Jim Hynan was born and raised in South Shore. He came to Mount Carmel from Our Lady of Peace grammar school. While at Mount Carmel he was a proud member of the Caravan swim team for four years, where he was a part of the record-breaking 160-yard freestyle team. Jim was also a great student and a member of the National Honor Society. 

 

After graduation, Jim attended the University of Notre Dame where he earned a finance degree in 1974. Jim worked for the US Comptroller of the Currency as a national bank examiner for 37 years before retiring in 2011.  

 

Upon retirement, Jim worked part-time for a bank-consulting firm for six years. Jim is now mostly retired and enjoys volunteer work and spending time with family. He is a proud uncle and great uncle. Jim spends ample time at a summer home in Lake Geneva, WI, and is an avid skier and scuba diver. Notre Dame football remains a great passion, resulting in many trips to South Bend. Jim still swims laps weekly, in remembrance of his team days at Mount Carmel.

 

Jim has been a terrific and consistent supporter of Mount Carmel high school and its students. He started the Hynan family scholarship, which benefits families who are committed to Catholic educations and have three or more children enrolled in Catholic high school or grade school. 

 

The Hynan Family Scholarship Fund’s primary objective is to help bolster the enrollment at Mount Carmel and has benefitted countless families with partial scholarships. Jim is the only Mount Carmel graduate in the Hynan family, but he knows that his deceased parents would be proud of this scholarship, which truly originated with them.

 

 

Challenged by a classmate, Robert Szyman took the physical education teacher candidate exam and was admitted to that program as he went on to complete his master’s degree in special education at Chicago State University.

In 1990 he took on a challenge as executive director of the St. Louis Wheelchair Athletic Association where he replicated many of the courage center programs and initiated wheelchair tennis, water skiing, and karate for people with disabilities. 

After 6 years he started teaching for the special school district of St. Louis County at Hazelwood West High School, in Hazelwood, Missouri until he was hired as the first secretary general of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation, a post he held for four years, managing the day-to-day business of the federation across the globe. He conducted weeklong wheelchair basketball camps in the US, Canada, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Bahrain.

When he returned to Chicago in 2003 he was persuaded by Paralympian Patty Cisneros to coach the RIC Express Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. It was a volunteer position. He recruited additional players. The team captured the national championship in 2005. One of the team’s top scorers, Andrea Woodson-Smith, advised Szyman of an impending position at Chicago State University. He interviewed for the position; has been a faculty member since 2007 and has advanced to full professor. 

 

Bob and Marie, a highly regarded CPS school teacher/librarian and Chicago Teachers Union representative, reside in Beverly Woods with their two dogs, Slainte and Carmel. Until an arthritic knee slowed him down he stayed close to wheelchair basketball by refereeing all levels of the game.

 

 

During his time at Mount Carmel, Matt Cushing excelled both in the classroom and on the athletic field.  Matt was a member of the National Honor Society and was a Kairos leader. He finished second in his class, was the student council president, and was named senior of the year. 

Matt was a three-year starting tight end on the varsity football team, winning two state championships and being named captain as a senior.  He was named All-Catholic League in both his junior and senior years and All-State his senior season. Matt also played on the Caravan baseball team for three years. 

After Mount Carmel, Matt attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship, where he was a three-year starter at tight end. He received the Bruce Capel Award for the most courageous player, was an Academic All-Big Ten selection, and District Academic All American.  Matt earned a degree in urban planning in 1998. He then spent six seasons as a tight end and fullback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing in two AFC Championship games.

Matt’s parents Jack and Karen have been great supporters of Mount Carmel. Jack is an honorary alumnus and currently coaches with the Caravan rugby team. His brother Adam is a 1998 graduate of Mount Carmel, and currently coaches the offensive line for Northwestern University.

Matt currently resides in Downers Grove with Angie, his wife of 18 years, and children Luke, Ella, and Claire. Matt has been on the Mount Carmel Board of Directors for five years, and chairman of the Finance Committee for two years.

Pat Grant came to Mount Carmel as a proud graduate of St. Barnabas in 1974. While at Mount Carmel, Pat was a three-year varsity football player, serving as co-captain in 1977, when he was named First Team All-Catholic League and Second Team All-State for the Caravan. 

