Leaders we lost in 2015

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BUSINESS RECORD STAFF | Dec 31, 2015 | 7:50 pm |

2 min read time

In 2015, some key business leaders retired and turned the reins of their companies over to a new generation of leaders. And unfortunately, some Greater Des Moines leaders passed away.

Below were a few leaders of note that we lost in 2015:

Melva Bucksbaum, 82, a former Des Moines philanthropist, died of bladder cancer Aug. 16 in Colorado, where she lived part time. Bucksbaum, whose husband, Martin Bucksbaum, chairman of General Growth Properties Inc., preceded her in death, were generous donors to Drake University and created the Bucksbaum Lecture Series. She was also president of the board of directors for the Des Moines Art Center and a moving force in the development and implementation of the Des Moines Vision Plan some 20 years ago. She was eulogized in The New York Times as one of the country’s leading art collectors, patrons and curators. Read more
Former state lawmaker, city attorney, and Prairie Meadows champion Edwin “Ed” Skinner, 78, died Jan. 12 after a long illness. Skinner was a strong supporter of the Democratic Party and was active in Democratic politics and was honored by the state party in 2013. A former city attorney for Altoona and Pleasant Hill, Skinner was a strong advocate for eastern Polk County and facilitated many developments there.
Des Moines city planner Andrea Hauer died July 31 at age 59 after suffering a stroke July 20. She was an economic development planner who had worked 31 years for the city. Hauer was known for her fascination with and knowledge of the city’s history and its old buildings. Read more
Mark Smith of Des Moines, a longtime leader of the Iowa Federation of Labor and an outspoken advocate for working men and women, died Dec. 3 at age 71. Smith was president of the union, which represents about 50,0000 workers statewide, for 10 years, until 2007. “Mark was a true leader for the labor movement. I don’t think workers in Iowa could have ever asked for a better advocate,” Charlie Wishman, the federation’s secretary-treasurer, told The Des Moines Register.
Carol Pollock, longtime director for Hoyt Sherman Place, died May 15 of pancreatic cancer. Pollock, 70, was a trailblazer for women in the venue management industry, and worked in the field for three decades. Read more