The original 1948 trophy is now missing, and most who could remember much about its namesake are gone too, but presenting the Androli Award each May during Cleveland High School’s graduation ceremony is the town’s oldest tradition.
Named after Leo “Ole” Androli, who, in 1947 at age 14, died in a drowning accident, the Androli is awarded to a senior boy based on scholarship, school and community service, leadership, participation in extracurricular activities and character.
A popular youth
The grandson of a Swiss immigrant, Leo Androli spent his preschool years with his family in Elysian, where his dad worked in a garage. The garage owner had children, and young Leo would hang around them, said his late sister Melva (Lamont).
“Everyone took to him.”
One day, the precocious Leo wanted to show the garage owner’s children he knew how to spell his name. But the older kids had to hide their laughter after seeing how he transposed the letters. And because it rhymed with “Androli,” the nickname “Ole” stuck.
“Growing up in Cleveland, Leo was a popular boy,” Melva said. “Everyone congregated in our family’s yard. They would play baseball and kick the can.”
Some accounts say Leo was a member of the school’s baseball, kittenball (softball) and football teams. Other sources say he was never a player but rather a devoted spectator. But in any case, what is certain is Leo developed a steel-trap mind for sports.
As a newspaper carrier, he had the first access to much of the daily sports news. When people got together in Hobson’s Cafe (now Jocko’s) to argue about a sporting contest, it was always young Leo who knew the details.
The late Bernard Regenscheid, who won the award in 1951, was in the class ahead of Androli’s.
“I knew Leo very well,” he said. “He was just like every other boy. He was an all-around nice guy.”
Regenscheid remembered playing basketball with Leo in the Township Hall, just across the street from the Androli home.
“He hobbled a little, and so he had a tough time keeping up with the others his age. He could shoot well but couldn’t run that well. I thought of him as a close friend. We had fun playing together. It was a bad time when he drowned.”
Tragedy on Scotch Lake
On a hot Friday afternoon in late June, all you can think about is cooling off. And when you are 14 years old, and even though you are supposed to mow the lawn, you just want to high tail it with your friends to the nearest lake.
And when one of your legs doesn’t work quite right, and when you are still learning to swim, you might be concerned about deep water. But when your dad is an auto mechanic, and you have easy access to an inner tube, you look forward to an enjoyable summer afternoon.
So, after gaining permission from his parents to go swimming instead of cutting the grass, Androli and three other Cleveland youths, Jerry Lamont, Herman Boldt and Roger Lloyd headed to Scotch Lake, a mile and a half bike ride from Cleveland.
Androli was floating on his tube about 200 feet from shore when Elroy Lloyd, brother of Roger, who had just driven up to the lakeshore, heard a loud bang. Androli’s inner tube had punctured. He was able to swim in a few yards, but his strength quickly faded.
Boldt, who was closest but also could not swim, tried to dive and help him, but he went down before he could get in shallow water. Another of the friends, Jerry Lamont, was able to pull Boldt back to his tube, but it was too late for young Leo.
Elroy Lloyd phoned Cleveland, and fireman rushed to the scene.
Androli’s classmate the late Bud McCabe, who grew up near Scotch Lake, remembered hearing the sirens. “I knew something was wrong.” he said.
By this time there was a big crowd of people at the lake. It took two hours for the rescuers to find Leo. Rescue teams from St. Peter and Madison Lake arrived with pulmotors (an early form of a ventilator), and they tried artificial respiration but without success.
For Melva, who was 16 at the time, the pain of losing her only sibling has faded away. But the day is still vivid in her memory.
Their mother had gone to Elysian to visit a friend. From the family home on Broadway Street (where the new fire hall is now), she saw the fire trucks go out. She walked over to the telephone office across the street to find out what was happening. They told her someone was drowning.
Her dad came by in a car, and she headed out to the scene.
“I can still see his black and green swimsuit,” she said.
A fitting memorial
The Androli Award originated the same year that Leo died when, under the leadership of superintendent George Feipel, the classes of 1948, 1949 and 1950 decided to establish a memorial.
Feipel arranged with the Jostens company to build the original trophy, which is about 2 feet high and has Greek athlete on the top flanked by two winged figures, all raising garlands in triumph. On the face of the trophy is etched “Leo (Ole) Androli Award, Citizenship, Scholarship, Attendance, Athletics.”
The late Lauris Krenik was the first to win the Androli award in 1948. He was a sophomore at the time.
“It meant a lot to him getting it,” said son Mike Krenik, who himself won the Androli in 1981. “And just like any father would be, he was proud his son got it as well.”
In 1964 Lauris’ brother Ken Krenik won the award, and in 1993 Ken’s son Tim Krenik was the recipient.
“Somewhere in the Krenik archives a picture exists of the two fathers and the two sons with the Androli trophy,” Mike Krenik said.
According to the late Andrew Regenscheid, winning the Androli in 1955 was one of the greatest moments of his life. He kept a picture of him receiving the trophy displayed in his Montgomery home.
“My brother (Bernard) won it, and I always hoped I would stand up to his image. When I was awarded it, I was awestruck. It was a huge honor. I was elated to be held in such a way. I am pleased to know it lives on.”
Myron Wolf of Cleveland won the Androli in 1954.
“It was academics and athletics; you had to be a good all-around student,” said Wolf. “I was surprised and honored. It’s a great tradition for Cleveland.”
Several other sets of brothers won the award, including Casey and Jeff West (1997, 2000), and Lloyd and Lauren Stauff (1968, 1972), but no family dominated the Androli quite like the Biehn brothers: Steve Biehn (1962), Rick Biehn (1966), Terry Biehn (1971), and Randy Biehn (1978).
