Northwestern would like to honor former members of the Wildcat family (student-athletes, coaches, staff members, boosters, etc.) who have recently passed on. To submit obituary information for inclusion in our In Memoriam section, please send an email to program assistant
Jocelyn Serranilla.
FRANK ASCHENBRENNER
 Frank Aschenbrenner  |
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Early in the 1949 Rose Bowl, Aschenbrenner took a handoff and scampered 73 yards to the end zone, setting a Rose Bowl record that stood for 44 years as the longest run from scrimmage. "He was a real leader and an unbelievably good football player," said Gaspar Perricone, a Northwestern teammate. "He was named the most valuable player for the game."
Aschenbrenner was born in Germany. He came to the United States with his parents when he was 3 and grew up in Milwaukee. He began college at Marquette University in Milwaukee and played football there but left school after a year to train as a Navy pilot during World War II. He was stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes on the North Shore, and he played on football teams that competed against other service or college teams for troop entertainment, his wife said.
After the war, Aschenbrenner resumed his studies and continued playing football at Northwestern. After graduating in 1949 with a degree in business administration, he continued to play football for a few years, first with the Chicago Hornets of the All-America Football Conference and then with the Montreal Alouettes in Canada, his wife said.
He eventually left football to work in Chicago. A job transfer took him to California, where he later opened a packaging business before moving to Arizona.
Mr. Aschenbrenner also is survived by a daughter, Pam Aguilu; sons Rob Duncan, Paul Trompeter and P.J. Trompeter III; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Information from Frank Aschenbrenner's Feb. 6, 2012, Chicago Tribune obituary was used in this In Memoriam.
CHARLOTTE REMENYIK
 Charlotte Remenyik |
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Remenyik took the reins in 1976 and led the Wildcats to a spotless 9-0 record and a Big Ten title in her first year. The next year produced similar results with a 6-2 overall mark and a second straight Big Ten title. Following the 1977-78 campaign, Laurie Schiller took over head coaching duties and has been at the helm ever since.
Remenyik's contributions to Northwestern fencing are recognized every October when the 'Cats host the Remenyik Open which attracts top competition from around the country for an exciting weekend.
ANDY CVERCKO
Andrew Cvercko, a three-year starter for the football team on both the offensive and defensive lines and a member of Northwestern's Athletic Hall of Fame, died Dec. 3, 2010, in Rolling Meadows, Ill.
 Andy Cvercko |
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Cvercko earned All-America and Academic All-America honors in 1958, the first Wildcat to accomplish that feat. He was on the Academic All-Big Ten team in 1957 and 1958, and in 1959, won the Big Ten Medal of Honor and participated in the College All-Star game. Cvercko played his entire NU career for head coach Ara Parseghian, going 5-4 in Cvercko's senior season of 1958 with wins over then-No. 19 Michigan (55-24) and then-No. 5 Ohio State (21-0).
After graduation, Cvercko was drafted in the fifth round of the 1959 NFL Draft, going on to play for the Green Bay Packers (1960), the Dallas Cowboys (1961-62), the Cleveland Browns (1963) and the Washington Redskins (1963).
Cvercko was inducted into the Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000 alongside his brother, Jack, who played primarily as a guard in 1960, 1962-63.
GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER
George Steinbrenner, longtime principal owner and managing partner of the New York Yankees and former Northwestern football assistant coach, died July 13, 2010. Steinbrenner spent one year with the Wildcats in 1955 under head coach Lou Saban, serving as end coach. He joined Northwestern after a stint coaching football and basketball at Aquinas High School in Columbus, Ohio.
 George Steinbrenner |
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Steinbrenner became the Yankees owner on Jan. 3, 1973 when he and minority partner Michael Burke led a group of investors in purchasing the franchise from CBS. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned 7 World Series titles and 11 pennants. He retired from his primary functions with the team beginning in 2006, leaving day-to-day operations to his sons Hank and Hal Steinbrenner.
The Rocky River, Ohio, native attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana before earning a bachelor's degree from Williams College in Massachusetts. He then joined the United States Air Force and did some postgraduate work at Ohio State prior to his season spent in Evanston.
ROLAND "ORT" ORTMAYER
Former member of the Northwestern football team Roland "Ort" Ortmayer, 91, died Oct. 9, 2008. Ortmayer was a member of the 1938 Wildcat gridiron squad under legendary head coach Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf before going on to a long and respected career as a faculty member and 43-year head coach of the football program at the University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif.
