Herb Semper, who grew up on the 1500 block of Elgin, son of a local druggist, Bert Semper, would go on to be known as the first University of Kansas Jayhawk to win back to back NCAA cross country championships in 1950 and 1951 in the 4-mile race. Semper, described as a “barrel-chested, bespectacled redhead,” lost sight in one eye in a BB-gun mishap when he was in his school days at Betsy Ross. His high school days at Proviso (East) he was the Suburban League cross country champion. In his senior year he competed in the second annual Illinois High School State Meet at Urbana in 1947, finishing third.
