Remembering East: The quarterback and the cheerleader

Jon Hart wouldn't have called himself the Big Man on Campus during his time as a member of Glenbard East High School's first graduating class.

But that doesn't change the fact that he was both president of the Class of 1962 and the football team's quarterback.

With no sports to try out for, Gladys Hallbeck joined the cheerleading squad and rooted for the football team that was playing without a conference and led by the quarterback she would later marry.

"It was a very small school," Jon Hart said. "Everybody was close. They were fun years. Lettermen patrolled the grounds to keep people from smoking."

Such memories are popping into the heads of many former Glenbard East students as the school celebrates its 50th anniversary. Festivities begin Friday, Oct. 2, with events planned around the Homecoming football game against Glenbard North, a school that didn't exist when Jon was behind center.

As freshmen, Jon's class attended Glenbard Township High School, which is now Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn. The opening of East represented a homecoming for the students from Lombard.

"The people of Glen Ellyn really considered it (Glenbard West) their school," Jon said. "We were happy to be back in town. We were happy to not have to be bused over."

Gladys, in the Class of 1963, was part of the first class to attend all four years at East.

She signed up for cheerleading, even though most of the girls didn't know much about football. Then-football coach Don Smith fixed that.

"We knew nothing about sports," Gladys said. "The football coach after the first game had a class, Football 101, so we'd have an idea what we were yelling for. (Before that) we'd yell, 'Go Rams,' when the other team had the ball."

Gladys and Jon started dating during his senior year and were married in September, 1966.

During the early days of Glenbard East, new clubs and sports arose, which made it easy for students to try just about anything they wanted.

While both consider it a "simpler time," Gladys said today's schools have advantages of their own.

"The school now is fantastic," she said. "It offers every opportunity for the kids. It seems like they have all kinds of opportunity as far as curriculum is concerned."