The A+ Foundation will celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Honor. This year, seven individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Honor.
For tickets to this year’s Hall of Honor banquet held April 21 at the Aurora Country Club, please go to the A+ Foundation’s website, www.sd129.org/aplusfoundation and go the Hall of Honor page. For questions, please call Randi Ochsenschlager, 630-897-6785 or rloxie@sbcglobal.net.
The seven inductees include: William Murphy, Class of 1938; Roy Solfisburg, III, Class of 1961; Leslie Roney Johnston, Class of 1990; Nancy Ochsenschlager, Class of 1957; John Cordogan, Class of 1973; Dave Theno, Class of 1968; John Dunham, Class of 1928.
• William Murphy, Class of 1938.
After leaving active duty in WWII, Bill entered Harvard Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1949. He returned to Aurora to practice law in the firm of Reid, Murphy, Ochsenschlager & Hupp, one of the largest and most successful law firms in suburban Chicago. Regarded as one of the best trial lawyers in Illinois, his skill, eloquence, and creativity were models for two generations.
• Roy Solfisburg, III, Class of 1961.
Roy J. Solfisburg III, created structures that combined utility and awe. As the Senior Managing and Designer Partner at Holabird and Root, a premier architectural firm.
Roy’s honors include the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award, the Florida Governor’s Award, 100 Top Architects in the World – Architectural Digest (1991, 1992), and Fellow of AIA,
• Leslie Roney Johnston, Class of 1990.
The global apparel industry employs more than 150 Million individuals, however, farmers often handle dangerous pesticides and factory workers often make clothes in dangerous conditions. Leslie leads a team of 53 persons across 10 countries to improve lives of those within the industry.
Leslie’s impact is seen through helping eradicate forced and child labor and improving working conditions in factories.
• Nancy Ochsenschlager, Class of 1957.
Nancy is hailed nationally as the “Mother of Cultural Festivals” for her career as associate producer for events which celebrate diversity and support humanitarian and philanthropic goals. For more than 30 years she was the associate producer for The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which welcomes 400,000 visitors each year.
Nancy went to live in Guatemala and started the non-profit Amigos de Santa Cruz Foundation which helps educate the underprivileged.
• John Cordogan, Class of 1973.
John G. Cordogan, AIA (American Institute of Architects), West Aurora class of 1973, established one of the largest and most successful architecture/engineering firms in the greater Chicago area, Cordogan Clark & Associates. The firm’s extensive portfolio includes a permanent collection of the Chicago History Museum, Greenman Elementary School, and Herget Middle School and a 1997 collaboration with artists the Zhou Brothers in conjunction with the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Dave Theno, Class of 1968
Dr. David M. Theno, encouraged food companies to make food safe for customers. In 1993, Jack In the Box became the face of a deadly outbreak of E coli, killing four and injuring hundreds in the Pacific Northwest. Dave was recruited to investigate and determine what could be done to stop it from happening again. Dave’s solutions transformed the entire food industry with new guidelines, stricter rules.
• John Dunham, Class of 1928.
In 1943, John Dunham took the reins of the Dunham Company, founded in 1913 by his father, Thomas Dunham. During John’s tenure which from 1943 to 1994, Dunham Company became Equipto, and became an industry innovator of steel shelving for retail, medical, automotive, education, and government market sectors.
His Dunham Fund has grown to support all aspects of the Fox Valley Community through its grants to many non-profits
— A+ Foundation for West Aurora Schools
