Charlene Carruthers’ new book, Unapologetic, will be released 8.28.2018. You can read more about it here.

Bryonha Marie Parham ’07 preformed  on Thursday, August 9th, at the Mead Center for American Theater as White House Communications Director Susan Lee in a production the musical comedy, Dave, adapted from the 1993 Oscar nominated film.

Dave tells the story of high school teacher (and presidential lookalike) Dave Kovic, who is hired by the Secret Service as a stand-in for the Commander-in-Chief. When the President falls ill under less than ‘presidential’ circumstances, Dave is thrust into the Oval Office to avoid a national scandal, and must find a way to gain the trust and love of the American people … and the First Lady.

Fellow IWU alumni, Kevin Latman ’06, Shelby Sours Byrd ’02, Beth Dennis ’07 , and Amy Tenhouse ’97  attended the production of “Dave” in Washington D.C. as a part of the IWU Washington, D.C. Regional Club and met with Bryonha after the show!

Kevin Latman ’06, Shelby Sours Byrd ’02, Bryonha Parham ’07, Beth Dennis ’07 , Amy Tenhouse ’97

Bryonha was last seen in D.C. at the Kennedy Center in Ragtime and went on to reprise her role as Sarah’s friend in the Broadway transfer. Her other Broadway credits include Prince of Broadway, Book of Mormon, After Midnight and The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess. She is also making a name in the classical world, appearing in Bernstein’s Mass with the Philadelphia Orchestra (recorded by Deutsche Grammophon); Sweeney Todd and Showboat at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic; and most recently in Candide at Carnegie Hall. Her numerous regional credits include Dreamgirls (North Shore), Little Shop of Horrors (Berkshire Theatre), Hair (SMC), Fulton Theatre, MSMT and many more. Bryonha’s TV credits include Madam Secretary, Today and the 66th and 68th Tony Awards.

You can read more about what Bryonha has been up to here.

You were wonderful, Bryonha!

Lindsey (Deets) Pfister ’07 and Andy Pfister had a son, Jack Deets Pfister, on June 12, 2018.

Congratulations, Lindsey and Andy, on your new Tiny Titan!

Anne (Wilkinson) and Brian Jbara, both of ’07, welcomed their son David William Jbara on June 30, 2018.

Congratulations, Anne and Brian, on your new Tiny Titan!

Abigail (Csanda) Prescott ’07 and her husband, Hayden Prescott, welcomed Beatrix Rose into the world on April 18th, 2018 at 1:27 am.

Congratulations, Abigail and Hayden, on your newest Tiny Titan!

Nick and Bethany (Kearns) Burge, both of ’07, welcomed their daughters, Evelyn Donna Burge and Blair Carmella Burge, on May 7th, 2018.

Congratulations, Nick and Bethany, on your twin Tiny Titans!

Kristopher K. Ford, M.D. ’07 was named the John Stone Teacher of the Year at Emory University Hospital Midtown. On Tuesday, May 8th, Ford was a speaker for the Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds on the topic: “Distrust of the American Healthcare System: A Brief Historical Account of the Abuse and Experimentation on African Americans”. Ford is currently an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine and is an Attending Physician at the Emory University Hospital Midtown.

Congratulations, Kristopher!

Kate Tombaugh ’07 along with another IWU alumna, Megan Koch ’17, is currently in Fort Worth, Texas singing with the Fort Worth Opera. Small world indeed. Megan is currently wrapping up her 1st year as a Masters student at the University of North Texas, and both she and Kate have the distinct honor of singing in Fort Worth’s ‘Frontiers’ showcase next Thursday, May 3rd at Bass Performance Hall at 7:30 PM. Megan will sing excerpts as ‘Mabel’ in “Mabel’s Call,” a new opera by composer-librettist Nell Shaw Cohen, and Kate will be singing excerpts as ‘The Dough’ in “Companionship” by Rachel Peters and ‘Clara Ford’ in “Fordlandia” by composer William Susman and librettist Stuart Rojstaczer. It will be a tremendous showcase for these great new works! Opera is alive and thriving  Go to this link to learn more: https://fwopera.org/frontiers2018/

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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 58 donors, and we contributed $5,032. 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.

Steve Groetsema ’07, partner, Midwest Region, at Bridge Development Partners, is recognized among “Stars to Watch” as one of the commercial real estate industry’s top 10 professionals under 40. Read more on Commercial Property Executive’s website.