The Sullivan High School Alumni Association has honored many former Sullivanites by inducting them into the Distinguished Alumni program. Below you can find a list of those who have been so honored, as well as links to articles about the most recent inductees.
Howard Abrams '55, Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois-Champaign and subsequently, a law degree.
Howard joined the U.S. Navy, where he became a Lt.jg. He left active duty after three years of service but continued his Naval career as a special agent for the Naval Investigative Service (NIS) – known today as NCIS. After several relocations, from East to West Coast, Howard spent the remainder of his career in San Diego, CA. He retired from NIS in 1987 after a distinguished career, during which he received numerous honors and distinctions.
Howard stayed busy after his “first” retirement; he joined the San Diego City Attorney’s Office as a consumer fraud investigator and was a partner in a private detective agency. To the endless delight of his family members, Howard even dabbled in acting – appearing in bit roles in several films and television shows.
M
arilyn Addis Kaplow ‘48, Creator and Editor-in-chief of the 16-page Sullivan Sentinel. Instrumental in starting the 1948 and subsequently other Alumni reunions, which have lasted for 65 years.
Marilyn Addis Kaplow is an individual who has been involved in alumni affairs for Sullivan High School and is potentially connected to several professional fields, including graphic design and the Thomas More Institute.
Key information available about Marilyn Addis Kaplow includes:
Alumni Work: She was the creator and editor-in-chief of the Sullivan Sentinel (the school newspaper in 1948) and was instrumental in starting the alumni reunions for Sullivan High School, which have continued for over 65 years.
Charlotte Adelman ’55, Attorney and author, founding president of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, first woman to be president of the North Suburban Bar Association, and president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.
Charlotte is the co-author of The Midwestern Native Garden, Midwestern Native Shrubs & Trees, and Prairie Directory of North America. Co-authored with Bernard L. Schwartz, The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants was the winner of the 2012 Helen Hull Award from the National Garden Clubs. In 2014, Adelman was awarded an Audubon Chicago Region Habitat Project Conservation Leadership Award. Read more about her work in this feature article in the Chicago Tribune.
Dr. Joanne Anderson Ramberg ’43, Professor Emeritus, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas. George Anspaugh Second principal of Sullivan High School and and outstanding administrator who helped prepare hundreds of students for the success they were to achieve in life. She was a respected registered nurse, who also held a PhD, and had a long and impactful career in mental health and nursing education in Kansas.
Early Life & Education: Born in Chicago, she interrupted her studies at Northwestern University to join the Army Cadet Nursing Corps in response to a WWII recruitment effort.
Professional Work: After moving to Kansas, she worked with the notable psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger to help craft the state's first licensed mental health care program.
Academia: Dr. Ramberg was on staff at Washburn University, serving at one point as the head of the mental health program in the Department of Nursing.
Other Interests: A lifelong enthusiast of birds, she also served as President of the Topeka Audubon Society.
Martin S. Appel Sr., a lawyer specializing in business law, estate planning, and tax law.
He has 66 years of experience and is admitted to practice in California and Illinois.
Mr. Appel served as counsel to Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell.
He also served as chair of The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles from 1989 to 1993 and as a trustee since 1982.
Dr. Paul J. Ashkenaz, DDS, MS Dr. Paul J. Ashkenaz received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Loyola University School of Dentistry in 1965, his Certificate of Specialty in Endodontics in 1967 from Loyola University and a Masters Degree in Oral Biology in 1967 from Loyola University. He served as Associate Clinical Professor at Northwestern University Dental School for ten years and as Chief of Endodontics in the dental division at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center for five years. Dr. Ashkenaz has written numerous articles and given continuing education lectures for thirty five years at both a local and national level. He continues to lecture and teach to various professional groups and organizations. Dr. Ashkenaz is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics and served as a Director of the Board for six years. He is a member of the American Association of Endodontists, the Illinois Association of Endodontics, the Illinois Dental Association, the Chicago Dental Society and the Edgar D. Coolidge Endodontics Study Club.
Bob Atherton ’48, World traveler, mountain climber and fund raiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation.
Robert C. Atherton (1927–2009): Known as "Bob," he was a prominent figure in the machinery dealing industry. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, graduated from Senn High School but attended Sullivan for most of his hich school years. Bob served in the U.S. Army during WWII. He founded Raco Industrial Corp. in 1953, which became a prominent machinery dealership in the U.S.. He was an avid traveler, mountaineer, and river rafter and served as president of the Machinery Dealers National Association. A foundation, the Robert and Martha and John Atherton Foundation, is named after him and his family.
Marcia Bailey Vollmarv
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Ira Berkow. Class of 1957, an acclaimed American sportswriter, reporter, and author.
Berkow shared the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his article "The Minority Quarterback," part of The New York Times series "How Race Is Lived in America".
Sportswriting Career: He served as a prominent sports columnist and feature writer for The New York Times from 1981 until his retirement from the paper in 2007.
Awards and Honors: He was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1988 for "thoughtful commentary on the sports scene" and has been inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Author: Berkow has authored over 25 books, including a biography of legendary sportswriter Red Smith (Red: A Biography of Red Smith) and a memoir titled Full Swing: Hits, Runs, and Errors in a Writer's Life.
Other Works: He wrote the HBO documentary film Champions of American Sports, which was nominated for a Cable ACE Award.
Rena Berke ’53 - A prominent figure in Chicago's construction and trade association sectors. She was known for her leadership as a female executive in male-dominated industries and for her "ageless," rule-breaking spirit. She was CEO to various construction trade associations, the founder of School to Work Program in the construction trade, and mentor to many woman in business.
Professional Career
- Trade Association Leadership: She served as the Executive Director of the Iron League of Chicago, representing fabricators and erectors of structural steel and architectural metal. She also held CEO positions for various other construction trade associations.
- Education & Mentorship: She founded the School to Work Program within the construction trades and was a dedicated mentor to women in business.
- Industry Involvement: Berke was active in the convention, trade show, and meetings industry, where colleagues remembered her as a unique and "glitzy but down-to-earth" professional.
Donald Berz, Class of 1955, With degrees from the University of Colorado and the University of California at Berkeley, Don has served for 42 years in higher education.
Founder and charter member of the Association Of Community College Administrators, and 1977 recipient of the Administrative Excellence And Leadership Award, Chaffey College recognized him in naming the Don Berz Excellence Building.
He had a successful career in single and multi-district California Community Colleges.
His higher education degrees in Political Science are from the University of Colorado (Boulder) and the University of California (Berkeley).
In retirement, he has continued to provide consultancy services, including coaching and conflict resolution.
George Besbekis, Class of 1947 was a decorated U.S. Marine veteran of the Korean War, a mechanical engineer, and an award-winning dog breeder from Northbrook, IL.
Life and Career Highlights
Military Service: Besbekis was a proud Marine veteran who survived the harrowing "Battle of the Frozen Chosin Reservoir" during the Korean War.
Engineering and Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Personal Interests: An avid gardener, he won prizes for his roses and enjoyed growing peonies. He was also an award-winning breeder of Norwich Terriers and a member of The Great Lakes All Terrier Association.
He passed away on April 28, 2021, at the age of 91.
Marv Beskin, Class of 1943,
Tennis and basketball star for Sullivan HS and Northwestern University.
Chicago High School basketball scoring record.
He was a star basketball player for Sullivan High School, where he once held the Chicago high school basketball scoring record.
He is a member of the Sullivan High School Hall of Fame.
He attended Northwestern University, where he was a standout tennis and basketball player. He was a Big Ten tennis champion for the Wildcats.
He served as a navigator in the United States Navy during World War II.
Robert "Bob" Blauner, Class of 1946, an American sociologist, college professor, and author. He was a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and is known for his work on race relations, social class, and the theory of internal colonialism. Introduced the "Blauner Hypothesis," which differentiates the experiences of racism between minority groups created by colonization and those by voluntary immigration, stating the former experience greater and longer-lasting oppression.
Earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley, respectively. Taught at UC Berkeley from 1963 to 1993.
- Author of five books including Alienation and Freedom, Radical Oppression in America, Black Lives, White Lives.
- Book reviewer for the NY Times Sunday Book Review.
- Taught at University of Chicago Consultant to the McCone Commission investing Watts riot.
- Expert witness on bias and racism in jury selection including the 68 murder trial of Black Panther leader Huey Newton.
- Active in Anti Poverty Program.
Byron Bloch, Class of 1955, a nationally recognized and court-qualified expert in auto safety design and vehicle crashworthiness. He has over 50 years of experience in the field, advocating for safer vehicle designs through court testimony, congressional hearings, articles, and television appearances.
He has been a court-qualified expert in auto safety design and vehicle crashworthiness for over 30 years to help car crash victims seek justice in their court cases. To get the word out to the public, he has often appeared on TV news magazine and news programs.
After college, Byron worked on aerospace and military weapon systems, then focused on auto safety for the past 40 years. He’s testified to Congress , appeared on many national TV shows, has written and lectured extensively, and is an advocate to make all our vehicles safer and more “crashworthy”.
He’s fought for airbags, safer fuel tanks, stronger roofs, and for guards to prevent the truck underride hazard. He testifies nationally as an expert witness in court cases to help secure justice for severely injured car crash victims.
Byron received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Traffic Safety Symposium in 2001.
Phillip Bloomfield, Class of 1952 Dr. Philip E. Bloomfield is a Research Professor at Drexel University within the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems.
He is a key member of the Drexel Ultrasound and Optics Wound Healing Team, where his work focuses on the intersection of physics and medical technology.
Research and Academic Background: Studied at the University of Chicago, earning a B.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in physics. He joined the Drexel faculty in 1983. Prior to this, he conducted research at the University of Denmark and the Danish Institute of Biomedical Engineering from 1978 to 1983, focusing on ultrasound wave propagation and PVDF polymer transducers.
Specialization: His expertise includes biomedical ultrasonics, specifically the design and testing of piezoelectric transducers and sensors, power ultrasonics, and tissue characterization using nonlinear acoustics.
Contributions: Dr. Bloomfield has authored or co-authored over 250 scientific publications and holds several patents related to ultrasound technology.
Key Publications: His published research includes studies on the acoustical properties of polymers used in PVDF ultrasonic transducers and membrane hydrophone phase characteristics.
Sidney Blumenthal, Class of 1965, an American journalist, political operative, and Abraham Lincoln scholar. He is widely known as a long-time confidant and former adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
Career Overview
Political Adviser: Blumenthal served as an assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from August 1997 to January 2001. He was later a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.Journalism: Before his White House tenure, he was a respected political journalist who wrote for publications such as The New Republic, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker.
Author: He is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir The Clinton Wars and a multivolume biography of Abraham Lincoln, titled The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln.
David Bodanis, Class of 1973, American-born, London-based writer, speaker, and business advisor known for his bestselling popular science and history books. He specializes in making complex scientific concepts and historical narratives accessible to a general audience, most notably E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation.
Key InformationMajor Works and Achievements:
- E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation (2000): His most famous work, selling over a million copies. It was adapted into the PBS documentary Einstein's Big Idea and a South Bank Award-winning ballet.
- Electric Universe (2005): Winner of the Royal Society Prize for Science Book of the Year.
- Passionate Minds (2006): A biography of 18th-century French scientist Émilie du Châtelet, which was a BBC Book of the Week.
- Einstein's Greatest Mistake (2016): Named Science Book of the Year by The Sunday Times.
- The Art of Fairness (2020): Explores how decency and kindness can be powerful tools for success.
Education: He grew up in Chicago and studied mathematics, physics, and economics at the University of Chicago (AB 1977).
Journalism: He began his career as a foreign correspondent for the International Herald Tribune in Paris.
Academic & Consulting: Bodanis has lectured at the University of Oxford on intellectual history and social science methods. He serves as a business consultant for organizations such as Shell, the World Economic Forum (Davos), and the UK
Fred Bondy ’49, 1931–2010 Fred Bondy was recognized by the JCC for his endeavors on behalf of the Jewish community, domestically and abroad. He was steadfast in his efforts to preserve Jewish heritage and life and to secure a vibrant community future. He embraced the broad spectrum of global issues facing the Jewish community and tenaciously worked to address fundamental issues of human dignity and sustenance. He provided leadership for decades, offering insights and business acuity that strengthened organizational efforts and service delivery. Bondy died at his home in Wilmette on July 20 from complications following a stroke.
Bondy was born in 1931 in Chicago and grew up in Rogers Park. After graduating from the University of Illinois, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
He and his brother, Bill, founded U.S. Pharmacal, a forerunner of Crown Drug Company, which later became Major Pharmaceutical Company, a national manufacturer and distributor of generic pharmaceuticals. He went on to work as the chief operating officer of Parkway Drugs, where he worked until March 2009.
He was a member of the board of the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago for 16 years, serving as chairman in 2000-2001. He served as vice president and as a chairman of numerous JF/JUF committees. He also was vice president of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, a member of the board of the Chicago Friends of the Israel Defense Force, and a member of the Brookdale Institute.
Bondy supported efforts to promote peace and social justice throughout his life. In 1968 he marched in Washington, D.C. with Martin Luther King, along with Rabbi Arnold J. Wolf and other members of Congregation Solel.
“Volunteering brought him tremendous satisfaction and connected him with his faith and its people, and with the land of Israel,” said his wife, Lila.
In accepting an award from the JCC, Bondy said, “If you see something wrong that needs fixing, don’t depend on someone else to do it. Get off your butt and do whatever needs to be done to make it right.”
Bill Braden ’48, Author, reporter, political analyst and columnist for the Chicago Sun Times.
Bill received his bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees, with distinction, from the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University. He was named Medill's "outstanding male graduate" of 1953 by the Sigma Delta Chi professional journalism fraternity.
He received scores of major journalism awards including the Marshall Field Award "for outstanding service to the Chicago Sun-Times, for his consistent excellence as a reporter and writer and for the high professional standards and rare creative talent he applied to every assignment he undertook."
He authored three non-fiction books: The Private Sea, The Age of Aquarius and the Family Game. He also published short stories in anthologies and national magazines including Harper's and Esquire. He also taught journalism and English at Chicago's Columbia College and the University of Illinois at Chicago, and lectured at colleges and universities across the country as well as appearing frequently on radio and television programs. He was the recipient of a Chicago Emmy Award for local news reporting on the WFLD television station. In his spare time he logged hundreds of hours as a private pilot, including 45 minutes as pilot-in-command of the Goodyear Blimp America.
His professional papers, covering seminal Chicago events like the 1967 blizzard, are archived at the Newberry Library.
Zev Braun, ’46, a prominent American motion picture and television producer. He is most widely recognized for executive producing the acclaimed CBS Vietnam War drama series Tour of Duty (1987–1990).
Career Highlights
Braun's career spanned over five decades, beginning with independent filmmaking in the early 1960s before transitioning to major television productions.
Early Success: His 1964 film Goldstein won the Prix de la Nouvelle Critique at the Cannes Film Festival.
Award Nominations: He received Academy Award nominations for producing the documentary Marlene (1984) and the foreign film The Pedestrian (1973).
Notable Films: He produced the cult horror film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), starring Jodie Foster.
Television Movies: His extensive TV credits include The Gabby Douglas Story (2014), A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story (2006), and the miniseries Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994).
Personal Life and Philanthropy
Background: Born in Chicago, he attended the University of Chicago and initially worked in his family's packaging business before pursuing filmmaking.
