Dr. Debbie R. Burt-Frazier, EdD – All In 2021

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Hey Titans!

I never doubted that we would rise to the 2021 All In challenge, and we did! After President Nugent’s video announcement, you glorious Titan Warriors went to work. I am so very proud to announce that we surpassed our million that was matched, and reached $2,539,574.00. We blew our donor goal of 2,500 out of the water with 3,587!

Thank You! Well Done, mighty, mighty, Titan alumni, parents, students and friends. You continue to make a difference, even during a pandemic to deliver on behalf of Illinois Wesleyan University. Thank You! I am ever so proud to be one of your own. Take care and stay safe! Much love.

DRBF

Cheryl Portwood-Peden Emery ’74

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Cheryl L. Portwood-Peden Emery ’74 gave a Titan Career Chat: Experiences in the Spanish Caribbean. Presented virtually, the power-point photo slide presentation helped students learn how Cheryl’s cultural immersion experiences during her IWU Study Travel Seminar to Puerto Rico inspired her. Cheryl earned her B.A. from IWU in Spanish leading to a rewarding and satisfying teaching career in Spanish; Spanish Bi-lingual/E.S.L., and Special Education that has spanned 38 years. Cheryl retired from teaching in the Chicago Public Schools in 2012.

David McCord ’75

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David McCord ’75  is retiring in May. After six years practicing law, he was a professor at Drake University Law School for thirty-six years. He plans to enjoy life with his wife Laura (‘75), their three children, and their grandson. He plans to do volunteer work with his church and other nonprofits.

Carol (Payne) Brinkley ’75

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Carol (Payne) Brinkley ’75 of Williamsburg, Virginia, died Feb. 4, 2021. She was 67. Carol studied English and French at Illinois Wesleyan. She spent the following years living in Germany, where she worked as a health spa attendant in Bad Feilnbach and as an au pair in Wolfratshausen, a suburb of Munich. After returning to the U.S., she took graduate classes at The New School in New York City and worked at the United Nations. She later worked in a variety of roles with Trailways Bus Company and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. In 1988, she took a recreational sketching class, where she met her future husband. Carol worked briefly as an independent franchise holder for Caring Transitions, Inc., an estate management company for seniors, for the Peninsula Agency on Aging, and later worked part-time at the Williamsburg Antique Mall. She was a longtime corporate member and director of the Williamsburg Scottish Festival and was honored by the St. Andrew’s Society of Williamsburg with its “Scot of the Year” Award in 2005. She was always active in church life, singing in the choir and serving on many committees and groups. Carol was widely known and loved by many for her uniform kindness and thoughtful concern for others, her ready smile and approachability. She is survived by her husband, a sister, and many extended family members.
You can read the full obituary here.

Dr. Debbie Burt-Frazier ’75

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Debbie wished to give the following message:

Hey There, COVID Weary Titans!

     It has been an entire year since our world as we knew it came to an end, figuratively. I am certain that the past twelve months have been the longest year of your life. Honestly, I thank God that I am still standing, and battling onward. In true Titan fashion, I know that I am not alone. Recently, I learned of one fellow alumna, Carol Payne Brinkley’s passing. I do not know the circumstances of her death, but she and I are the same age, 67. My collective condolences go out to her family and friends.
     This week, two weeks after my second Covid Pfizer vaccine shot, I am now fully protected against this pandemic nightmare, Covid 19. If you haven’t I encourage you to also get vaccinated. If “Herd Immunity” is to occur, recent estimates suggest 70 to 90 percent of the population is necessary. Right now, about 29% of all adults, in this country, have received at least one injection. Think about it. What can I do to improve our current situation, with the new, more contagious variants appearing? Get vaccinated. Our hope does lie in our Creator but we must do our part to demonstrate that hopefulness.
     Remember, Titans, April 8th is “All In for Wesleyan” Day to show your support for your Alma Mater. Give what you can, all is appreciated. I am always so moved by the handwritten notes which I receive from a current IWU student, thanking me for my contribution. Gratitude, the most powerful energy in the universe. Take care, Titans and Stay well! Until the next time, much love.
Yours,
Debbie

Carl Mowery ’77

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Carl Mowery ’77 died May 30, 2020 in Chicago. He was 64. After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University and John Marshall Law School, Carl went on to specialize in compensation, benefits, and human resources. He served most recently as a managing director and leader of the Chicago Human Capital Services practice in Grant Thornton LLP. Carl was an active alumnus of IWU, serving on the University’s Chicago Leadership Council. He is survived by two children, a friend and former spouse, and a brother.

Sue Ellen (Brown) Haliski ’75

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Sue Ellen (Brown) Haliski ’75 of Culpeper, Virginia, died Feb. 8, 2021. She was 68. Sue earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Illinois Wesleyan and moved to Portland, Oregon, where she worked for 25 years as a registered nurse in labor and delivery, lactation consulting, and orthopedics, at Good Samaritan Hospital, Legacy Health Group and Visiting Nurses. She lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2004-09 before moving to Culpeper to be closer to family. Sue was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She is survived by her husband, daughter, granddaughter and two sisters.

Read more here.

Lucy (Carmody) Simkins ’77

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Congratulations to Lucy Carmody Simkins on her second children’s publication! The Summer Kitchen Bully summary reads

“Cocooned within a field of cornstalks rests Farmer’s homestead. An ancient summer kitchen inhabited by a group of field animals sits just steps away from the main house. Inside this primitive kitchen, fierce threats from Flame, the tomcat, scare the field mice, Jasmine, the spiders and others. Bullying is something everyone needs to learn how to deal with, and the ways these animals learn how to counter and defuse bullying offers solutions to anyone!”