Ten Mundelein High School graduates have been selected from a field of 35 nominees for the first annual Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony and Banquet to be held Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Double Tree Hotel in Mundelein. All members of the Mundelein community and the MHS family are invited to attend. Cost of the banquet, to include a sit-down dinner and ceremony, is $50 per person. To register for the event, visit the MHS website at www.d120.org and click on “RevTrak” at the left. Deadline is Friday, October 20.
“We hear about so many of our alumni every year who are making positive contributions to the world,” said Superintendent Kevin Myers. “We thought it was time to begin honoring those graduates in a public way and to share their stories. This will also serve as an inspiration for our current students,” he added.
Those chosen to be honored in the Distinguished Alumni Class of 2017 include the following:
Zaneta Stinson Adams, Class of 1995: US Army veteran; attorney at law with Williams Hughes PLLC; Challenge America Advocate and spokesperson.
Britt Hanson, Class of 1995: Hematology/Oncology Physician; Volunteer work with Lake County Stormwater Management and with project to help protect Bartlett Ravine and Lake Michigan.
Tami Haukedahl, Class of 1976: Founder and Owner of Hauk Fitness; Deputy Chief of Police, Elgin Community College. Raises money and donations each year for the Palatine Township Food Pantry – four truckloads of food this past year.
Deirdre “Dee Dee” Healey, Class of 1981: Director, Mission Support Division, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Headquarters; panel member, UN Conference on Arms Control; guest speaker at Brookings Institution Women’s Leadership Program.
Jay Hightower, Class of 1994: Career Officer in the United States Marine Corps.; Served in the elite Security Forces/Counterterrorism Battalion guarding nuclear weapons; Created the “Cheer Dad” movement for fathers of cheerleaders at Grayslake Central High School where his daughter cheered.
Hemal Patel, Class of 1994: Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, University of California at San Diego; Chair, Recruitment and Admissions Committee, UCSD School of Medicine; Research Pharmacologist, VA San Diego Healthcare System.
Gary Schnurrpusch, Class of 1965: Senior Maritime Analyst/Senior Naval Simulation System Modeler, Office of Secretary of Defense Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation Directorate Simulation Analysis Center [SAC]; Forty-eight years in the US Navy and Defense Department; Board of Directors, George Mason University, Friends of the Center for the Arts.
Raymond Semple, Class of 1979: Village Trustee, Village of Mundelein; National Account Manager, Equifax; longest-serving trustee in Mundelein history; serves as Mayor Pro-Tem; has played Santa Claus in Santa’s Village in Mundelein for 25 years.
Nicole Suveges [posthumous], Class of 1988: Nine months active duty, US Army, during Bosnian War; US Defense Department Social Science advisor to Human Terrain Team in Iraqi Freedom 2006 and 2008; Killed in Iraq Ministry Building June 24, 2008; Awarded Defense of Freedom Medal July 11, 2008 by US Secretary of Defense.
James Swanson, Class of 1967: Senior Executive Service with Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC; Active service with US Air Force 1971-2003; Attained rank of Brigadier General; CEO, Naples Children Education Foundation.
Nominations for the 2018 Awards Ceremony will be taken beginning Nov. 6, 2017.