BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On a snow-covered morning, a group gathered at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Hansen Student Center. They gravitated toward a large, round table in the middle of Centre Court, with steaming cups of coffee in hand. Those seated around the table collectively represented nearly 260 years of dedication to Illinois Wesleyan. Known simply as the Retirees Coffee Club, they are individuals who have helped shape the University.
“We sit here and solve all the world’s problems,” joked Jim Routi ’63, who retired as dean of university admissions in 2003 after 40 years of working at IWU. “Really though, this gives us a chance to get together and talk.”
The Retirees Coffee Club meets every Wednesday at Hansen. The only requirement to sit at the table is to have retired from Illinois Wesleyan, though longtime friends are always welcome. The number of people who attend varies from week to week, however that day, eight braved the cold. Over the music humming on the sound system and the whirl of the espresso machine at Hattie’s, snipits of conversation were caught that ranged from travel plans to the new health-care legislation.