H-F High School Alumni Newsletter
Winter 22-23
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!
As H-F emerged from under COVID restrictions, there was a resurgence of interest in gathering in person. We saw a phenomenal 50th reunion extravaganza from the Class of 1972 and solid turn-outs from all the other classes. Alumni visits and drop-ins have returned, and we invite you to reach out to the Alumni Office if you’d like to plan one during normal school hours. As you can see by all the fun and interesting alumni updates below that Vikings are back in full force. Reach out to me at acherry@hf233.org or 708-335-5530 to schedule yours today!
REUNION PLANNING
2023 reunion planning has begun, so check in on the reunion page of the Homewood-Flossmoor High School website for more information on reunions for the Classes of 1965, 1973, 1976, 1993, 2003 & 2013 — these are just the ones we currently know about! The pandemic threw off normal reunion cycles, but it is abundantly clear that classmates are anxious to see each other face-to-face again.
One more thing: H-F needs the help of alumni in several ways. The first is that we’d like you to be a resource to students by volunteering to be a presenter in person at the annual Career Fair on Monday, March 13, or virtually at some time if you live out of state (click here for details). Second is to donate to the H-F Alumni Scholarship Fund. Dollars raised will be used to fund scholarships for students as they navigate the world behind the hallways of H-F. Your gift sends students off knowing that fellow H-F grads are pulling for their success — and that’s a powerful message. Thirdly, we want to hear your H-F love stories this winter, so send us those heartfelt stories about how you lovebirds met. Photos welcome! Click here to share your story; we’ll publish excerpts in the next enewsletter.
— Ann Cherry, Director of Alumni Relations & Development
Michael Calloway — New U.A. Pilot
Congratulations to Michael Calloway, ‘12, on receiving his First Officers pilots wings from United Airlines. Michael’s interest in aviation was evident at H-F when he invited members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to visit Jon Elfner’s Social Science class back in 2011.
Ken Choi — One of People Magazine's 2022 Sexiest Men
People Magazine’s 2022 Sexiest Man issue features H-F’s own Ken Choi, ‘89, as part of the Fox TV show, 9-1-1, which depicts Los Angeles firecrew 118. Ken, who has been a cast member since the show debuted in 2017, plays firefighter/paramedic Howie “Chimney” Han. Ken’s numerous acting credits also include The Wolf of Wall Street, Spider-Man: Homecoming and The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.
Mike Day — Adventure Author
Congratulations to Mike Day, ‘68, on the recent publication of his newest book, The World Has a Big Backyard, about his travels to places around the world. Mike retired in 2019 as Executive Vice-President of the Science Museum of Minnesota, where he also served as Executive Vice President on 15 IMAX documentary films.
John Wrenn — Hall of Fame Coach
Congratulations to former H-F Head Football Coach and H-F Athletic Director John Wrenn on his recent selection to the National High School Association Coaches Hall of Fame. During his 10-year career at H-F, Coach Wrenn had a 99-18 winning record, including one state championship (1994), nine conference championships, nine state playoff appearances, two state semi-finalists and two quarter finalists. He was a two-time Illinois Coach of the Year, and his overall coaching record throughout his 23-year high school coaching career was 223-46. Coach Wrenn retired as Assistant Athletics Director of Football Operations for Arizona State University. Congratulations to Coach Wrenn on this well-deserved honor. The official ceremony will take place in July 2023.
In October, H-F's VTV Broadcasting students enjoyed a visit from Randy Merkin,'88! Randy is ESPN 1000's Executive Producer and he is the author of Behind the Glass: Stories from a Sports Radio Producer. He shared great stories from his days at H-F and from the sports radio industry about sports celebrities and memorable games, then he toured the updated television and radio studios with students.
Bruce Bechtel, '82, General Manager - Engineering and Manufacturing at Holland LP, hired Chris Collins, '19, to work as an intern this past summer. Collins is a senior at North Carolina A&T University, studying electrical engineering.
Dana Green, ‘99, welcomed H-F junior and Viking Orchestra member Carmella Abramczyk to a performance for the Chicago Youth Sympathy Orchestra this fall. Dana — who has a bachelor's degree in Music Education from DePaul University and an master's degree in Music Education from Northern Illinois University — is the conductor for the Chicago Youth Symphony.
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