JCA President/Principal Dr. Jeffrey Budz is pleased to announce the 2025 Hall of Champions: Business & Industry: Carl Buck ‘87, Raymond J. Fonck, PhD ’69, Thomas M. Hickey ’72, Alicia (Hobbs ’87) Levi, Jeanne (Nilles ’79) Long, and Dr. Mary J. Wirth ’71. The Hall of Champions has become a staple in the JCA community, honoring past Angels and Hilltoppers for their accomplishments in business, industry, service, and athletics.
The mission of the Hall of Champions: Business & Industry is to honor SFA, JCHS, and JCA graduates for their accomplishments throughout their professional careers ranging from medicine, law, education, entertainment, business, technology, and more. With over 24,000 alumni and counting, the lessons instilled by both the Carmelites and Franciscans over JCA’s 155-year history of Catholic education in the Joliet community has consistently cultivated leaders that have produced a world-wide impact.
Dr. Jeffrey Budz said, “We are very proud to be honoring another set of great leaders that have come from the halls of Joliet Catholic, St. Francis Academy and JCA. Our honorees have not only contributed greatly to their respected industry, they have generously given to the JCA community and have led by example for all current Angels and Hilltoppers. Congratulations to the Business and Industry Class of 2025! We are grateful and proud to consider you a key member of the JCA Family!”
This year’s honorees will be inducted at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 27, 2025 at the Jacob Henry Mansion.
Nominations can be submitted by mail: 1200 N. Larkin Ave. Joliet, IL. 60435 or by email: sbebar@jca-online.org. Please send to the attention of Sue Bebar, Director of Alumni Relations.
Congratulations to the 2025 Joliet Catholic Academy Hall of Champions: Business & Industry!
Carl Buck ’87
Carl Buck is an attorney based in Will County, Illinois, with a career spanning almost three decades. A native of Plainfield, Illinois, he graduated from Joliet Catholic High School in 1987 before attending The Citadel Military College in Charleston, South Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1991 with honors. Following his undergraduate studies, Mr. Buck served as a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.
After his military service, Mr. Buck pursued legal studies at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, obtaining his Juris Doctor in 1997. He began his legal career as a prosecutor for the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, gaining valuable courtroom experience. In 1999, he joined Rathbun, Cservenyak & Kozol, LLC (RCK Law Firm), and became a partner in 2003. His practice areas included commercial and contract litigation, as well as municipal and school law, representing municipalities, public community colleges, local school districts, corporations, contractors, developers. Mr. Buck argued cases before the Illinois Supreme Court and 7th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals. Beyond his legal practice, he served as an adjunct professor at the John Marshall Law School Center for Trial Advocacy for fourteen years.
Active in his community, Mr. Buck is a past president of the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce, where he was named “Advocate of the Year” in 2005. In 2013, he received the Plainfield School District 202 C.A.P.E. Award for Volunteer of the Year after serving as PTO President at Indian Trail Middle School. His pro bono work included representing the Humane Society of Will County and Pink Heals, Joliet Chapter.
Raymond J. Fonck, PhD ’69
Raymond Fonck graduated from Joliet Catholic High School in 1969. He received his BA in physics (1973) and PhD in physics (1978) from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. After 11 years as a Physicist at the Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory, he became a Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989 and was appointed a Steenbock Professor in Physical Science in 2005. He retired to the position of Professor Emeritus in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics in 2019.
At Wisconsin, Professor Fonck taught nuclear engineering science and applied physics to both undergraduate and graduate students. He supervised 25 PhD and 16 MS degree students at Wisconsin and Princeton. In addition, he sponsored the research activities of over 100 undergraduates in his research programs. Since retirement, he continues to provide part-time support for graduate students.
Professor Fonck is an experimental physicist whose interest has been on developing the understanding of the fourth state of matter (i.e., ionized gases) known as the plasma state. This is part of a worldwide effort to develop thermonuclear fusion energy as a virtually inexhaustible source of carbon-free energy. His work focused on plasma and fusion science, atomic processes in high-temperature plasmas, and diagnostic instrumentation. His developed new techniques to measure the properties of the fuel needed for fusion energy, at temperatures of 100’s millions of degrees – hotter than the center of the earth’s sun! Several of these techniques are now deployed at fusion experiments throughout the world. Over the past three decades, he and his group performed unique studies of the ability of complex magnetic systems to insulate this extremely hot fuel from the outside environment to sustain a fusion plasma nuclear burn. Overall, these efforts improve the economic and environmental attractiveness of fusion energy reactor concepts. With his students and staff, he has authored or co-authored over 270 publications in scientific journals and given presentations to national and international scientific conferences describing these activities.
