THE MAGAZINE OF BRADLEY UNIVERSITY SPRING 2020
Isolation The COVID-19 global pandemic continues. When will it end? Has it changed us forever? PAGE 24
class of 1919
PHOTOGRAPHY: DUANE ZEHR.
contents 12 16 19 24 28
FEATURES WHERE WERE YOU WHEN PROTEST BLOOMED AT BRADLEY? 5 min. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kent State massacre, which led to worldwide opposition to the Vietnam War. WRITING A BOOK, LAUNCHING A MOVEMENT 5 min. When she’s not hanging out with the likes of Bono, Michele Sullivan ’87 MBA ’89 is teaching people to see the best in others. GOODBYE, MR. ROBERTS 5 min. An interview with Gary R. Roberts ’70, who after five years at the helm steps down as Bradley’s 11th president. COVER STORY: ISOLATION 15 min. A first look at how the COVID-19 global pandemic affected the Bradley family. SPEECH COACH TO THE STARS 5 min. Lillian Glass ’74 worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, helping them create beloved characters, like Tootsie.
CAMPUS NEWS 5 Feedback Online Stories 6 S tephen Standifird Named Bradley’s 12th President 7 Up, Up and Away Bradley Scout Earns Top Honors 8 Faculty Books Celebrate Tartan Day My Favorite Murder 9 Dispensing Care and Compassion 10 M eet the Team: Renée Richardson, Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications 11 5 Questions with ... Celeste Thompson ’21
ALUMNI NEWS 36 Class Notes 38 Bells & Rattles 40 Passages 44 Alumni Event Calendar 45 Lasting Connections 4 7 My Bradley Experience
30
MARCH SADNESS 5 min. Though both men’s and women’s basketball lost the chance to play in the NCAA tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was still a great season for the Braves.
BRADLEY THE MAGAZINE OF BRADLEY UNIVERSITY SPRING 2020
feedback
online bradley.edu/magazine
WE ARE BRAVE
Social distancing. Stay-in-place. Canceled sports seasons and graduations. A rising death toll. Lost wages and lost jobs. Wondering when and how it will end.
So You Want to Be in Pictures? Group gives students chance to develop cinematic visions. Better Than Air Guitar Want to make music but can’t play? This student invention will do it for you. Linking Up with Supply Chains Parental advice pays dividends as industrial engineering studies lead to job. Solving Mysteries in the Mountains Nyssa Midden ’14 DPT ’17 treats rare conditions as a traveling physical therapist in the western U.S. Kicking It Club soccer offers opportunities on and off the field. Dancing the Night Away Swing dance tales from a spooky cabin and other hoppin’ spots.
STAFF S.L. Guthrie M.A. ’20, executive editor Bob Grimson ’81, assistant director Mary Brolley, assistant director Wendy Vinglinsky, assistant director Sarah Dukes, art director Duane Zehr, university photographer ADMINISTRATION Gary R. Roberts ’70, president Walter Zakahi ’78, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs Renée B. Richardson, associate vice president for marketing and communications
The COVID-19 global pandemic was not the way anyone wanted — or expected — to start the spring of 2020. The new normal forced us to stay in our homes and take advantage of technology to connect.
As members of the Bradley family, we’ve always taken care of each other. That remains constant, never more so than during a crisis. While the world changes all around us, here’s the most important thing to remember: we will get through this TOGETHER.
© Bradley University 2020. Bradley magazine is published three times a year by Bradley University for alumni, faculty, staff, parents of students and other friends of the university. Bradley University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and the promotion of equal opportunities for all persons regardless of age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status. The university is committed to compliance with all applicable laws regarding non-discrimination, harassment and affirmative action. Send address changes to Bradley magazine, Bradley University, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria, IL 61625. Phone: (309) 677-2250 Website: bradley.edu/magazine Email: magazine@bradley.edu Campus information: (309) 676-7611.
campus news LEADERSHIP
Stephen Standifird Named University’s 12th President Prior to joining Butler in 2014, Standifird served as dean of the business school at the University of Evansville. He previously held the positions of associate dean of graduate and professional programs and director of undergraduate programs, both at the University of San Diego. Faculty members Jacqueline Hogan, professor of sociology and anthropology; Tanya Marcum, professor of entrepreneurship, technology, and law; and Laurence Weinzimmer, Caterpillar Professor of Strategic Management, served on the search committee and cited “a very comprehensive process.”
