October 6 and 7 will find us at IWU celebrating our 50th Reunion. 
One of our goals is 100% participation in supporting IWU. April 3 is your chance to participate early! Yep. Donate and the Class of 1968 will be
IWU Homecoming, 2017. Titan Reunions. The Kings, Rick ’67 and Cheryl ’68.
IWU Homecoming, 2017. Titan Reunions. Eldridge Gilbert ’67 and Peggy Harmon ’67. Thelma Gilbert ’67, back to camera.
IWU Homecoming, 2017. Titan Reunions. Lynn Stickler Leipold ’67, husband John Leipold and Martha Watson Violett ’67.
IWU Homecoming, 2017. Titan Reunions. The class of 1967, 50th reunion.
IWU Homecoming, 2017. Titan Reunions. Carol Pedigo Phoenix ’67, Joy Ramsey Franks ’67.
Eldridge Gilbert ’67 and Arthur Cheatham ’67 look over their yearbook during the 50th reunion at Bloomington Country Club.
Click here to see an album of photos from the 50th Reunion.
If you would like to send us photos to add to the album or would like to help us add names to the individuals in the photos, please email our office at iwualum@iwu.edu.
Nancy Rhoads ’65 celebrating her 50th class reunion.
After graduation, Dr. Lewis Whikehart invited me to do graduate work at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he was teaching. After two grueling and challenging years I received my Master of Music in Vocal Performance in 1967.
Right after graduation I married Bonnie Lobianco an SAI and we began our teaching/performing careers. I was performing as a tenor soloist in recitals, oratorios and operas throughout the United States; while teaching school. My first position was at Rock Valley Community College in Rockford,Illinois. Then I took a leave of absence and studied at the Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison. Had a terrific voice teacher and great opportunities to perform. We moved to Northfield , MN, where I taught at Carleton and St Olaf colleges. During that tenure, I sang with the MN Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, and in the Aspen Music Festival Chamber Choir
Our son, Andrew, was born in 1970 and our daughter Nancy in 1974. Bonnie became full time MOM, but accompanied me on occasion.
In 1979 we made a “BIG” move to Scottsdale, AZ. Where I began a new career –church ministry: First, Youth Ministry and then Music Ministry. For the past 15 years I have been a Dir. of Music for a large Catholic Parish in Shawnee, KS.— Enjoying conducting and teaching some talented vocalists. I have also taught at Avila Univ. and Rockhurst College in Kansas City, MO.
We have two grandchildren, Natalie, thirteen, and Peter, three, who live “too far away” in Jacksonville, FL. Our two miniature poodles keep us very active and happy. J
THIS WAS FUN REVIEWING THE PAST 50 YEARS. Also, it is time for retirement. HA!
I have been back to campus. One of my voice students graduated from Wesleyan and is now on Broadway!
God bless,
John Rudzinski
Thanks to Carol Thompson Sheldon, our memories are being jogged as we approach our 50th Illinois Wesleyan reunion. How is this possible!! It parallels our 50th wedding anniversary which will be July 10, 2015 — I married Bob Mitchell (Class of ’64), an art major who went on to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale for his MFA.
Wesleyan prepared us well to try several careers and to be open to learning new things. I helped Bob through graduate school by working at the SIU registrar’s office, using my H.S. typing & shorthand skills that my mother promised would always help me get a job! After our year there, we moved to Dade City, Florida where he taught ceramics and metalsmithing at St. Leo College. Our only child, David, was born that year also. Then on to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro for 14 years–Bob teaching and I taught private piano in the home.
But, after taking some accounting courses at ASU, I found myself working in a bank trust department. This was the beginning of a long career as an employee benefit trust officer in banks in Arkansas, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Florida. Bob left teaching when we moved to Green Bay, and he then worked from home, blending his art background and his computer skills–as the business manager of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
In 2007, we both retired and moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Southern New Mexico–fifty miles from El Paso, Texas and the US–Mexico border. Las Cruces is a wonderful city in the high desert, 3 hours south of Albuquerque. We are both very involved at Peace Lutheran Church, and I have returned to my first “career” – playing the piano for fun as well as occasionally at church.
Our son David, daughter-in-law Terry and 17-year old granddaughter Kate live in Medford, just 12 miles north of Boston. We visit back and forth and wish they were closer to our part of the country. We’ll be taking them to London for a week in May–sort of a high school graduation trip for Kate. Bob and I have traveled to places like Egypt, Greece, Germany, and a few others–hoping for more travel ahead as long as our health holds up!
