A Gift of Gratitude: Saint Bede Alumnus Honors Parents Through Giving

Dick Haas ’70 (center) returned to Saint Bede this fall to present his annual scholarship, continuing a tradition of generosity in honor of his parents. This year, Haas expanded his gift, awarding two randomly selected sophomores $1,000 each. Last year’s recipient, Sadie Dugosh ’28 (far left), had the honor of drawing the names of this year’s recipients, Kamryn Nauman ’29 (second from left) and Bryson Boudreau ’29 (second from right). Also pictured is Abbot Emeritus Philip Davey (far right).

For more than a decade, Dick Haas ’70 has been turning gratitude for his own Saint Bede education into opportunities for the next generation of Bruins.

What began in 2015 as a heartfelt tribute to his parents has become a cherished tradition at Saint Bede Academy. Each year, Haas makes the journey from his hometown of El Paso, Ill., to present a scholarship to a sophomore student.

The scholarship was established in honor of his parents, who he credits with giving him the opportunity to experience Saint Bede.

His family's connection to the Academy reaches back to his father, who was a 1939 graduate. His father maintained a lifelong interest in Saint Bede following graduation and enjoyed keeping up with the school and its activities. That same sense of loyalty and appreciation was passed down to Haas, who has made it a priority to return to campus whenever possible since graduating in 1970.

For the past nine years, Haas’s visits have included a particularly meaningful tradition: personally drawing the name of a returning sophomore student to receive a $500 scholarship. The selection is made at random, with just one requirement — the recipient must be a returning sophomore day student who has completed their first year at Saint Bede.

This year, he decided to make an even greater impact. Rather than selecting one recipient, he drew the names of two sophomores — one girl and one boy — and awarded each a $1,000 scholarship.

For Haas, the annual trip back to Saint Bede is about much more than presenting a financial gift. It is an opportunity to reconnect with a school that helped shape his life while honoring his parents who made that experience possible.

His generosity is a reminder that the impact of a Saint Bede education extends far beyond graduation. Through Haas’s continued commitment, one family's sacrifice more than 60 years ago is now helping make a difference for students today.

Sharing Saint Bede with South America

This fall, Marcia Wagner, Dean of Residential Programs (pictured center), had the privilege of carrying the Saint Bede story to South America, with stops in Buenos Aires and Brazil.

In Buenos Aires, she attended the ILF agent conference, meeting with educational agents from across the region who help families find the right school abroad. In Brazil, she met with agents and families in Curitiba and São Paulo before joining colleagues from around the world at ICEF Latin America in Rio de Janeiro.

Again and again, the conversations came back to the same things: a close-knit community where students are known by name, strong academics that prepare them for college and a full life outside the classroom.

Families were excited to hear about Saint Bede’s athletics programs and the wide range of clubs and activities that help students find their interests and their people. They were especially drawn to its residential program — the chance for their sons and daughters to grow in independence while being cared for by adults who genuinely look out for them.

“It was a joy to describe life on our campus, from game days to friendships formed across many cultures in our dorms,” Wagner said.

The relationships Wagner built on her travels are already bearing fruit.

“We are following up with the agents and families we met about enrollment for January 2027 and August 2027, and I look forward to welcoming new students from Argentina and Brazil into the Saint Bede family. Our international students enrich every classroom, team and residence hall they join, and they remind all of us how far our community’s welcome can reach,” she said. “I’m grateful to our school community for supporting this work, and I’m excited for the new friendships ahead. Obrigada!”

Cass and Villava Recognized for Outstanding Citizenship and Leadership

The faculty and students of Saint Bede Academy have selected seniors Calen Cass and Ariana Villava as the 2026-27 winners of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) Good Citizenship awards. 

Cass is the son of Douglas and Jennifer Cass of Peru and a graduate of Parkside Middle School. He was selected for the DAR award based on his ability to show courtesy to others, loyalty, truthfulness and self-control; with the ability to assume responsibility. The DAR award is sponsored by the Princeton-Illinois Chapter NSDAR and presented annually to an outstanding senior based on dependability, service, leadership and patriotism.  

Cass is a four-year golfer and varsity team captain, three-year participant in basketball, and a two-year member of the soccer program. He represents Saint Bede Academy as a Student Ambassador where he welcomes prospective students and families and helps communicate the school’s culture and experiences. For four years, Cass has volunteered in youth sports camps at Saint Bede. He holds the honor of the Junior Citizenship Award and Academic Excellence Award in World History, which he received his sophomore year. He has also maintained honor roll throughout his time at Saint Bede. Cass has been accepted into multiple universities to study sports management and communications but has not yet chosen which one he will attend. He plans to receive his bachelor’s degree in sports management and communications. His long-term goal is to pursue his juris doctor to become a sports agent.  

Villava is the daughter of Nanci Villava of Spring Valley and Francisco Villava of Mendota, and a graduate of JFK Elementary School. She was selected for the SAR award based on her ability to display a cooperative spirit, politeness, sincerity, respect for others and academic excellence. The SAR award is sponsored by the Captain Zeally Moss Chapter for Bureau County and is presented annually to an exceptional senior based on dependability, leadership, service to their school and community, evidence of personal values and patriotism. 