Family: He was the father of former college basketball coach Ben Braun.
Service: Braun was deeply involved in charitable work, serving on the boards of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and the Sabin Vaccine Institute.
Betty Brunk ’43 Actor and winner of Mrs. America Pageant in 1943. She was best known for Mark of the Lash (1948), That Way with Women (1947) and Harrigan and Son (1960)
Background: Born Bette Brunk in Chicago, Illinois, she was crowned "Miss Chicago" in 1942 and was a runner-up in the Miss America contest the same year;In addition, she was a 1942 Swim Award winner. She later changed her name to Suzi Crandall and began an acting career, signing contracts with Selznick and Warner Brothers studios.
Career: Crandall appeared in various films and television shows, often in supporting or minor roles. Her credits include films like Mark of the Lash (1948), That Way with Women (1947), and Deception (1946), as well as TV series such as Harrigan and Son.
Later Life: She was last noted as teaching modeling in 1964.
Hal Bruno ’46, Political reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau chief, and long-time volunteer firefighter.
Key aspects of his career and life include:
Journalism Career: Bruno was the political director of ABC News from 1980 to 1999, where he oversaw national campaign and election coverage. Before joining ABC, he spent 18 years as a reporter and chief political correspondent for Newsweek magazine.
Moderator: In 1992, he gained national recognition as the moderator of the vice-presidential debate between Dan Quayle, Al Gore, and James Stockdale. He also hosted a weekly ABC Radio program called Hal Bruno's Washington.
Fire Service Advocacy: Outside of journalism, Bruno served for over 60 years as a dedicated volunteer firefighter. After retiring from ABC News, he served as the chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) from 1999 to 2008, where he helped expand services for survivors and promoted safety initiatives.
Legacy: The NFFF honors his commitment through programs like the Hal Bruno Camp for Kids, a bereavement camp for children of fallen firefighters.
Judith Byer Mostovoy Attorney, advocate for woman, board member woman’s bar association, president national council of Jewish women.
She grew up on the North Side of Chicago and graduated from Sullivan High School and the University of Illinois.
Along with three other women, Mrs. Mostovoy started the first nursery school program for the Homewood Park District.
In 1972, she became president of the National Council of Jewish Women, South Cook section. Under her leadership, seed money was provided to Aunt Martha’s Youth Service Center to start their first group home. She was active with the South Suburban Family Shelter, where she helped initiate the community’s rape crisis hot line and served on the advisory board, and with Temple Anshe Shalom in Olympia Fields, where she taught 1st and 9th grades.
When her sons were in their teens, she decided to become an attorney, graduating from John Marshall Law School in 1980. She later became a board member of the Women’s Bar Association. “She was doing rape crisis work and after she’d go to court, she’d come home and say `I can do a better job prosecuting these people.’ And that was it,” said her husband of 46 years, Sheldon. “Once she put her mind to it, she could do anything.”
As a Homewood village trustee from 1997-2001, she made many contributions, including “Light Up Homewood,” a program to celebrate all faiths during the holiday season.
Jack Century ’47
A preeminent petroleum and environmental geologist, and advocate for low-carbon energy supplies to help our ailing planet. His emphasis has been on environmental and oil geology and energy sustainability.
He’s a constant presenter of the “Inconvenient Truth” message initiated by Al Gore, and is an advocate for low-carbon energy supplies to help our ailing planet. Jack proudly credits the years at Sullivan in shaping his life.
Janie Carlin Shless Weisenberg was a prominent Chicago-area non-profit executive who served as the Executive Director of the Leukemia Research Foundation and Children's Oncology Services, Inc. She passed away in February 2016 at the age of 77 in Lombard, Illinois.
Professional Career
Janie spent decades leading non-profit organization initiatives in the Greater Chicago Area: [1]
- Leukemia Research Foundation: Appointed Executive Director in July 1992, she spearheaded foundational fundraising events, including establishing highly successful community 5K runs and 3K walks to expand donor outreach to younger generations.
- Children's Oncology Services, Inc.: She served as the Executive Director for this prominent organization, which is widely known for running One Step Camp programs for children diagnosed with cance
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Dennis Childs '81: Sullivan High School Football Legend
Football Career & Details
Sullivan High School Legend: had a historic high school football career playing for Roger C. Sullivan High School (the Sullivan Tigers) in Chicago, Illinois.
Career Highlights
- Team Success: He was a marquee player on the legendary 1978 Sullivan Tigers football team. He helped lead the squad to a historic state championship run.
- Individual Accolades: For his dominant performance on the field, Childs earned All-American and All-State honors.
- Hall of Fame Induction: In March 2026, his legacy was permanently cemented when he was inducted into the Sullivan High School Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his standout high school career.
Following his time at Sullivan High School, Childs relocated to Michigan and attended Michigan State University.
Michigan State Spartans: Dennis Childs played as an offensive tackle for the Michigan State Spartans. He wore No. 75 during his time with the Spartans.
Active Year: He is recorded on the roster in 1984.
Legacy: He shared the No. 75 jersey history with other notable Spartans linemen, including Rahn Bentley and Pete Clifford.If you are looking for a different Dennis Childs or want specific stats from his time at Michigan State.
Alfy Cohn ’45, "Alfy" (Alfred H.) Cohn was a legendary figure in Chicago's bowling community and a USBC Hall of Famer. He was recognized as one of the city's top bowling stars throughout the 1950s, '60s, and '70s.
Bowling Career & Achievements
National Titles: Cohn reached a career peak at the 1971 USBC Open Championships, winning both the Singles (738 score) and All-Events (2,063 score) titles. In total, he held four American Bowling Congress (ABC) Championship Tournament titles.
International Success: As a member of Team USA, he won gold medals in the five-man and eight-man team events at the 1977 FIQ American Zone tournament in Panama City.
Record Holder: During the 1970–71 season, he set an Illinois state average record of 235.30, which stood until 1988. At one point in the late '60s, he reportedly held the highest average in the country at 236 while bowling at Palisade Bowl in Chicago.
Hall of Fame Inductions: He was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1985. He is also a member of the Illinois State, Chicagoland, and Greater Calumet Bowling Association Halls of Fame.
Jerome Eisenstadt ’43, Professor of Microbiology & Human Genetics
Jerome M. Eisenstadt is a prominent figure in the field of genetics and microbiology, known for his extensive research and long career as a professor at Yale University. He became a professor emeritus in December 1998, after spending his entire teaching career at Yale.
Career at Yale University
Eisenstadt began his career at Yale in 1962 as an assistant professor of microbiology at the School of Medicine. He held various positions, progressing through the ranks to become Professor of Human Genetics in 1977.Research and Contributions
Dr. Eisenstadt is recognized internationally for his research in genetics and molecular biology, with a focus on protein synthesis, organelle genetics (specifically chloroplasts and mitochondria), and microbial growth. His work on chloroplasts supported the endosymbiotic theory by demonstrating their semi-autonomous nature and independent genetic systems. His research also covered topics such as protein synthesis in different organisms and the effects of amino acids on bacterial metabolism and enzyme production. Eisenstadt's research findings have been published in numerous scientific journals.
Forest Etheredge ’47, A Republican member of the Illinois State Senate who served from 1981 to 1993.
Founder of Math and Science Academy.
PHD in Philosophy from Loyola - Pioneer in Educational TV. - Grant from Kellogg Foundation
Before his political career, Etheredge was an American educator who served as president of multiple community colleges, including Rock Valley College, McHenry County College, and Waubonsee Community College. He left his post as president of Waubonsee upon his election to the state senate.
Blanche Erst ’46, Educator, civic leader, social activist.
Blanche Erst was a former junior high art teacher from Wilmette, Illinois, who became a notable activist. She spent over a decade fighting to improve the pension and health care benefits for retired teachers in Illinois. She was also an artist whose prints can be found in collections, such as the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art.
Sheila Falb Elias, '62: American multidisciplinary contemporary artist known for her innovative fusion of traditional fine arts with emerging technologies. Her work is characterized by "layers of life," blending visual, emotional, and psychological impressions.
Technological Integration: She was an early adopter of digital tools, evolving from using copy machines in the 1980s to creating "iPaint" series on the iPad today. Her "Painted Pixels" series involves digital paintings printed on aluminum to mimic the glow of an illuminated screen. Her portfolio includes painting, photography, sculpture, digital mixed media, and large-scale installations. Her art often portrays "harsh realities tempered with gentle optimism," addressing the complexities of the American dream, feminine identity, and social issues like homelessness.
International Recognition: Her work has been exhibited at prestigious institutions, including the Louvre Museum (Musée des Arts Décoratifs) in Paris, the New York Public Library, and the Bass Museum in Miami Beach.
Notable Installations:
"Rescue Mission One" (1980): Distributed hand-painted bags to homeless individuals in Los Angeles to bring museum symbols to the streets.
"Sonic Silence II": A groundbreaking show using large-scale photo-murals to explore themes of nature and civilization.
Education: She is an alumna of the Art Institute of Chicago and earned a master's degree from California State University, Northridge.
Recent and Ongoing Projects
- "Nature vs. Nurture" (2025): A featured exhibition at The Art Center Highland Park showcasing works alongside her children, Joshua and Joyce Elias.
- "Miami Mall" (April 2025): An upcoming exhibition scheduled at Locust Projects in Miami.
- "Optimism of Life" (2023–2024): A major retrospective celebrating 25 years of her artistic journey at Temple Beth Sholom.
Ellen Gimpel (Ellen Everett), '60: was a distinguished ballet dancer and Principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She is widely remembered for her professional stage name, Ellen Everett.
Early Life & Training: Born Ellen Gimpel in Springfield, Illinois, she began studying ballet as a child in Chicago and was performing professionally by high school.
Chicago Opera Ballet: Early in her career, she toured with Ruth Page's Chicago Opera Ballet (which later became the Lyric Opera Ballet), where she adopted her stage name.
American Ballet Theatre (ABT): Joining the ABT in 1964, she rose to the rank of principal dancer. She performed leading roles in several major ballets, including Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Pillar of Fire, Les Patineurs, and Rodeo, among others.
Legacy and Philanthropy: Following her performance career, she remained deeply involved with the ABT. Her husband, Herbert Kimiatek, established the Ellen Everett Kimiatek Costume Preservation Trust in her memory. This trust continues to support the preservation and sponsorship of costumes for major ABT productions
Honorable Lawrence Fisher ’45, Prominent attorney and Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Illinois.
Judge Lawrence Fisher (1921–2009) was a prominent federal jurist and bankruptcy specialist in Chicago. He is most noted for his long tenure on the bench and his academic achievements.
Federal Bankruptcy Judge: Fisher served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois for 13 years.
Chief Judge: During his tenure, he rose to the position of Chief Judge of the bankruptcy court.
Post-Judicial Role: After his time on the bench, he continued to be active in the legal system, serving as a bankruptcy trustee. He was involved in several high-profile cases, including serving as a Chapter 7 trustee for various estates.
Education: He was recognized as an exceptional student, becoming a Rhodes Scholar finalist at age 16.
Accelerated Learning: He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Chicago in just 15 months and earned his law degree summa cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School in 1948.
Private Practice: Before and after his judicial service, he practiced law with his father, Joseph, and brother, Leonard, at their family firm. He also worked with the firm D'Ancona & Pflaum.
Dr. Hazel Freeman Wagner (also known as Hazel Wagner, Ph.D.) is an author, professional speaker, and entrepreneur with a background in mathematics, business, and education. She holds multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. in mathematics from Northwestern University.
Career and Expertise
Education and Academia: Dr. Wagner taught math at various levels and has taught business classes and webinars for institutions like the American Management Association, Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and De Paul Graduate School of Business.
Business and Consulting: She is the founder and owner of B9D, Inc., a consulting company. Her expertise includes critical thinking, innovation, decision-making, and business strategy.
Author and Speaker: She has published four books on mathematics and business, including Power Brainstorming. She is also a professional speaker and has given a TEDx talk that has millions of views.
Mind Mapping: Dr. Wagner specializes in teaching a concept called mind mapping to enhance memory, studies, and planning.
Charles Garvin:
Dr. Charles D. Garvin (1929–2023) was an internationally renowned scholar, author, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, celebrated for his pathbreaking contributions to social group work, task-centered practice, and social justice. Over a career spanning more than five decades, his foundational research shaped how social workers utilize group therapy and community-based interventions worldwide. [1, 2, 3]
Academic & Early Career
- Education: Earned both his Master's degree (1951) and his Ph.D. (1968) from the University of Chicago.
- Early Work: Began his career in Chicago as a dedicated group worker for organizations like the Henry Booth House and the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago.
- University of Michigan: Joined the faculty in 1965 and taught social work research, group work theories, and international social work until his retirement in 2002.
- Doctoral Leadership: Directed the University's Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science for seven years.
Major Contributions & Leadership
- Group Work Pioneer: Regarded as a towering figure in group work, he co-founded the Committee for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups. He also served as the first president of the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG).
- Editorial Roles: Shared his expertise globally as the long-time co-editor of the interdisciplinary journal Small Group Research.
- Community Innovation: Established the Jewish Family Services of Ann Arbor and served on the city's Model City Planning Board.
- Focus on Social Justice: In his later years, he focused deeply on how structural oppression, privilege, and marginalization impact a person's willingness to speak up or participate equitably in group settings.
Selected Publications
Dr. Garvin authored, co-authored, or edited dozens of seminal texts, including:
- Contemporary Group Work (multiple editions)
- Handbook of Social Work with Groups (with Lorraine Gutiérrez and Maeda Galinsky)
- Social Work and Social Justice: Concepts, Challenges, and Strategies
- Socially Just Practice in Groups: A Social Work Perspective (with Robert Ortega)
Awards and Legacy
For his profound impact on the field, the Council on Social Work Education honored him with the Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award in 2012. In 2020, the National Association of Social Workers officially named him an NASW Social Work Pioneer. To honor his legacy, the IASWG features a dedicated Charles Garvin Invitational Session at its annual symposium to support research in group.
Harry Geisinger '52, Harry Geisinger was a Republican politician who served two separate tenures in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Career Overview
First Tenure: Geisinger served from 1969 to 1975, when the Republican party was a small minority in the Georgia legislature.
Second Tenure: He returned to office in 2005 and served until his death in 2015.
Key Issues: He was a dedicated advocate for legalizing pari-mutuel betting and horse racing in Georgia, and he also worked on legislation related to solar panels, water rights, and protecting privacy from commercial drones.
Military Service: He was a U.S. Navy veteran, serving as a quartermaster during the Korean War.
Profession: Before returning to politics, he was a consultant and the owner of an advertising agency, and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to be the administrator of the Southeastern Power Administration.
Sanford Gerber: "Sandy" Gerber was a prominent audiologist and speech-language pathologist known for his pioneering research in pediatric audiology and neonatal hearing screening.
Academic Leadership: He served as a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) for 29 years (1965–1994). After retiring from UCSB, he founded the Department of Communication Disorders at Eastern Washington University, where he taught until 2000.
Research Focus: Dr. Gerber's work centered on infants and the early detection of hearing pathology. He authored 14 books and over 150 journal articles, including the book Prevention.
Industry & Government: Before his academic career, he was the head of speech and hearing research at Hughes Aircraft Co. and later served as an "Expert Research Linguist" for the National Security Agency (NSA) for approximately 15 years.
