Stahl Family to be honored at Saint Patrick
January 14, 2008

On the afternoon of January 27, 2008, Saint Patrick High School will celebrate the re-naming of the Saint Patrick Theatre to the Stahl Family Theatre in honor of Lowell and Nancy Stahl and their two children. The celebration will feature a short ceremony and a concert by the "Wind Harmonies" Wind Ensemble.

Lowell Stahl has been a leader in Chicago’s business community, working as a licensed real estate broker, licensed insurance broker, appraiser, consultant, and developer for more than five decades. Stahl opened the first Century 21 franchise in the Chicago area in 1974. By the 1990s, he had expanded the North Central franchise to more than 700 offices in seven states. Stahl sold his Century 21 interests in 1995, while entering into other business ventures, including Labe Federal Bank in Chicago. He served as Chairman of Labe Federal Bank for 10 years, guiding the bank’s growth in the changing financial industry. He is currently a partner in a real estate financing company, the PFS Group.

Stahl, a 1952 graduate of Saint Patrick Academy, has been an incredibly generous benefactor of Saint Patrick High School. Stahl has donated his time and money to help Saint Patrick achieve the school’s vision: “To be recognized as the premier all-male Catholic high school in Chicago.” When Saint Patrick changed their business model in 1987, Stahl was named the first Chairman of the newly formed Board of Trustees. Stahl served as an active member of the Board for 15 years, and he now serves as Chairman Emeritus. Stahl received the Lasallian Award in 1990, and he was named a Bene-Fest Honoree in 1992. Stahl served as the General Chairman of the first-ever Saint Patrick Capital Campaign, which began in 1994. As part of that campaign, Stahl gave Saint Patrick a $1 million dollar gift for the Vision 2000 facilities expansion. In October of 2006, Stahl announced a second $1 million dollar gift to Saint Patrick. Shortly after Nancy Stahl’s death in November of 2006, Lowell, along with his son and daughter elected to name the Stahl Family Theatre on the Saint Patrick campus.

Stahl has also been a valued friend to Lewis University as well, funding a scholarship in honor of his former mentor, Brother Leo Forgette, FSC. Stahl also donated a generous gift of $500,000 to the University’s Capital Campaign, to support formation of the Lowell Stahl Center for Real Estate Studies, which is scheduled to open in 2008 at the Lewis University Oak Brook campus. Last year, Lewis honored Stahl, presenting him with the Frank J. Lewis Philanthropist of the Year Award.

The first performance in the newly named Stahl Family Theatre will be a salute to Mozart’s birthday performed by the "Wind Harmonies" Wind Ensemble conducted by Dan D’Andrea. Tickets are priced at $18.00 and can be purchased by writing to the theatre at the above address, by phoning 773-286-8470 or online at stpatrick.org. Included in the price of admission are complimentary wine and light snacks. Special guests will include members of the Stahl family, major donors to the theatre and Saint Patrick High School, and other friends.