After a search that yielded more than 100 applicants from around the world, the Board of Trustees selected Stephen Standifird MBA Ph.D., dean of the Andre B. Lacy School of Business at Butler University, to serve as Bradley’s 12th president, effective June 1.
6 BRADLEY magazine
“We set out in this search to find the right person for this time and this moment for Bradley University,” said presidential search co-chairs, the Honorable James L. Shadid ’79 and Kathi Holst ’79. “In Steve Standifird, we believe we have found that person. We know Steve will highlight and grow Bradley’s successes in faculty achievements and our students’ accomplishments in academics and athletics as he challenges the entire Bradley family to push the boundaries of what’s possible.” Standifird succeeds Gary R. Roberts ’70, who steps down May 31. Roberts announced his intent to retire last May. “I am excited to be part of an organization that has at its core such a rich history of innovation and can-do spirit, a history that comes from the very founder of our university, Lydia Moss Bradley,” Standifird said.
“We believe Dr. Standifird is the most qualified applicant. His strategicplanning experience, fundraising successes and his ideas for growth at Bradley University are all exceptional,” they said. “We are excited about his leadership on campus, his availability to students and faculty, and his vision for our future.” Standifird earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University before earning an MBA from Northwestern University and a doctorate in organization studies from the University of Oregon. He is married to Vivian Lee Standifird, CFO at Rehab Medical, Inc. The couple has two daughters, Sorana, 10, and Brianna, 6. Learn more about Standifird at bradley.edu/ president-standifird.
STOP THE PRESSES!
FLYING HIGH
Up, Up and Away Resupplying the International Space Station is the job of the newest Cygnus spacecraft, named for Maj. Robert Lawrence Jr. ’56, the first African American astronaut. The 13th such craft, the S.S. Robert H. Lawrence, successfully launched Feb. 15 after two earlier attempts were scrubbed by technical issues and wind conditions. The new spacecraft supports Lawrence’s legacy, according to a statement from the Mund-Lagowski Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We also celebrate that he was a chemistry major — how often does one hear about a spacecraft named after a chemist?” asked Dean Campbell, professor of chemistry. Northrop Grumman, maker of the vessel, names them after significant people in the history of spaceflight.
MAJOR ROBERT LAWRENCE JR. ’56 •
awrence accumulated L more than 2,500 hours of flight time as an Air Force pilot
•
arned a doctorate E in physical chemistry at The Ohio State University
•
raduated from high G school at 16 and earned his Bradley degree at age 20
•
ied when his F-104 D Starfighter crashed in December 1967, while he was instructing another pilot
The Scout and its staff won 12 awards at this year’s Illinois College Press Association (ICPA), including three in the open category, where competition included 26 other schools in the state. Two of those open awards were for special supplements — honorable mentions for Entertainment Supplements (the 2019 Halloween issue and the basketball postseason special edition). The other open award was a third place for graphic illustration to Erin Martiens ’20. “It takes a village to produce a paper every week,” said editor in chief Tony Xu ’20. “By the end of the day, the overall quality of the publication is the best testimony of everyone’s hard work that they put in every week.” In its division (non-daily paper, over 4,000 enrollment), the Scout competed against 11 schools and took home nine awards. These included firsts for sports page design, Logan Pfalzgraf ’20; and sports feature, Justin Limoges ’20; second for sports page design, Carson Allen ’23; and non-sports column, Meghan Anderson ’19; third for sports game story, Anthony Landahl ’21, Ronan Khalsa ’20 and Limoges; and feature story, Landahl and Angeline Schmelzer ’22; and three honorable mentions (sports column, Larry Larson ’22; non-sports column, Jade Sewell ’22; and news story, Haley Johnson ’21). “The work our student-journalists at The Scout did this past year was exemplary and helped tell some really great stories about our campus — and the people we see every day on the Hilltop,” said Chris Kaergard ’04, newspaper adviser and president of the ICPA, who also praised the paper’s ‘compelling’ design. “But I’m also proud of the work the staff has done to expand their work online these past two years.”
