HIGH SCHOOLS

20 Years After Closing, Mendel Alumni Still Going Strong

It’s a hot evening in early fall, 2006 and at a Catholic League high school football game on the southwest side of the city the stands are full of family, friends, and students watching a competitive football game between the St. Rita High School ‘mustangs’, and the Hales Franciscan ‘friars’. Also in the stands are family, friends, and supporters of 25 men who are to be inducted into the Mendel Catholic High School Hall of Fame, which is located on the St. Rita campus. Mendel Catholic? Yes! Mendel Catholic, the legendary academic, and athletic powerhouse, winner of two prep bowls, numerous south section football championships, before the IHSA muddled Illinois high school sports, many wrestling championships under the legendary Lou Guida, and Don Ledin in 1977, man y basketball, baseball, and track championships. Mendel was a Chicago Catholic League powerhouse in the 50’s, 60’s 70’s and early 80’s. Historically located on the far south side of the city in the Roseland-Pullman area, Mendel is inducting 25 new members into its Hall of Fame. A few years ago, St. Rita High School decided to honor the priests, teachers, and alumni of Mendel Catholic by allowing the Mendel Alumni committee to place its Hall of Fame in one of the school wings on the St. Rita campus. Mendel was operated by the same Augustinian brotherhood that oversees St. Rita today.

The Mendel Hall of Fame was the idea of Mendel alumnus, Robert Napoli, Class of 1958, and is run in conjunction with the Mendel Alumni committee started in 1995 by Jack Vlazney, Class of 1961. The alumni committee consists of Mendel alumni from all its years of prominence from its first graduating class in 1955 to its last graduating class in 1988. “We felt it was time to honor our alumni”, said Robert Napoli who is Chairman of the Mendel Hall of Fame. “We are very happy that our brother school, St. Rita has honored the alumni of Mendel with this location”, expressed Jack Vlazney. To date, over 50 graduates of Mendel have been inducted into its Hall of Fame. Some of the inductees are names very familiar to the city of Chicag o. Michael Sheehan, Class of 61, and recently retired Cook County Sheriffs Superintendent is an inductee, and Peter Cetera, Class of 1962 and one of the founding members of the legendary music group ‘Chicago’ is an inductee as well. Recent inductees include Ernest Young, Class of 1987, an all-state baseball player, who went on to star at Lewis University, the Olympics and is currently playing major league baseball. Mendel has many alumni who have also been inducted into the city-wide Chicago Catholic League Hall of Fame, including Andre Banks ‘82’, and Eric Rouse ‘75’.

The Mendel alumni committee in the past 8 years has sponsored all-class reunions, golf-outings, and other alumni events in efforts to reach the more than 13,000 alumni of Mendel Catholic. The past reunions have been very successful and alumni from all graduating classes attend. The alumni committee is busy preparing the 2008 all class reunion. In 2005 Mendel recognized the 50th anniversary of its first graduating class of 1955.

Mendel alumni who would like to participate in the all-class reunions should go to one of the two official school websites at www.mendelalumni.com or www.mendelchs.com. At. www.mendelalumni.com, they can find detailed history on the school, information about the prominent man the school is named after, details on notable alumni, current Mendel news and a shopping cart, called Mendel Gear where alumni can purchase unique shirts purchase t-shits, sweatshirts, jersey, caps, other Mendel memorabilia and gear reflecting their reverence for Mendel. On www.mendelchs.com alumni can find information on other alumni, locate an alumnus and find out other great information about Mendel Catholic. While the physical building Mendel is no longer around the never ending Mendel spirit lives on through these websites. It is the goal of the Mendel Alumni Committee to never let the spirit of Mendel Catholic die, because Mendel ruled the south side for many years.

For more information, Mendel alumni are encouraged to visit one of the website for more information or contact Anthony Johnson ‘79’ at mendelalumni@comcast.net or Ron Dubin ‘63’ at Rondmendel63@sbcglobal.net.