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!

Wayne Messmer ’72 sang the national anthem for the Chicago Cubs’ opening day at Wrigley Field. Although he has sung the anthem for thirty-five opening days at Wrigley and hundreds of times at other events, this year’s April 9 season opener was a milestone. It marked twenty-five years since a gunshot to Wayne’s throat left him wounded and worried he would never sing again. Here is the link to the article about Wayne and a video of his national anthem performance. Wayne lives in Glenview, Illinois.

Alice Arnold ’75 recently completed her 44th year as an educator, including the past 21 as a professor at East Carolina University. Alice’s teaching and research have been directed by a constructivist philosophy, with emphasis on inclusion. She has focused on the arts and literacy education, with particular attention on the creation of optimal learning environments. She has been recognized professionally on multiple occasions by the National Art Education Association and the North Carolina Art Education Association. In 2015, she was named one of East Carolina’s “Women of Distinction,” recognizing outstanding contributions from women in the campus community. She has been published in scholarly books and journals, and has presented at numerous conferences and workshops.

You did it, Titans! You were the key to IWU’s success on All In for Wesleyan day! On April 11, 2,205 donors collectively raised $518,316. And thanks to the generosity of the pacesetter challenge donors, the grand total is $776,316 (and still counting!)

This video captures a few successes from #AllInforWesleyan.  Check out the social media activity and revisit iwu.edu/all-in to see how your gifts made a difference.

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.