December 2009

For two decades, voices have been lifted in song as a tribute to the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Gospel Festival on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University on January 18.

Founded by the late Corine Sims and her husband, the Rev. James E. Sims, the festival found a home at Illinois Wesleyan, and attracts gospel choirs from all over the state. The University was seen as a fitting place for the festival, as it was the place that King graced twice.

“[In the early 1990s then-Illinois Wesleyan] President Minor Myers, jr. said Wesleyan would be the perfect place to host the event, because of Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. spoke at the University,” said Barbara Sims Malone, daughter of James and Corine. “He saw the festival as a special opportunity to invite the community to Illinois Wesleyan.”

King came to speak at Illinois Wesleyan at two important junctures during his short but illustrious life. The first in 1961, when standing on the cusp of international recognition, and the second in 1966, when his reputation as a proponent of non-violent protest for the Civil Right Movement was known throughout the world. King’s visits to Illinois Wesleyan reveal the evolution of the Civil Rights Movement and his place within it.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Barbara Nathan was named the 2009 Healthcare Executive of the Year by the American Academy of Medical Administrators (AAMA). Nathan received the award during the 2009 AAMA Annual Conference in Las Vegas on November 19.

The award is the Academy’s highest and honors a candidate whose work has provided an environment for delivering the maximum level of quality care with dignity and human concern. According to AAMA, whose mission is to advance excellence in healthcare leadership, Nathan exemplifies this commitment to care.

Nathan graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 1980, and spent 15 years in nursing and hospital administration with BroMenn Healthcare in Normal. In 1996, she became the executive director of the Community Cancer Center and its Foundation. She facilitated the creation of the center, which covers the continuum of cancer care from community education on prevention and early detection, to treatment and survivor services. Over 13 years, Nathan raised more than $9,000,000, and significantly improved care processes, multidisciplinary treatment and increased the level of technology available to patients.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Donna Hartweg, former director of the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Nursing and Caroline F. Rupert Professor of Nursing, will retire in December after 31 years at the University.

“This has been the most wonderful job in the world,” said Hartweg. “I have been able to stand up in front of high school students and talk about what a fantastic place Illinois Wesleyan is. Then I watched those students select IWU, mature and walk across that Commencement stage four years later, and know they are better prepared for the world.”

A graduate of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Hartweg began teaching at Illinois Wesleyan in 1978. Earning master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Illinois State University, she was appointed acting director of the Illinois Wesleyan’s School of Nursing in 1990. She earned her doctorate from Wayne State University in Michigan in 1991, the same year she was named director of the IWU School of Nursing.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alum Michael Lawton, a graduate of the class of 2008, was recently declared one of two winners in the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition.

Last year, Lawton, currently a graduate student at the University of Kentucky (UK), was encouraged by his clarinet professor to memorize a concerto piece over the summer.

Lawton chose to perform “Premiere Rhapsodie” by composer Claude Debussy. Initially, Lawton said the piece did not captivate him, but as he began to practice and listen to recordings, he found he truly enjoyed it. “At times it is ethereal while at other times it requires great technical facility, moving seamlessly from one palette of color to the next. It’s really quite beautiful,” said Lawton.

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