Spring 2017 Magazine

03 From the Head of School 04 News and Notes

08 Homecoming 2016

12 Commencement 2016

14 Commencement Address: D. Stephen Menzies ’73 20 Duchossois Alumni Award: Denny Cresap ’52 22 Faculty Q&A: Peggy Bergin

24 Alumni Q&A: Kareem Daniel ’92 26 Spotlight on the Arts

30 Warriors in Hollywood 34 Annual Fund Gala

36 Annual Report, 2015-2016 42 Class Notes

47 In Memoriam: James McHugh ’44

Board of Trustees, 2016-2017 Rajeev Rathi ’84, P’15, ’17, ’18, chair Beverly Biggs Imre Boarden P’07, ’10, ’14 Dr. Lisa Daniel-Olimene ’89, P’23, ’25, ’29 Heidi Echols P’20, ’22, ’27 Michael J. Harris P’20, ’23 Colin McFarland P’20, ’26 Dr. Carlos F. Smith P’22, ’27 Barbara Tubutis This magazine is published for Morgan Park Academy alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends by the Office of Advancement.

Katie Zimmerman, Editor Jim Reedy, Editor David Honor ’67, Photographer

On the Cover: Hannah Branit ’17, Angela Cabrera ’19, Theodore Covello ’18, Charles Hendon ’21, Ethan Jorjorian ’19, Nathaniel Nicholes ’18, Kelsey Ramski ’20, Ashley Wilson ’17 2 Spring 2017

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL When I talk with alumni about the powerful impact Morgan Park Academy has had on their lives after graduation, they speak of the beneficial effects of their MPA education on their professional and personal lives and describe how their experiences here set the stage for success.

Paula Newsome ’79, and Elizabeth Reiter ’04; wizards behind the camera like Jamie Boscardin Martin ’84, Kevin Shaw ’91, and Anu Valia ’06; artists such as Ryan Rasmussen ’05, Amber Sipich ’08, and Damian Skawiniak ’11; and many more.

We see consistently what a positive impact the arts can have even for students who wouldn’t think of themselves as “artsy” or who follow paths after graduation with no obvious artistic connection. Arts education sparks young imaginations, spurs students to discover their own voices and talents, and fosters critical thinking, communication, and creativity skills that are key to success in college and beyond.

Join us for a theater production, a photo exhibit, or a musical performance and see how MPA’s arts program is as vibrant and flourishing as ever.

Among those fondly recalled memories are many of our fine arts program. From music and photography to theater and dance to visual arts of all shapes and colors, the arts are and have always been central to the MPA student experience.

Of course, for many alumni, MPA’s arts program was only the beginning. We’ve spotlighted several in this issue (Page 30), but the number of alumni in the visual and performing arts is too many to count. They include actors and musicians such as Shaun Broyls ’91, Cody Geil ’00, Maestro Harrell ’09, Matthew Jones ’88,

And even now, the next generation is getting ready to join their ranks — young alumni such as Alexandria Bratsos ’14, studying at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, and Everett Mosley ’16 at Columbia College Hollywood.

MPA has always considered the arts central to its academic mission, and we continue to make investments to strengthen this longstanding tradition, including new, stateof-the-art lighting and sound equipment in the Baer Theater.

We are committed to ensuring that artistic exploration will remain a valued part of an MPA education, offering students a contemplative window through which to imagine the world anew and see themselves and their lives in a fresh light.

Mercedes Z. Sheppard Head of School

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NEWS & NOTES

Drown Named National Teaching Award Finalist

MPA Partners with ACS Athens This year, MPA has partnered with American Community Schools (ACS) Athens. ACS, a school that embraces American educational philosophy, is similar to the Academy in many ways: curriculum, distribution of diversity, and student population. ACS is a Kindergarten – 12th Grade School.

With this partnership, students as well as faculty will have the opportunity to participate in exchange programs. But even before that, they will have the chance to exchange ideas, and converse virtually in online Humanities courses.

Emily Drown P’27, ’31, Upper School biology teacher and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Curriculum Leader, was one of 30 finalists (out of 400 nominations) for the 2016 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

Golden Apple is a nonprofit which celebrates great teachers who make life-changing differences in the lives of students.

Mercedes Sheppard P’21, ’25, Head of School at the Academy, describes Drown as “a dedicated teacher who inspires her students, and those in the MPA community, to excel both in and out of the classroom. Her innovative teaching prepares our students to be independent learners and global leaders. It is an absolute privilege to work with her; she is most deserving of this recognition.”

Drown was nominated for her passion and dedication to teaching. Specifically, her teaching style emphasizes critical analysis instead of memorization, which prepares students for the demands of higher education and the real world. Her commitment to students is evident; she enjoys seeing students have their “a ha” moments. And as she explains, “there is nothing like doing an experiment and having students make 4connections Spring 2017to what they have read and what they have seen in the lab.”

ACS relies heavily on teachers’ research, which they publish internally for their colleagues’ use (much like our faculty do in their professional development endeavors). Their approach to teaching is a resource to which our faculty will have access, as theirs will to ours. This exchange of ideas is academically and professionally exciting.

More importantly, MPA students will be exposed to a global module. Part of the mission of ACS is for their students and graduates to “thrive as responsible global citizens.” This speaks to MPA’s global mission which strives to prepare the global leader of tomorrow to make a positive difference in the world. This interaction with students, faculty, and citizens in another country will allow our students to experience different educational and cultural perspectives.

Left: Drown with AP Chemistry students; Above: Head of School Mercedes Sheppard P’21, ’25 and President of ACS Athens Stefanos Gialamas, Ph.D., during his Fall 2016 visit to the Academy.

Malcom Announces Retirement Plans

Middle School science teacher Thomas Malcolm will retire this June after 41 years at the Academy, bringing to a close a teaching career that has changed hundreds of lives and helped define the experience of an MPA education for generations of students.

Malcolm, a graduate of Ball State University, joined the MPA faculty in 1976 — mostly by “happy accident,” he said, after he moved to Chicago and was looking for a teaching job. “Somehow I found Morgan Park Academy, got an interview, and was hired,” he said. “It’s worked out very well. The Academy is where I’ve found my calling.”

“Mr. Malcolm’s service and dedication to MPA has been unwavering,” said Head of School Mercedes Z. Sheppard P’21, ’25, a colleague for 20 years.

“There is no task too small or too large for him, as long as it benefits the Academy. To say that the school community and I will miss him is an understatement. He sets a tremendous example of selflessness for our students, faculty, and staff.”

The school will host a celebration of his career on Friday, May 5, for families, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of MPA.

Passionate about helping others — especially students in that crucial, often tumultuous stage between childhood and young adulthood — Malcolm was Middle School head teacher for 30 years and coordinated activities related to student life and school spirit for nearly as long. He was inducted into the MPA Hall of Fame last fall.

For decades, MPA students have learned from Malcolm not only about science, but about respect, compassion, and service — values without which “subject matter is lifeless,” he said.

“I really love to hear stories of our students taking their care for others into the world beyond the Academy,” Malcolm said. “If they grow into being their own best selves, if they’re well-adjusted, compassionate, respectful, and do the best they can in life, then I can sleep at night.”

Above: Mr. Malcolm with Chloe Guido ’21, Chantal Garcia ’21, Grace Cahill ’21, Tyler Brisard ’21, and Bradley White ’21 Spring 2017 5

The Parents Association: Did You Know?

Since its founding, the Academy has had a long history of parent involvement. And for all current parents and legal guardians reading this, you are already a member of the Parents Association!

Not only is it a great way to get involved in the school community, but you also get to meet other parents, support MPA, and have fun all at the same time.

The PA is such a vital and important part of MPA. Without its support, the time members donate to the school, and the events they organize, the Academy would just simply not run as smoothly.

From Homecoming events, to fundraisers, to the book fair, to the back-to-school picnic and movie night — yes, these are all events that you may have enjoyed because of our generous parents!

The PA is always looking for new parents to become actively involved — they’d love to see new faces at events and welcome the help! The remaining schoolyear events they organize are listed to the right — peruse at your pleasure! We hope to see you there!

Recipients of the Thomas Malcolm Volunteer Award were among the many wonderful volunteers celebrated at last year’s annual appreciation dinner. From left: Tom Dryjanski P’05, ’08, ’10, ’14; Sharon Eichinger P’12, ’15; Middle School science teacher Thomas Malcolm; Masheba Gailey-Harris P’20, ’23; Head of School Mercedes Z. Sheppard P’21, ’25; and Mark O’Neill.

The Academy and the Community

We are lucky to be part of such a rich cultural community in the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods of Chicago. Throughout the year, MPA hosts events in our auditorium as well as participates in neighborhood events, such as the Beverly Art Walk and the Memorial Day Parade.

Among the Academy events is our annual Veterans Day Assembly at which the Academy recognizes veterans in the community and thanks them for their service. And this November, we were excited to have Brian Wells, author of the new book The League and the Lantern speak to middle school students. His book centers on a main character who lives in Chicago! In December, MPA hosted the 2nd Annual South Side Block Build where over a hundred kids and their families came to Alumni Hall to make some great Lego creations!

In 2017, MPA again hosted the Beverly Speaker Series, a community alliance which features renowned experts in the fields of education, child development, and parenting.

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MPA familes, students, staff, and alumni participate in the 2016 Beverly Area Planning Association’s Memorial Day Parade.

A New Space for Early Education MPA is growing! More people means a demand for more space and over the summer, that meant that one of the Academy’s projects was to create a new area for the Pre-K classes.

To accommodate the need for more and more families who are looking to send their children to MPA, our talented contractors renovated and updated an unused building on campus. This involved a complete overhaul and included new plumbing, electric, HVAC, and windows.

Our wonderful teachers in our Early Childhood program address the whole child in the areas of social, creative, cognitive, physical, and emotional development. At the Academy, we believe that young children learn best through play and meaningful

experiences. With this in mind, for our Pre-K program, there are now three new classrooms, a new enclosed outside playground, a rec room, as well as two kitchens, which the teachers put to use with the students!

This expansion allows the Academy to not only accommodate new families, but as Pre-K teacher Betsey Donohue explains, also gives “the kids a place to explore, learn, and play in a developmentally appropriate environment. We are able to display and show off their work throughout the house. It has been so great to be able to make this space our own!”

Above: Kara French ’31

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HOMECOMING 2016

Above: Boys Varsity Soccer Team; the MPA Homecoming Parade; JV Girls Volleyball Team; fun at the Carnival Right: Girls Varsity Volleyball Team; Boys Middle School Soccer Team; Students cheering on Homecoming games 8 Spring 2017

2016 Homecoming was one of the best yet. Morgan Park Academy welcomed back more than one hundred and fifty alumni this year! Please save the dates and join us in September. We hope see even more of you next year!

Homecoming 2017 will be September 22 & 23! Please send an email to our Alumni Office at alumni@ morganparkacademy.org to RSVP.

Alumni Reunions

Classes of 1956, 1966, 1976, 1986, 1991, 1996, and 2006 celebrated milestone reunions!

Pictured Right:

A: Left to right: Katrina Johnson ’66, Jane George ’66, Dave Heinemann Sr. ’66, Susan (Shimmin) Trefil ’66, Wally Washington ’66, George Kumis ’66, Keith Cunliffe ’66.

B: Front row (left to right): Melvin Maclin II ’86, Jennifer Vullo-Fisher ’86, Armen Hovanessian ’86, Adrienne Alton-Gust ’86, Sarah Kim Thompson ’86, science teacher Thomas Malcolm, Andrea Mackevicius-Marks ’86, Tara (Brigham) Hoveland ’86, Jennifer R. Kraft ’86. Back row: Roy Moncada ’85, former math teacher Jim Kowalsky, Scott King ’86, Ricardo Ugarte ’86, David Cohn ’86, Tracy Flanagan Kennedy ’86, David Cuadros ’86, Ted Paris ’86, Manu Kacker ’86, Sara Holzrichter Kandl ’86, Sheri Bailey ’86, David Hechler ’86.

C: Front row (left to right): Dana (Wright) Sasso ’96, Angela Barth ’96. Back row: Scott Campbell ’96, Mangai Arumugam ’96, Kerry (Ulmenstine) Navarro ’96, Genevieve (DiCola) Brammeier ’96, Joshua Hendel ’96, Daniel Heller ’96, Ron Bartman ’96, Siddharth Kakodkar ’96, Susan Mesleh Checho ’96, Ranjan Ginde ’96, Ann Kimble-Hill ’96, Kruti Trivedi ’96, Kiran Bhoopal ’96, Tessa (Chretien) Tegel ’96.

D: Left to right: Rohan Vaidya ’06, Danielle Ghess ’06, Rawan Abbasi ’06, Justin Dalisan ’06, Carolyn (Long) Dowd ’06, Chris Brewin ’06, Nikita Stange ’06, Kevin Wolfe ’06, Dan Pruim ’06, Lauren Rodriguez ’06, Scott Bray ’06, Crane D’Louhy Jr. ’06, Jason Salerno ’06.

