Four alumni inducted into Marmion Athletic Hall of Fame

Marmion alumni J. Reed "Whiz" O'Malley '56, Francis W. VanWisse '94, Jonathan W. Burgess '01, and Nicholas M. Burgess '01 were inducted into the Marmon Athletic Hall of Fame during halftime of the Marmion Cadets vs. St. Rita Mustangs varsity basketball game Feb. 7.

• J. Reed O'Malley, class of 1956, better known in high school as "Whiz O'Malley," is from Wheaton. Whiz was a two-sport athlete, golf and basketball. After Marmion, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame and served as an officer in U.S. Army Intelligence in Germany.

At Marmion, Whiz was a four-year varsity letter winner in golf, captain of the team his junior and senior years, and often the team medalist. Golf was a lifetime passion for Whiz. He became a member of the Chicago Golf Club in 1971 and won numerous senior club championships. In 1992, he qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, one of only 150 players. The following year he was the 7th ranked senior amateur in Illinois and played in the Thomson Cup Championship. That annual tournament features the top 8 professionals versus the top 8 amateurs. The amateurs won the event for the first time that year. Whiz estimates that he has played over 4,000 rounds of golf in his lifetime. In 2005, he had a hole-in-one on the 16th hole at Augusta National where he played over 30 rounds through the years.

In basketball at Marmion, Whiz was the starting, playmaker guard on the freshmen, sophomore and varsity teams. His senior year the 1955-56 team was 19-4, including winning the Geneva Holiday Tournament. Whiz led the team in free-throw shooting. The team was upset in the state regional tournament with a one-point loss to West Aurora, which, Whiz says, he is still not over.

While serving in the Army in Germany, Whiz played for the 7th Army Headquarters team in Stuttgart.

• Dr. Francis W. VanWisse, class of 1994, was a three-year varsity football and baseball player, captain and MVP of both football and baseball teams as a senior, named an alternate on the all-state football team. He went on to play football and baseball at the University of Texas at Austin.

Francis is an anesthesiologist who completed his residency at Yale-New Haven hospital and is currently working in San Antonio, Texas.

• Jonathan W. Burgess, class of 2001, was a four-year varsity swimmer, and scoring member of the 2000 State Championship team, the 1998 and 1999 State runner-up teams, and the 2001 third place finishing team. He was named All-State and All American and collected five state titles in relay events during his high school career, including a high school state record in the 400-meter freestyle relay. He was a Junior National qualifier and went on to swim at Indiana University. He continues to share is passion for swimming as a head coach and program director of Blue Dolphin Swim School and head coach for the Rock Creek Flyers Swim Club.

• Nicholas M. Burgess, class of 2001, was a four-year varsity swimmer, a scorer of the 2000 State Championship team, captain of the 2001 Third Place Team, and a contributing member of the 1998 and 1999 State Runner Up teams. Nicholas earned the distinction of All State and All American and collected six State titles in individual and relay events during his high school career, including an high school state record in the 400-meter freestyle relay. He was a Junior National qualifier and went on to swim at Indiana University, where he earned Academic All-Big Ten Honors. He teaches Science and Music at the Dunn School in Los Olivos, California, and continues his passion for swimming and water safety as an Ocean Beach Lifeguard for the city of San Diego, California.

Marmion Academy, a Catholic-Benedictine college preparatory school for young men, is a community dedicated to spiritual formation, academic excellence and leadership development. For information, visit www.marmion.org.