Naperville Central inducts four into Hall of Fame

Naperville Central High School seniors may not yet know what their mark on the world will be, but they got some guidance Friday from alumni who have walked in their shoes.

Rick Hitchcock (1971), Marianne Lisson Kuhn (1973) and the late Alfred Rubin (1938) and Clyde Sundquist (employee from 1989-2007) received Alumni Recognition Awards from Central.

The honorees or their family members spoke to students about their accomplishments, which will be listed on plaques added to the wall outside the school's main office.

Senior class President Meghan Schaffer said she walks past the wall daily and finds the talent and success of the inductees to be inspiring.

"The names and faces on that wall are true-life examples of individuals that made the playbook of life work for them," Schaffer said to her classmates Friday. "They used their Naperville Central education and experiences as the basis for real world success."

Lisson Kuhn, an artist, talked about developing her talents and using them to draw and paint historic Naperville scenes which can be seen in murals around the city.

"It's really vital to know your roots, appreciate who you are, where you came from," she said. "That brought me to start drawing Naperville scenes. I saw how quickly the town was changing back in the '70s and I started drawing some of the old things that were disappearing."

She told students to learn from their mistakes, appreciate what they have and give back to their community.

Hitchcock, owner of Hitchcock Design Group, gives back to his community as chairman of Naperville's Riverwalk Commission.

He said when he was in high school the country was in a similar situation to what it faces now -- an unpopular president, a war, rising gas prices and racial tension. He asked students to picture what the world will be like in 25 years.

"You are the future leaders and there are going to be enormous opportunities in science and business, arts and education to solve all of these challenges that are out there," he said. "All of the decisions you make are going to be tied to some common values. … It's about community, it's about family, in the end it's about sustainability."

Rubin also left a lasting impression on Naperville as the founder of numerous food service establishments and a member of many of the city's boards and civic groups. His son, Steve, spoke on his behalf Friday.

"Al challenges you to stay involved in building and contributing to your community by using your talents and skills for the benefit of others and yourselves as you have done here at Central," he said.

Sundquist may not have been an alumni but he was undoubtedly part of the Central family as an 18-year employee who worked as an audio/visual media support analyst.

Paul Emersun Sundquist spoke on behalf of his brother, who died six months ago of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

He said working at Central saved his brother's life at a time when it was in turmoil.

"I can't thank this facility enough for how much they loved him and respected him," his brother said.

He told students about the kind of man his brother was -- quiet, humble and always ready to lend a hand -- and encouraged them to stay close to their own siblings.

The Central seniors in attendance Friday have less then two weeks left until their May 21 graduation.

"While things change and you move on to different opportunities in life, we hope some of these special occasions you have experienced here at Naperville Central continue to have a profound impact on who you are and who you become," said Lynne Nolan, dean of student activities.