2010 Distinguished Hall of Honor Recipients

Albert W. Alschuler– Class of 1958
Armed with skills developed as captain of West High’s State Finalist Debate Team, Albert W.Alschuler graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School where he was Case Editor of the Harvard Law Review. He clerked for Justice Walter V. Schaefer of the Illinois Supreme Court and served in the Justice Department during the Lyndon Baines Johnson administration. His teaching career began at the University of Texas at Austin, continuing at institutions including the University of Michigan, University of California at Berkeley, Columbia, and the University of Chicago where he taught for twenty-two years and was Julius Kreeger Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology. In 2006, Alschuler assumed his current position as Professor of Law at Northwestern University. Alschuler has written over 100 articles on topics such as Federal Sentencing Guidelines, search and seizure, courtroom conduct, the right to privacy, and the ethics of the O.J. Simpson defense team. Alschuler was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Sutherland Prize from the American Society of Legal Historians. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Law and Society Association, Consultant to the Special Committee on Courtroom Conduct for the New York City Bar Association, and Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Annbritt (Gemmer) duChateau -- Class of 1983
Annbritt (Gemmer) duChateau’s formal education includes multiple degrees from DePaul University's School of Music in Chicago.  From her experiences at West High as an member of many bands and the pit orchestra for spring musicals to her recent engagement as Musical Director for the international showing of Mary Poppins, Annbritt would agree, however, the education received on-the-job is the most beneficial.  She has been Associate Conductor for such Broadway productions as Les Miserables, Frogs, Pal Joey, Phantom of the Opera, and Into the Woods.  Her talent also has garnered her positions as Assistant Conductor for the National tours on Kiss Me, Kate, and Musical Director - Conductor of Miss Saigon and Aspects of Love.  Her keyboard skills have been captured on several Tony and Grammy-nominated cast albums.  duChateau’s resume reflects venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Studio 54, London's Royal Albert Hall, and the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center and stars such as Vanessa Williams, Nathan Lane, and Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of the band ABBA.  Annbritt’s musicianship and intelligence have proven to be her entree into the highly competitive (and primarily male dominated) field of music directors in the Broadway theater industry.  Her journey from one city of lights to another has been crowned with many successes.

Thomas F. Gallagher -- Class of 1962
Although it seems to be a quantum leap from his high school forays with A Cappella Choir, Cross Country and debate teams, Thomas F. Gallagher’s career as an experimental physicist has been on a steady course ever since his graduation from West High.  From his undergraduate career at Williams College to his graduate and doctoral work at Harvard University, Gallagher has devoted his talents to the study of atoms, in particular the Rydberg atom. His curriculum vitae includes positions as a Senior Physicist at SRI and Chairman of the Department of Physics at the University of Virginia, where he currently holds the position of Jesse W. Beams Professor of Physics.  He also chaired the Annual Meeting of the Division of AMO Physics of the American Physical Society.  Gallagher has published and co-published over 250 articles giving his field an extensive library of understanding which has,according to colleagues, “stimulated theoretical investigations, inspired new experiments, and provided physical insight into many other problems.” His awards and recognitions include: Fellow of the American Physical Society, Fellow of the Optical Society of America, the Davisson-Germer Prize of the American Physical Society, and Outstanding Scientist of Virginia.

Pam Kohn Hait– Class of 1961
Participation in A Cappella Choir, Girls’ Club, Writers’ Committee for the Choir Show, Music Appreciation Club, Cheerleading, Fall Play, Pep Club, and Speech Team gave Pam Kohn Hait a broad base from which to create her articles and books. Hait began her career as a journalism student at Northwestern University.  Her ability to capture pictures in words continued as she published for Rand McNally, Resident and Staff a national medical magazine, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Phoenix Magazine and a host of other venues.  She has written articles on issues ranging from news and economics, to design, art, humor, and tourism for such notable publications as USA Today, Travel and Leisure, Metropolitan Home, McCalls, Forbes, and Life Magazine.  Ladies Home Journal selected Hait to conduct the first media interview with newly appointed, Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor.  Hait has authored more than a dozen books whose topics run the spectrum from History of the American Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons, Inc., to Paul Calle: An Artist’s Journey, to The Tao of Time.  Currently, Hait works through her own company ‘Strategies,’ providing marketing and strategic planning services to clients throughout the southwestern U.S., Mexico, U.K., and Europe.

Stephen F. Sundlof -- Class of 1969
Stephen F. Sundlof, in his position as Director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in Washington D.C., oversees the regulation of the $1 trillion U.S. food industry. Under his supervision, the FDA is responsible for the safety of the U.S. food supply except for meat and poultry. Key among his responsibilities is constant vigilance for tracking down and removing contaminated foods from the market. Along with these life-saving investigations, Sundlof established federal regulations to prevent Mad Cow disease, and his leadership continues to ensure the safety of food for all citizens. His colleagues and the international community have sought his expertise as a liaison to the United Nations on issues of food safety standards. Sundlof sits on a number of international committees responsible for setting policy to ensure the safety of food and assist in international trade. His active membership in the in the American Academy of Veterinary and Comparative Toxicology, the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology, and the American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics in which he served as President attests to the breadth of knowledge and respect accorded him through his recognition by the University of Illinois as a 2008 Outstanding Alumni.

Arthur R. Wyatt– Class of 1945
Arthur Wyatt, a three-time alumnus of University of Illinois / Champaign (UIUC) completing his Doctorate in Accounting in 1953, taught accounting and coached golf at UIUC leaving in 1966 to become a partner at Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago. After his retirement, Wyatt’s love of accounting led him to continue teaching as an adjunct professor of accounting at Northwestern University and UIUC.  Wyatt served as director of Inprimis Inc. and director of First Busey Corporation from 1995 through 2009.  He has sat on many boards and committees, among them University YMCA, Alumni Foundation Fund for the Alpha Delta Phi Illinois Chapter, Campaign Illinois, Andersen Campaign Leader, and Advisor to the Dean of UIUC College of Business.  His expertise in accounting led to many awards including his induction into the Accounting Hall of Fame in 1998, service to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, and the Accounting Exemplar Award -- American Accounting Association in 2000.  Add to those his authorship of several accounting books and contributions to numerous journals, Arthur R. Wyatt emerges as a dedicated participant in nurturing both the roots and growth of the field of accounting.