Kaye Groot Mason, class of 1942

From a dedicated student to a dedicated entrepreneur, Kaye Groot Mason personified the Tomcat spirit. As a student at East Aurora High School, she was consistently on the honor roll, participated in drama, choir, Delphi, the variety show, band and was a member of the Speculum yearbook staff.

After graduation, Mason became a very successful local entrepreneur with international connections. She owned and operated three businesses in downtown Aurora. Under her ownership, Check-Lab, Inc., FM Graphic Impressions, and Professional Packaging Corporation flourished.

Established in the 1940s, Chek-Lab, Inc. furnishes blood banks, hospitals, and clinics with complete labeling systems in accordance with federal and global standards. Chek-Lab serves states throughout the country as well as other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Honduras, Italy, and Germany, on behalf of the U.S. Government. As a leader in the industry, Mason traveled to Washington, D.C. to help establish uniform labeling systems for the entire blood banking industry. In addition, she helped to develop barcode symbology called Codabar.

Her other two companies thrived as well. Established in 1903, FM Graphic Impressions is a commercial printing company, which specializes in printing books, bibles and other print jobs. Established in 1947, Professional Packaging Corporation specializes in the production of Medici Tincture of Benzion, which provides skin protection and acts as an antiseptic prior to the application of adhesives or skin barriers.

Mason has served on the Board of Directors for Downtown Aurora. She is also the treasurer of The Vintage Car Show, an annual event that highlights the historic past of Aurora’s LaSalle Street.

She married Dr. Coye Mason. She has two children and lives in Aurora.

Daniel D. Dolan, class of 1949

Daniel D. Dolan went from developing plays on the athletic fields at East Aurora High School to developing real estate in the greater Aurora area. Dolan was a shining prep athlete who lettered in football, basketball and golf. Today, his name can be seen on signs all over the area.

After graduating East Aurora High School, Dolan served in the U.S. Navy. He served on the USS Knapp Destroyer during the Korean War. Upon returning to Aurora, he then served his community as an Aurora Firefighter for five years.

Dolan used his keen business sense to partner with James Murphy to establish the commercial real estate firm known as Dolan & Murphy. The well-known firm specializes in commercial, industrial, and investment properties. Throughout the years, Dolan & Murphy became involved in annexing and zoning thousands of acres in Aurora and Kane County. The firm played an integral role in formulating Aurora’s comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance that paved the way for Aurora’s economic development along Interstate 88. These developments have generated massive tax revenues for the City of Aurora.

Dolan & Murphy has become one of the premiere leaders in real estate and property management. With more than 1 million square feet of office and retail space, as well as more than 500,000 square feet of industrial space, Dolan and his partner, James Murphy, set a new standard in the industry. Equally important, Dolan has been a leading voice in advocating and establishing diversity in zoning and development. These initiatives have provided greater accesses to home ownership and housing options for residents. Dolan’s three sons have followed in his footsteps in the business and they have expanded the company into development, brokerage, and property management.

Dolan’s passion for Aurora is vividly seen through his support for sports and youth programs. For more than 40 years, he sponsored little league baseball teams. He even coached when his children were playing. For 20 years, he sponsored the Murphy Fast Pitch Softball Team as well.

Daniel D. Dolan still works and resides in Aurora.

Robert McCue Sr., class of 1956

Robert McCue, Sr. has had a business and service career focused on making Aurora great. As a student, McCue was Captain of the Football Team, earned All-Conference for the Big Eight and All Chicago Area Football honors, and held the record for the 440-yard dash.

After graduating East Aurora High School, he kept up his pace and attended Western Illinois University. He then enrolled in the training program at the Aurora Pump Company. As part of that program, he gained experience in the shop, test labs and sales departments. He trained in the Chicago branch of the company and was so successful that he was sent to Milwaukee to open a new district branch office. Just 18 months after opening the Milwaukee office, McCue made it profitable.

Quickly becoming a recognizable name in the pump industry, McCue branched out on his own and bought a minority interest in the Thomas Pump Company of Chicago in 1964, only nine years after he graduated high school! After 15 years of building an excellent reputation for Thomas Pump and himself, McCue bought out his partners in 1979, gained complete control of the company, and moved it to its present location in Aurora. McCue expanded his office, added a shop, a warehouse, and a full service department.

Today, the Thomas Pump Company is a distinct leader in the field. McCue has personally sold pumps to more than a dozen of the tallest high-rise buildings in Chicago, including the Trump and Willis towers. His company has also been a key partner in Chicago’s Deep Tunnel System and countless water and waste projects throughout the Midwest.

McCue has supported youth baseball and education for decades. He served on the East Aurora Board of Education for 12 years, including as the President of the Board of Education.

McCue and his wife, Judy, have six children and live in Aurora.

Dr. John LaCart, class of 1965

Dr. John LaCart has devoted his life to serving others.

LaCart was ranked third in his class at East Aurora High School. He received varsity letters in basketball and football. His Tomcat football team went undefeated and claimed the Upstate Eight Conference Championship title. During his senior year, he was selected All-Conference Quarterback and elected to the Chicago Tribune Prep All-Star Team.

