Kristin (Siegfried) Ballenger ’09 is a maker and restorer of violins, violas, and cellos. She has recently had instruments in the Celebrating Women Luthiers Exhibit in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Burlington, Vermont. In November, she will have three instruments featured at the Anaheim 2022 Competition and Convention of the Violin Society of America. As well as her new making, she does fine instrument restoration for Reuning and Son Violins in Boston.

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.

Angela (Tomazin) Hesemann ’09 is the co-founder of BreakAway Meetings, LLC, a startup company that brings the custom food and beverage experience of in-person conferences and meetings to virtual events. Like many others working in the hospitality industry, Angela and co-founder Kim Carlson were laid off at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the event world went virtual, they noticed a lack of fun and customization in virtual gatherings. BreakAway Meetings allows organizers of virtual events to choose food and beverage packages, customize their contents to match a theme or focus, and ship packages directly to meetings attendees in advance of their event.

Robert Porter ’09 was appointed public administrator and public guardian of McLean County by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Congratulations to Lauren O’Connor ’09 on her upcoming publication of Robin and the Making of American Adolescence.

Synopsis: Holy adolescence, Batman! Robin and the Making of American Adolescence offers the first character history and analysis of the most famous superhero sidekick, Robin. Debuting just a few months after Batman himself, Robin has been an integral part of the Dark Knight’s history—and debuting just a few months prior to the word “teenager” first appearing in print, Robin has from the outset both reflected and reinforced particular images of American adolescence. Closely reading several characters who have “played” Robin over the past eighty years, Robin and the Making of American Adolescence reveals the Boy (and sometimes Girl!) Wonder as a complex figure through whom mainstream culture has addressed anxieties about adolescents in relation to sexuality, gender, and race. This book partners up comics studies and adolescent studies as a new Dynamic Duo, following Robin as he swings alongside the ever-changing American teenager and finally shining the Bat-signal on the latter half of “Batman and—.”

The book is released on August 13th, 2021. You can read more about it here.