In her most recent publication, “Dear Descendent”, Carol (Meyers) Masters ’62 draws upon her life as an activist and her love of the natural world to fashion thoughtful poetry.
In addition to this accomplishment, her biography, You Can’t Do That: Marv Davidov, Nonviolent Revolutionary was published by Nodin Press in 2009, and was selected as a finalist for a Midwest Independent Publishers Award.
More information about the publication may be found here.
Congrats, Carol!
Linda (Harshbarger) Feeney ’64 passed away on July 5, 2025. A beloved member of the IWU community, Linda studied Music and was later known for singing with her trusty accompanist Kay Burroughs at events in El Paso, IL. During her time on campus, Linda was a proud member of the cheerleading team. A full obituary may be found here.
Dr. Folahan “Fola” Soremekun ’60 passed away on June 9, 2025. A beloved member of the IWU community, Fola studied History and graduated with honors. During his time on campus, he participated in the Argus and was a member of the International Club. A full obituary may be found here.
Bret K. Bortner ’69 passed away on December 16, 2019, in St. Joseph, MI. He was 74 years old.
While pursuing his special major, titled Creativity: Literary, Plastic, and Graphic, Bret focused on ceramics, creative writing, and photography/filmmaking. For two years, he served as editor and co-editor of the university’s Black Book literary magazine and was a member of Blue Key and Gamma Epsilon.
After graduation, Bret continued to write but concentrated primarily on ceramic design and production. He worked for Haeger Pottery, where he served as mold shop supervisor, plant superintendent, and production manager. He also helped organize and run award-winning Junior Achievement programs for two years.
In 1982, he and his wife, Jane Diokas ’67, established Bret Bortner Design, a wholesale ceramics firm. In 2003, he moved to St. Joseph, MI, where he opened a gallery and production studio he called form.
In early 2012, Bret’s design work was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph. Titled Essence and Simplicity in Product Design, the exhibition celebrated his 30-year career in ceramics.
Bret is survived by one daughter and his former wife. More information and an obituary may be found here.
Paul Summers ’68 has recently passed away. You can view the full obituary here.
James “Jim” Eugene Kidder, age 84, of Dunlap, Illinois passed away on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. He was born on August 19, 1940, in Edgerton, Wisconsin to Earl A. and Louise (Maas) Kidder.
You can read the full obituary here.
Margaret Wagner ’68 retired from 35 years at the Library of Congress Publishing Office in 2018, where she was the author of 4 books and co-author of 2 major reference works (and in her non-LC time also wrote a non-LC-affiliated book, “Maxfield Parrish and the Illustrators of the Golden Age.” Wagner has been, for 3 years, editor-in-chief of the 18-year-old online arts journal “Persimmon Tree,” which is staffed by, and accepts fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from, women 60 years of age and older (and also highlights music and art from women in that demographic). Wagner is also the author of recently published fiction and poetry.
Rob Fazzini ’62 was one of the recipients of the 2025 McLean County History Maker Awards. He was announced as one of the selections on April 2 as one of the honorary recipients of this award. He was nominated by his fellow community members and will be celebrated on June 18,2025 at the History Makers Gala at the Brown Ballroom at Illinois State University. View the article of Rob’s achievement here. Congratulations Rob!
Left To Right: Rob Fazzini ’62, Sally Rudolph, Father Douglas Hennessy
Steve Boger ’68 recently retired from Boger Dental in Minneapolis, MN which is owned by Dr Chad Boger. Congratulations Steve!
Jim Kidder ’62, founder of Kidder Music in Peoria, Illinois, recently celebrated Kidder Music’s 50th year of serving Central Illinois music educators. He says, “It is very rewarding to have assisted in the musical journey of many thousands of students. Music education is alive and well!!!” Congratulations Jim!