The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced its seventh class of recipients of the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award. The 2019-2020 honorees include two of the longest-active media members in Illinois, alongside a legendary high school sports writer. Fowler Connell is 95 years young and still going strong as a radio commentator on WDAN in Danville, Neal Ormond has been the voice of the West Aurora High School Blackhawks for the past 56 years. Bob Leavitt, from Downers Grove High School, spent 40 years on the high school sports beat and closed his career with a long tenure at the Peoria Journal Star from 1969 through 2000.
Neal Ormond III epitomized the high school experience as a student at West Aurora High School, where he helped the Blackhawk basketball team to a fourth-place finish at the 1958 IHSA boys basketball State tournament. He ran track, played tennis, and was active on the school’s speech team. Those experiences clearly made a lasting impact on him.
After matriculating to earn a Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University and an MBA from Stanford University, he felt a calling to return home to Aurora. In 1964, he was invited by an Aurora radio station to join the on-air broadcast teams, and is still going strong today and has called more than 500 West Aurora High School football games and more than 1,500 basketball games on the radio. His broadcast career has spanned numerous stations and mediums, including WMRO radio (1964-1991), WLXT-TV (1968-1970), WKKD radio (1991-2001) and WBIG radio (2001-current), the last of which simulcasts his call on the NFHS Network.
He said he loves broadcasting high school sports because “it provides a wonderful opportunity to publicize and promote to the community, and our loyal fans around the world, the many outstanding accomplishments of our students-athletes in all sports, and the excellence of the academic and extracurricular programs of School District 129.”
Among the many memories, Neal treasures the State tournament basketball seasons, particularly the 1976, second place team, and the 2000 State champion team. He calls it a privilege to meet and cover so many outstanding coaches both for West Aurora and their opponents, including the legendary John McDougal and Gordon Kerkman. Many West Aurora students have been privileged to benefit from his coaching prowess. He has coached for 70 combined seasons as an assistant in the West Aurora track & field, girls tennis, girls basketball and girls softball programs.
Neal’s wife, Mary Clark Ormond, is the former head librarian at the Aurora Public Library and is the president of the board of trustees of the Aurora Historical Society. They have three children, Neal Alan Ormond IV, Laurel Ormond, and Chrissy Ormond De Swardt.
An award presentation for Neal Ormond will be Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 at the West Aurora High School varsity boys basketball game.
—Illinois High School Association