Marist High School will host the 3rd Annual A Night of Honor, Glory, and Fame on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at The Larry Tucker Marist SportsPlex. This unforgettable evening unites alumni, parents, and friends to support student financial aid, helping ensure that present and future RedHawks can continue to benefit from a Marist education. Marist is also proud to honor two amazing individuals with two awards, the Heart of Marist Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award. The Heart of Marist Award will be presented to longtime math teacher Owen Glennon. The Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to the Honorable Christopher Lawler ’81.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented annually to a Marist High School graduate who embodies the mission of Marist. The recipient will have excelled professionally through exemplary leadership and/or made a meaningful impact through community service or involvement. The recipient will share a devotion to Catholic values and Marist principles, including care for “the least favored.” The recipient will have made positive contributions to the community and built a supportive relationship with Marist High School through philanthropy and volunteerism. The recipient will have distinguished himself/herself as a role model students and others can admire by displaying commitment, effort, leadership, pride, and respect.
Heart of Marist Award
The Heart of Marist Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary, lifelong commitment to the Marist community. The recipient will have positioned himself/herself as a positive role model by reflecting the Pillars of Marist which espouse the values of Presence, Simplicity, Family Spirit, Love of Work, and In the Way of Mary. The award recognizes those who have fully embraced the Marist charism which includes the school’s mission, the Marist Brothers’ traditions, and Marist’s work to make Jesus known and loved among young people.
Read more about our honorees below!
Distinguished Alumni Award Honoring Judge Lawler ’81
With more than 33 years of legal experience, Judge Christopher Lawler ’81 has built a distinguished career as both a litigator and pretrial judge, earning respect for his integrity, steady judgment, and compassionate approach. Known for his analytical mind and abundant attention to detail, he has successfully tried more than 40 jury cases to verdict and presided over some of Cook County’s most complex and high-profile matters, including multimillion-dollar toxic tort, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases.
Appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2013, Judge Lawler served for eight years, including as Supervisory Judge in the Civil Division of Municipal District 6 and later in the Law Division’s Motion Section, where he pretried more than 1,200 cases. Since 2021, he has continued to apply his expertise as a senior mediator and arbitrator at ADR Systems, helping resolve disputes across nearly every area of civil law.
His professional excellence has been recognized with numerous honors, including Celt of the Year from the Celtic Legal Society of Chicago (2020 & 2021) and the Mary Heftel Hooton Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (2021). He has also held leadership roles with the Southwest Bar Association, Illinois Judges Association, and other professional organizations, and has presented widely to legal associations on discovery, motion practice, and trial skills.
At Marist, Lawler’s story comes full circle. A member of the Class of 1981, he recalls the friendships and mentorships that shaped his early years and instilled the values of faith, family, and service that still guide him today. His family’s connection to Marist runs deep, with generations of Lawlers, including his sons, Brendan and Kevin, graduating from the school. Together with his wife Julie, he has consistently supported Marist through direct financial contributions, event sponsorships, and volunteer leadership.
Lawler also co-founded the Marist Alumni Law Association and the school’s Mock Trial program, creating opportunities for alumni attorneys to mentor students while giving young RedHawks hands-on experience in the legal process. His commitment to Catholic education extends beyond Marist as well, through his leadership with Catholic Charities, particularly its once-renowned adoption program, as well as his pro bono legal work and service on boards, reunion committees, and campaign initiatives.
Outside the courtroom, Chris finds joy in faith, family, and community. He and Julie take great pride in their sons, both proud Marist graduates. All who know Chris best recognize that his true pursuits are justice, service, and the well-being of others.
For his extraordinary legal career, his lifelong service to the community, and his enduring dedication to Marist, Judge Christopher Lawler ’81 is a most deserving recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Heart of Marist Award Honoring Owen Glennon
For five decades, Owen Glennon has been a fixture of Marist High School, shaping the minds and hearts of thousands of students through his love of mathematics and his devotion to Catholic education. Since joining the faculty in 1976, Glennon has built a legacy as a teacher, mentor, coach, and role model whose influence stretches far beyond the classroom.
He is best known for his leadership of the Marist Math Team, which consistently ranks among the strongest in the state and is the top Catholic school team in Illinois. His high standards and patient instruction have left a lasting mark on generations of RedHawks. Alumni frequently credit him with instilling not only a mastery of math but also the confidence and resilience to succeed in college, careers, and life. As one former student recalled, “Mr. Glennon was one of the best teachers I had at Marist. Mr. Glennon taught me much more than math: discipline, persistence, and good morals. Marist is lucky to have this legendary teacher.”
Glennon’s impact on education extends beyond Marist. He served on the content advisory board for Calculus for the AP Course, a widely used college-level textbook, contributing more than 500 pages of solutions, strategies, and insights for the Teacher’s Solutions Manual. He also produced 65 instructional videos now used by AP calculus teachers and students across the country. He even sought input from his own Marist students, ensuring that their voices helped shape the work.
His dedication to Marist students has also taken inspiring forms outside the classroom. In 2015, to mark his 40th year of teaching, Glennon biked more than 1,000 miles from New York to Chicago, raising over $75,000 for financial aid. That ride launched the Owen and Carlin Glennon Scholarship, named in honor of him and his wife, which continues to open doors for deserving students. An avid cyclist, he has completed multiple long-distance charity rides, always combining his passion for cycling with his commitment to Marist families in need.
Glennon’s colleagues often remark that while many educators wind down late in their careers, his “fire still burns bright.” His influence is felt not only in math competitions and classrooms but also in the values of service, perseverance, and gratitude he models daily. As he once reflected, “As a teacher, if you touch the life of one kid, then you have done a good job.” By that measure, and by the countless students, colleagues, and alumni who call him mentor and friend, Owen Glennon has more than succeeded.
Join us for an evening celebrating Marist. Tickets for A Night of Honor, Glory, and Fame are on sale now!