LaCart entered DePauw University after graduation. He graduated from there with Phi Beta Kappa Honors in 1969. He then matriculated to Rush Medical College, where he graduated with honors in 1973. LaCart completed a one-year Surgical Internship at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital and a four-year Orthopedic Residency at Northwestern University in Chicago.

During his medical career, LaCart served as Chief Resident at both Children’s Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He later joined Dreyer Medical Clinic in Aurora where he practiced for 27 years. During his tenure at Dreyer, he served as Chairman of the Orthopedic Surgery Department. He now has a successful orthopedic practice with Midwest Orthopedic Institute in Sycamore.

An proud Tomcat who always advocates for children, LaCart has served as an East Aurora team physician and consultant for East Aurora High School for 30 years. He has also served as a team physician for Aurora University and other Aurora area schools. In addition, he has dedicated over a decade as volunteer at Shriners’ Children’s Clinic. LaCart was nominated for the 1995 East Aurora Sports Hall of Fame and received the Tommy Award in 1997.

He and his wife have two children and live in St. Charles, Ill.

Karen Hart, class of 1969

Karen Platt Hart has spent her life in East Aurora Schools. She attended Dieterich Elementary School, Waldo Junior High School and graduated from East Aurora High School. During high school, she was an honors student who participated in the Folk Music Club and the Aqua Cats, and served as a classroom volunteer. It was her volunteer duties during her senior year in a special education classroom that led to her career in education.

Hart majored in elementary and special education at Northern Illinois University. After she graduated with her teaching degree, she taught sixth grade in Norwalk, Ohio, for two years prior to returning to Aurora to teach elementary school at O’Donnell Elementary School. After obtaining her Masters Degree in Administration from Northern Illinois University, Hart moved to Brady Elementary School where she served in a dual role of teacher and assistant principal.

In 1990, when East Aurora School District 131 opened its twelfth elementary school, Karen Hart was the undisputed choice as the school’s new leader. The school was named after a legendary district administrator in East Aurora School District 131 – Edna Rollins – so it was most fitting that another local stalwart educator take on the helm. Hart assisted with everything from the design of the building to purchasing furnishings to landscaping designs to hiring staff. The mark of Karen Hart has been on everything at Rollins School, including its success in academics, partnerships, and community service. Thanks to Hart, Rollins Elementary School has become a beacon of light for its children and families.

Hart’s respect in the profession and her standards of excellence have been documented with her nominations for Kane County Educator of the Year, Kane County Administrator of the Year, and for receiving the Those Who Excel Award from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Hart and her husband have two children and live in Aurora.

Dr. Narda Coronado, class of 1981

Dr. Narda Coronado broke records as a student at East High and broke barriers as a premiere dentist in her field. She graduated seventh in her class and was one of the most active students in the school. She was a member of the National Honors Society who also played oboe in the Performance Band, coronet in the Jazz Band, and Percussion in the Marching Band. In addition, she played softball, tennis, volleyball, and she set several records as a member of the East Aurora Swim Team.

Coronado matriculated to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she graduated in 1985 with a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences. Continuing to break records, Coronado received a four-year full scholarship to the University of Illinois Dental School in Chicago. There, she received the Outstanding Clinical Achievement Award and graduated as a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1990.

After graduation, Coronado worked at a number of dental offices in the greater Chicago area before purchasing Dr. Lee’s Aurora dental practice in 1996. After running a very successful practice for six years, she expanded and purchased Dr. Habermeyer’s practice in Aurora in 2002. Today, she continues her award-winning dental practice at its present location on Lake Street in Aurora.

Coronado still holds true to her commitment to East Aurora, children, and the Aurora community. She currently provides free dental care and screenings for many back-to-school fairs for the Aurora Children’s Dental Service. She also donates much of her free time and expertise to the St. Basil’s Free Clinic in Chicago. She has received commendations from the State of Illinois for her unprecedented work with St. Basil’s.

Notably, Coronado has established the Coronado Dental Scholarship at the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley to provide assistance to Aurora students who are entering the fields of dentistry and medicine.

Coronado lives in Aurora.

John Galles, class of 1942

The name of John Galles is synonymous with youth sports, athletic paraphernalia, and selfless service. For nearly 65 years, Galles has owned one of Aurora’s most popular downtown stores, Johno’s Main Surplus Store. Johno’s is the clearinghouse for youth athletics in Aurora.

Galles also began Johno’s Midwest Awards Company as a counterpart to his business. It is now one of the best trophy stores in the Midwest.

For more than 50 years, Galles was active in Aurora Boys Baseball and was a catalyst for its success. He has been a member of the Board of Directors and an agent for the baseball club for that same amount of time. To highlight his lifetime of dedication to boys baseball in Aurora, the baseball complex at Aurora’s Solfisburg Park was named the John P. Galles Baseball Complex.

Galles has been named to East Aurora Sports Boosters Hall of Fame and the Aurora Baseball Hall of Fame.