MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois Athletics Department announced five Leathernecks have been selected for induction into the Hall of Fame. Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Van Alstine announced the five member 2010 class on Wednesday (Sept. 1).

The class consists of: Charlie Carey (contributor), Wendell McKemey (track and field), Dr. Helen Smiley (administrator), Aaron Stecker (football) and Curt Westen (football).

The 2010 Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Friday, September 24th, at the University Union Grand Ballroom. The five newest members will be honored during the Leathernecks' football game on September 25th against Indiana State (3 p.m. kickoff).

"Once again the 2010 Hall of Fame Inductees are a superb group of individuals who have in one way or another positively impacted Western Illinois University and our Athletics Department," said Dr. Van Alstine. "While we acknowledge their contributions during their time here, we also celebrate their personal and professional successes. These individuals are exactly what we expect our current student-athletes to be after they leave Western."

2010 Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Charlie Carey, Contributor.  Charlie Carey graduated from Western Illinois in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in Business/Finance. He played three years of football for the Leathernecks (1971, 1973-74) at defensive tackle, two years for coach Darrell Mudra and his final season for coach Brodie Westen. The Leathernecks won at least seven games all three seasons he played, including a 14-3 mark in games played at Hanson Field. The 1973 team qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Upon graduation he worked in the business finance field and became a member of the Chicago Board of Trade in 1978. Carey's professional successes eventually led to him becoming Chairman of the Board of Trade in 2003. Carey served on the CBOT board of directors for 11 years in various roles, including vice chairman, first vice chairman and full member director. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the CME Group and is a partner with Henning and Carey Trading.

A regular donor to not only Leatherneck Athletics but to the entire University, Carey plays a major role in the annual All-Leatherneck Reunion and Alumni Relations events in the Chicago area. Last April's All-Leatherneck social was held in Aurora following the football team's scrimmage at Naperville North High School. Carey also serves on the WIU President's National Advisory Council.

Thanks to Carey's generosity the Leatherneck Football program has prospered, most recently helping the team purchase needed practice equipment. Since graduating from Western, Carey has received a number of civic, industry and community service awards. Last year he was presented with the Western Illinois University Distinguished Alumni Award for his business and professional accomplishments. Other awards include the Rerum Novarum Award from St. Joseph College Seminary, Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Foundation, Inc. and the Gold Medallion Award from the International Visitors Center of Chicago. Carey also serves as President of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. 

He and his wife Linda have three children, Charlie, Matt and Jack. They currently reside in Western Springs, Illinois.

Wendell McKemey (1982-85), Track and Field.  One of the most decorated track athletes in Western Illinois history, Wendell McKemey earned All-Mid-Continent Conference honors three years at the Outdoor championship meet and twice during the Indoor championships. At the 1983 Outdoor meet McKemey was selected at the 'Outdoor Athlete of the Year'. In the 1984 Indoor championship he won the 440 yard dash and helped the 4x400 relay team win the title. At the following year's Indoor meet, he captured the 600 yard title and a repeat championship in the 4x400 relay.

During his standout performance at 1983 Outdoor meet he won the 100 and 200 meters en route to receiving the Outdoor Athlete of the Year award. In '84 he won the 400 yard Outdoor title and helped the 4x100 relay team to a first-place finish. He capped his career winning the 400 meters for the second consecutive year and was part of the championship 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

His 6.31 second time in the 55-meter dash (1982) still ranks fourth all-time in Leatherneck history. McKemey also ranks among the Indoor best times in the: 400 meters (5th/48.97 seconds), 4x400 relay (7th/3:18.56 in 1985; tied 9th/3:19.13 in 1984 and 1985). Among the Outdoor best performances, McKemey's 46.72 second time in the 400 meters still stands as the record 25 years later. He also ranks among the Outdoor leaders in the: 100 meters (6th/10.37 seconds in 1983), 200 meters (2nd/21.00 in 1982), 4x100 relay (5th/40.54 in 1985) and 4x400 relay (5th/3:12.07 in 1985; 8th/3:12.39 in 1982).

McKemey, nicknamed 'Flash', graduated from Western in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education. Upon graduation he has worked in managerial roles with FedEx, St. Jude Children's Hospital, Lafarge North America, and his current position with Sears as an In-Home Technical Business Manager. McKemey is involved with St. Andrew AME church in Memphis and the Labor Day Shoe Giveaway program. He enjoys coaching his son in baseball and AAU basketball, and also works as a basketball referee with the Illinois High School Association.

He and his wife Kelly have two children, Joy and Wendell IV. They currently reside in Park Forest, Illinois.

Dr. Helen Smiley (1985-2001), Administrator. Dr. Helen Smiley began her Western career as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women from 1985-88. When the men's and women's department merged, Smiley served as the Director of Athletics for Operations until 1994. She took over as the Leathernecks' Athletics Director that year and served in that capacity until her retirement in 2001. Named NACDA/Continental Airlines AD of the Year in 2000, Smiley was honored by the Mid-Continent Conference (now Summit League) by having the Women's All-Sports Award named after her. The prestigious award is given at the end of the academic year to the Summit League member that collects the most points in relationship to placement in league-sponsored sports.