Pat then began coaching football at St. Barnabas, where he would also coach his three sons. During Pat’s coaching tenure, he assisted Mount Carmel with marketing and recruiting efforts and was instrumental in a large number of St. Barnabas students coming to Mount Carmel. Pat ultimately returned as a coach to Mount Carmel in 2008 and brought his love of the game to the freshmen program for the past 10 years.

Pat’s involvement at Mount Carmel was made possible with the love and support of his wife, Marianne, of 33 years. Pat is a loving father to four grown children and a grandfather to two grandkids. His daughter Kellianne attended Mother McAuley and his sons Connor, Matthew, and Gavin are all proud alumni of Mount Carmel, where they all played football. 

 

Pat has many passions, which include staying active, enjoying time with his family at his cottage, and volunteering for a local organization, Pat Mac’s Pack. He is also one of the founding members of their annual charity bike ride from Beverly to Michigan City. The ride has grown to over 100 riders and has raised countless funds to research pediatric brain cancer.

Terry grew up in St. John Fisher Parish, graduating in 1961.  He entered Mount Carmel in his sophomore year after spending one year at the Carmelite Seminary in Niagra.  After graduating from Mount Carmel in ‘65, he attended Wilson Junior College and entered the Marine Corps in 1966, serving his time at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. 

 

Upon his separation from the corps, he started his 30-year career with Commonwealth Edison company in the real estate department and married Kathe Kuenster (Mother McAuley ’65) at Most Holy Redeemer in Evergreen Park. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 17, 2018, with their 4 children: Sean, Bridget, Meghan and Kevin; and 7 grandchildren: Connor, Patrick, Delaney, Logan, Teaghan, Liam, and Averie.  Sean and Kevin attended Mount Carmel, Bridget attended Mother McAuley, and Meghan attended Bremen.

 

Terry and his family moved to Midlothian, IL in 1971, where he started his community involvement as a Cub Scout den leader, which led to many years in coaching little league, Midlothian girls softball, and the St. Christopher Athletic Association, where he coached boys and girls basketball and became president of the athletic association. During this time, Terry also became a 4th degree Knight of Columbus and earned his associates degree.

 

During all these years, Terry has been a continuous presence at and advocate for Mount Carmel, sending both sons to become men of Carmel and as a member of the Alumni Board since 1975. He has served on the Board of Directors, has been chairman of the annual Alumni Banquet, served on the alumni golf committee and the committee for the 50-year reunion for the largest class to graduate Mount Carmel - the class of 1965!

 

Tom Ulrich came to Mount Carmel from Immaculate Conception Grammar School. Tom was already an accomplished swimmer and was recruited by Mount Carmel athletic director Father Carey. Tom set all of Mount Carmel swim records, except the two sprint freestyle. 52 years later, those records still stand. Tom was also a Catholic League champion, finished third at the Catholic League nationals and was a co-captain his senior year.

After Mount Carmel, Tom received an athletic scholarship to swim at Southern Illinois University, where he lettered and held the school record in the 200-yard backstroke. After graduating with a BA in biological sciences, Tom began a teaching career at a high school in Fairfield, Illinois, and also taught microbiology, biochemistry, and anatomy to nursing classes at Frontier Community College. After four years, Tom took an early retirement to pursue a career as a freelance nature photographer.

Tom became a world-renowned nature photographer, working with editors and publishers all over the world. Thousands of his images have been used in such periodicals as National Geographic, Ranger Rick, Audubon, Life, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian, and National Wildlife. Tom published seven books, selling some 125,000 copies. 

As a motivational speaker, he has given presentations to such notable institutions as Johns Hopkins, NC State, University of Illinois, Texas Tech., Oklahoma State, University of Indiana and the University of Hawaii, and credited Mr. Howe Fagan’s speech class with preparing him to talk in front of large groups. Although Tom lived for more than forty years in Montana, he still carried the tradition of excellence instilled in him at Mount Carmel until his unfortunate death in February 2017.

