DuPage County 2009 newsmakers

If you want to look into the soul of a place, you must start by looking into the faces of its people.

To do that, you must look beyond the obvious - beyond the politicians and the glad-handers - and find those who stand out from the crowd.

Most of our Faces of 2009 are just that, people who exceeded the norm - a vast majority for good, a very few for evil. (And, yes, we did include a few politicians, too.)

Look into their faces and you may catch a glimpse of what DuPage County was about during the past year.

Look into their faces and you may catch a glimpse of our soul.

John Huston:

The Glen Ellyn native and his expedition partner, Tyler Fish of Minnesota, became the first Americans to reach the North Pole without assistance. They reached the pole in April after a 55-day trek that included skiing, snowshoeing and swimming in frigid waters.

Mary Garza

The City of Aurora civil engineer decided in 2007 to attend a bone marrow drive. A year later, she was found to be a perfect match for a patient who turned out to be a young Texas boy named Evan Garcia. In June, the two met for the first time in an emotional ceremony at city hall.

Joe Devlin

Devlin stepped down in May after serving on the Roselle village board for 32 years. He also served as village president from 1973 to 1981, bringing his years of service to 40. His proudest accomplishment was bringing Lake Michigan water to Roselle in 1992.

Wheaton Warrenville South football team

Wheaton Warrenville South High School's football team captured its sixth state championship in November when it defeated DuPage County rival Glenbard West High School in a 31-24 double-overtime thriller. By winning the Class 7A championship, Wheaton Warrenville South became only the second football program in state history to win titles in four different classes.

Candace Parker

The face of women's basketball returned to Naperville in late July to have a basketball court where she once honed her skills dedicated in her honor. More than 400 people attended the ceremonies. In December, she conducted a basketball clinic in Lisle for area girls.

Thomas Mangiantini

The Addison man opened fire on his two young sons, ages 8 and 12, and his wife before committing suicide the morning before Thanksgiving in a crime that shocked a community that recalled what appeared to be the perfect family during an emotional joint funeral attended by nearly 600 people.

Matthew Bonnan

The Lake Park High School 1991 alumnus and Roselle native discovered fossils of a new dinosaur species, Aardonyx celestae, last fall. After traveling with a team of researchers to South Africa, the paleobiologist and professor at Western Illinois University concluded Aardonyx was a 23-foot-long small-headed herbivore with a huge barrel chest. It walked on hind legs but also could drop to all fours.

Jerry and Estella Hayes

The Wheaton grandparents were looking for a way to lose weight and wound up on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" at the start of the year. They were among 11 two-person teams participating in the show's seventh season, but were booted off in its second week. That was the bad news. The good news: Jerry kept after his weight and returned to the show in May as the eliminated contestant with the highest percentage of weight loss. He and his wife walked away with $100,000.

Jimmy Carter

The former president was in Oak Brook in late January to dedicate a sculpture and visit Lions Clubs International headquarters. A Lion for more than 55 years, Carter credited the organization for sparking his own political and humanitarian ambitions.

Jeanine Nicarico

She was a 10-year-old Naperville girl home alone, sick with the flu, on Feb. 25, 1983 when Brian Dugan abducted, raped, and killed her. On Nov. 11, a DuPage County jury sentenced Dugan to die for the slaying.

Drew Peterson

After long speculation, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant was arrested May 7 on charged he murdered his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in March 2004, amid a divorce battle. His fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, vanished in October 2007, but Drew Peterson has not been charged with any wrongdoing in her disappearance.

Montini football team

The Montini High School football team turned a 5-4 regular season into a state title when it defeated Joliet Catholic 29-28 during the Class 5A championship game in November. Montini capped its game-winning drive with a 2-point conversion pass with 32 seconds left in the game.

Josh Kerber

The West Chicago soldier came home in November and was greeted by several hundred people at the American Legion hall. Kerber lost his left arm when his military vehicle was attacked in Afghanistan.

Josie Girl

The 8-year-old chocolate springador's owners, Cory Creager and Dorie Pike-Creager, put Josie's resume on a job-hunting Web site and got several replies, including one suggesting Josie could earn more than $500,000 a year selling insurance.