A

B

C

E: Sara (Deacon) Hochhauser ’67, Wally Washington ’66, Tom Theodore ’67, Keith Cunliffe ’66.

E

D

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Athletic Walk of Fame We inducted seven new members and four teams into the MPA Athletic Walk of Fame at Homecoming this year.

Chosen by our selection committee from a pool of dozens of nominees were Frank Fonsino ’59, Doug Coller ’73, Kirk Powell ’83, Demetrius Hawkins ’91, Eric Kelly ’01, Danielle Ghess ’06, Lauren Rodriguez ’06, the 1954-55 Rifle Team, the 1985-86 and 1986-87 Girls’ Tennis Teams, the 2005-06 and 2006-07 Boys’ Soccer Teams.

Upper School principal Tom Drahozal, Robert Churchill ’07, Sam Bakker ’07, Joe Corbett, Head of School Mercedes Sheppard P’21, ’25

Coach Sue Oczkowski, Jennifer Kraft ’86, and inductee Sarah Kim Thompson ’86

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Attendees at the 2016 Athletic Walk of Fame

Danielle Ghess ’06 and Lauren Rodriguez ’06

Dr. Rudy Maglio with inductee Frank Fonsino ’59

2016 Inductees: Hall of Fame

Fifth Grade Teacher 1988-2010

Upper School Math Teacher 1981-2013

Middle School Science Teacher 1976-present

“Jeanie was passionate about teaching the whole child and exposing all to theater. They say if you love your work with passion, you are very blessed.

Jeanie and Joyce were blessed in this way and MPA certainly was the beneficiary.

“Jim brought much more to the table than his extensive knowledge of mathematics and his love of students and learning. In addition to being an outstanding geometry, calculus, and statistics teacher, his influence in the students’ lives went far beyond the classroom.”

“Mr. Malcolm is MPA. He is the embodiment of everything good MPA stands for. He lives his life as an example to others of the importance of community, service, and leadership. Mr. Malcolm walks the walk of what we want to promote as teachers to our students.”

- Reenie Morrison, retired kindergarten teacher

- Jean Doyle ’79, retired fifth grade teacher

- Colleen Amberg, Middle School humanities teacher

Lower School Teacher & Principal 1975-2011 “When I think of Joyce, memories flood my mind and touch my heart. Joyce was a science teacher extraordinaire, math mastermind, and creative writing motivator. Joyce: a permanent part of my memory, a significant influence on my life.”

- Maria Loza, retired Lower School teacher

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COMMENCEMENT 2016

Meet Our Newest Alumni

In the past seven years, MPA students have gained admission at 21 of the nation’s top 25 colleges and universities, as ranked by US News & World Report — and the Class of 2016 was no different.

They were admitted by elite private schools such as New York University, Georgetown University, and Saint Mary’s College, and by prestigious state schools such as the University of Michigan, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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At the very least, as we find ourselves swimming in the sea of ideas, choices, and people that is our society, we know that we are inextricably bound to some place, to somebody, to our class of 2016.

— Madison Delaney ’16 Valedictory Address

COLLEGE MATRICULATION Jack Anderson Purdue University Northwest - Hammond Campus Henry Arnold Illinois State University William Callihan Columbia College Chicago Jeffrey Cartwright University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Danielle Catlett University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Shreya Chandra University of Michigan Elle Chen University of California, Berkeley James Cross Northern Illinois University Madison Delaney Barnard College Travis Denton Drake University Camrin Garrett DePaul University Jordan Gaston Nova Southeastern University Jada Griffin Millikin University Hiba Katerji University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Arej Kazi Loyola University Chicago Daniel Kim Kenyon College Robert King Rhodes College Yazan Kudaimi University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Yi Li University of California, Santa Barbara Zangao Liu New York University Tayler Malecki Ball State University Brandon Miller Loyola University Chicago Francesca Milliner Loyola University Chicago Everett Mosley Columbia College Hollywood Gabrielle Ogbevire University of Connecticut Justus Pugh Georgetown University Danielle Robinson Xavier University of Louisiana Ashley Ross DePaul University Kyle Roundtree Otis College of Art and Design Max Ruiz Indiana University at Bloomington Zara Singh Scripps College Kennedy Smith Simmons College Pramukh Sreerama University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Bella Tillman Saint Mary’s College Noelle Walton Xavier University of Louisiana Ruitao Wen University of Colorado at Boulder Brandon Williams Washington University in St. Louis Donald Williams Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Gabriella Zhuang University of Michigan

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COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

D. Stephen Menzies ’73 From first grade through high school graduation, Morgan Park Academy was a home away from home for our 2016 Commencement Speaker — and not a distant one, at that. Growing up a few blocks away, D. Stephen Menzies ’73 spent much of his free time on campus in addition to his school days, devoting 14 Spring 2017

himself with equal distinction to academics and athletics. It was the lessons learned and skills developed at the Academy that laid the foundation for success later in life, Menzies said.

“Being here,” he said, “really feels like coming home.”

Menzies is a Senior Vice President and Group President at Trinity Industries, a publicly-traded, NYSE company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Trinity is the largest manufacturer of railcars, inland barges, highway guardrail, and wind towers in North America. Menzies leads TrinityRail, Trinity’s railcar manufacturing, leasing, and services businesses. He is also chairman of Trinity’s $2 billion railcar leasing joint venture.

Menzies holds a Bachelor of Business Studies degree from Tulane University and a Master of Arts in Finance from the University of Alabama, where he serves on the Board of Visitors for the Culverhouse College of Business. He also is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Freight Transportation Association and an active supporter of charities such as the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and Emily’s Place in Dallas, a home for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

We were proud to welcome him back to address the Class of 2016 and their families, friends, and teachers at last year’s Commencement Exercises.

Chairman Rajeev Rathi ’84 and the Board of Trustees, Head of School Mercedes Sheppard, Academy administrators, esteemed faculty, distinguished alumni, parents, friends, and the Morgan Park Academy Class of 2016, it is my privilege to have been invited to provide this year’s commencement address.

I can think of no higher alumni honor.

Standing here on the steps of Alumni Hall — steps I took each school day from September 1961 to June 1973 at an institution that played such a meaningful role in shaping who I am today — and delivering the commencement address at Morgan Park Academy is truly a humbling experience. Thank you for the opportunity.

Congratulations, Class of 2016! Over time, you will gain a greater appreciation for the significance of what you have accomplished. The diplomas you are about to receive are major achievements that represent the strong educational foundation you have been provided here at Morgan Park Academy. You will find, as I have, that foundation will serve you very well.

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Though it was 43 long years ago that I was sitting where you are now, it seems like only yesterday. It is

easy for me to imagine what you are thinking about: the parties you will be attending during the next few days, the family celebrations, and spending time with your friends, many of whom will most likely be going in different directions this fall. I also found graduation day to be a time of reflection. I attended Morgan Park Academy from first through 12th grade — at that point virtually my entire life. Even when we were not in school, I was at the Academy, playing pickup football and basketball, helping a teacher with a summer project, or talking with Coach Warren Jones. Sure, I was looking forward to going to New Orleans to Tulane University to start the next phase of my life. But, to be frank, it was difficult for me to imagine life without Morgan Park Academy. This was and is a special place.

I graduated as part of the centennial Class of 1973.

Quite a few of my classmates are here today. Great to see so many of you! I imagine several of you were surprised to learn that I would be delivering the commencement address today. Let me tell you — I was surprised too! I hope to represent the Class of ’73 well today. Thank you all for being here.

By the way, I have the distinct but little-known honor of being one of the first two students to attend the Academy from first through 12th grade! Yes, I am known as one of the first MPA “lifers.” I believe we have three “lifers” in the graduating Class of 2016.

Shreya Chandra ’16, Max Ruiz ’16, and Donnie Williams ’16, would you please stand? I know how much hard work and perseverance was required to make it to this day. I also know what an indelible mark the Academy has made on your lives. Congratulations to you! Perhaps we should start an “MPA Lifers” club.

Oh, by the way, fellow “lifers,” there is life after MPA! It is great to be back on campus on such a beautiful day. Beverly/Morgan Park is such a wonderful neighborhood. I was raised not far from here in an apartment at 108th and Longwood Drive, about five blocks away if you cut through the backyard of my classmate Bill Belote ’73 and the Morgan Park Methodist Church parking lot. I walked to school most days. Being here today really feels like coming home.

Home is where the heart is. My heart will always be at the Academy.

It is no coincidence that I have spent the past 25 years of my career working in the railroad industry. I am a third-generation railroader. My grandfather worked for the Illinois Central Railroad for 42 years. My mother worked as an executive secretary for the

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same railroad, serving five different CEOs — a unique accomplishment. Mom was “tops” at what she did and was a strong role model for me with respect to work ethic and professionalism. (My mother and father divorced when I was 2, and I was raised by my mother and grandparents.) I am so proud of all that my mother achieved.

Rarely does a day pass without my thinking about how fortunate I am to have had a mother who believed in the importance of an excellent education. Not just any education, but an excellent education. My mother first became acquainted with Morgan Park Academy in the 1940s when it was a military school. She and the other young ladies who attended Academy of Our Lady, a local girls’ preparatory school, were often invited to Morgan Park Academy for school dances with the cadets. By the time I was ready for first grade, Morgan Park Academy was a coeducational, college preparatory school and my mother’s first choice of a school for me. She knew that investing in my education would provide innumerable opportunities for my long-term growth and development. Sending me to Morgan Park Academy was not easy for her.

She sacrificed both financially and personally so that I could attend the Academy. I am very, very grateful for those sacrifices. What a great gift she gave me by allowing me to go to school here!

Class of 2016, your parents have given you the same wonderful gift. Parents of the Class of 2016, you have sent a clear message to your sons and daughters about the importance of an excellent education. I understand the great pride you feel today and the sacrifices you have made so that your children could attend this school. Congratulations to you, and on behalf of Morgan Park Academy, thank you for placing such trust and confidence in our school. Parents, I applaud you.

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Being asked to give the commencement address at the Academy is definitely an honor. I quickly realized, however, that composing a meaningful commencement address for one’s alma mater is no small undertaking.

I quickly developed some key topics that I wanted to cover based on my life experiences, including those in the 1960s and ’70s at MPA — and then it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to visit the campus, talk with students and faculty, meet with the Academy administrators, and make sure my thoughts were still relevant. I wanted to “touch and feel” the Academy, to develop a firsthand view of what was occurring on 16 Spring 2017

campus today, and to gain insight into what, if anything, had changed since my graduation. I am very glad that I did. I ended up learning a lot more than I anticipated.

My visit to the Academy brought to life the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” There is no question that much has changed since 1973. Imagine students using encyclopedias, slide rules, and typewriters instead of the Internet, calculators, and laptops used today.

We played football and the girls were cheerleaders.

The only girls’ sports were field hockey, volleyball, and basketball played six on a side in blouses and skirts, as compared with the six competitive girls’ teams that the Academy fielded during this school year. In the 1960s and ’70s, field trips were limited to the Chicago metropolitan area. (I probably visited both the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum a dozen times during my 12 years at Morgan Park Academy.) Today, students are encouraged to travel the world to places like Thailand and Peru, places I knew only as names on a map.

But on a deeper level, things were still the same. When I met with Mrs. Sheppard and Vincent Hermosilla, I found they shared the same commitment to creating an environment that encourages excellence in education as did David Jones and Winnie Theodore, administrators here when I was a student.

And when I met with Lynda Pariso, the athletics director, I found the same deep-rooted belief that competitive athletics support the development of critical life skills such as leadership, discipline, perseverance, and teamwork. This belief was shared

by Coach Jones, coach Chuck Cleary ’60, and coach Robert Cahill, a few of the men who coached me during my years at Morgan Park Academy. (I could easily take my entire allotted time today sharing the impact Coach Jones has had on my life and on my becoming a man.)

And when I met with members of the Academy faculty — Tom Drahozal, Thomas Malcolm, Colleen Amberg, Sandra Burgess, and Emily Drown — I found committed, engaged professionals utilizing the latest teaching techniques and resources, but with the same focus — core skills development — as that of Michael Scanlon, Kathryn George, and Dr. Larry Brown, some of my teachers. Today’s faculty also share the same intense interest in helping each student reach his or her unique potential and holding students accountable for high achievement, as did Donald

Coller, Donald Lints, and Gaylen Cronk. They held me accountable for achieving my unique potential. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

My meetings and recent time on campus reassured me that the core values of excellence in education — developing individuals to achieve their unique potential and holding students accountable — are still firmly entrenched in the fabric of this great institution.

My recent visit to campus reassured me that no matter how much had changed since I was a student, the Academy at its core is still the same.

Another thing that has not changed is the Academy’s focus on developing leaders.

