St. Charles Unit District 303 to honor 2018 Distinguished Alumni
Submitted by St. Charles Unit District 303
St. Charles Unit District 303, in conjunction with the Distinguished Alumni Award Committee and the St. Charles Education Foundation, is proud to announce the recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2018. The award is given to nominees who graduated from District 303 and have demonstrated a high level of achievement in their field of endeavor or in their contributions to their community.
The 2018 recipients are Charles Brown, Steve Martin, Kady McFadden and Bill Stepien.
• Charles Brown graduated from St. Charles High School in 1949. He served for three years in the military in the U.S. Army Medical Core. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1957 with a B.S. in Pharmacy, Brown returned to St. Charles and began working as a pharmacist for Klick & Worthley Drugs. He later became the owner of that drugstore. After closing the drugstore in 1992, Brown joined a local bank in order to remain active in the community and with the public. Before officially retiring he had become a branch manager for Old Kent.
Brown was the recipient of the 2002 St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Charlemagne Award. He is receiving this award posthumously, as he passed away in 2015.
• Steve Martin graduated from St. Charles High School in 1971. As a junior in high school, Steve began his dream job of being a community banker in his hometown, and is currently vice president of First State Bank. Martin is a graduate of both Aurora College, now Aurora University, and Elgin Community College, as well as the Illinois Bankers Association's Advanced Commercial Lending School. The lifelong resident has made community involvement a priority in his life, devoting a significant amount of his time volunteering for numerous boards, committees, projects, programs and events. The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce honored Martin by presenting him with its 2014 Charlemagne Award.
• Kady McFadden graduated from St. Charles North High School in 2006. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and graduated in 2010 with a dual degree in political science and environmental studies. McFadden currently serves as deputy director of the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter, where she manages organizing and conservation staff in order to build strong advocacy campaigns for clean energy, clean water and open space protection. She is a graduate of Chicago's New Leader's Council, an organization to train young progressive leaders. McFadden also is an outspoken advocate for women's leadership and representation, and has been quoted in The Hill, New York Times, Politico, Chicago Tribune, and Chicago Sun-Times.
• Bill Stepien graduated from St. Charles High School in 1986. After earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and master's degree from St. Xavier University, he earned his doctorate in instructional technology from Northern Illinois University in 2007. He returned to St. Charles High School in 1992 and served as a social studies teacher until 2000, when he helped open St. Charles North High School. He returned to St. Charles East High School in 2010, where he is currently on staff. Over his career, Stepien has been active in the field of education, providing professional learning for thousands of teachers locally and nationally through adjunct university teaching, conference presentations, the publication of a book and a chapter in a professional research handbook, and the development of online courses.
The 2018 recipients will be recognized at the St. Charles Education Foundation's 23rd annual gala event, which will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at the Baker Hotel. It will include dinner, music from students, live and silent auctions followed by a DJ with dancing. All proceeds from this event go directly toward District 303 student scholarships and supporting teachers through grants. Tickets for $100 may be purchased by going to www.stced.org.