Steve Canty Bio – Tricia Canty

Association Business

TLA President Biography: Steven M. Canty

Tricia Canty

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”—origin disputed

How do you write about someone with whom you live without coming across as too biased? Is it possible to be “fact-checked” when trying to write a biography about your spouse? Regardless, this is my best nonpartisan account of the incoming Transportation Lawyers Association (“TLA”) President, and my husband, Steven Canty. I will try to refrain from teasing and ribbing. Likewise, I will also try to refrain from being gushy and syrupy. In light of the fact that my background is in nursing, and certainly not literature, what follows may turn into a mush of unpoetic garble. Regardless, in trying to get some historical context for this biography, I noticed that Steve, although not born in Illinois, shared some characteristics of two fellow Illinois transplants. When the State of Illinois is mentioned, it is tough not to think of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is alleged that Lincoln once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Whether he actually did, it does sound like something that Lincoln would say. Of course, I do not pretend that Steve is the equivalent of the “Great Emancipator” or the leader who preserved the Union of the United States.1 Nonetheless, a lawyer himself, Lincoln was a dedicated family man and has been described as “guarded, patient, energetic and easygoing” by the Lincoln Institute. He was contemplated as a “simple, pure and sincere” man.2 Those qualities I can certainly ascribe to Steve. Unfortunately, Steve’s ability to grow a beard or fashionably wear a stovepipe hat fails miserably. A second person of comparison is Cyrus McCormick. Although maybe not famous outside of Chicago, McCormick was the founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which ultimately became part of the International Harvester Company. As a hardworking industrialist, Mr. McCormick’s dying words were “Work, work, work.” Certainly, many wives consider their husbands to be hardworking. My comment on Steve’s work ethic is premised on the births of our three children. Because of his efforts to “squeeze” a little more work in, I had to track Steve down in Rockford, Illinois; Evansville, Indiana; and somewhere near the Wisconsin border for each child, respectively. Who is Steve Canty? Steve was born in the autumn of 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in the town of East Walpole, Norfolk County, Massachusetts (pop. 18,149).3 Walpole is located about 13 miles south of downtown Boston and was known for little with the exception of being the location of the state prison. Although now a suburb of Boston, the town was a little edgier in the 1970s with a good portion of the population working for a large company that manufactured roofing shingles. Steve is the youngest of three sons born to two schoolteachers. Along with his two brothers, the boys would create memories on their dead-end street, consisting of small houses with big backyards and lots of woods. Running the neighborhood, the kids would build forts in any available tree, play every sport depending on the season, shoot baskets on a backboard that was hammered to a utility pole, make up games that spilled over into neighboring yards, pick fruit from local trees (some for eating, most for throwing), and creatively wrap any type of ball with fluorescent tape to try to keep a competition going beyond dark. It was a neighborhood where you knew who lived in every house, and also knew that every elderly person would report on your conduct. Despite not having lived in Massachusetts for many years, Steve still visits his childhood next-door neighbor every year, who was one of the locals always looking out for the boys and who probably had the largest vegetable garden one could ever imagine in her backyard . . . and still does. Steve attended Old Post Road School and then Bird Middle School (fifth grade only). Both schools required walking paths through the woods in order to get there. Curiously, he and his brothers for some unknown reason began collecting steel beer cans while walking home from school, cans that to this day consume a good portion of the crawl space in our home. One man’s trash . . . Steve’s first job was in kindergarten delivering The Boston Globe newspaper after school with his brothers. He ultimately got his own route delivering The Patriot Ledger, a job that gave insight into providing customer service and at the same time dealing with patrons who did not pay, all the while trying to avoid roaming dogs (during a time before leash laws). In particular, it was a daily battle of evasion with the Razwell family’s German mutt/Shepard that barked and scowled constantly—a battle that was successful, until it was not. In fact, Steve still has scars from many dog encounters from his youth.4 At age eleven, Steve’s family moved closer to his grandparents in Woodstock, McHenry County, Illinois. An area that was originally dairy farms, it is now in essence a suburb of Chicago. The downtown includes a historic, turn-of-the-century square, which is anchored by the landmark Woodstock Opera House. Woodstock was named one of the nation’s Dozen Distinctive

Destinations in 2007 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.5 Some famous notables who graced the stage of the Opera House include Paul Newman, Tom Bosley (aka Mr. C from Happy Days), and Orson Welles, who also attended school locally. The town served as the setting for the movies Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Groundhog Day. Bill Murray recently returned to Woodstock to film the 2020 Superbowl LIV halftime Jeep commercial.