Early in its history, the Academy developed future military leaders. Eventually its focus shifted to developing future leaders in business and commerce, medicine, education, and law. Now, the Academy has set its sights on preparing tomorrow’s global leaders. Global leaders. That is a lofty goal, a worthy goal, a goal worth striving for.

As I spoke with the seniors, I was struck by their maturity and insight. They talked about embracing cultural diversity. They used words like “acceptance,” “respect,” and “understanding.” They talked about inclusion and attempting to find common ground.

They referenced a strong sense of community at the Academy. They spoke about engaging and listening openly to dissenting ideas and opinions, and respecting others with different faiths, nationalities, and beliefs. Now this was different!

When I graduated from the Academy in 1973, cultural diversity referred to someone who did not live in Beverly/ Morgan Park. Yes, Robert Stelton, one of the fine educators at MPA and an inveterate world traveler, did all he could in his social studies class to introduce us to different faiths and cultures through textbooks, movies, and slide shows from his global treks. But that was only one class. And the things he shared with us were worlds away, with seemingly little impact on our daily lives.

“No matter how much has changed since I was a student, the Academy at its core is still the same.”

Our world is increasingly interconnected — via technology, via trade, via travel, education, and immigration. It is becoming increasingly clear that we need global leaders who respect and celebrate each other’s differences — leaders who are willing to forge a common understanding so they can work together to make a positive difference in the world.

And that is what I saw happening here at Morgan Park Academy: students from a wide variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds studying together, competing together, learning together to appreciate and embrace one another’s traditions and differences.

This was underscored during the highlight of my campus visit: meeting with students Justus Pugh ’16, Hiba Katerji ’16, Shreya Chandra, and Madison Delaney ’16 (who were probably more excited about the pizza and cake pops served at our lunch than they were about meeting with me).

Wow! What an impressive group of young people.

While they are school and class leaders, I have no doubt that these four are representative of the caliber and focus of the entire Class of 2016.

Keep in mind, the Academy first integrated in 1969, my freshman year. My class, the Class of ’73, was the first to include an African-American student. At that point in my life, my exposure to other cultures was limited to a classmate’s bar mitzvah and an understanding that, in most years, my dear Greek Orthodox friends celebrated Easter on a different day than Catholics and Protestants did.

But today’s Morgan Park Academy students live cultural diversity every day. They are comfortable with this diversity. They are comfortable in this multiracial, multi-faith, increasingly diverse world. Their degree of comfort is remarkable. They do more than accept it, they embrace it! Wow! If only all the leaders of our nation could behave similarly, think about how much greater our already great nation could become!

Class of ’16, please hold on to these perspectives. Do not be dissuaded from this vision of what society could be. Listening to you during lunch that day made me reflect on my leadership roles and the importance of listening. You made me revisit the effectiveness of my personal filters. Do I embrace people of different ideas, faiths, and races? Do I listen to others openly?

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Do I work to include others who may be different?

These are all great lessons for me, great reminders for me, certainly as a business and community leader. Thank you. I came to the Academy in April to learn about you, and I ended up learning from you.

Apparently, not only had I returned to the Academy that day, I had also returned to school. Just another example of how life learning never ends.

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Several times this morning, I have mentioned “leadership.” The Academy clearly lays a strong foundation for global leadership in a variety of ways, including integrating global studies into the curriculum, encouraging international travel, and recruiting international students to the student body.

The Academy also offers hands-on opportunities for leadership through such activities as Student Council, the House System, service projects, athletics, the arts, and special events like Academy Day.

The Academy teaches leadership by valuing failure as well as success. It provides a supportive environment for those who try — and fail. This is absolutely critical to building the confidence necessary to be a leader.

When we try and fail, we are smarter the next time around. We are more confident about asking the tough questions and making the right choices. Some of my greatest learning experiences stemmed from situations where I failed. Far better to try and fail than to never try at all. Morgan Park Academy understands the importance of the formative experience of failure.

So, this morning, I would like to share a few personal insights about not just leadership, but what I view to be the keys to great leadership. I spend a lot of time thinking about leadership in my role as a senior vice president of Trinity Industries and group president of TrinityRail.

At Trinity, I lead an organization composed of more than 10,000 people throughout North America.

TrinityRail manufactures, leases, manages, and services railcars. An organization the size of TrinityRail clearly needs a lot of leaders in a wide variety of areas. We need strong leaders to run our complex business, identify and seek new growth opportunities, and develop other future leaders. To that end, as an organization we continually focus on developing leaders. It is a significant personal responsibility. I am also constantly working on developing and expanding my own leadership skills.

18 Spring 2017

So what is leadership? Jack Welch, the chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001, and one of the great business leaders of my generation, helped shape my thoughts about great leadership.

His framework is based on three key skills. First, great leaders create visions of what they want their businesses — their groups, their teams — to be, to achieve. Second, they effectively communicate their visions to colleagues, stakeholders, and teammates to develop shared understanding and alignment. And then, third, they relentlessly drive execution through hard work, discipline, and teamwork. This is, in my view, the essential model for great leaders.

Visionaries are almost always independent thinkers.

Independent thinkers see things others do not. They make connections between patterns, activities, and perspectives in their mind’s eye that others may miss. As a result, they see opportunities, challenges, and problems associated with situations long before others are able to do so. They are able to visualize what could be rather than what is.

Graduates, think about that: What could be, rather than what is.

Seeing beyond the present to the possibilities of the future is the foundation for charting new directions that drive growth, discovery, improvement, superior quality, and differentiation — and not just in business.

It applies to the teams we are a part of, the not-forprofits for which we volunteer, our places of worship, our families, ourselves as individuals. Visualizing what could be, as opposed to what is — and then making those visions become reality — is ultimately how we make our world a better place in which to live, work, and raise families.

Mr. Malcolm summarized independent thinking this way: “It is not that we want our students to think outside the box, it is that we want them to create a bigger box and then think outside of that.” Wow! That is the type of empowering guidance that enables the independent thinking necessary for great leaders to create compelling visions.

There is more to leadership than thinking, however.

Independent thinking skills mean little if you are unable to communicate what it is you want to accomplish with those who can help you accomplish it. Great leaders are able to articulate to others what they are thinking. They paint verbal pictures of what they see within their mind’s eye. They use different forms of communication to help others see beyond

what currently exists to what could be. Great leaders take responsibility for communicating effectively and view communication as a two-way street. They value the input of others and actively leverage others’ strengths as they think, plan, and do.

They know that collaboration usually generates better output and results. Because of this, they are active listeners, ask thought-provoking, open-ended questions, and give serious consideration to the answers provided.

Great leaders are engaged, and good at engaging others. Leadership, by definition, is a contact sport.

Great leaders capture the hearts and souls of those they lead. They seek and obtain the buy-in of others.

Their authenticity, enthusiasm, focus, and drive inspire others to be involved, to follow, to make it happen.

And great leaders relentlessly drive things through to completion. Most important, great leaders build great teams to make their visions become reality. This, in my experience, is the key differentiator for great leaders. I have seen leaders fail because they lacked vision, and I have seen visionaries who failed simply because they had poor vision. More common are great visionaries who fall short because of poor execution and a lack of effective teamwork. I am a firm believer in the collective strength of people working together. Great things can be accomplished with great teamwork.

I learned this at the Academy, and it has been foundational to my leadership style. Here I learned the value of discipline, focus, perseverance, and teamwork. The winning teams of which I was a part may not have been the most athletically talented or great in number, but I was confident that none of our competition practiced harder, was better prepared, or had a stronger sense of “team” than the Warriors.

I am very proud to be a part of this legacy. I feel the same way about my TrinityRail team. Despite today’s highly competitive environment, we produced record earnings the past consecutive three years. This is an incredible achievement, a testimonial to the collective strength of an engaged team — a great team.

When people truly work in a team framework, great things can happen. One plus one equals more than two! People generally want to be part of something successful. Great leaders increase the probability of success by assembling great teams, coaching team members, and looking for ways to help them achieve their unique potential. Great leaders lead by example,

walk the walk, and ask from others only what they are prepared to offer themselves.

So in my view, great leaders have vision supported by independent thinking, they are able to communicate effectively with others, and they relentlessly drive execution to make that vision a reality through exceptional teamwork.

America’s sixth president, John Quincy Adams, summarized great leadership in this manner: If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a great leader.

There is no question that our world is in need of great leaders. Why not you, Class of 2016? Embrace the opportunity for greatness. Cause greatness. You have been trained to think independently. You have been taught the skills to communicate effectively. You are comfortable working with all different types of people.

Go forth in the spirit of President Adams. Inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, become more. Be great leaders!

c d

I would like to close my remarks today by sharing one last insight from my day on campus. During my lunch with the seniors, I asked if there was anything in particular they would like to hear from me at commencement. At first, they hesitated, but finally one of them told me it was acceptable if I simply told them that “everything would be OK.” In fact, this student told me he couldn’t hear that message frequently enough.

Well, Justus, I am here to tell you, and the entire Class of 2016, you are going to be OK. In fact, given what I know about your families, who clearly place a high value on an excellent education, what I know about the skills and experiences you have been given here at the Academy, and what I know about you, you are going to be more than OK. You are going to be great.

So go forth, Class of 2016. Bring favor and distinction to Morgan Park Academy through your achievements, your accomplishments, your thinking, your great leadership. I am proud to know that you will now represent the men and women of the 141 prior graduating classes of the Academy.

Congratulations, Class of 2016! May God bless you all.

Thank you for letting me share your special day.

Thank you.

Spring 2017 19

D U C H O S S O I S A L U M N I AWA R D

Denny Cresap ’52

D

enny Cresap ’52 received Morgan Park Academy’s highest award for alumni, the Richard L. Duchossois ’40 Integrity and Values Alumni Award, at our 143rd commencement exercises last June.

Returning to campus six decades after his graduation from Morgan Park Military Academy, Cresap brought with him a lifetime of professional achievement and service to his community and country that distinguishes him among his fellow alumni.

“This award, I have to say, was unexpected,” Cresap said.

“And not just because I never expected to find myself on a list of Morgan Park alumni prestigious enough to receive the Duchossois Award. But also because — well, let’s face it — it’s been 64 years since I graduated and it’s a little surprising to be remembered after that long!

“But what an honor. Thank you so much. I truly am humbled.”

The Duchossois Award is given annually in recognition of its namesake’s lifetime achievements, outstanding professional success, and service to the Academy, his community, and society. Previous recipients are Duchossois, U.S. Ambassador Al Hoffman Jr. ’52, Spencer Stuart ’40, Bill Hickey ’71, and Jim Mitchell ’61.

“It was wonderful to welcome Mr. Cresap back to campus,” said Head of School Mercedes Z. Sheppard P’21, ’25.

“His sterling character as a business leader and his lifelong service sets a tremendous example for the Class of 2016 and all of our students.”

Cresap served three years in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of Sergeant First Class, before moving to Oklahoma and building a small local beer distributorship into one of

20 Spring 2017

the 25 largest Anheuser-Busch distributorships in the world.

Through his family foundation and a variety of local organizations, Cresap is committed to service that improves the lives of Oklahomans and beyond, focusing especially on support of youth and families, health and wellness, education, arts and humanities, and animal welfare issues.

“Being recognized by this award is special to me on a deeply personal level,” he said. And not just because the Academy made such a big difference in my life — which it did. But also because of the special relationship I had with the man the award is named after.”

When Cresap was a boy, he knew Duchossois as the boyfriend and then the husband of “my favorite babysitter,” Beverly Thrall.

“Two years before I started at the Academy in 1948,” Cresap said, “Richard Duchossois set the gold standard of achievement for a Morgan Park graduate when he returned from five European campaigns in World War II with two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.

“Richard was an inspiration to all us back then. And I would hope he continues to be an inspiration to graduates for as long as there is a Morgan Park Academy.”

Spring 2017 21

FACULTY Q&A FACULTY Q&A

Peggy Bergin

Heather Kurut, who at the time was also the drama teacher at MPA. From there, it seemed nothing less than divine intervention because Mrs. Kurut was then promoted to Middle School principal and I was hired to fill her shoes. I was thrilled to combine my passions for the arts and education when hired to teach drama and direct the school plays at the Academy.

Why do you love teaching at MPA?

Teaching at MPA for me feels a little bit like I’ve won the lottery. Let’s be honest, making a living in the arts is traditionally a rarity. But here I find myself every morning on this beautiful campus, teaching subjects that I love to students who are thoughtful, challenging, creative, and inspiring. I then spend my after-school hours working with students to learn lines, songs, and choreography, as well as to create sets and design lighting and costumes, all to mount a theatrical production for our MPA and local communities. I am surrounded by adults who are interesting, funny, and passionate, who care deeply about the success of this institution. I know that when I retire and look back at my time teaching at MPA, I will think of these days as the best days of my life.

Peggy Bergin P’24, ’27, ’30 is the Director of the Arts, our drama teacher, and the Curriculum Leader for the Fine Arts Department. She holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

How did you arrive at MPA?

