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By BOB GOLDSBOROUGH Chicago Tribune
Henry W. “Hank” De Zutter was equal parts journalist, activist, college instructor and provocateur, with a deep desire to further racial equality and a practitioner’s skill at communicating his ideas clearly.
A longtime instructor and lecturer at Chicago’s Malcolm X College who early in his career was an education reporter for the Chicago Daily News, De Zutter co-founded both the Chicago Journalism Review and the Community Media Workshop.
“Like Studs Terkel, Hank knew how to listen to sources in a way that put them at ease to tell their story better,” said Thom Clark, who co-founded the Community Media Workshop with De Zutter in 1989.
De Zutter, 80, died on July 14 of complications from a fall that he suffered on July 10 in his Lincoln Park apartment, said his daughter, Amanda Kotlyar.
Born Henry Wayne De Zutter in Chicago, De Zutter grew up in Skokie and Northbrook and graduated in 1959 from Glenbrook High School, where he was captain of the golf team, editor of the school newspaper and class valedictorian. He studied at Williams College in Massachusetts before receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1963.
De Zutter worked as a reporter for the Lerner Newspapers chain while earning a master’s degree in journalism in 1965 from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
De Zutter and his first wife, Janet Jonjack, enlisted in the federal Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, program, training in the South Bronx and then working as community organizers in Baltimore.
In the spring of 1967, the Chicago Daily News hired De Zutter as an education reporter. The following year, he helped found the Chicago Journalism Review, a short-lived but influential publication spawned in response to what he and other journalists felt was heavily pro-police coverage during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
In 1970, De Zutter joined the staff of Malcolm X College, working for the next several decades as an English and journalism instructor while also teaching classes at times at Truman College and at Columbia College.
“I think his most important accomplishment was that of mentor to so many second-chance students and the untiring support he provided aspiring journalists of color,” Clark said.
In 1989, De Zutter and Clark formed the Community Media Workshop, a foundation-funded effort to help community-based organizations get better press and tell their stories directly to a wider audience.
Under their leadership, the organization, which now is called Public Narrative, helped community groups write news releases and deal with the media and published a detailed directory of Chicago’s journalists and media organizations.
For years, De Zutter freelanced for the Chicago Reader, writing long stories for its “Neighborhood News” column. From 1991 until 1996, De Zutter and Clark interviewed and photographed people on the street for their weekly “Snap Judgments” column.
“During his years with the Reader, we’d often cover the same stories — planning for the never-held 1992 World’s Fair, public housing demolitions, big urban renewal projects,” recalled former Tribune reporter and columnist John McCarron. “Hank took a bottom-up approach — how does it affect folks already living (in a community) — but with empathy, not the up-against-City-Hall self-righteousness so common with the neighborhood left.”
In 1995, De Zutter wrote a cover story for the Reader titled “What Makes Obama Run?,” which was the first in-depth look at future President Barack Obama as he ran for state Senate.
“Hank made an unknown guy known to me and a lot of other people in Chicago,” said retired Chicago Reader senior editor Michael Miner. “It put (Obama) on the map.”
In 1978, De Zutter wrote a 30-minute TV documentary that aired on WBBM-Ch. 2 about youths playing basketball on the streets of the South Side in the late 1970s. Titled “Going Up Easy, Coming Down Hard,” the documentary included a look at the early careers of streetball stars and future professional basketball players Billy Harris and Sonny Parker.
In 1992, De Zutter and his second wife, Pamela Little De Zutter, who collaborated several times on articles for the Reader, were featured in Terkel’s book “Race: What Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession” due to the fact that theirs was an interracial marriage.
“I don’t even see dirty looks given to us. When we go out together, people seem happy to see us,” De Zutter told Terkel in the book. “I feel people see us as a symbol of change and hope, especially when we have our blended family.”
A jazz aficionado, De Zutter reviewed the 10th annual Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park in the Tribune in September 1988. Five years later, De Zutter wrote a children’s book, “Who Says a Dog Goes Bow-Wow?,” which explored how animal sounds are expressed in various different languages.