Adapting to the local surroundings, Steve’s youthful employment migrated to agricultural pursuits, including detasseling corn and bailing straw on local farms. I am guessing that there is nothing quite like spending an August day in a haymow to change your perspective on work. By the time Steve turned sixteen, he was in a union, making union scale with benefits at a grocery store maintaining the dairy department and unloading trucks. It was an education for a youngster working with grizzled adults when the lights in the store went down, the customers were gone and the trucks arrived at the loading dock.

Steve attended Olson Middle School where he met a group of friends that he has remained close to for his entire life. In fact, there is a reference in the 1986 movie Stand by Me where the star, Richard Dreyfuss, makes a comment about never having friends quite like the ones you had when you were twelve. That fairly sums up a group of seven or eight guys Steve still stays in touch with on a regular basis.

Secondary education would be completed at Woodstock High School (“WHS”) where he played golf and baseball and was captain of the swim team. It was during Steve’s freshman year in high school when he realized he wanted to become an attorney. The exact moment can be remembered clearly when Steve ran into one of his teachers at the local library. Ironically, when Steve indicated that he wanted to become a lawyer, the teacher suggested he try something different that might prove easier to get a job. This advice did not matter much to Steve. He graduated from WHS in 1989 as an Illinois State Scholar and would start his path to become an attorney anyway.

Steve’s journey took him to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (“UIUC”) where he studied political science. He worked his way through undergrad on campus slinging pizza at Bub’s Pub.6 He spent summers as a lifeguard and working on a tractor crew mowing highway ditches.7 After graduation, Steve attended DePaul University College of Law (“DePaul”) in Chicago, Illinois. His big treat was to walk to the corner store to grab a Mountain Dew and the newspaper. If anyone knows Steve, he can often be seen with a newspaper spread open wide, reading every word. During his time at DePaul, Steve would intern at the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s office. In addition to interning, during the summers he also worked at a lumberyard at night and on weekends.8

In 1994, he met his future wife, me, at a July 4th celebration. Oddly, for his own entertainment, Steve struck up a conversation with me telling fibs about being in dental school and offering to remove my incisors at a reasonable rate. It is difficult to explain how a silly and clearly ridiculous conversation sparked any interest. Eventually, I would start to visit him at DePaul on my weekends away from studying nursing at Northern Illinois University. Our “dates” consisted of grocery shopping, walking to the corner store for a Mountain Dew and a newspaper (of course), or eating at the Potbelly’s across the street from his apartment, perfect for two busy students. After many late nights studying at the library, Steve finally graduated with Honors and Order of the Coif in 1996.

In 1996, Steve landed an associate position at McKenna, Storer, Rowe, White & Farrug, joining the ranks of Steven Novy. Novy would teach him everything he knew about defense litigation and the art of making the client happy. Eventually, they continued with Johnson & Bell, where they met Jason Orleans. Ultimately, they would branch out on their own to create Orleans Canty Novy, LLC on January 1, 2017.

Steve and I have been married since 2001. We have three teenaged sons, Jacob, Jackson and J.D.9 We are proud that Jacob will also attend UIUC in the fall. As busy as Steve can be with the firm, TLA, and clients, he always makes time for me and our sons. He has coached our boys in baseball, basketball, and soccer, watched as many of their games as possible, taught them how to hunt and fish, and has taken us on adventures across the United States that have created lasting memories for us all. Whatever Steve is, he is a good one.

1 Although not as famous as the Emancipation Proclamation, Steve did write a compelling paper on “Severe and Unusual Weather” for a geography course as an undergraduate student. 2 https://www.reference.com/history/character-traits-abraham-lincoln-c78f7e5507eb0915. 3 According to the 1970 Census. 4 Things were evened out after the Razwell’s dog met its demise while chasing traffic. 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock,_Illinois. 6 The benefit of $.25 drinks was worth more than the wages actually earned. 7 This job provided an appreciation of dealing with commercial traffic at highway speeds. 8 Steve knew the lumber company was in trouble when he was told that he, a law student, was their best salesman. 9 John David, because I know you were curious.