2008 Distinguished Hall of Honor Recipients

Michael Cavender – Class of 1972
Michael Cavender has achieved national and regional recognition for broadcast journalism, including six Emmy awards and an Edward R. Murrow award for outstanding news programming, documentary productions and daily news reporting, writing and editing.

Thomas C. Ewing -- Class of 1969
Tom Ewing, senior vice president and general counsel of US Stores for Wal-Mart, assisted in the development of a generic prescription drug program that has helped millions of people obtain affordable medicine. The program allows customers to purchase one of 300 kinds of generic prescriptions for just $4, per 30-day supply.

Phillip E. Johnson -- Class of 1958
Dr. Phillip Johnson, long-time professor of law at the University of California-Berkeley, is not only the author of widely used textbooks on criminal law and criminal procedure, but he is also generally recognized internationally as one of the foremost critics of Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

Frank H. McWethy – Class of 1901
Thanks to Frank H. McWethy, an Aurora company was to play a significant role in the building of the Panama Canal. As vice president of the Aurora-based Stephens-Adamson Manufacturing Co. in its New York office, McWethy was able to secure several contracts that generated significant work and growth to the Aurora community.

Richard Olson -- Class of 1947
As mayor of Des Moines, Iowa during the 1970s, Richard “Dick” Olson was not only leading force in stimulating almost $1 billion in new development to rejuvenate the city’s downtown, but he also was co-founder of the city’s Big Brothers mentoring program. From 1984 until 2002, Olson chaired the United States Olympic Committee for eight Midwestern states.

Randy Shilts – Class of 1969
Randy Shilts was an acclaimed journalist and author who gained international recognition with his book “And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic,” an account of the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States.