“What we see is so often determined by what we say, or are taught to hear,” De Zutter told the Tribune upon the book’s launch.
De Zutter retired from Malcolm X College in 2002, and from the Community Media Workshop in 2004.
De Zutter’s first two marriages ended in divorce. In addition to his daughter, De Zutter is survived by his third wife, Barbara Belletini Fields; two sons, Max and Chris; a stepson, Agward “Eddie” Turner; two stepdaughters, Jayne Mattson and Ana Boyer Davis; two sisters, Joyce Mooneyham and Wendy Callahan; five grandchildren; and four stepgrandchildren.
A private memorial service is being planned.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2026 Media Contact Information: Cartwheel Emily Paisner (888) 500-2067 emily.paisner@cartwheelcare.org
$1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will help Cartwheel scale access to care in rural and underserved communities through 2028
CHICAGO — August 26, 2026 — Cartwheel Care, a telehealth mental health provider for K-12 schools, today announced plans to expand access to care for up to 100,000 students across Illinois, supported by a $1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). The additional funding builds on an existing partnership between Cartwheel and BCBSIL, following a year of strong engagement and clinical outcomes. Cartwheel currently serves 40 Illinois school districts, and the grant will help expand services further into rural and underserved communities across the state through 2028. Mental health needs among Illinois students remain high. According to data from Lurie Children’s Hospital, approximately 50% of Illinois youth (ages 2–17) have experienced worsening mental health symptoms in recent years. At the same time, access to care has not kept pace: more than 80 of Illinois’ 102 counties have no practicing child psychiatrist, and the shortage is most acute in rural areas, where families often wait months for an appointment or travel significant distances for care. Cartwheel’s telehealth model is designed to remove the access barriers rural families face, like long waitlists and the need to travel to see a provider. By partnering with schools, Cartwheel provides licensed, Illinois-based clinicians with no waitlist, accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid, and reaches kids and families where they already are, without requiring them to find or travel to an outside provider. “Every student experiences mental health challenges differently, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting them,” said Dr. Juliana Chen, chief medical officer at Cartwheel. “Our goal is to meet students and families where they are, with practical support that helps them build skills, strengthen relationships, and feel more confident navigating challenges at school and at home. BCBSIL’s support is what allows us to bring that care to more Illinois communities.” “Supporting the health and well-being of Illinois youth is critical to building stronger communities,” said Brian Snell, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. “The results we’ve seen through our partnership with Cartwheel demonstrate the impact that timely, accessible mental health services can have for students and families. This investment will help bring those services to even more communities across our state.” To date, four Illinois districts have received Cartwheel’s services through this grant: Steger SD 194 in Cook County and Will County, Troy CCSD 30-C in Will County, Mattoon CUSD 2 in Coles County, and Wolf Branch SD #113 in St. Clair County. In the first year of the program, more than 200 students were referred for care and completed more than 1,000 telehealth sessions. Appointments were scheduled in the same week with no waitlist. Sixty-eight percent of students served were covered by Medicaid or uninsured. Overall, 73% of students showed meaningful improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms on standard clinical screeners (GAD-7/PHQ-9). Additional districts where Cartwheel services are launching this fall include Litchfield CUSD #12, Panhandle CUSD #2, Leyden High School District #212, and Regional Office of Education #40. With the support of this grant, Cartwheel expects to expand into another 30 to 50 school districts, bringing access to care to a total of 100,000 students across Illinois. “Before this partnership, getting a student connected to care could take months,” said Jeffrey Peterson, director of student services & records at Troy CCSD 30-C. “Now our counselors can refer a student, know they’ll be seen within days, and are seeing real improvements as a result.” Through the grant, Cartwheel provides individual and family therapy, parent guidance, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, and specialized care programs for challenges like school avoidance, social media use, and intense emotions and behavior challenges. As reported in Illinois Policy, in 2025 about 25% of Illinois students missed at least 10% of the school year and this was more severe among low-income students, with 35.1% in that group chronically absent. Cartwheel’s school avoidance program delivers evidence-based care designed specifically for students struggling with school avoidance. In partnership with Cartwheel, Peoria Public Schools saw a 62% reduction in absences per student, along with