Timothy Szerlong ’74 was elected chair of the Illinois Wesleyan University Board of Trustees.

You can read more here.

Jack Sikma ’77 was recognized by the Metropolitan King County Council for his upcoming induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

See full story here.

This has been a big year for alumna Birda Ferguson of the Class of 75! She became a grandmother on May 9, 2018 when William Lucas Oliveros, the first son of her daughter, Kirstin Ferguson Oliveros, was born. On February 1, 2019, she retired from First Presbyterian Church of Hackettstown, NJ where she had served as pastor for 9 years. She moved to South Carolina at the end of February with her husband, Glenn. Together, they are enjoying exploring the area and making new friends!

Gwenn (Bailey) de Mauriac ’72 and her sophomore year IWU roommate, Kathe (Loyd) Heyer ’72, are spending three weeks in Europe this summer, visiting Amsterdam, traveling down the Rhine River to Basil, Switzerland and then taking the train to spend a few days in northern Italy. This will be their second trip together.

Christine Ellsworth Coyne ’74 trained for and ran in her first marathon when she completed the 2017 Chicago Marathon. Christine is a customer service representative at Molex, Inc., in the Chicago area. She has 4 children, 6 grandchildren and a 7th on the way! Here she is with one of her grandchildren:

Jim Molinari ’77 has joined the University of Oklahoma’s men’s basketball team staff as assistant coach. Click here to read more about Jim’s accomplishment.

Congratulations, Jim!

Paul E. Pedersen, M.D., was sworn in as president of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) during its 2019 annual meeting. Dr. Pedersen is board-certified in internal medicine and is Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. Since 1995 he has served on various committees and functions within OSF including local, system wide and Board Committees primarily focused on IT development, Quality & Safety and Ethics. He earned his medical degree at the University of Illinois Chicago campus.

Dr. Pedersen is active in many areas of organized medicine. He has been a member of ISMS since 1980. At the local level, Dr. Pedersen is active in the McLean County Medical Society, where he has served as its president from 1995 through 1996. Since 1992, Dr. Pedersen has served on the board of the Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program (RIMSAP) and is currently board president. RIMSAP is a program started in 1948, sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau and the ISMS. It has helped many qualified applicants to hurdle financial needs and other barriers to a medical education. This program has assisted over 800 students with a recommendation and/or loans to the University of Illinois. This program is designed to provide doctors in rural communities in Illinois. Dr. Pedersen will serve as president through April 2020.

Carol Brandt ‘78 has been recognized by Forbes as a 
Best-In-State Wealth Advisor for 2019. Wealth Advisors are selected  
annually based on quantitative and qualitative data, including industry  
experience, assets under management, revenue produced, and compliance  
factors. Brandt, a Wealth Management Advisor, has more than 35 years’  
experience advising high-net-worth families, providing them with  
personalized Wealth Management strategies. She has also been recognized as a Barron’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisors, Barron’s Top 1,000 Financial Advisors, and Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors.

Frankie Faison ’71 stars as Ron in NBC’s “The Village.” You can read more about it here.