By: Nola Sommer

Everybody knows Springfield High School’s spirit is unmatched, our education is off the charts and our teachers are one of a kind. But how many of us know the legends who used to walk our halls? Those who have gone on to make a difference in the world? The SHS Hall of Fame was established in 1967 as a gift from two graduates, Carrol C. Hall and Dorothy Silvia Hall. In order to receive this award, recipients must have achieved national eminence, have been graduated for over 25 years, and were a student at Springfield High in either their junior or senior year. While their names are etched on a plaque in the school, let me introduce you to some of the people behind the names.

William Howarth, who recently passed away at the age of 82, graduated from Springfield High in 1958. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and later received his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia. After graduating, he became a writer and an English professor at Princeton University. He served as the editor-in-chief for an NEH-funded project, had his own office in Princeton University Library and was one of the co-founders of the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI). As a co-founder of PEI, Howarth launched the study of ecocriticism and environmental literature, teaching new courses he designed. Along with those new courses, William established over 60 undergraduate and graduate classes including ones called “Walden in Our Time,” “Transatlantic Romanticism” and “American Renaissance.” As well as serving Princeton for 51 years, he published 14 books and also wrote for National Geographic, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, The New York Times and The American Scholar. 

While Howarth was a superstar at Princeton, let me introduce you to a force on the football field. Edward “Dutch” Sternaman was an American football player and a co-owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Sternaman was a senior at Springfield High in 1914 where he was the football captain, all-state in basketball and had 13 varsity letters (four in football, basketball and track and one in baseball). After graduating from SHS, he went to the University of Illinois to star on the football team coached by Coach Bob Zuppke as a mechanical engineering student. He lettered in football in both 1916 and 1917. Dutch was later drafted in May of 1918, where he organized the football program and was captain of the cantonment team. After he served, he returned to U of I in order to finish his degree. Once graduated, Sternamen went to work for the A.E. Staley Co. where he played on the company football team, coached by George Halas. He led the team’s scoring in both 1920 and 1921 as a halfback. After Staley dropped its sponsorship in 1922, Dutch and Halas created the Chicago Bears together. Sternamen ended up playing for the Bears through 1927 until Halas offered for him to co-own the team. They were equal partners in the team through the end of the 1931 franchise. 

Moving on to our trailblazer of politics, Cheri Bustos, who graduated from SHS in 1979, was an American journalist, healthcare executive and politician. Bustos attended Illinois College but later transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park where she received her bachelor’s degree in political science. After college, she moved to the University of Illinois, Springfield where she received her master’s degree in journalism. Cheri interned for the Illinois Senate Democrats for a year after graduate school. Bustos was a member of the Democratic Party and served as the U.S. Representative from Illinois’s 17th congressional district from 2013-2023. Along with her other many accomplishments, she became the first woman elected to Congress from her district of the northwestern part of the state. During the 2020 presidential election, while still a representative, Bustos became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Later, after she announced she was not running for a second term as the chair of DCCC, Speaker Nancy Pelosi nominated her to co-chair the House Democratic Steering Committee. 

Lastly, the man who received the highest honor in the subject of journalism, Matt McKinney, graduated in 2009 from Springfield High and went on to study at Knox College and Northwestern University’s journalism school. McKinney went on to write for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and later won a Pulitzer Prize for being a member of the team that covered the fatal mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. The Pulitzer Prize is an award given out by Columbia University for achievements in online journalism, literature, musical composition, newspaper and magazine writing within the United States. His team won for successfully capturing the resilience and agony caused by the community’s grief. Matt is now a reporter for SpotlightPA, a statewide investigative newsroom based in Harrisburg, Pa. Although Matt McKinney is not yet in the SHS Hall of Fame, his accomplishments make us certain that he will be inducted once he meets the requirements. 

All the recipients of the SHS Hall of Fame embody hard work and excellence. Their astonishing achievements serve as inspiration to current and future students of Springfield High School, reminding us of the results that dedication and commitment can bring in our lives. While the SHS Hall of Fame features a wide variety of extraordinary people, it is important to learn that greatness is not just a partner with the past, but it also allows us to remember the futures of Springfield High’s current bright student body. The SHS Hall of Fame is a recurring testament to the work of our past students, as well as a look into the futures of our current students. And who knows, maybe you’ll be the next recipient of the SHS Hall of Fame award.