Paul A. Lutter
The Howard Brown Health Center provides health and social services to more than 18,000 people every year at its five Chicago-area locations, with the bulk of services offered at the center’s Uptown facility.
Residents visit that location every day for inexpensive medical care, free HIV testing and other sensitive clinical work. The facility is the centerpiece of an organization known for its support of the city’s at-risk population, namely LGBT, poor, youth and often all three.
For people with limited options, the center is a shining star.
Without Paul A. Lutter, their sky might still be dark.
“Through his connections, he helped find design firms to help us design the buildings, to negotiate the contracts,” said Dr. Frank Pieri, who was the president of the HBHC Board of Directors when fundraising for the new building began.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say that without Paul, there’s a very good chance that building would not be there.”
Lutter, an estate planning and tax attorney at Bryan, Cave LLP, died last week due to complications following surgery. He was 68.
Born Feb. 28, 1946, Lutter is remembered by friends and colleagues for his compassion, brilliant mind and a rapier wit. He graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College in Minnesota with a degree in economics, then earned his J.D. at Yale Law School in 1971.
He returned to Chicago after graduation, joining Ross & Hardies LLP and staying there through the firm’s merger with McGuireWoods LLP. In 2004, he joined Bryan, Cave LLP, where he worked until his death on May 4.
“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Paul over the years,” said Scott Hodes, senior counsel at Bryan, Cave. “I found him to be a man of high integrity. I frequently worked with him in connection with estate planning matters for many of my important clients. That’s the kind of trust and faith I had in his ability.”
Clients came to him for his network as well as his legal talent.
“He enjoyed an enviable reputation at many of the major banks in Chicago that had trust departments,” Hodes said, citing JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Northern Trust Corp. as examples. “He could pick up the phone and call any one of those banks on behalf of his clients and introduce them to these banks.”
Lutter’s ability to pick up the phone proved crucial to the Howard Brown Health Center.
With its rented space at Sheffield Avenue and George Street reaching capacity, the board of directors for the nationally recognized organization voted in 1995 to pursue a capital campaign to raise money for a new building at 4035 N. Sheridan Road.
It was the first capital campaign in the Midwest for an organization focused on lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender issues. Lutter co-chaired the campaign.
“There was no place else at the time for people to go,” said Suzanne Deveney, another board member during the campaign. “So he took on that task, and this is in addition to having a full-time law practice.”
Lutter joined the organization as a volunteer in the late 1980s. His partner at the time was a board member; following his death in the early 1990s, Lutter’s involvement with the organization grew. His connections in Chicago’s business and banking communities made him an ideal campaign chair.
“Paul was extremely generous about hosting fundraising parties at his home,” Deveney said. “He would open that Rolodex and get 100 people in his home for an event.”
His legal knowledge was crucial too. Lutter guided the organization through several issues during the purchase of the space including matters of parking, zoning and permits.
“Without those arrangements, we never would have been able to open the building,” Pieri said.
One of the facility’s key components was an in-house Walgreens, another element secured in part through Lutter’s connections.
“At the time, supporting issues that involved gays and lesbians was not a popular thing among major corporations,” said Phil Burgess, a friend of Lutter’s and a former Walgreens executive.
Burgess grew to appreciate Lutter not just for his legal background but for his ability to change how individuals perceived gay men.
“I think there’s an image among some people, particularly at the time, that gay people were all effeminate and flaky and not serious people,” Burgess said.
“Paul was the epitome of down-to-earth, serious, respectable, knowledgeable. … He added credibility to the entire effort to building the building and gave Walgreens confidence to put their name on it.”
“It was groundbreaking,” Deveney said about Walgreens’ involvement. “To be able to walk into that building and not have to go to the corner Walgreens and talk about your meds was pretty significant.”
When the facility opened Oct. 4, 1997, Lutter was board president. He remained active with HBHC while also serving on boards for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Roger Baldwin Foundation, the Chicago chapter of Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS and Dance For Life, a Chicago organization that hosts dance events to raise money for AIDS research.
“He was as generous to his friends as he was to his charities,” said longtime friend Barbara Baran, who worked with Lutter at Ross & Hardies starting in the early 1970s.
Baran recalls a time when a family member spent a week in the hospital. Lutter brought dinner to Baran’s family every night.
“That’s very special and illustrates how kind he was,” she said.
Services have not been set but will be posted later at bryancave.com. Per Lutter’s wishes, donations can be made to Paws Chicago or The Anti-Cruelty Society.
“He just loved animals,” Baran said. “He really had a big heart for them. He always had dogs and treated them like humans — gave them the very best medical care one could hope for and loved them.”
For members of Chicago’s legal, gay and art communities, Lutter’s death leaves a void.
Pieri described it as “an empty space,” while Deveney said she felt “off balance,” like a three-legged stool missing a leg.
Hodes agreed.
“I’ve had a week to miss him,” he said. “His office is three offices from mine, and I’ve walked in it a number of times since he’s been gone. And the only thing I can tell you is that I’m going to really miss that man.”