Michael R. Quinlan, the Oak Park native who rose from McDonald’s Corp.’s mailroom to become only its third CEO, died on Sept. 22 at his home. He was 80.

Quinlan’s death, coming after a long illness, was confirmed by his son, Michael. He had been a longtime Oak Brook resident.

Quinlan’s 35-year career at McDonald’s started when the hamburger giant’s headquarters were in Chicago, and then moved with the company in 1971 to the sprawling Oak Brook campus that the firm later vacated in 2018 for the West Loop. He served as CEO for 11 years. While in charge, Quinlan pursued global expansion and developed a reputation — at least early on — for glad-handing with the chain’s franchisees at restaurant openings.

Quinlan was also a generous donor to several Chicago-area institutions, including Loyol

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