Spring 2020
7
CAMPUS NEWS
TO THE HIGHLANDS! SCHOLARSHIP
Celebrating Scottish Pride
Creative Faculty Some of the latest creative projects from Bradley faculty aim to enrich our appreciation of grammar, study Chaucer’s humor, probe the balance required for religious liberty and take us into a world where we experience the never-ending life of a vampire.
S ETH KATZ
JEAN JOST
EMILY GILL
“American English Grammar”
“Chaucer’s Humor: Critical Essays”
“Free Exercise of Religion in the Liberal Polity”
Introduces students to American English while explaining (and debunking when necessary) its rules. African American English, ethnic and non-standard language also are covered.
This collection, originally published in 1994 and reprinted recently, examines the nature, perspectives and genres of humor used by the Father of English Literature, best known for “The Canterbury Tales.”
Addresses the delicate balance of allowing the free exercise of religion without permitting the practices of some individuals and groups to adversely affect others.
WELLNESS
Murderinos Unite An avid listener of the true crime podcast “My Favorite Murder,” Assistant Professor of Public Relations Rachelle Pavelko studied whether the hosts’ humor and openness about mental health conditions helps listeners struggling with such issues. Her article was recently published in the Journal of Radio and Audio Media. 8 BRADLEY magazine
TIMOTHY HUTCHINGS
“Thousand Year Old Vampire” Tim Hutchings’ latest analog game lets players chronicle the centuries of a vampire’s existence with an expansively illustrated book of prompts that allows for character development and journaling.
April 6 was National Tartan Day. Established by the U.S. Senate in 1998, the day honors the contributions of Scottish Americans. Bradley has an official tartan, thanks to a 2015 contest sponsored by the College of Education and Health Sciences. Hospitality leadership major Carolyn Stewart ’17, who designed the winning pattern, is now a special event coordinator at Tasty Catering in Elk Grove Village, Ill. She said winning the contest is still a point of pride — and yes, she put it on her resume. “There were so many details put into the design. It may just look like a pattern with our school colors, but every thread count and color have significance to Bradley’s history,” Stewart said. “My family is Scottish, and we take a lot of pride in our Stewart family tartan. To have my own design registered in the Scottish Register of Tartans is thrilling.” Not surprisingly, Stewart owns several items featuring the Bradley tartan. “The scarf and the coasters are my favorite,” she said. Licensed through Collegiate Tartan Apparel, items featuring the university tartan are available at the Bradley Bookstore.
THREE-TIME GRADUATE
Dispensing Care and Compassion As a kid growing up in Maryland, Sokonie Freeman Reed BSN ’05 MSN ’09 DNP ’20 didn’t have to look far for career inspiration.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUANE ZEHR.
Her mother and aunt both were nurses, and her grandmother, a native of Liberia, Africa, was known to her neighborhood as “grandma” because she cooked for and nurtured the community. “I knew that I wanted to take care of people,” said Freeman Reed, who teaches community health nursing at Bradley. “I’ve always been an altruistic person, somebody who can put others before myself. I like being with people in their vulnerable moments.” She earned her third nursing degree from the university in May, a doctorate in nursing practice, which will make her
the first full-time faculty member to have earned all three degrees from Bradley. Freeman Reed is enrolled in the online doctoral program, which allows her the flexibility to continue teaching and working as a clinical nurse. “I like reminding my students that I, too, am part of the Class of 2020,” she said. “I look forward to walking across the same stage as them when we are able to do so safely.” Her joint role as a teacher and student has made her more empathetic with her charges. “Not only have I been where they are as undergrads in the Bradley nursing program, but I can relate
to them in the present as a Bradley student. I understand that managing school, life and work — because most of them do work — can be a challenge.” Before graduation, there was plenty of clinical work to be done. Freeman Reed teaches her students about caring for patients outside of hospital settings. “Nurses aren’t just needed there,” she noted. “About 80 percent of what contributes to a person’s health happens in the community, outside the hospital.” You can read more about Freeman Reed online at bradley.edu/magazine.
