Gene Beak, 86, of Lake Forest, a former executive vice president at Arthur Rubloff & Co., died of complications after surgery Monday, Feb. 12, in Lake Forest Hospital. Mr. Beak spent much of his 42-year career working on the development of shopping centers, and he was often interviewed by the media about retail trends. He emphasized the need for shopping center developers to adapt to the marketplace. Building underground was an approach developers were urged to consider if they were restricted to small sites in urban areas. When working on a project, he focused on street patterns, land use and parking limitations. His personable manner gave him the skills to link developers, landowners, investors and retailers, said his son, William. He was involved in the development or leasing of shopping centers in Chicago, Arizona, Kentucky and Wisconsin, said his son. “He was known very well throughout the industry as a man of absolute integrity,” he said. Mr. Beak served as the Illinois director of the International Council of Shopping Centers and was a trustee of the American Society of Real Estate Counselors. He was raised in Chicago, but also lived in Wilmette, Deerfield and Napa Valley, Calif. He studied journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, but decided on a career in real estate, the profession of his father, said his son. “His first job was in the real estate business, and he worked his way up,” he said. In addition to his son, he is survived by his wife, Joan Sullivan Beak; a daughter, Nancy Lundgren; another son, James; a sister, Harriet Burwick; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Memorial services have been held.
