Jack Sikma ’77 will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of The Hundred Club of Kankakee County where he will talk about how basketball has impacted his life. Read the full Daily Journal article here.
Jack Sikma ’77
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Joan Alverzo ’72 Wins School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award
The School of Nursing honored their award recipient during an event from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 in the Wilson Atrium in the Center for Natural Sciences as a part of IWU’s Homecoming celebrations.
Joan Alverzo ’72 graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a BSN in nursing. She then went on to receive her MSN from Seton Hall University in 1978 and her PhD in Nursing from New York University in 2004. Alverzo is an accomplished academic, researcher and practitioner in her field. In 2004, she received a research grant from the Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation to fund her doctoral research. Her articles have been published in numerous peer reviewed nursing and medical research journals, and she has been presenting her research at different conferences for over 20 years. In addition to her own research pursuits, Alverzo has been a member of the editorial board for the journal Rehabilitation Nursing since 2010. From 2008-2014, she was an Associate Professor in Nursing at Rutgers University, where she taught a course in Economic and Financial Management in Nursing. Her expertise in this area is shown through her career as a nursing executive at healthcare company, Select Medical. She has been with Select Medical since 2009 and has served as their Senior Vice President for Clinical Operations since 2013. In this role, she has established a total of 23 Rehabilitation Hospitals with 8800 employees in 10 states and an annual revenue of 750 million dollars. In 2019, she established a Patient Safety Organization with Select Medical Corporation, one of 77 federally sanctioned organizations recognizing 120 hospitals owned by Select Medical with federal designated status for excellence in Patient Safety. In January 2022, she retired to Ocean City, Md., with her husband Richard and their lab Molly.
Marsha A. Guenzler-Stevens, PhD. ’78 Wins Alumni Loyalty Award
Marsha A. Guenzler-Stevens, PhD. ’78 was recognized during a ceremony from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, September 23 in Young Main Lounge at the Memorial Center. The event was part of IWU’s Homecoming celebration.
Marsha A. Guenzler-Stevens, PhD. ’78 has spent her career in higher education. Her undergraduate career at Illinois Wesleyan University studying biology and political science was complemented by out-of-classroom learning as a student leader – from Student Senate, Model United Nations, orientation, AOII and the Panhellenic Association – and a federal work-study job in the Dean of Students Office. With an undergraduate degree from IWU, a master’s in counseling and student personnel from Miami University, and a Ph.D. in higher education policy and planning from the University of Maryland, Guenzler-Stevens has crafted a career in higher education that spans over 40 years. She currently serves as the director of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union – Center for Campus Life. Guenzler-Stevens is also responsible for managing the University’s interface with 14 recognized chaplaincies and overseeing the University’s Memorial Chapel. Guenzler-Stevens has been particularly active in serving the school’s veteran community. She has been recognized as the Outstanding Staff Member at the University of Maryland at College Park, won the institution’s “Woman of the Year,” and has been recognized for her work in advancing diversity on campus. She was named by the University System of Maryland Board of Regents as the winner of the staff award for Extraordinary Public Service to the University and Greater Community, and named a “Woman of Influence” by AAUW, NASPA, and the National Conference of College Women Student Leaders. She teaches a freshman course, “The Student and the University,” an upper-level “Women and Leadership” course, and a graduate seminar. Guenzler-Stevens speaks nationally on topics such as women’s leadership and organizational development, and has served and volunteered her time to a number of organizations. At IWU, Guenzler-Stevens has served as president of the Alumni Association and a member of the Board of Trustees. Guenzler-Stevens is married to Randy Stevens and is the daughter of two IWU graduates, the late Robert Guenzler ’53 and Mary Ann Hagmeyer Guenzler ’53, past IWU Loyalty Award winners. She shares Illinois Wesleyan memories with her sisters Susan (Guenzler) Getz ’77 and Pam (Guenzler) DeBoer ’82, brother-in-law Herb Getz ’77 and niece Amy DeBoer ’15.
Mike ’75 and Carol ’76 Evans
Congratulations to Mike ’75 and Carol ’76 Evans, who recently retired.
Shelly Rasche ’78
A three-week retrospective art event at Windsong Acres celebrates the work of Shelly Rasche ’78, whose illustrations graced products around the world from greeting cards and ornaments to stuffed animals and yard flags, before dementia led to her retirement from commercial art. You can read more here.
Sandullah Epsicokhan ’72
Sandullah Epsicokhan ’72 was featured in an article discussing the recent Webb Telescope’s photos of deep space. A section reads “A lot of wonderful science will come from the new telescope that will peer into the early history of the universe from its vantage beyond Earth’s orbit. Meanwhile, Epsicokhan simply takes joy in the newest images from the distant past.” You can read the full article by clicking here!
Stew Salowitz ’76
Stew Salowitz ’76 had his painting When Winter Fades accepted for exhibit in the McLean County Arts Center’s 95th Annual Amateur Exhibition in March 2022. The retired Illinois Wesleyan sports information director won first prize in the adult painting category at the MCAC’s Annual Amateur Exhibition in 2021.
John McGowan ’74
John McGowan ’74 of Tamworth, New Hampshire, died April 4, 2022. He was 70. John studied elementary education at Illinois Wesleyan and taught third grade at schools in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania before embarking on a career in the travel industry. John worked as a guide at Independence Hall, the Alamo, the LBJ Ranch, and for a touring company. In 1986, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by becoming a flight attendant for TWA, and later, American Airlines and Chautauqua Airlines. He maintained homes in St. Louis and San Antonio for many years. He moved in 2012 to Tamworth, where he resided with his beloved Shih Tzu. John was most proud of his recovery from alcohol addition, and he remained involved with Alcoholics Anonymous until the end of his life. He was a devoted member of St. Andrew-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church. He is survived by two sisters, and many nieces, nephews and extended family members. You can read more here.
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.