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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.
Sympathy
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Tony DelGiorno ’99
and Nichol Eyman DelGiorno ’99. Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of Tony's father, Joseph DelGiorno, on January 28, 2021.
Sympathy
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Debra Baker Wellman ’78
and Ray Wellman ’78. IIllinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her father, Roy Baker, on January 17, 2021.
Sympathy
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Kevn E. Schultz ’80,
Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his mother, Lois Schultz, on January 27, 2021, as well as to her daughter-in-law, Rita Mueller Schultz ’80 and grandchildren: Mark N. Schultz ’09 and Andrea Schultz Price ’12.
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Katelyn Tabit '21
is an AGRIntelligence technician at Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC.
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Nely Munoz '20
is a traffic safety data analyst at the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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Grant Flynn '20
is an agronomist and sales person at AgriBio Systems.
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Allison Hewitt Pilarte '19
started a new position as after school program lead at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois.
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Grace Graunke '18
started a new position as communications analyst for the Illinois House of Representatives.
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Brandon Coniglio '17
started a new position as an actor at Fairytale Entertainment.
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Katie Linder '17
earned a Master of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Iowa.
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Gabrielle Esparza '16
was promoted to associate editor and communications director of Not Even Past, a digital magazine focused on public history at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently earning her Ph.D and is a historian of Latin America, with a focus on 20th-century Argentine history.
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Josephine Oshiafi '14
recently completed the Young African Leaders Initiative through the United States Department of State. The program aims to invest in the next generation of African leaders and is sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development, Mastercard Foundation and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.
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Elizabeth “Katie” Bernardi '14
is a senior account executive at VMLY&R Commerce.
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Taylor Baucom '10
was recently named head of visual content at The Players' Tribune. She has been with the company for nearly six years and was previously deputy visual director.
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JJ Sadler '10
received the Joseph M. Dagnese Memorial Award for Excellence in Service to the Libraries at Purdue University.
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Joseph Calmese '07
was named CEO of ADDMAN Engineering earlier this month. Based in St. Louis, the company supports manufactured products and manufacturing services. Joseph graduated Illinois College with honors in physics and was awarded the George W. Horton, Sr. Prize in Physics.
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Kayla Bateman Arnolts '06
is office manager for the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.
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Juletta Trokey Ellis '01
will be principal of Litchfield High School following this school year. She is currently the principal of Pana Junior High School.
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Mike Fletcher '92
was promoted to vice president of infrastructure and engineering at State Farm in December. He has worked for the company for nearly 29 years.
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David Beno '84
was named CEO of Xeno Biosciences. He has 35 years of experience in business and as a scientific expert. He previously worked at Abbott Laboratories in drug discovery and development.