Theodore Peter Giovan, whose outgoing and affable nature helped him win many friends and succeed in the world of college administration, died Wednesday, March 1, in Hinsdale Hospital. Mr. Giovan, 72, of La Grange, grew up in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. As a teenager, he helped run the family’s ice-cream business, Drexel Ice Cream Co. He attended Lake Forest College before being called to duty in the Korean War. When he returned, he acquired a degree from Northwestern University and later went to work for the University of Illinois at Chicago. Mr. Giovan retired as the university’s director of purchasing in 1989. He also was a real estate broker and a voracious reader in his spare time. “My dad was such a friendly person,” said his son Fred. “He would strike up long conversations with anybody–the barber, the dentist.” Other survivors include his wife, Frieda; two other sons, Christopher and Alexander; and a sister, Mary Georgis. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday in Hursen Funeral Home, Roosevelt and Mannheim Roads, Hillside. Services will be private.