Villava has been involved in cheerleading and tennis. She represents Saint Bede Academy as a member of Student Government and Student Ambassadors during school and community events. She also has been a part of spring musical, fall theatre, Sacro Speco, and is a recipient of the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award. She is involved in the Tea Club, Charity Club and Rotary Club. In addition, she earned the Certificate of Excellence in English 1, Citizenship Award in 9th and 10th grade and has maintained honor roll throughout her time at Saint Bede. Villava is a volunteer at the Richard A. Mautino Library in Spring Valley during the reading program and for Christmas in the Valley. She has also volunteered for the Special Olympics, the LaSalle Veterans Home, Nativity of Our Lord CCD Program and the Peterstown TEC Program. Villava will attend a four-year college to study social work. She plans to receive both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work and become a mental health therapist. Her long-term goal is to have her own practice and work with children, teens, adults and families.  

Alex Hueneburg’64 Named 2026 Saint Bede Distinguished Alumnus

The Saint Bede Alumni Association and Saint Bede Academy are proud to announce that the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award is Alex Hueneburg, Class of 1964. 

“Coach” Hueneburg is a familiar face on the Saint Bede Academy campus.  His ties to Saint Bede are strong and his contributions to the students of Saint Bede over the years, in so many ways, made him the unanimous choice of this year’s selection committee. 

Alex was born in Germany at the end of World War II.  After living in the East German/ Russian sector for eight years after the war, his family crossed the border as refugees into West Germany, where he and his family lived in a refugee camp for three years before coming to the U.S. in 1956.

He grew up in Spring Valley and attended Saint Bede where he played football, basketball and track all four years. 

In 1968, returned to Saint Bede as a teacher and coach before being drafted into the U.S. army in 1969. During his military training, he learned Vietnamese at the Defense Language Institute at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX – a skill he would later use during his tour of duty in Vietnam.  

After the service, he returned to Saint Bede in 1971 as a teacher and coach.  He taught and coached at Saint Bede until 1979, when he started a successful insurance and investment advisory business called Hueneburg Financial Group, that continues to be owned and operated by his son, Alec Hueneburg, and Stacy Newell, a business partner of over 30 years. Over the course of his insurance career, Alex has received several honors as a top producer.

He has been married to his wife, Linda, for 59 years and they continue to live in the Illinois Valley where they raised their children, Kimberly Meinert, Erika Hueneburg and Alec Hueneburg, who all attended Saint Bede. 

Alex also has five grandsons, including Callan and Halden Hueneburg, who graduated from Saint Bede and like their grandfather and father, Alec, played three sports. Grandson Blake Hueneburg is currently a sophomore at the Academy and is continuing the tradition of playing three sports, started by his grandfather.

Throughout his career, Alex has given back to his community by supporting various organizations, charities and clubs in the Illinois Valley. That community service includes his continued financial support of the Saint Bede mission, including organizing anonymous contributions to support students in the Illinois Valley who needed assistance to finance their education at Saint Bede.  He says, “I was there once myself and I am forever grateful for my education at Saint Bede and the values that were instilled in me.”

He is actively involved in local grade schools and speaks at those schools annually about the benefits of Saint Bede when the new class is considering Saint Bede over the public schools in the community. He continues to be a cheerleader for the Saint Bede family and has volunteered and organized many projects for the betterment of the Academy and the monastery.

Alex is proud of the tradition that he has passed to his children and grandchildren around team sports at Saint Bede. As a participant, coach and now a cheerleader for his grandchildren, he has seen the benefits of team sports for one’s character development and future personal success.  

Given his tireless contributions to Saint Bede in so many ways over his lifetime, Alex Hueneburg exemplifies how one should live in accordance with the Rule of St. Benedict. 

The Saint Bede Alumni Association is proud to honor Alex Hueneburg as the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus. He will be recognized on Sunday, Oct. 4, during the annual Alumni Brunch over Homecoming weekend at Saint Bede. Alumni and friends are welcome to attend the brunch in support of Alex. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by contacting Claire (Perona) Murphy ’78 at cmurphy@sperlingkenny.com. The brunch is held in the Perino Science Center.

We Are in the Boat Together

Abbot Michael’s Homily for a Community in Mourning

There are moments when words seem inadequate. There are moments when we gather for Mass not because we have answers, but because we need God—and because we need one another.

Today is one of those moments. We come together carrying a profound grief: the death of Alex Dittmar, at the age of 25, who was so well loved by his classmates and teachers; and the tragic death in a car accident of two-year-old Jack McLaughlin.

Two lives, very different in age and circumstance, yet each precious beyond measure. When death comes suddenly and tragically, especially when it involves someone so young, one question inevitably arises:

Where is God? Today’s Gospel gives us a remarkable image for that question. Jesus and his disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm arises. The waves are breaking over the boat, and the disciples are terrified. And Jesus? What of his whereabouts? He is asleep. The disciples wake him and cry out: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

The question the disciples ask can sound very familiar to us. Do you not care? Why did this happen? Why Alex? Why Jack? Why now? Why could the storm not have been stopped?