Already have a bachelor’s degree?
Become a nurse without starting over in Bradley’s accelerated nursing program bradley.edu/accelerated-nursing
Spring 2020
9
CAMPUS NEWS
LEADERSHIP
Meet the Team Renée Richardson, Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications In her two-plus years at Bradley, Renée Richardson has led the team responsible for telling the university’s stories — and for building and maintaining its brand.
“And leadership is about engaging people, making them feel rewarded and appreciated,” she said. “It’s also about trying to exceed your goals with limited resources.”
Her team, housed in Comstock Hall, includes media relations, web development, graphic design, internal/crisis communications, social media, videography, photography, community relations and editorial staff.
A crucial aspect of her role, Richardson said, is deciding how the team will respond to and disseminate breaking news to keep the university, parents and the public informed. “The immediacy of social media means our reaction times have to be faster,” she said.
She came by her communications skills naturally. Richardson was born in Cuba, where her father was responsible for communications for the government, military and civilians at Guantanamo Bay. “He was director of publications on the U.S. Naval Base,” she said. “The family was evacuated during the Bay of Pigs, but he stayed behind.” What’s her favorite part of working on the Hilltop? “Bradley students are really impressive. They’re articulate and well rounded. I love the family atmosphere here. There’s a vitality associated with working with students.” Though Richardson spent most of her career at Caterpillar Inc., the adjustment to academia was smooth. “Bradley functions like a city,” she said. “I always call Nathan (Thomas, vice president for student affairs) the mayor. 10 BRADLEY magazine
At Caterpillar, she led the global marketing services department, a 340-member team managing the brand, digital channel strategy, creative services, customer experience, and recruitment and training of marketing talent. Richardson previously served as Caterpillar’s district manager in Amsterdam, leading dealer performance across eight countries in Northern Europe. Earlier, she was the district manager in Seattle, focused on dealer performance in five states in the Pacific Northwest and the U.S. rental operations manager assisting dealers in the development and operation of the Cat Rental Store. A self-confessed foodie who loves to travel, her favorite destinations include Tuscany and Willamette, Ore., where she attends an annual wine gathering. She’s the youngest of seven girls in a close-knit family scattered all over the country. “We have a frequent group text going,” she joked.
Richardson adopted Keegan, nicknamed Dr. K., a little black rescue dog, in 2018.
“ Leadership … is about engaging people, making them feel rewarded and appreciated.” “He’s half lab, half Chihuahua,” she said. “He’s my bodyguard. Follows me around anywhere I go.” If she hadn’t gone into corporate management, she would have liked to go into the wine business, owning a shop or working at a winery. She became interested in wines shortly after finishing college at Loyola Marymount University, when she and her friends would drive up to wineries near Paso Robles, Calif. “I was always interested in the process of it,” she said. Her advice for those who don’t know where to start in choosing a wine at a restaurant? “If you order it by the glass, you can ask for a taste first, before you commit to it.”
STUDENT LEADER
5 Questions with … Celeste Thompson ’21 Celeste Thompson ’21 grew up in Peoria and attended Richwoods High School. With a double major in psychology and sociology, she hopes to attend medical school after college, focusing on psychiatry or forensic pathology. 1. HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN REBOOTING THE NAACP ON CAMPUS? I met Peoria County Auditor Jessica Thomas at a voter registration event on campus last spring. She flagged a friend and me down. When we told her we were already registered, she asked whether we would consider joining the Peoria chapter of the NAACP. We exchanged phone numbers, and texted back and forth all summer. The campus NAACP chapter had gone inactive about five years ago, and Jessica asked me to consider starting it up again. So I reached out to several others, and we decided to do it.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUANE ZEHR; MURAL BY R. RASHAD REED.
