On Saturday, December 7, 2024, Marist High School celebrated its second annual A Night of Honor, Glory, and Fame event, building on our commitment to recognizing outstanding achievement to the school community, while supporting students through financial aid efforts. Held at the Larry Tucker Marist SportsPlex, this year’s event brought together over 600 alumni, faculty, and friends to celebrate Marist’s legacy and look forward to its bright future. With an exciting program, including silent and live auctions, a paddle raise, dinner, and live music from Soul 2 the Bone, the evening netted an incredible $560,000 to support Marist’s financial assistance programs!

The Larry Tucker Marist SportsPlex, our 75,000 square foot athletic facility, was once again transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with twinkling string lights and festive Christmas trees. Guests were greeted with a champagne toast at the champagne wall, while a brass section from the Marist band filled the air with classic holiday carols. During the cocktail hour, attendees browsed through more than 100 silent auction items, from unique experiences to exclusive memorabilia.

Following the cocktail hour, Fr. Tom Hurley ’85 led the opening prayer, and Marist President Larry Tucker ’79 welcomed the guests with heartfelt remarks, highlighting the importance of coming together to support Marist’s mission. The evening then turned to the prestigious awards ceremony.

This year’s recipients of the honorary awards have made lasting impacts on the Marist community. Robert Clifford ’69 was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award for his exceptional achievements in the legal field and unwavering commitment to Marist. The Heart of Marist Award was presented to the Hynes brothers—Brian ’86, Kevin ’84, and Michael ’91—who have exemplified the spirit of Marist through their dedication to the school and its students.

A particularly special moment of the evening came when Robert Clifford took the stage to announce a transformational gift. In honor of his continued support for Marist, Robert pledged a gift of $1 million to the school. In addition, Gerald and Jen Beeson made an extraordinary offer to match paddle raise contributions up to $150,000, while Robert Clifford also promised to match the night’s fundraising efforts for his 2025 gift. The announcement of these generous gifts was met with standing applause, marking a pivotal moment for Marist’s future.

With the fundraising goals met and surpassed, the celebration continued with live music from Soul 2 the Bone, energizing the crowd and ensuring the night ended on a high note.
As the evening wrapped up, there was a deep sense of pride and excitement for the future of Marist High School. The funds raised will go directly to supporting financial assistance for future generations of students, ensuring that the Marist tradition of excellence continues for years to come.

Thank you to all those who attended, donated, and supported A Night of Honor, Glory, and Fame. With your continued generosity, we are shaping the future of Marist High School, and we look forward to even greater celebrations in the years to come.

Distinguished Alumni Award – Robert Clifford ’69

Bob Clifford ‘69 is proud of his Catholic education throughout his 19 years of formal schooling. After attending Marist High School, he earned an undergraduate degree in commerce at DePaul University and went on to get his law degree at DePaul University College of Law. During one law class, the late renowned Chicago attorney Phil Corboy came to speak. Inspired by his style, Bob immediately sought out Corboy at his law firm and asked how he could get a job with him. Impressed with his courage, Corboy hired him, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Bob spent a decade working for him.

In 1984, Bob established Clifford Law Offices that has become an internationally recognized plaintiffs’ trial firm concentrating on aviation, transportation, personal injury, medical negligence, product liability law, mass torts, and class actions. Bob has represented those injured or killed in every major commercial airline crash in the U.S. in the last four decades. This includes the American Airlines crash at O’Hare in 1979, the United Airlines DC-10 crash in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989, the Comair runway crash in Lexington, Kentucky of 2006, the Continental Colgan crash of 2009, and, internationally, the Turkish Airlines crash in Amsterdam of 2009. He is currently Lead Counsel on behalf of the families of the victims onboard the tragic Boeing crash of a 737 MAX-8 in Ethiopia in 2019. He served as the liaison counsel for the subrogation and business property damage claims that resulted from the tragic September 11, 2001, crashes at the World Trade Center in New York that resulted in a $1.2 billion settlement. Bob’s trial career has been marked by many record verdicts. Perhaps the best known is that of violinist Rachel Barton who was severely injured when exiting a Metra train. The month-long trial that resulted in a $29.6 million verdict was and remains the most highly publicized civil trial in Cook County Circuit Court.

Over the years, Bob became known for his unique style and his ability to be both an aggressive attorney and a friend to all. He urges juries to find verdicts for the right reasons, and his down-to-earth attitude has endeared him to jurors.

