2021 Inductees
The purpose of Mehlville School District’s Alumni Hall of Fame is to identify and celebrate graduates of the Mehlville School District (Mehlville High School and Oakville High School) who have made a lasting impact in the community or in the nation. Inductees will serve as role models for current and future generations of students who aspire to be productive citizens and demonstrate traits that align to the Mehlville School District Portrait of a Graduate Traits: creative and critical thinker; self-aware; persistent; communicator; and ethical and global.
The Alumni Hall of Fame Selection Committee has selected the following inductees for the 2021 Mehlville School District Alumni Hall of Fame:
Meghann Burke, MHS ’99
Executive Director of the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association
After a professional career as a goalkeeper in women’s soccer leagues both in the U.S. and in Europe, Burke became a criminal defense and civil rights attorney. The award-winning attorney was lead counsel for the Campaign for Southern Equality, fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. Burke is currently the Executive Director of NWSLPA, where she bargains on behalf of today’s professional women’s soccer players.
Dr. Matthew Kroenig, OHS ’96
Political scientist, author and national security strategist
Dr. Kroenig began his career as a military analyst for the CIA and has become a trusted policy adviser on national security issues, including nuclear and terrorist network deterrence. Dr. Kroenig has advised for the White House, State Department, Pentagon, Congress and the intelligence community. He is an award-winning author, a regular commentator on news shows and is a professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University.
Patrick Maroon, OHS ’07
Professional hockey player for the National Hockey League
Maroon became a hometown hero in 2019 when he helped propel the St. Louis Blues to their first Stanley Cup win. The power forward would go on to win two more Stanley Cups, this time for the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming just the fourth American player in history to win three consecutive championships. Maroon routinely gives back to the St. Louis community through his support of children’s health and first responder organizations.
Ernie Perrica, MHS ’88
Mehlville High School teacher and coach
Perrica spent his 30-year career in education at his alma mater where he built lasting relationships with students. The dedicated teacher and coach played a key role in making those who attended MHS through the desegregation program feel welcome and at home in the halls of Mehlville High School. Perrica has served as a mentor for countless MHS teachers and coaches.
Dr. Aletha W. Tippett, MHS ’69
Chemical engineer, physician and author
After beginning her career as a chemical engineer for Procter & Gamble, Dr. Aletha W. Tippett left the workforce to care for her two children and 12 foster children before beginning medical school at age 42. She would become a renowned expert in palliative wound care, organizing a conference for medical professionals around the world and authoring a book about her decades of experience treating patients with severe wounds and amputations.