Four alums of Oak Park and River Forest High School were honored Nov. 4 at the school’s annual Tradition of Excellence ceremonies.
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The awards, started by the class of 1982 and run by student council officers, recognize alumni or former students who have excelled professionally and are making OPRF proud, said Regina Topf, director of student activities.
“The point is to recognize these alumni doing big things and giving back to humanity,” Topf said.
This year’s honorees were Charles Dawson Butler, class of 1935; Richard Arcieri, class of 1961; Lei Keovan, class of 1993; and Eleanor Friedberger, class of 1994.
Award assemblies were held Nov. 4, followed by brunch honoring those awarded. Three or four honorees are chosen each year, Topf said.
Butler was a voice actor, most notably voicing Yogi Bear, according to a news release from the high school. Although he left high school during the Great Depression prior to graduation, he officially earned his diploma in 1977. He also served in the Navy during World War II before resuming his career in radio. Butler died in 1988.
Arcieri, an OPRF athletic ambassador, spent 30 years as OPRF’s football coach, according to the release. He taught elementary and middle school in Oak Park before moving to OPRF to teach and coach tennis, basketball and football.
He has been inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, and he cofounded the OPRFHS Coach Hall of Fame in 1989, according to the release. Arcieri was unable to attend, but his wife and daughter spoke on his behalf, Topf said.
Friedberger, a singer and songwriter, also was unable to attend because she’s currently touring in Europe, Topf said. Friedberger and her brother formed the band The Fiery Furnaces in 2000; they recorded nine albums together, according to the release.
Friedberger’s solo album, “Last Summer,” came out in 2011, and she has released two more solo albums since, according to the release.
Keovan, an attorney and public servant, attended the assemblies and spoke to students about optimism and being kind to others.
Keovan was born in Laos. His family spent time at a refugee camp in Thailand before coming to the U.S. in 1979, when they received sponsorship from Oak Park Temple, according to the release. He played volleyball at OPRF, being named Illinois State Boys Volleyball Player of the Year in 1993, and continued to play at Loyola University on its inaugural volleyball team.
Keovan owns a practice in transactional law and is one of the first Laotian-American attorneys in the U.S., according to the release. He is involved with Lao American Community Services, which assists refugees and Laotian immigrants in Illinois.
Topf said the event, held during the school day, can be energizing for the student body, since it brings in alums who are intriguing and entertaining, or whose accomplishments can be tied to curriculum.
“For them to see the successes of these people can be very inspiring,” she said.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.