Organizational Leadership: He was the fourth president of the Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC) and was notably the first non-MD to hold the position.
Aaron Gold ’55: Prominent entertainment columnist for the Chicago Tribune and WMAQ Channel 5. Best known for writing the "Tower Ticker" column during the 1970s and early 1980s and later co-writing the "INC." column. He was a central figure in Chicago's media landscape, often described as a writer who "brought the world to Chicago" through his coverage of celebrities and local society.
Career and LegacyJournalism Career: Gold began his career at WBBM Channel 2 before joining the Chicago Tribune. He took over the "Tower Ticker" column in 1973.
Television and Media: In addition to his print work, he served as a feature reporter for WMAQ-Channel 5 and was a frequent contributor to Chicago talk radio.
Theater Production: Before joining the Tribune, Gold was involved in the arts as a co-producer of the Broadway play Status Quo Vadis and an associate producer at the Ivanhoe Theater.
Philanthropy: He was actively involved in civic work and was named the 1981 Humanitarian of the Year by the Easter Seal Society of Metropolitan Chicago. Following his death, the Aaron Gold Scholarship was established at the Theater School of DePaul University to support performing arts students.
Grant Golden ’46, Tennis and basketball star for Sullivan and Northwestern U. Northwestern Hall of Fame.
He was a two-time singles All-American at Northwestern University (1948-1951) and won the Big Ten singles and doubles championships in 1950.
Golden was twice ranked number 10 in singles in the U.S. and reached as high as number two in doubles.
He won numerous titles, including the U.S. National Indoor Doubles championship in 1957 and 1958, and the U.S. National Clay Court Doubles championship three times.
He represented the United States in the Pan American Games, the Maccabiah Games, and the 1957 Davis Cup.
Golden won three consecutive doubles titles at the Cincinnati Masters from 1956 to 1958.
Herb Golden ’45, Television writer/producer who won 15 Emmy awards and 20 Television Academy nominations.
Herb Golden was a television writer and producer best known for his work during the late 1950s. On IMDb, he is specifically credited for:
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955): Golden is credited as a writer for the 1959 episode "Dead Weight".
The Alaskans (1959): He served as a writer for the episode "The Abominable Snowman".
Through the Eyes of a Child (1988): He is also associated with this later production.
Professional Profile
Production Role: He was described as a "pillar in the television production world," serving as a writer, director, and producer.
Industry Legacy: His peers remembered him as "larger than life" and a significant creative force in TV production.
Personal Life
Background: Born in Chicago on January 3, 1927, he later lived and worked in California.
Wayne Goldstein, M.D. Dr. Wayne M. Goldstein is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement surgery and reconstruction.
Profession and Expertise: He has over 45 years of experience and is a specialist in knee and hip reconstruction, having performed more than 15,000 joint replacement surgeries. He also helped design a Primary Total Knee System and pioneered a minimally invasive hip replacement technique.
Affiliations: Dr. Goldstein is the founder, President, and CEO of the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI), one of the largest independent orthopedic group practices in the U.S.. He also serves as the Chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and a Clinical Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago.
Location: He practices primarily in Morton Grove and Des Plaines, Illinois.
Recognition: He is an oral examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Arthroplasty.
Sheldon Good ’51, Civic leader and founder of one of the largest international real estate marketing firms in the US. He was a prominent real estate broker, auction pioneer, author, and the founder of Sheldon F. Good & Co., a major real estate auction firm based in Chicago.
Career: Sheldon Good founded his real estate company in 1965. He was recognized for his innovative use of real estate auctions as a marketing tool and was a highly influential figure in the Chicago real estate scene. His company eventually became one of the largest real estate auctioneers in the U.S..
Leadership: He served as the World President of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) in 1996 and was a past President of the Chicago Association of Realtors.
Awards: He was named Realtor of the Year for the City of Chicago in 1991 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from FIABCI in 2020 in recognition of his contributions to the industry.
Author and Speaker: Good was a published author and a frequent speaker at business schools across the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Chicago.
Family: He and his son, Steven L. Good, co-owned the company for some time, though they experienced a falling out after Steven took over as CEO in the early 2000s.
Ed Gordon ’48, Internationally acclaimed concert pianist and arts administrator who served as the Executive Director of the Ravinia Festival for 22 years, from 1968 to 1990. He is credited with transforming the festival from a regional summer event into an internationally recognized musical destination.
Background: Before his tenure at Ravinia, Gordon was a distinguished pianist who debuted at New York's Town Hall in 1954. He moved into administration in 1958, serving as general manager of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago before joining Ravinia in 1968. After retiring from Ravinia in 1990, he continued to serve as a judge for major international piano competitions, including the Van Cliburn.
Career: Gordon was a fine musician and accomplished pianist who performed a debut in New York at Town Hall in 1954. He later shifted to the administrative side of music, serving as the executive director of the Ravinia Festival for 22 years.
Accomplishments: During his tenure at Ravinia, he brought the festival international recognition, oversaw renovations, and established the Steans Institute for Young Artists.
Later Life: After retiring in 1990, he served as a judge for several major piano competitions. He passed away in 1996.Key Contributions and Legacy
Artistic Leadership: In 1972, Gordon appointed James Levine as the festival's music director, a partnership that lasted 20 years and significantly elevated the festival's artistic profile.
Steans Music Institute: He was the driving force behind the creation of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI), an elite on-campus training program for young professional musicians that remains a core part of Ravinia's mission today.Infrastructure Growth: Under his leadership, the festival's open-air Pavilion was renovated and the John D. Harza Building was constructed. This building houses the Bennett Gordon Hall, a 450-seat concert hall named in his honor and that of his brother, Theodore Bennett Gordon.
Edward Gordon Society: Ravinia established the Edward Gordon Society to recognize donors who make planned gifts or estate bequests to ensure the festival's long-term future.
Commemorative Art: The sculpture Piano Passion by Richard Hunt, located on the Ravinia grounds, was created specifically to honor Gordon's contributions to the festival.
Rita Goran Siegal ’51, Rita G. Siegal is the founder and chief executive officer of Budd Engineering Corporation, a position she has held since establishing the company in 1959. The firm's corporate headquarters have been associated with Rita and Burton Siegal, the co-founders.
- Related Entities: The Budd Company (often associated with automotive and railway engineering) is a well-known historical engineering entity, though she and her husband, Burton Lee Siegal's specific affiliation is listed as the "Budd Engineering Corporation" during the 1953–1954 period.
In addition to her work with Budd Engineering, she is also an inventor and entrepreneur associated with the company Easy Living Products, based in Skokie, Illinois.
She is specifically known for inventing and marketing assistive jewelry products designed to simplify everyday tasks.
Key details include:
Core Products: Her most notable invention is a jewelry clasp assistant (often marketed under names like the "Easy Living Jewelry Clasp"). It is an assistive device designed to help individuals, especially those with limited dexterity or arthritis, easily fasten bracelets and necklaces without assistance.
Company Background: Easy Living Products was established to develop and sell these types of "lifestyle" aids. The company has historically focused on products that improve functional independence.
Location: The company and its registration are linked to Skokie, Illinois.
Leonard Gordon ’43, WWII Hero Decorated Combat Veteran
Military Service: He served in the 6th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army during the New Guinea and Philippines campaigns.
Commendations: He earned three Bronze Star commendations and three Purple Hearts for his actions in combat.
While working for Exata, he was responsible for coining the “Canon” camera name and bringing it to the American market.
Born and raised in Chicago, his story captures his transition from a teenager in the city to a frontline soldier in the sweltering and brutal conditions of the Pacific theater.
Leonard Gordon is the subject of the memoir Righteous Might: One Man's Journey Through War in the Pacific.
Righteous Might: One Man’s Journey Through War in the Pacific is based on the memoirs of Leonard Gordon who served in the 6th Infantry Division in New Guinea and the Philippines, earning three Bronze Star commendations and three Purple Hearts. His first-person story takes the reader from his life as a teenager in Chicago, Illinois, through basic training and on to bloody combat in the sweltering Pacific. The narrative depicts daily life in camp and in the foxhole as well as brutal and deadly combat. The text includes additional background material and quotes from other 6th Infantry Division veterans to round out the foot soldiers’ view of the war. In a historical perspective, Righteous Might fills an unfortunately significant gap that exists in material covering the lesser-known Pacific campaigns of the U.S. Army. We know much more about Marine campaigns, such as Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Iwo Jima, than we do about Army campaigns in New Guinea and the Philippines, even though many of the battles there were equally ferocious, equally bloody and equally critical. Righteous Might follows Gordon and the rest of the 6th Infantry Division as they help push the Japanese forces back across the Pacific.
Leonard Graivier, M.D. ’45 highly regarded American pediatric surgeon and a dedicated community leader in Dallas, Texas. Professor of pediatric surgery, A pioneer in the surgical procedure to separate conjoined twins.
Career and Education
Dr. Graivier received a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and his M.D. from Chicago Medical School. After completing his medical training, he and his wife Pauline moved to Dallas in 1963.He established a distinguished career as an attending pediatric surgeon at several major Dallas hospitals, including:
Children's Medical Center.Parkland Hospital
Medical City Dallas Hospital
St. Paul HospitalHe also served as a consulting physician at Baylor, Methodist, and Presbyterian Hospitals. He was a long-time volunteer leader for the March of Dimes foundation, serving since 1964.
Community Involvement
Beyond his medical practice, Dr. Graivier was actively involved in civic and Jewish community organizations. His board memberships included the Dallas Commission for Children and Youth, the American Jewish Committee, and the Jewish Family Service, and he chaired the Doctors' Division of the Jewish Federation. He also served as a docent at the Dallas Holocaust Museum.
Ronald Gray; Ron Gray, an industrialist and track champion (currently a Masters Athlete), is a celebrated USA Track and Field National Masters Champion competing in the 90+ age division.
He represented Team USA in the 100 and 200-meter dash events at the World Master Athletics competition.
At age 85, his best 100m time for the year was 18.63 seconds. In April 2024, at age 91, he secured 2nd place in a USA Track and Field Nationals Competition.
He is known for his dedication, training daily with his coach George Quijano in Denver.
Bud Green '50, Industrialist, Philanthropist.
Bud Greene was a prominent Chicago industrialist best known for his executive role with Dearborn Wire and Cable, a major manufacturer and supplier in the electrical and electronics components industry. [1]
He was recognized as a highly distinguished business leader within the Chicago region, and his professional and philanthropic contributions connected him deeply to major local institutions like the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Industrial Impact
- Dearborn Wire and Cable: Greene's leadership helped establish the company as a key regional player in industrial manufacturing, providing specialized cables and wiring essential to Midwestern infrastructure and emerging electronic sectors.
- Corporate Distinctions: His corporate success solidified his standing alongside other legendary Chicago-area executives of his era, such as Carl Korn of Cobra Electronics.
Shecky Green ’44, World recognized entertainer and comedian.
Shecky Greene was a legendary Las Vegas headliner known for his improvisational style and dozens of appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Career and Life
Las Vegas Legend: Greene was a dominant force on the Las Vegas Strip in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, where his energetic and unscripted act in hotel lounges paved the way for other comedians.
Film & Television: He appeared in several films, including Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I (1981) and Splash (1984), and had a recurring role in the TV series Combat!.
Al Grossman ’51, Entrepreneur, mentor of high school students and founder of the Dorothy Huck Scholarship Award.
Al Grossman was a prominent figure in the lighting industry and the former President of ConTech Lighting, a commercial and residential lighting manufacturer based in Niles, Illinois. Al was known as a "giant in the lighting industry".
Career at ConTech Lighting: Grossman served as the President of the company and was widely regarded as a "giant in the lighting industry". He previously led Al Grossman & Associates, where he mentored future industry professionals in both technical and business knowledge.
Company Overview: Under his leadership, ConTech Lighting specialized in high-performance, energy-efficient luminaires, including LED track lighting, strip lighting, and sustainable architectural systems.
Impact and Legacy: He was a mentor to many, providing both technical knowledge and business awareness that helped employees throughout their careers. In addition to his mentorship of high school students, it is reported that he established the Dorothy Huck Scholorship Award.
Passing: Al Grossman passed away in early January 2018.
Joseph Gutman, Businessman, and Philanthropist.
Joseph Gutman is a prominent Chicago-based businessman and philanthropist. He is a retired partner at BDT & Company and a former managing director at GCM Grosvenor and partner at Goldman Sachs.
Gutman earned a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois in 1979 and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in 1981. He spent 22 years at Goldman Sachs, becoming a partner and co-head of the firm's Chicago office. He later joined GCM Grosvenor as a managing director and executive team member.
He has held numerous board positions, including for the University of Illinois System Board of Trustees, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Council, the Birthright Israel Foundation, and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
Gutman is the son of Holocaust survivors and has been an active supporter of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he was honored at a Chicago fundraiser in 2021.
Sanford Hahn Class of ’55, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
Sanford "Sandy" Hahn, CEO of Perfection Equipment, Inc,, was a prominent figure in the foodservice equipment industry, notably serving as the President of the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) in 1996.
Key Details and Roles
NAFEM Leadership: He was a longtime board member and served as the association's president.
Professional Career: Hahn spent over 47 years at Perfection Equipment, a Gurnee, Illinois-based manufacturer of beverage and condiment dispensers, where he ultimately served as CEO. He was a leading engineering developer and manufacturer of patented products and systems for dispensing liquids and condiments in major installations at many renowned sports arenas and airports. Additionally, he partnered in a major innovative movement with Shell Oil in an initiative to meet the Environ- mental Protection Agency’s latest requirements.
Industry Recognition: He was a recipient of the NAFEM Presidential Award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the association and the industry.
Personal Background: He resided in Evanston, Illinois, and passed away on August 25, 2015, at the age of 78.
Philanthrophy: His charitable work included serving on the philanthropic committee of Temple Solel, organizing, promoting and participating in the temple’s charities.
Scott Halling Class of 1972: Educator, War Hero
Master Sergeant Scott Halling (MSG, Ret.), is a long-standing educator and military instructor in Chicago, primarily known for his leadership in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program.
Current Role: He serves as the Senior Army Instructor (SAI) for the JROTC program at Lake View High School in Chicago.
Military Rank: He holds the rank of Sergeant Major (SGM).
Education & Background: Halling is an alumnus of Chicago's Sullivan High School and later studied at Excelsior College.
Career Tenure: He has been a fixture in the Chicago JROTC community for decades; records indicate he was serving as a chaperone and instructor for CPS city-wide student travel programs as early as 2007. His work history includes: Senior Army Instructor JROTC at Lake View High School in Chicago, Army Junior OTC Instructor at Chicago Public Schools.
Family: He is the son of the late Harry Dean Halling of Morton Grove, Illinois.
Harold H. Harrison, M.D., Ph.D. Class of 1968, was a prominent clinical pathologist, researcher, and academic leader. He was widely recognized as an expert in clinical laboratory science and regulatory affairs.
Professional Career & Leadership
Geisinger Health System: From 2007 until his death in 2018, he served as the Director of Clinical Pathology and Director of Regional Laboratories. He was credited with elevating laboratory performance and implementing advanced quality control measures based on Sigma statistics.
College of American Pathologists (CAP): He held significant leadership roles, including Pennsylvania State Commissioner for the Laboratory Accreditation Program and a member of the Inspection Process Committee.
