.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Some of Central Iowa’s most notable business and civic leaders passed away in 2007. Even as our attention turns to the new year, the Business Record takes a moment to remember a few people who did so much to make this a better place:

Donald Boss was born in a family-owned Boss Hotel in Oelwein and came to Des Moines as a child when his family moved here. He received a degree in accounting at the University of Notre Dame and also attended the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Boss served in World War II and received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star and Presidential Unit Citation.

After working in Chicago hotels and restaurants for several years, he returned to Des Moines to join the family business. Boss became the company treasurer and then president and majority owner of the Hotel Fort Des Moines. After the company was sold, he formed Boss Cos. Inc.

Bob Houser was born in Bloomfield, graduated from East High School in Des Moines and married Doris Miller in 1943. He served as a bomber navigator with the 8th Air Force in World War II, completing 35 missions, and also served during the Korean War.

Back home in Iowa, Houser started in the mailroom at Bankers Life Co., predecessor to Principal Financial Group Inc. He climbed through the ranks and retired as chairman in 1989.

As president of the Des Moines Development Commission, Houser played a major role in a downtown renaissance that saw the addition of skywalks, the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines and much more.

Arnold Levine was born in Centerville and attended the University of Iowa, Babson College and Harvard Business School.

He began his career by assuming ownership of the family’s steel business in Centerville, The Levine Co. He added a Des Moines manufacturing plant in 1954.

After moving to Des Moines, Levine served on the board of a number of organizations, including the Des Moines Symphony, the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, the Des Moines Public Library Foundation and Temple B’nai Jeshurun. He was president of the board of trustees of the Des Moines Art Center from 1980 to 1982.

Bob Mannheimer was one of the early partners in the Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen law firm and retired in 1996 after a legal career of more than 50 years.

Mannheimer served as chairman of the Mayor’s Task Force on Equal Opportunity and on many charitable boards, including: the Des Moines chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews; the Lutheran Social Service Charitable Foundation; the Des Moines Civil Service Commission; the Des Moines Symphony Foundation; the Des Moines Playhouse; the Des Moines Jewish Foundation; Temple B’nai Jeshurun; the Jewish Welfare Federation of Des Moines; Children and Families of Iowa; the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation; and the Committee on Professional Ethics and Conduct for the Polk County chapter of the Iowa State Bar Association.

Rich Murillo played a part in the revival of downtown Des Moines, and he did it at a time when investing in the area was riskier than it is today. Murillo, a Des Moines native, opened Stella’s Blue Sky Diner in Capital Square in 1988 and followed that with Nacho Mammas, which opened on Court Avenue in 1991.

At various times, Murillo owned six restaurants in Greater Des Moines. In 2002, financial problems forced him to suddenly close Stella’s and Nacho Mammas. He later managed the Des Moines Botanical Center café and the Hyperion Field Club clubhouse in Johnston.

David Neugent was born in Green Bay, Wis., and in World War II was an Army Ranger who took part in the D-Day invasion of France. He received a Purple Heart. After the war, he returned to Wisconsin and began a career in health care and insurance.

Neugent moved to Des Moines in 1972. He retired as president of Blue Cross of Iowa in 1980. He served on a number of civic and charitable boards, including ChildServe and Catholic Charities.