The Oak Park Hall of Fame

The Oak Park Hall of Fame of Oak Park, Illinois, is a non-profit organization formed to honor those who have elevated mankind and contributed to the betterment of our planet by their contributions to the arts, business, education, environment, medicine, philanthropy, sports, and science. It was created in the year 2000 to recognize the millennium and the contribution of Oak Parkers to the world. It is not meant to be an acknowledgment of celebrity.

Criteria for Selection

Those honored either spent most of their formative years living in Oak Park before moving elsewhere or have spent a significant portion of their creative lives living in Oak Park, and have contributed significantly to mankind and the world. Membership is determined by the nominating committee of the Oak Park Hall of Fame Foundation, composed of individuals who have distinguished themselves in various fields of human endeavor.

Members

Dr. Bernard Abraham, Ph.D, physicist, National Academy of Sciences Fellow, Manhattan Project
Richard Brennan, CEO, Sears Roebuck & Company
Chuck Brooks, NFL end with St. Louis Cardinals
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan author*
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler, voice of Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters
Jon Deak, bassist, New York Philharmonic, renowned jazz/classical composer
Bruce DuMont, television and radio journalist
Archbishop Edward Egan, Archbishop of New York
Dr. Ellis Fields, Ph.D, National Academy of Sciences, industrial chemist
Louis Fritzemeier, nationally-renowned secondary school educator
John Gehlmann, nationally-renowned English teacher, founder of advanced placement
Dr. Leslie Morris Golden, Ph.D, award-winning NASA radio astronomer, gambling writer
Father Andrew Greeley, sociologist
Roy Gummerson, Illinois Hall of Fame track and cross-country coach
Ernest Hemingway, Nobel Prize-Winning author*
Adolph “Bud” Herseth, principal trumpet CSO, charter member trumpet Hall of Fame*
Chuck Hoag, Olympic basketball player
Doris Humphrey, founder of modern dance
Terry Isaacson, All-American football and wrestling, Air Force Academy
Erik Jacobsen, founder, Nob Lick Upper Ten Thousand, record producer
Dr. Percy Julian, medical researcher*
Col. Dr. John Kark, military AIDS researcher
Otto Kerner, governor of Illinois
Dr. Joseph Kerwin, NASA physician on Skylab
Paul Kiesgen, music educator, DePaul University, baritone, Tel Aviv Opera
Ray Kroc, founder, McDonald's corporation*
Eric Kumerow, 1st round draft choice, Miami Dolphins
John La Montaine, Pulitzer Prize winning composer
Johnny Lattner, Heisman Trophy winner, Notre Dame
Albert Lavin, CEO, Alberto-Culver, philanthropist
Lona Lee Lendsey, mathematics instructor, textbook author
Dr. Harold Levin, Ph.D, Chair, Department of Philosophy & Computer Science, North Carolina State University
Dr. Louis Licht, Ph.D, physicist, University of Illinois Chicago
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Academey Award-nominated actress
Dr. Robert Morawetz, Ph.D, professor of philosophy, Yale University
E.E. Roberts, architect
Robert St. John, internationally-renowned journalist
Dr. James Schweitzer, Ph.D, astronomer, Antarctic observatory
Ken Sitzberger, Olympic diver, television. commentator
Egmont and Kay Sonderling, founder WOPA, media magnate, philanthropist
Marv Staehle, major league 2nd baseman with White Sox and Expos
Jerry Sullivan, NFL veteran offensive lineman
Norm Van Lier, Chicago Bulls, broadcaster
Bill Vogel, jazz trumpeter, Dukes of Dixieland
Bob Wright, Big Ten Champion at Ohio State, Olympic hurdler, track coach
Frank Lloyd Wright, architect*
Louis Zahn, CEO Zahn Drugs, philanthropist
Bob Zuppke, nationally-renowned football coach

• Denotes the Six Charter Members of the Oak Park Hall of Fame