Looking at old photographs of Jerry Pickell, a distinct picture emerges: a man of two faces, both equally true and powerful. The first shows an athlete who is fiercely focused, eyes boldly facing the challenge at hand. The second is of a man who wholeheartedly loves his family, eyes relaxed and happy, a warm and ready smile stretched from end to end. The composite picture of the two reveals a life lived with passion, grace and heart – a life that touched, and continues to touch, all fortunate enough to witness Pickell’s strength of character.Pickell was deeply loyal to the people, places, teams, and organizations that shaped him. He was especially proud of his hometown and found great joy in competing for his high school. As Pickell’s family shared, “His family roots in Naperville were long-standing and a source of great personal pride.” In 1948, under the watchful, encouraging eye of Coach John Harshbarger, Pickell became the State Champion in pole vault with a height of 12’ 9”, the second highest jump in Illinois prep history at the time. Pickell’s achievement made him the 2nd individual State Champion at Naperville High School and the only pole vault champion in school history to date.After high school, Pickell attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a track scholarship, where his love for the sport deepened. He experienced a great deal of success and was named to the 1952 Phi Delta Theta All-Sport Honor Roll. He earned a degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and later, a master’s degree in finance from Rutgers University. Committed to his studies as intensely as to his training on the track, Pickell made the most of his university experience. His attraction to academic and athletic discipline propelled him to serve in the Army Intelligence Corps after college, where he provided tactical intelligence to soldiers. After his service, he turned his competitive eye to the world of finance, becoming a career-long investment banker, specializing in municipal bonds. Though a man practically focused on the future, Pickell never lost touch with where he came from. As avid a Badger as he was a Redskin, Pickell supported his alma mater long after graduation, becoming a proud member of the University of Wisconsin’s W-Club, whose mission it is to “nurture the legacy, tradition and values that come from intercollegiate athletics.” One of his daughters, Katy Pickell Smith, smiled at her dad’s fervent Badger pride, calling his a “continual Badger-backer,” a man who seemed to carry within him the strains of Wisconsin’s alma mater song, “Varsity,” “Praise to thee we sing, praise to thee our Alma Mater,” as he cheered, supported and contributed to the university in every way he could.A driven man who took his responsibilities and his loyalties very seriously, he counted his family as life’s greatest gift. He and his wife, Sylvia, had three children, Vicki, Katy, and Dave, and made a loving home in Naperville, where Pickell pursued another love – that of music – as a lifelong member of the Naperville Municipal Band. In many ways, Pickell was a man before his time, living our district benchmarks before a mission statement was ever created. In his personal and professional life, Pickell embodied the principles of an authentic community contributor, one whose decisions, achievements and worldview showed others the value of critical thinking, self-direction and collaborative work.Though Pickell’s interests, talents and activities were diverse, the common core connecting them all was the man of two complimentary faces: one that confidently faced the future and one that lovingly honored the past and the relationships that sprang from it. No matter what face presented itself in front of the camera, Pickell’s eyes saw and shared one truth: the ties that bind are the ones that makes us feel most at home.