Benedict Douglas Chaps

B.D. "Ben" Chaps, passed away Friday Jan. 21, at his home. Born March 21, 1917 in Chicago to Joseph and Mary (Rekus) Chaps. Ben attended Carter H. Harrison High School in Chicago being attracted by their championship band. While a student there, he won the Gold Medal in the Snare Drum Solo Contest at the 1933 National High School Band Contest. After graduation, he was a part-time student at Northwestern University and was a drummer and vocalist with several Chicago dance bands. At the outset of World War II, he accepted a position as a Principal Accountant with the U. S. Navy Cost Inspection Service. In 1945 he passed an examination and became accredited as a CPA. Ben received a Meritorious Service Award from the U. S. Navy for outstanding reporting on Navy contracts. After the war, he joined the public accounting firm, Arthur Andersen & Co. in 1946. In 1947 he fulfilled his academic requirements and graduated from Northwestern University. While working at Arthur Andersen & Co. he met Margaret Bowen and they were married on August 6, 1949. At Arthur Andersen & Co., he enjoyed a full and satisfying career in a professional and civic sense. As a consequence of Firm Policy, Ben retired as a partner of the firm in 1979 after 33 years of service. The desire to continue working led him to provide financial consulting until the turn of the century. During his business career, he was a member, committee member, and/or officer of the following social clubs: Chicago Executives Club, the International Wine and Food Society of Chicago, Union League Club, Mid-Day Club, Metropolitan Club, Rolling Green Country Club (Treasurer), Garden of the God's Club, and the Kissing Camels Golf Club. His civic activities included the Chicago Association of Commerce & Industry (Accounting Committee), the Better Business Bureau (Treasurer), the Board of Local Improvements of Arlington Heights (Secretary), and the Florence Crittenton Anchorage (Board Member). He was a member of the following professional associations: the American Institute of CPAs, the Illinois Society of CPAs and the Bank Administration Institute (Educational Services Council). Since retirement, he has been designated as an Honorary Member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Rolling Green Country Club. The Illinois Society of CPAs has elected him to Distinguished Membership and the Union League Club has granted him a Veteran Membership. During his career with Arthur Andersen & Co. he became recognized as an authority in the banking industry. He acted as an engagement partner, consultant and advisor for numerous banks and bank holding companies throughout the United States. He served as the Partner-In-Charge of the Banking & Financial Services Division in the Chicago Office, and was the head of the Banking Industry work for the entire firm. He also developed a Banking Industry Training Program and was in charge of bank industry training until his retirement in 1979. Ben Chaps was a speaker and panelist in meetings and seminars of various banks, bankers' conventions, bank and accounting associations and regulatory bodies. He authored articles for numerous banking and financial publications. He was also a contributing author to the book, "The Changing World of Banking", published by Harper and Row in 1974. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Margaret Bowen Chaps; a son, Douglas, of Louisville, CO; a daughter, Nancy (Stephen) Greenlee of Fort Collins, CO; five grandchildren, Seth, Lyndsey and Kristyna of Louisville, and Andrew and Sarah of Fort Collins; also surviving him is his brother, Albert of Palos Heights, IL; he was preceded in death by his parents; and his sister, Judy Chaps-Barnhart. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Benedictine Fellowship of St. Laurence, a retreat center located in Fremont County, CO following the Scriptural Rule of St. Benedict, or to a charity of your choice. Memorials to Benedictine Fellowship of St. Laurence can be mailed to 3555 Stanford Rd. #204, Fort Collins, CO, 80525. The visitation for B.D. "Ben" Chaps, 93, will be from 12 p.m. until the time of a memorial service at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28th, 2011, at the Southminster Presbyterian Church, 916 East Central Rd., Arlington Heights, IL. Entombment at Memory Gardens will follow the service.