Jim Brown ’77, a wealth management adviser, has qualified for Court of the Table Membership in the Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT), an independent and international association of leading life insurance producers. This is the seventh consecutive year that Jim has achieved Court of the Table membership. More about his accomplishment can be found here.

Congratulations, Jim!

Jack Sikma ’77 was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Sikma, a Seattle SuperSonics great, was a seven-time All-Star and 1979 NBA champion.  Read more about Jack’s accomplishment here.

Congratulations, Jack!

If you are a donor, you are about to be tagged!

Thank-A-Giver Day (TAG Day) is Monday, February 11. This day gives the IWU campus community the opportunity to thank the donors who support Illinois Wesleyan. Each year in mid-February, IWU celebrates the symbolic point during the academic year – about 70% of the way through – when tuition dollars run out and support from alumni and friends, our endowment, and external grants kick in for the remainder of the year.

Thank you to all donors who help make the IWU experience possible!

Curt Nord ’74 and his wife, Debi, retired to Palm Harbor, FL in August. He said, “While we love the Gulf, the sunshine, and warm temperatures it did not take me long to miss having a work related purpose every day.  So, I obtained my real estate license and became affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Clearwater.”

Ned Carter ’74 will be retiring from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions at the end of Feb. 2019.He has worked there since 2004 as a work environment expert. He has also been an adjunct professor at the Ergonomics Department of the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm and a docent at Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University. Ned resides in Uppsala Sweden.

Happiest of Holidays, Titans!

Season’s Greetings! It has been a while, fellow Titans, since Homecoming, 2018. Please, accept my sincerest apologies for the gap in our communications. I looked up and found Christmas to be less than two weeks away. Yikes! Maybe it has crept up on you, as well? Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate, which just passed.
Hopefully, you have begun your Christmas shopping baking and decorating. The Advent season is a season of hope, after all; hope for peace, a brighter tomorrow, a kinder, gentler world, a sustainable planet for our children (and grandchildren). Hope springs eternal! Keep hope alive! “Hope,” Desmond Tutu said, “is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
I hope, that you and yours have a Merry Christmas! One that is full of joyful good times, plenty of love, and filled with hope. See you next year, fellow Titans, Happy New Year, 2019!
Peace,
Dr. Debbie R. Burt-Frazier, EdD

Congratulations to Dr. Kent Taulbee ’72, who received the Pioneer Hall of Fame Award from the Normal University High school Alumni Association Awards and Recognition Program. The honor was presented in conjunction with Normal High School’s Homecoming Week in September. After graduating from IWU, Kent earned his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Madison. He went on to specialize in dermatology and practiced in Bloomington-Normal for nearly 40 years. 

Here is the link to the article.

George Jones ’77, Garland ISD’s Director of Visual and Performing Arts, has received the Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA)  Lifetime Administrator Achievement Award. This distinction signifies an outstanding career in music education, as well as many contributions to the profession. Garland ISD has been home to Jones for 40 years, 20 years as a band director and 21 years in his current role. Read more about his accomplishments here.

Congratulations, George!

Elizabeth Robb ’78 was recently appointed to governor-elect J.B. Pritzker’s Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee. The committee’s focus is mainly on criminal justice reform and public safety. Read more about the committee and their goals here.

Congratulations, Elizabeth!

Tom Wetzel ’72 returned to campus this month to speak to two marketing classes and students taking risk management and commercial risk insurance classes. Tom is owner of Thomas H. Wetzel Associates, a digital marketing firm for the insurance industry. In addition to sharing his professional experiences, he wanted to learn more about the students likes and dislikes of the industry. He also wanted to figure out how to persuade them to choose a career in insurance after they graduate. Wesleyan students asked Tom about available jobs, career paths, and how the industry is changing as a result of technology. Tom lives and works in Forest Park, Illinois.
Read more about Tom’s visit here.