Hebron, Illinois (population 1,038) is located in McHenry County . The history of the Hebron school system started in 1837 with a schoolhouse and another was built to replace that in 1878. In 1887, the high school was organized with six graduates in 1888: Minnie Stone, Wray Rove, George Boughton, Emma Mead, Nellie Brown and a Mrs. William Giddings.
In 1926, the school was named Hebron Union High School due to the annexation of the smaller Union School District, formed of mostly country schools. Hebron High School’s enrollment for grades 9 – 12 in the 1939-40 school year was 101 students.
Hebron HS Insription
“Dist. 159 Hebron Community High School 1924”
The community supported it’s own high school curriculum until the year in which the consolidation era began, 1948. That year, Hebron and Alden (West of Hebron) combined their districts and Hebron retained their high school. Alden-Hebron High School is named the way it is based on the District offices located in Alden, so this is to avoid any confusion as to why the school is not called Hebron-Alden H.S. The new school carried on the name and colors of Hebron H.S.
The original Hebron High School building is used as part of the Alden-Hebron High School with additions made to accommodate the growing student enrollment.
Alden-Hebron High School is most famous for winning the IHSA State Basketball Championship in 1952, with a total of 98 students and defeated Quincy (a school 25x bigger than A-H!) in the championship game. Photos of this team can be viewed at: www.eteamz.com/aldenhebrongiants
Hebron High School Building
Submitted by Eileen Chamberland
Hebron High School “Quick Facts”:
Year Opened: 1887
Year High School Name Change: 1926 (Hebron-Union High School)
Year Consolidated: 1948
Building Status: unknown
School Nickname: The “Giants” and also “The Green and White”
School Colors: Green & White
School Song:“Hebron Loyalty”
Sung to “Illinois Loyalty”
Click play button below and sing along!
We’re loyal to you Hebron High.
We’re ever true blue Hebron High,
We’ll best you to stand
Against the best in the land,
For we know you will stand Hebron High,
Go crashing ahead Hebron
Go thru that defense Hebron High,
Our name is a fame protector
On boys for weexpect a
Victory from you Hebron High!
Athletics
Hebron High School offered Basketball, and maybe offered Track and Field and Football. Listed below are the successes of the Hebron Basketball team per the IHSA website (www.ihsa.org).
Hebron HS All-Stater Howie Judson
Submitted by Dean Bentley
Hebron High School started football in 1946, and they also had Baseball back then. Howie Judson was an All State Basketball player from 1941-1943 & John Kjellstrom was also an All State player in 1941.
Howie went on to play & the University of Illinois. He is the older brother of the Judson twins, Rob and Paul, who would lead Hebron to the State championship in 1952.
A newspaper article dated Friday, April 2, 1943 that was submitted by Dean Bentley reads as follows:
Hebron Star Makes All-State Basketball Team
“Howard Johnson of Hebron’s Green Giants was named on Pat Harmon’s All-State basketball team it was revealed Wednesday night in Champaign. The first and second team squads, announced by Harmon in collaboration with coaches and sports writers through out the state, also included Bob Morton of Elgin on the second team. Judson, six foot two inch forward, paced the Hebron squad through out his four year high school career, and, as in previous years, led his teammates to plenty of victories. Hebron did not get to the state finals, losing to Elgin in that final hectic night of the regional meet.”
Submitted by Dean Bentley (left click on photo for larger view)
As is seen above, Howie Judson’s athletic career did not end after his remarkable high school career at Hebron. Howie would go on to play for the Chicago White Sox and Cincinatti Reds of professional baseball fame! Howie joined the White Sox in 1948 as a right handed pitcher, and played through the 1954 season. A link to read more about Howie Judson’s baseball career can be viewed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howie_Judson .
Hebron HS Basketball Team of 1912
Submitted by Dean Bentley
BOYS BASKETBALL
Hebron enjoyed a successful run with it’s Basketball program, which has it origins, as far as we know it, dating back to 1912. The Giants won eight District Championships, two Regional Championships, a Sectional Championship and qualified for the IHSAA State Tournament in 1940.
Scott Johnson and Julie Kistler’s book Once There Were Giants (2002) documents some of the history of the program pre-1952. Basketball came to Hebron in the early 1900’s and flourished ever since. Lowry B. Crane, a recent graduate from the University of Chicago and star at Chicago Englewood High School, was hired as the JV coach but took over the varsity spot shortly after when Hebron’s varsity coach resigned.
