New Trier High School announced the names of 11 alumni being honored with 2017 Alumni Achievement Awards on March 16 at the Hilton Orrington Hotel in Evanston. These new inductees, ranging from Grammy-nominated rock stars to high-profile business executives, join 41 of their peers in New Trier’s Alumni Hall of Honor. Below, we present the new honorees.
Hall “Cap” Adams Jr., Class of 1950
Adams, the former CEO of Leo Burnett, was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2002. Now retired, he’s a supporter of the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Off the Street Club.
Ann Compton, Class of 1965
Compton is the former White House Correspondent for ABC News, and the first female broadcaster that was assigned full-time to the White House. In 2000, she was inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Chris Cox, Class of 2000
Cox is the Chief Product Officer at Facebook and Chief of Staff to Mark Zuckerberg. He is also responsible for helping to create the social media site’s News Feed.
William Hohengarten, Class of 1978
Hohengarten, a lawyer, assisted in drafting the arguments that persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 to overturn Texas’ sodomy laws, which paved the way for the courts’ ruling on gay marriage legalization in 2015. He’s been awarded with the Pro Bono Award from Jenner and Block.
Walter McDougall, Class of 1964
McDougall, a historian and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, received the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for his book “The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age.” He’s also the Alloy-Ansin professor of international relations at the University of Pennsylvania.
Peter McNitt, Class of 1972
McNitt is Vice Chairman of BMO Harris Bank, and he has also served as Chairman of the YMCA of Metro Chicago Board of Managers.
Mark Olsky, Class of 1962
Olsky is a trailblazer in emergency medicine whose work led to the flagship of the University of Illinois‘ Emergency Medicine Program. He’s also a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin.
Liz Phair, Class of 1985
Phair is a Grammy-nominated singer who has sold 3 million records worldwide and is also known for her 2003 hit single “Why Can’t I.” Rolling Stone listed her 1993 debut album, “Exile in Guyville,” as one of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
Matthew Polenzani, Class of 1986
Polenzani is a lyric tenor who has performed in the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera and San Francisco Opera. He has also received the Richard Tucker Award and Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award.
Cliff Sloan, Class of 1975
Sloan is a high-profile litigator and has held numerous high-ranking federal government positions, such as special envoy for the Guantanamo closure. He is a partner in the litigation group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
Shawn Robinson, Class of 1996
Robinson, the recipient of New Trier’s Young Alumnus Award, is a researcher in the field of dyslexia and how it particularly affects disadvantaged black men.
Make It Better is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2017 Alumni Achievement Awards.