District 303 Announces 2017 Distinguished Alumni

St. Charles Community Unit School District 303, in conjunction with the Distinguished Alumni Award Committee and the St. Charles Education Foundation, recently announced the recipients of District 303’s Distinguished Alumni Award for 2017.

The award is given to nominees who graduated from District 303 and have demonstrated a high level of achievement in their field of endeavor or in their contributions to their community, according to a news release.

The 2017 recipients are Ronald Brown, Roderick Cregier, and Jeffrey Orland.

Ron Brown graduated from St. Charles High School in 1978. Ron is in his 32nd year as a Career and Technical Education Teacher. He will be retiring from St. Charles North H.S. at the end of the current school year. After graduating from District 303, he earned his bachelor’s degree in education at Eastern Illinois University. Though he taught briefly at Hinckley-Big Rock High School, Ron returned home to St. Charles to teach and mentor the future generations of engineers, draftsmen, and designers who filled his classroom. He has been tireless in his efforts to connect local businesses and his students in order to provide real-world experiences as part of his classroom instruction.

Roderick Cregier graduated from St. Charles High School in 1981. He was appointed to the United State Air Force Academy, graduated in 1985 and then went on to earn his Masters’ Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Florida. During his service in the U.S. Air Force, Rod has served as Commander at the Squadron, Group and Wing levels, leading units testing both manned and unmanned aircraft. He has specific expertise in flying, testing and security for stealth aircraft and related technologies. As a test pilot he has logged over 4800 flight hours in 88 different types of aircraft.

Jeff Orland graduated from St. Charles High School in 1959. He became a business owner in St. Charles in 1969 when he opened the Avenue Two Barber Shop and he operated the business until he went into semi-retirement in 2007. Jeff is noted for hiring Mooseheart students who had gone to barber school. He served as both a professional mentor and a father figure to these young men. In addition to operating his business, Jeff also volunteered a great deal of his time to community organizations such as Mooseheart, the St. Patrick Church and School athletic program, St. Charles Baseball, Glenwood School for Boys, and the St. Charles East H.S. band.

The 2017 recipients will be recognized at the St. Charles Education Foundation’s Gala event, which will be held on April 8, 2017, at the Baker Hotel. Tickets for the event may be purchased by going to www.stced.org