Evenson Lindsay, Michele Class of 1976 Inducted in 2023
Business/Community Service
Michele Evenson Lindsay attended Oak Park High School from 1973 to 1976. She was class President all 3 years, in National Honor Society and Class of 1976 recipient of the Norma Northman award (Outstanding Senior Girl). She was active throughout her high school years as cheerleader and in school musicals.
She graduated from the University of Missouri in 1980 with a double major in Journalism and Spanish Literature. She received her MBA from Southern Methodist University and went on to receive a Master's Degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management at Thunderbird University in Phoenix, Arizona.
After graduating college, Michele moved to New York and began her career with Dow Jones International Sales and Marketing (DJISM). She rose to the position as Publisher, Wall Street Journal Latin Americans edition, the first woman to hold that position for any Wall Street Journal edition. During her career at DJIMS, Michele worked with economic leaders around the world and met with dignitaries across Latin America.
Michele married Scott Lindsay in 1998 and after the birth of their daughter, Ariane, Michele left the Journal to devote her service as full-time wife and mother and to charitable work that included fundraising for health-related causes, the Southampton Garden Club - working to enhance and develop community gardens, projects and educational workshops in Southampton Village and to encourage students to pursue careers in horticulture and landscape design, and the New York ASPCA where the Lindsay family adopted Juniper "Junie", a lovable 4-year-old boxer/pit bull mix.
One of Michele's last attributes was working with Linda Holwick Bond, her Oak Park High School classmate and long-time friend, to establish the Normandy Academy Scholars program, which sponsors one Junior from each of the four NKC high schools to attend a 12-day learning and leadership conference to gain an understanding of the historical context of the D-Day invasion. Upon her passing in October 2022, this program was renamed the Michele Evenson Lindsay Normandy Academy Scholarship Program.
Michele can't be described with just one word, let alone one sentence. Her family should be very proud to know that their daughter, sister, wife, and mother touched many lives throughout her lifetime. So many friends and colleagues have expressed their thoughts and memories of Michele but Dr. Stephen L. Regas (Cl '76) said it best, "A large part of the high school experience is based on where one fits in the social ladder. In Oak Park's Class of 1976, the person at the top of the ladder was unquestionably Michele Evenson. I wasn't at the very bottom of the ladder, but I could see it from my rung. In high school (as in life) sometimes people at the top of the ladder were not necessarily very nice to those at the bottom. Usually, it wasn't so much direct antagonism but more as the dismissive awareness of us. (Similar to how we divert our gaze from the homeless.) Michele was never that way! She was never patronizing and never condescending to those of us who were "lacking in social graces". It mattered not if she was speaking with a football player or another cheerleader or a bookwormish nerd - she treated all with respect. Michele was a humble person."
"Although Oak Park won't be a part of everyday now, the memories will always be around. You know how much they mean to me, and how hard it is for me to see everything end. This is the hardest yet. School wouldn't be anything without friends, and I guess I just ended up lucky again." - Michele Evenson
