By Jim Sterne
News Editor
Amundsen High School alumnus Dan Jorndt, and his wife Pat, announced that they will donate $1 million to remodel, renovate and rename the Amundsen High School Winnemac sports stadium. Jorndt is a 1959 graduate of Amundsen, 5110 N. Damen Ave., and retired Chairman and CEO of Walgreen Co.
On May 20, Amundsen's principal, Pauline Tarvardian, Ph.D., looked over the assembly of 800 students called together to see three of their teachers receive the $10,000 cash "Joy of Teaching Award" and five students get $5,000 scholarships, due to the $1 million grant the Jorndt family gave in 1999. "Our students are our greatest asset," Tarvardian said, and that applies to those both past and present.
The teachers stepped forward to get the award: Mia Henry, social studies teacher and coordinator of the International Baccalaureate middle years program; Scott Reed, physics and chemistry teacher; Gary Longo, drafting teacher.
The Joy of Learning Awards were given to Marina Belyatsky, Ashish Ranjnikant Patel, Tristan Weeks, Erwin Malakaj, and Jason R. Ronald.
"The place was humming. I didn't tell anyone about the stadium grant. I wanted it to be a surprise," Tarvardian said.
The students were stunned, as were the staff, when told that the Jorndts are giving another $1 million to refurbish their stadium. The stadium will be called "Jorndt Field," after Dan's father, Lou, when it is completed in the fall of 2004. Lou Jorndt taught and coached at Amundsen when it opened in 1930 until 1953 when he was promoted to Chicago Board of Education supervisor. He was a graduate of Lindbloom High School and an all-city football player. He retired in 1971 as the Director of Physical Education and Health for all Chicago Public Schools.
"We have always relied on the support that we receive from our school partners, whether they are large corporations or individuals such as the Jorndts," said Arne Duncan, CPS CEO, who was present at the ceremony.
The new stadium will undergo major renovation of its grandstand seating, locker rooms, concession and ticket areas. The stadium will host various other students from city and state schools for football and soccer games.
"I think this inspires our students," said Jim Gemskie, retired counselor and coach at Amundsen. "If they can do it others can do it...I can do it. They graduate, go to college, and hopefully the won't forget their high school successes that made a contribution and come back to support us."
Also present was Jim Kalemeris, a big fan of Coach Jorndt, and his wife. Kalemeris is a contractor in Tampa, FL and Amundsen class of '46. When he got out of the army, Coach Jorndt asked him what he wanted to do. Kalemeris said he wanted to coach football.
The coach told him that he was working more than one job to feed his family. The coach told him he should have more than one thing going for him. He asked Kalemeris what else he likes to do. Kalemeris said he liked architecture. So Kalemeris went to the University of Florida on the GI Bill, and in 1959, began his construction company that has won a number of professional awards.
Kalemeris wanted to thank the coach in some way so he spent over $100,000 of his money to revitalize a Tampa, FL high school stadium and named it after Coach Jorndt.
Amundsen students are as versatile as they are diverse. They received an award from Mayor Richard M. Daley for their landscaping at Amundsen. "Because they are invested in the school, they take care of it...every day," Tarvardian said.
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