Class Notes

Below are Class Notes for this issue. To see all Class Notes, click here.

1940s

In Memoriam

Elizabeth Herndon Hudson Boba ’41,

December 21, 2020 (Sigma Phi Epsilon).

Dr. Helen Waichekauckas Baker ’42,

November 22, 2020 (Gamma Delta).

Barbara Leeper Goebel ’43,

December 30, 2020 (Sigma Phi Epsilon). 

Gwendolyn Costley Floreth ’43.

April 18, 2021 (Sigma Phi Epsilon). 

Marjorie Sitka Schmutzler ’46,

November 20, 2020 (Gamma Delta).

R. Patricia Howell Allen '49

September 6, 2020 (Sigma Phi Epsilon). 
 

Barbara Mielke Gregory ’49,

December 15, 2020 (Gamma Delta).

Sympathy

Dr. J. Lee Westrate ’44,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife Judy Westrate on December 14, 2020.
 

Martha Behr Miller ’48, 

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her husband, William Miller, on January 11, 2021, and to her daughter Hilda Miller Radcliffe ’77 and son-in-law Jeff Radcliffe ’77.

1950s

Sympathy

Robert G. Gregory ’50,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife, Barbara Mielke Gregory ’49, on December 15, 2020, and to her daughter Rebecca Gregory Ruby ’74.

 

Judge Richard Mills ’51

Trustee Emeritus, Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife, Rachel Mills, on Oct. 29, 2020. Also in our thoughts are brother-in-law James Mills ’56, nephews Greg Mills ’77 and Doug Mills ’79 and niece Ann Marie Mills ’85

Jacquelyn Prickett Rieke ’52,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her husband, Jack L. Rieke ’51, on November 20, 2020.

In Memoriam

Harry E. Wegehoft ’50,

July 31, 2020 (Gamma Nu).

Jack L. Rieke ’51,

November 20, 2020 (Phi Alpha).

Janet Ryrholm Metzler ’51,

January 3, 2021 (Sigma Phi Epsilon).

Scott E. Long ’51.

March 4, 2021. 

Hal F. Olson ’52,

January 31, 2020.

Gert Jacobsohn ’52, 

February 14, 2021 (Gamma Nu).

Joan Swanson Henry ’56,

February 3, 2021 (Gamma Delta).

Lester “Joe” Harrell ’57,

December 29, 2020.

Robert Ridgway ’57,

April 1, 2021.

Shirley Brooks ’59,

wife of former athletic director and coach Joe Brooks, November 28, 2020.

1960s

Updates

James Alexander '69

completed a 200 mile race across the state of Minnesota in fifteen consecutive days of racing. He has completed a marathon in all 50 states.

Bill Hitt '63

 is pastor at Pathway Church for a revival group in the School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California.

James Alexander '69

 completed a 200 mile race across the state of Minnesota in 15 consecutive days of racing. He has now completed a marathon in each of the 50 states.

Sympathy

Eleanor Schreiber Strey ’60.

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her husband, Carol Strey, on July 5, 2020. 

Carolyn Davidson Broadhead ’61,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her brother Earl Lynn Davidson ’62 on October 31, 2020.

Karen Havlin ’62

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her husband, Donald Havlin, on Jan. 29, 2020.

Kenneth R. DeFrates ’63,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife, Anna Daveronas DeFrates ’69, on January 26, 2021.

Gail Fuller Olson ’63,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her husband, Robert G. Olson ’62, on November 1, 2020.

Bob Downer ’64,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his daughter Susan Downer ’88 on June 10, 2021. Also in our thoughts are her siblings Beth Downer Lewis ’86 and Bob Downer ’90, and her uncle Jim Downer ’66.

Ross Myers ’65

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife Mary Myers on June 18, 2020.

Gary Duffield ’65,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife of 52 years, Peggy Duffield, on Jan. 13, 2020.

