Nancy (Waterman) Price ’70 of Coos Bay, Oregon, died March 12, 2022. She was 73. Nancy studied art at Illinois Wesleyan, and she later earned a master’s degree in art history from Penn State University. After college, Nancy taught art history and served as a research assistant at Cleveland State University. Nancy met her future husband at Penn State, and they relocated to Coos Bay after marrying. Nancy worked for the Coos History Museum, The Coquille Valley Sentinel and Harvest Book Shop before beginning a long career with Coos Bay Public Library, where she worked her way up from library assistant to database administrator. Nancy was a longtime volunteer and past president of the Oregon Coast Music Association. She also volunteered for the Coos County Animal Shelter and Coos History Museum & Maritime Collection. She enjoyed music, travel, literature, history, art, feeding birds in her yard, and her beloved rescue cats. She is survived by her husband, and several nieces and nephews. You can read more about her here.
Author Archives: classnews
Mario Mancinelli
Mario Mancinelli of Bloomington, Illinois, died March 15, 2022. He was 99. Mario served as a faculty member in Illinois Wesleyan’s School of Music for 35 years. He was hired in 1948 to teach strings and chamber music, and conduct the student orchestra. He retired in 1983 with emeritus status. Mario attended Ohio State University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was also a faculty member at Brevard Music Center for 25 years. He was a member of the American String Teachers Association, American Federation of Musicians, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and an honorary member of Phi Kappa Phi. Mario was an accomplished violinist and played regularly in Central Illinois orchestras. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, playing and listening to classical music, playing cards, and watching the Indianapolis 500, World Series and the Olympics. He was a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal. He is survived by two children and a granddaughter.
Professor Evelyn Wantland
Evelyn Wantland died Feb. 4, 2022, in Urbana, Illinois. She was 104. Evelyn served as a professor of mathematics at Illinois Wesleyan from 1964-76 and maintained emeritus status. Evelyn attended Hollins College, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and earned a doctorate in mathematics. In addition to Illinois Wesleyan, she taught at Ferrum Junior College, Kansas State University and the University of Mississippi. Evelyn enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles, playing bridge and Scrabble, and taking long walks in Meadowbrook Park in Urbana. She was a member of Urbana’s First United Methodist Church. She is survived by her daughter, two grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
Professor Robert Donalson
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.
Samuel “Sam” Perroni ’70
Retired federal prosecutor Sam Perroni ’70 is the author of a new book examining the death of actress Natalie Wood. Read more about the book here.
TAG Day 2021
Monday, February 8 is Thank-A-Giver Day at Illinois Wesleyan and we’re eager to celebrate generous Titans!
Thank-A-Giver (TAG) Day is the symbolic point during the academic year — about 70% of the way through — when tuition dollars are exhausted and Illinois Wesleyan relies on donor generosity to continue providing a world-class education and rewarding collegiate experiences.
Each and every year, every gift matters. Contributions benefit students and faculty, enhance academic excellence, and strengthen the IWU community.
Thank you to all who give back to move IWU forward.
Titans Supporting Titans
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- To share a word of support for your classmates at this time, submit a post to your class newsletter by emailing your editor or if your class does not have an editor, send your post to classnews@iwu.edu.
- You can provide support to the Titan Student Emergency Fund. This fund will provide relief to students with needs such as housing, travel, moving and storage, transportation and vehicle repair, and technology needs related to remote learning.
- If you have expertise or a career opportunity that you can share with students, please connect with a Hart Career Center staff member for a phone or video appointment through a Handshake account here. You can also post job and internship opportunities on the site. View FAQs here.
- University Archives & Special Collections wants to hear your experiences and reflections to keep a historical record of the impact of the pandemic on the Illinois Wesleyan community, you can learn more here.
- Assist the IWU Admissions team in student recruitment efforts. Our alumni are the best and most qualified to meet with prospective students to share your IWU experience. Sign up here: Titan Alumni Ambassadors.
- You can see more ideas here.
TAG Day 2020
Zelotes Toliver ’70
Zelotes Toliver ’70 will perform his Spirituals concert live at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY on February 23. His concert will include iconic African American Spirituals. For more information about the concert and the work of Zelotes, click here.
Best of luck, Zelotes!

Zelotes Edmund Toliver (Photo by Bernd Paulitschke)
Phillip Glotfelty ’70
We regret to inform you that Phillip Glotfelty ’70 of Shorewood, Illinois, died Nov. 1, 2019. He was 71. Phil met his future wife Jody (Carlson) Glotfelty ’70 while attending Illinois Wesleyan. He began his career at Kemlite Corporation, where he established the company’s human resources department, and later joined First Midwest Bank Corporation, from which he retired in 2006. He was active in many groups and organizations, including: Sports Car Club, Jaycees, Joliet (Ill.) Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Development Council, Joliet Kiwanis Club, and Plainfield (Ill.) United Methodist Church. He enjoyed golfing, playing cards and Trivial Pursuit, sharing meals with friends, and watching his grandchildren play sports and perform on stage. He is survived by his wife, children Sherry (Glotfelty) Steele ’99 and Jeffrey Glotfelty ’00, seven grandchildren, brother, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. You can read his full obituary here.