On Thursday evening, Nov. 3, The York Distinguished Alumni program will be honoring seven successful York graduates. The event starts at 6:30 PM and is open for free to the public. The honorees will also be speaking to students in several classes about their high school experience and how it has affected them. This article is a series of question and answer interviews with each of the alumni. 

*Each short biography of the alumni was provided by District 205.*

Dan Konopka, Class of 1993

Dan is the drummer for and a founding member of Ok Go, a Grammy Award winning, American alternative rock band formed in 1998 here in Chicago, Illinois. The band is a viral sensation, with over 125 million views on Youtube. They were dubbed the “first post-internet band” by the head of Apple’s marketing. In 2006 the group released the video for the song “Here it Goes Again” to YouTube; it has been viewed 100 million times and  won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video and the 2006 YouTube Awards for Most Creative Video.

Q: What is your favorite memory of York?

A: There are so many to choose from!! I think it maybe the time my band played the ‘Rock for Hunger Concert Fund-Raiser” in the football field my sophomore year. The whole school came and watched us play during the lunch periods.

Q: What was your favorite and least-favorite class at York?

A: My favorite class was Artstaff with Mr. Randle. There was a unlimited creative freedom in that room. Underclassmen were thrown in with upperclassmen and we learned so much from them. I felt creatively vital in those rooms. I’ll never forget that. Least favorite was probably any math classes I was in… I just never flourished in mathematics.

Q: How did your high school experience impact your career choice? Did you think you would be successful?

A: My HS experience showed me that if there’s something out there that you really wanted to do, there is nothing that can prevent you from doing it. As long as you’re willing to put in the really hard work and to always remember to never give up. I wanted to be an audio engineer when I left York, and when I arrived in college I had the confidence and faith to reach further and become both an engineer and a musician.

Q: Do you have any regrets about your high-school experience?

A: I guess I wish I would’ve done better in math!

Q: Do you have any advice for high school students?

A: My advice would be:

Now is the time to imagine and design your real life dreams…think hard about what your life could look like if every dream you had came true. What would you be doing? Where would you live to do it? What kind of people would you have around you while doing it? And describe what things you can see that may keep you from doing it

WRITE ALL OF THIS DOWN on paper in your own handwriting and save those notes.

Once a year look at the notes. Make changes. Make amendments.

The more you see it, the more you think it, and the harder you work for it, the closer you get to it.

This is not selfishness. This is self discovery and self love.

There is nothing off limits here. Every idea is valid and everyone else’s ideas are valid for them.

Listen to your inner voice and learn to love your voice for its whole truth – you’ll be able to see and appreciate other people’s truths through their actions.

Don’t compare yourself to anyone.

You can do anything you want. And don’t let anyone tell you different.

Jack Lavin, Class of 1980

Jack has dedicated himself to a life of public service. He served as Illinois Governor Pat Quinn’s chief of staff and has been active in numerous Illinois charities and community organizations, serving in leadership capacities that were vital to the organization’s’ ongoing success. A strong advocate for the disability community, he chaired and provided recommendations to the Chicago Public Schools Task Force on Special Education. He is president and CEO of Lavin Strategies, Inc. He has worked with numerous organizations and received awards for this work.

Q: What is your favorite memory of York?

A: My favorite memories are playing sports at York, particularly basketball, and winning the Tom Bash Award.  I played basketball all four years, ran track for three years and played football my freshman year.  My senior year we had a top ten basketball team and played some great games against Proviso East who had Glenn (now Doc) Rivers.  I also won the Tom Bash Award which is given to the Junior who excels in sports, scholarship and citizenship.

Q: What was your favorite and least-favorite class at York?

A: My favorite classes were Biology, Chemistry, Math and History.  My least favorite class was Physics.

Q: How did your high school experience impact your career choice? Did you think you would be successful?

A: York gave me a great education and a great experience playing sports.  I had teachers who were enthusiastic about teaching and they fueled my love of learning.  This foundation laid the groundwork for success at the University of Illinois and at graduate school at the University of Chicago and for the opportunities that I had in my career.  Sports also taught me life lessons that helped me become a successful leader – hard work, dedication, teamwork and passion.

Q: Do you have any regrets about your high-school experience?