Dale A. Schaefer ’65,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife, Carole Ostermeier Schaefer ’65, on February 23, 2020.

Philip D. Shelton ’65, 

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his wife, Diane Berthoux Shelton ’63, on January 6, 2020, and on the death of his brother, Lewis “Steve” Shelton ’69, on March 1, 2019.

Drew Clark ’68, Tony Clark ’72, Martha Clark ’78 and Molly Clark Daniel ’78,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of their mother, Roberta Wheelan Clark ’68, on November 11, 2020.

Carol Pillsbury ’69,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her sister, Cheryl Pillsbury ’69, on November 18, 2020.

In Memoriam

Bill Zobus ’60, 

June 5, 2021 (Alpha Phi Omega).

Earl Lynn Davidson ’62,

October 31, 2020.

Robert G. Olson ’62,

November 1, 2020 (Phi Alpha Omega).

Diane Berthoux Shelton ’63,

January 6, 2020 (Sigma Phi Epsilon).

Mary Jo Releford Zumstein ’65,

December 15, 2020 (Gamma Delta).

Carole Ostermeier Schaefer ’65,

February 23, 2020 (Sigma Phi).

Susan Spengler Flinn ’67,

March 16, 2021 (Gamma Delta). 

John “Bucky” Sullivan ’67,

May 7, 2021.

Larry P. Smith ’68,

January 23, 2020.

Roberta Wheelan Clark ’68,

November 11, 2020.

Mitsuyo Ohsuga ’68,

April 2021.

David Forsythe ’68,

May 17, 2021.

Lewis “Steve” Shelton ’69,

March 1, 2019 (Gamma Nu).

Anna Daveronas DeFrates ’69,

January 26, 2021. 

Cheryl Pillsbury ’69,

November 18, 2020 (Gamma Delta). 

Marriages

Dr. Delinda Chapman ’69

and Marco Molder on August 20, 2020.

1970s

Updates

Reg Ankrom '71

will have a three-volume biography about Stephen A. Douglas, who got his start in politics in Jacksonville, published in May. The work covers the politician’s greatest achievements between 1844 -1850.

In Memoriam

Cynthia Allen Basile ’71,

January 26, 2021. 

Darrel Balmer ’71,

October 11, 2020.

Evelyn “Lyn” Bradney Pickel ’76,

March 6, 2021. 

John G. Langdon ’76,

December 19, 2020.

Kevin L. Stafford ’76,

December 18, 2020.

John M. Williamson ’78, 

Trustee of Illinois College, May 13, 2021 (Pi Pi Rho).

Diane Moore Tenhouse ’78,

December 2, 2020 (Gamma Delta).

Sympathy

Dan Brooks ’72 and Vickie Ware Brooks ’72,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of their mother and mother-in-law, Shirley Brooks ’59, wife of former athletic director and coach Joe Brooks, on November 28, 2020.

Marilyn Long Mayberry ’74,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her father, Scott E. Long ’51, on March 4, 2021, and to his grandson, Adam Mayberry ’10.

Jeff Williamson ’75,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his brother John M. Williamson ’78, Trustee of Illinois College, on May 13, 2021. Also in our thoughts are his cousins David Robson ’83 and Glen Robson ’84, and his niece Kristin Williamson Bruce ’98.

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.

1980s

Sympathy

John Stafford ’80,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his brother, Kevin L. Stafford ’76, on December 18, 2020.

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. 

Melanie Berg ’86.

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her mother, Jean Berg Simhauser, on January 25, 2021. 

Tom Zobus ’88 and Rick Zobus ’92,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of their father Bill Zobus ’60 on June 5, 2021.

In Memoriam

John “Brad” Ivers ’81,

November 2, 2020.

Susan Downer ’88,

June 10, 2021 (Gamma Delta).

Updates

Kay Rasmussen Wettlaufer ’81

retired from a 35-year teaching career at the end of May. She most recently worked as a special education teacher at Slater School District in Slater, Missouri.

