Category Archives: Alumni

Alumnus and Voice Behind Broadway Honored

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Jack Waddell’s low baritone voice quickly commands any room he enters, whether in his vocal studio in New York, where he coaches Broadway stars to perfect their song, or in Tommy’s Grill on Illinois Wesleyan University’s campus, where he reminisces about his days as a Titan.

“When I look around, it seems like yesterday,” said Waddell, walking across the University’s Eckley Quad. “Ah, Presser Hall. I lived in Presser!” he said of his days as a music voice major practicing for hours in the hall where music classes and performances thrive.

The 1963 Illinois Wesleyan graduate returned home this week to Bloomington to be inducted into his high school’s Hall of Fame. His 50-year career has spanned the stages of Munich, New York, Amsterdam and around the world, but it started in Bloomington and with Illinois Wesleyan.

Waddell sang for the Bloomington High School choir, and joined a local community choir established by Illinois Wesleyan Professor of Voice Henry Charles. “He was amazing,” said Waddell, tapping a finger at a photo of Charles in the 1963 Illinois Wesleyan yearbook. “He volunteered his time and came down to the Twin City Community Center to start a choir for young, black men. Most of the other boys there would have rather played ball or hung out, but I listened and I sang,” he said with a deep laugh.

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Three Named ‘20 Under 40’ Connected to IWU

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— One Illinois Wesleyan staff member and two alumni have been named to the Pantagraph’s 20 Under 40, recognizing accomplished and dedicated individuals in the community under 40 years of age.

“It’s really an honor,” said Deborah Halperin, coordinator of the Action Research Center at Illinois Wesleyan University. Halperin, Brian Beam, vice president and art director of Business Builders, and plastic surgeon Chad Tattini appeared in a special section of the Pantagraph on Sept. 19, and will be celebrated with others chosen as 20 Under 40 at the Community Leaders Breakfast on Nov. 8 at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington.

An active volunteer, Halperin was the general coordinator for building of a playground for Washington Elementary School in Bloomington, which raised more than $100,000 and took the work of more than 1,000 volunteers.

Halperin’s dedication to community service, however, reaches past the playground. As president of the board for the Day Care Center of McLean County, she helps to ensure quality childcare for underprivileged youth. She also serves on the board of directors of the Founders’ Grove Neighborhood, where she helps with community assessment efforts.

Giving back is a natural to Halperin, whose position at Illinois Wesleyan helps boost local not-for-profit organizations. At IWU’s Action Research Center, she connects students to internships and research projects at local agencies.  “It’s great to be able to match students who are filled with energy and promise to groups who need them,” said Halperin, who has worked with social organizations for more than 15 years. “I understand not-for-profits. I can come in and ask about logic models and strategic plans, and it helps get the best fit for the organizations and the students.” 

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Local Resident Donates $1M to Illinois Wesleyan and University High School

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.

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