There's a changing of the guard at St. Catherine's High School, but the new guard is a familiar face.

Chuck Wood, one of the most celebrated alumni in school history, is taking over for Jeff Tarkowski as athletic director at St. Catherine's.

Tarkowski, who was the AD and a health teacher at the school for 18 years and the girls' basketball coach for nine years, is stepping down so he can finish his pursuit of a Master's degree in education.

"I had a list of reasons to stay, but the list of reasons to go got longer," Tarkowski said. "This is a good time to pursue and finish off my Masters I started in 2001. In the summer, I just wasn't getting it done."

The last task Tarkowski must do to finish his Master's is the practicum. He has to do two semesters of work in a school guidance office and will be working at St. Joseph high school and middle school in Kenosha.

Tarkowski is actually hoping to come back to St. Catherine's in some capacity.

"I asked for a leave of absence," Tarkowski said. "If I stuck around and tried to do teaching health and coaching, that was the best I could do and I wasn't sure how I would stand the following year.

"I told them I couldn't do it, so basically I will have to reapply to let me teach and coach," Tarkowski said. "It takes a lot of time to be an AD - it's a thankless job that rests on the efforts of a lot of other people."

Wood realizes the responsibility he is stepping into. He has experience as an administrator - he served in various positions at Gateway Technical College, including athletic director, and retired as vice president of marketing, enrollment and foundation in 2001.

Wood initially didn't want to do the job at St. Catherine's, but he relented when he was assured it would be for a short term.

"I was called in by Christopher (Olley, president of St. Catherine's) and he wanted know if I knew anybody," Wood said. "I said, 'No, I'm not the right guy,' but after talking to people, one thing led to another.

"Christopher and I met again and I said if I can do it short term, I would. What they want to do is redefine (the position of athletic director) and make it full time. Now, it's a 70 percent position. They want to make it 100 percent with no coaching (responsibilities)."

Wood said the school will do a search and find somebody to take the position full time within a couple of years.

He will get some assistance. Former athletic director and current cross country and track coach Tom Scheller, whom Wood hired as an assistant cross country coach in the early 1970s, will be his assistant. Boys' basketball coach Bob Letsch also offered his assistance, Wood said.

"I have a good feeling, although there will be some bumps in the road," Wood said.

Wood came back to St. Catherine's after college and was a social studies teacher, cross country and track coach and boys' sophomore basketball coach in the late 1960s and early 1970s, then left for Gateway after earning his Master's in guidance and counseling/school administration in 1979.

Wood was elected president of the St. Catherine's Alumni Association in October 2005 and last year came back to the school as an assistant to Letsch.

Wood, a charter member of the St. Catherine's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998, was an exceptional athlete, especially in basketball. He helped the Angels win two WISAA state basketball titles and was All-State as a senior. He went on to play at Loyola University in Chicago and was the sixth man on the 1963 national championship team.