2. WHY DO YOU THINK THE NAACP IS IMPORTANT FOR PEORIA AND TO BRADLEY? I’ve lived my whole life in Peoria and have seen and experienced a lot of the community concerns. There’s a large push for greater health advocacy and agency as well as providing better and more accessible opportunities for
youth development (social, educational, professional). 3. WHERE ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS OF RE-ESTABLISHING THE CAMPUS CHAPTER? We’ve sent in our charter reactivation application. Our prospective unit is keeping in close contact with the Youth and College Division of the national office. We still have a lot of hard work to do before re-establishing a successful chapter. We’re currently waiting for a letter of completed reactivation. 4. WHAT ELSE ARE YOU INVOLVED IN AT BRADLEY? I’m the founding president of MAPS (The Multicultural Association of Pre-health Students). Our mission is to serve as a pipeline for marginalized students by providing social, financial, professional and educational opportunities that will further their careers in school and in the health care field. 5. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CAMPUS HANGOUT? I practically live in the Student Center. I work there (for Event Services), eat there, study there, and sometimes take naps there. My favorite room is room 14, the “Reading Lounge.” That’s where I take my naps.
Nominate a person for 5 Questions with ... at magazine@bradley.edu.
A proud fashionista poses in front of the Peoria NAACP building.
Spring 2020
11
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN PROTEST BL AT BRADLEY 12 BRADLEY magazine
ACTIVISM BY BOB GRIMSON ’81 PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE SCOUT ARCHIVES 10 MIN.
Fifty years ago, the deaths of four students at Kent State University galvanized opposition to the Vietnam War around the world and on the Bradley campus.
E
LOOMED ?
“ As long as they remained peaceful (and) went back to where they came from, they weren’t going to arrest anybody,” said King. “That’s the big thing — they didn’t arrest anybody.”
Spring 2020
13
“ It was a totally different time,” said Steiner. “At a lot of universities, those who thought as we did were in the majority. Peoria 1967–71, we were in the minority … just a year or two behind the rest of the country politically.”
While reports of the May 4, 1970 shootings by Ohio National Guardsmen that killed four students and wounded nine at Kent State University commandeered the evening news, Dan Levinson ’71 met with a small group of friends around a black-and-white television at an off-campus apartment to decide what to do. As clouds moved in that early evening and the sun went down, Levinson’s group joined the others gathering on campus for an impromptu march to protest the killings.
from the Quad onto Main Street and around nearby neighborhoods, the crowd heard from campus leaders, including Karl Manheim ’71, who was a student senator.
“We were allowed to start a march. It didn’t seem to be an issue, we just did it,” he said. “What was fascinating to me, and what I remember most clearly, is that people who typically wouldn’t participate in an anti-war march came out of their dorms, fraternities, sororities, their apartments and joined us. A lot of people who might have been on the fence or might have felt it wasn’t in their DNA to demonstrate against the war, did that night.”
“The purpose of this march is to protest the murder of four students at Kent State University in Ohio today, and American policy in Southeast Asia,” The Bradley Scout reported him saying in its May 8, 1970 edition.
Starting about 11 p.m., those students returned to the Quad and joined others there. Another march sprang up around campus and nearby streets with students chanting and singing. Before setting off 10 abreast
14 BRADLEY magazine
About 12 hours earlier, news of the shootings first reached campus, courtesy of the UPI news ticker and midday disk jockey Charley Steiner ’71 HON ’10 at campus radio station WRBU. “I would check (the ticker) while songs were on, just to see if anything earthshattering had happened. And something earth-shattering had just happened,” he recalled, adding he broke into the song then playing to report the incident.
Students with candles and a peace banner climbed atop a police car for the final mile of the march around campus.
In a turbulent school year that had already seen a massive march to downtown Peoria and the takeover of the Student Center to protest a tuition hike and racial injustice, the students’ response to the shooting wasn’t surprising. The night of the shooting, with temperatures hovering in the 50s, an estimated 2,000 Bradley students eventually massed on the Quad. On the other side was Ed King ’54 M.A.’62, executive director of housing, residential life and student judicial system emeritus, who was then dean of men. He remembered marching alongside students trying to keep the peace. “I was literally marching with them and the police as we went down (Main Street),” he said. “We had never seen anything like this before on campus. I appreciated their (students) concern and why they were so frustrated.” According to a front-page story in the student newspaper, the march started as a silent gathering of nearly 2,000 students on the Quad, then changed into a solemn funeral procession. The ranks swelled by a continu-
An improvised flag on the quad called for a student strike of classes.
