Winter 2012 Issue - De La Salle Institute

Steve Burrows ‘91MEET THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION’S NEW PRESIDENT!De La Salle would like to congratulateand honor Steve Burrows ‘91for accepting his position as thePresident of the Alumni Association.It is a very demanding and esteemedrole he has taken on in full stride.We look forward to working withSteve and the rest of the AlumniAssociation, and thought this wouldbe a great time to get to know Stevea little better.Congratulations on earning thetitle of the Alumni AssociationPresident! What about De La Sallemakes you want to stay involved?Thanks. De La Salle obviously means a lot to me. I wouldnot be where I am today if not for DLS. At D, we werenever allowed to just get by. We were forced to work hardand pushed to always try our best, to give 110% in anythingthat we did, whether it was taking a test, or competing insports. I made lifelong friendships at D that I cherish. Igot involved, and have stayed involved, because I owe Da debt of gratitude for all that it did for me, and I want toensure that my kids, and kids throughout the Chicago area,are able to share that same experience at De La Salle formany years to come.What about the position was most intriguing to you?De La Salle has been around for over 120 years, is oneof the finest high schools in Chicago, and should havean alumni association that reflects its greatness. Playinga role in helping ensure the future success of the alumniassociation, and the high school itself, is what appealed tome most.What are some ways other alumni can stay involved?If a D graduate wants to get involved, he or she can getinvolved on many different levels. It can be as simpleas coming out to a sporting event and cheering on theMeteors, or attending and supporting one of the greatevents De La Salle hosts every year, like the (GreatFutures) Gala, the D-Final Event, or the DLS Alumni GolfOuting. We could always use more D graduates to speak atCareer Day. If someone wants to get involved on a higherlevel, the alumni association needs class representativesand directors to help move the organization forward.The various events I just mentioned also have committeesthat always could use more assistance. The more people wecan get involved on any level will make De La Salle evenbetter than it already is today.What is something every graduate of De La Salle should knowabout the De La Salle Alumni Association?Every alum should know that there are several things thatthe alumni association could be doing to help the currentstudents at D, and guarantee a great future for the Institute.One of the things I would like to accomplish during myterm as president is to get an alumni mentor for eachhomeroom; someone who visits the class from time to timeto offer guidance and support; someone to whom a studentcould look for advice on picking a college, a career or anynumber of things. I would also like the alumni associationto play a large role in improving the academic and athleticfacilities at D, so that our students and our student-athletescan have the best technology, training facilities and playingfields in the Catholic League. We need more alumni toget involved in the alumni association to make these ideasbecome a reality.If you could go back and relive one experience you had at “D”,what would it be?I had so many great experiences at D that it’s hard to pickone. I’d love to replay my senior year of football and joinmy teammates on the field after a game, raising our helmetsand singing the D fight song to the crowd. I’d like to sitin the student section in the old main gym cheering onthe basketball team, watching Bill Murph throw it (if youwent to D in the late 80’s or early 90’s, you know what I’mtalking about).I think most of all though, I’d like to relive one regular dayat school, starting in the morning, meeting my friends in thecafeteria and scrambling to get our homework done, thengoing to classes with all the great teachers we had, like Mr.(Dennis) Sheehan, ‘The Wensh’ (Mr. Larry Wenshutonis),Br. Kevin (Fitzgerald), Mr. (Rich) Radecki….I could goon and on. I’d like to play some intramurals, listen to the‘Wensh’ deliver one of his memorable pep rally speeches,and just hang out with my classmates. That would be agreat day!Congratulations and we wish you the best, Steve!To get involved in the alumni association, please contact Iris GistCochran at (312) 842-7355 ext. 152 or cochrani@dls.org.24 Alumni Connection