ATHLETICS
The Havard School was a charter member of the Cook County League in 1888 with public schools from the city,
but eventually left in 1891 and helped from the Interprepatory (aka Preparatory) League in 1895. The school was without a
conference affiliation from 1907 until 1935 when it joined the Private School League. Harvard was competitive in a number
of sports and helped introduce golf to its fellow conference members during its days in the Interpreparatory League. Outside
of golf, the school offered football, track, baseball, basketball, and swimming to its male athletes.
FOOTBALL
Starting out in 1888, the Cook County League offered gridiron action as Harvard was ready to put its
best against the rest of the schools in the county, winning the titles at 6-1 (according to historian Robert Pruter).
The Harvardians continued their success in the Interprepatory and Private School leagues, with 12 conference titles thru
1960, thanks to information we've received from another one of fine contributors, Tom Sikorski. Here's a look at those teams:
1888 6-1 Cook County League Champs
coach unknown
1897 Interprepatory League
Champs coach unknown
1899 Interprepatory League
Champs coach unknown
1902 Interprepatory League
Champs coach unknown
1936 Private School League
Champs coach unknown
1937 Private School League
Champs coach unknown
1938 5-1-1 Private School League Co-Champs Coach Les Dohr
1947 7-0 Private School League Champs
Coach Les Dohr
1948 6-0 Private School League Champs
Coach Les Dohr
1954 3-1-1 PSL White Division Champs
Coach Les Dohr
Lost to Wheaton Academy in PSL Championship Game
1957 5-1 PSL White Division Champs
Coach Les Dohr
1960 5-1 PSL White Division Champs
Coach Les Dohr
Last win in school history was a 13-6 victory over Winnetka North Shore Country Day
GOLF
Harvard put a team onto the links as early as 1899 when it played Chicago University School in the
first-known interscholastic golf match between two Illinois secondary schools. The school may have lost by a score
of 19-4, but it came back and played Chicago Manual the next year. From there, it won three conference
titles during the first half of the 20th Century, led by two of the top amateur golfers in the country, Mason Phelps
and Warren K. Wood (see below).
1901 Interprepatory League Champs
coach unknown
1902 Interprepatory League Champs
coach unknown
1938 Private School League Champs
coach unknown
BOYS' TRACK
Harvard was a founding member of the Interprepatory League, as it participated in the first-ever sporting
event of the new alliance in June of 1895. While it was in that conference, it won one league title and also
produced an Olympian in Walter Dray, who would compete in the pole vault at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics (see below).
1899 Interprepatory League Champs
coach unknown
BASEBALL
The school's talent pool was deep enough to snare two Interprepatory League championships around the turn
of the 20th Century as Harvard won on the prep diamonds of Chicago. Names of coaches and players are missing.
1899 Interprepatory League Champs
coach unknown
1905 Interprepatory League Champs coach
unknown
BOYS' BASKETBALL
1935-36 Private School League Champs
coach unknown
1938-39 Private School League Champs
coach unknown
BOYS' SWIMMING
Score one for the tankmen of Harvard! The school offered this sport in the late 1930's and won a conference
titles. More information would be greatfully appreciated.
1937 Private School League Champs
coach unknown
FAMOUS HARVARD SCHOOL ALUMNI
Thanks to our good friend and Illinois prep historian Robert Pruter, there were several athletes that made
their mark in the sports world from Harvard. Here's a capsulized look at them:
--Mason Phelps—Was
a member of the Western Golf Association team that took first in the 1904 Olympic Games, and as an individual he took fifth.
He won the Western Amateur in 1910.
--Warren K. Wood—Was
the Western Interscholastic champion of 1904, and just out of high school, was a member of the Western Golf Association team
that took first in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. He won the Western Amateur in 1913.
--Jerry H. Weber—As a top schoolboy
tennis player, he won the University of Chicago interscholastic in 1914 in singles, and with his brother James won the doubles
in 1913 and 1914. In the University of Illinois
Interscholastic, he won the singles in 1912, 1913, and 1914, and with his brother won the doubles
in 1913. He took second in the National Interscholastic at Newport, Rhode Island, in 1914. He later became a notable professional.
--Walter Dray—He took
sixth in the pole vault in the 1904 Olympic Games, but for a while, he held the national collegiate record in the event.
--In addition to these four athletes, author Edgar Rice Burroughs attended Harvard in 1888. He later
became famous for writing the Tarzan series of books, and was one of the first writers to incorporate his own works in order
to have more control over them. In addition, he also penned the Barsoom pages about life on Mars and other science fiction
novels, including The Land That Time Forgot.
MEMORIES
**From Valarie Graham:
"I am a 1984 graduate of The Harvard School. I see that your research is largely focused on the earlier years. I wanted
to let you know that if you google a woman named Ann Tyskling you can find out a lot about the schools later
years. She was the director as far back as 1968 and by the time I graduated in 1984 was still the director and
a benefactor of the school. The Harvard School colors were blue and gold.
I kept my cheerleading uniform for many, many years. I can't for the life of me remember the mascot though. I know we played
basketball in the Independent School League. The star basketball
player in 83-84 was Pierre Ellis. There is an alumni group on facebook."
From Joe Anzek:
"Susan Gibson was principal of the school prior to 1983 and on until 1987 when Mrs. Tyskling (what an
amazing school leader) retired, but remained a member of the Board of Directors, along with her daughter Karen, Dorothy Gleaves,
Timothy Rand, Lindsey Gorman, etc. Mrs. Gibson became director and I was named principal in 1983.
"Mrs. Gibson refined the curriculum, organized the administrative functions and opened a new Early
Childhood Center in 1985. The EC Center was very well-received and well attended. Mrs. Gibson left in 1987 to become
Principal of the Beye School in Oak Park, IL. I was named Director in 1987 and left in 1989 to lead a public school in New
Jersey.
"Some staff members I remember well are Max Fayn, who managed the library and taught French. Zeus
Preckwinkle taught 4th grade so lovingly. Kathy George was a marvelous English teacher. Mark Jackson was an industrious
math and technology teacher, Margaret Pennamon was the school secretary and did amazing work for such a long time.
"I'm not sure if I saw these alumni mentioned in your piece: Mandi Patinkin, the TV and Broadway
actor/singer; Bertram Goldberg, the great Chicago architect. William Shawn, maybe who was editor of the New Yorker
for a long time.
"It was exciting to see Valerie Graham responding to your piece and noting the brilliance of Pierre
Ellis for the basketball team. Ms. Graham was a superb student and student leader.
"The school tragically was the initiating point for the crime of the century when college students
Leopold and Loeb kidnapped Bobby Franks from the front of the school in 1924 and murdered him in south Chicago."
Principal 1983 to 1987; Director 1987 to 1989
Joe Anzek
WE'RE OFF AND RUNNING TO FIND OUT MORE...
about the history of The Harvard School of Chicago, and you're invited to join us so that we can tell the story of
this school that nearly stood alone for close to 100 years. Please contact us at dr.veeman@gmail.com or send your information thru the USPS at:
Illinois High School Glory Days
6439 North Neva
Chicago, IL 60631