James Gitz ’70 addresses a rally on the quad.
“ Many, many students joined their first protest ever,” said Levinson. “The reaction to the Kent State killings had a profound effect on (those) who might have been ambivalent about the war in Vietnam.”
ous stream of new arrivals and the group transformed itself step-by-step from a crowd to a sit-in to a battle line. “There wasn’t one unifying body of people,” said Ed Hyson ’71. “There were different groups that were demonstrating. There were people singing, there were people sitting-in.” Now a Boston-area radio and music personality known professionally as Oedipus, Hyson was then president of Bradley’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Some students broke off from the main group and held a sit-in, blocking the intersection of Main and University streets. About 10 minutes in, Peoria police arrived and cordoned off Main Street from Glenwood to Bourland (about three blocks). Students requested permission to march downtown but were denied and a compromise was struck. At about 1 a.m., when the crowd had shrunk to about 400, the police gave students permission to march around nearby streets (Underhill, Moss, Western and Fredonia) before returning to campus. The group split
with about 300 marching and the remainder staying on Main Street. Officers then formed a line in front of the Varsity Theatre on Main and started herding students toward campus. After reaching the university, students gathered on the steps of Harper Hall and refused to disperse, prompting a police charge that pushed them into Harper’s lobby. Minor injuries occurred when an officer stumbled on the bottom steps and a student tripped at the top. Meanwhile, those following the policeprescribed march route neared the intersection of Western and Moss, with about a dozen students riding on the outside of the lead police vehicle, according to The Bradley Scout. The paper reported by 2 a.m. marchers had reached campus and dispersed. There were no injuries and no arrests. “It was a surprisingly well-behaved march. There wasn’t any damage done or anything like that,” King said. Steiner, one of the founders of the Bradley University Peace Congress, feels the effects of those events, even after half a century.
“We were angry about a lot of stuff,” he said. “Now, all of a sudden, this anger hits home and hits hard. How do you put that into some kind of perspective? To this point, 50 years later, I still don’t know. The sadness of that moment, that day, is as deep now, I suppose, as it was then, only memory has sandpapered the edges off.” In the following days leading up to the end of that semester, additional protests included rallies, marches and a collection drive for students at Jackson State University, where two students were killed and 12 wounded by police less than two weeks after Kent State. Bradley also experienced the firebombings of Holmes Hall (then home of the school’s Air Force ROTC unit) with minor damage and the Swords Hall office of Dean of Admissions Orville Nothdurft ’35, which sustained $2,500 damage. “There was a real feeling that we could effect change, that we really could make a difference,” said Manheim, now a law professor in California whose father, Jerome, was Bradley’s dean of liberal arts and sciences at that time. “I felt we were doing something that would have impact. We thought that was possible. In the end, it wasn’t.” Hyson offers a different assessment. “We ended the (Vietnam) war,” he said. “Campus protests helped to end the war, establish the civil rights movement. Protests were on campuses all around the country, across the world.” B Spring 2020
15
TRANSITIONS BY S.L. GUTHRIE M.A. ’20 PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUANE ZEHR 10 MIN.
Goodbye, Mister Roberts After five years at his beloved alma mater, Bradley’s 11th president and his wife want to tick some items off their bucket list.
16 BRADLEY magazine
Gary Roberts ’70 originally planned to retire in 2015, but when his alma mater asked if he’d consider becoming its president, he loved the institution enough to delay that dream. When he retired in May for the second time, Roberts left Bradley nearly 50 years to the day of his undergraduate commencement and with an even deeper affection for the university and its people. While the new $100 million-plus Business and Engineering Convergence Center may be the most visible sign of Roberts’ legacy, equally important are the less visible things. “I think we’ve brought a level of stability and trust between the faculty and the administration,” he told the Peoria Journal Star last May. “… We’ve got in place an exceptional senior leadership team that I think can continue to implement the strategic plan and the blueprint and do the kinds of things that need to be done to transition Bradley to the new environment that higher ed is facing.” Those challenges include a declining high school population, economic disparities and rising costs in technology, health care and security. “It’s such a hyper-competitive environment now, because of the demographic issues, that we have to spend more on marketing and selling ourselves,” Roberts said in early March. “We have to spend more on bells and whistles that certainly didn’t exist when I was a student. “So costs are going one way and the ability of a declining population to pay is going another way. And then there’s the narrative out there that you really don’t need a college education anymore, which I think is wrong, but it’s nonetheless what a lot of young people are hearing.”
