Cedarburg High School is in the process of reconfiguring the Distinguished Alumni Program. CHS is looking forward to sharing new information about this program as it becomes available.
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2022 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Frederick G. Schenk ‘88
Col (Ret), U. S. Marine Corps
As Cedarburg High School’s (CHS) most recent recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Fred Schenk is a proud CHS Graduate of the Class of 1988. His time at CHS provided a solid academic foundation, instilled the value of a strong work ethic, taught the meaning of commitment, and provided valuable leadership opportunities. “The life lessons I’ve learned from my devoted and loving family, friends, coaches, teachers, guidance counselors, and staff members at Cedarburg were vital to the overall success in my career,” said Fred.
Col (Ret) Schenk’s Marine Corps career spanned more than 29 years, providing many unique experiences while serving in numerous positions. Some highlights of his career include being commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the United States Marine Corps in May 1992, designated a Naval Aviator on 7 April 1995, and trained to fly his first operational aircraft - the AV-8B Harrier II+. He completed two overseas deployments flying the Harrier off of the USS Wasp with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 1998 and the USS Nassau with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2002. In 2003, he graduated from the United States Naval Test Pilot School, Class 124, and served as the Short Take Off Vertical Land (STOVL) project pilot during the early development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In 2008 Fred was selected to be the Government Flight Test Director for the F-35 Integrated Test force, in charge of a combined Government /civilian contractor team of over 750 personnel and eight unique F-35 B/C test aircraft. In the fall of 2011, Col (Ret) Schenk made the first shipboard vertical landing of the F-35B on the USS Wasp. Following his flight test experience, he held various program management positions, including a command tour as the AV-8B Weapons Systems Program Manager. His final assignment was the Commanding Officer of the Navy’s largest Aviation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility at NAS, Jacksonville, FL.
Col (Ret) Schenk retired from the United States Marine Corps in September 2021 and is currently working for United Airlines as a Flight Test Captain.
Fred graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1992 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Class 124 in 2003, and from The Industrial College of the Armed Forces with an MS in National Security and Resource Strategy in 2013. He is married to Joy, his wife of 29 years, and they currently reside in Jacksonville, FL.
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2021 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Jim Kacmarcik '80
As Cedarburg High School’s (CHS) most recent recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Jim Kacmarcik is a proud CHS Graduate of the Class of 1980 and continues to make our community a huge priority.
Jim Kacmarcik is a business leader, non-profit founder, humanitarian, entertainment industry executive, and sports team owner. As the second-generation owner and President of the Kapco Family of Companies, Jim is honored to employ over 600 talented individuals who make a difference in our community, country, and beyond.
Jim is widely regarded as a true visionary and leader in the manufacturing industry. But beyond metal stamping and fabrication, Jim is now recognized as a leader and visionary in a number of other sectors, including automotive, music publishing, sports team ownership such as Lakeshore Chinooks, Advanced Coatings, Forward Madison FC, Given Entertainment, and many others. Jim has been a supporter of the Cedarburg education community through an annual scholarship, sponsorship of the CHS 180 program, donations to the Cedarburg Education Foundation, and supporter of dozens of Cedarburg area endeavors.
Jim Kacmarcik is a passionate and compassionate leader. He treats people with great respect. Beyond this higher profile philanthropy, Jim regularly does many acts of kindness quietly and without recognition. He lives his life with great values instilled in him from his parents, including hard work, compassion, determination, and integrity. Jim understands that there is no single greater reward than giving back to the community, which is why Kapco Enterprises has been known for its philanthropic efforts and charitable events, and volunteer service. With the deep belief in “making people our priority” and “paying it forward,” Kapco contributes to 200 charities annually. Jim serves as the Founder of Hometown Heroes, a non-profit organization that profoundly impacts children and families facing hardships. He is the Co-Founder of Camp Hometown Heroes for kids of fallen military heroes and the Co-Founder of Camp Reunite for kids with incarcerated parents. His Kids2Kids Toy Drive has collected and distributed over 225,000 toys to low-income children in southeastern Wisconsin and helped instill the value of giving in thousands of young people.
The central motivator for Jim is his love of family, country, God, and feelings of gratitude for the blessings in his life. Married with five children, he is always looking forward to the next chapter in his life; he believes it is “go time” to fulfill his dreams and those of others. “I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Jim. “My love and support for the Cedarburg School District are very strong, and I have a lot that I wish to give back.”
As a Distinguished Alumnus of Cedarburg High School, Mr. Jim Kacmarcik exemplifies character, leadership, and service qualities. He is an outstanding example of Cedarburg High School’s success and ambassador of continual learning.
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2020 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Paul D. Clement '84
As Cedarburg High School’s (CHS) second recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Paul Clement is a proud CHS Graduate of the Class of 1984 and grateful for the outstanding education he received in the Cedarburg public schools not just at CHS, but K-12.
“I am honored by this recognition. I always make a point of mentioning the Cedarburg public schools along with my other alma maters, because I received a terrific education and my Wisconsin roots and values remain central.”
Paul is currently a partner in the Washington, DC office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and serves as a Distinguished Lecturer in Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. He served as the 43rd Solicitor General of the United States. Before his confirmation as Solicitor General, he served as Acting Solicitor General for nearly a year and as Principal Deputy Solicitor General. He has argued over 100 cases before the Supreme Court, becoming only the tenth lawyer in U.S. history to cross the century mark. He holds degrees from CHS, Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, Cambridge University, and Harvard Law School, where he was the Supreme Court editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Following graduation from law school, Mr. Clement clerked for Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court. After his clerkships, he served as Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights.
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2019 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Kenneth H. "Nicky" Oberheu, M.D. '53
As Cedarburg High School’s (CHS) first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Kenneth H. “Nicky” Oberheu, M.D. was a proud CHS Graduate of the Class of 1953. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1957 and completed his graduate work from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1961 when he was named "Outstanding Medical School Graduate."
Ken married the love of his life, Marilee Faust Oberheu, who together enjoyed 52 years of marriage and four children. Ken and Marilee moved to Dayton, Ohio where Ken spent his entire 40-year surgical career at Miami Valley Hospital as a heart and lung surgeon and started the hospital's heart and lung surgery program in November 1968 with his first of 7,000 successful open-heart surgeries. Ken retired from surgery in December 2001 but remained actively involved in teaching and consulting and giving back to the Cedarburg and Dayton communities until his death in 2017 at the age of 82.
Ken wanted to share his love of CHS and continue a legacy to a school that supported him and provided him with a successful launch to his future career in medicine, so he founded and funded the CHS “Golden Bulldogs” Reunions in 2005. In 2006, he was the founder and initial funder of CHS' Coach Cibik Endowment Fund. Following Ken’s death in 2017, the Kenneth H. Oberheu, M.D. Memorial Endowment Fund was established. This fund is awarded to a CHS graduating senior each May through the Cedarburg Community Scholarship Fund.
Ken was a humble man, but proud to be inducted into the CHS Athletic Hall of Fame for Basketball in 2012 and now he would be honored to be selected as the first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. It is the perspective of a lifetime of giving back that Ken will always be remembered along with his quality of character, humility, service, and his significant contributions to the Cedarburg community.
“I owe everything to my educational background in Cedarburg, not to mention a wonderful family and friends who were always an excellent support network to me.” - Kenneth H. “Nicky” Oberheu, M.D.
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