Dist. 203 honors "voice of new P.E."

Longtime Naperville educator and Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Phil Lawler has had a rewarding few days.

On Saturday, Lawler was honored with the IHSBCA's President's Award for his contributions to baseball, one of his greatest passions.

Monday afternoon a gymnasium packed with friends, peers and family celebrated Lawler's many accomplishments during Madison Junior High School's 30th anniversary celebration.

Lawler, who retired in 2008, is in the fifth year of his fight against cancer.

An emotional Bill Seiple, Naperville Central's baseball coach, announced Monday that Lawler's number 29 will be retired May 9 at the high school's Varsity Field, never to be worn by another Central player or coach.

"Baseball is my passion and today I'm reminded of Lou Gehrig's famous words 'Today I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth,'" Lawler told well-wishers. "But I don't believe in luck. I believe in the power of prayer and today I've been blessed."

Lawler is an original member of the Madison faculty, a former Naperville Unit District 203 physical education coordinator, and director of education and training for PE4life. a national organization dedicated to inspiring active, healthy living by advancing the development of quality, daily physical education programs for all children.

When Lawler helped open Madison in 1978 he identified his "gym teacher" status with the comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

"I got no respect and this profession got no respect so I worked to change that," Lawler said. "Illinois, thankfully, is still one of the few states that requires physical education five days a week and thanks to PE4life, Naperville has built the model for physical education courses in the country and everyone is coming here to see how it's done."

President & CEO of PE4life Anne Flannery attended Monday's ceremony to assure Lawler his legacy with the organization will last forever.

"This is a man whose dreams were so far ahead of his time," Flannery said. "There is no doubt his dedication to helping children develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle has saved numerous lives."

To date, the organization has trained more than 1,700 educators, administrators, and community leaders from 38 states and five countries, affecting 2,412 schools and reaching more than 2 million children.

"That's all because of Phil's dreams and passion for physical education," Flannery said.

Lawler also has worked closely with Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the founding father of aerobics and The Cooper Institute in Dallas. He has served as a guest speaker at Nike headquarters and has been in contact with educators in China, Kuwait and Dubai.

His dedication to improving physical education has him fielding up to 100 e-mails a day from doctors, educators, politicians and parents worldwide. Friends and co-workers joked Monday that he's also been the initiator of several hours-long telephone calls during which he preaches the importance of physical activity.

He's testified before Congress on the role of physical education and he and the Madison program were featured in the documentary, "Super Size Me."