Established by the Class of 1982, the annual Tradition of Excellence Awards recognize OPRFHS alumni who have made outstanding contributions to society through their personal and professional pursuits. Nominations may be made by using the nomination form linked below. Awards are presented annually in November. Honorees are invited to a reception and dinner with key school and community leaders, followed the next day by Honoree's presentations to students at a school-wide assembly.
Alumni who have graduated 10 years prior to the date of the current graduating year and earlier are eligible for consideration – e.g. Class of 1999 graduates and earlier would be eligible in the 2008-09 school year.  Follow this link for Nomination form and instructions.                Past Award Recipients
 

 Welcome, 2011 Tradition of Excellence Honorees - Nov 4, 2011

Iris Krasnow
Journalist/Professor
1972

Iris Krasnow was born and raised in Oak Park. She is a nationally known author and keynote speaker specializing in relationships and personal growth. A graduate of Stanford University, she became the fashion writer for the DallasTimes Herald, then moved to United Press International in Washington, D.C. to become the national feature writer. In her several years at UPI, Krasnow specialized in celebrity profiles, including Yoko Ono,Billy Graham, Ted Kennedy and Queen Noor of Jordan.   
Iris is the bestselling author of Surrendering to Motherhood, Surrendering to Marriage, Surrendering to Yourself and I Am My Mother's Daughter. Her new book, The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married, was published by Penguin Books in October 2011.

Her writing has been featured in many national publications, including Parade, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Huffington Post. Krasnow has been a guest on numerous national television and radio programs including twice on Oprah. Iris is a journalism professor at American University in Washington, D.C. and is the mother of four sons. She encourages you to connect with her on:  www.iriskrasnow.com

  Philip Radford is the Executive Director of Greenpeace. At the helm of one of the most influential environmental organizations in the country, he leads a national team of 500 environmental leaders working in 23 cities on national and global campaigns to protect our planet’s oceans, forests, and climate.

With his roots in local organizing and fundraising, Phil has always specialized in mobilizing people to raise their voices for the right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet for our children. Phil began his environmental career as a student organizing the shutdown of incinerators on the West Side of Chicago.

As Greenpeace’s Grassroots and National Canvass Director, his team doubled the agency’s U.S. budget, quadrupled its staff, launched a national student organizing program, and created an online to offline mobilization program.

Over the past decade, Phil has managed several high-impact national campaigns, including Global Warming 2000, which convinced Senator John McCain to take leadership on global warming and The Global Climate Coalition Campaign that forced major corporations to stop funding an industry front-group supporting global warming skeptics. He persuaded Citigroup and more than a dozen communities to make investments in clean energy.

He is a regular contributor to Huffington Post and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, NBC, and ABC News, Phil has a degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and a certificate in Non-profit Management from Georgetown University. 

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