1997 Recipients
Ruth Johnson Fawell
Class Year: 1952
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 1997
Ruth Johnson Fawell ’52 has been a community leader in Naperville for more than 20 years. Before retiring from teaching, she served School District 203 in various capacities from 1970 to 1989. She has served on the board of the Naperville Riverwalk Commission, the Jeanine Nicarico Literacy Trust Committee and the Advisory Committee for the DuPage Children’s Museum. She was instrumental in plans to relocate the interactive science museum to Naperville, and has also helped with Little Friends Action and North Central College’s alumni fund drives. As an honorary governor of the Illinois Lincoln Series for Excellence in Public Service, she was on the board of directors of the SCI-TECH Science Museum and has been active in state and national political affairs. She’s been a recipient of the Citibank Crystal Award, given to women for outstanding achievement, in the category of Community Enhancement and Betterment.
Ed Mathey
Class Year: 1986
Alumni Recognition Award Winner 1997
Ed Mathey is in his second term as head baseball coach for North Central College and was previously head baseball coach of North Central from 1994-2002. As a collegiate athlete, Mathey was a four-year member of the North Central baseball program and earned First Team All-CCIW accolades as a pitcher his junior season. He received his master’s degree in athletic administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1991. During his first tenure as coach, the Cardinals won three College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin titles in 1994, 1996 and 1998. All three conference crowns led to CCIW Coach of the Year Awards for Mathey. He received the President’s Award at the 24th Annual Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame dinner. Nominators commented that Mathey developed North Central into one of the best programs in Illinois. In August 2002, Mathey was named the 24th head coach in the 103-year-history of the Northern Illinois University baseball program. He is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Charles D. Bueche
Class Year: 1952
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 1997
Charles Bueche is a lifetime community volunteer. Since retiring as vice president of employee benefits of Fannie May Candy Shops, he has been an active member of the Junior Chamber Commerce (Jaycees), working with the organization on a city, state and national level, serving as director of the National Jaycees. He received a distinguished Service Award from the Jaycees and was named Outstanding State Chair. He has also volunteered for various leadership positions with church committees, YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, VFW Post 3873 and the Y’s Men’s and Women’s Club International.
Elmer A. Sundby
Class Year: 1952
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 1997
Elmer Sundby taught at North Central from 1956-72 and served as a graduate lecturer on learning disabilities at the National College of Education in Evanston, Ill. He retired from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he was a professor and chair of psychology and assistant to the vice chancellor of academic affairs. He has been a member of the Wisconsin Annual Conference Board of Higher Education and Ministry and has been active in the United Methodist Church. As a visiting scholar at the University of Minnesota for one year, Sundby was also a Ford Foundation Fellow, named to Who’s Who in the Midwest and cited as an Outstanding Educator in America. He is a member of many professional organizations and his contributions to the community include working with the Eau Claire Rotary Club and Eau Claire County Mental Health Association, mediating for the Eau Claire County small claims court and delivering books to shut-ins as a library volunteer.
Ruben A. Roca
Class Year: 1962
Outstanding Alumni Award Winner 1997
Ruben Roca was born and raised in Cuba, then came to the United States in order to escape the political fallout from the rise of Castro. He represented Cuba in swimming at the 1959 Pan-American Games and the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. At North Central, was a member of the legendary Cardinal men’s swim team of the early 60s. He pursued graduate work in economics at American University in Washington, D.C., and then became vice president and director of retail strategies for the Rouse Company of Columbia, Md.—best known for its high-profile city projects like Faneuil Hall in Boston and South Street Seaport in Manhattan. He edited and coordinated the publication and preparation of an International Council of Shopping Centers book titled Market Research for Shopping Centers, which was published in 1980. Today, Roca is retired from Rouse Company and has developed Roca Real Estate Advisors, which provides advisory services to corporate entities in Spain and other European countries. He also assists European retailers entering the U.S. market.