Those who knew John Zedrow as a student at Naperville High School knew him not only as “John” but also “Speed.” And speedy he was. The first state champion in school history, Zedrow clinched the 100 yd dash in 9.9 seconds in 1941. In the same meet he placed second in the 220, scoring all of the Redskins’ points and propelling his team to a 4th place finish in state. In 1940, he took 2nd in the 100 and 3rd in the 220, with his team placing second in state. He held the school record for the 100 yd dash for 24 years and set school records in the low hurdles, the 60, 220, 50, and 440 yd dash. His speed was not limited to the track, as he earned All-Conference and All-State honors as a halfback, an achievement he attributes fondly to the influence of his Coach “Joker” Harshbarger, who coached Zedrow in both football and track. Zedrow noted that football was his love and humbly shared that he was “just born fast.” One of his favorite memories was beating Elgin 7-6, after he scored the touchdown. Captain of both the football and track teams, he also earned All-Conference recognition in football in his 1939 and 1940 seasons. Remarkable in all arenas, Zedrow was called the “Star of Stars” for the Class of 1941.Zedrow attended the University of Illinois, where he ran indoor track and played football and was awarded the Skull and Crescent Award in his freshman year. When the tensions of WWII deepened, he enlisted in the Coast Guard, where he worked on submarines. After the war, he went to Iowa State Teachers College (now Northern Iowa), where he played football and ran track, winning the Drake Relays. He graduated with a BS in Education in 1950 and earned a MS in Science from Northern Illinois University in 1966. He worked at the Naperville Post Office for three years before entering the world of education as an elementary teacher in Peru, Illinois.Zedrow took his diverse experience in the athletic, academic, and professional service arenas and applied them to his thirty-five year career as an Industrial Technology teacher and cross country, wrestling and track coach at Hinsdale Township High School (now Hinsdale Central). His no-nonsense approach to life and high expectations for and belief in his students and athletes left a lasting mark on all who knew him. 1959 Hinsdale High School graduate John Long, now a retired college professor, noted on his class’s 50th Reunion event page, “That master of irony, Mr. Zedrow, in telling me that he was flunking me in machine shop, raised an eyebrow when he saw the reaction on my face and queried: ‘What’s wrong with being a five-year man?’ That gave me the incentive to buckle down.” When he retired in 1985, he left a lasting legacy with all fortunate enough to work with and learn from him.Zedrow knows the value of “buckling down,” as he is no stranger to hard work. He was, and continues to be, an avid supporter of his communities. He worked at the DuPage County Fair from its inception in 1955, becoming grounds manager in 1991. In a 2001 article for The Sun, titled “All’s fair; Local residents pull together for 47th annual county celebration,” Zedrow shared simply, “To me, the work is fun. I like what I'm doing." Zedrow also served as Naperville Street Commissioner and was the first and only person to serve on the City Council and the School Board at the same time, serving the school board from 1961-1969. He served as the President of Round Table #4, an organization of Industrial Arts teachers and worked with six Naperville mayors on a diverse set of committees. A member of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, the Knights of Columbus, and Ss. Peter and Paul church, Zedrow has long contributed to the organizations and “homes” that have given him so much. These contributions and more led to Zedrow’s Naperville Central Alumni Recognition Award in 1998.Though accomplished and influential in so many avenues, Zedrow counts his family as his most important life achievement. He married native Napervillian Laura Miller in 1946 and is the proud father of four children, all Naperville Central graduates.Naperville High School’s first state champion has definitive advice for today’s student-athletes, sharing, “Keep your nose clean. Hard work will result in success in all aspects of life.”What a tremendous example Zedrow is of that truth.