Burt E. Schell

Mar 29, 1920 - May 28, 1997

Burt E. Schell, 77, an inventor and designer and a Long Grove village trustee from 1963 to 1967, died Wednesday in Rush Presbyterian-Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. Mr. Schell's inventions include an adjustable industrial storage rack system in 1956 that remains widely used today.

Building on that product's success, Mr. Schell that same year founded Speedrack Inc. Mr. Schell retired in 1976. For the next 10 years, he owned and operated a radio station in Hannibal, Mo. 

Born and raised in South Bend, Ind., Mr. Schell studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Institute of Design in Chicago.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara; two sons, Michael and Burt; a daughter, Patricia Kuhlman; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held in Long Grove on Monday

Sources: Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com and FindAGrave.com

10/14/2025 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157450133/burt-earl-schell