We are saddened to announce that Anne Guckenberger Delo, class of 1948 has passed away. Anne loved her years as a student at IWU. You can view here obituary here: http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/obituaries/20180923/anne-g-delo
The 2018 Loyalty Award will be presented to John and Pat Jordan (’57 and ’59) at Homecoming on October 5th at the Alumni Awards Ceremony at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Center’s, Young Main Lounge. John and Pat have served as emcees for the Golden Titans homecoming dinner in 2017 and have been loyal supporters to the University through their donations and service.
To read the full article, click here.
Congratulations John and Pat!
Wilberta (Naden) Pickett ’50 has penned a story on the Illinois Wesleyan alumni and professors who impacted her life. Wilberta pays homage to her first piano teacher, Luetta “Peggy” (Zahn) Cummins Moore ’32, who cultivated a love and appreciation for music during Wilberta’s childhood growing up in St. Anne, Illinois.
“I owe Peggy Cummins a deep debt of gratitude, and Illinois Wesleyan’s Music School an equally deep debt, for educating her and for educating me,” wrote Wilberta, who was also thankful for lessons delivered later in her childhood by Mary (Badger) Coulter ’37. At Illinois Wesleyan, Wilberta credits professors Kenneth Cuthbert, Lillian (Mecherle) McCord ’27, Lloyd Pfautsch ’78 and Gretchen Van Roy for providing inspiration. Later, at Union Theological Seminary, she found friendly faces in professor Robert Baker ’38 and his wife Mary (Depler) Baker ’38.
Wilberta has served churches as an organist and choir director in Richmond, Indiana, suburban Cleveland and suburban Pittsburgh. Wilberta and her husband John live in a retirement community in the Pittsburgh area, where Wilberta has chaired the music events committee and has played the piano at many events, and the couple still sings together in their church choir. “Music has enriched the lives of everyone in our family, including our five children, 13 grandchildren and 10-and-a-half great-grandchildren, thanks to the early and continuing education I received from Wesleyanites.”
With sorrow we inform you that Mr. William A. Benjamin passed away April 27th, 2018.
Bill spent his childhood in Bloomington and following high school enlisted in the Navy. He was honorably discharged and returned home to attend Illinois Wesleyan University. Bill married Joan Ruth Ericzon in 1951 and they became the proud parents of Deborah Ann and William Blake.
A link to William’s full obituary can be found here.
No stones were left unturned when these 3 members of Alpha Iota Chapter of Sigma Chi met (with wives) for long weekend in Indiana. Lower step: Joseph Tolson, 111, A.I. ’56, Donald Batz, A.I. ’56, and John Andrae, ’58!
The “Brothers” talked about the hours spent at each Homecoming. First: Competitive Singing; then, building a beautiful float; followed by cleaning the fraternity house at 1102 N. Main in Bloomington, IL. We were so PROUD to have received the “KEG”, for BEST FLOAT and BEST HOUSE!!
We were so pleased, and thank the Editors of The Sigma Chi Magazine, Spring 2018 Issue, of Closing Circle, for the “Anniversary Picture” of Sigs we all knew!!
On Sunday, we attended church, shared a meal, and left each other with our “THANKS TO GOD’ for being able to share good times and good memories.
We are saddened to announce that Robert Sengpiel ’58 passed away on November 2nd, 2017. You can view his obituary here.
We are so sorry to inform you of the passing of Charles L. Moore, M.D. ’50 on April 20, 2017.
As a Merchant Marine in World War II, Charles survived 4 years at sea, which carved his path to becoming a surgeon. On breaks from medical school, he sailed a charter boat out of Boynton Inlet as Capt. Buddy Moore. He established his General and Thoracic Surgery practice in Lake Worth in 1961. During his 39 years in practice he was instrumental in establishing the first ICU in Florida, initiated the first comprehensive course for first responders – a model for our current EMT program, made early advancements in breast cancer treatment as well as serving as the Lake Worth High School team physician for several years.
Inspired to serve his country yet again, Dr. Moore volunteered as a combat surgeon in the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam. He received two Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit and a Bronze Star among many other accolades during his career. In spite of the conflict, he credited his service in Vietnam as the defining era in his life, forever loyal to his war time companions – Semper Fi. He returned highly decorated from Vietnam but not without some sacrifices. Dr. Moore set course with full sails to recuperate, rebuild and inspire. He went on to serve as the Chief of Surgery, Chairman of the Board and on two occasions the acting CEO of JFK Medical Center.
When he retired in 1990, Dr. Moore likened his transition to, “I feel like my hands have been cut off.” In time he found ways to serve his family, friends and colleagues in dogged pursuit of ground breaking medical advancements.
Charles will be remembered and deeply missed by all whose lives he touched.
Read his full obituary here.
Anne (Kent) Clemens ’55 lives nears Salem, Oregon. She is one of the co- coordinators of a program called Backpack Buddies that feeds children who are food insecure. She works with a local elementary school where 90% of the students qualify for free or low cost lunches. For some of these children, lunch at school is the only meal they will eat that day. Then, on weekends, they go home to little or no food. Backpack Buddies gives each child in the program with a free bag of food that includes cans of soup, chili/meat, fruits and vegetables, cereal, cheese, yogurt, juice, and crackers.Currently, they feed 50 children every weekend. Teachers report that there is less truancy on Fridays when food is distributed.
The Backpack Buddies Program is run through Anne’s church, Christ the Good Shepard Lutheran in Salem, Oregon. Church volunteers pack and deliver the individual bags of food. The coordinators raise money to cover the costs of food – around $8,000 a year.
This program, says Anne, is essential to help relieve hunger, which in turn will improve mental and physical health, learning ability, and self-esteem.
For more information, visit: http://christthegoodshep.org.
We are sorry to announce that Eleanor (Wilcox) Jokisch ’54 passed away on Thursday, August 2nd, 2018.
After her time at Illinois Wesleyan, Eleanor worked for the University of Illinois Home Extension Service in Morgan and Cass Counties. She married Reginald Jokisch on Nov. 26, 1960 at her childhood church, New Salem Methodist Church near New Berlin. They settled in Virginia, Illinois, where they lived until 2012 when they moved to The Plains to be near their grandsons. Last November, they celebrated 57 years of marriage.
She was a long-term member of the Virginia, Illinois park board, and joined the Kiwanis Club of Athens when she moved to the area. She was particularly proud of her volunteer service at Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and at OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, where many people in the area were greeted by her warm smile and jovial attitude. She loved following her St. Louis Cardinals, University of Illinois athletics (and adopted Ohio Bobcats), gardening, flowers, birds, reading, playing bridge, baking and most of all taking care of her family, especially her grandchildren (and watching Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!). She was the biggest fan at her grandchildren’s sporting events. She had a strong Christian faith and was very active in the Lutheran Churches she attended. She taught Sunday school, chaired a committee for a building expansion and was a Congregational Nursery Roll Coordinator.
Everyone who knew Eleanor appreciated her kindness, thoughtfulness and upbeat and encouraging attitude.
Read her full obituary here.
