Board of Directors

Kent F. W. Armbruster, MD

Dr. Kent Armbruster is a Nephrologist.  He lives in Westmont with his wife and they have three children.  He served in the Air Force, went to medical school at the University of Illinois, and did his residency at Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago.  He currently serves as an instructor of medicine at Rush Medical School and the University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago.

Walter Busse, D.D.S.

Walter Busse grew up in Wisconsin, attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison where he received a degree in Chemistry.  After a short stint as a chemist, he returned to Marquette University where he received his DDS.  Following completion of his residency in oral surgery at Bellevue Hospital in New York, Walt began private practice in oral surgery in the Chicago area.  Residents of LaGrange, Walt and his wife, Sue, are members of the Edgewood Valley Country Club.  Sue, an RN has taught nursing courses and Walt taught oral surgery at Northwestern Dental School for many years.  Since his recent retirement from private practice, Walt has returned to teaching oral surgery at the University of Illinois Dental School.  Active members of the Grace Lutheran Church in LaGrange, Walt and Sue have two adult children and one grandchild.  

R. Dean Conlin

Dean Conlin is of counsel to the law firm of Locke Lord LLP where he has practiced corporate insurance law for the past 34 years. Prior to that, Dean served for four years as trial and defense counsel in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He graduated from the University of Illinois and Harvard Law School. He and his wife, Linda, recently celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary with their three adult children, Christen, Jeff and Anne, and three grandchildren. The Conlins are active members of the First Congregational Church of Western Springs, where Linda has been new member coordinator for the past 25 years. Dean first joined the board in 1995, and served as chairman of the board from January 2000 until May 2002, when planning for Plymouth Place’s redevelopment began. After serving as a director emeritus for one year, Dean returned as an active director in May 2005.

Raymond P. Felson, CCIM

Mr. Felson entered the commercial real estate industry in 1985 when he joined the Palmer Group, LTD., as Project Manager of the Atrium Mall development at the James R. Thompson Center.  Later, as Vice President of the company in the early 1990's, Mr. Felson provided development consulting to AT&T on an executive conference facility adjacent to their headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ.  He then rose to the position of Senior Vice President and oversaw a joint-venture project with Trammel Crow in the corporate Crossings Business Park in Bolingbrook, IL.  In 1993, Mr. Felson started his own company, Nafta Corp., d/b/a TPG Realty Services.  Then in 1996 he formed TPG Realty Company.  As president of TPG Realty, Mr. Felson oversees the development, brokerage and management of all commercial property developed by, or assigned to, the company.  Mr. Felson holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of management degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, with concentrations in Finance and Urban Economic Development.  He is licensed in the State of Illinois as a Managing Broker and has earned the prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute.  Mr. Felson is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).  He has served many years on the Board of Directors of Plymouth Place and is now a Board Member Emeritus.  His prior board affiliations include the Chicago Association of Realtors and the Chicago Theological Seminary.  Mr. Felson is currently Moderator of First Congregational Church of LaGrange.

James P. Gage, Vice President of the Residents' Council

James was born in Philadelphia, PA and attended the Drexel Institute of Technology after serving in the Unites States Marine Corps from August 1943-June 1946.  Jim and his wife Doris celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in September 2011.  They have two children and two grandchildren who all live in the Chicago area.  They raised their family in Western Springs and lived there for over 34 years.  The Gages moved to Plymouth Place in June 2008.  Jim worked for Liquid Carbonic Corporation.  He started as Plant Manger of their largest CO2 plant in 1955 and retired as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1988.  During his tenure there he held several jobs including National Director of Productions, Vice President of the Carbon Dioxide Group, Executive Vice President and President and Chief Executive Officer.  Jim also served on the Plymouth Place Board of Directors during the 1980's.  He has served as Chairman of the Residents' Council Finance Committee for the past two years and has recently been elected as the Vice President of Resident's Council in May 2011.

Charles J. Grund, AIA, Chairman

Chuck Grund is a principal at Grund & Riesterer Architects, Inc. He is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology with a bachelor of architecture, and is licensed in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. Chuck is a member of the American Institute of Architects, was nominated for the AIA Chicago Chapter Young Architect Award in 1994, and is a member of the Village of Brookfield Plan Commission. He was a past member/president of the St. Barbara Elementary school board, and has been an assistant B.A.L.L. coach. He is a visiting instructor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Chuck begins his term as chairman of the Plymouth Place Board of Directors and was most recently chair of the Long-Range Planning Committee.

Diane L. Hamburger

Diane's career has been in marketing communications and public relations.  She started in the field with the Quaker Oats Company where she held various marketing positions and was employed over 23 years by Nalco Chemical Company, Naperville, where she held the position of Division Vice President and managed the global promotional and advertising programs of Nalco's diverse business centers.  A few years later, Diane joined the Illinois Finance Authority in Chicago as their marketing and public relations manager.  She is now retired.  Diane holds degrees from the College of Wooster where she majored in Biology and a Masters in Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University.  Over the years, Diane has served on the not-for-profit boards of the Business Marketing Association, Openlands, and the College of Wooster.

