After 25 years in uptown Normal, Brian Simpson, owner of Babbitt’s Books, expects to close his shop by June. The store’s cat, Babbette, will also be looking for a new home as Simpson is unable to keep her.
After more than two decades as a fixture in uptown Normal, Brian Simpson ’79 is selling Babbitt’s Books.
Brian opened the uptown Normal bookstore 25 years ago and planned to close it in June until he got an offer from Seth Wheeler. Simpson said Wheeler, who has his doctorate in history, is at about the same stage in his life as he was when he started the store: degrees they couldn’t do anything with but still needing a job to make money.
For more details on Babbitt’s Books and the sale, go to this Pantagraph article.
Brian is adjusting to his new-found freedom by going to his art studio a few times. He will also teach art classes at the McLean County Arts Center later this month. Good luck, Brian.
Ann Stroink, a board-certified neurosurgeon, presented the 2010 Commencement address. Stroink used her extensive medical training to bring the concept of “lifelong learning” to graduates. Originally, she said, the brain was considered a fixed organ, without the ability to change and grow, but medical science has learned the brain can continue to explore and adapt throughout a human’s life. In her speech titled “Cerebral Plasticity: Lifelong Learning,” Stroink used the very real example of a patient with a tumor relearning to speak in order to show the incredible plasticity of the brain and how a person can learn throughout a lifetime.
“Illinois Wesleyan is your partner for life, and with that partner you will learn what lifelong learning is all about,” she said. “That’s the thrill of learning.”
You can hear the audio of Ann’s introduction by President Wilson and her speech if you click here.