A Tribute to Norbert Cudnowski: One Way Ticket to the American Dream

Born a child of Polish immigrants, Norbert Cudnowski ’50 always embodied the idea of the “American Dream”. He worked hard, portrayed passion and kept faith at the core of everything he did.

Fascinated by planes from a young age, Norbert oftentimes would spend hours watching the planes fly in and out of Midway Airport – the very thing that sparked his passion for flying. One Sunday, he decided to visit a parish outside of his own where, to his surprise, someone spoke about Lewis and the scholarships they were offering. He felt it was fate, and that God led him to that particular time and place for a reason. That is when Norbert made the decision to call himself a Flyer.

After graduation, Norbert served in the U.S. Air Force as part of the first generation of U.S. Air Force Jet Fighter pilots and a member of the 339th All Weather Fighter Interceptor Squadron in Japan and Korea from 1952 to 1955. He was honorably discharged and returned stateside to begin a long, successful career as a pilot at United Airlines. Soon after, he met Carole who had worked as a flight attendant. They got married and went on to have five children.

According to his daughter, Cathleen Cudnowski Dixon, “He was so thankful for the opportunities that Lewis had given him. He loved what he did and felt that Lewis played an instrumental role in making his dreams come true.”

Norbert unfortunately passed away in October 2020. To honor his inspiring legacy, Cathleen and her husband David established a scholarship at Lewis University. This generous gift, in honor of her parents, will help provide support to future Lewis University Flyers studying aviation.

“It is our hope that the important role that Lewis played in my father’s life to help him achieve his dreams will reverberate through current and future generations. My father and mother had an inspirational journey, one in which flight played a key role. As a result, their continued kindness created a ripple effect that has reached their children, their grandchildren and now, outward beyond our family. We want their story to be recreated through the experiences of students at Lewis,” says Cathleen.

For years to come, the Captain Norbert & Carole Cudnowski Aviation Opportunity Endowed Scholarships will change the lives of students following in Norbert’s footsteps and allow his Lewis legacy to live on.

“My father valued faith in action, so we want to take our blessings and pay it forward. For anyone who is passionate and works hard, like my father, I want to make it easier for them to achieve their dreams. And I know it is what my parents would want as well.”

In order to make an even more significant impact, the family has also decided to provide a generous $10,000 matching gift in support of the 2022 Day of Giving at Lewis. They will match every gift made to support aviation for Day of Giving, dollar for dollar. Cathleen hopes that this will make the Lewis community enthusiastic about the powerful impact their own gift can have on today’s Flyers. To learn more about Lewis’ annual Day of Giving, visit us online at alumni.lewisu.edu/Give22.

The Power of a Catholic Educator

Catholic Schools Week is a time to celebrate the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation.

For Lewis alumnus Anthony Lyen '14 '19, Catholic education has always been a fundamentally important part of life. He attended St. Daniel the Prophet School from preschool through eighth grade before attending St. Laurence High School in Burbank and eventually Lewis University.

"A Catholic education truly blends a rigorous, relevant curriculum while instilling Christ's values in the lives of our students," says Anthony. "The goal is to develop our students to be life-long learners whose spiritual values can guide them through the challenges of life. Ultimately, we want our students to take as much pride in their faith life as their academic achievements."

Group projects, retreats and trips, layout night for the Flyer newspaper, summer orientations as a leader, and late nights as a RA are some of Anthony's fondest memories from his time at Lewis. All very unique from one another, yet, all rooted by one thing - faith.

After graduation from Lewis, Anthony began working at St. Daniel the Prophet School - his alma mater. In 2019, he went back to Lewis to pursue a Master of Education degree. And as a result, he was recently named Assistant Principal in addition to serving as an eighth grade social studies and religion teacher.

"Not only do I get to continue teaching and help prepare my students for high school, but I get to help lead a school community I care so deeply about. Every day, I make sure I do whatever I can to make a positive difference for my students, helping them to learn, laugh, and grow in their faith. I can't wait to serve in a greater capacity with an amazing group of people to help our school continue to thrive," adds Anthony.

Anthony understands the critical role that a Catholic education can play in the lives of tomorrow's leaders. So much so, that in addition to teaching, he serves as a Lewis Alumni Representative to help make a differences in more ways than one. He has partnered with the Education Department and helped to recruit new graduates for potential teaching positions. As a leader at Lewis, he also encourages fellow alumni to stay connected and support today's Flyers.

"I try to model my faith through my teaching as well as my involvement in the parish community. My hope is that students see my passion for both teaching and my faith in my words and actions. I can only hope through my service to the school and community, my students can be inspired to proudly live out their faith."

It Takes a Village

Joey Ancel, Class of 2021

On his first day of preschool, Joey Ancel '21 came home and said to his family, "I want to be a teacher when I grow up!" He would oftentimes force his family to play school so he could pretend to be a teacher. That passion never faded and now his dream has come true - and this time it wasn't make believe!

On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Joey walked into Troy Hofer Elementary School to enjoy his first day of school...as a teacher (yes, a real one!)

Joey left the first day of his teaching career not only feeling excited for the future, but also grateful for the past. He sat at his computer and began to write an email...

"You are receiving this email because each and every one of you made some sort of impact on my life at some point during my educational journey and I can only hope to make these kinds of impacts on my students as they enter my classroom. Whether you were my teacher, principal, nurse, secretary, lunch lady, professor, colleague, friend, mentor, administrator, etc., you have inspired me to join this crazy world of education and I am forever grateful. It truly takes a village to run a school!"

After one day on the job, Joey recognized the important role every person he had encountered played in his journey to pursue his calling, including many faculty and staff members from Lewis University.

For Joey, being a teacher is a very rewarding profession. And Lewis was a place that fostered his passion to pursue it.

"I learned the importance of loving the job and loving the students. The work I do as a teacher leaves an important impact on the lives of my students, just as so many at Lewis did for me. Each person on that email made a difference in my life - and I wanted them to know. Whether it is in the classroom, in a counseling center, in the lunch line, or on the walk to school - every person plays a vital role. I love being a teacher, but I know I cannot do my job without the important work of so many others. I hope to be a good role model and do work that will allow my students today to come to that realization in the future themselves."

Joey graduated from Lewis University with a B.A. in Elementary Education in 2021 before starting his career as a second-grade teacher this past summer. He is excited for this chapter in his life and looks forward to inspiring tomorrow's leaders throughout his new journey as a teacher.