Elgin High School held a homecoming of sorts Tuesday afternoon for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, class of 1994, when it inducted him into its Maroons Alumni Hall of Fame.
“I know I am the mayor of Chicago, but I am still loyal to you, Elgin High,” Johnson told the gathering of invited guests, which included family members, old friends, former teachers, school administrators and local leaders.
After being introduced by Elgin High School Principal Avelira Rodríguez González, Johnson quipped that her comments were the longest any principal had ever spoken about him.
“The last time a principal spoke that much about me I was about the get suspended by (then principal) Mr. Nemmers,” Johnson said, eliciting a laugh from the group.
Johnson said he was humbled by his plaque being among to the school’s featured alumni.
“It means a lot to me to be recognized by school leaders and community members who helped shape me into the person I am today,” Johnson said. “The person I am most impressed with is Mr. (Jerry) Turnquist.”
He noted that Turnquist — a now-retired Ellis Middle School science teacher and Elgin’s de facto historian — never buttoned his shirt to the top.
“I can say this now because I’m age appropriate, that Mr. Turnquist is the sexiest teacher in the history of District U-46,” Johnson joked.
Being involved in school activities, including sports, band and student government, he said there was only one memory that still haunts — losing his reelection bid for class president.
“I’ve haven’t forgotten that. And that’s why I haven’t lost an election since,” he said.
Johnson added that the education he received in Elgin molded him into a well-rounded person and some amazing teachers and faculty members inspired him to become a teacher, particularly economics teacher Gordy Whiting.
“You know in class, he would wear those Hawaiian-looking shirts? I didn’t realize he wasn’t trying to be cool. When I became a teacher I realized that’s all he could afford. He’s still wearing that shirt today,” Johnson said.
Johnson recounted that his career as a middle and high school teacher led to him eventually becoming an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union. From there he ran successfully for the Cook County Board and then for Chicago mayor.
He’s proud of what he’s been able to accomplish, touting his administration being able to expand youth employment to more than 31,000 jobs last year, an action inspired by programs available in his youth in Elgin. What he’s been able to do, thanks to skills learned in Elgin, he said, has allowed his administration to build the safest, most affordable big city in America.
“And because of the diversity I experienced in the city of Chicago (and) the city of Elgin is why I use my executive authority to protect immigrants and undocumented people,” Johnson said.
The gathering included speeches from Rodríguez González, U-46 Superintendent Suzanne Johnson, Johnson’s sister Andrea Johnson-Williams and a reading of a proclamation presented by Elgin City Council members Tish Powell, Corey Dixon, Rose Martinez and John Steffen.
Whiting gently roasted Johnson with a story about their initial meeting. When Whiting oversaw a field trip to downtown Chicago for a veterans event in spring 1991, students were told they absolutely had to be back by 2:30 p.m.
Johnson didn’t, so Whiting and another student stayed behind to wait for him so they could take the train back to Elgin.
“He finally showed up with the biggest ice cream cone you’ve ever seen,” Whiting said.
Whiting joked that the trip may have been the inspiration for Johnson running for Chicago’s mayor, so that one day the city would be his.
Whiting added that Johnson was in his economics class three years later.
“He was a lot of fun. And any day he wasn’t there, it was a different class,” he said.
The ribbing continued with retired social studies teacher John Devine, who gave Johnson a 1994 yearbook with Johnson’s transcript tucked inside. Devine told the audience Johnson received A grades in leadership, English and acting.
The gathering concluded with Johnson posing for photos with well-wishers and taking a tour of the building.
During the presentation, Rodríguez González said she hoped Johnson might one day return to his alma mater to talk to students.
“His journey from student to public servant and leader of one of the nation’s great cities is a testament to perseverance, purpose and the power of public education,” she said in a news release. “It shows that the path from Elgin High School can lead anywhere, even to the highest levels of leadership.”
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