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago and went to a high school similar in size and mission to MPA. After studying, living, working, and performing in New York City for several years, I moved back to Chicago to attend graduate school.

When my husband and I moved our growing family to Beverly in 2010, I started teaching at the Beverly Yoga Center, where I met fellow yoga teacher, 22 Spring 2017

How has MPA’s arts program evolved in recent years?

Head of School Mercedes Sheppard P’21, ’25 has challenged the faculty this year to think about what we as a school aspire to be. We have strengthened the scope and sequence in our Middle and Upper School arts programs and have introduced new electives in several programs including ceramics, photography, culinary arts, create and produce your own musical, spoken word, 2D & 3D art, and podcasting. Our band and chorus groups continue to grow in number and talent thanks to our dedicated faculty, and we are adding an Advanced Placement course in music. This year, we are also adding a Lower School audition-based production for the spring so that our younger students can show off their talents.

One of the programs I’m personally proud of is our musical theatre group for middle and upper school students. Last year, for the first time, our group participated in the Illinois High School Theatre Festival by showcasing our production of Little Shop of Horrors. While we were not selected to perform at the festival, we were one of 173 schools to attend.

Students took part in an audition master class, an improvisation workshop, met with the production staff of this year’s all-state production of Sweeney Todd, and got to see last year’s all-state production of Rent.

What are the strengths of MPA’s art program?

I believe it is very important that we offer classes in the visual and performing arts at every grade level from Pre-K to 12th grade every day of the week. This early introduction to art gives students a chance to embrace their uniqueness and express how they’re thinking and feeling, which builds confidence. Our students are introduced early to the stage when they participate in their grade-level plays. In Middle and Upper School, students are able to select from a variety of electives to continue exploring and expressing themselves.

My colleagues in the art department are also a major strength of our programs. Our group of professional artists and teachers is skilled at meeting students’ needs and strengths, while encouraging and supporting them in their endeavors. We have a specific focus on process, but also never lose sight of the product. Both are equally important. We work hard to say yes to student ideas and guide their visions and instincts to success.

Finally, I think a major strength of our program is that we continue to grow and adapt to the student body. The typical MPA student is not one who specializes in only sports or only arts but participates in several clubs, several sports, and acts in the plays and musicals, all while maintaining a high GPA. Our strength is that we accommodate the multifaceted and multitalented students in our programs.

Maya Lopez ’19 in the 2016 Fall Musical Tarzan Spring 2017 23

ALUMNI Q&A

Kareem Daniel ’92 Twenty-five years later, Kareem Daniel ’92 still comes up as an example when Upper School principal Tom Drahozal needs to remind MPA students of the value of hard work and exquisite time management.

Making use of every free minute in a daily schedule filled with challenging classes and extracurricular activities, Daniel competed every day to not only maximize his academic potential but to finish first in his class.

That’s how he won a close competition for class valedictorian and followed his sister, Dr. Lisa DanielOlimene ’89, P’23, ’25, ’29, to Stanford University, where he earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and an MBA degree.

That’s how he found success as an engineer and as an investment banker before building a career in the business of entertainment at The Walt Disney Company. He is Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, helping the largest licenser in the world generate more than $50 billion last year from licensed merchandise featuring everyone from Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh to Princess Leia, Iron Man, and Jack Sparrow.

“My habit of carrying something all the way through to the end — I know MPA is where that started for me,” Daniel said.

Q&A

What is your role at Disney?

My primary responsibility is developing key strategic initiatives to help drive the long-term profitability and growth of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media’s worldwide businesses. Essentially, my role is to identify consumer trends and the implications for us over the next three to five years or more, and help determine how we should respond to optimize our performance.

For example, the Disney Store is part of our segment. We opened a store in 2015 in Shanghai, and it is our biggest store in the biggest city in the biggest country in the world.

But there are 1.4 billion people in China, and one ownedand-operated brick-and-mortar store is not enough to meet 24 Spring 2017

the needs of consumers. Our long-term strategy requires understanding how the retail landscape is changing in China — and of course, identifying long-term trends and looking at e-commerce and mobile commerce, emerging middle-class dynamics, distribution infrastructure challenges, and so forth.

My job is to help analyze the relevant information and build a business plan. I stay involved in those types of projects throughout their execution, because consumer behavior and market dynamics are always evolving.

What is it like to help shepherd iconic entertainment brands like Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar?

One of the biggest outlets I had growing up was seeing movies with my older cousin almost every weekend. My mom would give us money and we would go to Evergreen Plaza to watch movies all day. I have always loved movies, but growing up, I never imagined that there was a business side to entertainment. I just had no idea. After college, I started to realize that there is something there.

A highlight of my career was being a member of the team that worked on the acquisition of Marvel in 2009 and being able to tell my mom about it and better explain what I did for a living. She used to drive me to the comic book store at the Chicago Ridge Mall and sit outside in the car for hours while I was in the store, reading comics. She was the most patient, amazing woman ever. So when that deal was announced, I could tell her that we bought the company that made those comics, and that we were going to use those characters to make movies and theme park rides and consumer products. And then we bought Star Wars three years later. One of the best parts of my job is working on deals and projects based on what I grew up with, and trying to help continue the success that they have had.

What do you remember most fondly about MPA and the impact it had on you?

First and foremost, I remember my older sister Lisa setting an incredible example for me from both an academic and athletic perspective. Second, MPA is a community. You have a community of teachers. You have a community of parents. And having that closeknit environment really fostered for me a degree of comfort where I thought I could succeed.

Clearly, having small classes allows you a lot more

one-on-one time, more individualized academic programs where you get attention. The teachers are able to cater to a smaller group more specifically than you could with larger class sizes. I think that is the biggest thing. And the school just had a great staff who all really cared and were all really smart. I certainly felt that way throughout my time at MPA.

My hardest class was physics with Doc Brown, and at one point I thought I might major in that. [English teacher] Barry Kritzberg was also tough but good.

Coach Drahozal was huge for me, academically and athletically, in terms of helping me grow. All of the teachers made me feel like I had support and helped me work on areas in which I could improve. I see that progression very clearly in my mind. The quality of the teaching and the personalized educational experience just made a world of difference.

Your former teachers remember you as a driven young man. Was that a trait that was present throughout your 13 years at MPA?

In eighth grade, there was a scholarship competition for high school and I got second place. I was told that I had missed first place by a very small margin, and everyone acted like I was supposed to be happy about that. I will never forget that feeling. How am I supposed to be happy about being second? I had never really considered the possibility of being No. 1 prior to that, but I remember that experience put it in my head that I always wanted to finish first.

I always studied a lot, often falling asleep while doing so late into the night. I knew that I did not have to be the smartest at everything. But no one would outwork me in anything.

It’s like when our basketball team won 35 straight games. The success we had was not predicated upon us having the best athletes. We had strong coaches and a strong work ethic, and we played well as a team.

How did MPA prepare you for success?

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, my parents did everything they could to make sure that I received a great education. Any success that I have had is attributable to the sacrifices that they made to send me to MPA. It is really that simple. I do not have children yet, but I know that one of the most critical things will be education. It changes your set of opportunities. That is what MPA was for me.

Spring 2017 25

26 Spring 2017

Spotlight on the Arts The spotlight. It is a beam that some performers are drawn to, while others shy away. Some crave the spotlight while others prefer to work behind the scenes. And still other artists embrace creativity through different modes: visual arts, creative writing, ensemble performance, radio, video editing, and set design. At Morgan Park Academy, students have the chance to explore all of these roles, and more, if they wish.

And with talented, dedicated teachers with impressive backgrounds in the arts, students have the opportunity to train with and learn from the very best. In keeping with Picasso’s vision, MPA supports a child’s development of artistic expression and encourages students to be lifelong supporters of the arts. With the time students at MPA spend exposed to the arts, we’re sure they will be.

Spring 2017 27

The Academy offers a robust arts program with many classes that students can delve into and discover their creativity. Each year, MPA adds additional classes, ones faculty have a desire to teach and students have a desire to take. This past year, Director of the Arts (and this year’s featured Faculty Q&A, see Page 22) Peggy Bergin P’24, ’27, ’30 started a culinary arts class. The curriculum here at Morgan Park Academy allows students to not only experience and explore their creativity, but also to hone these skills for admittance into college. Indeed, the Academy has had students follow their creative passions and molded them into successful careers.

The Academy has a long, rich history in the arts, including glee clubs and a swing band in earlier years.

The current curriculum includes visual arts (drawing and pottery), drama (productions, club, and scene design), and music (chorus, band, and private lessons).

In the MPA tradition, our dedicated teachers make sure students also learn skills outside of the classroom.

Classes take field trips each year to enhance their learning, and with Chicago at our doorstep, the choices are endless. In the past year, students have not only visited Chicago’s vast array of museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Photography, but students have started a culinary blog, and submitted work 28 Spring 2017

to Artsonia, the largest student online art gallery in the world. This year, the Academy has introduced several new electives including ceramics, photography, culinary arts, create and produce your own musical, and podcasting. And after the new student lounge on the fourth floor of Hansen Hall is finished at the end of this year, Radio WMPA will once again be a class choice for students. Last year, dozens of gala donors, as well as Middle School social studies teacher and Dean of Student Life Dan Peters, donated towards WMPA. Their generosity is a true testament to how much our parents and teachers believe in the Academy.

An Academy education prepares our students for life outside of MPA simply because here, students have access to studying art. In a recent article titled “Want Your Child to Survive the Future? Send Them to Art School,” the author discusses how many of the jobs that exist today will soon be obsolete. The article stresses that companies are increasingly hiring creative thinkers graduating from art schools and that parents should “assume that your children’s ingenuity is the one true safety net available in times of rapid change. Send your kids to art school and they will have exactly what they need to become anything they might need to be.”

Previous Page: Painting by Aariel Batchelor ’17; Above: Taylor Brooks ’23, Sheridan Harris ’23, and Saanvi Malkani ’23; Right: Madison Delaney ’16 in Little Shop of Horrors

This reasoning speaks to why the Academy has always encouraged cross-disciplinary classes and teaching. Studying the arts allows students to develop skills that apply in other classes.

Through the study of patterns, sound, movement, and through the art itself of practice, one learns spatial skills that apply to mathematics, science, and language. As Lower School art teacher Pat Egan explains, she loves teaching art because students gain so many insights: “Art teaches self-expression, teamwork, problem solving, that there is more than one solution to a problem, builds confidence, requires persistence, and gives students appreciation for multiple perspectives.”

Students develop discipline that helps with time management and balancing life as an academic, but also as a student-athlete. Put simply, because of the arts, students get to successfully do it all.

Students prepare themselves for higher education, as well as to be life-long learners. And they establish themselves independently, a core value on which the Academy was founded.

This is, in part, due to the nature of creativity, but could not be instilled as successfully as it is at the Academy without guidance: our teachers.

Music teacher Michael Ellis P’31 explains that his teaching style relies heavily on the Socratic Method, which helps “students find answers through critical thinking. As music is very subjective, it is important to me the student finds their voice, one that doesn’t just repeat mine.” This sort of guidance allows students to truly develop their own opinion, which in turn, allows them to develop their own style, their own method to interpreting music. This approach also applies to other subjects: interpreting literature, critically analyzing arguments, applying reasoning in math and science. These invaluable lessons prepare students for higher learning and careers by teaching them to be self-sufficient learners and leaders.

But more than that, the opportunities that students have here at MPA are due to the nature of an Academy education, and the reason, year after year our students excel and are accepted into the top universities and colleges across the nation. This is because of the experiential curriculum that MPA offers students, but it is also in part due to being a part of an independent, PreK-12 school. As Lower School music teacher Christian Rogala notes, his favorite thing about teaching at Morgan Park Academy is “the connection with all grade levels.

In any department, you have the big ones helping and engaging the little ones, and the little ones reminding the older ones to always be young at heart and not to stress. It’s a beautiful interaction.”

In so many words, the arts program is growing, expanding its curriculum to provide more opportunities to students than it has in years past.

At the Academy, we believe that all students possess the creativity and discipline needed to be an artist, whether it’s through painting and sketching, playing a musical instrument, or presenting a dramatic piece on stage. The Academy arts programs give all budding artists, from beginners to experienced, the chance to hone their skills, discover their artistic passion, and work together to create masterpieces.

Our students truly are, as Ellis notes, “individual songs.”

Spring 2017 29

CLASS NOTES

30 Spring 2017

WARRIORS IN

Hollywood

Excellence in the visual and performing arts has a long history at Morgan Park Academy, so it’s no surprise that a significant number of alumni have made careers in those fields. “I’m proud of MPA for continuing to make arts education a priority,” said actor Matthew Jones ’88. “Art is not only important for our society, it’s essential — and I don’t know if I would have developed those talents at another school.”

