Category Archives: Alumni

Alumna Performs in New York Musical Theatre Festival

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – As the sunlight sneaks through the blinds of Casey Clark’s apartment in New York City, the 2004 Illinois Wesleyan graduate is already up, navigating her way between play scripts, music and books strewn across the floor. Clark is on her way to rehearsal in midtown Manhattan for her upcoming production of composer Jay Alan Zimmerman’s autobiographical, The Incredibly Deaf Musical, where she plays the role of the artist’s supportive wife, Lisa. The musical is part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, which will run from Sept. 30 to Oct. 10.

Checking her watch, she swiftly snags her duffle bags full of clothes, make-up, and hair-styling amenities. Clark then leaves to catch the subway just a few blocks away from her apartment.

Today, she will work with choreographers to prepare a dance routine for two songs in the show, which are about Zimmerman’s life. The production describes Zimmerman’s journey to New York City, and the struggles he encounters launching his music career. His principal adversity being — he begins to go deaf in his 20s and 30s.

In between choreography practice and an evening class with a casting director, Clark will make her usual stop at Starbucks to refuel. Then after class, it’s home to practice her lines. The following morning she will return to the theatre to continue preparing for the production.

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Legacy Students Make IWU a Family Affair

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – This year, Illinois Wesleyan University welcomed 587 first-year students to campus. Of those students, 32 have siblings, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and generations farther back who call Illinois Wesleyan their alma mater. Often referred to as legacy students, this year represents the largest class of such distinction in the University’s history.

Craig Rapp, class of 2004, called attending Illinois Wesleyan “a family extravaganza.” With his two older brothers having already attended IWU, and his father Randall Rapp being a member of the class of 1973, he had spent a fair amount of time visiting the University prior to becoming a student. Choosing IWU was an easy decision and a gut instinct, he said. Although his father was happy he had selected IWU, he still encouraged his son to look elsewhere.

“My dad pushed me to look at other schools to make sure this was the right fit for me,” said Rapp. “He was delighted that I was looking at IWU, but he was also very firm that he would be fine with whatever school I chose.”

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Helicopter to Appear in Tribute to Fallen Alumnus

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — This year would have marked the 15th reunion of Illinois Wesleyan University alumnus Ryan Beaupre, the first Illinois soldier killed in action during the Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As a special tribute to Beaupre, the U.S. government has granted permission for a Blackhawk helicopter to land in the practice field near Illinois Wesleyan University Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. The helicopter will remain in the field for three hours, and will be open to the public for viewing and photo opportunities. It will take off just before the 2 p.m. kick-off of the Homecoming game that will pit the Illinois Wesleyan Titans against North Park University.

Beaupre will also be honored with the annual Ryan Beaupre ’95 Memorial Scholarship Run/Walk, which will begin at 9 a.m. at Wilder Field (400 Titan Drive, Bloomington). Proceeds from the run go to support the scholarship for an Illinois Wesleyan student. Immediately before the run will be the annual Kids Fun Run, which also pays tribute to Beaupre.

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Environmental Author, Activist, Alumna to Speak on Campus

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Environmental author and activist Sandra Steingraber will return to her alma mater at Illinois Wesleyan University on Monday, Oct. 18 to talk about a new documentary, Living Downstream, that follows the struggle to bring awareness to the link between cancer and the environment. The struggle is a personal one for Steingraber, who not only is a noted biology researcher, but is also a cancer survivor. The talk will be from noon-1 p.m. at the Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington). The event is free and open to the public.

Steingraber originally published her celebrated book Living Downstream in 1997, and it propelled her to national attention. She is eagerly sought as a national speaker, invited to communities all over the U.S. and across the Atlantic Ocean to speak on the silent dangers of environmental toxins – from Alaska where chemicals poisoned a salmon stream, to Ireland where farmers inadvertently poisoned their water supply with insecticides. She has earned many honors and accolades along the way, including being compared to environmental crusader Rachel Carson.

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Alumna Honored by United Way

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Deb Bowers, Class of 1978, received the 2010 Hoot Gibson Award from the Heart of Illinois United Way.  The award seeks to recognize the “unsung heroes” of the Peoria, Ill., community.

Bowers, who graduated from IWU with a degree in accounting, has volunteered with the Heart of Illinois United Way since the early 1990s.  She has served on the board of directors, the campaign cabinet and as a campaign ambassador.

The United Way recognized Bowers for her essential role in the strategic planning behind the organization and for her determination to resolve the health and human care issues confronting central Illinois.

