Christopher Pluta

Christopher John Pluta, a popular local high school English as a Second Language teacher and Argo Community High School Board member, died Jan. 26 from complications of diabetes. He was 52. Pluta, a nearly 20-year Summit resident and a life-long Chicago Cubs fan, was born and raised in Justice as one of four boys, children of the late Edwin and Helen Murphy Pluta. A former teacher of suburban Argo, Proviso, Lyons Township and Morton West high schools and the Emilio Zapata Academy in Chicago, was well liked and respected by hundreds of current and former students. He often boasted about the many success stories he helped mentor over the past 30 years, from corporate and organizational CEO's to business owners, artists, writers, principals and even fellow teachers. Pluta was a current member of the District 217 and Summit Public Library governing boards and a former member of the Argo-Summit/Bedford Park Elementary District 104 School Board, as well as the National Hispanic Institute (NHI) and The Leader Shop, in La Grange. As a youth, he did everything from delivering newspapers and eggs to playing catcher on the Twins, in the Justice/Willow Springs Little League. A graduate of District 109's Wilkins Junior High in Justice and Argo High in Summit, he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in education from Governors State University and a masters degree in counseling, from the University of Illinois-Chicago. In high school, he was an active member and former manager of the student-operated WARG FM Radio station and a sound engineer for the theatre arts program. In later years. He helped form the WARG Alumni Association. As a multilingual teacher, Pluta was most proud of his work with NHI, which schooled college bound Latino students in valuable leadership skills in conjunction with Loyola and DePaul universities in Chicago. Pluta was to host a 25th anniversary celebration of the local NHI chapter in March and was to seek reelection to the Argo High board in April. He is survived by his brothers, Joe (Wanda), Bill, James and a nephew, Michael, as well as many close friends, cousins, an aunt and uncle and a legion of students who became friends as adults. Visitation, Thursday, January 29, 2015, 3:00PM to 9:00PM at Damar-Kaminski Funeral Home & Crematorium, 7861 S. 88th Avenue, Justice, Illinois. Funeral, Friday, January 30, 2015, 10:00AM Service and Time of Remembrance to be held at the funeral home. Interment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Justice, Illinois. For more information: 708-496-0200 or www.kaminskifamilyfuneralhomes.com