To the editor,
I just finished reading a book by Kewanee native Armondo “Mondo” Lopez called, “The Last Play.” The book, written in 2022, was given to me from a friend who knew Mr. Lopez from their college days. It is a nonfiction account of Lopez’ days of playing football at Knox College in Galesburg, starting with the fall of 1954, his freshman year at Knox.
The book is a memoir and gives a detailed account of the events of Lopez’s college football days and his entire Knox College experience. According to Mondo himself, it’s a “story of community spirit, perseverance, and love of sports.” It’s an inspiring story and a glimpse into the life of a determined young man from Kewanee who wanted a college education and was willing to work for it.
The memoir shows Mr. Lopez’s love of football and Knox College, but what was most interesting to me were the details about his family, his life in Kewanee in the 1940’s and 1950’s, post WWII, and his experiences of growing up in Kewanee.
He first played football at Central Junior High School and later at Kewanee High School, graduating with the Class of 1954. Mondo pays tribute to several good people from Kewanee who helped to shape his life in a positive way.
I’m not sure where Mondo is currently living, but according to information provided on Knox’s website, he has had an impressive career. He was named to the Knox hall of fame in 1994, and his team was named to the hall of fame in 2010. In 2021, he was also named one of Knox’s top ten all-time student-athletes.
Hats off and thank you to Kewanee’s Mondo Lopez for the inspiring story!
Marty Golby
Geneseo
