Homecoming & Family Weekend 2022

In the past two years we’ve witnessed the Titan community come together in new ways to share stories, expertise, and friendship. However, we have long awaited the chance to welcome you back to campus for a true Illinois Wesleyan Homecoming! We look forward to sharing a meal, a drink, and a story with all of you in person, September 23-25, 2022.

Click here for a full schedule of events and to register.

Joy (Fairchild) Stephens ’62

Joy R. Stephens ’62, 80, of Monmouth, IL, passed at 9:10 pm, Tuesday, July 12, 2022 in Peoria, IL. Joy was born January 29, 1942 in Centralia, IL the daughter of Charles Arthur and G. Irene (Nogle) Fairchild. She was raised and educated in Sandoval, IL, graduating from Sandoval High School in 1958. She later attended Illinois Wesleyan University as a music major. After raising her family, Joy graduated from Monmouth College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting. Joy later earned her Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Colorado State University in 2004. Joy married Jack Kenneth Stephens ’57 in Heyworth, IL on August 10, 1961 and he passed away on July 11, 2022. View the full obituary here.

Linda Fulton Ferreira ’63

Linda Fulton Ferreira ’63 attended the first performance of her composition “Birdsongs” written in 2021 for the Capshaw Children’s Chorus of Cookeville, Tennessee. “Birdsongs” is written for children’s chorus, rainsticks, Audubon plush birds, orchestral bird water whistle and is based on eleven poems by poet George Asdel.

Emily Stedman ’69

Emily Stedman ’69 had two paintings, Field Flowers and Winter Poinsettias, selected for the 2022 Salmagundi Club Spring Auction on April 9, 2022. Emily is a New York-based watercolor artist whose work has been exhibited in Brooklyn (N.Y.) Museum, BRIC Rotunda Gallery in Brooklyn, and the Historic Northampton (Mass.) Museum and Education Center, and numerous other galleries, publications and collections.

William Powers ’64

Bass-baritone William Powers ’64 released a musical collection, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky’s vocal cycle The Songs and Dances of Death, under the Centaur Records label in December 2021. The work is based on four poems written by Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov, and put to music by Mussorgsky, each dealing with death in a personal, poetic way. While the work has been performed and recorded in Russian by many artists, William believes his recording of The Songs and Dances of Death is the first commercial presentation of the work in English. It is widely available on streaming platforms.

Paul Grady ’62

Paul Grady ’62 died May 15, 2022, in Peoria, Arizona. He was 81. Paul lived in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, and spent his career as a high school math teacher and basketball coach in Illinois School District No. 214. In those roles, he mentored many students to best prepare them to achieve their potential. He is survived by his wife, Cherris (DeWolf) Grady ’64, two children, including Bill Grady ’94, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. You can read his full obituary here.

Joseph Rabe ’65

Joseph Rabe ’65 died April 21, 2022, in South Pasadena, Florida. Joe majored in speech at Illinois Wesleyan. After graduation, he took a job with Sears, Roebuck & Co., where he held a variety of positions at stores in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. Joe developed a love of automobiles early in life, a passion he shared with his father. Joe made that passion his profession when he became co-owner of a Dodge-Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in the late 1980s. In retirement, he traveled between East Moline, Illinois, and South Pasadena, where he continued to be an active member of car clubs. He had a particular passion for Packard, Studebaker, Avanti and Saab vehicles. Joe had a knack for storytelling and was happiest when he had the chance to regale friends with his tales into the wee hours of the morning. He is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and many extended family members. You can read more here.

Holly (Schultz) DeFrancisco ’64

Holly (Schultz) DeFrancisco ’64 died April 17, 2022, in Fairport, New York. She was 81. Holly majored in art and was active in Sigma Kappa. She went on to a career as a graphic artist at Eastman Kodak company, and was among the first generation to use computers in graphic design. She later owned her own graphic art business, and most recently worked in information technology in the Pittsford (N.Y.) Central School. Holly loved ironing clothes, swimming, boating, dirt biking and organizing things. Her favorite meat was a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of Campbell’s tomato soup. Her favorite snack was animal crackers. She loved her pets, her friends and her home. She is survived by two ex-husbands and many extended family members. You can read more here.

A. Phillip Borkenhagen ’64

A. Phillip Borkenhagen ’64 of Milton, Wisconsin, died April 6, 2022. He was 84. Phil earned a bachelor’s degree at Milton College before graduating with a master’s degree in mathematics from Illinois Wesleyan. He also earned postgraduate credits at Northern Illinois University and completed predoctoral work at Marquette University. Phil went on to a career as a math and chemistry teacher, a contract negotiator for teachers and support staff, and an executive director for Capital Area Uniserv North in Madison, Wisconsin. Phil also officiated high school and college basketball. He served on Milton College’s alumni association board of directors, including three years as its president. He was a supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Janesville (Wis.), Special Olympics of Wisconsin, and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Janesville. He was an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs and Bears, and the University of Wisconsin. He was an active golfer and worked part-time in retirement at Glen Erin Golf Club in Rock County, Wisconsin. He also taught undergraduate classes at Concordia University Wisconsin in retirement. He is survived by four children, five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. You can read more here.