Category Archives: News

Coach Don Robinson ’76 Retires

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Longtime Prophetstown coach Don Robinson ’76 is retiring after 38 years.  Don became the seventh high school coach in state history with 700 girls’ basketball wins this year. Placed in the spotlight, the longtime Prophetstown coach was not seeking the limelight.

(The athletes) were the ones who deserve the credit,” Robinson said last week. “It wasn’t about me. It was trying to get the best out of them. I’ll be honest — I really had fun. The effort the girls put forth made it fun. Thirty-eight years went by fast.”

Don started his trek a few months after graduating from Illinois Wesleyan in 1976. The first job was at Dixon-based Jefferson Elementary School as a science teacher. A year later, he went to Prophetstown as a science teacher and girls’ basketball and girls’ track coach.5585ebdad5b08.image

Being a basketball coach always was the plan, but “I didn’t know it would be girls’ basketball.” The title remained the same for 38 seasons. Coaching track continued in the spring throughout his tenure, too. Upon reaching Prophetstown, Don built both programs into consistent winners. The secret was creating an enthusiastic environment that was fun and positive.

Memories came from all the games and meets, making it easy for Don to reflect on the moments. Not once did he take credit for all the wins and hardware. The players were responsible for the 705 wins and four State trophies. Of the four State trophies two were in track, 2nd in 2000 & 2013. The other two State trophies were in basketball, 2nd in 2A 2014 & 3rd in 1A 2015.

All Don did was relish the ride. Looking back, it was a good one.

Ross Fraser ’78 with Feeding America

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Ross Fraser (’78) is in his eleventh year as the director of media relations for Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization. Feeding America is the network of most of the food banks in the country. It distributes food to soup kitchens and food pantries across the nation. This network feeds more than 5 million people each week and will distribute more than 4 billion pounds of food this year.

Feeding America’s mission statement is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.

Feeding America is a nationwide network of food banks and food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to people each year. Together, it is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization. Their network serves virtually every community in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. 

But Ross is not the only IWU graduate at Feeding America. Sam Harris (2010) works with the food industry to help get donations of food, and Tim Sunzeri (2011) is a senior budget analyst in the philanthropy department.

Forbes Magazine rates Feeding America as the third largest charity in the U.S.

For more information, go to Feeding America’s web page at Feeding America.org.

Ross Fraser '78

Ross receiving a check for $100,000 from Rachael Ray on her show.

Ross also relates:

Last summer I was in New York, meeting with some producers at NBC Nightly News. And who happened to be standing in the security line in front of me? Lea Delaria, one of the stars of “Orange is the New Black,” who attended the IWU School of Drama roughly 1975-1976. (She did not graduate from there.) I had not seen her in more than 35 years!”

lea

 

Stew Salowitz ’76 Featured

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Stew Salowitz

Stew Salowitz

Illinois Wesleyan University Sports Information Director Stew Salowitz ’76 was featured in the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) April E-Digest.  In the article, Stew is asked five questions about his job as Sports Information Director.

One of the questions he was asked was:  In an increasingly 140-character-limited world, do you think writing skills in athletics communications are undervalued? Part of his answer was:

…we’ve become a society that is too busy, or lazy, to spell out the words are and you, using r or u instead. I’m trying to steer away from long stories these days, concentrating on bullet points and key performances.”

To read all five questions and Stew’s answers, go to the CoSIDA Digest. You need to page down to page 38.

Congratulations Stew. Great Article!

Brian Simpson ’79 Selling Babbitt’s Books

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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 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.

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More updates!  I’m so slow at this, sorry!

Keith Jensen ’74 has become a shareholder and principal of the law firm Burnside, Johnson, Connor & Jensen, P.C.  “The law firm of Burnside, Johnston, Connor & Jensen, P.C., formerly Burnside, Johnston & Connor, P.C., has announced that Keith Jensen has become a shareholder and principal of the firm.
Jensen did his undergraduate work at Illinois Wesleyan and graduated from Washington University School of Law in 1976.  He thereafter served as an assistant state’s attorney in both Madison and St. Clair counties before becoming a special prosecutor for Fayette, Bond and Cumberland counties.”  From the Leader Union newspaper.

Susan Alford ’74 has passed away on April 4, 2015 after a courageous battle with cancer. Susan was born in Elgin, Il on December 19th, 1951. She graduated from St. Charles High School in 1970, and from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1974 with a degree in Elementary Education. Her freshman year at Illinois Wesleyan, Susan met Fred Alford. Susan and Fred married on June 30th, 1974 and enjoyed 40 wonderful years together.  Susan enjoyed teaching 4th grade for many years, and later completed a Master’s Degree and certification in teaching elementary school English Language Learners. Sue was a member of the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, and active in church groups, book club, and PEO. For many years Susan did creative hand-crafted projects and shared her talents with others. She loved to garden, read and spend time with her family and friends. Sue was a wonderful hostess and always made guests feel welcome in her home. She loved her children dearly.

