Three distinguished alumni were inducted into the LFHS Alumni Wall of Fame Monday for the first time since 2019. These exceptional graduates— dating back as far as 1966 – returned to LFHS to share their unique experiences since entering the world and creating their own story.

The three alumni honored— Carla Neuschel Wyckoff (Class of ‘66), Margaret McMullan (Class of ‘78) and Clark Sommers (Class of ‘95) —spent the day reminiscing on their high school days, providing insight on their careers to current students, and shared their life experiences. 

Each Scout was selected by the Wall of Fame Selection Committee for their individual accomplishments.: 

Wyckoff received an MBA from Northwestern and a Juris Doctor’s Degree from Loyola. She has served as a prosecutor in Lake County, an Assistant State’s Attorney, and a lobbyist in Washington D.C.

McMullan began working for Glamour Magazine and has since written nine award-winning books, and her work appears in USA Today, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times. Currently living in Mississippi, she continues to write and make a change on multiple literary boards. 

Sommers, a Grammy-winning bassist, is recognized for his expertise in jazz, where he toured with stars such as Kurt Elling and Cedar Walton. He earned a master’s in Jazz Composition at DePaul University. 

Hosted by Principal Dr. Erin Lenart, the ceremony was held in the Raymond Moore Auditorium. The honorees were presented one by one, followed by a Q&A with alumni committee member Mrs. Carolyn Konz. 

Dr. Lenart believes that this event provided a perfect opportunity for students to be “inspired to dream of success.” 

“To hear from these three graduates, who all took very different pathways to success and have made such significant contributions to our world is powerful and a testament to the community we live in. I am so proud to be a small part of this event,” Dr. Lenart said.

Upperclassmen were given the opportunity to hear directly from the honorees in the RMA during the school day. This not only allowed them to see success first-hand but it was an inspiring event where they could hear about the unique experiences of each honoree inducted. 

“The hope is that a student in the audience takes a nugget of what was said and applies it to their life. These bits of advice are important to consider as students, especially seniors, go through their last few weeks of high school,” Konz said. 

Many people came together to turn this event into something spectacular. The six student hosts, who were selected by a committee that included Mrs. Konz and Mrs. Julie Crouch, were there to “represent the quality of students at LFHS.” They ensured that their respective alumni felt welcomed and comfortable around the building. 

The three honorees spent their time following the “fireside chat” in various classrooms with students, teaching them about their respective specialties. 

Sommers created an interactive jam session with the band students, a memory that senior Ibrahim Hashim, student host for Sommers, gained a wealth of knowledge from. As someone in the music field, Hashim was inspired by Sommers’ expertise. 

“When [Sommers] went to the band class and was instructing the jazz combo group on how to play in a more professional way, that was really memorable. Those tips can be taken not just in music, but in all walks of life,” Hashim said. “He said that if you get the fundamentals right, everything else is easy from there.”

McMullan spoke with English classes about her life story, as well as the tedious process she undergoes in order to create books that mean the most to her. She collects as much information as she can before even beginning to dive into writing the book, which can take up to five years in total. 

“I really like writing in english classes, and she provided so much depth on how she got to where she is today, and gave a great inside look on what it takes to write a book, and how you can take your experiences and make them into something that other people will want to read about and learn about. I loved her book talk – it was one that I was engaged in the whole time and I was really interested in,” senior student host Michaela Barry said. 

A memorable highlight from the day was when the alumni took a tour around the building. 

Senior Sara Drowne, one of the student hosts for Wyckoff, learned a lot about what high school was back in the day, before girls sports were even an option. 

“When we were taking her on the tour, nothing was in the same place where it was when she was in high school. She had a lot of stories of how things used to be and what things were like. The things that she told us were things that I wouldn’t be able to hear from someone else because I’ve never met someone else who was at the high school at that time,” Drowne said.

This event is a culmination of all of the greatness that’s poured into the Lake Forest community, a special rarity that not all schools have the privilege of experiencing. With a history of success, the school hopes to continue this tradition for many years to come, as it is a culmination of all things Scout Pride. 

“I hope the school community values the experience – not just the students but the whole community. There is such a great value in having graduates come back and share their life experience after LFHS,” Konz said. 

Students clearly took a lot away from the various words of advice from the inductees. One piece of advice from McMullan stands out to Hashim as he looks to finish out the last few weeks of his senior year alongside the remainder of his class: “do what you love.”

“It’s kind of cliche, but seeing someone who’s successful doing what they’re interested in can really impact students, especially seniors leaving high school who want to pursue different dreams in the future. Her talk was really impactful,” he said.