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Richard A. Kerner - Waubonsie Valley High School
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| As the school’s first athletic director, Dick Kerner helped open the doors at Waubonsie Valley High School in September of 1975. The school welcomed 293 students on its opening day of school. At retirement (21 years later), the school’s enrollment exceeded 3000 students. Kerner was responsible for building the athletic program from the ground up, including everything from hiring coaches, ordering equipment, and scheduling games, to constructing athletic fields. His athletic program began with a couple of levels in a few sports, which grew to over 20 sports and 87 levels at the time of retirement. In addition to his role as athletic director, Dick was the school’s first physical education/driver education department chair (five years) and coached football at the school for 20 years. Taylor Bell of the Chicago Sun Times wrote an article several years ago about the growth and success of Waubonsie Valley High School. Bell wrote, “The architect of Waubonsie Valley’s renaissance is Athletic Director Dick Kerner, who has turned hamburger into filet mignon.” Colleagues credited the school’s success with Kerner’s ability to surround himself with good people. His former principal stated, “Mr. Kerner proved to be a most diligent and tireless member of our administrative team who was oblivious to the clock as he worked to develop an athletic program that became recognized throughout the area and state as a class operation.” Dick’s contributions to high school athletics were recognized at the state and local levels. In 1995, Dick was recognized by the IADA as an Outstanding Athletic Director of the Year. In the same year, Mr. Kerner was inducted into the Waubonsie Valley High School Hall of Fame. In the fall of 1995, the school’s stadium was named Dick Kerner Stadium. The school publicly recognized his contributions to the school and his unfailing personal example of the “Spirit of the Warrior.” For his contributions to high school athletics, Dick Kerner deservedly assumes his place as a member of the Illinois Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame. |
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