The Lyons Township High School Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008 includes an award-winning actor/writer, head of Chicago’s CTA, world renowned composer/musician, multiple national championship running coach and a leader in the field of clinical pharmacological research.

The honorees will be recognized at a banquet on Thursday, Nov. 20, at the LaGrange Country Club.

Michael Hitchcock

Michael Hitchcock graduated from LTHS in 1976 and continued his education at Northwestern University’s School of Speech, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and at UCLA, where he earned a master’s degree in film and television production.

Since then, he has become well-known and respected as an actor, writer, and producer. His solid comedic timing has landed him featured roles in critically-acclaimed films “Best in Show,” “For Your Consideration,” “A Mighty Wind,” and “Waiting for Guffman.”

“Best in Show” earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy and won Funniest Motion Picture by the American Comedy Awards and British Comedy Awards.

Hitchcock’s numerous film and television appearances also include “Serenity,” “Heartbreakers,” “Wild Hogs,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Desperate Housewives, “Entourage,” “Arrested Development” and the television series, “Men of a Certain Age.”

Ron Huberman

Ron Huberman graduated from Lyons Township in 1990, and then earned undergraduate degrees in English and psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In 1995, he was accepted for training at the Chicago Police Department and worked night patrols while attending courses at University of Chicago during the day, where he earned dual graduate degrees in social service administration and business administration.

He climbed the ranks within the City of Chicago to his current position as the President of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the second largest public transportation system in the country.

Previous to this assignment, Huberman served as the chief of staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley for two years and as the executive director of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication.

Phillip Ramey

After graduating from LT in 1957, Phillip Ramey studied composition with Russian-born composer Alexander Tcherepnin. An accomplished pianist, Ramey gave the premiere of his “Concert Suite for Piano and Orchestra” in 1962 in Chicago. His work of orchestral scores includes several concertos, chamber-ensemble pieces and a large body of solo-piano works

Ramey’s Horn Concerto, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to celebrate its 150th anniversary, was introduced by that orchestra and conducted by Leonard Slatkin.

A well-known writer on music, Ramey has published hundreds of liner notes, along with a multitude of concert program notes and magazine articles.

His autobiography was completed in 2007, and in 2008, he finished writing a novel for a German movie company, which will be filmed in Morocco in 2009.

Mary Westrick

After graduation from LT in 1974, Mary Westrick attended Purdue University and received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1978. She continued her education at Purdue, earning both her master’s degree and doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology.

She started her career at Bristol-Meyers, where she served as a research scientist. Later, she teamed with a colleague as founder and president of GFI Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., a clinical research company.

She then moved on to Covance, the world’s largest publicly-traded drug development company with annual revenues over $1 billion. Currently, she serves as the global vice president and general manager of clinical pharmacology.

Westrick was the first woman to serve as a general manager of an operations unit at Covance as well as on the company’s Global Leadership Council. She also serves as a member of the Dean’s Industrial Advisory Board in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Purdue University.

Norman Witek

Norman Witek, a 1963 graduate, attended the University of Tennessee on a full athletic scholarship, where he earned his bachelor and master degrees. He began his 19-year career as head cross-country and track coach at Brevard College in North Carolina in 1968.

His teams won a record four consecutive National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Cross-Country Championships, as well as the NJCAA Marathon Championship. Additionally, he coached 116 All-Americans.

In 1999, Adidas World Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany released the “Brevard” model women’s running shoe in the United States after visiting Witek’s summer distance running summer camp.

After several more visits to the camp, Adidas named an updated model of the shoe the “Witek” to show their appreciation for his contributions to the sport of running. The shoe was released in Europe in 2004.

The deadline for purchasing banquet tickets is Nov. 7. Call the Community Relations office at LTHS for more information at 579-6471, or send your check made payable to LTHS Hall of Fame to: Hall of Fame Committee, LTHS 100 S. Brainard Ave., LaGrange, IL 60525.

Indicate the number of tickets desired, at $35 each, and your choice of entree: chicken, beef or fish. Tables of 10 may be reserved.