Gina (Schopp) Wither ’99 and Brian Smith ’00 have worked at Steamboat Mountain School, a small, independent boarding school, for 19 and 20 years respectively. Brian is the Dean of Students and teaches Calculus 1 and 2. They just took kids on a 5 day canoeing trip on the Green River through Labyrinth Canyon for their annual Desert Week trip.
Scott Pluff ’99 has accepted a new position as Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cottleville, MO. With 5300 families, St. Joseph is the largest Catholic parish in the state of Missouri. He will oversee the parish’s worship ministries, direct three choirs, and serve as the principal organist. This year marks 25 years of Scott’s service as a professional church musician. At IWU he studied organ with Dr. David Gehrenbeck, and he holds an M.A. in Theology from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO. Scott lives in south St. Louis with his wife and three daughters.
Congratulations, Scott!
Jane Brue, 84, of Bloomington, passed away Saturday, May 12, 2018 at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. this Friday, May 18, in Evelyn Chapel, with a visitation prior to the service from 9-10 a.m. in the Chapel.
We are very sorry to inform you that Professor Elizabeth (Susie) Balser, faculty member in Biology for more than 20 years, passed away last month following an extended illness. Susie was recognized as an expert on the anatomy of echinoderms. Her passion for invertebrate animals inspired the creation of three new courses at IWU. Both as an instructor and as a research mentor, Susie challenged students to carefully study the natural world and make their own discoveries.
Benjamin Nelson ’99 co-edited “‘Los cielos se agotaron de prodigios’: Essays in Honor of Frederick A. de Armas” (Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs, 2018), which includes his essay “Pilgrimaging to the Temple of Diana: Jorge de Montemayor, Merida, and the Septizodium.”
Tuesday, April 3rd is our day of giving at Illinois Wesleyan and this year’s theme is
Think Bigger!
Not only is today a day for giving, it’s a day to celebrate IWU and all of the things that make it special. Last year, our class had an impressive 27 donors, and we contributed $5,260. Let’s think bigger and surpass last year’s donors and dollars contributed! Think of the impact this can make for IWU students and their families!
Click here to learn more and to donate on Tuesday, April 3rd.
Help spread the word using #AllInForWesleyan and take advantage of our social media toolkit.
Vice President of People Ops at Panera Bread and former triple major at Illinois Wesleyan University Jaynanne Calaway-Habeck ’99, said the key to achieving success in the workplace can be found within a liberal arts education. Habeck returned to her alma mater on Tuesday, Jan. 16 for the Hart Career Center Kickoff Event, to give students what she called “non-traditional advice” on how to achieve breakthrough career success.
Having held multiple positions in Panera including manager, director, and vice president of human resources, Habeck advised students that success in the workplace is not only achieved by showing people how much you know, but it is also about showing people how much you care. “No matter who you are, no matter what you’re doing, be real. Be yourself. Let people see who you really are, and that will grease the wheels for everything else,” Habeck said.
Read the full article about Jaynanne’s time at IWU, her recent achievements, and the advice she gave to students here.
Congratulations, Jaynanne!
How well do you know Illinois Wesleyan University?
IWU Crossword ANSWER KEY
ACROSS
4. Eric
5. Stevenson
7. Powell
8. Sapientia
10. State
12. Hedding
13. Black
15. Aflame
DOWN
1. Japan
2. Illinois
3. Memorial
6. Tommy
9. Titan
11. Female
14. Park
Michael Oesch ’99 won the 2018 Shellie Award for Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical – Grease! with Contra Costa Musical Theatre in Walnut Creek, CA!
Congratulations, Michael!
For more about the award visit: http://www.lesherartscenter.org/uploads/4/2/1/6/42161477/winners_of_the_39th_annual_shellie_awards.pdf
For more about Contra Costa Musical Theater visit: http://www.ccmt.org/home