T H E D U A L T H R E AT

Maestro Harrell ’09 Actor and Musician Harrell has spent nearly his whole life performing on stage and screen, from a “Be Like Mike” Gatorade commercial and the Broadway production of The Lion King to a star turn in HBO's The Wire and adult roles in Suburgatory, Fear the Walking Dead, and House of Lies. Now he's out to conquer the music world. “I'm never at a standstill,” he said, “because I'm the kind of person who's too driven. I can't just sit still.”

On MPA: “What I benefited from more than anything else was the diversity. There were so many different kinds of people and the school's not too big, so you're able to connect with everybody. I got out into the real world and I had already learned about so many different cultures.”

Opposite: Harrell caught up with Upper School principal Tom Drahozal in Los Angeles last summer.

Spring 2017 31

CLASS NOTES THE SPORTS GUY

Matt Smith ’91 Television & Radio Broadcaster Smith is all over the television and radio dial, hosting studio shows on the NFL Network, calling radio play-byplay of NFL games, and gabbing about sports (among other things) every afternoon as co-host of Petros and Money, a 10-year fixture of sports talk radio in Los Angeles. “I enjoy what I do,” he said. “I love the radio show — it's very hard to get a show to stick like we have — and the NFL Network is going great.”

On MPA: “I have very fond memories. I had great friends and my older brother [Kevin Smith ’87] helped pave the way for me with the teachers. I remember loving [history teacher] Martin Wolf because my sense of humor was right in step with his, even before I was a cynical adult.”

THE TOUGH GUY

Matthew Jones ’88 Actor Since leaving a successful career at advertising giant Leo Burnett to pursue his acting dreams, Jones has carved out a niche in Hollywood as a tough guy on both sides of the law in dozens of films and TV shows, including Scandal, CSI: Miami, Criminal Minds, NCIS: New Orleans, Bones, and Prison Break. “It was an adjustment,” he said, “but I love the art of acting. I love the process and the end result.”

On MPA: “The teachers called for a certain respect-based accountability. You weren't just another student; you were an individual who might need something different from the other students. And I really felt like the teachers tried to figure that out: ‘Who are you? Where are you coming from?’ I was coming from a different place than a lot of students. I'm just a unique kind of guy.”

32 Spring 2017

T H E D O C U M E N TA R I A N

Kevin Shaw ’91 Documentary Filmmaker Shaw is an award-winning director and cinematographer, making short films for ESPN, the NFL Network, the Big Ten Network, and other clients in the sports world and beyond. His feature on Brock Mealer, the injured brother of a University of Michigan football player, won an Edward R. Murrow Award, one of the top awards in television news. “I'm a jack-of-all-trades,” he said.

On MPA: “I remember [English teacher] David Hibbs telling me that if I wanted to work in sports television, I had to learn how to write. That's what got me involved in journalism at MPA. I had always read a lot as a kid and when I started working on the school paper, it just kind of stuck.”

T H E E N T E R TA I N E R

Shaun Broyls ’91 Comedian and Actor A natural entertainer since he was an MPA kindergartner, Broyls is an actor, stand-up comic, and comedy writer with a dozen national commercials under his belt, including worldwide brands such as Ford, Pizza Hut, Nickelodeon, and Honda. “I love all parts of performing,” he said. “To stand on stage and make people laugh is the greatest job on the planet.”

On MPA: “I became a performer at MPA. There’s not many schools that allow you to do all the things that I was doing. I was in plays and sports. We didn’t have to choose.

I played sports, and then right after practice, I’d run over to the theater to be in the play. I couldn’t have had a better school experience.”

For more on these and other alumni, visit morganparkacademy.org/alumni.

Spring 2017 33

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS

Annual Fund Gala: The Roaring Twenties More than 250 parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends gathered on Nov. 12 to celebrate and support Morgan Park Academy at the Annual Fund Gala, raising more than $200,000 for student programs, faculty professional development, financial assistance, and facilities improvements.

From the Roaring Twenties theme to the jazz stylings of the Greta Pope Band, it was a fantastic evening. Thank you to everyone who made our biggest event of the year so special, including event chairs Debra Smith P’22, ’27 and Carla Robinson P’23, ’25, our tremendous sponsors, and all the supporters who help us secure the future of MPA!

B.

D.

34 Spring 2017

A.

C.

E.

F.

G.

H. J.

G.

J.

K.

K.

L. I.

H.

L.

N.

M. M.

A: Sam and Carla Robinson P’23, ’25

B. Nicolaos and Joanna Spinos P’21, ’27

C. Head of School Mercedes Sheppard P’21, ’25 with event chairs Carla Robinson

N.

O. P.

P’23, ’25 and Debra Smith P’22, ’27 D. Alumni Hall

E. Demetrios Carbone P’26 F. Valerie Warner P’26

G. Dan Brisard P’20, Gordon Walton P’20, Board of Trustees member Michael Harris P’20, ’23, and Ashley Hendon P’21

H. Graham Philcock and Kathleen Fitzgerald P’28, ’30 I. Satwant and Neelu Kingra P’23 J. Amber Blouin P’23 K. Gala Invitations

L. James and Tara Fifer P’23, ’25

M. Kristen Carbone P’26 and Diana Zamojski P’18, ’20, ’24 N. Claudine and Giorgio Lostao P’20, ’23

O. Mrs. Sheppard delivers her Gala speech P. Allie Bowles P’29

Spring 2017 35

36 Spring 2017

F R O M T H E A D VA N C E M E N T O F F I C E Thank you to all of the parents, alumni, alumni parents, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends of Morgan Park Academy who supported our Annual Giving Fund so generously last year.

Like all independent schools, the Academy relies significantly on an Annual Fund to maintain the academic excellence, exceptional faculty and staff, beautiful campus, and diverse school community that have become hallmarks of the MPA tradition.

In the 2015-2016 fiscal year, your donations totaled more than $425,000, and we could not be more grateful to the hundreds of you who made us a philanthropic priority.

Your generosity allows us to keep class sizes small by providing a teacher for every eight students, compete with comparable schools for the best faculty and staff, continually refresh and advance our curriculum, provide scholarship opportunities for amazing students, and maintain our gorgeous, historic buildings and grounds.

This year, because of you, our faculty and staff were able to explore a wealth of professional development opportunities that enriched their work with and for MPA students and families.

We also were able to continue the campus renovations and refurbishments of recent years, including a full overhaul of the Early Childhood Center (Page 7) and the renovation of several classrooms.

admission at 21 of the nation’s top 25 colleges and universities, as ranked by US News & World Report. Last year’s graduates were accepted by Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Emory University, Washington University of St. Louis, Vassar College, New York University, and the University of Michigan, among dozens of excellent schools.

These graduates emerge as confident young adults, original thinkers, and creative problem solvers who have seen their hard work pay dividends, possessing a keen interest in the interwoven cultures, challenges, and opportunities of our complex world. They progress into the next stages of their lives wellprepared for advanced college coursework and poised to meet and exceed the high expectations they refined at MPA. Thank you for helping make this possible.

Your support of Morgan Park Academy is as appreciated as it is essential.

Vincent Hermosilla Assistant Head of School, Community Relations

In the past eight years, our students have gained

Spring 2017 37

2015-2016 DONORS Abells and Jones Circle ($25,000 - $99,999) Mr. James ’61 and Mrs. Linda Mitchell Mr. Kenneth ’63 and Mrs. Linda Mortenson

Founders Circle ($10,000 - $24,999) Dr. Matthew Kamin and Dr. Diana Zamojski Mr. Rajeev ’84 and Mrs. T.J. Rathi Mr. George and Mrs. Bonnie Ribet Mr. Sylvester and Mrs. Mercedes Sheppard Dr. Terry ’77 and Mrs. Maria Slayman ’77 Head of School Circle ($5,000 - $9,999) Bank of America Dr. Hugo and Mrs. Linda Cuadros Mr. Barack and Mrs. Heidi Echols Exelon Corporation Mr. Jon Freeman Hunter Douglas Metals Mr. David Jensen Dr. Satwant and Ms. Harpreet Kingra Mr. Kishore Paluri and Dr. Aparna Palakodeti Mr. Byung Park and Mrs. Jin Young Moon Dr. Carlos and Mrs. Debra Smith Mr. Michael and Mrs. Susan Tadin The Thrall Family Dr. James Wallace and Mr. Colin McFarland Benefactors Circle ($2,500 - $4,999) Mr. Hazim Ansari ’88 BMO Harris Bank Dr. Wilfred and Mrs. Imre Boarden Dr. Demetrios and Mrs. Kristen Carbone Dr. Robert and Dr. Tonya Coats Ms. Tonya Coleman Mr. Donald ’70 and Mrs. Ann Coller Mr. Michael and Mrs. Amy DeLaney Dr. Mehmet and Dr. Yesim Gulecyuz Mr. Vincent Hermosilla and Ms. Christina Zelano Ms. Ren Li Dr. Sunil and Dr. Manjari Malkani Mr. Edward and Mrs. Lori McGunn Dr. Michael Olimene and Dr. Lisa Daniel-Olimene ’89 Dr. Gene and Mrs. Maureen Ranieri Dr. Sam and Mrs. Carla Robinson Mr. Kanwar and Dr. Avanti Singh Mr. Marcus Terrell and Dr. Joi Bradshaw ’92 Mrs. Kathryn Tworek-Sanchez Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign Mr. Bill Williams and Mrs. Tosha Sparks-Williams

38 Spring 2017

Laureate Circle ($1,000 - $2,499) Mr. James and Mrs. Beverly Biggs MPA Class of 2020 Ms. Claire Concannon ’85 Dr. Leonard Covello and Ms. Audrey Polite Mr. Dalyn and Mrs. Emily Drown Dr. Gregory Dumanian ’79 and Mrs. Randa Nahra Dumanian Mr. James and Mrs. Tara Fifer Fifth Third Bank Mr. Kevin and Mrs. Emily Fitch Mr. Jonathan Freeman ’98 Mr. Michael Harris and Mrs. Masheba Gailey-Harris Mr. Brian and Ms. Lauren Hensel Mr. Terry and Mrs. Dorothy Hillard Mr. John E. Horn ’69 Illinois Tool Works Foundation Ms. Ana Kelly Mr. Spencer Koppel Mr. James Kowalsky and Dr. Vicki Williams-Kowalsky Mr. Shamik Lala Mr. Jonathan Lee Mr. Keith and Mrs. Christine Lewis Mr. George and Mrs. Michelle Macey Mr. Miguel and Mrs. Katie Nathwani Dr. John Panozzo and Ms. Dawn McHugh Mr. Jim Reedy and Ms. Michaela Morris Mr. Robert Rolfe ’52 Mr. John and Mrs. Barbara Tubutis Ms. Yang Weiqin Mr. Raymond Yang

Academy Partner ($500 - $999) Mr. Mark and Mrs. Julie Anderson Mrs. Harriet Arnold Dr. Garfield Batchelor and Dr. Minakshi Joshi Mr. Vincent Beachum and Dr. Robin Whatley-Beachum Mr. Christopher and Ms. Loretta Berghoff Mr. Tommie Bouie and Mrs. Karen Williams-Bouie Mr. James Bremer and Mrs. Peggy O’Brien-Bremer Dr. Ernest and Dr. Jocelyn Cabrera Mr. Robert ’73 and Mrs. Sally Carpenter Mr. Thomas Clancy and Ms. Dana Green ’67 Mr. Fred Daniel Mr. Randy and Mrs. Joni Duncan ’81 Mr. Mark and Mrs. Marian Erzen Dr. Julia Harris ’85 Dr. Sohail and Dr. Farah Hasan Dr. Nashib and Dr. Samra Hashmi Mr. William Hickey ’71 and Mrs. Leslie Shimmin Hickey ’72