From Alice Arnold, some good news!  This spring I received a Woman of Distinction award.  The attached newsletter reads,  “Alice Arnold (art education) was named one of ten Women of Distinction by the ECU Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women. The honor recognizes women who demonstrate outstanding leadership, mentoring; and commitment to diversity, empowerment, equality, equi"photo by Jay Clark (cropped)"ty and/or social justice. The awards are made every other year.

“photo by Jay Clark (cropped)”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Wannemacher ’73, vice chairman of the board of Heritage Enterprises, is among nursing home representatives who criticize the unexpected doubling of state funding cuts.

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois nursing home operators say they are shouldering a larger-than-expected share of cuts designed to balance the state’s current year budget.

At a press conference in the Capitol Tuesday, a coalition of nursing home companies said they had thought the fiscal year 2015 budget fix approved by lawmakers in March would cut $25.5 million of their state funding.

On Thursday, however, they learned that figure had more than doubled to $55 million — an amount they’ll have to absorb in the final two months of the fiscal year.

The operators are unsure how they’ll deal with the reductions.

“We can’t turn our business on a dime. It’s not like we make widgets. We have people in beds,” said Steve Wannemacher, vice chairman of the board of Bloomington-based Heritage Enterprises, which operates 35 facilities serving 3,000 residents.

 

More cool stuff!  Over the last two years, David Newberg (’75) and Karle Koritz (’99) have worked together to tackle many issues facing DeWitt County – Newberg as a member of the DeWitt County Board and Koritz as the DeWitt County State’s Attorney.  In December 2014, Koritz was appointed Circuit Judge and Newberg was elected Chairman of the DeWitt County Board by his fellow board members.  In just four short months, Newberg helmed the Board through difficult negotiations to settle one of the most controversial issues facing Central Illinois over the last 7 years – the protection of the Mahomet Aquifer.  “Thanks in large part to David’s leadership and passion,” Judge Koritz writes, “there will be no hazardous PCB waste stored over the Mahomet Aquifer, the primary source of drinking water for over 750,000 citizens in Central Illinois.”  The DeWitt County Board and Clinton Landfill, Inc. agreed in April to restructure their host agreement in exchange for the Landfill permanently withdrawing their permit applications seeking to store hazardous PCB waste over the Mahomet Aquifer.  The deal concludes almost a decade of contentious litigation involving the Attorney General’s Office, the Governor’s office, the EPA, the DeWitt County Board, the Landfill, and dozens of municipalities and environmental protection groups.

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David Newberg (’75), Joni (Blue) Newberg (’75), Katy (McCain) Koritz (’01), and Karle Koritz (’99).

 

Finally, on a more personal note.  I can’t remember how long I have been doing this, seems like forever!  I think since the 80’s or so.  Memory isn’t what it used to be, but I remember doing it on an older version of WordPerfect and having to try and e-mail it to the Alumni Office.  It’s been fun.  But I think it is about time to give it up after all these years.  If anyone would love to take it over let me know!  If not I’ll continue doing it but wouldn’t mind giving it up.  Hope everyone has a great summer!  I’m off to Disney World to visit some of the students Black Hawk College has doing Internships down there.  Well, and taking a vacation too!  🙂   Bruce Storey, Class of ’75

Barb (Short) Brown ’77 Riding New Bike

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Barb driving her dad, Lee, on the Constitution Trail in Bloomington. Photo by Lenore Sobota of the Pantagraph.

Barb driving her dad, Lee, on the Constitution Trail in Bloomington. Photo by Lenore Sobota of the Pantagraph.

Barb (Short) Brown ’77 used cycling to help regain strength after surviving her battle with cancer.

She is now organizing a program, Healing Rides, at her church, Wesley United Methodist Church, to help the elderly and people with disabilities enjoy the outdoors. The program uses a bike with a wheelchair attached for the passenger to ride in. When they first received the bike Barb tested it out with her dad, Lee Short ’44.

For more information on the program, go to the Pantagraph article.

All In for Wesleyan Becomes a Tradition in 2015

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On AI'm-All-In-For-Wesleyan-icon 2014pril 9, Titans of all generations pulled together and showed their pride on the third annual All In For Wesleyan. More than 1,800 gifts of all sizes from 49 states and 17 countries totaled over $500,000 in support of Illinois Wesleyan University and our students. Our collective philanthropy served as an inspiration to the next generation as All In For Wesleyan firmly established itself as an Illinois Wesleyan tradition, both on campus and off. The classes from 1971-1979 had 228 donors on April 9th and donations totaling $103,688.83.

