The Office of Alumni Engagement would like to thank Jill (Wyatt) Dew ’68, Class Newsletter editor for the 1960s, for all of her hard work and dedication to IWU over the years. Jill is officially retiring from her role as editor, but she will remain an invaluable member of the Illinois Wesleyan family.
“I really have enjoyed all of my years of working with the staff at IWU… It has kept IWU close to my heart. I almost feel like I still know all the members of the class of 1968. I can see them as college students as we walk across the campus.”
Michael ’62 and Karen ’63 Gibson of Danville, IL will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 5, 2022 with a reception at Wolf Creek Golf Club sponsored by friends and family.
Michael Gibson and Karen Christiansen met at Illinois Wesleyan University on a blind date. They were married June 2, 1962 at the First Methodist Church of Normal, IL.
Michael is a former music teacher and retired farmer. Karen is a retired medical technologist from Lakeview/Provena Hospital in Danville, IL.
The couple has one son, Donald Gibson of Chicago, IL.
Harvey Caldwell ’63, retired Chief Executive Officer of the Brainerd (Minn.) Regional Human Services Center, was elected in January 2022 to the role of senior warden of the Vestry of St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Congratulations, Harvey!
Robert Donalson died Dec. 22, 2021. He was 87. Bob was a professor in Illinois Wesleyan’s School of Music for 30 years; he retired in 1994 with emeritus status. Bob felt the call to become an educator while serving in the U.S. Army in a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War. He obtained a master’s degree at San Jose State University and a doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder. He began his teaching career at Pepperdine University before landing at IWU. Bob loved beauty in all its forms — nature, art and poetry among them — but music was his emotional home. He was active in religious life and often shared his gift of music in the church. Bob was always learning and educated himself on subjects ranging from theology and philosophy, to computer science and financial investing, to home repair and carpentry. He enjoyed traveling, sports, his cats and, most of all, his family. He is survived by his wife, five children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Bob’s Celebration of Life will be held on February 12 at 1 p.m. CST and will be live-streamed at christlutheranchurchffg.org.
Eldridge “Skip” Gilbert Jr. ’67 and Richard Muirhead ’66 joined University Archivist Meg Miner to reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1966 speech at Illinois Wesleyan, where he addressed problems that still continue today. View the full article here.
Kenneth Kling ’62 of Skokie, Illinois, died July 26, 2021. He was 81. Ken majored in music education and was active in several music groups and organizations during his time at Illinois Wesleyan. He played string bass in many orchestras and dance bands. He eventually became a band director, and school counselor and administrator. After retirement, he moved back to the Chicagoland area and enjoyed reconnecting with old friends. Ken was happiest when he was planning and preparing meals for family and friends, traveling with his wife, enjoying a martini and listening to his favorite music. He is survived by his wife, two sons, two grandchildren, a great-grandson and a brother. You can read the full obituary here.
About half of the Alpha Omicron Pi class of ’65 got together for a Zoom reunion for IWU’s Homecoming. Thank you to Carroll (Mites) Bross ‘65 for sending this in! She remarks that they’ve “had so much fun reconnecting.”
Allen and Shari Anderson recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a luncheon and vow renewal ceremony with family and friends at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Bend, Oregon. They plan to travel on a Grand European River cruise and a trip to Outer Mongolia and China post pandemic. The couple was married on September 25, 1971 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Woodburn, Oregon.
They have two daughters; Heather Yunck, Salem, Or and Diana Anderson, Lebanon Or.
Allen is a Marine Corps veteran and served in Vietnam. While at IWU he was a member of Acacia Fraternity. He also attended Mount Angel College holding degrees in Behavioral Science and Real Estate. He was a Right-of-Way Agent in both public and private sectors for over 38 years. Allen was president of Sweetbriar Farm Homeowners’ Association, the City of Troutdale Planning Commission, and the Multnomah Cable Regulatory Commission, where he helped set up television cable services in the county.
After retirement in 1999, he began studying Chinese traveling to China five times and attending Dalian University of Technology. He enjoys tai chi, Zumba, cardio fitness, knitting and participating in poetry and haiku groups.
Shari was a special education teacher and elementary school teacher. She also served as a Senior Deputy Sheriff and is a certified Tai Chi instructor. She continues to volunteer in various activities.
Robert M Montgomery ’67, who the Young Alumni Award is named for, was posthumously inducted into the Monticello Hall of Fame in 2020 although the announcement was just recently made. View the full article here.
Dave Kindred ’63 is among the featured interviews in Muhammad Ali, a new four-part documentary directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, which will air on PBS Sept.19-22.