He served as President of the University Fusion Association, was the founding Director of the national US Burning Plasma Organization, was a member of National Academy of Sciences studies advising the government on plasma physics and fusion studies and served on the National Research Council Board on Physics and Astronomy for several years. With other leaders in the research community, he helped facilitate communications between the research community and the US Congress and Administration in support of fusion energy development.
On leave from UW in 2007-2008, he served as the Associate Director of Office of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences, US Dept. of Energy, the Federal agency responsible for funding and managing most plasma and fusion science research in the US. This included leading the US fusion research community to joining the world’s largest international collaboration for energy-related research.
He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was named a National Associate of the National Research Council of the National Academies and awarded an American Physical Society Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research. He also received the Distinguished Alumnus award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Physics.
Prof. Fonck lives with his wife of 48 years, Rosalie Migas MSSW. Since retiring, he enjoys bicycling roads, trails, and charity rides. Rosalie and he continue to support the UW Badgers and the Packers, while keeping informed of JCA football from afar.
Thomas M. Hickey ’72
Growing up, Joliet, Illinois was home to Tom along with his parents, James & Dena plus 4 siblings: Paula, Jim, Mary Jo and Bill. He graduated from Joliet Catholic High School, now JCA, in 1972 and matriculated from University of Illinois in 1976. Furthering his studies at Georgia Institute of Technology, he earned his M.S. in Industrial Management.
Stepping into the financial sector immediately after graduate school, Tom was hired at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith in 1978, starting a lucrative and accomplished career that would span over four decades, helping countless clients achieve their financial goals.
Along the way, he married Cate and they raised three children, Samantha, Jack and Patrick in Western Springs, IL. He & Cate are the proud grandparents of three; Henry, Will and Olivia. Thomas is an avid tennis player and accomplished musician, playing piano and guitar.
He played with two local bands, first, The Pleegs and then Gooey. Since 2006, he has played at many Chicago and suburban venues; House of Blues, Double Door, Red Line Tap, Reggie’s Rock Club, and with Los Lobos at Joe’s Live – Rosemont. Notably, Gooey was invited to play at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.
Thomas has been a generous advocate for many causes with contributions to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Wellness House in Hinsdale, Samaritan’s Purse, along with donations to JCA. Contributions to help construct the Heritage Quad, featuring a replica of the Victory Light, the campaign for refurbishing classrooms, annual contributions and supporting the “You Are What You Are Around” scholarship, keeps the fond memory of Joliet Catholic close to Tom’s heart. Tom & Cate now reside in Hinsdale, Illinois.
Notable Awards and Achievements –
- 2009 Barron’s Top 1000 Advisors by State (Rank 40)
- 2013 Brian Schwartz Responsible Citizenship Award – Merrill Lynch
- 2014 Chicago Magazine Top 5 Star Wealth Managers
- 2014 -2015 Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors
- 2016 Distinguished Wealth Manager Award – Top 3% of Wealth Managers, Nation
- 2018 Chicago Metro Market Top Advisor – Merrill Lynch
- 2020 Forbes Best in State (Rank 55)
- 2021 Forbes Best in State (Rank 35)
- 2021 Distinguished Fiji Award (Phi Gamma Delta U of I)
- 2022 Forbes Best in State (Rank 37)
- 2023 Forbes Best in State Teams* (Rank 38)
- 2024 Forbes Best in State Teams* (Rank 45)
*Forbes Best in State Wealth Management Teams,” list as member of Hickey Butler Shine & Associates
Alicia (Hobbs ’87) Levi
Alicia Levi currently serves as President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). RIF is America’s largest nonprofit organization for children’s literacy and has provided more than 422 million books to over 129 million children in all 50 states, inspiring generations of children to read, learn and grow. RIF is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to create impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success.
