Former Waubonsee Community College student-athlete, coach, and administrator, Dr. John Avendano will be formally inducted into the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference’s (ISCC) Hall of Fame (HOF) at the annual year-end awards luncheon June 14 at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines. Avendano was an All-ISCC first team baseball player for the Chiefs in 1981, and served as a coach at Waubonsee for nearly a decade. During that time he worked in several administrative roles before becoming the dean of students at Illinois Central College in 1995. In 2009 he became the sixth president in the history of Kankakee Community College, a position he holds today.
An outstanding athlete at East Aurora High School, Avendano excelled on the field and in the classroom at Waubonsee. He set Waubonsee’s season and career marks for sacrifice bunts his sophomore year. Avendano completed his associate’s degree at Waubonsee and finished his playing days at Elmhurst College while continuing his undergraduate education. He served as the Chiefs’ assistant baseball coach for nine seasons, and even led the softball program for one season, and guided Waubonsee to an ISCC championship. He helped create and manage Waubonsee’s Fitness Center. Avendano later earned a bachelors degree in exercise physiology and a masters in adult continuing education from Northern Illinois University. He started work toward his Ph.D. at Loyola University before finishing his doctorate at Illinois State University in educational administration and foundations.
Avendano was named one of Waubonsee’s “Fab 40” Alumni in conjunction with the College’s 40th anniversary in 2006.
— Waubonsee Community College