Hall of Fame Induction :::

For Release: September 27, 2006

LTHS announces 2006 Hall of Fame inductees

Hailing from three very different fields, the 2006 Lyons Township High School Hall of Fame program will welcome a jazz radio host, civil rights and community activist and an orthopaedic physician. Three LT alumni have been chosen for induction into the 2006 Hall of Fame. Nearly 100 nominees were considered for possible induction. The honorees will be honored at a banquet on Friday, November 3, at the LaGrange Country Club.

The deadline for purchasing banquet tickets is Monday, October 30. Call the Community Relations office at LTHS for more information at 708-579-6471, or send your check made payable to LTHS Hall of Fame to: Hall of Fame Committee, LTHS 100 S. Brainard Ave., LaGrange, IL 60525. Indicate the number of tickets desired, at $30 each, and your choice of entree: chicken, Beef or fish. Tables of 10 may be reserved.

The LTHS Board of Education established the Hall of Fame to recognize the accomplishments of some 65,000 graduates, faculty and friends of LT and to provide role models to students. The Hall of Fame is organized by a volunteer member committee of alumni, faculty, staff, students and citizens.

Ralph Nozaki, “Rick O’Dell”
Ralph Nozaki, better known as “Rick O’Dell,” is a 1976 graduate of Lyons Township High School. He has made waves as a radio personality in the Chicago area since 1981. Following graduation from high school, Nozaki attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for five years, earning a Bachelor and Master degrees in Speech Communication. Nozaki’s first professional radio opportunities were in Urbana and Champaign, where he worked on and off air at various stations. In 1981 he moved back to the Chicago area and spent several months playing Broadway music on WKDC-AM in Elmhurst. He then spent three years at WAUR-FM and news/talk WMRO-AM in Aurora. In 1984 he started at WCLR-FM, where shortly after the first “Smooth Jazz” radio program, “Sunday Lite Brunch,” was launched with Rick O’Dell as its host. In 1989 he moved over to “ Smooth Jazz” WNUA-FM and has hosted the midday show and the station’s “Sunday Brunch” since. Nozaki was nominated for “Smooth Jazz Air Personality of the Year” in 2002 and 2005 by Radio and Records, a national industry publication. He is the president of SaxTrax, Inc., a company that specializes in out-of-print jazz recordings and CDs issued by radio station WNUA. A percentage of all profits made from the company go to the Anti-Cruelty Society. He has also served the community by volunteering his time for a variety of charity associations, serving on the Governing Board of the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago and assisting other organizations, such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Les Turner ALS Foundation, and the Japanese American Service Committee.   

Mr. Bernard J. Sims
Mr. Sims, a LaGrange resident for all of his life, exemplifies a life of perseverance, service, leadership, and achievement in the community. Sims was born to the first African-American family in LaGrange in 1903. He attended St. Francis grammar school and then Lyons Township High School in 1921. At LT, he was an outstanding athlete; he ran hurdles in track, played football, and was one of the pitchers in baseball. After graduating in 1925, his career started as a runner for the Chicago Stock Exchange until 1929 when the market crashed. Determined not to fall into poverty following the crash, Mr. Sims founded a carwash and housecleaning business that steadily grew and provided jobs for local residents during the Depression. He later received a real estate license and worked for years as a broker in town. He took a commanding role as a civil rights activist in the area by taking leadership roles in many different areas and thus became known as “The Mayor.” Sims was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Toastmasters, and served as president of the LaGrange Chapter of the NAACP in the late 1960’s. When serving as president, he encouraged the chapter to fight for a fair housing ordinance in LaGrange, which was passed in the early 1970’s. He participated in a sit-in at the lunch counter of a LaGrange drugstore after blacks were denied service. He also encouraged other LaGrange residents to expect equal treatment in businesses throughout the village. Sims served as LaGrange’s first black Republican precinct captain. He also volunteered at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging in LaGrange. Sims passed away at the age of 97. 
 
Thomas P. Vail, M.D.
Thomas Vail graduated from Lyons Township High School in 1977, where he served as president of the Junior and Senior Class, was involved in the National Honors Society and Circus Club, was a member of the soccer team, and lettered in gymnastics. His academic career continued at Duke University, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. He then went on to medical school, attending Loyola University where he received his Medical Doctorate.  He is now Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Adult Reconstructive Surgery at Duke University. He is involved in patient care, teaching, and research. Vail is a recipient of more than 20 awards, including the Resident/Fellow Research Award, Harris Award, Paul Award, and the Piedmont Orthopaedic Society Chairman’s Award. He is past president of the Eastern Orthopaedic Association, member of the Hip Society, Knee Society and belongs to more than one dozen other national, regional and local professional medical organizations and societies. Vail regularly presents at local, regional national and international meetings. He serves on many professional, editorial and education board. Vail has written more than 50 full-length manuscripts, contributed to nearly one dozen textbooks, and continues his research in implant design and cartilage repair.