Schools
Oak Forest HS Hall of Fame Induction
Mayor Kuspa and Mayor O'Dekirk were recently inducted into Oak Forest HS's Hall of Fame
Oak Forest Mayor Hank Kuspa and Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk were recently inducted into the Oak Forest High School Hall of Fame in a ceremony during Homecoming Week at Oak Forest High School. Mayor Kuspa and Mayor O’Dekirk and their families were also honored at the halftime of the Homecoming game on September 22.
Oak Forest Mayor Henry “Hank” Kuspa was inducted as the Spirit of Oak Forest Inductee. This is for a person who has made a significant contribution to Oak Forest High School as a community member. In addition to being a significant support to OFHS while he has been Mayor, Kuspa is also seen at numerous sporting events and activities during the school year. In fact, he can be found at many home football games behind the grill cooking hamburgers and hot dogs for the concession stand with a smile on his face. Hank has been a resident of Oak Forest since 1979 and he currently is employed as Facilities Manager at Grane Transportation. Hank is married to Maureen and he has four children - Amy, Christine, Len and Kim - all who went to Oak Forest High School as students.
Mayor Kuspa credits his children for involving him in a variety of community volunteering projects, such as the Relay for Life, many of which he and the family still are participants in. He said, “They taught me more than I taught them.” Kuspa has dedicated much of his time to serving the City of Oak Forest. Hank served on the Forest-Ridge School Board for 12 years and is a 25 year Oak Fest volunteer. He has also served as a part-time building inspector and a member of the Oak Forest Planning and Zoning Commission. Hank was also elected to his third term as Mayor of Oak Forest in April 2017.
Kuspa’s positive spirit is reflected in his “Best Day of My Life” mantra and his dedication to the City of Oak Forest serves as a role model for Oak Forest High School students. Kuspa said, “This is a huge honor and I can’t thank you enough.”
Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk was inducted into the Oak Forest Hall of Fame as the Pride of Oak Forest Inductee. A Pride of Oak Forest Inductee is alumni of more than 10 years that has made a significant addition to their field and has been a leader in their community.
O’Dekirk graduated from Oak Forest High School in 1987, where he played four years of baseball and football and was named All-Conference in 1987 for baseball. Following high school, Bob attended the University of Illinois and graduated in 1991. Bob was hired as a Joliet Police Officer in 1993 and was a highly decorated officer winning numerous awards including the Martin S. Murrin Labor Award in 1995.
While working as a police officer, Bob attended night school at The John Marshall Law School and graduated with a Juris doctorate in 2003. Following his graduation, Bob left the police department and worked as a prosecutor for the City of Chicago. In 2006, Bob returned to Joliet and began working as an attorney in private practice, eventually owning his own law firm. In 2008, Bob worked for the U.S Department of State in Iraq, working with Iraqi police and security forces in conjunction with the United States military. After 20 months, Bob returned to the United States and resumed his law practice. Bob was elected to the Joliet City Council in 2011 and then elected as the Mayor of Joliet in 2015.
When reflecting on what to say, O’Dekirk said, “The best thing about OF was the culture - something you don’t appreciate while you are in high school. Oak Forest was a great place to grow up and a great place to go to school.” He joked, “As an All-Conference baseball player, my picture that was displayed on the wall was returned to me, but my sister and brother, who were All-State in their sports are still on the wall and they rib me about that. However, I think this [Hall of Fame award] beats that!”
Principal Sikora said to the students viewing the induction ceremony, “The theme through both speeches is that both of these men gave back to their communities as well as their brothers and sisters. I have even seen Mayor Kuspa throwing in to help the public works department by driving a backhoe through town! Congratulations, gentlemen, you are always welcome back to Oak Forest High School.”
Pictured, left to right are Mayor Kuspa, Principal Sikora, Associate Principal Dunne, Mayor O'Dekirk