Thoughts on a Presidency “ When you’re the president, a lot of people think you have more authority on issues than maybe you do. But if you’re trying to make improvements, you’re not going to make everyone happy. You’ve got to be sensitive but also a little bit tone deaf because at times it’s a thankless job.” – GARY ANNA ’75,
who retired in 2018 as senior vice president for business affairs
“ Gary brought a sense of calm and care to Bradley. Having him and the provost be alumni, you can understand their concern for being great stewards of the university.” – MATT O’BRIEN,
interim dean, foster college of business
As president, Roberts also brought a level of transparency to senior leadership. In addition to having an open, communicative style, he established “Ask the Administration,” a link where employees can ask questions in
Spring 2020
17
Thoughts on a Presidency “ I witnessed firsthand how committed Gary was to the principles of shared governance, and how he contributed to its enhancement, expanding the faculty’s role in the university’s decision-making process. These have increased trust, respect and partnership between faculty and staff and the leadership of the university.” – AHMAD FAKHERI,
professor of mechanical engineering and president, university senate
“ Gary is so, so real and so down to earth. I think that works for both of us because we’re just who we are. I just am in awe of him, of all the things he’s done, and how smart he is and how good hearted he is, and what a tough job he has. I try to do what I can to maybe make this job a little easier.” – DONNA CARR ROBERTS, gary’s wife
“ There’s no doubt Gary has kept me on my toes from a PR perspective, but he’s also given me the freedom to do my job without micromanagement. He always encouraged me to think differently and to try new things.” – RENEE CHARLES,
executive director of public relations and university spokesperson
18 BRADLEY magazine
order to prevent rumors from spreading. Roberts believes being a good communicator is an important part of his job. “I think when I arrived, the level of distrust and dysfunction between the administration and the faculty was at a very high level,” he said. “And I think we’ve bridged that gap ... I think different units within the university are now doing very well at accomplishing their goals and their missions, because we’ve got a good leadership team and we’ve got good people in place.” Being able to get support from disparate constituencies is another key element. Roberts said he believes some things have gone very well, but acknowledged there’s always unfinished business. “They’re just so many different perspectives and so many different groups that you really do have to be able to work with people I think pretty well,” said Roberts. “And you do have to have the humility to know that you don’t really know the answer to everything, but the confidence to know that you have to answer some things, and just stick with them and go forward.” How does he handle the stress? Like most people who work in high-pressure situations, Roberts called it “a mixed bag,” admitting there are times he gets irritated or frustrated. He added he tries to live by the adage, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Yet when it comes to accomplishments, in addition to the new Business and Engineering Convergence Complex, he’s most proud of putting together what he called “a really first-class leadership team” that makes up the Administrative Council. “I think all of them are very good at what they do,” he said. “All of them are good people who have the interests of the institution at heart. They work hard; they are good collaborators. Having a quality leadership team is so important.” Both Roberts and his wife, Donna Carr Roberts, made it a point to be involved in the community and both are passionate animal people. She wrote her book, “The Adventures of Mr. Fuzzy Ears: Searching for a Furry Friend,” partly to be a fundraiser for the Peoria Humane Society, where Carr Roberts also serves on the board. Additionally, Carr Roberts has worked with the Peoria Symphony, including on a project that led to the creation of an exhibit from Bradley’s art collection to accompany a performance of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
More recently, the Bradley artist-in-residence painted a portrait of Maestro George Stelluto for his 10th anniversary. Carr Roberts doesn’t think of herself as a typical first lady. Like her husband, she’s grown to love being part of the Bradley family. “We just really love the campus atmosphere,” she said. “I didn’t know that much about Bradley before we came here, and I’m just really impressed with the people we have and everybody I’ve worked with.” “Donna’s just a sweetheart,” Roberts said in return. “I mean, she, no matter what we would do or where we would move, she would fit in and enjoy it. Because she just enjoys people and she enjoys doing what she does. And so, she’s really dived in to engaging with people at the university.” In the future, the couple is excited about having more opportunities to do things they love, like travel. Roberts is considering getting back into his specialty, sports law, and possibly going back into practice in Indianapolis, which will be their home base. When asked what he’ll miss most about Bradley and Peoria, Roberts had a ready answer. “All the people,” he said. “I mean, we’ve made a lot of friends here. There’s no doubt that what I’ll miss are the people.” B
WRITING a Book, LAUNCHING a Movement Could seeing the best in others make your life better? Retired Caterpillar executive Michele Sullivan thinks so. LIFE, AFFIRMED BY MARY BROLLEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MICHELE SULLIVAN 5 MIN.