 

Nicknamed the “Little Tornado” by his family, Dave’s boundless youthful exuberance served him well on the gridiron at Mount Carmel.  At a sturdy 5'11” 195 lbs., Dave was equally adept at breaking tackles and outrunning pursuers.

 

His senior season earned him All-Catholic League, All-State, and all American honors, along with the Knute Rockne and Bill Osmanski awards honoring the top student-athlete in the Chicago area. In addition to his on-field success, Dave was president of the student council and placed 14th in his graduating class.

 

Dave accepted a football scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he played for legendary Wolverine coaches Bump Elliott and Bo Schembechler. 

 

After graduating from Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in English, Dave joined his former caravan coach Frank Maloney at Syracuse University, where he was part of a coaching staff that included former Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo, Super Bowl winning coach Tom Coughlin, and Alabama coach Nick Saban.  

 

He also met his future wife Holly while at Syracuse, and Jerry Angelo served as best man at their wedding in 1979.  Dave received an MBA while at Syracuse and left coaching after the 1979 season to enter private business. 

 

After a short stay at the Newell Corporation in Rockford, Dave, Holly and their daughters Jennifer and Lauren relocated to Sarasota, Florida in 1996, where Dave began a successful career as a financial planner with Merrill Lynch.  

 

On October 19, 2000, Dave unexpectedly and suddenly passed away at the much-too-young age of 50.  He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and grandchildren Brynley, Emery, and Matthew - nicknamed the “Little Hurricane”.

 

 

Anthony Rossi Sr. has been instrumental in the development of youth hockey in the Chicagoland area and across the United States for more than five decades. He started the H-F Cardinals hockey program in the late 1970’s after seeing how involved his sons Michael and Anthony Jr. were in the sport. The Cardinals would later send many players to Mount Carmel, helping the Caravan dominate high school hockey in Illinois in the 1980’s - winning eight Kennedy Cups and four state titles. 

 

He was elected to the USA Hockey Board of Directors in 1983 and was named the director of the Central District in 1989. In 1995 Rossi was named USA Hockey treasurer where he helped develop the USA Hockey Foundation to promote the growth of hockey in the US. In 2003, he was elected USA Hockey vice president and in 2008 was elected to the International Ice Hockey Federation. In 2011 Rossi was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy, USA Hockey’s highest honor, for outstanding service to USA Hockey. He retired from USA Hockey in 2013

 

Anthony Rossi Sr. has been a longtime supporter of Mount Carmel High School and Mount Carmel athletics. His enormous generosity to the Campaign for a New Century of Excellence has helped turn the Mount Carmel campus into the state of the art facility that it is today, and his support of the men of Carmel fund has allowed countless students to receive a Mount Carmel education.

 

 

In December 1970, a socially awkward Aquinas High School freshman was recruited by her new classmates to accompany a Mount Carmel freshman to his school's winter dance at the Knickerbocker hotel. From there, her familiarity with 6410 grew, as she and her friends attended "mixers" in the student center, and were often in the crowd in the gym balcony that cheered loudly for the basketball team on Friday nights.

 

Sue had served as office manager for Christensen, Barclay and Shaw advertising, but left the corporate world to raise her family. She found herself looking for a job, and Coach Frank liked the idea of bringing in someone who was very familiar with the school and its athletic teams. So in January 2003, Coach Frank and Fr. Carl Markelz took a leap of faith, and Sue began an incredible journey that has lasted more than fifteen years. 

 

She has been so proud to serve the student-athletes, parents, and coaches of Mount Carmel as a source of help and comfort. She was thrilled when her nephew Neil Hoglund spent four years in and out of her office as a member of the MC class of 2014.

 

Sue is most grateful for her time spent with Coach Frank Lenti, who was the greatest mentor and friend imaginable. When Dan LaCount took over as athletic director, Sue felt she had been doubly blessed to work with another supportive and caring man. She forged deep friendships with many dedicated Mount Carmel faculty and staff members, who have enriched her life immensely. She has felt such joy to be counted among an amazing pool of incredible people who have believed in, and have worked so hard for the mission of Mount Carmel High School.

 

 

During his first open house experience, Pablo was impressed by a large number of current and alumni dads and got a great sense of what the MC experience was all about. 