Academic Faculty: He was a faculty member at the University of Chicago until 1992 and later served as a Medical Director at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Education & Training
B.S. in Chemistry: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1972).
M.D. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry: University of Illinois Chicago (1976 and 1979 respectively).
Residency: Clinical Pathology at the University of Chicago.Research & Contributions
Dr. Harrison specialized in medical genetics and molecular genetics. His research contributions included:
Developing standards for laboratory screening and diagnosis of open neural tube defects (ONTDs).
Technical work on the reproducibility of high-resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis.
Authored numerous papers on prenatal screening markers and the impact of folic acid fortification.Personal Life
Born on March 18, 1951, in Oak Park, Illinois, he was known for his "brilliant" intellect and devotion to his family. He passed away suddenly on June 6, 2018, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, at the age of 67. He is survived by his wife, Brenda, and their three children: Amelia, Maggie, and Henry.
George Heinemann ’36, NBC executive who pioneered children’s programming.
George A. Heinemann (1918–1996) was a prominent American television executive and producer who began his influential career in Chicago.
Career in Chicago
Heinemann is best known for his pioneering work in children's and educational television while at NBC’s Chicago affiliate, WNBQ (now WMAQ-TV):Ding Dong School: In 1952, he created this landmark preschool program hosted by Dr. Frances Horwich. The show was so successful locally that it became a national NBC network program.
Educational Innovation: He developed the first college-credit course to be televised by a commercial station.
Other Programs: During his time in Chicago, he was also involved in developing educational and public service programming, establishing a philosophy that children should be treated as sophisticated viewers.
Personal Background
Early Life: Born in Chicago on December 9, 1918.
Education: He attended Sullivan High School, graduating in 1936, and Northwestern University, graduating in 1941.
Later Years: He moved to New York in 1956 to continue his career as a program manager for WRCA-TV (now WNBC), where he later developed Shari Lewis and Lambchop.Legacy and Honors
Heinemann received a Peabody Award in 1971 for his career-long dedication to children's television. He passed away in August 1996 at the age of 78.
Bonnie Hiller Lipton, Class of 1957
Bonnie Lipton the former National President and an Honorary Vice President of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. She is a long-standing volunteer and leader within the organization, serving in various senior positions both nationally and regionally.
Key Roles and Accomplishments
National President: Lipton served as the national president, a full-time volunteer role where she worked extensively without pay.
Building Oversight: She was instrumental in overseeing significant building projects in Israel, including the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower and the Charlotte Bloomberg Mother and Child Center at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Ein Kerem.
Danny Hurwitz Class of 1979
All City, All State quarterback for Sullivan during their first and only public school championship. Northwestern University’s football team in 1981 and 1982.
Danny Hurwitz is an investment banking and institutional sales professional, recognized for optimizing business efficiency and leading cross-functional collaboration, consistently ranking as a top performer.
Professional:
Managing Director Originations Group
Horizon Technology Finance a Monroe Capital company
Managing Director
ROTH Capital Partners & Affiliated Companies
Education:
Masters of Management 1993
Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
Executive Masters Program
BS Communication Studies 1983
Northwestern UniversityActivities and societies:
Football Letterman, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity
Richard "Dick" Hurwitz Class of 1948
Richard Hurwitz was a prominent Chicago native who built a lasting legacy as a writer, director, and producer in the television production world. Born in Chicago on January 3, 1927, Hurwitz's roots trace deeply into the historic fabric of the city's far north side, notably as a recognized alumnus and figure tied to the Rogers Park community, and served as President of the Sullivan High School Alumni Association.
He passed away leaving a reputation among his peers as a "larger than life" creative force who served as a pillar of early and mid-20th-century media production.
Key Highlights of His Life and Legacy
- Chicago Roots: Born and raised in Chicago, he spent his formative years absorbing the culture of neighborhoods like Rogers Park before later expanding his career to California.
- Sullivan High School Connection: He is celebrated by community groups like the Friends of Sullivan as one of the notable historic alumni of Roger C. Sullivan High School—a bedrock educational institution in the Rogers Park neighborhood.
- Television Production Pillar: Over his extensive career, he worked dynamically behind the scenes across multiple roles as a writer, director, and producer, shaping the foundational decades of televised media.
- Industry Reputation: Within the entertainment and broadcasting circuits, his colleagues and peers consistently remembered him as a dominant, highly influential creative force.
Peter Jacobi ’48, Professor, Journalism and newsman.
Peter Jacobi (1930–2019) was a prominent Professor Emeritus at the Indiana University Media School and a widely respected arts critic.
Key Contributions at Indiana University
Teaching Career: Jacobi began teaching at the IU School of Journalism in 1985 and was known for his rigorous editing style and dedication to students. He officially retired in 2017 after more than three decades with the university.
Arts Criticism: He served as the longtime music columnist and critic for the Bloomington Herald-Times, where he authored hundreds of reviews and columns, particularly on classical music and opera.
Scholarship: The Peter Jacobi Scholarship was established at IU to support undergraduate journalism students, with a preference for those studying arts journalism.
Publications: He authored several standard reference texts, including:
- The Magazine Article: How to Think It, Plan It, Write It.
- Writing with Style: The News Story and the Feature.
Background and Legacy
Education & Early Career: Born in Berlin, he moved to the U.S. at age eight. Before joining Indiana University, he held faculty and administrative roles at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism from 1955 to 1985.
Professional Impact: In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the IU Media School for his contributions to the field.
Death: Peter Jacobi passed away on Christmas Eve, 2019, at the age of 89.
Dr. Jerry Jones ’45, Dental consultant to NASA. Founder of the International Society for Correlative Biologic Research.
In the 1980s, Dr. Jerry Jones (Jerry F. Jones, M.D.) co-founded the International Society for Correlative Biological Research (ISCBR) along with Dr. Lee Monroe of the Scripps Clinic.
Key details regarding Dr. Jerry Jones' career and associations include:
Educator: Dr Jones was an emeritus faculty member in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pathology and Microbiology.
Pathology Career: He spent 53 years at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), where he was a surgical pathologist and Nebraska's first board-certified forensic pathologist.
Scientific Contributions: He was the first to report an algae infection in a human and conducted groundbreaking research on shaken baby syndrome, for which he lectured internationally.
Legacy: Following his death in 2012, his family requested memorial gifts be made to support the Education Program at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Lawrence "Larry" Jonesi Class of 1946, Educator, Professional Baseball Player and Business Professional
Education:
He attended Roger Sullivan High School, class of 1946
He played football and baseball at Northwestern University, and graduated with a B.S. in Education.Military:
Korean War Veteran, U.S. Army's 17th Infantry Regiment in Onyang, Korea.Professional Career:
Jonesi was an inventor of sports-related games, including "Kardball," a precursor to modern fantasy baseball games.Professional Baseball Career:
During the early 1950s, Jonesi played as a shortstop and second baseman in the minor leagues:
He played for the Galesburg Pioneers (Mississippi-Ohio Valley League) in 1950 and the Danville Dans (Mississippi-Ohio Valley League) in 1951.
In 1950, he appeared in 111 games, recording 107 hits and a .264 batting average. In 1951, he played 115 games, tallying 101 hits and maintaining a .249 average.Impact and Legacy:
Larry was a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Chicago Public Schools for 37 years, serving at Jirka Elementary School, Foreman, Phillips, Sullivan, Mather, and Von Steuben High Schools, and as a citywide Athletic Coordinator.
At Sullivan High School, Larry coached some of the best football, basketball, and baseball teams in the city during the late 1960's and early 1970's.
During this time, he also started and ran Jamboree Day Camp at Caldwell Woods, one of the most popular and beloved day camps on the North Shore.He died on March 31, 2012, at the age of 83 and is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, Illinois.
Edward Jordan ’55, Circuit Court Judge specializing in domestic law.
Judge Jordan served as a judge in the 12th Subcircuit of Cook County, Illinois.
He was known for his work in the Family Law Division and was a member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Family Law Section Council for many years.
He authored articles for the ISBA newsletter and was a respected legal professional.
The Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) has a "Hon. Edward R. Jordan Lifetime Achievement Award" named in his honor.
Daniel Joseph Engineer, Mathematician, University Professor
Dr. Daniel D. Joseph (1929–2011) was born in Chicago, he became a foundational figure in fluid mechanics and rheology.
Early Life & Chicago Roots: He was born on March 26, 1929, and attended Sullivan High School.
Before entering engineering, he earned an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Chicago in 1950 and worked as a machinist in the city for several years
Education in Chicago: He transitioned to engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), where he completed his B.S. (1959), M.S. (1960), and Ph.D. (1963) in mechanical engineering.
Career Beginnings: He started his academic career as an Assistant Professor at IIT in 1962 before joining the University of Minnesota in 1963, where he spent the remainder of his primary career.
Major Contributions: He is renowned for his work on hydrodynamic stability, viscoelastic fluids, and multiphase flows. He was a member of all three U.S. National Academies (Sciences, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences).
Additional links:
https://grokipedia.com/page/daniel_d_joseph
https://www.nae.edu/27598/Dr-D
Howard Kaplan ’59 Attorney, CPA, civic leadership, chairman Illinois Commission of Discrimination & Hate Crimes.
Howard Kaplan was a Chicago attorney and the founder of The Kaplan Partners LLP, a law firm.
Education: He was born in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1962 with high honors, and from John Marshall Law School in 1967.
Community Involvement: He served for many years as a director and vice chair on the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Board of directors. He also served on the Cook County Hate Crimes Commission for 20 years.
Legacy: He was known for his dedication to Israel and the Jewish people, and his work in civil rights advocacy.
He served as chairman of Israel Bonds-Midwest and was a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
He was chairman of the Jewish National Fund, served on the board of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was active in Hadassah and United Synagogues of America, among other Jewish communal involvement.
Stanley J. Karp ’42 WWll and Korea Command Navigator
Awards and Commendations
- Distinguished Flying Cross - awarded for "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight."
- The Air Medal - awarded to a military person who has distinguished himself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight for single acts of merit or heroism or for meritorious service.
- American Campaign Medal
- National Service Medal
- Korean Service Medal (recalled in Korea)
- Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Dr. Armen Kelikian ’69, Orthopedic Surgeon. Expertise foot ankle & lower leg, Author, team physician Chicago Bears & Blackhawks. Professor at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
Dr. Armen Kelikian is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in complex foot and ankle conditions, practicing in the Chicago, Illinois area. He is affiliated with major hospitals including Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals
Professional Overview
Specialty: Orthopedic Surgery, with expertise in foot and ankle surgery, including reconstruction, total ankle replacement, fracture care, and sports injuries.
Education: He received his medical degree from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1976 and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in 1981.
Experience: Dr. Kelikian has over 45 years of experience in the medical field.
Publications: He is the author of numerous publications, including the books Operative Treatment of the Foot and Ankle and Disorders of the Ankle.
Pamela Kimmel Becker ’62, Professional classical guitarist.
Pamela Kimmel, an American classical guitarist, musician, and former associate professor emerita at the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University and a core figure in the Chicago Classical Guitar Society.
Professional Profile
Teaching & Faculty: She serves as a Professor of Guitar at Roosevelt University, where she has headed the guitar program for several decades, mentoring numerous professional guitarists.
Organizational Leadership: Kimmel is a member and former officer of the Chicago Classical Guitar Society, an organization dedicated to promoting the classical guitar through concerts and education.
Performance: While primarily known for her pedagogical influence, she has a long history of performance and involvement with the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA), helping to bring major conventions and competitions to the Chicago area.
Jerry Kleiner Interior Designer, Restauranteur
Jerry Kleiner is a prominent Chicago restaurateur and interior designer known for his "wow factor" designs and for pioneering the development of the West Randolph Street "Restaurant Row" and South Loop dining scenes.
Notable Chicago Restaurants:
Kleiner is recognized for creating theatrical, opulent spaces with vibrant colors and eclectic decor.Carnivale: A massive, 30,000-square-foot Fulton Market landmark known for its colorful Latin-inspired decor and festive atmosphere; it celebrated its 20th anniversary in late 2025.
Vivo, Marché, and Red Light: These iconic Randolph Street venues were central to the area's transformation in the 1990s but have since closed.
Gioco: A long-standing South Loop Italian restaurant in a former speakeasy that eventually closed in 2018.
Opera and Saiko: Former South Loop establishments that were part of his expansion into the neighborhood in the early 2000s.
Il Poggiolo: Located in nearby Hinsdale, this Italian restaurant features Kleiner’s signature design aesthetic.Design Style and Career
Interior Design: He operates Jerry Kleiner Design, focusing on hospitality and residential projects in both Chicago and Los Angeles.
Signature Look: His designs often incorporate "found" elements, lush fabrics like velvet drapes, and unique furniture to create what he describes as "individual sculptures".
Residential Work: He gained attention for his personal 9,400-square-foot West Town home, a converted industrial garage known as "Villa Kleiner," which featured a putting green and professional-grade kitchen before selling in 2015.
Joan Kramer '62, Movie-TV, Producer & Director.
Joan Kramer, an American television producer and writer known for her documentaries about Hollywood's classic stars.
Career Highlights
Documentary Focus: Alongside her producing partner David Heeley, Kramer produced numerous award-winning cultural profiles on figures such as Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, and Spencer Tracy.
Awards: She has received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Special for American Masters in 1990.
Notable Works: Her prominent projects include Katharine Hepburn: All About Me, James Stewart: A Wonderful Life, and Bacall on Bogart.
Author: Kramer co-authored the book In the Company of Legends with David Heeley, sharing backstories about their experiences working with the stars.
Marva Kravitz Volmer ’45 Famed appraiser and collector of Asian art recognized for her leadership in the arts in New Mexico.
She is widely recognized for her leadership in the arts, cultural contributions, and dedication to the promotion and preservation of Asian art within New Mexico. [1]
Key Highlights
- Expertise: Highly regarded professional appraiser and private collector specializing in Asian art pieces and antiquities.
- Regional Impact: Active figure in the Southwest art scene, known for shaping collections and supporting artistic initiatives across New Mexico. [1]
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Melvin 'Mickey' Kupperman '53, Engineer, Businessman.
Melvin "Mickey" Kupperman, a prominent figure in real estate development and civil engineering. He is the Vice Chairman Emeritus of Silverstein Properties, a real estate development, investment, and management firm.
Key information about Melvin Kupperman:
Career: He served as the President and CEO of the international architectural/engineering/construction firm A. Epstein and Sons for 25 years. After retiring from A. Epstein in 2005, he joined Silverstein Properties to help rebuild the World Trade Center.
Major Projects: Throughout his career, he managed large-scale and complex projects, including the expansion of McCormick Place and the United Airlines Terminal at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, as well as the redevelopment of Midway Airport. At Silverstein Properties, he managed the design process for the commercial development of Towers 2, 3, and 4 at the World Trade Center.
Education: He earned a B.S. and M.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Awards and Affiliations: The University of Illinois has honored him with the College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award. He has served on various boards and committees, including the Engineering at Illinois Board of Visitors and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
Mel Kurlander ’38, WWII hero who flew 79 missions, won five air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Melvin Kurlander (1921–2011) was a highly decorated World War II Navy pilot who served as a Lieutenant Junior Grade (Lt.jg.) with the famous VF-17 squadron, known as the "Jolly Rogers", the highest-scoring naval fighter squadron in the Pacific during its initial tour. In just 76 days of combat, they shot down 154 Japanese aircraft.