Bob ’64 and Susan ’65 Mitchell
I graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1965 with a B.M.E. in instrumental music (tuba) and had also been a member of the Apollo Quartet. However, I decided after graduation to switch to choral music. I immediately transitioned to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas to obtain a M.M. in choral conducting with Dr. Lloyd Pfautsch (former I.W.U. professor). I was selected as one of only four students allowed for the degree. I also received a second M.M. degree in music education.
It was at this time (1966) I secured my first position as a teacher when Quincy Senior High School in Quincy, Illinois hired me to be the Choral Conductor. In my three years there the school was represented by no fewer than nine singers each year in the All-State High School Choir. In my third year thirteen of my singers were blessed to participate in the All-State Choir, and that record still stands today. My Q.H.S. boys’ quartet was selected to be featured in the movie “Illinois Sings” narrated by Ralph Bellamy. After my first year of teaching, I was contacted by Dr. Colleen Kirk, Head of Music Education, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana to supervise some of their music education students for their student teaching experience. I was sent six students for my final two years at Q.H.S. My Concert Choir was one of ten high school choirs selected to participate in the Illinois State University’s Choral Festival. Dr. Donald Neuen, then Director of Choral Music at Eastman School of Music, proclaimed, “This is the finest high school choir I have heard in over a decade.” By far the most important event in my life at this time was meeting and marrying my lovely wife, Nancy, a native of Quincy and graduate of Western Illinois University, (Macomb, Ill.) Today we have three grown children: Michelle, Holly, and David along with four grandchildren.
In 1969 Nancy and I decided that the time was right for me to start my D.M.A. in Choral Conducting at the University of Texas at Austin under Director of Choral Activities Dr. Morris Beachy. While in Austin, I became the director of both the Austin Community Chorus and the Austin Chord Rangers Barbershop Chorus, two wonderful training grounds. After a lecture-demonstration of my doctoral dissertation, “The Choral Music of Howard Hanson”, the world-famous orchestration and music theory teacher Dr. Kent Kennan stated that it was the finest doctoral student presentation he had ever heard. After a year as choral director for Vernon High School (Vernon, Texas), I was hired (1973-1977) as both band and choral director for East Texas Baptist University (Marshall, Texas). They had never before had a band, and by my second year we had a respectable ensemble of 52 members. (Although the university had no football team, that didn’t stop us from doing a marching band halftime show for the homecoming basketball game.) I also was fortunate to have three years experience as the director of the Marshall Symphony Orchestra. Two of the Concert Choir highlights was a trip to Israel to sing on international television, Christmas Eve, 1976, and having been selected out of a dozen university choirs to sing the choral parts for the Fort Worth Opera Association production of Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and internationally
famous Maria Pellegrini in the title role.
It was at this time that I would make my final career move to become Director of Choral Activities at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. While here I attained the rank of full Professor, directed the Concert Choir and Swing Choir, and taught voice, world music, and music appreciation. IN the spring of 1980 I founded and am still director of the MSSU Choral Society, a mixed 50-voice community choir performing three concerts annually. I reviewed textbooks for five publishers as well as designed and taught all of the music department’s internet classes. Also in 1980 I was the recipient of the rarely awarded
Friend of Education Award given by the Joplin Educators Association for a choral concert series presented to over 5,000 public school students. The other highlights of my thirty-seven years at MSSU can be summed up as follows:
Like most of you, I have also had my share of setbacks, primarily in my health. Diabetes, blood clots, MRSA, have accompanied me since 1980 and resulted in two toe amputations. (By the way, they were so swollen that it took a “tow-truck” to haul them away.) I have taught a total of 45 years and have been a minister of music in various churches for 50 years. And the most important thing of all is that I give the Lord all of the glory for both my family, Nancy especially, and a wonderful career!
Without a doubt, Illinois Wesleyan University gave me a solid foundation in both instrumental and choral music that prepared me for and carried me through my life’s work! I am proud to be called a Titan!
Sincerely,
Dr. Albert J. Carnine
It is hard to believe it has been 50 years since we graduated
After graduation from IWU I got my PhD in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. I then did a 2 year post-doctoral fellowship at the University Of Alabama School Of Medicine in Birmingham. After which I remained on the Department of Microbiology faculty for 4 years. Louisiana State University opened a new Medical School in Shreveport in 1975 and I moved my lab there in 1976. After 33 years at LSUS Medical School doing immunology and cancer research, teaching, and ‘raising’ graduate students I retired as Professor Emeritus from the Department of Microbiology in 2009 but still live in Shreveport.
Since retiring Becky and I travel extensively in our RV, kayak – somewhat calmer rivers now as a deference to age, and do some wind surfing – again deferring to somewhat less intense winds.
Mike Wolcott
6144 S. Lakeshore Drive
Shreveport, LA 71119
Cell Phone: 318-458-6073
email: mwolco@yahoo.com