Mr. Charles Lay Ms. Xu Jiang Ling Mr. Thomas Malcolm Mr. Niko and Mrs. Adriana Mourgelas Mr. Levon Nazarian and Mrs. Claudia Pridjian Nazarian ’78 Dr. Vincent and Dr. Rita Oganwu Mr. Daniel and Mrs. Laura Peters Ms. Nancy Price ’73 Ms. Sally Quinn Mr. William Rybak Mr. Richard ’70 and Mrs. Paula Shopiro Dr. Wayne and Mrs. Lynn Tillman Mr. Dean and Mrs. Renee Vallas Vincent L. Braband Insurance, Inc. Dr. Leon J. Witkowski ’65 Ms. Liang Xiaoyan Ms. Annemarie (Hennelly) Zimmerman ’88 In honor of Jerry and Evelyn Hennelly Century Club ($100 - $499) Mr. Lloyd Acklin and Ms. Carshena Ross Mr. Sam Adam Affiliated Benefit Consultants, Inc. Ms. Yakini Ajanaku-Coffy Mr. Wright and Mrs. Amy Alcorn Mr. Rodolfo and Ms. Yoli Almanza Col. Allen ’47 and Mrs. Ursula Andreasen Mr. Asa Bacon ’44 Mr. Richard and Mrs. Chaltrese Bazile Mr. Michael ’94 and Mrs. Barb Bechtel Mr. Stefan Bell and Mrs. Felicia Towns-Bell Mr. Ryan and Mrs. Peggy Bergin Ms. Demetra Berry Mr. Kevin Blouin Ms. Rachel Boarden ’07 Mr. Robert and Mrs. Carol Bollacker Dr. James Boscardin Ms. Qiana Bradley Mr. William ’44 and Mrs. Patricia Braker Mr. Daniel and Mrs. Sonja Brisard Mr. Timothy Brooks and Dr. Tracy L. Gaston-Brooks Dr. Larry and Mrs. Nancy Brown Ms. Karlene Burrell-McRae Mr. James and Mrs. Betty Callihan Mr. Baird and Ms. Sal Campbell Ms. Sara Campbell Mrs. Heather Carmody ’95 Ms. Cristin Carole Mr. Justin and Mrs. Veronica Carrillo The Center for Psychological Services Ms. Jiayi Chen Mr. Kelley Clute and Ms. Anne Melville Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Nerissa Conley Ms. Karumah Cosey Mr. Jason Craig ’91 Mr. Douglas and Mrs. MaryKay Crowley

Mr. David Cuadros ’86 and Dr. Susana Ugarte Cuadros ’91 Mr. Paul and Mrs. Allene Cunningham Ms. Sarah Cypher Mr. Thomas W. Danielewicz ’89 Mr. Lamtrese Davis and Ms. Cynthia Bailey Mr. Ronald ’50 and Mrs. Carol Davis Mr. Mark ’95 and Mrs. Olga Dinos Mr. Linné ’65 and Mrs. Rachel Dosé Mr. Thomas Drahozal and Ms. Dianne Durham Mr. Bryan and Ms. Myretta Drane Mr. Ronald ’79 and Mrs. Wendy Drynan Mr. Michael Ellis Mr. John ’65 and Mrs. Alice Erickson Mr. Robert ’65 and Mrs. Marcia Erickson Mr. Glenn Esses ’78 Mr. David and Mrs. Devon Fahey Ms. Mary Finn Mr. Harry and Mrs. Sabine Fleming Mr. Alexander Fletcher and Ms. Angela Morris-Fletcher Ms. Allison Foster Mr. Kevin and Mrs. Felicia Frazier Mr. Francisco Garcia and Mrs. Ivet Alvarado Ms. Peggy Gatsinos ’00 Ms. Jane George ’66 Ms. Nicole Goss-Smith and Ms. Erica Smith Mr. John Graham ’60 Ms. Carolyn Gray Mr. John D. Gustafson ’48 Mr. John Gustafson ’73 Mr. John F. and Dr. Vanessa Hagan Mr. Jamal and Ms. Lynnette Hamilton Dr. Bruce Hamper ’73 and Mrs. Mary Wilczak Mr. LaDon and Mrs. Octavia Harris Ms. Stacy Hawkins Dr. Kingston Heath ’64 Mr. David Hohenkirk and Ms. Marla Blair-Hohenkirk Mr. Russell and Ms. Jacinta Inniss Mr. Earle Irwin Mr. Al and Mrs. Michelle Jaques Jayster International Mr. David and Dr. DeMetris Johnson Ms. Katrina W. Johnson ’66 Dr. Terry ’50 and Mrs. Janet Johnson Dr. Alexis Jones Mr. David ’78 and Mrs. Socorro Jones Mr. Erik Jones and Dr. Anjali Kalra Dr. William and Mrs. Debra Lynn Jones Mr. J. Allen and Mrs. Wendy Jorjorian Mr. Duseop Kim and Ms. Jae eun Yoon Kirkland & Ellis LLP Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Linda Klawitter Mr. Maxx Kleiner ’12 Dr. Martha-Marie Kleinhans ’81 Mr. Mark Kobek Mr. Frederick ’49 and Mrs. Arlene Koberna Mr. John ’61 and Mrs. Jeanne Krichbaum

Mr. George ’66 and Mrs. Lynn Kumis Mr. Ray and Mrs. Heather Kurut Mr. Todd Lafayette and Mrs. Danielle Agee Mr. Robert and Ms. Natalya Lane Mr. Aras Lapinskas ’89 Mr. Jerome Levin ’45 Mr. Samuel and Mrs. Kelli Low Mr. Michael D. McClure ’60 Mr. James ’50 and Mrs. Marty Meck Dr. George and Mrs. Marlene Mesleh Mr. Adam Milne and Ms. Katie Zimmerman Mr. Torrence Moore and Dr. Jamie Horn Mr. Santiago Morales ’58 Mr. Joseph Morrow ’97 Mr. Doug Murray and Ms. Elizabeth Akers ’90 Mr. Steve Nelson ’73 Mr. Alan ’64 and Mrs. Gail Newberg Mr. Timothy and Mrs. Carressa Northcross Ms. Susan Oczkowski Mr. James Odom and Ms. Andrea Durbin Mr. Mario and Mrs. Gloria Ortiz Ms. Mary O’Toole ’81 Ms. Nancy Paveza Mr. Don Perry and Mrs. Julie Cuadros-Perry ’93 Ms. Tina Peterson Ms. Pamela Phillips Mr. Richard ’43 and Mrs. Barbara Phillips Mr. Neil Pierce and Mrs. Crystal Phillips-Pierce Dr. Curtis ’60 and Mrs. Diane Porter Mr. Marius and Mrs. Elisabeta Radulescu Dr. B. and Mrs. Susan Ramakrishna Mr. Terence and Mrs. Elizabeth Raser Mr. Steven and Dr. Samantha Ricks Ms. Dee Robinson Mr. Carlos and Ms. Monica Rodriguez Mr. Michael Rogers ’69 and Ms. Karin Nelson-Rogers Mr. Timothy Rooney Mr. Mitchell and Mrs. Mary Rosen Mr. Robert Rosi ’59 Mr. Edward ’61 and Mrs. Ronalee Rund Mr. Louis and Mrs. Connie Saggione Mr. Michael ’74 and Mrs. Gloria Salazar Mr. Charles and Mrs. Abigail Sarpong Mr. Michael and Mrs. Jennifer Schmidt Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Mr. Tim and Mrs. Peggy Scolan Ms. Ellen (Concannon) Scully ’99 Ms. Lisa Seaton Mr. Kevin ’91 and Mrs. Christine Shaw Mr. Gary and Mrs. Jean Sinclair Mr. Richard Singer and Mrs. Charlotte Welton-Singer ’62 Mr. Brian Singleton and Mrs. Rena Battles-Singleton Ms. Beata Skawiniak Mr. Kevin Smith ’87 Mr. Kevin and Mrs. Roxane Smith

Mr. Kyle Sneed and Mrs. Kimberly Hurley-Sneed Dr. Roger Spencer Mr. Nicolaos and Mrs. Joanna Spinos Mr. William ’61 and Mrs. Carolyn Springer Mr. Jason and Ms. Jennifer Stec Mr. Peter Stogis ’53 Target – Take Charge of Education Mr. Jeff and Ms. Sara Teppema Mr. Lee Tew ’48 Mr. Thomas ’67 and Mrs. Nancy Theodore Ms. Barbara Thomas Mr. Stephen and Mrs. Marcia Thomas Ms. Sumara Thompson-King ’76 Dr. Robert Trefil and Mrs. Susan Shimmin Trefil ’66 Mr. Brandon Turner and Ms. Leanee Brown Mrs. Crystal Turner Dr. Luis and Dr. Alicia Ugarte Mr. Ricardo ’86 and Mrs. Julie Ugarte Vascular Center of Mobile Mr. Harry ’67 and Mrs. Marcia Viezens Mr. Richard Vitkus ’57 Mr. Theodore ’45 and Mrs. Penelope Vlahos Ms. Amber Warchol Mr. Daniel ’65 and Mrs. Beth Weisberg Mr. Brandon and Ms. Susan White Mr. David Wilkinson ’77 Dr. Mark Williams and Dr. Stephanie Whyte-Williams Mr. Steven and Dr. Cheryl Wolfe Ms. Linda Wolgamott Ms. Shangying Xu Ms. Brie Yaksic ’02 Dr. Heng Zhao Academy Friend (up to $99) Mr. Sam Adam Jr. and Mrs. Chari Crumble-Adam Amazon AT&T Mr. Pierre Audet ’65 Mr. Kirk ’65 and Mrs. Tracy Badger Ms. Jean Ball Benevity Community Impact Fund Mr. John Bowman ’57 Box Tops For Education Mr. Allan ’64 and Mrs. Barbara Bruno Mr. Jesus and Mrs. Sharon Bryant Ms. Sandra Burgess Ms. Marguerite Burke ’75 Ms. Timnetra Burruss ’95 Ms. Chrysse Bush Mr. Dan Cantone Mr. Michael Cappozzo ’95 Mr. John ’75 and Mrs. Ellyn Daniels Ms. Elisabeth H. DeRichmond In memory of Jonathan Webb and Eva Cleveland

Spring 2017 39

Ms. Tanisha Dixon Mr. John and Mrs. Virginia DuBoise Mrs. Pat Egan Mr. Ronald Elmore and Mrs. Janet Wiegel-Elmore ’60 Mr. Jason Ervin ’92 Mr. Paul Faeh and Mrs. Meg Simmerling-Faeh Mr. James and Mrs. Beth Ferguson Mr. Michael Gaertner and Mrs. Jodi Kapjon Gaertner ’93 Mr. William Gaps ’52 Mr. Julian and Mrs. Yvette Gomez Mrs. Angela Toscas Gordon ’83 Ms. Robin Goss ’63 Mr. Glen and Mrs. Diane E. Groenewold ’85 Ms. Kenya Grooms Mr. David Guido Mr. Alec Haskell and Ms. Patricia Reyes ’86 Ms. Sarah Haskins Mr. David Hechler ’86 Ms. Wendy Heilman ’89 Ms. Anndra Herzog Mr. James Hess ’61 Ms. Tiffany Hill-Moore Mr. Lanning Hochhauser and Mrs. Sara Deacon Hochhauser ’67 Mr. David Honor ’67 and Dr. Elyse Schneiderman

Mr. Brian and Ms. Karen Horvath Mr. Eric Ice-Gipson Mr. Kristopher Jones ’95 Mr. Jay ’55 and Mrs. Alice Kennedy Ms. Ola Krad ’95 Mr. George Layer and Mrs. Cindy Kliros Layer ’76 Mrs. Dorina Lazo-Gilmore ’95 Ms. Jennifer Lee ’95 Mr. Kevin Leonard and Ms. Em Joseph Mr. Leonard ’75 and Mrs. Ilene LeRose Mr. William Liptak ’49 Mr. Jon and Dr. Marla Lunderberg ’78 Mrs. Laura (Swan) MacMorran ’88 Mr. Julian Marquez and Ms. Queenetta Harris Mr. Terry and Mrs. Catie McAlister Ms. Sharon McCarthy ’75 Ms. Nicole Merritt Mr. Danielle and Ms. Charlene Metcalf Ms. Kari (Higginson) Misulonas ’82 Ms. Vanessa Moore ’95 Dr. Cristina Nelson ’72 Ms. Karin Norington-Reaves Mr. Don ’73 and Mrs. Kay Norton Dr. De’Avlin V. Olguin Ms. Shonta Corbin-Olguin Mr. Brian and Mrs. Carrie Otto Ms. Tracey Payne

F I N A N C I A L S U M M A RY Revenues Tuition and Fees Fundraising External Programs Other Income Sources TOTAL INCOME

2016

2015

$5,806 429 356 26 $6,617

$5,805 614 332 55 $6,806

Expenses $4,992 Salaries and Benefits 486 General and Administrative 262 Depreciation 134 School Bus Transportation 252 Buildings & Grounds and Utilities 648 Other Non-Personnel $6,774 TOTAL EXPENSES

Key Balances (1) $342 Endowment Fund 6,825 Total Assets 2,961 Long-Term Debt

$4,891 460 282 137 388 711 $6,869 $925 7,209 3,022

Ms. Rosie Peace Mr. Harry ’38 and Mrs. Bernice Pozulp Ms. Dana Reed-Benford Mr. Benjamin Rhodes ’95 Ms. Vanessa Rodriguez Dr. David ’67 and Mrs. Susan Rosi Mrs. Julie Rudawsky ’70 Mr. Paul Runyon and Mrs. Nancy Montgomery Runyon ’74 Mr. Bentley ’83 and Mrs. Judith Rutherford Mr. Gerod Sherley and Ms. Tiffany Moore Ms. Ericka Shirley Mr. Paul Smith and Mrs. Allison Reitz Smith ’77 Mr. Derek Smith and Ms. Casey Yunits Ms. Nikita L. Stange ’06 Mr. James Strenk ’75 Mr. Elliott Vallas ’54 Mr. Hobart Van Deventer ’39 Mr. Darrel Van Kirk Ms. Nancy Weckel-Deckelman In memory of Theodore Weckel Sr. Dr. Linda Weinfield ’76 Ms. Shannon Welch ’05 Mr. Charles Wickman ’45 Ms. Susan Withington ’68 Mr. Dariusz Wodziak ’07 Mr. Wladyslaw and Mrs. Wieslawa Wodziak Mr. Jay ’57 and Mrs. Leila Zschau Fundraising 6%

Revenues

Expenses

External Programs 5%

Other Income Sources <1%

Tuition and Fees 88%

Buildings & Grounds and Utilities 4% School Bus Transportation 2%

Other Non-Personnel Operating Expenses 10%

Depreciation 4% General and Administrative 7%

Salaries and Benefits 74%

Morgan Park Academy is a not-for-profit educational institution with a regular enrollment of approximately 465 students. Pursuant to state law and the bylaws, MPA is governed by a Board of Trustees which currently numbers nine. Morgan Park Academy is a tax-exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. While this report provides a snapshot of the Academy’s financial status, it is not intended to substitute audited financial statements.

