L.W. Reich, 82, a former Yellow Pages salesman for R.H. Donnelley who later became general manager of the company’s Midwest region and a president of the Chicago Youth Centers, died Jan. 20 in his home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. A resident of Skokie, Glenview and Glencoe, Mr. Reich came to Chicago in the 1930s to work for Donnelley. He became the company’s Midwest region general manager in 1958 and also served on the board of directors. When Dunn & Bradstreet Corp. bought Donnelley, Mr. Reich was named chief executive of the company’s Official Airline Guides, now based in Oak Brook. “He developed the Official Airline Guides into a highly profitable and powerful company in terms of reference materials for travel and transportation,” said Martin Deutsch, a former employee of Mr. Reich’s. “He was a major force in the industry, and he was a terrific guy to work for.” Mr. Reich retired in 1975 and moved to Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., with his wife, Dorothy. He served a term as president of the Rancho Santa Fe Village Board. Other survivors include a daughter, Judith Reich; a son, William; a stepdaughter, Lorna Birmingham; and five grandchildren. Private services were held.
