Newspaper executive from Grayslake championed industry's causes
Mike Kramer had newspaper ink in his veins, from a reporting job fresh out of college at his family's downstate newspapers, to becoming one of the top executives at the parent company of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, the daily must-read for the city's legal community.
In between, the Danville native who in recent years made his home in Grayslake started a series of real estate publications across the country and became known for his lobbying efforts in Springfield on behalf of the newspaper industry.
Kramer, 69, died at home Monday, following a battle with T-cell lymphoma.
Sandy Macfarland, CEO of Chicago-based Law Bulletin Media, said he'll remember Kramer as an effective company leader and trusted adviser, but more so as a kindhearted person, and his best friend.
"Mike's friendly nature would always light up a room with a smile or infectious laugh, no matter if it was a judge, legislator or casual acquaintance," Macfarland said.
Kramer, who joined the Law Bulletin in 1997 and eventually became company president, had deep roots in the newspaper industry, tracing back to his work as a cub reporter for one of his father's newspapers in central Illinois.
Macfarland, the fourth generation owner of the Law Bulletin, said his father and Kramer's father knew each other through the Illinois Press Association, and it was through that connection that the younger Kramer ended up in his first big job as head of the Minnesota Newspaper Association in the early 1980s.
Kramer later started the Minnesota Real Estate Journal and launched similar publications in California. He then partnered with Macfarland to form a real estate publishing association in the early 1990s. In 1997, Kramer sold his Minnesota journal to the Law Bulletin, where he came to work to head up the company's real estate publishing division.
He rose to become company vice president in 2002, publisher of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin in 2007, and president of the company in 2015.
As chairman of the Illinois Press Association's government affairs committee, Kramer worked to build relationships with policymakers as he lobbied on issues related to the Freedom of Information Act, Open Meetings Act and public notice laws. The association gave Kramer its Distinguished Service Award last year, and last week, announced it was naming a new annual award in his honor to give to a newspaper employee or lawmaker who champions legislative efforts for the good of newspapers.
"I think his motivation was basically to make a difference. He wanted to advance the cause of newspapers throughout the state of Illinois, and that's really what he did," said Sam Fisher, the association's president and CEO. "He did it at the Law Bulletin. His family did it for years. You may say it was maybe part of his gene pool, but that's really who he was."
Kramer is survived by his wife of 46 years, Ann, who was his Monmouth College sweetheart; daughter, son, four grandchildren, brother and sister. A memorial service will be held at a later date at the Village Church of Gurnee, and a private burial will be held in Gibson City.