Donald Glossop, class of 1951

For more than a decade, most Ford automobiles on the road had marks of Donald Glossop’s craftsmanship and ingenuity. Glossop made his mark for 43 years as a lead Automotive Engineer and Manager at the Ford Motor Company.It is estimated that between 1979 and 1989, 60 percent of all Ford automobiles in the world had Glossop’s designs.

After graduating from East Aurora High School as salutatorian, Glossop earned his Bachelors Degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, where he was named the Outstanding Freshman Mechanical Engineering Student.

He later served two years in the U.S. Army before completing his MBA at the University of Michigan while working for Ford.

Beginning his career at Ford Motor Company in 1955, Glossop quickly was recognized for his superb engineering skills. Throughout his career, he patented four inventions that related to a convertible top mechanism, door window actuation and weather strip systems. Early in his career, he started a new department at the Ford that worked to find solutions for flush window systems and a roof assembly that reduced aerodynamic drag.

His designs of an ergonomics display simulation were pictured in Ford’s 1990 Annual Report, a tutorial guide for all designers who worked for Ford.  One year later, Glossop presented his concepts at the Society of Auto Engineers.

Ronald Simcox, class of 1952

Dr. Ronald Simcox was at the top of his class at high school and built a career that led him to the top of his school district as well.

Simcox has had a successful career in education that took him from the halls of East Aurora High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and a state champion clarinet soloist, to becoming a nationally-known Superintendent and college professor.

After graduating from East Aurora High School, Simcox attended Aurora College where he majored in Mathematics and Physics.  While Aurora College, he was recognized in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, and received the elite Spartan Award – an honor bestowed on only one graduating senior each year.

He later received his Masters Degree in Educational Administration from Miami University in 1959 and his Doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1964.

Simcox began his career in education by returning to his alma mater. He taught mathematics at East Aurora High school for two years before becoming an assistant principal in Ohio.  While working on his doctoral degree, he served as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Illinois and transitioned into his role as Administrative Intern at Ridgewood High School in Norridge, Ill.

Simcox entered district administration as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction at DeKalb School District 428. After serving in that post for three years, he was appointed as the Superintendent of Schools for District 428. In 1969, he took the helm of Hinsdale School District 181 as Superintendent of Schools. He built a reputable name during an unprecedented 23-year tenure in that post.

Simcox has served as the President of the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce and as a professor at Aurora University, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois.

William Lorenz, class of 1966

From Aurora to Australia, William Lorenz has traveled the globe to bring images to homes across the world!

Lorenz is a television production engineer who has won five Emmy Awards for his trailblazing work and advances in television production.  After attending Waubonsee Community College and majoring in Music and Drama, Lorenz graduated from the DeVry Institute of Technology with a degree in Video and Electronics.

Soon after graduation, he became Chief Engineer of Aurora’s Channel 60 and later moved to Indianapolis to become an editor with the popular Johnny Cash Show.  After a successful run, Lorenz moved to Pittsburgh to work on television commercials. He then headed west to the glorious television town of Burbank, California.  

Hired by the NBC network, Lorenz edited such television shows as Welcome Back Kotter and the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson!  When NBC tapped him to work on the documentary, The First 50 Years with NBC, Lorenz made an even bigger name for himself.  The documentary was so well crafted and expertly tailored that Lorenz won his first Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing. The network saw his value and hired him to work the Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he developed the ground-breaking technology that allowed a video recording machine in Atlanta to be accesses from New York.  He went on to win another Emmy Award for Technical Studio Video Engineer of the Atlanta Olympic Games!  

He has since worked the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia; Salt Lake City, Utah; Athens, Greece; Torino, Italy; and Vancouver, Canada.  During these treks across the world, Lorenz has amassed another three Emmy Awards.  In 2008, he was tapped to work the Olympics in Beijing, China and bring this historic event into the homes of millions throughout the world.  He worked to create a tape less workflow editing system that helped to make this project a seamless one.  Lorenz was so successful that he has been nominated for a 2009 Emmy as well!

In the community, Lorenz has been an Assistant Troop Master with the Boy Scouts and has credentials to pilot commercial multi-instrument planes. 

Dr. John Sarwark, class of 1972

Rated by Chicago Magazine as one the top doctors in Chicago, Dr. John Sarw ark has become of the most respected names in orthopedic surgery.

A proud Tomcat, Sarwark is hailed throughout the world as one of the finest surgeons and educators in his field. Sarwark graduated as valedictorian of his high school class, and he is still the head of a class of premiere doctors at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Sarwark began his medical journey when he left Aurora to begin his studies at the University of Illinois where he received a Bachelors Degree in Biology.  He then matriculated to the Northwestern University Fineburg School of Medicine (NUFSM) and obtained his M.D.  He interned at NUFSM and completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery.  Sarwark later trained as a Clinical Fellow in Pediatric Orthopedics at the Alfred I. Dupont Institute in Wilmington, Delaware.

Sarwark worked at hospitals in Kansas City, Missouri, prior to joining what was then called Children’s Memorial Hospital as an Attending Physician of the Department of Surgery in 1988.  For 20 years, he has worked to advance the medical profession and bring about lifelong change for his patients and their families. He served as Head of the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Division at Children’s Memorial.

In addition to his full-time duties, Sarwark also served on the Executive Committee for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Residency Selection Committee for Children’s Memorial. A proud alumni, he is also a member of the National Alumni Board for the Northwestern University School of Medicine.

A premiere medical leader, Sarwark was recognized by Chicago Magazine as one of Chicago’s Top Doctors in 2001. In 2004, he received the Pathways Awareness Foundation’s First Pioneer Award for his work in the early detection of mobility problems in infants.