Eugene Hotchkiss Obituary

Dr. Eugene Hotchkiss III of Lake Forest, Illinois, died on June 26, 2025. He was 97.
The devoted husband of the late Suzanne Troxell Hotchkiss, Gene leaves behind his cherished daughter Ellen (Terry) Rainey, of Clinton, NY, beloved granddaughter Sarah Rainey, family from coast to coast, and countless friends the world over.
Along with his twin brother (the late James Kennan Hotchkiss), and their older brother (the late Frank Emerson Hotchkiss), Gene grew up in the Highland Park, IL. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his Ph.D. from Cornell University. After completing his Naval service, he embarked on a long and influential career in higher education. Following deanships at Dartmouth, Harvey Mudd, and Chatham colleges, Dr. Hotchkiss was president of Lake Forest College from 1970 to 1993. He remains Lake Forest's longest serving president. After his retirement, he held positions as Senior Fellow at the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities and as interim president of Eckerd College.
His interest and involvement in the Lake Forest and broader North Shore communities extended beyond the college campus. In 1980, in response to serious problems affecting local teens, Gene helped launch CROYA (Committee Representing Our Young Adults) and was the group's founding chairman. He was also a member of the board of advisors of Bravo Waukegan, a nonprofit that uses music to foster academic success in Waukegan public school students. He was active on numerous other boards including the Lake Forest Bank and Trust Company and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff History Center.
Gene led a life of learning and engagement, encouraging conversation and friendship with everyone he met. He co-founded LifeStories, an organization that interviewed individuals to produce detailed biographies, believing that everyone's life story deserves to be told. He published books about twelve local residents. Although he loved to discuss education and politics, Gene also made time for a variety of leisure activities. He and his wife traveled extensively through North America, Europe, and Asia. Closer to home, they loved to canoe the lakes and rivers of Illinois and Wisconsin. He enjoyed concerts, plays, book discussions, and dinners with friends until his last days.
Contributions in Gene's memory may be made to the Hotchkiss Innovation Fund at Lake Forest College, 555 N. Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045 or online at http://www.lakeforest.edu/hotchkiss.
A private interment will be held at Lake Forest Cemetery. A Memorial Service will take place at a later date at the Lily Reid Holt Memorial Chapel of Lake Forest College.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Reuland & Turnbough Funeral Directors of Lake Forest, (847) 234-9649 or www.RTFunerals.com.