Author Archives: classnews

John Ralph Edwards ’59

John Edwards passed away on Aprl 17, 2020 in New Holland, PA. He was married 58 years to Margaret Edwards, and earned a Ph. D. at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was a member of Phi Kappa, Sigma XI, American Chemical Society, American Society of Biological Chemistry, and was listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who in American and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. Read the full obituary here.

John Edwards ’59

John Edwards ’59 died April 17, 2020, in New Holland, Pennsylvania. He was 83. John earned a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Chicago and conducted two years of postdoctoral research at Tufts University. He taught biochemistry at Villanova University for 38 years and served as department chair for 10 years. John was a member of Phi Kappa, Sigma Xi, American Chemical Society, American Society of Biological Chemistry, and was listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He enjoyed camping, hiking, orienteering and distance running. He ran two marathons and many trail runs and half-marathons. He also served as an assistant Boy Scout leader. His hobbies included making wine, silver jewelry, Danish pastries, gardening and bird-carving. John moved to Garden Spot Village in retirement, where he engaged in hobbies and various groups and volunteer efforts. He is survived by his wife Peg (Smith) Edwards ’61, three children and five grandsons.

Ronald (Ron) Clauser ’58

Thank you to Ron Clauser ’58 who shared his IWU memories!

The IWU tradition he remembers is wearing a beanie as a freshman.

The campus events that are most memorable are the sporting events and drama presentations.

If he were to return to campus, he would visit the library first.

In his memories, Ron also shared a message that:

“Even though I live in North Carolina, I have family in Illinois and have returned to the campus to visit and attend homecomings. Through visits, I have seen classmates, met fellow alumni, and old and new faculty. The spirit of IWU continues to flow through all these encounters. 

Combined, Nancy and I have six children, twelve grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. They live in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Kentucky, and California. We are blessed by each of them and their spouses plus our own life together at Lake Junaluska in the North Carolina mountains.” 

 

Thank you Ron for sharing your IWU memories with us, and we wish all the best to you and your wonderful family!

Grace Elizabeth (Kleinsteiber) DuMond ’46

Grace DuMond ’46 passed away on October 11, 2018. She was born in Canton, Illinois on May 26, 1925. She graduated top of her class in Illinois Wesleyan, majoring in Chemistry, and had three children after marrying Charles DuMond. She was one of the first women to attend Notre Dame University in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. Read the full obituary here.

James Reid ’49

James Reid ’49 passed away on June 5th, 2017 at the age of 49. He received his PhD in Religious Studies at Harvard University in 1965 and also conducted research at the University of Tokyo and College de France in Paris. He had an extensive career of teaching and was the founder of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Read more here.

 

 

Virginia Langellier ’45

Virginia Langellier ’45 passed away on April 4, 2020. She was born on November 17, 1924 in Kankakee, Illinois. She is survived by her sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and siblings. She was a member of the Women’s Business Association, Retired Teachers Association, Daughters of the American Revolution, The First United Methodist Church, and the Delta Kappa Gamma Teachers Society. Read the full obituary here.

Janet (Thompson) Andrews ’59

     We regret to inform you that Janet L. (Thompson) Andrews, 82, died on Monday, May 18, 2020. Janet received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington in 1959, She taught elementary school at Pearce before moving to a career in banking. You may read her full obituary here