Distinguished Alumnus
Class of 2018

Steven Earl Bumpus
(October 19, 1960 - April 24, 2010)

AHS Class of 1978

As one who touched the lives of many in the Arcola community and the city of Chicago, Steve Bumpus is memorialized as “a model for the kind of life we all can and should lead. . . a true example of the ordinary doing the extraordinary and accomplishing it with grace, modesty and humility.”

Steven Earl Bumpus was born October 19, 1960 in Springfield, IL, the first of two children of Frederick E. and Sue Shrader Bumpus. The Bumpus family relocated to Arcola in 1975 when Steve was a sophomore at Arcola High School. He became a leader at AHS, serving as Senior Class President and co-captain of the Scholastic Bowl. His high school activities included memberships in National Honor Society, AFS, Chess Club and Drama Club. Steve represented his class on the Homecoming court and as a Boys State delegate, and then received the Social Studies award and CILCO award at senior honors night. He and his family were members of Walnut Grove Christian Church.

In the fall of 1978, Steve enrolled at the University of Illinois, where he became a four-year honor student. He completed his B.S. in Finance in 1982 and soon began work at Chicago Board of Trade as staff investigator in the Market Surveillance Group of the Office of Investigations and Audits. In that role, Steve monitored trading to identify any potential market manipulations, price distortions or trade practice abuses. He then procured membership with Chicago Board of Trade and traded U.S. Treasury bond options.

Steve joined Greenwich Capital Markets in 1986, where he established the firm’s Chicago Board of Trade floor operations. As Greenwich Capital Markets grew and then merged with Royal Bank of Scotland, his responsibilities also expanded as he managed and advised a spectrum of clients, including retirement/pension funds, banks and various federal, state and local authorities. By 2000, Steve had become Managing Director for Global Futures and Options at Royal Bank of Scotland, one of the world’s largest banks.

In 1986, while at Chicago Board of Trade, Steve met Irene Dzido, who was also working in the Office of Investigations and Audits at CBOT. Steve and Irene were married in Chicago February 18, 1989, and their daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1992. In 1997, Steve and Irene became members of Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, one of the city’s oldest and largest churches. Steve committed to a leadership role as Elder, served on several task force committees and chaired committees for both Children & Family and Youth. He also served as Chair for the Youth Pastor Nominating Committee. He was a passionate teacher of Sunday school classes for more than ten years and was a tireless supporter of many ministries for children in the church. In addition to Fourth Presbyterian Church, Steve and Irene were generous supporters of many individuals and many causes, including Sacred Heart Schools and Walter Payton High School.

While Steve was guided by his family, his faith and his work, he also found pleasure in sport. Steve was an avid skier who loved to share the slopes with his daughter at Alta, UT. He was an enthusiastic fan of Illini football and basketball, as well as the Chicago Cubs. Steve enjoyed his golf game and his chase of the elusive big fish at Key West, FL.

Steve’s love of life was cut short on April 24, 2010, when at the age of just 49, he suddenly passed away in his Chicago home. More than 500 mourners attended his funeral at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, including those he inspired at his church and business alike. In his short life, Steve was known for his integrity and was highly respected throughout the Futures Industry. His Chicago Board of Trade colleagues affirmed Steve’s example and friendship changed the way they live their lives. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said of Steve, “Steve was a wonderful person, interested in others and a passionate family man. He always talked about his little girl, Chelsea, and his wife, Irene. They were paramount in his life. His example of a life lived to serve others is what his family, friends and his faith community will remember when they look back over Steve’s happy, active life. May he inspire others to live as he did, every day to the fullest.”

John W. Vest, Associate Pastor of Youth Ministry at Fourth Presbyterian Church, spoke of Steve’s remarkable legacy and how his tireless work had influenced the lives of so many in the church. Fourth Presbyterian Church honored Steve by naming a youth program room the “Steve Bumpus Activity Room” in their spacious new Gratz Center addition. He was further recognized in the larger Chicagoland community in 2011, when Chicago’s Sacred Heart Schools posthumously awarded Steve the “Sacred Heart Goal Award”. One of his award nominations stressed the power of one individual by noting, “His memory stands as an exquisite reminder of what the faith and belief of one man can do for every community in which he lives.”