Those are not questions of weak faith. They are the honest questions of people who are grieving. The Gospel does not give us a simple explanation for suffering. Jesus does something else. He stands in the midst of the storm and says: “Quiet! Be still!”  The wind ceases. But notice something important: Jesus does not promise his disciples that there will never again be storms. Faith does not mean that we will never suffer. Faith does not mean that faithful people will be protected from tragedy. Faith means something deeper: We do not face the storm alone. Jesus is in the boat. That is an important message for us today. Some of us may feel that our boat is being overwhelmed by grief. Some may feel anger, confusion, sadness, or even an unsettling silence from God. But Christ is still in the boat.

The first reading from the book of Wisdom gives us the promise that lies at the heart of our hope: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God.” Not in the hands of fate. Not lost in meaninglessness. Not erased by death. In the hand of God.

The Book of Wisdom acknowledges that death can appear to be destruction. From the human perspective, those who have died may seem to have been taken from us. But Wisdom says: “They are in peace.” Then it speaks of a hope that goes beyond what we can see: “Their hope is full of immortality.” That is what we proclaim today. We do not pretend that death does not hurt. It hurts precisely because we love. We do not tell grieving families simply to “move on.” We remember. We mourn. We weep. We entrust those whom we love to God.

Today we entrust to God, Alex whose life had already accomplished much, but whose future held so much more. For those of you who taught him, he was not simply a student who earned excellent grades. He was part of this community.

Teachers know something about this kind of loss. We teach students, but over the years we also come to know them and love them. We watch them grow. We celebrate their accomplishments. We worry about them. We hope for their futures. And when someone like Alex dies, it can feel as though a piece of the school’s own story has been taken away.

Today we also entrust to God, Jack McLaughlin. There are few things more difficult for the human heart to comprehend than the death of a child. A child that age should be discovering the world, growing, laughing, learning, and being surrounded by the ordinary experiences of family life. We cannot adequately explain why such a life should end so soon. Perhaps we should resist the temptation to offer easy explanations.

Sometimes the most honest prayer is simply: “Lord, we do not understand.” But even when we do not understand, we can still trust. We can trust the words of the book of Wisdom: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God.” We can trust the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ—a God who knows human suffering from the inside.

Jesus himself knew grief. He stood at the tomb of Lazarus as recorded in the gospel of John. He wept. He experienced betrayal and abandonment. He suffered and died upon the cross. Because Christ entered fully into human suffering, we can bring our suffering to him.

There is another dimension of today’s Gospel that is especially meaningful for us as at St. Bede Academy with its Benedictine tradition. When the storm comes, the disciples are in the boat together. That is what we are called to do today. Stay together. Pray together. Grieve together. Support one another.

There may be times when we do not know what to say to a grieving colleague or friend. We may be afraid that we will say the wrong thing. Sometimes the most appropriate thing is simply to be present. To sit with someone. To listen. To pray. To say, “I am here.” That is community and it is profoundly Benedictine.

St. Benedict begins his Rule with the invitation: “Listen carefully, my son.” Today we are called to listen carefully—not necessarily for an explanation of why these tragedies occurred, but for the voice of Christ in the midst of our storm.

Listen for the voice that says: I am here. Listen for the voice that says: Your loved ones are in my hands. Listen for the voice that says: You do not have to carry this grief alone.

Perhaps this tragedy also reminds us of the sacred responsibility we have as educators. Every young person who walks through the doors of this school with its Benedictine tradition is someone’s beloved child. Every student carries hopes, dreams, fears, struggles, and gifts. We do not know how long any of us has been given. That should not make us fearful. It should make us attentive. It should make us teach with greater patience. Listen more carefully. Forgive more readily. Encourage more generously. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give a young person is the knowledge that he or she is known, valued, and loved.

Today, we do not ask God for an easy answer. We ask for faith. We ask for strength. We ask for peace. We ask for the grace to entrust those whom we love into God’s hands. We do not stand before death and pretend that it is not painful. We stand before death and proclaim: Death is real, but death does not have the final word. Christ has the final word. Christ’s final word is: life.

Today we commend these two precious lives to God’s mercy. We pray for their families, their friends, their classmates, their teachers, and all who mourn. We pray for. Nick and Laura McLaughlin who are carrying an unimaginable loss.

We pray for the members of our school community whose hearts are broken. We pray for ourselves—that God will give us the courage to remain together when the storms come. The storm may still be raging. We may not yet understand why.

Know these three things: 1) Jesus is in the boat. 2) We are in the boat together. 3) The souls of those whom we love are in the hand of God.

May Christ calm the storms within our hearts. May he give peace to those who mourn. May he welcome Alex and Jack into eternal life. May their memory deepen within us the gift of compassion, gratitude, and love.