WWII veteran led south suburban crane company
Robert Anderson Sr. used GI Bill benefits he earned in World War II for a college education that launched him on a business career that culminated with his becoming CEO and chairman of Whiting Corp., a maker of cranes and related equipment now based in far south suburban Monee.
Anderson assumed that top post at Whiting, then based in Harvey, in 1984 after working in the firm’s credit and finance divisions for more than 30 years. It was about the same time that he took an ownership stake in the company.
“He and three other fellows bought it out,” said Art Klaviter, who was a supplier of castings to Whiting and met Anderson in the 1960s when both were members of what was then the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Anderson, 93, died of natural causes Jan. 20 in Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Ind., according to his daughter Dodie Hofstetter, a former member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. Anderson, who lived for many years in Homewood and Glenwood before moving to Naples, Fla., in 1992, was in Muncie for a visit, she said.
He was born in Chicago in 1925 and grew up in Harvey. His father died before he went to high school. While he was attending Thornton Township High School, he worked night jobs in factories because of the wartime manpower shortage.
Family members said Anderson was drafted soon after high school to join the Army Air Forces. He was a top turret gunner on B-24 aircraft with the Eighth Air Force based in Great Britain and flying bombing missions over Europe, his daughter said.
Anderson credited the GI Bill with making possible his education after high school and for his successful business career. He earned an undergraduate degree in science from DePaul University and then got an MBA from the University of Chicago.
While working on his college degree through evening courses, he joined Whiting Corp. Anderson retired within a year of getting the top job at the firm, selling his ownership interest to the other three investors, his daughter said.
Anderson was Homewood’s village clerk from 1955 to 1969, and served two terms as president of what was then the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce & Industry, according to Hofstetter. He was a past member of the board of directors of the Harvey YMCA and United Way of Harvey.
“He really was a rags-toriches story,” Hofstetter said. “He grew up very poor … got an MBA from the University of Chicago and ended up buying his company and becoming CEO. It’s pretty incredible that he was able to do that.”
His wife of 69 years, Olive, died in 2015.
Anderson is also survived by his son, Robert Jr.; his partner, Marilyn Haaksma; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Feb. 23 in St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, 125 W. Church St., Elmhurst.
A service in Naples is being planned for early March.