Dan Carie ’82

has been named principal of Routt Catholic High School in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Cheri Callahan Bustos '83

won re-election in Illinois 17th Congressional District. 

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. 

Dan Layzell '85

was appointed vice president, chief operating and chief financial officer/treasurer of Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, in October 2020. 

1990s

Updates

Debra McCormick Drake ’92

 was recently promoted to Chief Financial Officer-Marketing at Anglo American. 

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. 

Tony Stivers '93

 was recently promoted to subject matter expert for New York Appeals and Grievances with UnitedHealth Group.

Gail Noll '94

won re-election for Circuit Court Judge for the 7th Judicial Circuit. 

Bill Stephens ’96

was hired in August of 2019 to work for the Liberty Mutual legal department’s Miami office. He still resides in Illinois.

Sarah Buck ’99

recently earned a Faculty Excellence Service Award from Chicago State University. To be considered for the award, faculty must demonstrate service at various levels at the university, as well as off-campus.

Gray Noll ’99

won re-election for Morgan County State's Attorney. 

In Memoriam

Anne Murray Hullet ’93

March 27, 2021. 

Marriages

Bill Stephens '96

and Amy Kim on September 18, 2020.

Sympathy

Theodore T.C. Rammelkamp ’97.

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his mother, Trudi Rammelkamp, on April 13, 2021. 

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.

2000s

Sympathy

John Zumstein ’01,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his mother, Mary Jo Releford Zumstein ’65, on December 15, 2020.

Megan Langdon McGuire ’02,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of her father, John G. Langdon ’76, on December 19, 2020, and to his brother, Greg Langdon ’80.

Jordan Tenhouse ’06,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his mother, Diane Moore Tenhouse ’78, on December 2, 2020.

Ryan S. Bradney ’07,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his great uncle, Lester “Joe” Harrell ’57, on December 29, 2020.

Updates

Evan Wilson ’01

was named a 2021 Molly K. Arnold President’s Service Recognition Award winner by the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC). This award recognizes members with more than five years’ service who have provided strong and consistent leadership to IACAC.

Dan Wright '01

won a four-year term as Sangamon County State’s Attorney. 

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. 

Lindley Hanley '02

was a recipient of the JPMorgan Chase National Achiever Award as a top producer in private banking and wealth management. She was previously honored with the award four times while working in Laguna Beach, California. 

Steven Snyder ’04

 had his first comedy book, “How to be a Miserable Failure: The Complete Guide for Destroying Your Life,” published in December 2020 . 

Julie Surratt Wilkinson ’05

 joined the leadership team at the Will County Center for Economic Development as the vice president of investor relations.

Luke ’05 and Allison McCombs Worrell ’06,

 owners of Worrell Land Services, recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their business. 

Kayla Bateman Arnolts '06

is office manager for the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.

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.

 

Brandon Reed '07

was promoted to partner-elect at Crowe LLP: Accounting, Consulting, & Technology.

Chris Rourke '07

 is a commercial lines underwriter for Auto-Owners Insurance in Montgomery, Alabama. 

Marriages

Patty Sullivan Babbitt ’04

and Craig Babbitt on April 10, 2021.

DeVone Eurales ’05

and Lauren Eurales on October 24, 2020.

Sarah Franklin Cox ’06

and Josh Cox at Morton Arboretum in Lisle on March 27, 2021.

Births

Chris and Megan Newell Maurer ’08

welcomed their first child, Charlotte Anne Maurer, on November 21, 2020.

2010s

Marriages

Alessandra Capparelli ’15 and Jacob McNamara ’16

on September 19, 2020.

Justin Mably ’16 and Amy King ’17

on October 2, 2020.

Births

Constantine ’10 and Taylor McDermott Leontios ’11

welcomed their third child, Thomas Constantine, on October 30, 2020, joining sisters Helani, age 3, and Alexandra, age 2.

