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David McGrath

Inducted in 2026

  • Graduate EPCHS Class of 1967
  • B.S. in Education, Chicago State University
  • M.A. in English (cum laude), Chicago State University
  • Journalism/English Teacher, Chicago Vocational High School
  • Professor of English and Native American Literature at College of DuPage 
  • Writing Professor at University of South Alabama, Florida Southwestern State College.
  • Finalist in National EdPress Awards (1993)
  • Award for Best Essay in American Educator Magazine(1999)
  • Award Citation in "Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction" in Best American Essays (2022)
  • Award Citation for Chicago Tribune's "Most Heartfelt Op-ed" in both 2024 and 2025.
  • Contributing Editor, Florida Sportsman Magazine (Current)
  • Author of Siege at Ojibwa, The Territory, South Siders, and Far Enough Away.
About David McGrath: 

David McGrath, graduated with honors from Evergreen Park High School in 1967, is the author of 4 books and over 700 essays that have appeared in magazines and newspapers throughout the country, from the Washington Post to the Chicago Tribune to the Los Angeles Times.

Mr. McGrath has helped put our village of Evergreen Park on the map, so to speak.  His heartwarming stories about growing up, going to school, and later raising his own family in EP and Chicago’s south side have circulated everywhere in the country from California to New York for the past 25 years.

His work often highlights the values and sense of community that is unique to our village, and has been highly acclaimed, including being cited in BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS (2022).