Rodney Boyd Jr.

The Neuqua Valley student served as president of his sophomore and junior classes at the Naperville high school but wasn't allowed to run for senior class president because his advisers wouldn't endorse him. Boyd ran a write-in campaign and received a large number of votes, but officials said he was ineligible.

Sarah "Sally" Wentworth

The former Chicago woman died Feb. 5 after wandering outside into the freezing cold while a resident of The Arbor of Itasca nursing home. A young nurses assistant received probation after pleading guilty to elderly neglect and obstructing justice. A lawsuit is ongoing.

Jim Roberts

The new principal at Lake Park High School's East Campus took the reins in January after serving as assistant principal for instructional services at the West Campus. His first task: get to know the staff, faculty and students and what they excel at.

Nunu Sung

The 24-year-old Myanmar native was charged with obstructing justice and misdemeanor endangering the life of a child after police said she abandoned her newborn son after his birth June 12 outside of her Wheaton apartment. A neighbor found the baby, hidden under a bush, who survived and is in foster care.

Susan McCollum

The 34-year-old Naperville figure skater participated in the World Winter Games of the Special Olympics in February. She was one of seven Illinois athletes who won gold medals in the 2008 state Special Olympic Winter Games and were chosen to compete on Team USA.

John Geils

The controversial Bensenville mayor was defeated by challenger Frank Soto in the April election. It was a bitter blow for Geils, a longtime opponent of O'Hare Airport expansion, who was seeking his seventh term.

Devin Leigh

The 6-pound, 1-ounce girl came into the world a little quicker than expected in August and her dad, Rick Tresselt had to help her mom, Jennifer Stringer, deliver her on the living room floor of their Lombard home. Lombard paramedic Jack Shafer, who had helped the pair deliver their second child in an ambulance parked along the side of the road, also arrived to help out.

William Ayers

The controversial figure from the 1960s Weather Underground sparked a storm of protest when he was invited to speak at Naperville North High School and Anderson's Bookshop in early April. The criticism became so intense both District 203 and the store canceled his appearances.

Jessica Cox

The 26-year-old Arizona woman came to Naperville to learn to scuba dive. Not a big deal? Consider this: Jessica was born without arms. She does virtually everything - from brushing her teeth to driving a car - with her feet.

Laurence Lovejoy

The Illinois Supreme Court granted this death row inmate a new trial in September for the March 27, 2004 murder of his stepdaughter, Erin Justice, 16, in Aurora.

Thomas Urbik

The former Wheaton resident who now lives in Batavia was aboard the Liberty Sun when it was attacked in April by Somalian pirates. The crew was rescued by the U.S. Navy and unharmed, but the incident pointed to growing problem with piracy on the high seas.

Peggy Frank

The Naperville Heritage Society celebrated its 40th anniversary in February and Frank, who was hired as the group's first full-time professional nearly 30 years ago, was at the heart of the celebration. She continues to serve as Naper Settlement's executive director.

Driscoll girls basketball

The Highlanders stormed back from a 14-point first-half deficit to topple West Hancock 40-35 and win the Class 2A girls basketball championship on the last day of February at Illinois State University.

Robert Breuder

After less than six months at the helm of College of DuPage, and with a three-and-a-half year contract already in place, the COD president received a three-year contract extension. The vote was unanimous although member Kathy Wessel, who was absent, had urged her colleagues to wait until the new board was seated.

Katie Visco

The Glen Ellyn native stopped off at home in late June during her cross-country run from Boston to San Diego to raise attention and money for Girls on the Run, a nonprofit organization that encourages girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running.

Joe Logan

The Wheaton man was stepping outside with his dog, Redbelly, when they heard a whimpering sound. It turned out to be a newborn boy who had been left in his yard.

Amy Berger

For the third straight year the Waubonsie Valley High School senior from Naperville collected thousands of valentines to send to our troops serving overseas.

Mike MacRae

The 17-year-old junior at Glenbard North High School spent 24 consecutive hours volunteering at Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights in April. The fundraising effort generated $1,300 to purchase hospital equipment.