In 1924, Hebron won the McHenry County championship, and made it all the way to the Regional Tournament finals where they fell to Elgin, 65-11. It would be 11 years until Hebron would win another county championship.
In the 1938-39 season, Hebron took great advantage of an 1936 rule that placed the top two teams at the District Tournament into Sectionals. They defeated Elgin in the semis and fell to Dundee in the championship. They went on to the Sectional Tournament, where they fell to Rockford High (a school 35x larger than Hebron), 39-34. Rockford won the state championship that year, which was Crane’s last full year as head coach.
Crane has moved on to become a physics instructor at Chicago Senn and Ed Willett became coach. Willett, a player at Wooster College and Northwestern University, led the 1939-40 squad to 20 straight wins to start the season before falling to Crystal Lake. In the Regionals, Hebron beat Elgin 26-23 in overtime with a come-from-behind effort of -10 points. Hebron won the Regional with a 37-34 win over Dundee (a game coached by Crane in Willett’s absence). In the Sectionals, they beat Mount Morris 37-22 and Freeport 40-29 before taking on the Rockford High School Rabs once again.
In the final basketball game in Rockford High School history, Hebron defeated them 36-24 and went to the State Tournament at Huff Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois. There, they had a good 30-24 lead but the opposing team, Lewistown, rallied to score the last seven points of the game and win, 31-30.
The 1941-42 Green Giants beat McHenry in the District tournament, and then defeated Elgin and lost to Dundee in the Regionals and beat Rochelle and fell to Rockford East in the Sectionals.
In 1942-43, the country was at war and it’s effects took a toll on Hebron Basketball. Willett left for Rockford West and Les Harman guided Hebron, who had a 25-win season, beating Crystal Lake and Dundee in the Regionals and falling to Elgin, 38-29 at the Elgin Sectional.
The next season, Harman called to duty and was replaced by Mel Stuessey, the coach at Woostock St. Mary’s. He was coaching two teams at the same time: running practices at Hebron and St. Mary’s and actually coaching St. Mary’s while Hebron Superintendent Paul Tigard coached in Hebron games.
In the District Tournament finals, Hebron and St. Mary’s faced each other. This was also noted on Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” that a coach coached two teams pitting each other in a game. Stuessey knew Hebron like the palm of his hand and defeated Hebron, 33-30.
In 1944-45, former Hebron player George Simes and Hebron Principal Claude Higdon both coached.
BOYS BASKETBALL – Team Records
Hebron High School “Giants” of 1919-20
Submitted by Eileen Chamberland
1920-21 Joliet District Tourney Coach’s name & record needed
Semi-final lost to New Trier 30-17
New Trier beat Joliet in title game
1921-22 Rockford District Tourney Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Lee Center 28-20
2nd Rd lost to New Milford 50-14
Rockford beat New Milford in title game
1923-24 N.R.A. McHenry County Champs Coaches name unavailable
District scores not available
1924-25 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1925-26 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1926-27 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1927-28 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1928-29 Postseason scores & record needed. Coach Lowry Crane
1929-30 Postseason scores & record needed. Coach Lowry Crane
1930-31 Postseason scores & record needed. Coach Lowry Crane
1931-32 Woodstock District Tourney Coach Lowry Crane
1st Rd lost to Huntley 12-11
Dundee beat Elgin in title game
1932-33 Dundee District Tourney Coach Lowry Crane
1st Rd lost to Crystal Lake 36-17
Dundee beat Hampshire in title game
1933-34 Crystal Lake District Tourney Coach Lowry Crane
1st Rd lost to Palatine 51-15
Dundee beat Huntley in title game
1934-35 Crystal Lake District Tourney Coach Lowry Crane
1st Rd lost to McHenry 26-22
Elgin beat Dundee in title game
1935-36Wauconda District ChampsCoach Lowry Crane
1st Rd Beat Capron 42-15
Semi-Final Beat Palatine 22-15
Title Game Beat McHenry 31-30
Woodstock Regional Tourney
1st Rd Beat Dundee 26-16
Semi-Final lost to Harvard 24-23
Woodstock beat Harvard in title game
1936-3713-8Palatine District ChampionsCoach Lowry Crane
Semi-Final Beat Ela 23-22
Title Game Beat McHenry 32-27
Crystal Lake Regional Tourney
1st Rd Beat Harvard 33-10
Semi-Final lost to Woodstock 41-24
Dundee beat Woodstock in title game
1937-38 Postseason scores & record needed. Coach Lowry Crane
1938-39 23-3 IHSA District Champions Coach Lowry Crane
District Scores Unavailable
Dundee Regional Runner-Up
1st Rd Beat Maine 30-26
Semi-Final Beat Elgin 22-21 (O/T)
Title Game lost to Dundee 59-13
1939-40 31-2 Hebron District Champions Coach Ed Willett
Early Rd Scores Needed
Title Game Beat Harvard 24-23
Crystal Lake Regional Champs
1st Rd Beat Arlington Heights 52-32
Semi-Final Beat Elgin 26-23 (O/T)
Title Game Beat Dundee 55-40
Rockford Sectional Champs
1st Rd Beat Mt. Morris 37-22
HEBRON (37): Johnson 12, Kjellstrom 9, Bigelow 5, Behrens 3, Judson 2, Voltz 2, Ryan 2, Rehorst 2.