Under Alicia’s vision and leadership, RIF has increased its digital presence by offering innovative literacy solutions to meet the needs of the children RIF serves, developed a greater depth and breadth of community engagement resources, and managed the growth of program offerings including RIF’s eBook library, Skybrary and as well as an enhanced focus on the importance of race, equity and inclusion within children’s literacy. During Alicia’s tenure, RIF reached the milestone of serving its 100 millionth child. Throughout her career, Alicia has been focused on education and has worked to transform the lives of children through smart strategies to improve academic outcomes.
Prior to joining RIF in 2016, Alicia served as Vice President, Education for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and oversaw all of PBS’ educational efforts in developing digital education services for PBS, local public television stations, students and teachers nationwide. She was responsible for PBS’ strategic partnerships, digital media production, professional development, and other emerging products and services that support the PreK-16 education market.
Under Alicia’s leadership, PBS Learning Media became an award-winning and trusted destination for educators and families that aggregates the best of public media, providing an innovative, digital solution for educators looking to leverage media in 21st century classrooms.
Before joining PBS, Alicia served as Vice President, Educational Publishing at Discovery Education, helping design comprehensive educational media solutions for K-12 classrooms. Prior to her time at Discovery, she managed the University of Maryland College Park’s Educational Access Channel out of the College of Education.
Alicia is a recognized thought leader in educational media and children’s literacy. She currently serves on the National Advisory Board for United through Reading and is a former board member of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. She has spoken on podcasts and panels at events worldwide from the World Literacy Summit to SXSW EDU. Alicia has dedicated her career to ensuring children nationwide have equitable access to educational opportunities.
Jeanne (Nilles ’79) Long
In 2017, Jeanne (Nilles) Long was named Executive Director of Chicago Collections Consortium (CCC), a nonprofit organization of over 60 museums, libraries, and cultural organizations dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Chicago’s history and culture. In her role as ED, Long provides leadership for all fundraising and organizational strategic initiatives. In 2019 Long launched “Conversations with Chicago Collections” an online free webinar highlighting members’ archival collections. CCC’s resources are free to the public attracting users across the globe.
Prior to Chicago Collections Long had an extensive 31-year career at the Art Institute and the School of the Art Institute (SAIC). While at SAIC, Ms. Long served as Director of Community Partnerships where she oversaw strategic programming that highlighted the work of students and alumni. Directing SAIC’s Creativity in the Workplace program, Long placed over 1,500 works of art by students in corporate and civic settings across the Chicago region which included the government offices of Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel. As Director of Exhibitions and Events at SAIC Long oversaw exhibits that showcased a variety of artistic disciplines. Long brought student artwork to the windows of retail merchants on Michigan Avenue and Oak Street with the inception of ARTWINDOWS a multiyear project that brought together retail window designers and student artists partnering on unique installations of artwork and retail items.
Long also served as Director of Programs and Outreach for Imerman Angels, the nation’s largest one on one cancer support organization. Headquartered in Chicago, Imerman Angels provides free one-on-one cancer support and personalized mentoring to all cancer fighters, survivors, and previvors.
Long has served on several boards that have included the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust and the Irish Georgian Society and participated on civic committees which have included the Chicago’s Chinatown Centennial Committee. She has served as juror for multiple organizations that include the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Old Town Art Fair and has presented at numerous conferences throughout the U.S. Long received her B.A. in Art History from Trinity University, Washington, D.C. with graduate studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Long has been active in her community and her church, St. John of the Cross, Western Springs. She has volunteered with SPRED, religious development for those with developmental disabilities, for over 20 years.
Long resides in Western Springs with her best friend and husband of 38 years Barrett Long (’74). Jeanne and Barrett are the proud parents of Margaret Long.
Dr. Mary J. Wirth ’71
Mary J. Wirth was born and raised in Joliet as one of six children of Robert and Betty Wirth. She went to St. Paul the Apostle for grade school and then to St. Francis Academy, where she was in the class of 1971. Her father encouraged her curiosity in science as a child, showing the kids the planets through his telescope, taking them to museums, fossil hunting, and watching science programs on TV with them. Sr. Francis Paul at St. Paul’s was an inspiring science teacher. Sr. Ann James at SFA gave an unforgettable first lecture in chemistry class, holding a cigar box taped shut with some unknown object inside. The students rolled it around and jostled it, trying to figure out what was inside. In the end, she left it taped shut, explaining that in chemistry you don’t get to see atoms and molecules, you can only infer what is there from observations. Halfway through the year, Mary decided she would become a chemist. The high quality and excitement of math instruction at SFA, especially by Mr. Moroz, helped her reach that dream.
