HIASAA announces Hall of Fame inductees

The Highland Illinois Area Schools Alumni Association (HIASAA) has announced its inductees for this year’s Hall of Fame class. Winners were chosen from12 nominees among four categories.

In Arts and Sciences, Dr. Mark Edwin Frisse was the winner.

Dr. Frisse, a 1970 graduate of St. Paul, is an internist trained in hematology oncology. He went on to become a professor of medicine and associate dean at Washington University School of Medicine.

In 1999, he left Washington University to become a vice president at Express Scripts. There, he had the opportunity to help create consumer websites for more than 60 million members. He would later help found RxHub and serve on the board of SureScripts.

In 2004, he accepted a faculty position at Vanderbuilt University.

Active in medical informatics for 30 years, Dr. Frisse is the author of more than 50 scientific papers, reviews and book chapters. In 2014, he was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

Click here to read more on Dr. Mark Edwin Frisse.

Otto E. Jakel will be the inductee in the Business category.

Jakel attended St. Paul grade and high school but left school a few months prior to graduating to join the Navy during World War II.

In 1946, he started a small tool and die and metal stamping shop in the alley by the Lory Theater. Over the next 38 years of manufacturing in Highland, the Jakel companies and family provided steady employment for as many as 400 employees, making various products.

Click here to read more on Otto E. Jakel.

For Career Public Service, Pat Schwarm was chosen.

Schwarm began her career with Highland Community Schools in the fall of 1968 as a math teacher and librarian at Highland Junior High School.

In 1984, Schwarm took a giant step forward as she took on the role of assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the entire school district. She continued in this role until her retirement in 2001.

During her tenure at Highland Community Schools, Schwarm was instrumental in many initiatives that improved the school district and the quality of education afforded its students. She revised the teacher-hiring process and was asked on numerous occasions to share the “Highland Hiring Process” with college classes, professional organizations, and other school districts.

Schwarm was a pioneer in developing a new teacher mentoring program. She started the Highland program in 1986. Similar programs are now endorsed by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Click here to read more on Pat Schwarm.

And in the Sports field, Mark J. Capelle will be the inductee.

Capelle, a 1978 St. Paul High School graduate, was one of the best high school runners Highland has ever seen. In three years, Capelle would race in three IHSA state cross country finals and three IHSA state track meets.

He would medal seven times in eight IHSA races. That’s an incredible feat of top-four finishes in seven of the eight races in which he competed.

To put it in better perspective, only one other male runner from either St. Paul High School or Highland High School has ever finished in the top 10 in any class in Illinois. And, only one other runner, male or female has ever finished any higher than sixth place.

Capelle went on to run at the University of Illinois, where he graduated with an engineering degree. Capelle competed and lettered for four years cross country and indoor and outdoor track. In fact, his 3000 meter steeplechase time of 8:51.3 is still eighth all-time at the University of Illinois.

Click here to read more on Mark J. Capelle.

Other nominees

In Arts and Sciences, the other nominees were Bruce Case and Larry Mueller.

In the Business category, the other nominees were Julius J. Spindler and Erwin Weder.

For Career Public Service, the other nominees were Julie Curry and Jay Hoffman.

And in the Sports field, the other nominees were Jim Koch and Simon Weiss.

Voting

Voting for this year’s Hall of Fame class took place from May 1-31. Only HIASAA members can cast ballots.

Any alumni of any school within the boundaries of the Highland Highland School District or any employee of these schools can become a HIASAA member. You need not have graduated from school, just attended. To be able to vote, alumni or employees must be a paid member of HIASAA.

To become a member, go to the association website, www.highlandilalumni.com. There is a place to register online and an option to use PayPal to pay your dues.

Or, you can send the application and a check to HIASAA, 400 Broadway, Highland, IL 62249.

Membership dues are $10 per year, $40 for a five-year membership, or $100 for a lifetime membership. All memberships are from October to October of each year.

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 3:00 AM with the headline "HIASAA announces Hall of Fame inductees."