Mel flew 79 missions in World War 2 and won five air medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Key Facts
Military Service: He was a decorated pilot during World War II, flying with the VF-17 unit in the Pacific theater. He was regarded by peers as a "true American hero" for his combat experiences.
Fighting Squadron 17 (VF-17), known as the "Jolly Rogers," was one of the most distinguished and successful U.S. Navy fighter units of World War II. Their significance stems from their record-breaking combat performance and their role in proving a legendary aircraft in battle.
Dr. Irv Leonard
Dr. Irving J. Leonard, a prominent dentist in Chicago with a career spanning over 60 years. Depending on your interest, you may also be looking for the noted Hispanic historian or the British Museum scholar of the same name.
Practice: He established his private practice in 1964 in Carl Sandburg Village. He is recognized for his focus on personalized, one-on-one patient care.
Academic Role: He served as an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry for 28 years, where he directed numerous courses.
Education & Service: He graduated with his DDS in 1959 and completed a two-year internship with the Army prior to entering private practice.
Theodore Lettvin ’45, World famous concert pianist
Theodore Lettvin was a prominent American concert pianist and music educator, widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation.
Musical Career
Lettvin was a child prodigy who made his solo debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12. His career spanned more than four decades, during which he performed with major orchestras across the United States and toured internationally in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.Key Performances: He gave recitals at prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall in London and New York's Town Hall.
Awards: He won several high-profile awards early in his career, including the Naumburg Award (1948), the Michaels Award (1950), and was a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (1952).Education and Pedagogy: Lettvin studied under legendary figures including Rudolf Serkin and Mieczysław Horszowski at the Curtis Institute of Music. He became a distinguished teacher himself, holding faculty positions at several elite institutions.
Legacy and Personal Life
Technique: He was noted for a "larger-than-life" personality and a distinctive technique involving powerful strikes that could instantly transition to a delicate, soft touch.
Family: He was the brother of renowned neurophysiologist Jerome Lettvin.
Archives: The Theodore Lettvin Collection is housed at the University of Maryland, containing his correspondence, photographs, and private recordings.
Recognition: In 2023, he was posthumously inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame.
Charles Leven ’45 Academia, economist and consultant. Federal reserve Bank of Chicago, Government, United Nations.
Charles L. Leven (1928–2011) was a distinguished economist and emeritus professor at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), where he spent nearly 30 years of his career.
Key Roles and Career at WashU
Professor of Economics: Leven joined the faculty in 1965 and remained with the department until his retirement in 1991.
Department Leadership: He served as the Chair of the Economics Department from 1975 to 1980.
Institute Director: He was the director of the Institute for Urban and Regional Studies at the university.
Distinguished Professor: Upon his retirement in 1991, he was named a distinguished professor of public policy.Academic Contributions and Legacy
Expertise: He was a prominent expert in urban and regional economics.
Regional Science Association: A founding member and former president of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), he played a significant role in establishing the discipline globally.
The Charles Leven Memorial Prize: In his honor, the WashU Department of Economics awards this annual prize for the best second-year graduate research paper. Recent winners include Hsuan-Hua Huang (2023) and Lei Ye (2020).
Publications: His notable works include The Mature Metropolis (1978) and numerous studies on the economic impacts of land use and public investments.
Personal History
Leven earned his PhD from Northwestern University in 1958 and served in the U.S. Navy before his academic career. He died in Chicago on March 15, 2011, at the age of 82.
Honorable Ian Levin ’57, Federal Judge. Chief of Appeals division Cook County Public Defenders Office - Special council to the Board of Election Commission Judge of Appeals staff IRS - Founding member of Appellate Lawyers Assn.
Hon. Ian H. Levin was a respected former U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. He served on the federal bench from 1997 to 2006, after which he entered private practice focusing on international human rights cases.
Career Highlights
Federal Service: Judge Levin was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge by the active district judges of the Northern District of Illinois, where he earned a reputation for being a dedicated, skilled, impartial, and well-reasoned jurist.
Human Rights Work: Following his retirement from the bench, he represented victims of human rights abuses, including leading lawsuits to recover assets for Holocaust victims from banks and railways that allegedly colluded with Nazi officials. He also worked on other international human rights cases, such as those involving genocide claims in Croatia and the oppression of Sikhs in India.
Prior Experience: Before his federal appointment, he also served as a Cook County Circuit Court Judge.
Judge Levin passed away in March 2016 at the age of 76.
Lou Levy ’45, Jazz pianist and accompanist for singers Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee.
Lou Levy, an acclaimed American jazz pianist widely recognized for his work as an accompanist to many legendary jazz and pop singers. He was known by colleagues as the "Silver Fox" for his distinctive gray hair.
Levy had long associations with several prominent vocalists, most notably an 18-year relationship with Peggy Lee, and also performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Anita O'Day. He played the piano accompaniment on Frank Sinatra's iconic recording of the song "My Way".
Early in his career, he played in the big bands of Woody Herman and Tommy Dorsey. He also performed with jazz greats like Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, and Benny Goodman. His playing style was primarily bop-based, influenced by pianists Art Tatum and Bud Powell, and was known for its smooth sophistication and subtle swing.
While primarily a sideman, he did record several albums as a leader, including Plays Baby Grand Jazz and Solo Scene.
Karen Lipschultz DeCrow, ’43, Prominent attorney and author specializing in civil liberties, employment, gender and age discrimination. Board member and former National President of NOW.
Karen DeCrow (1937–2014), an American attorney, author, activist, and a prominent leader in the women's movement. She served as the national president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) from 1974 to 1977.
She was a nationally recognized advocate for gender equality and civil liberties, known for her tireless campaigning for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
She was a lawyer who litigated landmark cases, most notably the 1970 case that forced McSorley's Old Ale House in New York City to admit women after 115 years of male-only patronage.
Additionally, she was a strong supporter of equal rights for men in child custody decisions, advocating for a "rebuttable presumption" of shared parenting after divorce.
DeCrow was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2009 for her significant contributions to women's rights.
Robert Litvin
Robert "Bob" Litvin was a legendary figure in the Chicago plumbing and high-rise construction industry. As a prominent leader of Thomas H. Litvin Plumbing Company (historically located on W. Carroll Avenue in Chicago), he played a pivotal role in shaping the iconic Chicago skyline during the mid-to-late 20th century.
Legacy in High-Rise Construction
Under the guidance of Tom and Bob Litvin, the company operated as one of Chicago's premier high-rise design-build contractors. At its peak, the enterprise managed complex, large-scale projects, employing massive crews and capturing tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue.
Litvin's firm was responsible for engineering and installing the mechanical and plumbing infrastructure for several of the world's most famous architectural marvels, including:
- Marina City: The legendary "City within a City" project constructed in the early 1960s.
- The John Hancock Center: One of Chicago’s ultimate architectural landmarks, completed in 1969.
- Water Tower Place: A massive, groundbreaking mixed-use skyscraper on the Magnificent Mile.
The Litvin "Coaching Tree"
Beyond the physical buildings he helped erect, Robert Litvin is widely remembered for his highly specialized, proprietary estimating and business systems. In the plumbing trade, accurate project estimation is critical to survival; Litvin perfected a methodology that allowed contractors to precisely scope out massive union commercial developments.
He served as an industry mentor to numerous apprentices, project managers, and supervisors who later branched out to build their own powerhouse mechanical firms. A notable example is Robert "Bob" Abbott, who served as Litvin's General Superintendent on the Marina City project before departing to form Abbott Industries, another enduring name in Chicago plumbing.
Industry Influence
Litvin was deeply embedded in the local trade governance structure. He served on joint arbitration and grievance boards—such as the Joint Arbitration Board representing local contractors—helping resolve labor and collective bargaining disputes within the Chicagoland union plumbing sector. Though the original Thomas H. Litvin Co. eventually wound down operations later in the 2000s, the "Robert Litvin coaching tree" continues to influence how commercial plumbing projects are bid on and engineered throughout Illinois.
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Jack Lloyd ’45 Entertainment, actor, director, writer, producer, promoted celebrity golf tournaments.
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Ada Lynn Class of 1944, Prolific Stage and Screen Actress
Ada Lynn (1926–2018): Actress & SAG Activist
Early Career: Born in Chicago as Adalyn Schloss, she won a talent contest at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair at age seven. This led to roles in the Our Gang comedies and films alongside Shirley Temple, including Heidi and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
Stage & Vaudeville: At 17, she toured the U.S. and Canada as the "Curvaceous Clown" on the Loew's Vaudeville Circuit.
Film & TV Credits: Her notable screen appearances include the films It Takes Two (1988) and Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991), where she portrayed Marguerite Oswald. She also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and Walker, Texas Ranger.
SAG Leadership: A member of the Screen Actors Guild since 1937, she was one of its earliest members and served on the Dallas-Fort Worth branch board for over 25 years.
America's Got Talent: In 2007, at age 80, she auditioned for the second season of America's Got Talent, singing "The Boy Next Door".
At age 7 Ada toured the Vaudeville circuit from coast to coast with her mother as chaperone. Shared the bill with Cab Calloway, the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots. Acting roles included working with Hal Roach’s famed “Our Gang” comedies and roles as Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother in JFK and Yente in Fiddler on the Roof. She performed her original material at charities, synagogues and retirement homes, and she tap danced through her early 80's with a senior dance tap troupe called "Steps in Time" which was featured at a Dallas Mavericks halftime show.
Herb Lyon ’36, Nationally syndicated columnist whose "Tower Ticker" was a long-time fixture in the Chicago Tribune.
Herb Lyon was a prominent columnist for the Chicago Tribune, best known for writing the "Tower Ticker" column which covered Chicago's nightlife, entertainment scene, and local personalities.
Career and Contributions
"Tower Ticker" Column: Lyon conducted the "Tower Ticker" column from November 1954 until June 1968, taking over from Will Leonard. The column focused on "night life, show business, and the activities of people in the news".
Journalism Style: His writing was described as "people-centered, addressing their foibles, inspirations and dreams". He often followed the movements of major entertainment figures, such as Louis Armstrong, mentioning them in his daily columns.
Other Work: Before his column, he had written radio, motion picture, and television stories for various organizations including station WGN, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and Universal-International Pictures Corporation.
Jack MacKinzie ’39
Chicago Daily News All City, All State halfback from Sullivan. Played football for Northwestern U in 1941 and 1942. Played professional football with the Chicago Cardinals in 1947.
Frank Magid ’48, Prominent American marketing and media consultant known as the "news doctor" for his transformative influence on television news. He founded Frank N. Magid Associates in 1956, which grew into a global leader in research-based strategy consulting for media and entertainment.
Major Contributions to Television
Action News Format: Magid popularized the "Action News" style, which replaced formal solo anchors with a faster-paced delivery, chatty "happy talk" between co-anchors, and a mix of hard news with lifestyle, health, and consumer features.
Good Morning America: He was an original developer of ABC's Good Morning America (1975), helping to define the modern morning show format.
Walter Cronkite: Based on his firm’s survey research, Magid recommended that Walter Cronkite become the solo anchor of the CBS Evening News, a decision that solidified Cronkite's iconic career.
Industry Innovations: He advocated for early morning local news, the use of teleprompters, and was an early proponent of FM radio, cable TV, and satellite television.
Career and Background
Academic Roots: Born in Chicago, he served in the Army during the Korean War before earning degrees from the University of Iowa. He taught social psychology, anthropology, and statistics at the University of Iowa and Coe College before committing to his consulting firm full-time.
Magidized: His influence was so pervasive that the term "Magidized" was coined to describe news broadcasts that adopted his signature flashy, audience-focused style.
Legacy: Magid retired as CEO in 2002 and was succeeded by his son, Brent Magid. He served as chairman until his death from lymphoma in 2010. As of 2026, the company continues to operate as Magid, focusing on consumer insights, data science, and business strategy.
Dr. Irwin M. Marcus was a prominent, pioneering psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 18, 1919. Though he spent the majority of his historic, 65-year medical career in New Orleans, Louisiana, his foundational years and medical training were completely rooted in Chicago. He passed away peacefully on October 3, 2021, at the age of 102.
Chicago Roots and Education
Dr. Marcus grew up in Chicago and successfully put himself through higher education during the height of the Great Depression. His academic milestones in the city include:
- Illinois Institute of Technology: Completed his undergraduate college studies.
- University of Illinois School of Medicine: Earned his Doctor of Medicine degree.
- Cook County Hospital: Completed his medical residency at this famed Chicago landmark, which was one of the largest teaching hospitals in the United States.
Military Service and Career
While still in his third year of medical school in Chicago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The very next day, Marcus enlisted in the U.S. Army. He rose to the rank of captain in the Army Medical Corps, where he treated brain injuries and wounded American soldiers in France during World War II.
After volunteering for the Army, he served with an evac hospital during World War II as Chief of head injury trauma, and after the war was founding president of the Child/Adolescent Department at Tulane University Medical School, as well as a number of professional organizations.
In 1951, he relocated to New Orleans, where he established the child and adolescent psychiatry program at Tulane University School of Medicine. He became a widely recognized national expert, authoring multiple books on marriage counseling, child psychiatry, and sex therapy.
Named one of the ten most outstanding persons in New Orleans by the Family Service Society, he has published four books and 80 articles.
Personal Life
Dr. Marcus's initial ties to Chicago's political landscape were fortified by his first marriage to Dorothy Elrod, the sister of notable Chicago politician and judge Richard Elrod. Following Dorothy's passing, he was married for 21 years to the celebrated former New Orleans journalist and WWL-TV news anchor, Angela Hil.
Ralph Margolis Physical education teacher coach
Ralph Margolis was a physical education teacher and coach at Sullivan High School in Chicago. He was the school's first football, swimming, and track coach.
Margolis was known for developing spirit and pride among his students.
Judith Markowitz (Judith Ann Sholes) ’68, A leader in the speech technology field, Dr. Markoitz is recognized internationally as the leading independent analyst in voice based biometrics, speaker verification and identification. Clients include IBM, Phillips And Motorola.
Dr. Judith A. Markowitz, a prominent Chicago-based consultant, author, and researcher specializing in high-tech speech processing and robotics, as well as an activist in the LGBTQ+ community.
Professional Career and Research
Dr. Markowitz is an internationally recognized figure in speech recognition and artificial intelligence with decades of experience. As president of J. Markowitz, Consultants, she researches voice biometrics and natural-language solutions. She has written over 200 articles and several books, including Robots That Kill, Robots That Love, Using Speech Recognition, and Where Humans Meet Machines.
LGBTQ+ Activism and Literature
Markowitz has been active in the LGBTQ+ community since the 1970s. She wrote The Gay Detective Novel, analyzing LGBTQ+ themes in mystery fiction. She also served on the board of the Lambda Literary Foundation. In 2013, the foundation established The Judith A. Markowitz Award to honor emerging LGBTQ writers. The 2025 recipients were Emet North and Aaron H. Aceves.
Dick Marx ’42, Famous composer and pianist.
Richard Henry "Dick" Marx (1924–1997) was a prolific American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. He is best known as the "King of Jingles" for his work in advertising and as the father of pop singer Richard Marx.
Commercial & Advertising Work
During the 1960s and 1970s, Marx founded Dick Marx and Associates in Chicago, becoming a dominant force in the advertising industry. He composed some of the most enduring jingles in American television history:
Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum: "Double your pleasure, double your fun".