Mary earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Northern Illinois University in 1974, where she was presented with the American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry. She was accepted into the doctoral program at Purdue University, the #1 ranked analytical chemistry program in the U.S. She was grateful for a fellowship from the American Association of University Women for financial support, and she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from Purdue in 1978. Later in life, both NIU and Purdue would honor Mary with Outstanding Alumni awards.
Mary started her teaching and research career as a member of the chemistry faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she met her husband, Dennis Evans, a fellow faculty member. The two of them explored the country, moving to the east coast to join the faculty at the University of Delaware, then to Tucson, where they joined the faculty at the University of Arizona, and saving the best for last, they moved to Purdue University. Mary was named Distinguished Professor, a special rank for the top 3% of full professors at Purdue. Over her 40-year career, Mary published well over 100 papers, received many prestigious awards and research grants, and presented hundreds of guest lectures at universities, pharmaceutical companies and conferences in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Throughout the years, she retained the curiosity of her earliest years, and she remains grateful to all who have helped and inspired her.
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Past Honorees
Class of 2024
Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D. ‘86
Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D., began his term as La Salle University’s 30th president on April 18, 2022.
Allen has worked in Catholic higher education for more than 20 years. Prior to his January 2022 appointment at La Salle, Allen served as the senior vice president for advancement and external relations at DePaul University—where he held leadership roles beginning in August 2015. In this capacity, Allen provided leadership and executive management for all fundraising, alumni relations, and advancement communications strategies.
Before joining DePaul, Allen served as senior associate dean for external relations at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He also served as vice president of institutional advancement at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., and at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.
Allen is a product of Catholic education. He completed his doctoral studies at Loyola University-Chicago, where he earned a Ph.D. in education with a concentration in higher education. He received his master of arts in physical education and bachelor of arts in English literature from Loras College, a Catholic institution located in Dubuque, Iowa.
Allen has frequently presented at various educational and healthcare development conferences and seminars. His doctoral dissertation considered how academically talented, low-income students access highly selective postsecondary education. He has presented his work to the Association for Institutional Research and has had his research published in “Research in Higher Education.” Allen also has presented research on college choice and social reproduction to the American Educational Research Association and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Allen is a board member of the International Association of Lasallian Universities, a group of 64 universities located across the globe. In 2023, he was named to the Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan civic leadership organization in Philadelphia, and the transition subcommittee on education for Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker as well as inducted as a fellow into The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Sister Jeanne Bessette, OSF, Ed.D.
Sr. Jeanne Bessette, OSF, Ed.D. began her high school teaching career at St. Francis Academy, working in the English department from 1979 to 1984 and helping to launch and direct Kairos retreats at SFA. She earned a B.A. in English from the College of St. Francis, an M.A. in English literature from Loyola University, Chicago, and an Ed.D. in private school administration from the University of San Francisco. She has completed coursework at 10+ other universities, including in non-profit business administration at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
After 11 years of teaching, Jeanne became principal of Trinity High School in River Forest, Illinois, where she initiated the third Catholic school International Baccalaureate program in the U.S. She was an early adopter of block scheduling when Trinity became the first private school in Illinois to institute this innovative program. Jeanne was called on to present many workshops to other high school faculties on women’s education, block scheduling and the IB curriculum.
In 2000 Jeanne was elected as a Councilor on the Governing Board of the Joliet Franciscans. She served in that capacity for eight years and worked closely with the boards of their five sponsored ministries in Joliet, including JCA.
Jeanne was hired in 2009 by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati to be the founding president of DePaul Cristo Rey High School, the 25th school in the nationally acclaimed Cristo Rey Network. During her tenure as president / CEO, the school grew to 360 students, partnered with over 100 businesses in greater Cincinnati to provide work experience and revenues for her students, and saw their first six classes attain 100% college acceptance. Many of these extremely low income students were the first in their families to finish high school, not to mention college. Before her election as President of the Sisters of St. Francis in 2021, Jeanne raised over $24 M and oversaw the completion of a state of the art high school building in Cincinnati.
