Driver Fatally Struck Chamber Orchestra Founder Robert Boarde Green, 82, in Chartham

On the morning of Monday, January 21, a driver struck and killed Robert Boarde Green, 82, the founder of a local chamber symphony orchestra, in Chatham. Green was identified as the victim by his son Julian Green, an executive with the Chicago Cubs, according to a Chicago Tribune report by William Lee.

According to police, around 9:30 a.m., the senior was crossing in westbound in the 8500 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue when he dropped his keys. After he turned around to pick up his keys, the southbound driver struck him. After the victim's family was notified, Julian Green went to the crash scene and stayed with his father's body until it was taken to the Cook County medical examiner's officer, the Tribune reported.

The driver stayed at the scene and no citations were issued, according to police.

Cottage Grove has five lanes at this location, which encourages speeding. Less than three months ago, on October 30, a hit-and-run driver killed a 22-year-old man six blocks north at 79th and Cottage Grove, which has a similar layout and was found to be one of the most dangerous intersections in Chicago in a 2014 Active Transportation Alliance study.

According to the Tribune, Robert Green cofounded the Chatham Village Symphony Orchestra, one of the only all-African-American chamber symphony orchestras, in 1974. He was the father of two other sons besides Julian, who said Robert was an active senior who walked and golfed for exercise. Robert Green also had five grandchildren. Read more about his life in the Tribune article.

“We’re concerned about the circumstances of what happened. This was 9:30 in the morning. He certainly wasn’t darting across the street in traffic,” Julian Green told the Tribune.

Fatality Tracker: 2019 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 2

Note: Streetsblog Chicago’s traffic death numbers represent fatal crashes on Chicago streets, based on media reports for January.