Alumni Newsletter
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For alumni and friends of University High School, College of Education, Illinois State University Vol. 16 No. 2 Fall 2011 Alumni Newsletter U-High memories She can’t forget Ruth Stroud’s list. it in a contest. Before that, the teams were “Everybody can say something changed Although she’s 82 years old, the simply known as “gold and green.” their life, and U-High was a complete words on that list still stick in the mind John Wroan III ’45 believes U-High turnaround for me,” he said. “I had great of University High School grad Yvonne changed his life. He transferred to the teachers who treated me special not because Hougham ’46. “Miss Stroud” made her school from Deer Creek when he was I was special but because that’s how they students memorize a list of 100 most often were. Another turning point was meeting mispronounced and misspelled words. my first wife, Bette Stretch, who was also a “Even now when I see one of those student there.” words, I still see Miss Stroud,” Yvonne He ended up living in O’Connor’s home said. She can also recite some lines from and missed his high school graduation only Chaucer learned in her classroom. Yvonne because he was already at the Naval Station attended U-High when it was in Moulton Great Lakes, where he became a seabee. Hall and students were scattered He went on to get a degree in business at across campus, mixing with col- Illinois Wesleyan University and became a lege students walking to gym or successful commercial contractor. U-High typing class in Cook Hall. The was one of the many buildings constructed U-High teachers were Illinois by his company, J. Wroan & Sons Inc. State Normal University faculty. John received the U-High “I always said they gave me Distinguished Alumni Award and served a college education,” she said. as a member of Illinois State University’s “Those four years were probably Foundation Board. He and his wife, the happiest of my life.” Jeanne, provided his alma mater a gift Yvonne rode the Fell Avenue of $500,000, which transformed the bus to campus, ate lunch at industrial arts center into the Wroan drug store counters, and fell in Engineering and Technology Center. Clockwise; Yvonne Hougham, love with Robert Hougham, John and Jeanne Wroan, and “I’ve got a lot of respect for U-High,” whom she later married. Her class Barbara Blunk he said. “A lot of people take it for remained close; about a dozen of granted. I looked at it all together dif- them still meet over lunch every ferent.” month. She helped start the U-High a junior. He was a gifted athlete but at He also enjoyed spending time with Alumni Association, served on the board, U-High, he learned how to be a student classmates from the Illinois Soldiers and and received the Alumni Service Award. with teachers and coaches who helped him Sailors Home. “We made very close friendships that realize his potential. “I remember playing with them, and have carried through our lives,” she said. Sometimes he’d hitchhike from Deer it never dawned on me where they were Some of those friendships were with resi- Creek to school. If he was in a hurry, he’d from. That’s something I look back on as a dents of the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors pay a mail carrier a dollar to give him a wonderful thing.” Home, which sent its high school students ride. Athletic Director Burton O’Connor, Barbara Blunk ’53 started at Moulton to U-High. who was also the football coach, found a as a fifth-grader when her family moved to And U-High became the “Pioneers” when room for him at the YMCA. He’d run to town for her dad’s career. Elden Lichty was she was there. The name was credited to one school every day but eventually, was asked principal of Thomas Metcalf School, which of her classmates, Irving Tick, who entered to leave the Y. continued on page 2 University High School U-High memories...continued from page 1 Alumni Association Illinois State University shared Moulton Hall. Kindergarten and Campus Box 7100 first grade were on the first floor; second Normal, IL 61790-7100 through fourth on the second floor and Phone: (309) 438-8346 fifth through eighth on the third. U-High Website: www.uHigh.ilstu.edu students mixed on the first and second Email: [email protected] floors. Facebook: We Are One: U-High Pioneers Going to school on the third floor was Board members a problem for Barbara. She’d only been President in one-story elementary school buildings Jenn Riddle Carrel ’02 before coming to Metcalf and was terrified at the thought of sliding down a metal fire President elect Marcy Benjamin Richardson ’94 escape during fire