Chicago lost one of its longest-serving aldermen with the death of Bernard “Berny” Stone, a politician with a 38-year history of being outspoken — sometimes, with a Yiddish inflection.
Once, he labeled a rival “a young pisher” — Yiddish for a “little squirt.’
After Rahm Emanuel was elected mayor, he called him “an emperor.” He accused Mayor Richard M. Daley of “absolute bull – – – -.” During Council Wars, he dubbed then-Ald. Luis Gutierrez a “little pipsqueak.”
He called his son Jay’s campaign for alderman — against an ally of Mr. Stone — “embarrassing.”
And he built “Bernie’s wall,” a metal barrier down the middle of Howard Street in his Far North Side ward, to keep congestion off the Chicago side when an Evanston shopping center increased traffic.
PHOTOS: Former Alderman Bernard Stone through the years
“He unapologetically believed in candor and personal loyalty,” said the only alderman to serve longer, Edward M. Burke (14th). “And — in the best sense of the word — he stood for many of the old-fashioned principles of the Democratic Party and Chicago politics.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is on vacation, saluted his career in a statement. “From serving our country in World War II to serving our city for nearly 40 years on the City Council, Bernie Stone leaves behind a profound legacy. . . As the second-longest serving alderman in the history of Chicago, he was fiercely loyal to his constituents and there was nothing he loved more than fighting to make life better for the residents he represented.”
Mr. Stone, 87, who represented the 50th Ward from 1973 to 2011, from Mayors Richard J. Daley to Richard M. Daley and five more in between, died Monday at Skokie Hospital from complications from a fall Sunday, said his daughter, Ilana Feketitsch. He died five weeks after his daughter, Robin, 60, who had advanced multiple sclerosis. Mr. Stone honored his wife’s deathbed wish and supported Robin Stone so that she would never be placed in a care facility, his family said.
“He loved serving the people, he loved his job — he lived his job,” Feketitsch said.
“My father was working on a book, ‘Sixty years of B.S. from Daley to Daley,’ ” his son said. “They’re his initials, but it’s also short for one of my dad’s favorite words.”
“He spoke his mind. That’s what we were supposed to do,” said Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd). They worked together on a successful ordinance to permit the placing of religious symbols — such as mezuzas — on doors.
Mr. Stone was born to Jewish immigrant parents. The family name evolved from Steinman to Stone, his son said. He grew up in Humboldt Park and attended Tuley High, now known as Clemente. He enlisted in the Army in World War II and served stateside in the last months of the war.
On a one-day pass home, he met his future wife, Lois, at North Avenue Beach. They were wed 46 years until her death in 1995. Mr. Stone attended Wright Junior College and John Marshall Law School.
Part of the “Vrdolyak 29” bloc of the 1980s that stymied Harold Washington, Chicago’s first African-American mayor, Mr. Stone received a standing ovation in 2000 for an eloquent apology during a City Council debate on slavery reparations. “I can’t speak for the United States,” he said. “I can’t even speak for the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago or even the 50th Ward. But I can speak for Bernie Stone. To you, my brothers and sisters, I apologize.”
He made no apologies after the Chicago Sun-Times ran a 2003 photo that appeared to show him sleeping at a council meeting. In typical blunt fashion, he said, Natarus “put the entire audience to sleep — not only me.”
The chair of the Buildings Committee, Mr. Stone was respected for his grasp of real estate and the law, from landlord and tenant rights to fire sprinkler and construction issues, said Brian Bernardoni of the Chicago Association of Realtors. He sponsored legislation blocking hasty condominium conversions and mandating overnight temperatures of 63 degrees in apartments.
Staunchly loyal to friends, he regularly visited Ald. Fred B. Roti (1st) in federal prison in Oxford, Wisconsin, after he was convicted of corruption. He said Roti made a mistake, and “my friendship doesn’t change.”
Mr. Stone had a library of about 5,000 movies. On Saturday, he saw “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1.”
He also is survived by another daughter, Lori Schlossberg; a sister, Delores Barth; and seven grandchildren. In 1959, he and his wife lost their daughter, Holly, 7, in a horse-riding accident.
His funeral is scheduled at noon Tuesday at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Burial is at Waldheim Jewish Cemetery, Forest Park.
Contributing: Stefano Esposito, Jon Seidel
