Albert “Al” Llorens, president of the Illinois Education Association and longtime high school teacher at Thornridge High School in suburban Dolton, has died, the IEA said Friday.
Llorens, who taught math and coached girls’ track and cross-country at Thornridge for more than 30 years, died Thursday at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He was 73.
“Always leading with empathy, Llorens will be remembered for his kindness, his passion for public education and unions, his ability to put what’s best for students first, his dedication to the members of IEA and his devotion to his wife, Wanda,” the IEA said in a news release.
In a statement, Gov. JB Pritzker said he is saddened by Llorens’ passing, whom he called “an advocate for our children’s education” and “a truly good man.”
“Whether in the classroom or leading the Illinois Education Association, Al cared deeply about empowering the next generation and worked tirelessly to invest in their future,” Pritzker said. “He molded the minds of countless students and leaves behind a more equitable, supportive, and enriching education system.”
Raised in Englewood, Llorens attended Chicago Public Schools before receiving his bachelor’s in mathematics education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University.
Earlier in his career, Llorens taught phonics and middle school reading in Champaign, and math and science in Kankakee and Chicago. He took a leave of absence from Thornridge in 2011 to focus on labor work.
As IEA’s president, Llorens had most recently pushed back against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s arrests near Chicago area schools and, months earlier, the President Donald Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the federal Department of Education.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates called Llorens “an inspiration to thousands of students” and a leader connected to “the long history of Chicago black labor organizing.”
“As a labor leader, he cultivated the collective voice and power of thousands of unionized educators across Illinois and led fights to invest in and defend public education, improve working and learning conditions, and oppose privatization schemes like vouchers,” Gates said in a statement.
Before being elected IEA president in 2023, Llorens had served as the group’s vice president, secretary and treasurer, and delegate to Education International in Germany and South Africa. He also served two terms on the board of the National Education Association, according to the IEA.
“Al dedicated his life to improving the lives of students and strengthening public education across Illinois and beyond,” said NEA President Becky Pringle, in a news release. “He was a tireless advocate for racial and social justice, always working to ensure that every student—no matter their background — had access to the opportunities they deserved.”
Karl Goeke, the vice president of the IEA, will serve the rest of Llorens’ term.
Llorens is survived by his wife, Wanda, and his three children and two stepchildren.