BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – John L. Wroan III, a retired Bloomington contractor and businessman, has donated $1 million worth of stock to Illinois Wesleyan University and University High School, both in Bloomington-Normal.
A graduate of IWU and U-High, Wroan allocated $500,000 worth of stock to Illinois Wesleyan for an endowment to support student scholarships. He is also donating $500,000 worth of stock to U-High to support the remodeling of its Vocational Arts area into an Engineering/Technology Center – the very building Wroan’s company built in 1964.
“The importance of supporting education cannot be stated enough,” said Wroan. “These gifts are a challenge to everyone who can lend a hand in strengthening education in our community. I consider these gifts to be a ‘pay back’ for all the support Bloomington-Normal has give to me over the years.”
A native of Deer Creek, Ill., Wroan transferred to U-High his junior year, where he played football and basketball and ran track. After graduating from U-High in 1945 and spending one and one-half years in the service, he attended Iowa State University for one year and then transferred to Illinois Wesleyan, where he played basketball under famed coach Jack Horenberger. “I have a soft spot for U-High and Illinois Wesleyan,” said Wroan, who graduated from IWU in 1951 with a degree in business administration.