Joliet Junior College presents an evening of celebration and recognition at the inaugural Night of Stars on Thursday, May 10 from 5-7 p.m. It will take place at the Renaissance Center, 214 N. Ottawa St. in Joliet.
The Night of Stars combines multiple JJC recognition events into one. Five individuals will be honored for their service to the community and college. Jeff Eberhard and Terry Kunze will be presented with the J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award; Jay D. Bergman, ’68, and Ed Czerkies, ’57, will receive the Distinguish Alumni Achievement Award; and Robert Wunderlich is the recipient of the Susan H. Wood Hall of Fame Award.
“JJC has a long history of honoring alumni and friends in our community for volunteerism, career achievement, and their commitment to JJC. We are excited to celebrate these achievements at our inaugural Night of Stars event,” said Kristin Mulvey, JJC executive director of institutional advancement and executive director of the JJC Foundation.
Reservations can be made online. The cost to attend is $30 per person.
Honorees
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award
Jay D. Bergman ’68
President and CEO, Petco Petroleum Corporation
Chairman of the Board, First Secure Bank Group
Jay D. Bergman of Joliet, a past president of the JJC Alumni Board, is known for being the longest-serving member of the Illinois State University Board of Trustees (2003 to 2017). In 2017, he won the Illinois Community College Trustees Association Alumnus Award to recognize his success. He’s currently serving his eleventh year as a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education and owns several banks and a nationwide energy company that’s the largest of its kind in Illinois. Bergman and his wife, Lori, give generously to many worthy charities and organizations.
Ed Czerkies ’57
Businessman and Philanthropist
For more than 47 years, Ed Czerkies of Joliet built homes and industrial facilities in and around the local area. Although his passion is in construction, he also enjoyed teaching in the building program at Joliet Township High School. He was also a member of the United States Naval Reserve. Czerkies is philanthropic and often donates in the memory of his late wife, Carolyn Czerkies – including an endowed scholarship for nursing students at JJC. Czerkies has three sons, three daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren.
J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award
Jeff Eberhard
Humanitarian Service
Jeff Eberhard of Morris is well-known for his volunteer work in both Will and Grundy counties. One of his projects, the Emergency Homeless Pack, got its start after he saw a need to help the local homeless population. The Emergency Homeless Pack is filled with items like toiletries, food, clothing and more. Hundreds of these packs are distributed to police departments, fire departments, charities and veterans groups in areas such as Joliet, Chicago and St. Louis each year. Eberhard is also the creator behind Micro Food Pantries, which are stations across the local area that house non-perishable food. In addition to these efforts, Eberhard and his family collect tops for the Ronald McDonald Pop Top collection and participate in the Holiday Meal for Seniors every December.
Terry Kunze
Humanitarian and Distinguished Public Service
As the fourth woman to join the Kiwanis Club of Joliet and one of the club’s former presidents, Terry Kunze has made a difference in the community by forming two clubs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: the Aktion Club (a part of the Kiwanis family) and the Transition Club. The Transition Club was formed five years ago for Joliet Township High School students ages 19 to 22. Currently, there are 61 members. Kunze also helped form the Aktion Angels 12 years ago. The Aktion Angels is a community group for people who attend Cornerstone, the Trinity Services Center for Disability Services, Joliet/Channahon Special Recreation and those living in the community with no other organized activities.
In addition to her work in the local community, Kunze serves as the administrator of the Illinois Eastern Iowa District for the Aktion Clubs. She has a husband, Larry, a daughter, Amanda, a son, Aaron, a daughter-in-law, Morgan, and two grandsons, Ben and Theo.
Susan H. Wood Hall of Fame Award
Robert Wunderlich
JJC Board of Trustees Chairman
Wunderlich Builders, Inc., Owner
Robert Wunderlich has served on the JJC Board of Trustees for 42 years. In 2016, he won the 40-Year Trustee Award from the Illinois Community College Trustee Association. In addition to his work at the college, which also includes 20 years as the chair of the JJC Building and Grounds committee, he owns the contracting business Wunderlich Builders, Inc., which he started 22 years ago. Prior to that, he worked at Wunderlich Construction, a business created by his father. He is married to his wife, Mardi, and has three children and four grandchildren.
About the Awards
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award
The highest honor bestowed upon a JJC alumna/alumnus. It is presented to those alumni who have demonstrated outstanding success in their chosen field and provided humanitarian service to society.
J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award
The highest award bestowed upon an individual by Joliet Junior College. In 1975, JJC began honoring community members with this award to recognize their volunteerism and service to the district. In 2004, the award was renamed the J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award honoring past President J.D. Ross for his distinguished public service to the community.
Susan H. Wood Hall of Fame Award
Recognizes a non-alumna/alumnus who is a current or former faculty member, administrator or friend who has served JJC in an exceptional way. It was named after Susan H. Wood, one of the most influential leaders of JJC’s past. She worked at the college from 1944 to 1970 and helped form the JJC Alumni Association.
For media inquiries, contact Communications and Media Coordinator Scott Harvey at 815-280-2844 or sharvey@jjc.edu.