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Alumni Perform at Civil War Sites

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Five Illinois Wesleyan University alumni are recreating music history. C. Roland Hill ’51, Marie Ann Hill ’52, Sara Simpson ’70, Bob Jackson ’76 and Mark Lareau ’93 are all members of the 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band, an authentic recreation of a Civil War Era band from McLean County.

The 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band is a not-for-profit group that performs for historic programs, civic and school events and military balls. In 2005, they performed at the 55th Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. The band has performed at Illinois Wesleyan twice: for University’s sesquicentennial in 2000 and again in 2007. This past summer the group made another trip to Washington, D.C. to tour the nation’s capital, also playing at the Gettysburg National Battlefield Visitors Center in Gettysburg, Pa. and in the Dunker Church at Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md. They band was accompanied by several members of the Central Illinois Civil War Dance Society, a group that regularly joins them to perform period dances to the “hits of the 1860s.”

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Student, Alumnus Receive Rotary Scholarships

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In August 2011, Illinois Wesleyan University student Megan Winkeler, ‘11 and recent graduate Charlie Sell, ‘10 will jet halfway across the world to become goodwill ambassadors for one year. Winkeler and Sell are two recipients of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, a $25,000 grant to complete post-graduate studies in another country.

The scholarship program, founded in 1947, has sponsored over 40,000 men and women from 100 nations to study in other countries. Last year alone, The Rotary Foundation awarded nearly 700 scholarships to recipients from 70 countries to study in over 80 nations.

“The program is an opportunity for students to build friendly relations in other nations and help foster international understanding,” said Winkeler, a political science and philosophy double major.

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Alumnus Named Ford Chair in Liberal Arts at Wabash College

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alum Tobey C. Herzog was recently named the first holder of the Anne and Andrew T. Ford Chair in Liberal Arts at Wabash College, located in Crawfordsville, Ind.

The Board of Trustees at Wabash College established the chair after the retirement of President Ford, who served that university for 13 years. The chair celebrates the Ford’s leadership of Wabash College, their passion for students, and their belief in vitality and enduring importance of a liberal arts education.

“Tobey is a great choice for this prestigious chair,” said Wabash President Patrick E. White. “His wide-ranging teaching, his commitment to the highest ideals of the gentleman student-athlete, and his modeling of positive leadership in many aspects of Wabash life shows a teacher/scholar living out the liberal arts in his way of being in the world.”

Herzog graduated magna cum laude from IWU in 1968. He went on to earn his doctorate in English Literature from Purdue University and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society. While at Illinois Wesleyan, Herzog was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and served as junior varsity basketball coach under then head coach Dennie Bridges.

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10th Anniversary of Hispanic Studies is Call for a Fiesta

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – ¿Habla español? For the last 10 years, the Hispanic Studies Program at Illinois Wesleyan University has been helping students learn more than the Spanish language. It has aimed to help students develop an awareness of the Hispanic culture, heritage and history. On Oct. 9, Illinois Wesleyan will celebrate the anniversary of the Hispanic Studies Department during this year’s Homecoming festivities.

Alumni, faculty and friends will gather for a reception from 4:30-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at the Joslin Atrium in the Memorial Center (104 E. University St., Bloomington).

Spanish has long been a major for students at Illinois Wesleyan, but the program began to evolve in the 1990s, reflecting the needs of students. “Our program was growing exponentially with the increased interest in Spanish in the United States,” said Department Chair and Professor of Hispanic Studies Carolyn Nadeau. “Our needs were changing, as were the needs of the other languages.” By 1998, University faculty and officials recognized the need for Hispanic Studies to stand alone, and founded the program, which began in the 1999-2000 academic school year.

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Jazz Band Alumni Celebrate 40 Years of Swing

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The 2010 Homecoming at Illinois Wesleyan University is called Homecoming and All That Jazz for a reason. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Illinois Wesleyan School of Music’s Jazz Program, and part of the events will include the kickoff of the 2010-2011 tribute to the program in honor of the man who founded it, Professor Tom Streeter.  This year marks a double celebration as Streeter, who founded the Jazz Program at IWU in 1971, plans to retire at the end of the academic year.

Celebrations will begin with a Jazz Bands Reunion concert on Friday, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m. in Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher St., Bloomington), led by Professor of Music Tom Streeter. “We’ll have four bands, with former students from each of the four decades performing. Dancing is definitely encouraged,” said Streeter.

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