Services are scheduled today in suburban Chicago for municipal and development finance veteran Stanley O. Provus, who spent the first half of his career working for issuers and the latter half as a teacher of tax-exempt finance. He died on May 7 following a battle with cancer. He was 63.
On the issuer side, Mr. Provus served as director for the Maine State Housing Authority, chief executive officer of the Maine Finance Authority, and Oklahoma bond adviser. During his professional career, he also was chief planner for Chicago's Model Cities; director of Housing Operations for Washington State in Olympia, Wash.; and program analyst for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In 1993, he established Stanley Provus and Associates Inc. to provide consulting and financial advisory services to businesses and organizations. He placed a major emphasis on his role as training director for the Council of Development Finance Agencies, where more than 3,000 professionals attended his municipal finance courses.
Over the span of his career, he worked on more than $2 billion in tax-exempt financings, had a hand in designing many projects and economic development programs for state and local governments across the country, and authored many development finance studies.
Mr. Provus was a sports enthusiast who enjoyed skiing, baseball, and tennis. He taught gymnastics while in college. His family described him as an animal lover with a special affection for dogs, especially his own, Abby, a golden retriever. His life-long passion for art began at age seven and he favored the medium of oil-based pastels for his final works.
Mr. Provus graduated from George Washington University and joined the Peace Corps, where he served in Ethiopia from 1968 to 1973. He is survived by his wife Kay, two brothers, and many nephews and nieces.
Services are scheduled for today at Weinstein Chapel in Wilmette, Ill., at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Otolaryngology, 4301 W. Markham #543, Little Rock, AR 72205, or any charity.
