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These awards celebrate the accomplishments of our alumni. The recipients are mentors to the University High School student body.
Sandra Savignon is a professor in the Department of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Pennsylvania State University. She was past president of the American Association for Applied Linguistics and the founder and long-time director of the multidisciplinary doctoral program in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education at the University of Illinois.
Savignon attended the University of Illinios graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in French and Education. She went on to earn her M.A. in French literature at Illinois in 1962.
Early in her professional career, Savignon was an instructor at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a teaching assistant at U of I. Her world travel began in the summer of 1968, when she served as Co-Director of the Classrooms Abroad Study Program in Vichy, France. Over the next several years she earned her Ph.D. in Education at U of I, where she was appointed Assistant Professor of French. She later became a Professor of French and English as an International Language serving on the U of I faculty through the mid-1990s.
Savignon has published numerous books and has received accolades for her outstanding research in the field of foreign language teaching. A number of years ago while reflecting on her profession, she vividly recalled the words of Chaucer that were inscribed high on the wall at Capen Auditorium. Those words read, “And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.” In a 1983 publication, she dedicated it to her students for giving meaning to those words she had first learned as a girl attending Metcalf and U-High.
Just months after graduating from UHS, Fritzen became a Sports Writer for The Pantagraph while pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Illinois State University. He graduated in 1974.
In 1977 Fritzen accepted a sales position for Bloomington Offfset Process, Inc. He then was promoted to Sales Manager, and currently he serves as the Executive Vice President.
In 1983 Fritzen was elected to his first of five four-year terms as Town of Normal Councilman. He is currently serving on the Council and will be running for mayor of the Town of Normal in the spring. Additionally he has served his community by being on several committees including the Illinois State University Liaison and the Downtown Advisory.
For over twenty years, Fritzen has developed a strong post-graduate involvement with ISU. He has served a multitude of positions on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, the Redbird Club, Foundation Board of Directors, the Athletic Council Board of Directors, as well as several search committees.
Giving back to his elementary and junior high schools was incentive for Fritzen to serve with Unit 5 School District where he was member of the Citizens Advisory Council’s turning Point 2004 Education Task Force and as president of the Chiddix Junior High School Parent-Teacher Organization.
Besides civic duties, Fritzen has also made significant contributions for his faith by holding several positions for his church, East White Oak Bible Church, Carlock. His leadership has been evident with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Men for Missions International Work Crusade Team, and Bible Institute of Colombia in Medellin, Colombia, South America.
Neal Hermanowicz graduated with Highest Distinction in the Chemistry Curriculum from the University of Illinois. He then went on to graduate school at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied physical chemistry. Wanting to pursue a career with a greater human connection, he then enrolled at Pennsylvania State University to complete requirements for apply for medical school. He attended Temple University where he decided to specialize in neurology. Hermanowicz completed his medical training at the University of Michigan in Movement Disorders, a subspecialty within neurology.
Hermanowicz’s next career path led him to the University of Wisconsin where he was the Chief Resident in Neurology. He also practiced in Albuquerque, New Mexico and in Evanston, Illinois before moving to his current position as Director of the Movement Disorders Program and Vice-chair for Clinical Affairs for the Department of Neurology at he University of California, Irvine.
As a physician, Hermanowicz serves patients with neurological problems primarily in his subspecialty area of Parkison’s Disease, Tourette’s syndrome, Dystonia, Huntington’s Disease, and other movement disorders. He conducts trials of new medications in the treatment of Parkinson’s and is engaged in clinical research projects for Parkison’s, Huntington’s, and epilepsy. Additionally, he is actively involved with the instruction of medical students, residents, other physicians, support groups, and the lay public.
After graduating from Illinois State University in 1986, Sam Mungo was accepted into the Boston Conservatory where he received an Artist’s Diploma in 1989. Mungo continued his training under the auspices of the legendary opera coach and conductor John Moriarty. He received a scholarship to attend the New England Conservatory where he graduated cum laude with a Master’s in Music in 1991. Several apprenticeships followed and then he moved to New York to pursue his operatic career.
Mungo quickly found himself performing in operas and concerts all over the country. His roles have included Mercutio in Romeo and Juliette, Escamillo in Carmen, Marcello in La Bohme, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, Ping in Turandot, Maximillian in Candide, and The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance. His favorite roles include the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Danilo in The Merry Widow, and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus.
Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall and Symphony Hall in Boston, and El Auditorio di San Ursula in Lima, Peru have been stages to Mungo. In 2002, he was thrilled to be asked to sing in the Cultural Olympiad at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City where he joined fellow artists Itzhak Perlman and Savion Glover.
Mungo’s talent also extends to teaching, directing, and producing. He spent eight years as a voice instructor at the New York’s famed Actor’s Studio at the New School University and four years on the voice faculty at New York University. He is currently finishing his doctorate at the University of Colorado, where he directed Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. He served as the associate producer for Colorado University’s Opera in the summer repertory season.
Gayln Biddle has selflessly supported and contributed to U-High for well over thirty years. He and his wife, Florence, joined forces with another couple to found the present-day Boosters Club. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Biddle and his family hosted pig roasts at their home to fundraise for the U-High athletic programs. The Biddles did all the preparation for these events including the cooking and cleaning up.
Biddle’s contributions to the athletic programs at UHS are too numerous to list, but highlights include installation of the scoreboard in the gym, acted at timer and door-keeper at basketball games, umpired softball games, worked the “chain gang” for football games, and assisted at wrestling meets. Probably the most impressive attribute is that, even at the last minute, Biddle can always be counted on to fill in at a sporting event.
The Biddles are proud parents of six children, three of which graduated from UHS, 20 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.