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran: "Two scoops of raisins in every package".
Dial Soap: "Aren't you glad you use Dial?".
Ken-L Ration: "My dog is bigger than your dog".
Nestlé Crunch: Produced the music for their long-running campaigns.
Sports & News Themes
Marx's work remains a staple in Chicago culture:
Chicago Blackhawks: He composed and produced the team's fight song, "Here Come the Hawks," in 1968, which is still played at games today.
WBBM-TV (CBS Chicago): In 1975, he composed the news theme based on the folk song "I Love Chicago, Chicago My Home," which was used by various CBS stations for nearly 50 years.
Film & Television Scoring
After moving to Los Angeles in 1986, Marx expanded into film and television scoring:
Film Scores: He contributed to the soundtracks for A League of Their Own (1992), Awakenings (1990), and Edwards and Hunt.
Television: He composed the theme for the TV series Fudge.
Arrangements & Collaboration
As a skilled arranger and pianist, Marx worked with several high-profile artists:
Richard Marx: He provided string and horn arrangements for his son's hits, including the horn section for "Children of the Night".
Pop/Rock Artists: He arranged music for Joe Cocker and the Japanese musician Yoshiki.
Jazz Performance: In the 1950s, he performed in Chicago nightclubs (such as Mr. Kelly's) and accompanied jazz singer Helen Merrill.
Michael Masser ’59, Song writer and producer
Michael Masser (1941–2015) was an American songwriter, composer, and producer best known for his lush romantic ballads that became chart-topping hits for major artists like Whitney Houston and Diana Ross.
Notable Career Highlights
Whitney Houston Partnership: Masser was instrumental in Houston's early career, co-writing and producing three of her first #1 hits: "Saving All My Love for You," "Greatest Love of All," and "Didn't We Almost Have It All".
Diana Ross & Motown: He first gained fame writing and producing the 1973 hit "Touch Me in the Morning" for Diana Ross. He also co-wrote the Oscar-nominated "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)" for Ross in 1975.
Accolades: He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.
Famous Songs
Masser's catalog includes several enduring pop and R&B standards:
"Greatest Love of All" – Originally recorded by George Benson (1977), later a massive hit for Whitney Houston (1986).
"Saving All My Love for You" – Whitney Houston (1985).
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" – Whitney Houston (1987).
"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" – Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack (1983).
"Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" – George Benson (1985), later popularized by Glenn Medeiros (1987).
"Miss You Like Crazy" – Natalie Cole (1989).
"If Ever You're in My Arms Again" – Peabo Bryson (1984).
Background
Before his music career, Masser attended law school and worked as a stockbroker in New York City. A self-taught pianist who could not read music, he eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1971 to pursue songwriting full-time. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 74 due to complications from a stroke.
Edward A. Mazur was a prominent Polish-American millionaire businessman, engineer, and philanthropist based in the Chicago area. He was most famous internationally for successfully fighting a high-profile U.S. federal extradition battle in Chicago after Polish authorities accused him of orchestrating the 1998 murder of Polish National Police Chief General Marek Papała—charges that were completely dropped in 2014 due to a total lack of credible evidence.
Business and Philanthropy
- Immigration & Education: Mazur immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1962, settled in Chicago, and graduated with an electrical engineering degree from the Chicago Technical College.
- Corporate & Trade Career: He worked as an engineer and corporate executive for major American firms like Cargill International and John Deere & Co., focusing heavily on building agricultural and industrial markets in Central Europe after the fall of communism. [1, 2]
- Yogurt Empire: He co-founded Bakoma S.A., which grew into one of the largest yogurt corporations in Poland, netting him millions when his shares were eventually sold to the Dannon Company.
- Chicago Community: He was deeply involved in the local Polish-American diaspora, serving as the president of Chicago's Wisla Social Athletic/Soccer Club. [1, 2]
The Extradition Case
- The Accusation: In 2005, Polish prosecutors accused Mazur of offering underworld hitmen $40,000 to assassinate police chief Marek Papała, who was shot outside his Warsaw apartment complex in 1998.
- Chicago Arrest: Following an official extradition request from Poland, federal authorities arrested Mazur at his Glenview home in October 2006, holding him without bail in Chicago.
- Stunning Release: In July 2007, U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys blocked the extradition and ordered Mazur’s immediate release from a Chicago jail. The judge explicitly blasted the Polish government's key witness as a "known scoundrel" who fabricated the story, calling the trial tactics used by Polish prosecutors "shocking and offensive".
- Case Dismissal: In August 2014, the Polish prosecution officially closed its 16-year investigation against Mazur and dropped all lingering charges, formally citing a complete lack of evidence.
He passed away on May 29, 2023, at the age of 76 in Glenview, Illinois.
Peter Meyers ’65 Attorney, politics, academia, arbitrator, alderman, leader in alternative dispute resolution for businesses.
Peter R. Meyers – Arbitrator and Mediator
He is a nationally recognized legal professional specializing in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
Role: Arbitrator, mediator, and attorney.
Experience: He has handled thousands of labor, employment, commercial, and insurance cases. He serves as a permanent arbitrator for various airlines and railroads.
Background: A graduate of Northwestern University School of Law (1974), he formerly served as an Alderman for the City of Evanston.
Contact: His office is located at 360 E. Randolph St., Suite 3104, Chicago, IL 60601.
Website: PeterMeyers.com
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Jay Miller ‘45, Reporter, labor organizer, peace activist and civil rights advocate.
ay Miller was the long-serving Executive Director of the ACLU of Illinois for over twenty-five years, retiring in 2000. He was a prominent figure in the civil liberties fight in Illinois and across the US, known for his ardent defense of free speech and other constitutional rights.
Career and Legacy
Extensive Service Miller's career with the ACLU spanned more than four decades, including leadership roles in Northern California and national offices in Washington, D.C. and New York, in addition to his long tenure in Illinois.
Key Cases and Advocacy He was involved in numerous landmark legal battles, from defending protesters during the 1968 Democratic National Convention to challenging racial profiling and advocating for the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS and the LGBTQ+ community. His work was credited with saving the ACLU from bankruptcy in one instance.
Nixon's Enemies List His passionate advocacy landed him on President Richard Nixon's infamous enemies list, a designation he reportedly considered a "badge of honor".
Awards and Memorials Upon his retirement, he received the 2000 Edwin A. Rothschild Civil Liberties Award. Memorial gifts can be made to the Jay Miller Advocacy Fund at the ACLU of Illinois.
Larry Miller ’48, Educator and coach
Lawrence B. "Larry" Miller was a beloved local educator, military veteran, and high school sports coach who passed away on December 14, 2020.
Life and Legacy of Lawrence "Larry" Miller
- Career: Moved to Ottawa in 1963, where he spent 25 years teaching Industrial Arts and founding the Building Trades program at Ottawa High School before retiring in 1988.
- Athletics: Coached football and track at the high school level, earning numerous honors for his leadership and dedication to student-athletes.
- Military Service: Proudly served as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, fighting in both World War II and the Korean War.
- Community Roles: He was a private pilot, an avid trout fisherman, and a long-time member of the Ottawa Elks Club, American Legion, and the Moose Lodge.
- Recognition: Inducted into the Illinois High School Basketball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) Hall of Fame as a "Friend of Basketball".
Marc Miller ’69, Cinematographer, Cameraman embedded with troops in Iraq 2005. Teaches workshops on film making & camera techniques
Marc Miller is an award-winning cinematographer, editor, and photographer with over 40 years of international experience in narrative, commercial, corporate, and documentary projects. He is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600.
Notable Work
Miller's diverse career includes work on a variety of projects for clients such as The Second City, Motorola, and Harley-Davidson.
Brothers at War (2009): He shot this theatrical documentary in Iraq for five weeks.
Big Brother: He served as a camera operator for four seasons of the CBS reality series.
Medusa Challenger (1976): He was the cinematographer for this short film.
Glickman (2013): He was the cinematographer for this TV movie.
You can find more details about his career and filmography on his official IMDb page.
Clayton Moore ’32, Starred in the Lone Ranger TV series from 1949 through 1957, and in two feature movies, and was a hero to so many young kids. Well, the Masked Man actually attended Sullivan when it was a junior high way back in the 1928 – 1930 era.
Moore became a cultural icon for his portrayal of The Lone Ranger. He is uniquely recognized as the only person on the Hollywood Walk of Fame whose star includes both his own name and his character's name: "Clayton Moore — The Lone Ranger".
Career and The Lone Ranger
Early Life: Born Jack Carlton Moore in Chicago, he began his career as a circus acrobat and trapeze artist before working as a successful model in New York.
Television Stardom: Moore starred in The Lone Ranger TV series from 1949 to 1957, appearing in 169 of the 221 episodes. He briefly left the show from 1952 to 1953 due to a contract dispute and was replaced by John Hart, but he returned after public demand for his reinstatement.
The Mask Dispute: In 1979, the owners of the Lone Ranger character, Wrather Corp., obtained a court order to prevent Moore from appearing as the character in public. Moore famously responded by wearing oversized wraparound sunglasses that resembled the mask's shape until he won the right to wear the mask again in 1984.
Legacy: Moore was deeply committed to the "Lone Ranger Creed," a set of moral guidelines that he strove to live by in his personal life. He was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame in 1990.
He passed away on December 28, 1999, at age 85 in West Hills, California, following a heart attack. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Robert Morris ’44, Civic and philanthropic leader with Boy Scouts and religious causes.
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Joy Newberger Picus ’47, Elected four terms to the Los Angeles City Council and leader in the area of Child Care, Elder Care and Labor Relations for Los Angeles’ municipal employees.
Key Personal and Professional Highlights
Early Life & Education: Born in Chicago, she earned a degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin in 1951.
Political Career: She was the first woman from the San Fernando Valley to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council. During her 16-year tenure, she specialized in issues including pay equity, family leave, childcare, and environmental protection.
Advocacy: Inspired by Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, Picus became a prominent advocate for working families. In 1996, the city dedicated the Joy Picus Child Care Center in her honor.
Civic Involvement: Before her election, she was active in the League of Women Voters and served as a community organizer in Woodland Hills.
Personal Life: She married Gerald Picus, a physicist, in 1952, and they raised three children.
Legacy and Records
The Joy Picus Collection is housed at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), containing her administrative records, campaign materials, and documents related to her advocacy for social justice and education.
Danny Newman ’36, Director, Chicago Lyric Opera.
Danny Newman was the legendary press agent for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and a pioneer in arts marketing. He is known for revolutionizing how nonprofit arts organizations build audiences through subscription programs.
Career Highlights
Lyric Opera of Chicago: Newman served as the director of press and public relations for the Lyric Opera from its founding in 1954 until his retirement in 2002.
Arts Marketing Pioneer: He was widely recognized for developing and advocating for subscription-based ticket sales as a method to build a stable and committed audience for performing arts organizations.
Author: He authored the influential 1977 book Subscribe Now! which outlines his strategies and is still used in arts marketing today.
Legacy
Newman's work fundamentally changed the business model for non-profit arts organizations and helped boost the international reputation of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The "Danny Newman Medal" was created to honor his legacy.
Charles Nicodemus ’48, feisty and heroic investigative reporter for the Chicago Daily News and Chicago Sun-Times.
Charles "Nico" Nicodemus was a relentless investigative reporter in Chicago for nearly 50 years, working for papers like the Chicago Sun-Times. His reporting often led to significant civic changes and investigations. He wrote relentlessly about what he saw as abuses by both government and commercial interests, and he stood up for the little guy.
Key Investigations & Impact:
His reporting on defective M-16 rifles being issued to U.S. soldiers in Vietnam triggered congressional investigations and criminal charges.
He challenged Chicago's plan to place its main library in a structurally deficient department store, leading the Chicago Public Library Board to instead build the Harold Washington Library Center.
He received numerous journalism awards, including the Peter Lisagor Award, and taught journalism at Roosevelt University.
Personal Life: He was married to Virginia Gutteridge Nicodemus and had four children.
He was known for his passion for the outdoors, including rock climbing, camping, and mountaineering.
He retired at age 77, and died in October of 2008.
Cliff Norton was a prominent Chicago-born character actor, comedian, and radio pioneer whose career spanned over six decades.
Born and raised in the city, he graduated from Sullivan High School in 1935 and became an integral figure in the historic "Chicago School" of television during the medium's infancy. He passed away from lung cancer in Los Angeles on January 25, 2003, at the age of 84.
Chicago Radio and Television Roots
- Early Radio Career: Started in 1937 as a disc jockey on Chicago's WAAF-AM 1000.
- Soap Operas and Thrillers: Acted in popular Chicago-based radio dramas like Hilltop House, Captain Midnight, and Tom Mix.
- Television Breakthrough: Met NBC announcer Dave Garroway in Chicago, becoming a regular sketch comedian on the ground-breaking live variety series Garroway at Large (1949–1951).
- Local Programming: Starred in his own local Chicago television program, The Private Life of Cliff Norton.
Hollywood and Beyond
Following his success in Chicago, Norton moved to New York and eventually Los Angeles to pursue a prolific career in film and television:
- Hollywood Movies: Appeared in classic films including It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and Funny Lady.
- Television Guest Spots: Guest-starred on legendary shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, The Odd Couple, Hogan's Heroes, and The Tonight Show.
- Voice and Commercial Acting: Voiced Lead character Ed Huddles in Hanna-Barbera's animated sitcom Where's Huddles? and narrated the 1960s kid-show anthology series The Funny Manns.
Charles Percy ’34, was an American businessman and politician.
A major figure in mid-20th-century American politics, Charles Harting "Chuck" Percy was a moderate Republican from Illinois who served in the U.S. Senate for 18 years.
Business Career: Before entering politics, he was a "boy wonder" in business. He became president of the Bell & Howell Corporation at age 29, significantly expanding its revenue and global reach.
Senate Career (1967–1985): Percy defeated incumbent Paul Douglas in 1966 and served three terms. He was a leading "Rockefeller Republican" known for his moderate views, emphasizing social liberalism and fiscal conservatism. He was mentioned as a Republican presidential hopeful from 1968 through 1988. During his Senate career, Percy concentrated on business and foreign relations.
Foreign Relations: He chaired the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1981 to 1985, focusing on international trade and human rights.
Personal Tragedy: His 1966 campaign was marred by the brutal, unsolved murder of his 21-year-old daughter, Valerie Percy, in their family home.
Judicial Legacy: He is credited with professionalizing the nomination of federal judges, recommending John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Death: He died on September 17, 2011, at age 91, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease.
Ted Perlman '55, Theodore F. Perlman, the founder of The HAVI Group. He is a prominent businessman and philanthropist from the Chicago area.
Background and Career
Profession: Theodore F. Perlman is the founder of The HAVI Group, LP, a global company specializing in distribution, purchasing, logistics services, and promotional services, notably serving the McDonald's restaurant system.
Company Founding: He co-founded the Perlman-Rocque Company, the forerunner to HAVI, in Chicago in 1974. The name HAVI was derived from his wife's and his partner's wives' first names (Harriette and Vivian).
Education: He received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with minors in Political Science and History from the University of Michigan.
Philanthropy: Perlman is an active philanthropist, having served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations, including Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Jewish United Fund (JUF). He and his wife have made significant donations to support Jewish youth initiatives, such as the Anita M. Perlman Women's Leadership Initiative at BBYO.