Jeanette Hachmeister

The 35-year veteran teacher from Elmhurst was named a Golden Apple winner in May. Hachmeister has taught students in preschool and kindergarten for 11 years at Child's Voice School in Wood Dale, which helps children who are hearing-impaired. She was one of 10 winners, selected from among 972 nominations from the collar counties.

Wheaton Warrenville South volleyball

The Tigers boys volleyball team captured the state crown for the third straight time in early June defeating Maine South 25-23 and 25-14. It was their sixth state title this century.

Peg Kopec

The St. Francis High School girls volleyball coach earned her 1,000 victory in early September against Chicago Christian. She became the first coach in Illinois history to record 1,000 career wins in the same sport. She's been the Spartans coach since 1974.

Gary Sinise

The actor and his Lt. Dan Band played to a capacity crowd of 10,000 during a July performance at Cantigny Park to raise money for Operation Support Our Troops- Illinois, a group founded six years ago by Naperville mom Debi Rickert.

Patty Kaplan

She created Edward Hospital's animal-assisted therapy program in 2002, hoping that bringing dogs to meet patients could make things a little easier for folks. How right she was: in June the hospital's therapy dogs visited their 100,000 patient - 5-year-old Savannah Sokol of Naperville.

Angel Loizzo, Maggie O'Brien and Dana Gattone

The eighth-graders at St. Philip the Apostle School in Addison noticed that only a few of their neighbors were recycling. The girls convinced the village to bolster its recycling efforts and, in the process, won two national awards for their "Recycle Because You Care" program.

Kenneth Richardt

The commander of West Chicago VFW Post 6791 spearheaded efforts to obtain and display a Korean War-era jet fighter on the post grounds. The 90-year-old West Chicago resident also had obtained a tank for the post in memory of his brother, Leon, who was the first West Chicago resident to die in World War II. The jet dedication was in August.

Ann Reid

Naperville Unit District 203 named its new early childhood learning center after the former teacher who spent nearly three decades working with special education students in the district. The $11 million center on Naper Boulevard is the only Naperville school named after a woman.

Daniel Shih

The former Naperville man and Naperville North graduate was named a Rhodes scholar, a prestigious honor that funds up to three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Shih was honored for high academic achievement and helping create a campaign to improve working conditions in factories that produce apparel for Stanford University, the school where he is a senior.

Wheaton Academy

The Warriors won the state Class 2A girls soccer state final, defeating Lemont 3-0 in early June. It was their second such championship.

Robert Maday

The Elk Grove convict was being transported to the Rolling Meadows courthouse in September where he was to be sentenced for four aggravated robberies when he escaped from two officers and triggered a manhunt that took him across the suburbs. He was captured the next day in West Chicago.

Joanna Krupa

The bikini model from Lombard and 1997 graduate of Glenbard East High School placed fourth on ABC's fall session of "Dancing with the Stars." She and professional dance partner Derek Hough had one of the highest scores going into the second to last show of the season, but they didn't receive enough viewer votes to stay in the competition that eventually was won by Donny Osmond.

Glenn "Max" McGee

The president of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora had plenty to celebrate this year, especially when his school was named the nationwide winner of the Intel Star Innovator Award for its science programs.

Michelle and Zack Ruvola

The Naperville mother and son both sunk holes in one within two weeks of each other at Naperville Park District's Naperbrook Golf Course.

Duane Litfin

The Wheaton College president announced in March that he will retire in mid-2010. Litfin became the college's seventh president in 1993. College officials say the quality of the school's faculty has been enhanced during Litfin's tenure. There also has been the addition of new academic and sport facilities and an increase in scholarship funding.

Mary Descenza

The Naperville native and Rosary High School grad turned in the fastest women's time ever in the 200-meter butterfly during the FINA Swimming World Championships in late July in Rome.

Andrew Kazenas

The 12-year-old Itasca boy traveled to San Diego in August to take part in the Pokemon Video Game World Championship. He qualified by placing among the top 16 at the National Championships in St. Louis.

Diana Martinez

The executive director of downtown Aurora's historic Paramount Theatre resigned unexpectedly in July, apparently after a disagreement with the board of directors over the theatre's direction.

