Lisa Ragsdale ’72 has been very busy the past year!

Late in 2018 Lisa received two commissions which resulted in the following:

1) Commissioned by Jacqueline Pickett of Atlanta, GA (an excellent Double Bass player). Between  February and May of 2019 Lisa composed “Ethereal Trio” for Double Bass, Cello and Viola for Ms Pickett. Lisa believes there will be a performance in the fall of 2020.

2) Commissioned in late 2018 by J. Kyle Hutchins who received his PhD in Saxophone Performance from the U of Minnesota. Between August and November of 2019 Lisa composed a 3 movement Sonata for Alto Sax & Piano, she awaits news of a first performance.

3) Lisa could not restrain herself and upon hearing of a Butterfly Sanctuary in danger of destruction for a wall in Texas, she composed a Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano titled “Butterfly Screams” between March and June of 2019. Lisa has yet to find a Piano Trio willing to perform this fine new work!!

Congratulations to you, Lisa! Don’t know how you manage to do it all, you are an inspiration.

The law firm of Thomas Patterson ’75 recently won what is believed to be the largest legal malpractice judgment in Ohio history. Kristi Browne and Sarah Dunkley of Patterson Law Firm won a $32,262,488.50 legal malpractice jury verdict. They represented RevoLaze, and won against a law firm that claims to be the largest in the world. Read more about the case here and more about Thomas here.

Congratulations to George Jones ’77, who was one of the first two recipients of Pekin Community High School’s Distinguished Alumni Award, which was awarded to George on October 4th, 2019 during the school’s homecoming festivities.

Congratulations to Deborah Nelson ’72, who recently joined the law firm of Chiesa Shahinian and Giantomasi, PC in New Jersey. She will be continuing her practice of family law. She has been admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court and serves on the Supreme Court Committee as Alternate Dispute Resolution and as a mediator.

Former Bradley University men’s basketball coach Jim Molinari ’77 was inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Jim!

Read more about his accomplishment here.

Thank-A-Giver Day (TAG Day) is Monday, February 10. This day provides the IWU campus community with the opportunity to thank donors who support Illinois Wesleyan. IWU celebrates each year in mid-February because it marks the symbolic point during the academic year – about 70% of the way through – when we rely on support from alumni and friends, our endowment, and external grants.

If you would like to be celebrated as a donor today, you can make a gift at iwu.edu/give.

Zelotes Toliver ’70 will perform his Spirituals concert live at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY on February 23. His concert will include iconic African American Spirituals. For more information about the concert and the work of Zelotes, click here.

Best of luck, Zelotes!

Zelotes Edmund Toliver (Photo by Bernd Paulitschke)

Dave Darling ’79 has been nominated by his peers and approved by the Leading Lawyers Advisory Board again, as a Leading Lawyer for 2020. The distinction of being named a Leading Lawyer has been earned by fewer than 5% of all lawyers licensed to practice law in Illinois. Congratulations, Dave!

I truly hope that your holidays will be filled with good food, good drink and good cheer. Take time to reflect on 2019 and look forward to the promise that 2020 may bring. Share the love. Not just with your friends and loved ones, but with all mankind. Please, be kind, be safe and be happy. Here is a video wishing you a Happy Holiday from IWU.
Debbie

At the Southeast Regional Conference of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence nurses society in Columbus GA. 10-05-19, Lucinda (Cindy) Cline Bufford BSN, RN, CWOCN was awarded the Georgia State recognition award. It was in recognition of her contribution, service, outstanding leadership, and dedication to the advancement WOC nursing. Cindy has been a Wound, Ostomy and Continence nurse at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University Medical Center in Augusta GA for 20 years and has worked there as an RN for 37 years.