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Jim Spizzo ’74
was recently awarded first place and a cash prize in the architecture category in the 2021 juried exhibit sponsored by the Midwest Center for Photography in Wichita, Kansas, for his photo “Infinity: The Way Out.” Jim has also received honorable mentions by juries for his photography in the annual Minimalist Photography Awards, as well as in other exhibits at the Midwest Center for Photography. In the past few years, Jim’s photos have been selected by juries for inclusion in a dozen exhibits in Chicago; Wichita; Scottsdale, Arizona; and online. He was invited to do a show at the Pharmacy Gallery in Springfield as a guest artist in September.
In Memoriam
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Conrad Damsgaard ’57
was a dedicated, active alumnus who had a vision for raising the profile of the institution. He and his late wife, Patricia Carlson Damsgaard ’53, remained active supporters of the College throughout their lives. Over the years, Conrad Damsgaard served on the Board of Trustees and as president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. In 1987, he was honored with a distinguished service award “for his devotion to Illinois College as evidenced by thoughtful alumni involvement.” The Damsgaards’ philanthropy made them members of the Julian Monson Sturtevant Society and the Illinois College Society.
As a student, Damsgaard was elected student body president and was an active member and leader in Phi Alpha. He was also a member of Alpha Phi Omega, economics club, the Hilltoppers dramatic organization, student forum, social committee and intersociety board.
He was first sergeant of the Army Reserve unit on campus and served in the Army from 1954 to 1956. He started his career in sales with Shell Oil Company and went on to have a long career in sales and marketing management at Shell, Swank Motion Pictures and Psychological Associates.
The Damsgaards had three daughters, Susan Damsgaard-Brand ’81, Kristine Damsgaard and Beth Damsgaard Rodriguez. Susan and their granddaughter, Rachel Brand ’18, carried on the family’s legacy as IC alumni. He was 88 when he died March 23, 2022.
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Lanie Cooper Kepler ’12, Brady Kepler ’12 and Bailey Cooper ’18
founded the KASE Project. It is a central Illinois non-profit dedicated to supporting the autism community. They installed a playground communication board at Southwind Park in Springfield for children with limited verbal speech to enjoy the park with their peers.
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Mikaela Morrison ’19
is an admissions counselor at Illinois College.
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Izzy Kennedy ’18
is in a master’s program and will start an internship in the fall.
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Amber Blazek ’18
received her Masters from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and recently accepted a job at Human Kinetics as a Higher Ed Academic Sales Manager.
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Megan Zirkelbach ’17
started at Boeing as a procurement agent in December 2019.
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Emma Stuhmer ’17
earned a master’s degree in forensic science from Michigan State University and is a forensic chemist with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
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Erica Kemple ’17
is the life enrichment director at Cedarhurst of Springfield.
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Casi Strode ’16
graduated from Methodist College with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society. She will be working in the medical-surgical unit at Piedmont as a registered nurse.
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Abby Campbell ’16 and Evan Stone ’15
are engaged to be wed in March. Both are teachers who also coach for their school district.
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Austin Dearing ’16
got engaged in June 2019.
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Dillon Clark ’15
began a new job at Litchfield National Bank in August and is training to become a loan officer.
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Megan Jagodzinski ’13
recently became a licensed clinical social worker, one of the highest licensure for social workers. She completed three years at the Lawrence County Health Department and one year as a mental health professional at the Illinois Department of Corrections as a mental health professional.
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Jennifer Yeoward-Dodson ’11
began a year-long internship at Indiana University in July, after which she will earn her Ph.D. in counseling psychology.
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Amber Armstrong Kleckler ’11
started as a pediatric clinic nurse in November 2019.
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Eric Hiatt ’11
was elected programming vice president of the Illinois Jaycees for 2020.
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Amanda Armstrong ’11
began working as a therapist at SIU School of Medicine in the Department of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics in August 2018. She previously spent five years as a therapist at Memorial Behavioral Health.
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Roger Mies ’18
was announced as the new girls soccer coach at Jacksonville High School in January.
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Alex Gardner ’16
will start his residency training in anesthesiology in July 2020 in San Antonio, Texas. He is pictured at IC Homecoming with wife Bianca Savarese Gardner ’16.
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Kelli Pintar Bockius ’10
recently became a clinical case specialist in the occupational medicine department at Quincy Medical Group. She is pictured with her husband of six years, Chris Bockius ’11, and their two daughters.
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Emily Richeson ’10
was promoted to quality and environmental systems specialist for U.S. Paint in June 2019.
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David Kleckler ’10
started with Alpha Controls on January 2, 2019.