A member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) since 1981, she has moderated and presented roundtable discussions on several topics for the organization. Twice she did presentations at the NACDA convention (1982, 1989), served on the Nominating Committee (1889-90) and Board of Directors (1988-92). Smiley worked with the NCAA on basketball committees, including: Chair of the North Central Region Division II, Administrative team of the Division II National Tournament (1982-85) and Mideast Regional Advisory Committee (1996-99). Dr. Smiley was a member of the Board Round Table on Rules Education and presented materials.

During her tenure at Western she worked on numerous Administrative, Compliance, Promotional and Women's Basketball committees with the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference and Mid-Con. She served as Chair of the Director's Council from 1998-2000.

Smiley graduated with a bachelor's degree from DePauw, received her master's at Ball State and a doctoral degree from Iowa. She began her professional career as a teacher and coach at Northwestern High School (Kokomo, Indiana) then Western HS (Russiaville, Indiana) before taking over as the Director of Women's Recreational and Intercollegiate Sports Programs at the University of Iowa. She became the first Women's Athletic Director for the Hawkeyes. She took over as Associate Athletics Director at the University of North Dakota from 1971-85 and then began at Western Illinois.

Currently residing in Bella Vista, Arkansas, she volunteers her time doing community service for several groups, and is involved with three music groups: Perfect Harmony Women's Barbershop Chorus, Natural Sound Barbershop Quartet and Bella Vista Women's Chorus. Smiley has one son, Doug (former Western Illinois Sports Information Director and WIU graduate).

Aaron Stecker (1997-98), Football.  Aaron Stecker rewrote the Western Illinois record books during his two years with the Leathernecks, helping win two Gateway Conference titles and consecutive appearances in the NCAA playoffs. During his junior year (1997) Stecker led the nation in scoring and set program records with 2,293 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns as Western advanced to the second round of the playoffs. He would eventually finish second in the Walter Payton Award voting, still the highest-finish ever by a Leatherneck for the prestigious national 'Offensive Player of the Year' award, and won the Gateway Conference 'Offensive Player of the Year' and 'Newcomer of the Year' awards.

Stecker rushed for 1,506 yards his senior year with 14 touchdowns as Western advanced to the semifinals of the I-AA playoffs - still the highest Division I finish by a Leatherneck Football team. He helped the Leathernecks to a 22-5 record during his two-year career. He earned First Team All-America honors by several organizations in 1997, then followed with more All-America accolades his senior year. Even though he played just two years with the Leathernecks, Stecker still ranks third among the all-time rushing leaders (3,799 yards) and rushing touchdowns (41). He was the all-time leader in both categories after concluding his career. His 19 100-yard rushing games tie for second all-time and he also ranks second with six 200-yard rushing efforts.

Stecker recently retired from the National Football League, spending 11 years between Tampa Bay (1999-2003), New Orleans (2004-08) and Atlanta (2009). He is one of only eight Leatherneck student-athletes to win a Super Bowl Championship as a player, helping the Bucs defeat Oakland 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.

During his 11-year professional career Stecker was allocated to NFL Europe. While playing overseas, he was named NFL Europe 'Most Valuable Player' and MVP of the World Bowl.

He and his wife Kara (a graduate of Western Illinois) have two children, Skylar and Dorsett. They are involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and support the Kids Wish Network. Stecker and his family currently reside in Verona, Wisconsin.

Curt Westen (1978-81), Football.  Curt Westen was a member of the Leatherneck Football program from 1978-82, earning a letter his final three years. As an offensive lineman (center), Westen received Honorable Mention All-America honors from Associated Press in 1981 and 1982. During his final two years he earned All-Conference honors and received recognition for his work in the classroom. Westen was chosen Academic All-Conference and Academic All-American in 1981-82, earning a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester both years. During the 1981 season he was named 'Offensive Player of the Week' six times by the coaching staff, and at the time was the only Leatherneck to receive All-Conference, All-American and Academic All-America honors in the same season.

He received his bachelor's degree from Western Illinois in 1982 and a MBA the following year. Westen earned his Juris Doctor degree from California-Berkley Boalt Hall School of Law in 1986. His career began in Chicago working for the law firm Lord, Bissell and Brook. Westen served from 1993 to 2007 as General Counsel for Health Net, a Fortune 500 company based in Los Angeles, California. In his career he was appointed by the Governor to the State of Colorado's Cooperative Healthcare Agreements Board, and also served on the Board for the Children's Burn Foundation in Los Angeles. Since 1995 Westen has delivered industry speaking engagements on health care merger and acquisition activities.

Westen currently is a member of the Executive Management team for a portfolio company of The Blackstone Group, HealthMarkets/Insphere, in Dallas, Texas.

A regular contributor to Leatherneck Athletics and the Western Illinois School of Business over the past 25 years, Westen's father Brodie served as the football program's assistant coach from 1971-73 and was head coach from 1974-75. His brothers Rich and Joe also played football at Western as Curt and three of his brothers would graduate from WIU. Westen married Sue Heubner in 1987, whose father and two brothers graduated from Western and mother also attended school at WIU. Curt was football teammates with his eventual brother-in-law Jay from 1978-81.

He and his wife Sue own The Westen Group, a real estate development group in Denver, Colorado, and have two sons, Zack and Dane.