A: I have few regrets.  Perhaps, I would have gone out for football after freshman year or tried to do more extracurricular activities outside of sports.

Q: Do you have any advice for high school students?

A: Take advantage of all the extracurricular activities that you can at York or in college and be open to exploring new things.  These activities will give you invaluable experiences that you cannot get in the classroom for whatever future you choose and better prepare you for your career.  High school is about more than academics.  It is the beginning of finding your passion.  You may not know what you want to do in the future.  I didn’t when I was in high school. These extracurricular activities can help you find your passion and that is what drives you to pursue your dreams.

Judd Lofchie, Class of 1976

Judd has worked as a lawyer, commercial developer and real estate broker and is the owner and president of Judd Lofchie & Associates, located in Aurora, Illinois, for 25 years. Judd is founder and Director Emeritus for StreetWise Inc., a newspaper he created in 1992 for homeless persons in Chicago, assisting over 10,000 people of whom 40% have earned their way back to financial independence. He currently serves an emeritus board member. A world traveler, he speaks several languages.

Q: What is your favorite memory of York?

A: Playing sports at York. Freshman football, tennis and golf.  There was great camaraderie

Q: What was your favorite and least-favorite class at York?

A: French class with Monsieur Berger–he was a fabulous teacher.

Q: How did your high school experience impact your career choice? Did you think you would be successful?

A: I enjoyed Business Law and English classes which helped lead me to law. I received great grades at York and was in French, Math and National Honors Society so I felt empowered to succeed!

Q: Do you have any regrets about your high-school experience?

A: I wish I would have run cross country for Joe Newton!

Q: Do you have any advice for high school students?  

A: Get really good grades as it makes life a lot easier!

Tekki Lomnicki, Class of 1974

Tekki is a solo performer, playwright, director and educator. In 1995, Tekki co-founded Tellin’ Tales Theatre. The company, dedicated to shattering the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through personal story, produces adult solo performance as well as Six Stories Up, a life-changing mentoring program and show, featuring middle school students and adults with and without disabilities. Tekki performs her solo work for schools, conferences, and theater audiences all over the U.S. and Canada, and starred in the award-winning film, The Miracle by Jeffrey Jon Smith.

Q: What is your favorite memory of York?

A: My favorite memory was being crowned Homecoming Queen my senior year. I was super surprised that I won because at that time the royalty was made up of cheerleaders and athletes. I probably cancelled all of them out because I was a theater person.

Q: What was your favorite and least-favorite class at York?

A: I loved Honors English and my least favorite was Algebra.

Q: How did your high school experience impact your career choice? Did you think you would be successful?

A: My high school experience in theater impacted my career choice later in life. I majored in English in college and became an advertising copywriter but knew I really wanted to do theater. At that time people with disabilities were not really visible in the theater world and I didn’t think I could get a job so I didn’t study theater in college. However the theater bug was burrowing into my consciousness and when high school friends decided to resurrect Elmhurst Community Theater I jumped at the chance and directed for them after work and on weekends. Then I went freelance in advertising to have the time to pursue theater, took classes and eventually started my theater company with a co-worker. I never doubted I would be successful at writing but wasn’t sure I’d be successful in theater. I was wrong there!

Q: Do you have any regrets about your high-school experience?

A: I have absolutely no regrets.

Q: Do you have any advice for high school students?

A: My advice is to really follow your dreams and not conform to what you think you “should” do. I wish I had pursued theater earlier in life, even if it was on the side because I knew that’s what I really wanted to do.

Barbara Kegerreis Lunde, Class of 1955

Dr. Lunde was the second female to get a PhD in physics from Iowa State University and became the first woman Professional Electrical Engineer in Iowa. While in Iowa, she was the engineer for the construction of two commercial radio stations and then stepped in to operate them for 12 years. She received two patents for developing rocket guidance instruments and served as a project manager for NASA from 1961-65. Barbara designed and studied solar energy systems from 1976-80.

Q: What is your favorite memory of York?

A: My favorite time at York was something like a open house.  My English class put on a melodrama, and I was the heroine.  

Q: What was your favorite and least-favorite class at York?

A: My favorite class was biology.  My least favorite one was gym.

Q: How did your high school experience impact your career choice? Did you think you would be successful?

