Jack Sikma ’77 has been featured in a recently-published Basketnews article detailing much of Jack’s influence and legacy in basketball. Read it here.

Karen (Smith) Portle ’71 recently retired from AdTec, Inc. after being an E-Rate Consultant for over 10 years. Congrats, Karen!

Tom Patterson ’75 wrote an article that was published by the Journal of Louisiana Historical Association  (Louisiana History, Summer 2022, Vol. LXIII, No. 3, page 321). The article, called “Mastering the Senate Maze: Mr. Long Goes to Washington,” describes the first four months in office of Senator Huey P. Long, Jr.. Tom is also writing a book about Senator Long, expected to be published in 2024.

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.

Dr. Debra R. Burt-Frazier, Ed.D. ’75 was recently elevated to the tenure teaching track at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. The position is a full-time three year contract teaching freshman academic writing and English literature classes in the College of Humanities. Currently, Debra is in her sixth year at the Historically Black College/University (HBCU). Congratulations, Debra!

Congratulations to Mike ’75 and Carol ’76 Evans, who recently retired.

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!

Morris ’75 and Linda (Brown) ’76 Tammen are using their retirement years to launch a new business with two of their children, Katrina Tammen Reber ’05 and Evan Tammen ’09. Artesia Brewing, located on their farm outside of Thawville, Illinois, opened its doors last fall and features varieties of hard cider, mead, and beer made with the fruits and honey from their farm.

“Two of our bestselling beers are named after a special IWU memory that my husband and I share,” Linda recently said. “I am sure I have told customers the story at least 50 times since we opened last fall. It always gets such a great reaction.”

Learn more here.

Michael Cooper ’77 has written a new play, The Sunflower Apostle, inspired by Oscar Wilde’s first visit to America in 1882 when he was twenty-seven years old, prior to literary fame. On December 24, 1881, Mr. Wilde sailed from Liverpool, England to New York City to embark on an American lecture tour addressing audiences with his lecture entitled, “The Decorative Arts”. That spring, Mr. Wilde arrived in Bloomington, Illinois to speak at the local Durley Hall for one evening only. A progressive women’s club in town sponsored his visit and rallied a curious sold-out crowd to see him.

Michael says that “During the pandemic, I decided to write a play based upon a story I heard while attending IWU. My research proved quite worthy, and I wrote THE SUNFLOWER APOSTLE, based upon Oscar Wilde’s one-time visit to Bloomington, IL. The Alchemy Theatre produced the premiere reading of this new play on October 29, 2021, with plans now to produce a full production in their 2023 Season, after which I will submit for publication or future performances at other theatres.”

Jay Payleitner ’79 is publishing a new book titled Don’t Take the Bait to Escalate: Conflict Is Inevitable. Being a Jerk Is Optional. The book is being released on March 15, 2022 and preorder is open now! You can view Jay’s website here to read more about him and his other writings.