 Roland "Ort" Ortmayer |
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Ortmayer, who was appointed head football and baseball coach in 1948 at what was then La Verne College, grew to become an iconic figure at the school by the time he retired in 1991. While he also managed the basketball and track & field programs and served as athletic director during his tenure, he was most recognized for coaching football, finishing his career with a 182-193-8 record and earning induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1979. In September 1989 he was the subject of a feature article in Sports Illustrated's College Football Preview issue. Written by Douglas S. Looney, "A Most Unusual Man" focused on Ortmayer's influence on the lives of those around him. To simply label him as a coach, Looney wrote, "Is like praising Picasso for knowing the primary colors."
Roland Ortmayer is preceded in death by his wife, Corni, and son, David, who died in 1953 at the age of 6. He is survived by a sister, Marillee Franke of Madison (Wis.), two daughters, Suzi Bowles of Belgrade (Mont.) and Corlan Harrison of Upland, along with four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
CLARENCE DAVID HINTON
Dr. Clarence Hinton, 91, a halfback for the football Wildcats from 1935-37 -- including the 1936 Big Ten Championship team -- and the nation's oldest, board-certified, African-American Otolaryngologist, died Sept. 23, 2008, in Silver Spring, Md.
 Clarence Hinton |
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Upon graduating from Peoria Central High School with an "A" average and membership in the National Honor Society, Hinton was granted an academic scholarship to Northwestern, where he received his B.S. degree in 1938. While at Northwestern, he also became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and served as Polemarch of the chapter. Hinton went on to earn an M.D. degree from Howard in 1942 before serving in the U.S. Army from 1943-46.
Dr. Hinton served as Chairman of the Division of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery -- at Howard University Hospital from 1963-1979 and became the first of his race to serve as Chairman of the Section on Otolaryngology of the D.C. Medical Society from 1978-1980. Dr. Hinton had a great appreciation for classical music that dated back to his pre-teenage years when he studied violin. He continued to play the violin every day for his own enjoyment and relaxation until just before his death.
Dr. Hinton is survived by his three children, ViCurtis Audrey Hinton, Diane Hinton Perry (Phillip Craig Perry), and Clarence David Hinton, Jr.; two grandchildren, Phillip Craig Perry, Jr., and Tiffany Diane Hinton; his sister, Louise Hinton Long, who moved to Silver Spring last May to live with her "baby brother"; his godson and nephew, Michael Gray; his son's companion, Linda Johnson; scores of cousins; and a host of friends.
JOSEPH F. BALES
Former Northwestern All-American wrestler Joei Bales, 41, passed away Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008, at Joliet Area Community Hospice Home. Bales was a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats, earning All-America honors in 1988 in the 134 lbs. division. Bales still ranks fifth in career victories at Northwestern with 115; his 35 wins in 1987 remains tied for the 10th most in a single season in program history.
Bales is survived by his three daughters, Alicia "Allie", Emma and Nikkola Bales of Joliet; his mother, Jeanine Paul (nee Fox) of Sun City, Ariz.; two brothers, James (Eileen) Bales of Naperville and Gerald "Jeep" Bales of Peoria, Ariz.; his aunts and uncles, Larry and Nancy Fox, Pat and Sam Parker, Bob and Colleen Fox; cousins, Cindy and Debbie Fox, Tracy Novak, Eric and Lindsey Parker, Erin Cimino and Kelly Fox; his grandmother, Frances Bales of Joliet; a very special friend, Michelle Baker and her daughters, Britney and Tristen; also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Bales was preceded in death by his father, Gerald Bales; grandparents, James and Josephine Fox and Ferris Bales.
Bales was a graduate of Joliet Central High School class of 1985 and Northwestern University class of 1989. Joei was a member of the 1985 Illinois state champion wrestling team and was an Illinois state wrestling champion. He was a former Lieutenant with the City of Joliet Fire Department and was also a master plumber.
DONALD H. AMIDEI
Former Northwestern track coach Don Amidei, 82, passed away Thursday, July 17, 2008. Amidei served as the Wildcats' head men's track and cross country coach for 13 seasons from 1969-82. A well-respected distance coach, Amidei mentored seven track All-Americans during his time with the Wildcats. Prior to coaching at NU, Amidei was the head coach at St. George High School in Evanston and DePaul. He also was an assistant coach at Loyola. Amidei graduated from DePaul in 1949, and is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, finishing as the NCAA's runner-up in the middleweight boxing division in 1949. For complete obituary information, click here.