His success in the courtroom has garnered him countless accolades, including being one of only eight personal injury attorneys in the nation selected as one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers in Forbes’ inaugural list in 2024, and the only personal injury attorney selected from Illinois. The National Law Journal has awarded him the Elite Trial Lawyers’ Award as well as its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Bob has the distinction of being selected by Super Lawyers, a peer-review organization, as the number one lawyer in Illinois from 2009-2016 and in 2023-2024 and has always been in the top three. He was named by Chicago Magazine as one of the 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans and was named the 2012 Chicago Lawyer Magazine’s Person of the Year. In 2022, he received the Trial Lawyer Excellence Award by the Jury Verdict Reporter. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals gave him its Professionalism Award in 2014. The Chicago Bar Association gave him the Justice John Paul Stevens Award in 2017, its highest honor. That year he also received the Unity Award by the Diversity Scholarship Foundation. The National Trial Lawyers named Bob the Class Action Trial Lawyer of 2018, as well as one of America’s 52 Most Influential Trial Lawyers in 2022. He has been top listed in Best Lawyers© from its inception, decades ago, including being the top in the Chicago metropolitan area in practice areas including aviation law, medical malpractice, product liability and personal injury law. In 2019, the Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association honored him with the Leonard Ring Lifetime Achievement Award. He also was honored in 2019 by Public Justice naming him Trial Lawyer of the Year.

Bob has supported Marist in a variety of ways. He has been integral to the growth of the Marist Law Association, hosting its annual alumni gathering, sponsoring the group’s golf outing, and supporting other related events. The group connects Marist graduates in the legal community to provide opportunities for professional, personal, and civic growth. Bob is also the honorary chair of the Marist Mock Trial Club, where students partner with Marist alumni attorneys to work through all the aspects of a real case, culminating in a live student-led trial.

Bob also supports his alma mater, DePaul University. For more than 30 years, he has sponsored the Annual Clifford Tort Symposium on Tort Law and Civil Justice at DePaul University College of Law which brings together the best and brightest on a topic of

interest to the public and that results in a special law review issue of articles by the academic and judicial participants. In 2003, DePaul’s College of Law awarded Bob an honorary Doctor of Laws and in 2022, its Distinguished Alumnus Award.

In addition to practicing law, Mr. Clifford is dedicated to the furtherance of the legal profession and has been actively involved and held leadership roles with the American Bar Association (Chair of the Section of Litigation and Chair of the ABA’s charitable arm, the Fund for Justice and Education), Chicago Bar Association (President), Chicago Inn of Court (President), and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (President). He is also a member of the American Law Institute, National Judicial College, American College of Trial Lawyers, International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Inner Circle of Advocates that consists of the top 100 plaintiffs’ lawyers in the country. For more than 18 years, his firm has offered an annual free Continuing Legal Education program, gathering over 3,500 attendees each year, in what is believed to be the largest type of program in the country.

Beyond his support of Marist, DePaul University, and the legal community, he has also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, a charitable organization and host of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, which has raised millions of dollars to benefit more than 300,000 at-risk and underprivileged children in Southwest Florida. Bob also sponsored closed captioning since its inception for WTTW, Chicago’s public television station. He and his daughter, Erin Clifford, currently serve on its Board of Directors and are the only father-daughter duo to do so.

An avid golfer and wine connoisseur, Bob’s most valued time is spent with his wife Joan, his daughters Erin and Tracy, and his two grandsons, Dominic and Roman. He is currently learning how to play chess with Dominic, losing more often than not.

Click here to watch Robert’s speech at the event:

Heart of Marist Award – Brian ’86, Kevin ’84, and Michael ’91 Hynes

For Kevin ‘84, Brian ‘86, and Mike ‘91 Hynes, supporting Marist High School is simply a way of following in the footsteps of their parents, Legoria and the late Robert. “Our parents always prioritized education when we were kids,” Mike explained. “Additionally, giving back and never forgetting where you came from was a focus of theirs as well.” The brothers’ generosity has ensured that new generations of students experience the gift of a Marist education.

Kevin led the way to Marist for the trio. While a student, he played football and participated in the National Honor Society, newspaper, and student council. He attended St. John’s University before earning a law degree from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University. Kevin built a law career in both the public and private sectors and joined O’Keefe, Lyons & Hynes, LLC in 2003, where he is an equity member. Kevin’s daughter Cate graduated from Marist in 2018.