Thank you 1971-1979 Alumni for being “all in” all the time, and for continuing to make Illinois Wesleyan one of your giving priorities. If you have already made your gift this year, thank you! If you have not made your gift this year, I hope that you will join me as a donor and put us one more gift closer to our participation goal. You can make your gift by visiting iwu.edu/give. It is your support that keeps Illinois Wesleyan strong, and develops the next generation of leaders.

Your partner in support,

Van Miller ‘04

Director of Annual Giving

Anne Weston McGowan ’76

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Anne Weston McGowan, of Normal, breathed her last at 8:55 a.m. Saturday, March 7, 2015.  

She was born on August 12, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Harold and Frances Weston. She attended Middlebury College as a young woman in 1955 but graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a BA in English Literature in 1976.

She married James Denise McGowan on July 3, 1958, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Jim, a former professor at IWU, predeceased her by one year to the day. They are survived by their three children, Andrew John (Laura) McGowan, Topeka, KS; Caitlin (Anthony) Visser, Las Vegas, NV; and Michael James McGowan, Durham, NC, and three grandsons, Benjamin, Joseph, and Eric Visser, Las Vegas, NV.

Anne was a modern dancer as a young woman. She taught Latin at local high schools for several years, but she is known primarily as an environmentalist. She was a volunteer at Operation Recycle’s first recycle drive in 1971 and later served on its board for many years. She was the original director of the Ecology Action Center, an environmental education center that began in 1994.

Memorials may be made to the Ecology Action Center.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

Charles “Chuck” Dannewitz ’77 Named Chief Financial Officer

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Dannewitz_Chuck_78x116Charles “Chuck” Dannewitz ’77 was selected by Tech Data Corporation’s Board of Directors to serve as the company’s next Chief Financial Officer. 

Chuck joined the Tech Data in February 1995 as Vice President of Taxes. He was promoted to Senior Vice President of Taxes in March 2000, and assumed responsibility for worldwide treasury operations in July 2003. In February 2014, he was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the Americas. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Dannewitz was employed by Price Waterhouse from 1981 to 1995, most recently as a tax partner. Mr. Dannewitz is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Tech Data Corporation is one of the world’s largest distributors of IT products and services. Every day, IT resellers around the world use Tech Data to help cost-effectively support the technology needs of end users of all sizes, including small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB), large enterprises, educational institutions, government agencies, and consumers.

Judge Elizabeth Robb ’78 to give Commencement Address

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Recently retired chief circuit judge Elizabeth Robb will present the address during the Commencement ceremony Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m. at Illinois Wesleyan University. The ceremony is scheduled for Kemp Commencement Plaza at State Farm Hall. Graduation exercises will be live streamed and will be available online after the event.

Appointed to the bench in 1993, Robb was the first woman to serve as associate judge, circuit judge, and chief judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit that serves Ford, Livingston, Logan, McLean and Woodford counties in Illinois. She served as chief judge for 10 years until her retirement in December 2014.

Robb’s pioneering approach to justice has included many innovative programs such as co-founding and chairing the McLean Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which collaborates with Criminal Justice Partners to improve the criminal justice system in McLean County; obtaining federal and county funding for the creation of the McLean County Drug Court in 2006 and the McLean County Recovery Court in 2010 for defendants with a mental illness; developing the Juvenile Redeploy Illinois program for juvenile offenders; and instituting a pilot program in 2013 for extended media coverage in the courtroom. Robb was elected as Vice Chair of the Conference of Chief Judge, a position she held for 6 years and was elected to serve as the first woman Chair of the Conference in 2014. She previously served for 9 years on the Illinois Judicial Conference, which suggest improvements to the administration of justice in the state. Robb’s many judicial appointments included serving as chair of the Judicial Mentor Committee, which oversees the New Judge Mentor Program and the Peer Judge Mentor Program.

Robb remains active in the criminal justice system. She was recently named to serve on the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform, a panel charged with making recommendations to reduce the state’s prison population. This statewide panel echoes the local efforts of McLean County’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. She was also named by Governor Bruce Rauner to serve as the Chair of the Board of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. 

A native of Macomb, Illinois, Robb graduated magna cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan in 1978 with a bachelor of arts degree. She earned her law degree from Loyola University in Chicago in 1981. She practiced law in Bloomington for 11 years before becoming associate circuit judge in 1993.

She also taught business law at Illinois Wesleyan and at Illinois State University. While a judge, she provided internship and mock trial opportunities to Illinois Wesleyan students for more than 20 years. In 2012, Illinois Wesleyan honored Robb as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award for her contributions to society, professional distinction and civic leadership.