Kristine Plocher Lo '11

and Timothy Lo welcomed twin boys, Henry and Oliver, in December 2020.

Mathilda Edge Velazquez '11

and Rolando Velazquez welcomed their first child, Rosa Marie, on February 9, 2021.

Brady and Lanie Cooper Kepler ’12

welcomed their second child, Kirby Jo, on September 29, 2020.

Kyle '14 and Chloe Neisler Lucca '14

welcomed their first child, Joseph Steven, on March 20, 2021.
 

Updates

JJ Sadler '10

received the Joseph M. Dagnese Memorial Award for Excellence in Service to the Libraries at Purdue University.

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. 

Kaitlin Salisbury ’10

joined the board of education for the city of Chicago as assistant general counsel in the federal litigation unit.

Djenan Mouna Soumahoro ’12

started a new position as senior performance assurance specialist at Argonne National Laboratory.

Jaimie R. Engle ’12

 was elected president of the Illinois Academic Advising Association and currently works at DePaul University in Chicago as assistant director of academic advising for biological sciences and neuroscience.

Willie Barefield ’13

started a new position as consulting analyst at Huron.

Cory Washington ’13

was promoted to instructor at Saint Louis University.

Elizabeth “Katie” Bernardi '14

is a senior account executive at  VMLY&R Commerce.

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.

Kathryn Stroud ’14

was promoted to senior researcher at Impact Justice.

Alessandra Capparelli McNamara ’15

accepted a clinical nurse position at Central Dupage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois, and recently earned her psychiatric and mental health nursing board certification. 

Ana K. Flores ’15

started a new position as research analyst at Safer Foundation.

Matthew Murphy ’16

is the recipient of the Lawrence E. Schrader & Elfriede Massier Plant Physiology Fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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.
 

Jacob McNamara '16

graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in December 2020.

Samuel Welbourne ’17

started a new position as lean leader at Dot Foods.

Katie Linder '17

earned a Master of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Iowa.

Brandon Coniglio '17

started a new position as an actor at Fairytale Entertainment.

Grace Graunke '18

started a new position as communications analyst for the Illinois House of Representatives.  

Christian Flores '18

is now a program administrator at Safer Foundation in Chicago. 

Blake Matson ’18

started a new position as missionary with Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Noah Yantis ’18

started in the role of legislative director for  Representative Jim Hagedorn (MN-01) in January 2021. 

Allison Hewitt Pilarte '19

started a new position as after school program lead at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois. 
 

Chauntel Vance ’19

graduated with a master of science degree in counseling from Eastern Illinois University.

Anjali Patel ’19

successfully defended her master’s thesis on April 1, 2021, and on May 7, 2021, she graduated from Illinois State University’s School of Communication with a master’s degree in communication. She was also selected as the winner of the Outstanding University Graduate Student Teaching Award for Level 1-Master's.

Karina Donayre ’19

started a new position as director of communications at Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants.

Sympathy

Rudolph Porter ’14, Sam Porter ’15 and Dani Hillis Porter ’13, 

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of their grandfather and grandfather-in-law, Charles Porter, on April 21, 2021.

2020s

In Memoriam

Roberto “Robbie” Lopez ’20,

November 29, 2020 (Alpha Phi Omega).

Updates

Madie Budd

 accepted a new role with Sunrise FS as the agronomy marketing assistant and social media coordinator. 

Grant Flynn '20

is an agronomist and sales person at AgriBio Systems.

Katelyn Tabit '21

 is an AGRIntelligence technician at Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC.

Tyler Kozaritz ’20

 is an engineer in training (EIT) in civil engineering. 

Adrializ Acevedo ’20

was recently hired as an editorial assistant for GW Publishers in Tinley Park, Illinois.

Sympathy

Christian Lopez ’22,

Illinois College extends its sympathy on the death of his brother, Roberto “Robbie” Lopez ’20, on November 29, 2020.