She has won awards for teaching excellence, educational and business leadership, innovation and scholarship. She received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati. Jeanne is happy to be back in Joliet with her Franciscan congregation and her family – her mom Lil, brothers Wayne and Carl, sister Celeste, and their families.
Gary Colabuono ‘69
Dolores Colabuono (SFA ’45), insisted on a quality Catholic education for her boys so after attending St. Joseph’s grade school in Joliet, Scott (’66), Gary (’69) and Alan (’70) all attended Joliet Catholic.
Scott was the smart one while Alan excelled at sports. Gary managed to eke out a letter in golf in his senior year, but chess club, bowling league and comic books were more his style.
After high school Gary attended Northern Illinois University where he met his bride of 50 years, Patty. With an advertising degree in hand he started working in the ad department of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald immediately upon graduation in 1974.
While employed at the Herald Gary branched out and opened his first comic-book shop, Moondog’s, during the summer of 1978 in Mount Prospect, IL. The shop was an immediate success and soon after he opened a second location in Schaumburg, IL. In September 1981 shortly after the birth of their daughter, Mandy, Gary struck out on his own and left the Herald to work full-time at Moondog’s.
From those rather modest beginnings Gary grew Moondog’s into a 6-store chain. After selling Moondog’s in 1994 to Classics International Entertainment, and now running the parent company, he eventually grew Moondog’s into a 21-store chain of pop-culture shops located in 5 states.
Gary was named CEO of the Chicago Comic Con in 1991. Under his guidance the convention grew to become the second-largest gathering of comic book fans in the country.
After exiting the comic-book business in 1999, Gary joined the team at Incredible Technologies and helped launch the newest version of the popular arcade game, Golden Tee Golf. Within 3 years Golden Tee became the highest-grossing arcade video game in history and is still number-one over 20 years later.
Gary, Patty, Mandy and son, Kevin, along with their spouses and granddaughter, Emma, all live in Chicago’s northwest suburbs.
Michelle (Hibler ’86) Jankowski
Michelle was born and raised in Joliet and graduated from SFA in 1986. After high school graduation, she headed straight to Professional’s Choice Hair Design Academy (PCHDA) to become a cosmetologist and began her first position at Bergner’s Hair Studio.
In 1990, she married her husband, Bob Jankowski, and decided that motherhood would become her next full-time job. Michelle went on to raise three tremendous humans, Devinn (Gio) DeLira, Jake (Kelly) Jankowski, and Max (Erin) Jankowski, all of whom are third generation JCA alums. Once her children became older and she had a little more time on her hands, Michelle and her best friend Jane Devine (SFA 1978) decided to launch a catering business. After a lot of sweat, and a few tears, Bella Cucina Catering officially opened its doors in 2005. Michelle took on sole ownership of the business five years later as Jane decided to follow a different career path.
The pandemic challenged all kinds of catering norms since most social events came to a standstill, but Michelle was determined for Bella Cucina to come out on top. Getting creative, she started “Curbside Carryouts” and joined forces with local non-profit organizations, such as Shorewood Hugs, Team Make a Difference and Pink Heals, to host “Curbside Carryouts for a Cause.” This initiative helped the nonprofits to raise money during a time when fundraising opportunities were scarce. The kindness didn’t stop there –with the Curbside’s newfound success, she reached out to local businesses who voiced they were struggling and offered to collaborate. Year round, Michelle can be found organizing free sack lunches and kindness bags for those in need and helping the community whenever she can, which is where her “Be kind…it’s working!” motto stemmed from. All of Michelle’s charitable efforts within the Joliet community awarded her the Zonta Club’s “Woman of Distinction” award in 2022.
When Michelle is not busy running her business, she enjoys spending as much time as she can with her family, most notably, her granddaughter Nora Jayne and her “bonus” grandson Giovanni.
“I’ve always loved gathering in the kitchen. There’s something magical about adding a pinch of this and a dash of that to create something scrumptious. Plus, I come from a long line of amazing, strong women who were also fantastic cooks, so it’s in my heart and soul,” said Michelle. There is always plenty of laughing, storytelling, music, and good food in the kitchen. After all, isn’t that what cooking is all about?