J.B. Pinski '52 - Dr. James Bernard "J.B." Pinski (1934–2017) was a prominent American dermatologist and a pioneer in cosmetic surgery and hair transplantation. He practiced for over 50 years in Chicago, Kankakee, and Florida before retiring in 2006.
Career & Professional Contributions
Specialization: He was a leading expert in hair transplantation and cosmetic procedures, teaching techniques to other surgeons for over 30 years.
Innovations: He was involved in the early development of filler substances like collagen and authored more than 30 medical articles and textbook chapters.
Academic & Hospital Roles: He served as an associate clinical professor at Northwestern Hospital.
Recognition: Dr. Pinski was repeatedly voted "One of the Best Doctors in Chicago" and "Best Doctor in America" by Chicago Magazine and other publications.
Affiliations: He held fellowships in the International College of Surgeons and the Royal Society of Medicine, and was a member of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Medical Association.
Education & Military Service
Education: He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago.
Military Service: He served as the Chief of Dermatology for the United States Army in Heidelberg, Germany.
Legacy & Family
Practice: He founded the Pinski Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery practice in 1967, which continues today under the leadership of his son, Dr. Kevin Pinski.
Personal Life: He was married to Dee Pinski and had three children: Kevin, David, and Michael. In retirement, he was an avid golfer and outdoorsman.
Alex Pinsky ’46
Philanthropist, mentor, teacher. - Successful entrepreneur - Works for and with young people to build successful lives through education and dedication of purpose.Alex Pinsky, a beloved figure in the Chicago area, was a respected English teacher known for his kindness and impact on students, particularly at the high school level, who passed away at age 92 in 2020, leaving behind a family and fond memories in the community. While not a university professor himself, his influence was felt by those who later became academics, with one former student becoming an English professor at Cal State Fullerton.
Here's what we know about Alex Pinsky:
Family: He was the husband of Helen Pinsky and father to Janet, Galit, and Milton.
Community: He lived in Northbrook, IL, and was well-regarded in the Chicago Jewish community.
Legacy: His obituary in the Chicago Tribune noted his role as a loving father and husband, and Legacy.com and Shalom Memorial Funeral Home also published his memorial, highlighting his impact on friends and family.
Impact: He was remembered as a teacher who provided excellent guidance and kindness, helping students through difficult writing stages, according to Northwestern University.
Mike Pols ’60, Coach/Educator
Michael Dennis Pols (also known as Mike Pols), a legendary high school football coach at Sullivan High School, where he coached for over 30 years before retiring in 2000. He was known for elevating the school's football program to significant success.
Hall of Fame: He was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Educator: Before moving to Sullivan High, he was a gym teacher and a student teacher at Senn High School in Chicago.
Community Impact: He is remembered fondly by former students and players as a calm, professional, and inspirational coach who treated everyone with respect and made a difference in their lives.
Ginny Powell ’42, Well known professional singer with the big bands of the 1940s.
Virginia Corbin Powell, an American jazz singer known for performing with prominent big bands of the 1940s and 1950s, including those led by Boyd Raeburn, Gene Krupa, Charlie Barnet, and Harry James.
Career Highlights:
Big Bands: Powell was a featured vocalist for orchestras led by Charlie Barnet, Harry James, Gene Krupa, Jerry Wald and Boyd Raeburn, whom she later married.
Notable Recordings
"Temptation" (1946) – with Boyd Raeburn and His Orchestra
"This Is Always" (1946) – with Harry James
"Trouble Is A Man" (1948) – with Boyd Raeburn
"Grieving for You" (1949) – solo releaseMedia Appearances: She appeared as a vocalist on radio and television programs, including The Morey Amsterdam Show and The Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1940s.
In addition to her band work, she signed with Decca Records as a solo artist in 1949 and made appearances on radio and early television programs, including The Ed Sullivan Show and Morey Amsterdam's show.Personal Life and Death
Powell was married to bandleader Boyd Raeburn and was the mother of jazz historian Bruce Boyd Raeburn. She struggled with a lifelong speech impediment (stammering) but was noted for her clear vocal delivery.
Following the decline of the big band era, she and Raeburn moved to Nassau in the Bahamas, where she continued to sing with a hotel jazz trio. She died in Nassau at the age of 33 on July 25, 1959, from meningitis and pneumonia.
Marcia Raff ’49, Sculptor.
Marcia Raff is a professional American sculptor who specializes in monumental public art and site-specific installations, with works ranging in size from 8 inches to over 16 feet.
Artistic Style and Themes
Raff’s work is primarily conceptual and often inspired by literature, philosophy, and science.
Labyrinths: She is well known for her Finger Labyrinth series—tactile sculptures meant to be traced with the finger for meditation—available in various materials for walls or tabletops.
Mathematical/Scientific Influence: Her "Feynman's Fancy" series was inspired by the work of physicist Richard Feynman.
Geometric Series: Key series include the Portal Series, Serendipity Series, and Dreidel Labyrinths.Public Collections and Exhibitions
Raff has exhibited her work globally, and her sculptures are held in notable public and private collections:
Royal Academy of Arts: She had four sculptures accepted into three Summer Exhibitions in London (1989, 1991, 1992).
University of Florida: Several of her monumental works, such as Columns 1, 2 & 3 and Feynman's Fancy, are on permanent display on the university campus.
International Presence: Her work has been exhibited in locations including Rome, Italy; Paris, France; and Malaga, Spain.Publications and Awards
Author: In 2021, she published the book LABYRINTHS: Walk and Color a Finger Labyrinth©.
Awards: She received awards from the National Arts Club in New York City in 2002 and 2003 for her works Infinity and I Ching: Turning Point.
She is a professional member of the International Sculpture Center and maintains her studio in Austin, Texas.
Richard Ressman ’59, Orthopedic surgeon and photographer.
Richard Ressman is a former Chicago-based orthopaedic surgeon who became a full-time fine art photographer known by the artist name "PhotoSurgeon".
Career Overview
Medical Career: Dr. Ressman practiced orthopaedic surgery for thirty years. He completed his internship and residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, graduating in 1968.
Photography Career: He purchased his first camera as a surgical intern and pursued photography as a passion, eventually transitioning to a full-time professional photographer in 2002. He is known for using his surgical background to inform his art, capturing images of people he has encountered, as well as architecture, landscapes, and human anatomy for artistic purposes.
Artist Name: He uses the artist name "PhotoSurgeon", which he created in 1998, reflecting his dual professions.
Current Status
While Dr. Ressman has a significant history in Chicago, including attending Sullivan High School and the University of Illinois, he is currently based in Cupertino, California.
Lee Richardson
(Lee David Richard) ’44, Well known stage and screen actor in the ’40’s
Lee Richardson was a prominent American actor born in Chicago who achieved national recognition for his work on stage, television, and film.
Career Beginnings: He trained at Chicago's Goodman Theatre after serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Notable Works: He was a frequent collaborator with director Sidney Lumet, appearing in films such as Prince of the City and Q&A. He also appeared in Prizzi's Honor and The Exorcist III.
Stage Success: He was a co-founder of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and received a Tony Award nomination in 1973 for his performance in Vivat! Vivat Regina!.
Voice Acting: He was a well-known voice for television commercials, recording more than 100 ads during his career.
Dewey Robinson ’73 professional baseball player and coach
A terrific athlete, Dewey pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 1979 through 1981, then coached at Northwestern University, went back to White Sox for 10 years, and had been a pitching coach with the Houston Astros for 12 years at the time of his induction to this list. Maybe his roots can be traced way back to Nemkoff, Fralick, and Margolis!. There were six Robinson brothers, and all played sports at Sullivan!Career Overview
Playing Career: Robinson was a right-handed relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox from 1979 to 1981.
Coaching Career: Following his playing days, he embarked on an extensive coaching career that has spanned over four decades.
Houston Astros: He served as the Houston Astros' pitching coach in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Other Roles: Robinson has also held coaching positions with several other organizations, including the University of Missouri, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Lt. Commander Jack Rothbart ’36 Soldier, Court Magistrate
Military Career:
Jack Rothbart was a war hero in WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam WarJusicial Career
Court Magistrate in Ohio County, West Virginia for 20 years.
Norman S, Rothbart ’40, Attorney, Civic leader, WW2 Veteran
Life and Career:
Norman S. Rothbart served his country honorably during World War II and was He practiced law in Chicago Norman Rothbart (1923–2015), affectionately known as "Colonel Norm," was a World War II veteran and attorney who spent the latter part of his life in Las Vegas, Nevada.Military Service:
He was a highly decorated veteran of World War II and attained the rank of Colonel.
Affectionately known as "Colonel Norm".Professional Background: Before moving to Nevada, he practiced law in Chicago.
Professional Integrity and Character:
He was recognized by members of the legal community, including Judge Abbi Silver, as a "great man" and a well-regarded professional.
Acclaimed Blood Donor (151 pintsin 45 years)
Army Reservist - 21 Personal Recommendations
Cited twice by Nevada State Legislator for accomplishments
Swimming Medals local and state, national and international
Adjunct Professor at Community College of Southern Nevada
Instructor in Political SciencePassing: He passed away on September 13, 2015, at the age of 92 in Las Vegas, NV. Graveside services were held at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, IL.
Stanley Sacks ’60, Jurist
Stanley Sacks, an associate judge on the Cook Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois and has been on the bench for over 30 years and is known for his work in the Criminal Division.
Career Overview
A judge since 1989, Stanley Sacks graduated first in his class at John Marshall Law School. A leading criminal courts judge, Sacks has dealt with many high-profile cases and frequently speaks on criminal law and civic leadership law.
Judicial History: First elected as an associate judge in 1988. He has served extensively in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice divisions.
Legal Philosophy: Sacks emphasizes the importance of hard work and thorough preparation in the legal profession.
Current Role: Associate judge in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Neal Samors ’61, Neal Samors, an award-winning American author, co-author, and publisher known for his extensive work documenting the history of Chicago.
Background and Career
Chicago Native: Samors is a lifelong resident of Chicago, Illinois.
Author and Publisher: He has authored, co-authored, and/or published over 30 books focusing on Chicago's neighborhoods, downtown areas, landmarks (such as Lake Shore Drive and the Magnificent Mile:, and various historical decades. He publishes these works through his own company, Chicago's Books Press.
Awards: His work has earned multiple accolades, including the Independent Publisher Book Award and several Illinois State Historical Society awards.Notable Works
His publications often feature personal memories and historic photographs from Chicago residents, covering various aspects of life in the city across different decades. Some of his notable books include:
Chicago in the Sixties: Remembering a Time of Change
The Old Chicago Neighborhood
Real Chicago
Chicago's Classic Restaurants: Past, Present and Future
Now Arriving: Traveling To and From Chicago by Air
Chicago's Lake Shore Drive: Urban America's Most Beautiful Roadway
Memories of Growing Up in Chicago
Jan Schakowsky (Janice Danoff) ’62,
Legislator, Advocate for Social Justice
Jan Schakowsky is a veteran American politician and member of the Democratic Party who has represented Illinois' 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999. On May 5, 2025, she announced that she will not seek re-election in 226, ending a nearly 30-year career in Congress.
Key Career Details
Current Office: U.S. Representative for Illinois' 9th District (anchored in Chicago's North Side and northern suburbs like Evanston and Skokie).
Political Stance: Recognized as a "progressive stalwart," she is a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and a longtime leader in the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Retirement: She will serve out the remainder of her current term, which ends on January 3, 2027.
Succession: In early 2026, she endorsed Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss to succeed her in Congress.
Legislative Focus & Advocacy
Throughout her tenure, Schakowsky has been a prominent advocate for:Healthcare: She played a key role in passing the Affordable Care Act and continues to push for a public health insurance option.
Consumer Rights: Before entering politics, she was a consumer advocate known for leading the campaign for freshness dates on supermarket products.
Women's & LGBTQ+ Rights: Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues and a strong supporter of the Equality Act.
Seniors: Co-founder and co-chair of the House Democratic Task Force on Aging and Families, focusing on prescription drug costs and Medicaid reform.Background
Early Life: Born Janice Danoff in Chicago (1944) to Jewish immigrant parents.
Education: Graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965.
Prior Experience: Served in the Illinois House of Representatives (1991–1998) and led the Illinois State Council of Senior Citizens.
Ada Schloss Lynn ’41, Actress (stage name Ada Lynn)
Ada Schloss Lynn was an American actress and vaudeville performer who was a prominent figure in the entertainment industry for eight decades.
Early Career:
Born in Chicago, she began her career at age seven as an original member of the "Our Gang Follies". She appeared as a child actress alongside Shirley Temple in films such as "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" and "Heidi".Vaudeville & Stage: Known as the "Curvaceous Clown," she toured the Loew’s Vaudeville Circuit at 17 with an act featuring singing, dancing, and comedy.
Also at age 7 toured the Vaudeville circuit from coast to coast with her mother as chaperone. Shared the bill with Cab Calloway, the Mills Brothers, and the Ink Spots.
Film & TV Credits: Her adult screen appearances included roles in "JFK" (1991), "It Takes Two" (1988), and television shows like "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Walker, Texas Ranger". She appeared herself as a comic performer in The Saturday Night Review with Jack Carter (1950), Cavalcade Of Stars (1950), The Vaughn Monroe Show (1950), Ford Star Review (1951),
Industry Leadership: She was one of the earliest members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), joining in 1937, and served on the Dallas-Fort Worth local board for over 25 years.
Reality TV: In 2007, she auditioned for America's Got Talent (Season 2), where she reached the Vegas round.
Lawrence Schonberger ’61, Medicine, public health science, National Center for Infectious disease Control, and Prevention.
Dr. Lawrence B. Schonberger, MD, MPH is a distinguished epidemiologist who has spent over 50 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of early 2026, he remains a leading authority on infectious diseases and public health.
Role: He serves as the Assistant Director for Public Health and Chief of the Prion and Public Health Office within the CDC's Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology.
Key Research Areas:
Prion Diseases: He is a foremost expert on Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and helped establish the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC) in 1997.
Vaccine Safety: He conducted pivotal research on the link between the 1976 swine flu vaccine and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Reye Syndrome: He was recognized by the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation for his leadership in virtually eliminating the syndrome in the U.S..
Education: He earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University (1969) and his MPH from Johns Hopkins (1974).
Philip Seiden ’51 Scientist, physics, astrophysics, immunology.
Philip Edward Seiden (1934–2001), a polymathic scientist who made significant contributions to physics, astronomy, and immunology.
Key Scientific Contributions
Physics: He spent much of his career at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, where he served as director of physical and general sciences. In 1974, he co-received the first patent in the field of molecular electronics with Ari Aviram.
Astronomy: He was a pioneer in modeling galactic star formation, introducing concepts of feedback, chaos, and percolation theory to explain disk evolution and star formation in dwarf galaxies.
Immunology: He co-developed IMMSIM, one of the first comprehensive computer models to simulate cellular interactions within the immune system. This tool allowed for "in machina" experiments to predict immune responses to various pathogens and vaccines.
Education and Honors
Degrees: He earned an MS in physics from the University of Chicago (1956) and a PhD from Stanford University (1960).Academic Impact: He was a respected teacher, holding visiting professorships at the Technion in Israel and Indiana University.