1941-42 25-7 Hebron District Champions Coach Ed Willett
Early Rd Scores Needed
Title Game Beat McHenry 32-27
Dundee Lake Regional Runner-Up
1st Rd Beat Woodstock 40-31
Semi-Final Beat Elgin 33-23
Title Game lost to Dundee 35-30
1942-43 27-3 Hebron District Champions Coach Ed Willett
1st Rd Beat Plato Center 58-17
Semi-Final Beat Capron 74-23
Title Game Beat Huntley 42-17
Howie Judson scores 20 points in the District title game as Hebron advances to the Elgin Regional Tournament.
Elgin Regional Runner-Up
1st Rd Beat Crystal Lake 66-20
Semi-Final Beat Dundee 37-18
Title Game lost to Elgin 38-29
1943-44 N.R.A. Hebron District Tourney Coaches Paul Tigard and Mel Steussey
Early Rd Scores Needed
Title Game lost to Woodstock St. Mary’s 33-30
1944-45 N.R.A. Hebron District Tourney Coaches Paul Tigard and George Simes
1st Rd lost to McHenry 45-30
McHenry beat Woodstock St. Mary in title game
1945-46 N.R.A. Hebron District Runner-Up Coach Mort Murphy
1st Rd Beat Capron 46-27
Semi-Final Beat Woodstock St. Mary 39-37
Title Game lost to Elgin St. Edward 44-38
1946-47 21-4 Hebron District Champions Coach Mort Murphy
1st Rd Beat Huntley 60-46
Semi-Final Beat Woodstock St. Mary 56-32
Elgin St. Edward 51-38
Woodstock Regional Tourney
1st Rd Beat Arlington Heights 40-31
Semi-Final lost to Elgin 60-36
Dundee beat Elgin in title game
1947-48 N.R.A. Hebron District Runner-UpCoach Mort Murphy
Round I – Played in Hebron
Elgin St. Edward – BYE
Capron 44, Huntley 33
Hebron 50, Richmond 33
Woodstock St. Mary’s 47, Alden 15
Round II
Elgin St. Edward 58, Capron 47
Hebron 47, Woodstock St. Mary’s 43
Championship
Elgin St. Edward 55, Hebron 40
An incredible run by the Giants!
Great Coach
Ed Willett – Guided the Giants to a 85-13 record in three seasons as head coach, coaching the 1939-40 team to the state tournament.
Lowry Crane – Was the first coach in the Hebron program, had an instrumental role in building the tradition of the Hebron (and later Alden-Hebron) Basketball program.
Seeking More Information
More information is being sought about Hebron High School; use the Guest Commentary Form to sumbit. Corrections are welcome as well. If you have more Information about HHS, including photos of the school and high school memories you would like to share please use the Guest Commentary Form or you may also write us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net or via USPS at:
Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva St.
Chicago, IL 60631
Hebron High School Graduating Class of 1920
Submitted bhy Eileen Chamberland
Regarding the photo above from Eileen Chamberland:
“The photo (which is quite damaged) is inscribed on the back “Graduating Class Hebron HS 1920.” My grandmother, Mary Helen Lemmers is the center person (7th from left in the back row). She is wearing a dark lanyard, probably with a medal she won. I don’t know the names of any of the other individuals in the photo.”