Jean Kenol ‘94
Jean A. Kenol was raised in Joliet and attended St. Paul the Apostle Grade School and Joliet Catholic Academy where he was part of the first class to attend all four years of the newly merged co-ed institution. In 1998 Jean graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Government. While at Notre Dame, Jean participated in student government, campus ministry, several intramural sports and served as a resident assistant. He also completed the American University Semester program on public policy in Washington, D.C., where he clerked for Congressman Jerry Weller of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois.
After college, Jean attended the University of Illinois College of Law on a full tuition Lincoln scholarship, graduated in 2001 and that year was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois and the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois. During his law school career, Jean had the honor of interning for the Honorable Ann C. Williams, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.
Jean is a partner with the law firm of Gould & Ratner where he serves clients in real estate law. He has represented clients in a wide range of matters, from single family residential closings to multi-million dollar commercial transactions. Prior to joining G&R, Jean was a partner with the law firm of Mahoney, Silverman & Cross, LLC.
Jean enjoys being active in his community as well as with his alma maters. Formally, Jean served as the President of the Notre Dame Club of Joliet, on the Joliet Catholic Academy Alumni Association Board of Directors, on the Board of Directors for United Cerebral Palsy of Will County and on the Board of Directors for the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In February of 2008, he was appointed as a Commissioner of the Joliet, Police and Fire Commission and served for two years. In September 2012 Jean was honored to be named the Joliet Area Young Professional of Year by the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce. Currently, serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.
Jean has also been an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association. He served as Chair of the Young Lawyers Division Council in 2013 and from 2010 to 2012, Jean was honored to serve as the ISBA’s under 35, outside of Cook County delegate to the American Bar Association. From June of 2012 to June 2014 Jean was appointed to the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors which is the 27 member board that oversees the operations and management of ISBA.
Jean resides in Chicago with his wife of 14 years, Clo Ewing, and their two very active kids.
M. Christine (Wicklein ’66) Schwartz, RN
Chris was raised in Joliet. She attended St. Raymond Grade School, St. Francis Academy, Joliet Junior College, and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing. After receiving her BSN in 1970, she continued her education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, receiving an MS in Health Education in 1972.
Upon graduation, Chris joined the Nursing Faculty at Loyola University in Chicago, achieving an assistant professor position with tenure. In 1980, while teaching at Loyola University, she completed a master’s degree in surgical nursing at Northern Illinois University.
Chris’s love of nursing began during high school where she volunteered as a candy striper at St. Joseph’s Hospital and a nurse’s aide at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet. She continues to support nursing education with philanthropy. At the University of Miami School of Nursing, Chris provided the lead gift to build the 53,000 square foot M. Christine Center for Nursing and Health Studies. At the UIC College of Nursing, she funded projects to create new teaching space and a 15,000 square foot Experiential Learning and Simulation Lab. She also serves and formerly Co-Chaired the Dean’s External Advisory Board there. At the University of Chicago, she funded research and education and ultrasound machines to support intravenous insertions for patients.
Chris is a passionate supporter of the arts. She has collected and donated over 100 pieces of art by Chicago artists from the late 19th and early 20th century. Her collection can be viewed at www.schwartzcollection.com. To honor her father, Andrew A. Wicklein, she led a project to digitize Farmer’s Week Review from 1929-2010. Chris is an active member of Art Encounter in Evanston, Illinois, a non-profit focused on art education outreach.
Chris is a member of several associations: the President’s Council of the University of Illinois Foundation, Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, and the University of Miami Coral Gables Society. Chris is the proud parent of two children and five grandchildren.
Class of 2023
Lee Crowther ’56
Scott Czerkies’94
Phyllis Olsta ’51
Dr. Anita (Kraus ’83) Lane
Hon. Richard C. Schoenstedt ’74
Class of 2022
Hon. Vincent Cornelius ’82
Dr. Bill Nelson ’73
Jane (McGrath ’76) Schmig
Meg (Murer ’87) Tortorello
Class of 2020
Diane (Felbinger ’62) Habiger
Jennifer M. (Kane ’82) Howard
James W. Missig ’83
Class of 2019
Mary Kay (Softcheck ’66) Blake
Geraldine R. Fehst ’66
John Manner ’63
Julie (Periu ’91) McMahon
Class of 2018
Paul Arling ’81
Robert M. Dow ’83
Sally (Nolan ’86) Giegerich
Thomas C. Kennedy ’83
Lynne Scheffler ’85
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