1988 Recipients
George St. Angelo
Class Year: 1943
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 1988
George St. Angelo has spent a lifetime in service to his church and community. He earned a master of divinity degree from Evangelical Theological Seminary, attended the London School of Economics and was ordained by the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1949. His pastorates include churches in San Pierre/Wanatah, Ind., Indianapolis and Chicago. From 1955-66, St. Angelo served as chaplain at North Central College and was a founding member of Hope United Church of Christ in Naperville. He continued his denominational affiliation as a retired member of the South Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 1968, St. Angelo established Seminars International, an organization dedicated to international travel as a tool of education, good will, hope and enjoyment. His tours included seminars on theology, politics and social issues. He retired after 31 years of service. St. Angelo earned a doctor of humanities in 1999 from the University of Indianapolis, where he also serves on the board of directors.
Lowell "Bud" Berger
Class Year: 1948
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 1988
Lowell "Bud" Berger has spent a lifetime working with youth. He was a teacher and coach at Naperville Central High School for 34 years, where his track teams won a record 15 consecutive cross country conference championship titles after he introduced the sport to the school. In 1984, he was inducted into the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame and in 1985, was a recipient of the Illinois Interscholastic Association Award for “Outstanding Service to Youth.” Berger served as president of the Naperville Teachers Association and trustee of Grace United Methodist Church. Currently he volunteers for Holy Cross Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., installing and maintaining lifeline systems for the elderly and shut-ins.
G. Ward Stearns
Class Year: 1956
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 1988
G. Ward Stearns was president and chief executive officer of Harris Bank in Naperville. After graduating from North Central College with a degree in business administration, Stearns pursued graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, Graduate School of Banking. Prior to his 1970 appointment as president of the Bank of Naperville, later Harris Bank, he was a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, vice president of Naperville National Bank, and president of the Bank of Westmont. He has been involved in numerous Naperville civic organizations and serves several area bank boards. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950-54 and is a licensed commercial pilot. For the College, Stearns has served on the College’s Board of Trustees since 1984 and has been a Life Trustee since 1996.
Susan Lloyd
Class Year: 1978
Alumni Recognition Award Winner 1988
Susan Lloyd is a director in the Program on Human and Community Development at John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Her focus includes work to improve low-income neighborhoods and assist with the transformation of public housing. Professionally, she has concentrated on the not-for-profit sector serving as advertising director for Youth Communication/Chicago and as associate director of Metro-Help, Inc., prior to establishing a counseling and technical assistance practice for neighborhood-based not-for-profit organizations in 1983 under Lloyd Consulting, Inc. In 1997, Lloyd received a Ron Sable Activism Award at the Crossroads Fund’s Annual Benefit, recognizing her volunteer effort, generous support and commitment to social and economic justice.
Sandra L. Simmons Matthews
Class Year: 1977
Alumni Recognition Award Winner 1988
Sandra Matthews is a senior program director of the Michael and Juanita Jordan Endowment Fund, wife of Gary Matthews, hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs; and a professional with a resume that includes director of public relations with seven City Colleges of Chicago and a long, successful career at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Matthews discovered her passion was to work in the media. As a result, one of her first jobs after graduation was at the Chicago Sun-Times. Many promotions took place over the years and Matthews was later recruited to head public relations at the City Colleges of Chicago, which reported to the Mayor’s Office. After her daughter, Paige, was born, Matthews left City Colleges and pursued her interest in child and family law by earning a masters of juris prudence in 2002 from Loyola Law School. For the last six years, she has consulted for Michael and Juanita Jordan on their private family endowment fund. Matthews served on North Central’s Board of Trustees from 1989-91.