 

As a member of the Fathers’ Club, he worked alongside many fellow fathers, some of whom he is proud to call his closest friends to this day. He served on the Fathers’ Club board as treasurer for three consecutive years while his son was a student at Mount Carmel. 

 

He was a consistent figure within the Fathers’ Club, assisting with security at a variety of Mount Carmel events, working at Fight Night, and on the sidelines at Gately Stadium during Friday Night Lights. 

 

He is married to Connie, his lovely wife of 25 years and together, they have a son, Pablo Iglesias Jr., who is a 2013 graduate and current staff member at Mount Carmel High School.

 

Pablo remains in an active role at Mount Carmel today. When asked, he is always willing and without hesitation, to be available to support student organizations and programs such as the Caravan Broadcast Network and the Caravan Alley Players theatre productions. He is humble, selfless, and always giving to those around him. 

 

Ed Kosteck was born in Chicago and raised in New Lenox, IL. He attended Lincoln-Way Central High School, and after graduating, joined the IBEW Local 134 Electrical Union. Ed and his brother Jerry both worked for their father, Ed Kosteck (class of ’57) until taking over the family business, Hy-Power Electric Company, in the year 2000. 

Ed became involved with Mount Carmel when his oldest son, Ed Kosteck Jr. began his freshman year at Mount Carmel in 2003, where he played hockey for four-years. One year after Ed Kosteck Jr. graduated, his triplet brothers, Kevin, Kyle, and Kenneth Kosteck began their freshman year in 2008, and also played four years of hockey at Mount Carmel high school. 

Ed and his four sons have helped with and worked on various Mount Carmel projects including the newest parking lot, building a koi fish pond at the priory, and other projects with Padre Benjamin Aguilar.

Ed and his wife Cathy have been married 35 years, and in addition to their four sons, they have four daughters, Samantha, Caitlin, Jacqueline, and Jillian, welcomed their first grandchild in the middle of May. 

 

Marilyn Mckenna has had a longtime association with Mount Carmel High School. Her uncle, Fr. Al Sieracki taught at Mount Carmel in the 1960’s and her three brothers, the late James ’67, Richard ’70, and Steve ’76, all graduated from Mount Carmel. In addition, Marilyn and her husband Bill (H) sent three sons to Mount Carmel, Michael ’95, Matthew ’97 and Brian ’98.

 

Growing up, Marilyn always wanted to be the first girl to attend Mount Carmel. Marilyn taught in Catholic schools for 29 years, and when her sons made the decision to attend Mount Carmel, she and Bill got involved in numerous activities with the school. Marilyn served as secretary; treasurer and vice-president of the Mothers’ Club while her sons were in school. She has served on the Mount Carmel lay council, twice was the chairperson of the Mothers’ Club Fashion Show, volunteered for the Big Event, and provided lunches for many years to the varsity football team. Marilyn puts in countless hours serving on the Caravan Gala committee, making it into the great success that it is today.

 

In 2007, Marilyn received the Flos Carmeli award and in 2015 the Blessed Titus Brandsma, O.Carm. Award for outstanding service to the Mount Carmel Mothers’ Club.

 

 

Louis Raffin was born and raised in the Roseland neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. After graduating from Fenger High School in 1962, he became the third generation to enter into Raffin Construction, the company his grandfather started in 1916 after emigrating from Italy. In June of 1966, Louis enlisted in the “Seabees”, the US navy mobile construction battalion, 121st division, and served in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in June of 1968. 

 

Louis served as the president of Raffin Construction for over two decades. He is proud of the family values and reputation that he instilled in the 102-year-old family business. Projects like Northwestern University & Hospital, the United Center, US Cellular Field, Wrigley Field, and Mount Carmel have the Raffin Construction building stamp on them. His three boys are the fourth generation to enter the family business, and he is proud to say that his company continues to grow and to be a leader in the construction industry. 

 

Louis has been involved with Mount Carmel ever since his three boys joined the MC family, and he continues to support the school today. His wife Jeanne, who he has been married to for 51 years, was an active volunteer with the Mother’s Club and chaired their annual fashion show.