Nov. 17--When President Richard M. Nixon traveled to Chicago and the suburbs in February 1970 to discuss his anti-pollution plan and meet with regional leaders, he visited a sewage treatment plant in Hanover Park.
Among those gathered with the president was the acting general manager of the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Chicago, Ben Sosewitz, an engineer by training and a longtime employee of the agency who had just been appointed chief.
Sosewitz offered Nixon the chance to taste a sample of treated wastewater to demonstrate the plant's purifying capabilities.
"I'm sorry," Nixon responded, "I never drink in the morning."
Sosewitz went on to lead the sanitary district for three years and was a major proponent of the Deep Tunnel project. He then embarked on a career in private engineering business, helping lead projects on the Illinois Toll Road and at O'Hare International Airport. Later, he became a leading supporter of the American Technion Society, which supports the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. Sosewitz served as national president as well as the organization's international chairman of the Board of Governors and president of the Chicago chapter, helping raise more than $750 million.
Sosewitz, 88, of Chicago, died Friday of gall bladder cancer, his family said.
"Above all, he was a very talented man in seeing the big picture of things," said Leah Sosewitz, one of his daughters. "He was great in relationships with people, and he didn't dwell on things that were negative. ... He had a very, very warm heart."
Sosewitz was born Oct. 18, 1927, in Chicago to Max and Gertrude (Wagner), a Jewish immigrant family who moved to America from a town that was then part of Poland. Sosewitz graduated from Marshall High School, then enlisted in the Navy, serving primarily as a clerk from 1945 until 1947, his daughter said.
Sosewitz returned to Chicago, briefly attending college on the GI Bill before going to work with his father in various small businesses he operated, including an upholstery shop. He used a loan from a friend to return to college, taking classes while raising his family. He eventually earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1958, then began work at the sanitary district.
Promoted to acting general manager in January 1970, Sosewitz then was appointed the agency's permanent leader a year later. He helped lead efforts on the development of federal water pollution control legislation and regional projects. He also co-authored a half-dozen technical papers mostly dealing with sludge disposal.
He left in December 1972 to become the president of an engineering management firm , which was acquired by the public company Envirodyne in 1975. Sosewitz took Envirodyne Engineers private in 1982. He worked as the company's chairman, then retired as a consultant in 1997.
Sosewitz's wife of 48 years, Shelley, died in 2001. The two loved classical music and playing the piano. Ben Sosewitz was on the board of directors of the Chicago Chamber Musicians, helping support many of that group's programs, including efforts to bring classical musicians to Chicago Public Schools. They lived in Evanston, Glencoe and Highland Park.
Leah Sosewitz said her father was very passionate about science and Israel, where his parents, older brother and twin sisters moved. He decided to pursue engineering because he thought it might be helpful for work in Israel, but he decided instead to remain in the U.S., his daughter said.
Leah Sosewitz also said her father was active outside of business, returning home from work to wash the floors or wash his daughters' hair.
"He had a service mindset," she said. "He thought, 'I know I'm here on this Earth to enjoy life and live life but also to make a difference.' And I think that came naturally to him."
Sosewitz, who moved back to Chicago, is also survived by daughters Arna Yastrow and Miriam Sosewitz Clarke; eight grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; sisters Ida Edelson and Sara Levin; and companion Phyllis Caplin.
Services were held.
poconnell@tribpub.com