decreases in suspensions and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Illinois school districts that want to learn more about this opportunity for the upcoming school year should visit: www.cartwheel.org/illinois. About Cartwheel Cartwheel is the nation’s largest and most trusted telehealth provider for K-12 schools, students, and families. Cartwheel partners with 350 school districts across 15 states to deliver comprehensive mental health services to students, families, and school staff. Founded in 2022 by educators and clinicians, Cartwheel combines evidence-based clinical care with technology to ensure every child has access to high-quality mental health support. Cartwheel accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid and provides care at no cost to uninsured families. For more information visit: www.cartwheel.org. About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the largest health insurer in Illinois, serving nine million members and operating in all 102 Illinois counties. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at bcbsil.com and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 24, 2026 Media Contact Information: Mather Institute Cindy Droog, president, Sabo PR (616) 717-8654 cindy@sabo-pr.com
Free online tool by Mather Institute supports local planning, partnership and investments
EVANSTON, Illinois – Chicago has a new tool to help understand where neighborhood conditions support social wellness among older adults – and where thoughtful investment and partnership may expand opportunities. Mather Institute launched a first-of-its-kind free Social Wellness Map, which scores the 77 community areas in Chicago on social wellness – a measure of feeling connected with others and with a community – for adults 55 and better. Previous research shows strong social ties are one of the most important predictors of a happy and long life, and that neighborhoods and communities shape how people interact, support one another and build shared identity. Mather Institute developed the map in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago. Designed as a planning and advocacy resource, the interactive map can help policymakers, community organizations, funders, planners and service providers explore local patterns, identify assets and consider where new investments may have the greatest benefit for older adults. “Social wellness is a crucial, yet often overlooked, part of healthy aging,” said Cate O’Brien, MPH, Ph.D., chief transformation officer at Mather Institute. “Because every community contains diverse histories, people and experiences, the map is intended to inform – not replace – local knowledge. The most useful next step is conversation. When organizations bring this data together with resident voices, they can better understand what is already working and what could be most beneficial to older adults and their communities.” The map is based on a new survey of more than 4,000 Chicago residents age 55 and better, combined with public data on community conditions, including walkability, economic factors and access to gathering places such as libraries, churches and community centers. Factors such as crime, lack of local businesses and poverty can hinder social wellness, but don’t tell the whole story. Users can view a side-by-side comparison of communities to explore how social wellness relates to health, happiness, income and other factors. Key findings include:
“Community leaders often have deep local knowledge, but need data to support the case for programs, funding and partnerships,” said Jennifer L. Smith, Ph.D., vice president of Mather Institute. “The Social Wellness Map offers another lens for understanding older adults’ experiences and for turning local insight into action.” High social wellness scores were not confined to one part of Chicago or to its wealthiest areas, suggesting that other factors such as neighborhood identity, belonging and longstanding social ties are also important to connection. Chatham emerged as a notable example, with a social wellness score of 8.14 out of 10, illustrating social wellness reflects aspects of community life beyond economic and safety indicators alone. Beverly received the highest community connectability score: 100 out of 100. Beverly is notable for its low crime rates, a strong family culture and several longstanding community gathering places. Jefferson Park stood out for having community conditions that support connection such as accessible transit, retail activity and established cultural gathering places. The map is free to use and does not require user registration. It can be explored at: https://www.matherinstitute.com/social-wellness-map/
About Mather and Mather Institute
Based in Evanston, Illinois, Mather is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1941 that is dedicated to a vision of changing the way society views aging. Mather creates Ways to Age Well℠ through programs, places and residences for today’s older adults. These include developing and operating communities that support older adults in pursuing wellness and fulfillment; sparking creativity and connections for older adults in Chicagoland and beyond; and through Mather Institute, conducting research and incubating innovation to help all live and age well.
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