Dr. Loren B. Horton

Dr. Horton did his undergraduate work at St. Ambrose University, graduating in 1947 after four years in U.S. Army Ordinance, including one year in Japan after hostilities cessation. In 1951 he received his M.D. from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, and interned at Cook County Hospital and AAFP MacNeil Hospital in Berwyn, Illinois. Dr. Horton had an industrial practice in La Grange from 1953-1990, where he also raised his family. He was on the founding staff of La Grange Memorial Hospital and has been involved in social, medical and medical organizational activities for many years. While Dr. Horton is retired, he does maintain his license to practice by continuing to attend medical education seminars. Dr. Horton provided medical assistance to Plymouth Place residents from 1953-1990.

Ray Powers

Ray Powers graduated from Northern Illinois University with an accounting major and earned an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Chicago. In 1962, he received his Certified Public Accounting (C.P.A.) Certificate. His work experience includes roles as a financial accountant for U.S. Gypsum, staff accountant for Papermate, controller for Leaf Brands, and then controller and chief financial officer for Barton Brands. Ray retired in 2000 and enjoys playing golf. He and wife Nancy have been married since 1959; they have three children and 10 grandchildren. He has been a volunteer at the Western Springs Library, President of the Western Springs Police Pension Board from 1994-1998, treasurer of the Western Springs Swimming Pool from 1974 to 1987, and is a member of the Illinois Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs.

Nancy Sutherland, Vice Chairperson

Nancy Sutherland received a B.A. from the College of Wooster, Ohio, and an M.A. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She spent time as an economics teacher in School District #102, before joining the firm of Mesirow & Company as an investment research and portfolio management assistant. In 1972 she joined Continental Bank, where she began as an investment assistant and worked her way up to vice president, Small Business Lending Group. From 1993-1999, Nancy worked for Shorebank Corporation in Chicago as vice president & team leader of the Austin Branch Commercial Lending Group, and as manager and vice president of the Portland, Oregon office. Nancy has been affiliated with the following not-for-profit boards: Chicago Theological Seminary, Openlands and the College of Wooster. She enjoys music, gardening and travel, and resides in Western Springs with her husband, George. 

Tom Teegarden

Tom Teegarden graduated from DePauw University with a B.A. in history/economics. He did his graduate study at Northwestern & Loyola Universities in marketing/finance, and received his M.B.A. in 1971. He has been a stockbroker for more than 37 years and is currently with Wells Fargo Advisors LLC. Tom has also been an active member of the First Congregational Church of Western Springs. He and his wife, Karen, have four grown children. Several of Tom’s relatives have lived at Plymouth Place: his great-aunt, Laura Foster (1946-1969), his grandmother, Lillian VanSands (1965-1970) and his mother, Alice. In addition, Plymouth Place residents Walter and Martha Kirchherr are his in-laws. Tom served as a board member from May 1994-May 2003, and served as chairman of the board from 2002-2003. He spent one year as a director emeritus before being asked by the board development committee to return as a member in May 2004.

Harriet VerGowe

Harriet VerGowe serves as a Volunteer Coordinator at Community Nurse Association in LaGrange.  Harriet and her husband, Wayne, moved to Western Springs 24 years ago as the head of IBM's worldwide education center for large systems.  She directed IBM's first Internet Consulting Business Unit assisting businesses to establish a strategy and presence on the Internet.  She took an early retirement  opportunity in 2001 to spend more time with her two sons.  Harriet is a University of Illinois Alumna with a Marketing degree and post graduate training at Harvard University.

Mary Voigt, President of the Residents’ Council

An Arkansas native, Mary Voigt received her B.A. from the University of Arkansas and did one year of graduate study at the University of Iowa. A widow, Mary retired after 36 years with Standard Oil/Amoco/British Petroleum. She trained new hires/transferees to the Naperville site and handled benefits for on-site employees. As supervisor of cash accounts for Amoco Motor Club, she led a team in the development of a computerized inter-departmental billing system. Her volunteer experience includes the following: trustee for the International Association of Administrative Personnel Retirement Centers Trust. IAAP owns and operates a 166-cottage apartment center in Vista Grande, New Mexico, for retired secretaries. During her tenure as trustee, the association added an additional 66 units to the project. Alexander Doll Clubs National Association: Served on the by-laws committee during a time of reorganization, then served as treasurer on the national board for seven years. Modern Doll Collectors’: treasurer and member of the board for nine years. At present, Mary is serving as secretary for the board of directors of BP/Amoco Association of Greater Chicago, and as president of a local doll collectors’ club.

Leslie holds a bachelor's degree from Carleton College, and a master's degree from The University of Chicago Divinity School. She worked for two United Churches of Christ over 19 years, contributing to pastoral care, programming, strategic planning and organizational development. She is committed to interfaith dialog. Leslie's studies in Bowen Family Systems and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) have provided effective tools in counseling individuals, teams and organizations. She recently passed her assessment and pending paperwork, is a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication. Leslie is a partner with the Institute for Empowering Communication, www.empoweringcommunicationinc.net and is currently serving First Congregational Church of La Grange as the interim pastor. She enjoys gardening, reading, wine-tasting, yoga, swimming, and gathering with friends and family.