(1) Balances as of June 30, 2016.

40 Spring 2017

MAROON AND IVY SOCIETY William Rainey Harper Circle ($1,000,000 and more) Richard L. Duchossois ’40 James ’61 and Linda Mitchell Trustees Circle ($250,000 – $499,999) Kenneth ’63 and Linda Mortenson Thomas and Mary Story

Head of School Circle ($100,000 - $249,999) Wilfred and Imre Boarden Shawn Concannon The Crist Family Warren and Mary Jane Crist Foundation John and Ginny Gersack Matthew Kamin and Diana Zamojski William and Mary Lou Mastro Richard and Lisa Nichols Al Stonitsch and Helen Witt Michael and Susan Tadin

Benefactors Circle ($75,000 - $99,999) J. William and Nancy Adams William ’71 and Leslie ’72 Hickey Alfred ’52 and Dawn Hoffman D. Stephen Menzies Jr. ’73 Martha G. Moore Foundation Rajeev ’84 and T.J. Rathi James and Merry Beth Seward The Thrall Family

Scholars Circle ($50,000 - $74,999) Anonymous A. Richard Ayers ’36 Michael and Deborah Bertucci Kenneth and Linda Bielinski Michael and Amy DeLaney The Wray A. Findlay Family Jeffrey Gilbert and Malinda Steele Jeff and Lisa Kenny Louis Kole Edward and Lori McGunn Joel and Wanda Pelz Bernard and Carolyn Pruim Cornel and Karen Raab George and Bonnie Ribet Dorothy Ann Saly Estate Robert and Marjorie Spong ’41 C. Robert Tully ’39 George and Terri Venturella James Wallace and Colin McFarland Mark ’79 and Jeri Wiegel

Linda L. Wolgamott

Cumulative Giving Since 2000

Sponsors Circle ($25,000 - $49,999) Anil and Shashi Agarwal Anonymous Bank of America Terrence Bartolini Harold ’52 and Mary Boex Carol Braun Frank ’52 and Patrice Burd Robert ’73 and Sally Carpenter Chicago Community Trust Hugo and Linda Cuadros Crane and Debra D’Louhy Barack and Heidi Echols Bob and Sharon Eichinger Paul and Sharon Fuller Richard and Carol Green Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge, Inc. David and Maria Hibbs Illinois Tool Works Foundation Juan and Claudia Jimenez Jack and Carolyn Jucewicz John Keane and Shirley Maides-Keane Satwant and Harpreet Kingra Anil and Sunita Kothari James Kowalsky and Vicki Williams-Kowalsky Ajit and Padma Kumar Bruce and Jane Levy Mark and Lorraine Linnerud Minas and Stasia Litos George and Michelle Macey Howard Meyer ’64 Fred H. ’64 and Michele Montgomery Miguel and Katie Nathwani Thomas Olivieri Albert and Anne Petkus Carl Pettigrew Karyn Kerr Pettigrew Brian and Catherine Raaflaub Hareth Raddawi and Ada Arias Gene M. and Maureen Ranieri Rodd and Joyce Rasmussen Antanas Razma Asta Razma Bernard Reichel ’36 Irv Ruder Lora Mikulski Salerno Michael Salerno L. Mikael Salovaara ’71 Sylvester and Mercedes Sheppard Terry ’77 and Maria ’77 Slayman

Carlos and Debra Smith James and Lisa Smith Jerry and Shana Taft Stephen and Marcia Thomas John and Barbara Tubutis James ’71 and Jan Tuthill Ignatius and Leslie Villasenor Edward Wimp and Greta Pope-Wimp Contributors Circle ($10,000 - $24,999) Khaled and Aida Akkawi Harriet Arnold John and Bonnie Atkinson Surendra and Sunitha Avula Stuart and Zoe Baum Louis and Deborah Bertoletti John and Kathy Biel Robert and Carol Bollacker Jack Borok ’64 James Bray and Linda Janus James Bremer and Peggy O’Brien-Bremer Myron and Lyndean Brick Robert and Julie Cantrell Demetrios and Kristen Carbone Robert and Tanya Coats Benjamin Coglianese The Coller Family William and Patricia Collins John Corrigan ’40 Thomas and Lori Daker Fred and Karen Danielewicz Kevin and Jane Doherty Mark and Marian Erzen Kenneth and Whitney Finkelstein Elizabeth and Don Fishman Michael Flannery Harry and Sabine Fleming Fredrick Flott ’39 Nancy and Jerome Frazel Jon Freeman Lloyd and Julia Fuller Morgan Gasior ’81 and Darlene Mallouk Mary Kay Gavin-Marmo Joseph X. Grassi ’43 Steve and Sara ’71 Grassi The Gray-Wawro Family Cheever and Leah Griffin Mehmet and Yesim Gulecyuz Marilyn Hanzal Julia Harris ’85 John E. Horn ’69 Hunter Douglas Metals David Jensen David and Lee Jones

Duane and Nancy Kaminski Antoun and Sonia Koht Muhammad and Randa Kudaimi Susan Larson David and Gail ’69 Lauryn Leonard ’75 and Ilene LeRose Richard Lewis Rachel Lindsey Thomas J. Lynch ’66 Thomas Malcolm Sunil and Manjari Malkani Michael Marmo H. Irwin Martin ’40 George and Marlene Mesleh David and Jondelle Milliner MPA Mothers & Fathers Club Tim and Eileen Murphy Edilberto and Arsenia Nepomuceno Michael Olimene and Lisa Daniel-Olimene ’89 Thomas and Karen O’Neill Mario and Gloria Ortiz Ostrow, Reisin, Berk & Abrams, Ltd. Kishore Paluri and Aparna Palakodeti John and Fran Parise Kshetij Patwa and Kathryn Bryan Richard and Sandy Pellar Peter and Sharon Perrotta David and Rebecca Perry Audrius and Sigita Plioplys John and Beth Potocsnak Terence and Elizabeth Raser Sanjeev ’83 and Sapna Rathi James and Lois Richmond Gerry and Kathleen Ring M. Nabil and Samar Shabeeb Sundarshan and Nirupma Sharma Kanwar and Avanti Singh Anthony and Kathy Sipich Mark and Martha Slaughter Thurman and Michael Smith Walter ’62 and Kathleen Snodell William Steinbarth Daniel Stevens ’83 Wayne and Lynn Tillman Robert and Susan ’66 Trefil Dean and Renee Vallas Phillip and Mary Ann Vasquez Samir and Wafaa Wassef Elizabeth White Robert Zaniolo Updated February 2017.

Spring 2017 41

CLASS NOTES 1940s Bill Getz ’42 is celebrating the publication of his sixth book, “My Invisible Me,” available now at Amazon along with his first five books.

Bill, a retired military officer and industry and civil government executive, has authored and co-authored nonfiction books and has published many articles in leading journals. He and his wife, Vicki, live in Northern California.

Writing books, he jokes, “keeps me out of her hair!”

Jerome Levin ’45 is enjoying time with his two married children, four married grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren (with a third on the way!) after losing his wife of 68 years, Elaine, last summer. He is living in Northbrook after retiring from his family law practice last year.

1950s

Ronald L. Davis ’50 is living in Aventura, Florida, after retiring from law practice after 56 years. He is also engaged in exporting foodstuffs to Haiti from sources throughout America.

Eldon Hartman ’50 recently celebrated his 85th birthday and the one-year anniversary of his marriage to Rosie Gadduang.

David F. Sagel ’50 has spent most of his life since MPMA graduation living abroad, following his studies at Indiana University. After military service in Germany during the Korean War, he 42 Spring 2017

Bruce Burmeister ’61 (seated) rang in the New Year with his classmates, celebrating 2017 and more than 50 years of friendship. Standing, left to right: Jim Gerdy ’61, Forrest Carlson ’61, Ed Rund ’61, Eric Gustavson ’61. Bruce writes that he is stil living in LaPorte, Indiana, having retired a year ago from his work as the volunteer coordinator at the county juvenile service center. trained as an NYSE stockbroker and worked in Spain and Brussels, followed by 10 years in Britain. “Living in Spain during the Franco dictatorship,” he writes, “made one respect the virtues of a democracy and instilled a lifelong dislike for totalitarianism.” After a lovely decade in England, raising three children surrounded by history, he has lived the past 36 years in Costa Rica, working at an investment firm. “It is a wonderful, small tropical country,” he writes, “where living with ticos is always a pleasure. Would love hearing from any 1950 classmates!”

Frank Fonsino ’59 was inducted into the MPA Athletic Walk of Fame last fall (see Page 10). Retired after 31 years teaching history and political

science at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, he lives in Arlington Heights with Lynn, his wife of 47 years.

The couple has four children and eight grandchildren. Look for Frank’s upcoming non-fiction book about his grandfather, Francesco Fonzino, who was killed in World War I in 1916, fighting for Italy against AustriaHungary.

1960s

James Cady ’60 and his wife, Rita, are enjoying retirement in Beverly Hills, Florida.

Grant DeNormandie ’60 is still active in some daily operations but has relinquished to his wife, Kathy, the management of their business, Dustcatchers/ ALogoMat, which has been supplying rental floor and logo mats to Chicagoland businesses for 53 years.

He writes that he is glad to be able to stay in touch through social media with many of his Academy classmates.

John Burnham ’61 recently moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, and is having a great time living just a few miles from the beach!

Ron Pearce ’61 and his wife, Carol, have been partners in the real estate business for 30-plus years, first in the western suburbs of Chicago and, since 2002, in Florida’s Punta Gorda Isles.

Learn more at OurSWFLHome.com.

David Roskelley ’61 and his wife, Mary, are doting on their 11 grandchildren since moving to Cedar Hills, Utah, in 2005 following his retirement from Baxter Healthcare after 35 years. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next August. David also writes with fond memories of his father, Dr. Rigby “Doc” Roskelley, a former MPMA and MPA trustee and football team doctor who died in 1999.

John Stack ’61 is president of the Indy Sports Dome, formerly known as the Golf Dome, and of Positive Swing, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charitable organization that has provided free and

low-cost sports programs, instruction, and equipment to thousands of innercity youth, the physically and mentally handicapped, and other traditionally underserved groups in Central Indiana for the past 13 years. Focused initially on golf, Positive Swing has expanded its outreach in recent years to participants engaging in all ball-related sports, particularly soccer. Learn more at GolfDome.us.

Kingston Heath ’64 retired as the Director of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Oregon last year. He writes that although he is teaching parttime this year, and possibly next, he plans to take at least the Fall 2017 term off and spend it at his mountain cabin outside of Bozeman, Montana.

He continues to write and delivered a lecture at the University of Virginia in late March, “but basically, I have little sense of what this next phase of my life will entail. Any ideas from friends who have already retired are most welcome!”

1970s

Dr. Jeff Unger ’70 is in his 34th year as a family physician and diabetologist in Southern California. He remains eternally grateful to retired history teacher Robert Stelton, writing: “I was an eighthgrader in 1966 when he taught me to be better organized and more efficient

with my reading, learning, and retention. I have used his techniques for decades and have taught his secrets to my children as well. Thank you, Mr. Stelton. You are my hero and arguably the most impactful educator I ever had.

I think of you every day.”

Dale Erickson ’72, George Ivancevich ’72, Bob Montgomery ’72, and Tim Troy ’72 got together for a mini-reunion dinner last summer. “We had a great time sharing memories and laughter,” Tim writes. “We plan on doing it again soon.” Below, left to right: Dale, Bob, George, and Tim.

Cris Nelson ’72 completed her second hike of Spain’s Camino de Santiago last year and is getting ready to tackle Ireland’s rugged Beara Way with her son, Hamilton, this spring. Living in Boston, she also continues her second career as a collage and assemblage artist, exhibiting at several shows and creating smaller pieces available at a local boutique. See her work at BoxologyMixedMedia.com.

