PHOTOT LEFT: James Pembroke (left), Evergreen Park High School alumni director, congratulates Robert Hoff, Chicago Fire Department Commissioner, on his induction to the high school’s Hall of Fame during the annual Honors Day event Monday night in Evergreen Park.Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff’s parents were deceased when he attended Evergreen Park High School in the early 1970s.
So Hoff looked to the school’s teachers and coaches for guidance and direction.
“I learned a lot from my teachers here. I learned a lot from my coaches here,” Hoff said Monday night after he was inducted into the high school’s Hall of Fame. “It’s an honor I never thought I’d receive.”
Hoff, a 1974 graduate, was one of two alumni inducted into the hall of fame during the school’s Honors Day ceremonies.
Rosalle Wyman, the co-founder of Wyman Worldwide Heath Partners, also was inducted. Wyman is a member of the Class of 1966.
The hall of fame was started four years ago and has 11 members.
Hoff said he learned self-discipline while at Evergreen Park High. He told the school’s current seniors at the ceremony to be proud of, but not satisfied with, their achievements.
“Don’t look at what you did,” Hoff said. “Look at what you can do.”
Hoff became a Chicago firefighter in 1977. He worked his way up through the ranks over 30 years and was named assistant fire commissioner in 2006.
He was the incident commander for the department’s deployment to New York City after the 9-11 tragedy and to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
A resident of Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community, Hoff is a two-time winner of the Carter Harrison Award, the fire department’s highest award for bravery.