Lewis University awarded an honorary degree to Chet Kondratowicz, Director of Cultural Programming at Saint Patrick High School, at its spring Commencement Ceremony for baccalaureate degree recipients on Sunday, May 14.

Combining his passion for theatre with an exceptional career as a teacher, Chet Kondratowicz has brought the performing arts to Lewis University and the surrounding community through his work as an educator, theatre director and committed patron of the arts. He joined the faculty at Lewis University in 1965. At that time, the study of theatre was limited to just a few course offerings. Within the following two years, he spearheaded the conversion of two classrooms into a small theatre. He was appointed chair of the newly formed theatre department in the early 1970s, while also holding the position of theatre director.

In 1975, construction began on a new theatre, which was named in memory of Brother Philip Lynch, FSC, a Lewis speech and theatre professor. Kondratowicz was a significant contributor to the project, overseeing the design and reconstruction of an airplane hangar into a facility modeled after the famed Guthrie Theatre, featuring a thrust stage, audience seating, backstage, lobby, office space, and costume, paint and scenery shops. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Philip Lynch Theatre currently features a subscription season of student productions and a summer musical, provides the stage for AlphaBet Soup Children’s Theatre productions and hosts many touring groups and University events.

During his tenure at Lewis, Kondratowicz and Brother Paul French, FSC, President Emeritus who was then teaching English, established the Arts & Ideas Series in 1986. The program, which is still flourishing today, brings an assortment of performances and cultural offerings to Lewis students and the community, free of charge or for a nominal fee. For their efforts with Arts & Ideas, both Kondratowicz and Brother Paul were honored in 2001 with the St. Genesius Award, named for the patron saint of actors and the arts, at the annual Arts Gala, a fundraiser for the Arts & Ideas program.

Kondratowicz retired from teaching at Lewis in 1995, and was named Faculty Emeritus of Theatre at that time. He remained at the University to direct PLT productions for an additional four years. After his formal retirement from Lewis in 1999, he moved to Chicago to accept the position of theatre director at Saint Patrick High School. Today, he is director of cultural programming at Saint Patrick High School. He still serves as a member of the Lewis Cultural Advisory Board that he helped to found. He also holds membership on the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee, which presents the annual Jeff Awards to honor excellence in Chicago theatre. Kondratowicz received a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University. He holds a master’s degree in English from Loyola University and a master’s degree in theatre from the University of Minnesota.