‘Such a kind-hearted soul’: Beloved Oswego East athletic assistant Enes Hettinger retiring after 19 years at school

Enes Hettinger first came to the Oswego area 35 years ago with her husband and two young sons, a fish out of water.

“I’m a city girl. Moving out here was literally like moving to the country,” Hettinger said with a laugh. “I didn’t know anybody, was not working at the time. I told them at the time, ‘I’m giving this a year.’ ”

They never left. The Oswego community can be thankful for that.

A fixture at Oswego East High School since it first opened its doors – before that, even - Hettinger is retiring after this, her 19th school year as athletic director assistant. It’s her 21st total in School District 308.

The joke around the athletic department is that it will “cease to exist” without Hettinger, a tribute to how beloved she is by all.

“She is just the backbone of the office,” assistant athletic director Jeremy Hillman said.

Hettinger grew up in Chicago, a graduate of since-closed Madonna High School, an all-girls Catholic school. She came from a family of three sisters, none of whom played sports. Hettinger, though, did go to Cubs games all the time and liked watching sports. Both of Hettinger’s boys played basketball at Oswego High School. Her youngest son, Michael, is now the varsity assistant at Oswego.

Hettinger had worked for two years at Bednarcik Junior High when Oswego East principal secretary Lisa Snow convinced her to apply her for the high school’s athletic secretary job.

“Kind of on a whim, I said I’d try it,” Hettinger said.

The first or month or so they couldn’t even work out of the Oswego East building; secretaries like Hettinger worked out of the learning center. Looking back, Hettinger recalled thinking there was no way the new school was going to be ready for the first day of school.

“It was exciting that first day, though,” she said. “It’s kind of crazy to think back, we didn’t even have varsity sports that first year. We didn’t even have that many kids in the building. Now we’re one of the established schools around here. It’s definitely a change.”

Third-year Oswego East athletic director Tony Millard, noting that Hettinger was in the school building a full year before the school opened, said she’s been a treasured resource as he’s sought to get his feet on the ground.

“Her knowledge of things we have done here, the students that have come through here, the coaches that have come through here, all that information she is able to remember is invaluable to me,” Millard said.

Millard said that Hettinger goes above and beyond what’s asked of her. She puts in the extra hours of time getting registrations done and physicals on file leading up to the fall season. She is in constant contact with coaches “putting the jigsaw puzzle” together with transportation and the countless aspects of the day-to-day.

But it’s not just the professional, but the personal touch that has endeared Hettinger to so many at the school.

“She is a motherly figure to a lot of our coaches. She is always willing to listen to coaches and tries to help them in any way she can, whether it is personal or professional,” Millard said. “She is such a kind-hearted soul, amazing in that sense. If there is an issue going on with family or kids, she is there to listen.”

Hillman, too, has seen it in his eight years as assistant athletic director, be it Hettinger’s caring demeanor or sense of humor amid the hectic schedule.

“She is someone that is caring and supportive of all the coaches, and really everyone that comes through that door. She does that as well for kids and parents that come in there,” Hillman said. “She is a unique individual that puts the human touch into everything she does.

“She just makes coming into work, regardless of what we have going on, fun and funny. Her laugh is genuine and contagious. She’s just a great person.”

Hettinger admitted it is bittersweet looking forward to the next chapter of her life. She’s already told coaches she plans to stop by a few times a month to bring donuts and cookies, her excuse to visit. She’s seen so many coaches grow up from their first teaching job out of college to marriage and their own families.

“I truly feel like I’m leaving my family behind,” she said. “I’m really going to miss it.

“It’s been a remarkable 21 years, 19 at Oswego East. I’ve always said it’s a job, but it doesn’t feel like a job. I can truly say I’ve enjoyed going to work every day, and mostly it’s because of the people I have worked with who I will miss terribly. I’ve been blessed.”