a longtime advisory board member for Illinois Tech’s Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering. His numerous donations led to the establishment of the Burton and Erma Lewis Endowed Scholarship, the creation of the Burton & Erma Lewis Construction Management Laboratory, the Burton and Erma Lewis Endowed Fund for Construction Laboratory Maintenance, and the Burton and Erma Lewis Career Development Assistant Professor in Engineering. He received the 1992 Award of Merit, the 2013 Collens Merit Award, and the 2023 Alumni Medal from the Illinois Tech Alumni Association.