Jack Hennessy

The Naperville fifth-grader was one of four finalists on the "Today" show's Kid Reporter contest in November. The 10-year-old attends Ss. Peter and Paul School and gained attention when he submitted a one-minute video report on his garden.

Anson Yeganegi

The 22-year-old Wheaton man was taking a new route home from work in September when he saw the taillights of a Bentley convertible shining from inside a pond. He wound up jumping into the water and helping pull the dazed motorist to safety.

Kathryn Birkett

The longtime Indian Prairie Unit District 204 administrator - and deputy superintendent - was the only candidate to replace Superintendent Stephen Daeschner as he departed for another job in southern Indiana. Birkett had helped open Neuqua Valley High School as its first principal.

Mark Mitrovich

The longtime educator from the Pacific Northwest was named superintendent of Naperville Unit District 203 in early February. Just days after his selection, though, some criticism arose because his Ph.D was from a non-accrdeited university. He replaced the retiring Alan Leis, who officially stepped down at the end of June.

Sean Stephenson

The Oakbrook Terrace psychotherapist achieved his dream of throwing out the first pitch at a White Sox game - even though he is just 3 feet tall and in a wheelchair. Born with the most severe form of brittle bone disease, he is an in-demand motivational speaker. His book, "Get Off Your But: How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up For Yourself" came out in 2009.

David Fazzini

The College of DuPage professor demonstrated some laws of physics in September by lying between two beds of nails topped with a cinder block and then having a sledgehammer-wielding colleague whack the top of the apparatus. Fazzini, of course, came out unscathed. "Once again, I sacrifice my body for the benefit of your education," the smiling professor told his class.

Nicole Hubert

The 12-year-old Naperville girl spoke on Capitol Hill as part of a panel put together by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association urging lawmakers to support improvements to classroom acoustics. Hubert, who is deaf, uses cochlear implants to help her hear.

Greg Holloway

It may have been a sign of the economic times, but Hollway opened Naperville Jewelry & Loan - the city's first pawnshop - early in the year. Holloway said his shop also carried sports collectibles and antiques.

Philip Rizk

In February, the Wheaton College graduate was released after being held for several days by Egyptian authorities. Rizk, who has dual Egyptian-German citizenship, was arrested by Egyptian State Security officers north of Cairo after taking part in a march supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. After his release days later, Egyptian authorities never explained why Rizk, a 26-year-old graduate student at the American University in Cairo, was detained. Rizk graduated from Wheaton College in 2004 after spending four years living in the suburbs.

Evan Lysacek

The Naperville native became the first American in 13 years to win the World Figure Skating Championship thanks to a spectacular free skate in late March. Lysacek previously won bronze medals in 2005 and 2006.

Dr. John Saran

The Edward Hospital internal medicine specialist from Naperville had his quiet getaway weekend to Utah in December interrupted by international fame when he helped deliver a baby boy on a Southwest Airlines flight. It was the first birth Saran had been involved with since his time in medical school 35 years earlier. Both mother and baby were fine.

Ashley Greene

Hundreds of fans waited for hours to catch a glimpse of the star of "Twilight" and "New Moon" when she made an appearance in November at the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville.

Scott Huber

The longtime Naperville protester who has been a fixture along Chicago Avenue downtown was ordered to remove his belongings from the sidewalk after the city council passed new ordinances aimed at keeping him from camping at the location. Huber vowed to fight the new laws, but police eventually confiscated his belongings and cited him.

Jack MacRae

The DuPage County Forest Preserve naturalist spent two weeks of his vacation walking through natural landscapes along Lake Michigan from the Wisconsin border to Michigan this summer. The 200-plus mile journey was done to highlight the diverse natural landscapes of the area for an article in a regional magazine.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=346988">Northwest suburban 2009 newsmakers <span class="date">[12/28/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=346982">DuPage County 2009 newsmakers <span class="date">[12/28/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=346390">Lake County 2009 newsmakers <span class="date">[12/28/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=346384">Fox Valley 2009 newsmakers <span class="date">[12/28/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>