Alex, Marilyn Havel Somers, Alex, Ashley, and Billy Somers
All three of his children, Alex ’01, William ’03, and Ashley ’08, are graduates who went all the way through Gilmour starting with Montessori school. Alex’s wife, Marilyn Havel Somers, is also a graduate from the Class of 2001. “The service program made them more generous and open-minded people,” their father says, pointing to the moral and spiritual values that grounded their Gilmour education. Like most parents, John Titgemeir ’81 wanted his daughter Brigid ’08 to get a good education, so she attended Gilmour from first grade on. He appreciates the extra help Gilmour offered him during his own days at the Academy. “The biggest influence the school imparts is to believe in yourself and to have John and Brigid confidence,” he says. Recalling the initial Lower School open house he and his wife Martha attended, he adds, “We left thinking that Gilmour was the best choice compared to the other schools we were considering.” “Attending Gilmour was a nurturing experience, and it opened my eyes to a whole new world I didn’t know existed,” says Lynn Arko Kelley G.O. ’73. “Had I gone to a neighborhood school, my world would not have broadened very much.” She remembers telling her parents back then that she was going to go to law school. Today she is a lawyer and her brother, Greg Arko ’67, is a physician. Both of her sons also graduated from Gilmour. Brenden ’08 and Christopher ’04 (deceased) started at
the Academy in kindergarten. The Gilmour trustee reminisced about taking Brenden and Chris to the Lower School and showing them a brass plate honoring her parents as one of Glen Oak’s building donors. “My sons had the same sense of community as I did about Gilmour,” she adds. Mother and sons had Rich Gretjak and Barb Vaughan as teachers. Kelley expresses a Lynn and Brenden spirit of continuity that comes with sending your children to your alma mater. “There is a lot of history and great memories,” she says. Because his family only recently relocated to Chicago, Anthony Giordano, Jr. ’76 was able to send his children through Gilmour with the exception of Alexandra, who attended from Montessori through 10th grade. Christina ’05 and Anthony ’07 attended from Montessori through 12th grade. “I had a positive experience at Gilmour throughout my four years of high school,” Giordano says. “I wanted my children to experience the same type of education and community involvement that Gilmour gave me.” He comments that he feels fortunate to be able to send his children to a private school, adding, “Gilmour offers a quality education, a sense of family, community, and a strong Catholic discipline, which my wife Maria and I think is important in raising a family.” Alex, Anthony, Tony, Christina
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