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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.
Marriages
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Leilani Pecher ’17
and Michael Reyes, April 15, 2022.
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Nazar Otunchiev ’20
started a new position as front-end developer at Ernst & Young Global Consulting Services.
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Morgan Zytseva ’15
started a new position as staff accountant at National Mortgage Insurance Corporation, also called National MI.
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Jovanny Nava ’16
started a new position as summer associate at Polsinelli.
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Lindley Hanley ’02
received her fifth National Achiever Award in Wealth Management at JPMorgan Chase for being in the top 5% of producers in private banking across the company.
Marriages
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Erin Rutledge ’12
and James Clark, December 11, 2021.
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John Allison ’02
has been named the new football coach at Sacred Heart-Griffin in Springfield.
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Brad Cushman ’84
retired in April after overseeing the art department and gallery at University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
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James Alexander ’69
completed 11 half marathon races in 11 days, from June 1-11, in 11 states. Each half marathon was 13.1 miles and he ran 144.1 miles in total during that time. Next, Jim plans on doing a race in all lower 48 states and so far has raced in 38 states.
Marriages
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Megan Bettis ’10
and Jared Kirkhart, October 9, 2021.
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Kourtney Pollitt ’22
has accepted a position as a communication specialist for the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus.
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Nely Munoz ’20
started a new position as associate functional consultant at Sikich.
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Braedon Sheppard ’17
started a new position as associate video producer at Riot Games.
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Heath Bruce ’17
started a new position as assistant director of marketing at University of Illinois Springfield.
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Austin Dearing ’16
started a new position as vehicle dynamics engineer at Rivian.
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Kayla Graven ’11
is celebrating four years at Downtown Springfield, Inc.
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Jim Spizzo ’74
is honored to report that his photo, “Superstition Saloon Tableau,” has been selected by the jury for inclusion in the upcoming Americana Photography Exhibition, sponsored by the Midwest Center for Photography in Wichita, Kansas. He shot the photo in Tortilla Flat, Arizona.
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Frank Bridgewater ’72
retired as vice president and editor of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. He was editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin until 2010, when it acquired the larger Honolulu Advertiser and the papers were merged. Before Honolulu, he received a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked in New York at The Wall Street Journal as night news editor and then The New York Times as assistant financial editor.
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Taylor Thomas ’14
graduated from Pittsburg State University in May with a master’s degree in human resource development.
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Daniel Hackett ’10
has been promoted to district director for community and specialty pharmacy at AmerisourceBergen.