drills. Her dad took her and her sister to his office on the weekends Past president and had them practice sliding down the Herb Todd ’82 pitch black circular tunnel. Secretary She went on to earn her bachelor’s in Dianne Deavers Siverly ’81 business teacher education at ISU in 1957 Alumni relations coordinators and her master’s in 1970. She taught at Barbara Lichty Blunk ’53 the current U-High building from 1964 to Eric Schlipf ’96 2000. Stroud Auditorium wasn’t finished Awards committee chairs when classes began that first fall; it was John Kim ’97 still being excavated. Catherine McDonald ’95 In the ’50s getting into U-High wasn’t Database coordinator as competitive as it is today, she said. Yvonne Maxey Hougham ’46 Students and parents were attracted to the Eugene Hunter Homecoming cochairs school for its reputation for theatre, music, as his most difficult assignment. There were Becky Roderick Ehredt ’73 and sports. And, the open campus was as no elevators or air conditioning. At night Matt Hartman ’82 popular as it is today. he had to close all the windows on three Jill Kagy Tucci ’96 “My high school days were probably one floors, a task that took two hours. Historian of the greatest times of growing up—the Hunter holds the employee service Marc Feaster ’75 great education, faculty, and being able to record at Illinois State University, starting move about campus like the ISNU stu- Newsletter editor at 20 and changing his last fluorescent light Kathy Coyle Murdoch ’81 dents.” at 72. He worked under nine presidents As a faculty member, Barbara was and knew the people several buildings are Website coordinator involved in organizing the Alumni Bob Fitzgerald ’92 named for, including Arthur Watterson, Association. She has also received the Nelson Smith, Ruth Stroud, Pop Horton, Alumni Service Award. continued on page 4 Howard Hancock, Dean Schroeder, and Now 80, Eugene Hunter ’50 still has Clyde Hudelson. a vivid mental picture of Illinois State When Hunter reached 50 years of ser- Normal University. Hunter attended vice, President Vic Boschini presented him Thomas Metcalf School and University with an Illinois State letter jacket and a High School when they were still housed University High School class ring, replacing in Moulton Hall. An athlete at U-High, the one stolen when his home was robbed. he can still remember he ran the 100-yard He was honored with the Distinguished The dash in 10.3 seconds, and the name of Service Award in 1981, the highest accolade the boy who ran faster. His dream was to given to staff. “It meant that I accom- Pioneer run track and play football at Illinois State plished all the good deeds at ISU that I Alumni Newsletter while studying industrial arts. could,” Hunter said. “I thank ISU and the When Hunter started, a street ran Volume 16 Number 2, Fall 2011 students and the faculty and my coworkers through the Quad. Hovey Hall, Milner for that.” Hunter retired in 2003. Published semiannually Library, and Hancock Stadium didn’t For more information on Old Main Illinois State University exist. “The campus you’re looking at now and the history of ISU, check out the University High School is the second campus,” he said. The big- Illinois State magazine article “Artifacts and Campus Box 7100 gest change was the loss of Old Main. He Memories: Piecing Together History” at Normal, IL 61790-7100 worked in the building and remembers it blogs.ilstu.edu/illinois-state-magazine. 2 U-High adopts new logo Robert Dean, superintendent The U-High Logo Committee For some time, school officials have deserves a big thank you for its been concerned that the U-High outstanding work. Thanks to the logo too closely resembled that of commitment of each member, the Miami Hurricanes. It’s not all consensus was achieved in a very that unusual for high school logos short time span—approximately to be patterned after collegiate or two months. Members and their professional sports teams, but this affiliations are listed below: practice can lead to copyright or Jerry Abner, University Marketing trademark infringement issues. and Communications Thus, we asked Jerry Abner, assistant Natalie Bowman, student director for University Marketing and Communications at Illinois Dustin Burk, faculty associate State, to initiate a dialogue with the and coach University of Miami regarding the Robert Dean, superintendent use of its logo. Robert Fitzgerald, faculty associate We learned that the University and coach of Miami was not interested in any tee adopted an entire family of logos built Jeff Hill, principal kind of licensing agreement with us so we around the same central image. decided to create our own unique logo.