Brian is dad to fellow alumni Seve ‘16 and Enzo ‘13. While a Marist student himself, Brian played basketball for four years and was a member of student council and National Honor Society. After Marist, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. Brian has enjoyed a career in trading and investing and has been a partner at Koszut, Hynes, and Shannon Wealth and Investment Services since 2012. He also previously taught finance at Moraine Valley Community College.

The youngest Hynes brother, Mike, played football for four years at Marist, was a member of the National Honor Society, and also served on student council. After graduation, he went on to earn his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and then an MBA and law degree from Loyola University in Chicago. He has worked at Antares Capital, a private credit firm, since 2002 and today serves as the co-head of originations. He and his wife, Isabel, continued their legacy of Catholic education by sending their three children Isabel, Quinn, and Emmet to Fenwick High School.

Each brother has fond memories of their Marist days and of those who influenced them the most. “Over four years, there were so many experiences and people,” Kevin recalled. “Br. Gerry Doherty, Br. Hank Hammer, Owen Glennon, Al Brazen, Dan Patenaude, Bonnie Littleton, and Randy Coe – these are the people during my four years who embodied everything Marist.”

Brian also remembered how Al Brazen held everyone to the “Marist standard,” while Mike considers Owen Glennon the hardest and best teacher he has had at any level and always appreciated the advice he received from Br. Hank.

Brian believes a Marist education can change a young person’s life. “It’s not just the academia, it’s the people you meet on your journey [here],” he explained. They are the people who will open doors and walk with you through life’s hardships.”

The Hynes brothers have served Marist in a variety of ways. Kevin has been a school board member since 2019, advising on advancement efforts and providing legal services. Brian served as the boys’ basketball assistant coach for 11 years (2007-2018) and was named the program’s head coach in 2021. Mike has previously helped with fundraising and reunion efforts; today focusing on financial support for the school.

The trio have made many contributions to Marist but two of their most significant have supported financial assistance and the physical campus. In 2007, they established the Legoria and Robert Hynes Financial Aid Scholarship. To date, it has helped more than 100 deserving students attend Marist. Additionally, in November 2016, what had been referred to as the “new” gym on Marist’s campus became the Hynes Family Gymnasium in honor of their parents. The Hynes Family Gymnasium is a heavily used facility, hosting lower-level athletics, physical education classes, special events, grammar school games, camps, and more. At the dedication ceremony, then-President Br. Hank Hammer said of the three men, “We stand on the shoulders of families like yours…I hope you all can appreciate the fact that after graduating, the Hynes brothers could have walked away from Marist. They didn’t. They continued to stay involved and support the mission.”

Giving back extends beyond Marist. “We each have also volunteered our time and resources with other charitable, educational, and community organizations that are important to us individually,” Kevin explained. “We did not get here today alone, and we each try to honor that truth by giving back.” Kevin was a member of the governing board for UCAN, a community service agency that creates safe and caring spaces for youth, adults, and families to grow, from 2004 to 2019. Brian serves as the vice-president of the Andrew Weishar Foundation (Weish4Ever) which provides financial assistance and hope for adolescents and young adults battling cancer. Mike supports Chicago Jesuit Academy, a tuition free Catholic school for students from resilient communities, and Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center which uses a multifaceted approach to serve abused children.

The three are humble about the impact they have made on Marist and other causes, crediting the influence of their parents. Legoria was one of 11 children and Robert was the son of Irish immigrants. They made many sacrifices for their sons. “Our parents taught us to never forget where we came from and to always give back,” Kevin said. “We are three South Side kids who got incredibly lucky. My brothers and I have chosen our own paths, but I am proud that the three of us have continued to live that message. Our work with Marist has been a wonderful experience.”

Click here to watch Brian’s remarks on behalf of him and his brothers at the event:

Achilles Anderson, a current Marist student from the Class of 2025, shared deeply moving and personal reflections on his time at Marist. He discussed the transformative experiences he has had throughout his academic journey, highlighting how the support of Financial Aid has not only made his education possible but has also significantly impacted his life and the lives of other Marist students in similar situations. Through his heartfelt insights, Achilles emphasized the critical role that financial assistance plays in empowering students to succeed and pursue their academic, athletic and career goals without the burden of overwhelming financial stress.

Click here to watch Achilles’ speech at the event: