Three Lyons Township High School alumni were inducted into LTHS Hall of Fame during a dinner in their honor held Oct. 1.
Those named hall of famers were Dr. Douglas Brash and former Illinois state Sen. Christine (Hoy) Radogno, both members of the Class of 1969, as well as Bruce Scott, Class of 1950, who was honored posthumously with his induction.
After graduating from LTHS in 1969, Douglas Brash received his B.S. in engineering physics from the University of Illinois, a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in biophysics and began his research into skin cancer.
Brash worked to explain the steps through which sunlight causes skin cancer, as well as sunlight’s role in triggering protective mechanisms. During postdoctoral training in molecular genetics and cancer genetics at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, he showed that mutations occur at the site of UV-induced DNA damage. Upon joining the staff of the National Cancer Institute, he identified the particular form of DNA damage responsible.
In 1989, Brash joined the School of Medicine faculty at Yale University, where he is a senior research scientist and clinical professor of therapeutic radiology. There, his focus on ultraviolet mutation patterns allowed his laboratory and fellow Yale Cancer Center scientists to identify the genes mutated by sunlight in causing skin cancer.
Because skin cancers are as frequent as all other cancers combined, Brash’s research has a global impact. His many awards and recognitions include the 2020 American Society of Photobiology Research Award for achievement in photobiology and the Finsen Medal for lifetime achievement in photobiology from the International Union of Photobiology and an Achievement Award for Research in Skin Cancer/Melanoma from the American Skin Association.
A 1969 LTHS graduate, Christine Radogno is a former Republican member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 41st Legislative District in Cook, DuPage and Will Counties from 1997 to 2017.
In 2009, Senator Radogno was chosen by her Republican colleagues as caucus leader thereby becoming the Senate minority leader, a position she held until her retirement. She is the first, and as of September 2021, the only woman legislative leader of either party in the history of the State of Illinois.
One significant contribution as a legislator was her instrumental role in passing the law lowering the blood-alcohol level to be considered intoxicated while driving to .08. Her commitment to bipartisanship led to her being recognized as the first-ever recipient of The Judy Award, an award honoring Judy Barr Topinka’s legacy of good government, ethics, compromise and her willingness to take on the establishment and the status quo.
Prior to her work in the state Senate, she served as a village trustee in LaGrange from 1989 to 1996. Her political endeavors began when she became involved in local redevelopment issues, seeking to keep downtown LaGrange’s redevelopment projects consistent with the residential character of the village.
Since her retirement Radogno has remained active in state issues. She was appointed to the governor’s committee on pension consolidation and appointed to the Legislative Ethics Commission working to revise ethics legislation for the state.
A 1950 LT graduate, Bruce Scott became a professor, author and leading expert on capitalism and national economic governance. He pioneered the internationalization of Harvard Business School’s curriculum through the development of the Business, Government and the International Economy “BIGIE” course.
Scott studied economics at Swarthmore, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1954. He received his M.B.A. with distinction in 1958 and his D.B.A. in 1963, both from Harvard Business School.
During an academic career spanning 50-plus years, Scott nurtured countless students and produced groundbreaking books, award-winning articles and case studies. His teaching demanded rigorous analysis grounded in economic, social and political history.
Scott served as a witness before Congress on matters ranging from tax, education, to industrial policy. Later, Scott and a colleague were invited to join a group of South African leaders charged with examining the future of apartheid. Their report influenced the decision by President de Klerk to abandon apartheid and pursue historic societal reform.
Scott’s last two books were “The Concept of Capitalism,” a brief articulation of the structure and elements of capitalist societies, and “Capitalism: Its History and Origins as a System of Governance.”
The latter delves into the evolution of capitalism through history and concluded with an evaluation of the “toxic trio,” excessive de-regulation, shareholder capitalism, and highly leveraged executive compensation that created the 2008 financial crisis.
K of C raises big bucks for charity
Last month, The Knights of Columbus Bishop Kettler Council of Riverside collected $10,120 in their annual “on-the-street” Tootsie Roll Drive, breaking the prior record by more than $2,000. Proceeds from the drive are distributed to organizations that serve intellectually disabled children and adults.
You may have seen the Knights in their yellow aprons on the street in late September. The Riverside Council has been conducting the Tootsie Roll Drive since 2013.
Funds will be distributed to Misericordia Heart of Mercy Home, UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago, SPRED (Catholic religious education for handicapped adults) and West Suburban Special recreation Association.
On campus
Alexandra J. Krueger, a student at Riverside-Brookfield High School, has been named a commended scholar in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship program. Approximately 34,000 commended students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.
Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, commended students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who entered the competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Brookfield resident Michael Feng, a senior at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park, was among the 35 students there earning Advanced Placement Scholar Awards in recognition of their achievement on exams taken upon completion of Advanced Placement courses.
Scores of 3 or higher (on a 5-point scale) on Advanced Placement exams can earn students college credit. Feng was named an AP Scholar for completing three of more AP exams with scores of 3 or higher on each.