A: In high school, especially since I just stayed through my junior year, I did not have a career choice.  At that time, most women planned to get an “Mrs. degree,” but to be educated for some career, “just in case.” Through life experience in my high school years, I did realize that I did not have musical talent.  I also had very little contact with grade school children.  The two most common majors for women in my college were music and teaching.  I thought that I was not suited for those.  I seemed to be good at math and science, so when I was asked in sorority rush what my major was, I said, “physics,” which I thought would be memorable.  Then, I had to actually do it, which led to a career choice, even though when I said it, in 1954, physics was not much of a career.  As we got into the space race and the cold war, physics did seem to become a career.

Q: Do you have any regrets about your high-school experience?

A: I may regret not staying my senior year.  I definitely regretted not taking chemistry in high school.  It was tougher in college.

Q: Do you have any advice for high school students?

A: My advice to high school students is to head for a career that is well paid, for which you have aptitude.  Take “hard” courses as soon as you can, so you have that knowledge.  Full disclosure: I don’t know the strategies for getting into the good colleges.  Do choose a college with a high academic rating.  You will be more likely to get a good job when you graduate.  

Bob Nottelmann (deceased), Class of 1943

Bob Nottelmann (deceased) was a distinguished business leader, philanthropist and volunteer. With an MBA from the University of Chicago, he spent his whole career at Inland Steel and its principal subsidiary. We have Mr. Nottelmann, and the other founding board members, to thank for the Foundation for Educational Excellence which has raised $2.5 million, adding many enhancements and innovative, new programs to District 205. To date, 552 Thiems grants have been distributed to support students and teachers. Mr. Nottelmann will be represented by his son, Mark Nottelmann.

*Bob Nottelmann passed away, and so his son will be attending the event. He was not able to answer all the questions on his father’s behalf, but he was able to give this information.

(On his father’s favorite memory)

I know a favorite memory of his was being on the undefeated 1939 football team that were conference champions (which will be mentioned in my acceptance talk).

(On his father’s advice)

My gut tells me that any advice he would give to students today would be to work hard at their studies and keep grades up and make sure to attend college and get a degree, because that is a major step in not only obtaining a good job, but plays a major role in what you do in the rest of your life after schooling.

Allan Tereba, Class of 1965

Dr. Tereba played a significant role in advancing the field of forensics by developing new materials, devices and techniques to improve the quality of DNA fingerprinting, greatly diminishing the time needed to prepare DNA evidence from large numbers of crime scene samples. This technology has also been used in related applications and to identify genetic markers associated with cancer. During his working career, and in retirement, he has volunteered his time, talents and leadership skills for community service.

Q: What is your favorite memory of York?

A: There are several nice experiences I can remember about York, both academically and athletically but having wide ranging discussions with George McGregor while working as chemistry lab assistants is an experience I will not forget.  In many ways we were similar but sometimes had opposing views.  These discussions helped me look at issues from both sides.

Q: What was your favorite and least-favorite class at York?

A: My favorite class was chemistry.  I have always enjoyed science and the elegance and predictability of chemistry was very appealing to me.  Freshman English was my least favorite class with speed reading and Spanish close seconds.  I am slightly dyslexic and thus a slow reader with difficulties understanding spoken foreign languages.  Several times I had to read out loud in English class which was a very unpleasant experience that I remember to this day.  I continue to be a slow reader (as is my sister) but have a photographic memory so I never had to reread anything for a test.

Q: How did your high school experience impact your career choice?  Did you think you would be successful?

A: I am unusual in that I knew I wanted to be a scientist by the 4th grade.  However, the chemistry class taught by Mr. Davik was what convinced me to major in chemistry in college.  I felt confident that I would succeed and being selected for an honors chemistry program at Indiana University reinforced my beliefs.

Q: Do you have any regrets about your high-school experience?

A: I try not to think about what I could have done differently in the past except for using it as a teaching tool for the future.  The past cannot be changed so I look at what is and what can be in the future.

Q: Do you have any advice for high school students?

A: High school can be both a wonderful as well as an unpleasant experience.  Have fun, experience a variety of classes and get involved with community activities.  You are preparing yourself to be an independent adult so take advantage of your opportunities.