For Steve Biehn of rural Cleveland, the award centered around their parents. The Androli was their mother and father’s reward for the way they raised their sons.
“They were really proud all of us won it,” Biehn said.
For Mike Corrow (1979), being presented with the award by his father, principal Larry Corrow, made it very special. And it was the citizenship aspect of the Androli that was the most important to him.
“Anybody can go out for three sports,” Corrow said.
For Matt Miller (2008), the Androli was “lots of different aspects of my life put together.” Miller thought about the possibility of winning the award his senior year.
“Some special people won it before me,” he said. “I thought it would be cool to have something like them.”
Nominations for the Androli are made by school faculty and staff. A committee selects the recipient using a rating system. Up until about 30 or so years ago, the Androli winner took the original award home for the summer and returned it to the school’s trophy case in the fall. Now, each award winner gets to keep a smaller trophy.
The names of all past Androli winners, as well as the winners of the Athena award, which was started in 1981 to similarly honor a female student, are on plaques at the school.
Notes: Ref. Le Center Leader, 7/2/1947. The enhanced image of Leo Androli above was provided by Melva Lamont. A earlier version of this story was published in the Le Center Leader in 2010.
Androli Award recipients
1948 – Lauris Krenik; 1949 – Orrin Davis; 1950 – Dan Webster; 1951 – Bernard Regenscheid; 1952 – Clarence Griep; 1953 – Clarence Lysdale; 1954 – Myron Wolf; 1955 – Andrew Regenscheid; 1956 – Ross Dickie; 1957 – Leo Koppelman Jr.; 1958 – Nelson Davis; 1959 – Gene Dickie
1960 – Dan Busse; 1961 – James Dickie; 1962 – Steve Biehn; 1963 – Anthony McCabe; 1964 – Ken Krenik; 1965 – Gary Dauk; 1966 – Rick Biehn; 1967 – Jim Struck; 1968 – Lloyd Stauff; 1969 – Don Grice
1970 – Greg Ballman; 1971 – Terry Biehn; 1972 – Loren Stauff; 1973 – Norman Lloyd; 1974 – Mike Sohm; 1975 – Larry Olson; 1976 – Andy Queen; 1977 – Scott Tolzmann; 1978 – Randy Biehn; 1979 – Mike Corrow
1980 – Robert Hankins; 1981 – Mike Krenik; 1982 – Edward Sexe; 1983 – Chris McCabe; 1984 – Jim Traxler; 1985 – Steve Simonett; 1986 – Allen Hebig; 1987 – Don McCabe; 1988 – Curtis Olsson; 1989 – Gregory Miller
1990 – Chad Christenson; 1991 – Jason Skistad; 1992 – Brent Rundle; 1993 – Tim Krenik; 1994 – Matthew Fasnacht; 1995 – Brady Hahn; 1996 – Evan Rusch; 1997 – Casey West; 1998 – Jason McCabe; 1999 – Joe Beer
2000 – Jeff West; 2001 – Garrett Melchoir; 2002 – Nathan Bruender; 2003 – Kevin Sexe; 2004 – Nick McMullen; 2005 – Kevin Johnson; 2006 – Joshua Fahning; 2007 – Corey Boe; 2008 – Matt Miller; 2009 – Eddie Taylor
2010 – Joshua Klaseus; 2011 – Tyler Schafer; 2012 – Grant Den Herder; 2013 – Derek Ely; 2014 – Tony Meyer; 2015 – Ryan Schaefer; 2016 – Alex Guerrero; 2017 – Adam Kunkel; 2018 – Evan Skinner; 2019 – Danny McCabe
2020 – Luke Mueller; 2021 – Ben Holden; 2022 – Jacob Anderley; 2023 – Jacob Rohlfing; 2024 – Dylan Zimmerman
Athena Award recipients
1981 – Michelle Fahning; 1982 – Lana Richter; 1983 – Kim Skistad; 1984 – Rosemary Walechka; 1985 – Kris Skistad; 1986 – Linda Zabel; 1987 – Kasandra Krause; 1988 – Susan Fahning; 1989 – Kimberly McCabe
1990 – Jenny Pearson; 1991 – Rebecca Dauk; 1992 – Stacey Krenik; 1993 – Sara Perron; 1994 – Kyra Rusch; 1995 – Melissa McCabe; 1996 – Stefani Bisek; 1997 – Kelli Voss; 1998 – Amber Fahning; 1999 – Andrea Lloyd
2000 – Bridget McCabe; 2001 – Jennifer McCabe; 2002 – Autumn Fahning; 2003 – Becky Phillips; 2004 – Katie Davis; 2005 – Stephanie McCabe; 2006 – Molly Schmitz; 2007 – Katie McCabe; 2008 – Emily Fasnacht; 2009 – Heather Hewitt
2010 – Hannah Skinner; 2011 – Emily Dummer; 2012 – Kayla Guerrero; 2013 – Kylie Krause; 2014 – Taylor Holicky; 2015 – Cassidy Kopet; 2016 – Amy Den Herder; 2017 – Alexandra Biehn; 2018 – Jenna Zimmerman; 2019 – Katelyn McCabe
2020 – McKenna Robb; 2021 – Macey Ziebarth; 2022 – Ashley Connor; 2023 – Lilly Draheim; 2024 – Olivia Shouler
In 1948, sophomore Lauris Krenik was the first recipient of the Androli Award. (Photo courtesy of Mike Krenik).