Carter Barker ’73 continues to live in England, now retired and doing what he loves best, walking with his dog, Ellie. He writes that his wife, Jane, is a year or two away from completing her Ph.D. and his sons, Connor and Sam, are a chemistry major at Manchester University and a skiing instructor in Northstar, California, respectively.

Spring 2017 43

CLASS NOTES Doug Coller ’73 was inducted into the MPA Athletic Walk of Fame last fall (see Page 10).

Paul Sacks ’74 is in his 29th year as a nephrologist in Phoenix and still loving it. He writes that he is forever grateful to Dr. Larry Brown for teaching the flash-card study techniques that he used to get through his residency program!

Jean Doyle ’79 was inducted into the MPA Hall of Fame last fall, honoring a 22year teaching career at the Academy (see Page 11). She taught fifth grade and directed and choreographed student productions from 1988-2010.

Robyne Robinson ’79 is the new Director of Arts @ MSP, the arts program at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The program, which includes film, visual arts, dance, and music has been featured by the New York Times, USA Today, and Fox News Latino. Robyne recently secured Percent for Art funding as MSP Airport undergoes a $3 billion renovation and stakes its claim as one of the top arts airports in the nation.

1980s

Kirk Powell ’83 was inducted into the MPA Athletic Walk of Fame last fall (see Page 10).

44 Spring 2017

Dr. Melanye Maclin ’86 continues to expand her line of men’s and women’s hair and skin products, including “Ask Dr. Mac” beauty segments with national media outlets, and has partnered with former NFL great Ray Lewis on an upcoming television project and on RC21X, a web-based, brain monitoring tool that allows users to track their neurocognitive and neuromotor performance. Most important, she writes, is her work as a “dance mom” to daughters Celina (11) and Cayla (14), who are high honor students and award-winning competition dancers.

Ted Paris ’86 just moved to the Toronto area with his wife, Joelle, and their children, former MPA students Amada, Sidney, and Sophia. He writes that he was “thrilled” to host a party for the Class of 1986’s 30-year reunion last fall before leaving Chicago. “Very much looking forward to seeing everyone again for our 35th and 40th!”

1990s

Demetrius Hawkins ’91 married Iwona Glod-Hawkins last October in Palos Park. The couple lives in Munster, Indiana, where Demetrius is a senior operations manager at Bed, Bath &

Beyond. He was inducted into the MPA Athletic Walk of Fame last fall (see Page 10).

Julie Cuadros-Perry ’93 and her husband, Don, welcomed son Nicholas Oscar on Dec. 7. He joins Nora ’23, David ’25, and Billy ’28, the second generation of Cuadros children at the Academy. Julie oversees MPA finances and operations as our school controller.

Charles Taylor ’93 and his wife, Monisha, welcomed their second child, daughter Nala Charlize, on Oct. 31.

Mike Bechtel ’94 recently picked up a side gig as a columnist for Inc. Magazine. His column, David & Goliath Incorporated, compares and contrasts the cultures of Fortune 500 companies and tech startups.

Mike continues to act as Managing Partner of Ringleader Ventures, the venture capital investment firm he co-founded in 2013. He also serves on several company boards, as well as the advisory board of the business school at the University of Notre Dame.

Mike lives in Naperville with his wife, Barb, and their children, Brady (10), Annabelle (7), and Bennett (4).

Andrew Boyd ’94, an Assistant Professor of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is researching how medical device alarms in hospitals become impossible to hear at times through a phenomenon called auditory masking. A new algorithm helps to

Got a new job? Got married? Earned a graduate degree?

Had a baby? Let your classmates know about it !

Email your updates to alumni@morganparkacademy.org. identify this problem and researchers are working on new standards to prevent masking and ensure that alarms are always audible for clinicians, staff, and patients.

Shara Harris Kamal ’95 marked 13 years of practicing law by opening a second office in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

Working also at her main office in Burr Ridge, Shara practices in the areas of real estate, business formation and development, and asset protection.

Ayisha Strotter ’97 and her mother, Margo Phillips-Strotter P’97, opened a second location of Ain’t She Sweet Cafe in Beverly, joining the original location that’s been open in Bronzeville for 10 years.

Dr. Amal Agarwal ’98 joined Humana as a medical director in July to work with the office of the chief medical officer. The exciting new role will allow Amal to leverage his clinical experience with his MBA as Humana looks to implement and scale innovative health solutions. The position required him

to relocate to Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Ruchi, and their two small children, Cahil and Sitara.

2000s

Eric Kelly ’01 is a physical education teacher and athletics director at Providence Englewood Charter School.

He was inducted into the MPA Athletic Walk of Fame last fall (see Page 10).

Capt. Albert Bindokas ’02 and his wife, Terese, welcomed daughter Evelyn Reese last fall. She joins brothers Nathan (4) and Joseph (2).

The family lives in Bavaria, Germany, where Al commands the largest U.S. Army Finance Corps unit of its kind in Europe.

Lorenzo Powell ’02 has been working in the television and film industry since 2011, including his current role as a graphic designer for NBC’s “Chicago P.D.,” now in its fourth season. He has a 1-year-old son, Lenox Marcel, and celebrated the birth of his daughter, Leven D.L., in December.

Patrick Fitzgerald ’03 recently moved to Colonia Valdense, Uruguay, with his wife, Ashley, and their two daughters.

The family is deep in building plans for a house on their small farm while also working to found a field school for agroecology, environmental studies, and Spanish language that will partner with American universities for study abroad opportunities.

Ariel Lauryn ’04 is an actor — specifically, a physical comedian — and a puppeteer in New York City.

Last summer, she finished a mini-tour of a two-woman physical comedy farce that she co-created and co-stars in. She wrote it at Dell’Arte International, where she completed an MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theater in 2014. She also recently released 13 episodes of “Illuminutty,” a screwball comedy web series that she co-created and stars in. Her first Off-Broadway show, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show,” closed last August after an eight-month run. Learn more at ariellauryn.com.

Marcia Lewis ’05 recently graduated from Argosy University with a Master of Science in Management degree. She also was promoted to Supervisory Operations Specialist in the

Spring 2017 45

CLASS NOTES Construction Planning Group at WEC Energy Group / Peoples Gas.

Lauren Rodriguez ’06 (below, left) and Danielle Ghess ’06 were inducted into the MPA Athletic Walk of Fame last fall (see Page 10).

Nikita Stange ’06 moved back to Chicago after finishing her M.A. in nonprofit leadership and management at the University of San Diego. She is the advocacy specialist at the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter, where she works with Illinois legislators to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research, care, and support. “It was so great to see many classmates at our 10year reunion last fall!” she writes.

Dariusz Wodziak ’07 lives in Palo Alto, California; he ventured west to attend Stanford University, fell in love with the area, and has been there ever since. He worked for four years in a pancreatic cancer research lab and now works in research and development for the blood testing company Theranos, “which, despite what you may have read in the press, is going well,” he writes. He enjoys exploring the outdoors and hosting fellow MPA alumni who come to see the left coast!

46 Spring 2017

Max Nichols ’08 and his wife, Elizabeth, welcomed son Alexander James on June 22.

Douglass Nolan ’08 is in his second year at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

2010s

Margaret Kealy ’10 was promoted to first lieutenant and Chief of Public Affairs at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas. She is planning to wed Mike Cachella in Chicago this spring, with classmates Ally Manley ’10, Ellen Thomas ’10, and Sarah Wolgamott ’10 in the wedding party.

Amanda Bollacker ’12 will complete the five-year nursing program at Aurora University this spring. In addition to working in the university’s IT department, this year she also is the Nursing Lab Assistant, setting up labs, running the simulation lab, and teaching real world skills to the junior nursing students. She also acts as a liaison between faculty and nursing students. She will take the licensure examination after graduation to become licensed as a registered nurse.

Laura Misulonas ’12 is working on her graduate degree in social work, with a focus in healthcare, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign after completing her undergraduate degree

there last spring. She also is working as an advocate for college students with physical disabilities, assisting with activities of daily living, overseeing students’ staff coverage, and planning programs for the community.

Drew Petkus ’12 is working in software sales in the Indianapolis office of the cloud computing company Salesforce.com after graduating from the University of Michigan last spring.

“Moving to Indianapolis has been a great experience,” he writes, “but I am definitely homesick for Chicago and my time as a student at MPA! I still consider my closest friends to be those from my time at Morgan Park Academy and I will be returning shortly to see what has changed on campus and visit past teachers. (Hi, Mr. Drahozal!)”

Joshua Deanes ’14 is studying civil and materials engineering as an Honors College fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago. After an internship with Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd., he is working this school year in UIC’s Complex and Sustainable Urban Networks Laboratory. “I plan to go to graduate school to get a master’s in structural engineering,” he said. “My goal/dream is to build a skyscraper in Chicago.”

Nicole Schmidt ’14 is a junior at Wofford College in South Carolina. She is double majoring in psychology and Spanish and spent the fall semester studying abroad in Ecuador. She was selected for an internship with a research psychologist in Ecuador; their work focuses on smartphone addiction.

Jessica Bollacker ’15 is a sophomore at Roosevelt University in Chicago, majoring in hospitality. She also works 30 hours per week as the Events Scheduling Manager for Institutional Affairs in the Events Department at John Marshall Law School.

IN MEMORIAM

“Jim had tremendous vision,” Senior Vice President Mike Meagher told the Chicago Tribune. “At the time it was built, it was the tallest reinforced concrete structure in the United States.”

Nicknamed “Hurricane” at Morgan Park Military Academy, McHugh enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1945, after atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

He missed combat but was a radio operator, helping to fly supplies as part of the cleanup effort in Hiroshima.

Back in Chicago, he passed up college to start as a carpenter in the family business and quickly moved up to project supervisor. When he and his brother Jack took over the company from his father, it was a small-scale

construction company.

McHugh accepted the challenge of building Marina City. Innovations included fiberglass concrete forms and the climbing tower crane, which could rise as the building did, adding supporting base sections as the project grew. Such cranes are now staples of the construction industry.

From there, McHugh Construction took off and played a role in some of the biggest projects in Chicago and beyond, including rebuilding the Arlington International Racecourse’s grandstand after it was destroyed in a 1985 fire.

McHugh’s rebuild was completed in an astonishing 19 months.

“We built it 30 years ago and so much of it looks just like it did when it was originally constructed,” said Arlington chairman Richard L. Duchossois ’40, who also worked closely with McHugh in the thoroughbred breeding business.

“It was super quality work. I couldn’t have done a better job if we were building a chapel at a university, and it

IN MEMORIAM

ALUMNI

RELATIVES AND FRIENDS

Madonna Farmer Abdishi ’63 Mother of Elham Abdishi Tallackson ’93 Harold A. Boex ’52 Brett A. Bryant ’86 Ronald Jerit ’52 Frederick W. Koberna ’49 Raymond Koss ’38 Frank Major ’42 James P. McHugh ’44 Martha H. Swift ’52 (Loring) Former MPA faculty Kenneth Zubrick ’52

Raymond Applegate Father-in-law of Travis Novack, MPA faculty Robert J. Bollacker Father-in-law of Carol Bollacker, MPA faculty; grandfather of Amanda ’12 and Jessica ’15 Beverly Burmeister Wife of Bruce Burmeister ’61 Helen Ciurej Mother-in-law of Louis Saggione, MPA staff Janet Concannon Mother of Claire ’85 (MPA faculty), Hope ’86, Leah ’97, Ellen ’99; grandmother of Tess ’24 Arun Goel Father of Rajiv ’87 and Malini ’90

Chicago Tribune

James P. McHugh ’44 put vision and team-building ability together to lead the James McHugh Construction Co., founded by his grandfather, in tackling ever larger and more ambitious projects, including Chicago’s iconic twin-tower Marina City.

was all done on time.”

The company went on to build other structures that became the country’s tallest reinforced concrete structures at the time they were built, including Water Tower Place, Prudential Plaza, and Trump Tower.

— Adapted from an article first published in the Chicago Tribune.

Laverne D. Kalinowski Mother of Mike Kalinowski, MPA staff; grandmother of Mike Kalinowski Jr., MPA staff Franciszek Kopec Father of Beata Skawiniak, MPA staff; grandfather of Damian ’11 and Christopher ’21 Elaine Levin Wife of Jerome Levin ’45 Robert Earl Malcolm Father of Thomas Malcolm, MPA faculty Al Merritt Grandfather of Travis Novack, MPA faculty John W. Strama Father of Joanne Barnicle, MPA faculty

Spring 2017 47

Morgan Park Academy 2153 West 111th Street, Chicago IL 60643 the South Side’s small-scale independent school for real learning

morganparkacademy.org

Golf “Fore” Scholarship

Thursday, June 8, 2017 Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Lemont RSVP: alumni@morganparkacademy.org