James J. (Jim) Glasser, chairman emeritus of Chicago-based GATX, died March 14, 2023, at his home in Tucson. He was 88, and split his time between Tucson and the Chicago area. Active in arts in both Chicago and Tucson, Glasser was a trustee of the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA) at the time of his death. He and his wife of nearly 59 years, Louise, made transformative gifts to TMA over the years, including major support for TMA's building expansions, endowing the Glasser Curator of Art of the American West position, and naming the James J. and Louise R. Glasser Galleries, and donating funds for significant works of art. Jim and Louise received TMA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. Glasser grew up on Chicago's northwest side, the son of Daniel D. and Sylvia (née Goldstein) Glasser. He was a graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale University. Upon graduating from Harvard, he served three years as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney. Glasser then joined what was known as General American Transportation Corporation, now GATX. His work took him and his family from Chicago to Tucson and on to Northern California before returning to his hometown of Chicago. Glasser was appointed president of GATX Leasing in 1971, elected to the board of parent GATX in April 1974 and, six months later at age 40, named its president and chief operating officer. He became GATX's CEO and chairman in 1978, positions he held for 18 years until his retirement in 1996. Besides working for GATX, Glasser was an outside director for B.F. Goodrich, Stone Container, Mutual Trust Life Insurance, and several financial institutions, including Bank of Montreal, Harris Bancorp, and LaSalle National Bank. In addition to being a trustee at the Tucson Museum of Art, Glasser was a director of TMA's Contemporary Art Society when he died and was a founder of TMA's Western Art Patrons. He was heavily involved with the Center for Creative Photography and the Humanities Seminars Program at the University of Arizona. He also was a life trustee of the University of Chicago, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago. He was a life director of Lake Forest Hospital, where he was a former chairman; a director of the Chicago Horticultural Society and of the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona; and he was on the Field Museum of Natural History's National Board of Trustees as well as a member and founding co-chair of its Collections Committee. Previously, he served as a trustee/director of several other institutions and organizations, including the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Better Government Association, National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and Michael Reese Hospital. He helped launch the non-profit advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children. With Glasser when he died were his wife of nearly 59 years, Louise (née Rosenthal) Glasser, along with their three children: Mary Glasser (Bill Paladino); Emily Glasser (William Susman); and Danny Glasser (Melissa Sherak Glasser). Survivors also include a sister, Joyce Glasser, eight grandchildren, and three Bedlington Terriers. A celebration of Jim Glasser's life is planned for Saturday, March 25, 2023, from 3:00pm to 5:00pm at the Mountain Oyster Club, 6400 E. El Dorado Cir, Tucson. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Tucson Museum of Art, www.tucsonmuseumofart.org.