Gordon Segal ’56, American entrepreneur and philanthropist
Business Career
Founding of Crate & Barrel: In December 1962, at age 23, Gordon and his wife Carole opened the first Crate & Barrel store in an abandoned elevator factory in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood.
The Concept: Inspired by their Caribbean honeymoon where they saw affordable, tasteful European housewares, the Segals sought to bring similar functional and aesthetic products to young American couples.
Naming the Brand: Lacking funds for traditional displays, they used the actual shipping crates and barrels to showcase merchandise, which ultimately gave the store its name.
Expansion & Leadership: Segal served as CEO until 2008, growing the company into a multi-billion-dollar brand with over 100 locations and sister brands like CB2 and Crate & Kids.
Current Role: He is currently the managing director of Prairie Management Group, a private investment firm and family office.Education: A 1960 graduate of Northwestern University.
He earned his business degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.Philanthropy and Civic Engagement
He and his wife established the Segal Design Institute at the university's McCormick School of Engineering.
He serves on the boards of several major Chicago institutions, including The Art Institute of Chicago, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the University of Chicago Medical Center.Hall of Fame: He was inducted into the World Retail Congress Hall of Fame (2007) and the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame.
Personal Life: He has been married to his business partner, Carole Browe Segal, since 1960. They have three children: Chris, Katie, and Robert.
Jeffery Siegel ’61, Musician, piano soloist and conductor.
Jeffrey Siegel is an internationally acclaimed American concert pianist, best known for his long-running series Keyboard Conversations®. This unique "concert-plus-commentary" format features him speaking to the audience about the music before performing works in their entirety.
Career Highlights:
He has performed as a soloist with world-renowned orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic.
He has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, James Levine, and Michael Tilson Thomas.Discography:
His recordings include the complete works of Gershwin for piano and orchestra with Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony.2026 Schedule:
He continues to tour his Keyboard Conversations series, with upcoming 2026 performances at venues like Northwestern University's Pick-Staiger Concert Hall (Feb 20 and May 8) and Munson Art (May 16).
Joseph Siegman ’52. T.V. and movie producer and agent.
Joseph "Joe" Siegman was a notable American television producer and the founder of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Career: Siegman was an award-winning producer known for shows like the popular syndicated series Celebrity Bowling (1972-1977) and The Comedy Shop.
Other Accomplishments: He co-produced the annual charity event "Hollywood Stars Night," a celebrity baseball game at Dodger Stadium, for almost 40 years. He was also inducted into the Bowls USA Hall of Fame, the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Gene Silverberg
Gene Silverberg is a Chicago-based retail entrepreneur and consultant, best known as the co-founder of the iconic high-end menswear chain Bigsby & Kruthers.
Professional Career
Bigsby & Kruthers (1974–2000): Co-founded the luxury apparel brand with his brother, Joe Silverberg. It grew from a $12,000 investment into a regional powerhouse with $90 million in peak annual sales. The brand was famous for its creative marketing, including high-profile murals of athletes like Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan on buildings along Chicago's Kennedy Expressway.
Michael Jordan’s Restaurant: In 1992, he founded the original Michael Jordan’s Restaurant and Retail Store in Chicago, serving as Managing General Partner. The partnership later ended in a legal dispute over licensing rights in the late 1990s.
The Knot Shop: He founded this national neckwear chain, which grew to 55 locations before being sold to Tie Rack (UK) in 1997.
Real Estate & Staging: After the dissolution of Bigsby & Kruthers in 2000, Silverberg transitioned into commercial real estate. He served as Chief of Retail Strategy for Equity Office Properties and later founded Sage Property Enhancement (now Sage Alliances), a firm specializing in "staging" under-performing commercial properties to increase occupancy and value.
Consulting: Since 2006, he has operated as a consultant and CEO for Gene Silverberg + Partners, advising brands on revenue growth, licensing, and retail strategy.
Key Facts
Early Life: He and his brother Joe began their careers as children working in Chicago's Maxwell Street market.
Accolades: He was named one of the "50 Most Influential" executives in men's apparel and received over 40 awards for marketing and design excellence.
Current Status: According to his professional profiles as of 2026, he is primarily focused on consulting through Sage Alliances.
Mitchell Slotnick
Dr. Mitchell L. Slotnick was a prominent figure in the Chicago area known for his work in business consulting, education, philanthropy, and advocacy for people with disabilities.
Key Details
Profession: He was a longtime financial consultant for PepsiCo, a management consultant, and an accounting professor who taught in the MBA program at Loyola University Chicago for more than 20 years. He also co-founded several travel companies, including Educational Tours Inc., Ridgebrook Travel, and OmniTours.
Philanthropy: Dr. Slotnick was a dedicated philanthropist, particularly as a founding member and former president of the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA) Foundation. The NSSRA has since dedicated its Highland Park facility as the Mitchell L. Slotnick Center in his memory.
Education
He held multiple degrees from Northwestern University: a B.S. ('63), an MBA ('64), and a Ph.D. ('68). The Mitchell and Valerie Slotnick Family Atrium in Northwestern's Walter Athletics Center is named in honor of his family and their substantial donations to the university.He passed away in May 2018 at the age of 76.
Dan Sorkin ’45, Noted disc jockey in Chicago on radio station WBBM.
Dan Sorkin (1927–2016) was an American radio personality, actor, and aviator known for his irreverent broadcasting style and his role in discovering comedian Bob Newhart.
Career Highlights
Radio Personality: Sorkin was a popular morning show host in Chicago on stations like WCFL and WNBQ. He later moved to San Francisco, where he worked for KFRC and KSFO.
Discovery of Bob Newhart: While working in Chicago in the early 1960s, Sorkin heard a comedy tape by Bob Newhart. He played the tracks on his show, which helped launch Newhart's career. He subsequently served as the announcer and sidekick on NBC’s The Bob Newhart Show (1961).
Advocacy for Lenny Bruce: Sorkin was famously fired from his Chicago radio job in the early 1960s for publicly defending the controversial comedy of Lenny Bruce.Personal Life and Later Years
Aviation: A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Sorkin flew around the world in 40 days in 1959. He was a certified flight instructor and received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for 50 years of safe flying.
Stumps R Us: After losing his left leg in a 1968 motorcycle accident, Sorkin founded "Stumps R Us," a support group for amputees. He served as the "Chief Stump" and published a newsletter called Gimpy.Works and Publications
Books: Author of The Blabbermouths (1960), a book about the radio industry.
Discography: Recorded a folk singing album titled The Plucker Family.He died of pancreatic cancer on June 6, 2016, in Walnut Creek, California, at the age of 89.
Robert Stavins ’65, Professor Harvard and environmentalist.
Robert N. Stavins is the A. J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development at the Harvard Kennedy School,
Director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program,
Director of Graduate Studies for the Doctoral Program in Public Policy and the Doctoral Program in Political Economy and Government,
Co-Chair of the Harvard Business School-Kennedy School Joint Degree Programs, and
Director of the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements.He is a University Fellow of Resources for the Future,
a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research,
an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (London, UK),
a Member and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Resources for the Future;
and a Member of:
the Board of Academic Advisors of the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies,
the Editorial Boards of Resource and Energy Economics,
Climate Change Economics,
Environmental Economics Abstracts,
B.E. Journals of Economic Analysis & Policy, Economic Issues, and Environmental Economics and Policy Studies.He is also a Vice-President of the American Association of Wine Economists,
co-editor of the Journal of Wine Economics,
and is the Chair of the Expert Advisory Board of the Harvard Alumni Alliance for the Environment.
Honorable Robert Steigman 61, Author, professor and Justice of the Illinois,4th District Appellate Court.
Justice Robert J. Steigmann (born December 1944) is a long-serving judge of the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court. In November 2024, he was successfully retained for another 10-year term, which is scheduled to end on December 4, 2034.
Judicial Career & Education
Education: He earned both his B.S. (1965) and J.D. (1968) from the University of Illinois.
Early Career: Before his judicial appointments, he served as a staff attorney with the Legislative Reference Bureau and as an Assistant State's Attorney in Sangamon and Champaign counties.Judicial Appointments:
Circuit Court Judge: Elected in 1976 and served until 1989.
Appellate Court Judge: Assigned to the Fourth District in 1989 and elected in 1994. He has been retained three times since (2004, 2014, and 2024).
Legal Contributions & Teaching
Justice Steigmann is widely recognized as a leading expert on criminal law and evidence in Illinois.Author: He is the primary author of the three-volume treatise Illinois Evidence Manual and co-author of Illinois Evidentiary Foundations.
Teaching: He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law and has lectured extensively for law enforcement and judicial institutes.
Media: For nearly four decades, he has been a frequent guest on Champaign radio station WDWS-AM, discussing legal topics and current events.
Ha
zel Wagner Author
Hazel Wagner is most notably an internationally acclaimed professional speaker, author, and education researcher. She is widely recognized for her expertise in mind mapping and critical thinking, highlighted by her 2019 TEDx talk "Want to learn better? Start mind mapping," which has over 1.6 million views.
Professional Profile
Education: She holds four college degrees, including a Ph.D. in mathematics from Northwestern University and an MBA.
Specializations: Her work focuses on creative problem solving, decision-making, and what she terms "Brainiance"—a combination of critical and creative thinking.
Academic Work: She has taught at prestigious institutions, including the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and DePaul University.
Business: She is the founder of B9D, Inc. and has led sales and marketing efforts for Fortune 100 companies.
Published Works
She has authored several books that apply mathematical and creative strategies to business and learning:
Power Brainstorming: Great Ideas at Lightning Speed
Business, Brains & B.S. (A business mystery)
Speaking of Success (Co-authored with experts like Kenneth Blanchard)
Lois Traub Wallman ’51, Artist, sculptor and educator.
Lois Goldstein Wallman (née Traub) was an acclaimed American sculptor and educator who passed away on May 17, 2008, in Cary, North Carolina.
Professional Life and Art
Artistic Career: Her sculptures were exhibited in galleries and museums across Miami, New York, Paris, and Melbourne.
Teaching: She taught sculpture at the Paris American Academy in France.
Other Talents: In addition to her fine art, she was a jewelry designer, skilled seamstress, and chef.
Personal Life
Background: she grew up in Miami, Florida.
Residences: While she spent significant time in Miami and North Carolina, she also lived in Melbourne, Australia, for five years.
Community: She was known as an avid collector of books and art, and a frequent host for friends and family.
Education: Graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Taught at Louvre, Orsay, Cluny, Rodin and Pompidou Museums
Art instructor for handicapped childrenRecognition
Listed in: Who’s Who in Women Artists, Who’s Who in American Art, Arts in America
Artist in Residence at Como Center in Melbourne Victoria Australia 1988-1990
Jack Walsh ’48, Criminologist, Chicago Deputy Chief of Police.
John J. "Jack" Walsh Jr. (1930–2003): A prominent Sullivan graduate who retired as Deputy Chief of the Chicago Police Department in 1993 after a long career. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean Conflict and was known in the department as a dedicated leader.
Professional Career: He served with the Chicago Police Department, retiring in 1993 with the rank of Deputy Chief.
Military Service: He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, during which he served in the U.S. Navy.
Personal Life:
Born around 1930, he died at the age of 72 on February 1, 2003.
He was married to Margaret A. (née Sullivan) and had seven children and 18 grandchildren.
An avid golfer, he notably shot an 84 during his final round.
Joel Weisman ’60, Journalist
Joel Weiman is a popular and well-respected Emmy award winning TV host and commentator in Chicago, mostly with WGN-TV, and he currently hosts “Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review” on WTTW (the PBS channel).
Career: He began his career in the 1960s as a newspaper journalist for titles like the Chicago Sun-Times and served as the Midwest correspondent for The Washington Post.
WTTW Tenure: He helped create "The Week in Review" in 1978 and hosted it until his retirement in January 2018.
Other Roles: In addition to journalism, he is a licensed attorney specializing in media law and has worked as a media agent.
Honors: He has won multiple Emmy Awards and two Pulitzer Prize nominations for investigative reporting.
He hosted The Week in Review for 40 years before retiring in January 2018.
Weisman was known for his role as "a reporter, editor, traffic cop, and referee" on the show, welcoming hundreds of reporters to his weekly panel.
His final appearance as host was an hour-long special on January 19, 2018, celebrating his contributions to Chicago television.
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Jennie Williams Dincecco ’50, Educator, Author
Listed in the Silver Who’s Who in the World which profiles accomplished men and women. With a Ph.D. in psycho educational diagnostics and human growth and development, she taught at Barat and the National College of Education, and coordinated programs for children of migrant workers from Mexico
Jennie had a multifaceted career that included teaching, administration, university instruction, and research.She earned her master's and doctorate degrees from Northern Illinois University (NIU).
After caring for her mother, who had Alzheimer's disease, she wrote the book Dying with Open Eyes: Alzheimer's Disease.
Larry Williams
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Richard Wishner, PhD Engineer and Executive
Richard P. Wishner is a renowned engineer and industrial executive known for his contributions to radar, control technology and information processing.
Career: He is currently involved with Systems & Technology Research (STR), a company specializing in advanced research for national security.
Board Roles: He has served as a Director for Mercury Systems Inc. as recently as 2026.
Awards: In 1999, he received the Harry Rowe Mimno Award from the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society. He has also been honored with the Alumni Award for Distinguished Service from the University of Illinois.
Education: He holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
After graduation from the University of Illinois, Dr. Wishner joined the MIT Lincoln Laboratory as assistant group leader and led the development of software, hardware, and processing techniques for the MIT/PRESS Field Station on Kwajalein Atoll.
lso, he led an engineering team that successfully applied detection, estimation, and modern control theory techniques to radar waveform design and to the solution of target detection and tracking problems.In 1969, he joined Systems Control, Inc., as vice president and member of the Board of Directors, advancing to corporate vice president in 1975. His research at Systems Control has been directed toward developing real-time computational algorithms and determining the requirements and solutions to defense information processing and control problems. He has developed optimal and suboptimal radar and computer scheduling techniques, derived expressions for propagation of statistics in nonlinear systems, and developed algorithms and data management techniques for advanced architecture computers. At Systems Control, all technical operations report to him, and he is responsible for over 200 technical personnel.
Roberta Weiner Worshak
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Chester Zielenski ’52, Decorated Air Force Lt. Colonel. Now funds educational programs.
Chester Zielinski (1932–2018) was a U.S. military veteran who served during the Korean War.
Key facts about his life and service include:
Military Service: He served in the U.S. military during the Korean War era.
Post-Service Involvement: He was active in veterans' organizations, serving as the vice commander of the American Legion Oakwood Beach branch.
Personal: He was born in 1932 and died at the age of 85 in May 2018 in Staten Island, New York.
Michael Zissman Jurist
Michael C. Zissman is a retired judge who served in the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago, Illinois.
Judicial Career
Role: He served as an Associate Judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Divisions: During his tenure, he presided over cases in various divisions, including:
Juvenile Court: Handled high-profile custody and neglect cases in the mid-1990s.
Eviction Court: Served as one of the presiding judges for eviction proceedings in the early 2000s.
Civil Division: Presided over personal injury and other civil litigation matters.
Appointments & Retention: He was appointed as an associate judge in 1995 and consistently sought and received retention by the Chicago Bar Association through at least 2003.
Background and Legal Practice
Education: He attended Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Private Practice: Before and after his judicial service, he has been an attorney in Chicago, focusing on areas such as personal injury and medical malpractice.
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