Spring 2020
19
W When Michele Sullivan ’87 MBA ’89 was a teenager, she entered a citywide chess tournament in Peoria. At first overwhelmed with the scale of the venue and the number of competitors, she decided to take a deep breath and tackle the challenge.
After navigating the huge auditorium to find her match and hoisting herself onto a stool to play, she cheerfully introduced herself, then beat competitor after competitor, eventually winning the junior division championship. Opponents went from open derision to quiet respect, and the crowd cheered raucously for her. This vignette from Sullivan’s just-published memoir, “Looking Up: How a Different Perspective Turns Obstacles into Advantages,” illustrates how she overcame serious challenges to become successful. Published in February, the book spurred profiles on Sullivan in People and Forbes. She will embark on a nationwide book tour and then will continue her chief post-retirement gig — an impressive set of speaking engagements. Born in the 1960s with a rare form of dwarfism, Sullivan said her parents were advised by their doctor to “take her home and treat her like anyone else.” And they did, returning to their modest home in East Peoria, Ill. Her close-knit family of five bonded over dinners and conversation at the kitchen table and imbued her with a sense of stability and confidence that has sustained her ever since. Her work ethic, smarts, sense of humor and selfpossession would have made her an asset to any company or organization. Indeed, she had a long and successful career at Caterpillar Inc., ending with her retirement as president of the Caterpillar Foundation in 2018. But because she is a little person, she was continually forced to prove herself to doubters.
20 BRADLEY magazine
Her parents were advised by their doctor to “take her home and treat her like anyone else.”
Sullivan relates stories of public ignorance and mockery about her condition, physical pain and arduous medical treatments that required separation from her family, and accessibility challenges at school and work. Throughout, she credits the love and support of the many people who championed her at home, at school, at the hospital during medical treatments and in her career. And that’s why Sullivan wants to create a movement to encourage people to respect, see the best in and not take for granted those around them. To accept their interconnectedness.
She’s one of those people who is totally present and in the moment. She takes in every detail, listening like a hawk, before swooping in with her point, every time very astutely made. U2 lead singer and philanthropist Bono, in People, Feb. 26
PHILANTHROPIC LEADERSHIP AND GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
“Sometimes I’d ask myself, ‘How did I go from Washington, Ill., to Washington, D.C.?’”
Simply put, Sullivan hopes to encourage people everywhere to look up to others. It’s something she’s done her whole life — first by default, then by choice.
NEXT STEPS FOR THE MOVEMENT
At Caterpillar, Sullivan experienced many aspects of the business, including facilities, dealerships, marketing and products. Then, when she was named president of the Caterpillar Foundation in 2011, she wore another hat: director of Corporate Social Innovation for the company. “I had two titles, two business cards,” she said. “I was in charge of the company’s social investments, and the foundation was independent from that.” In determining the foundation’s investment strategy, Sullivan always made sure it was looking at the root causes of poverty and hardship so that its financial and consulting assistance would be most effective. Her work took her all over the world, to tiny villages and huge cities. As the face of a powerful foundation, she met many influential people, including Bono. Sullivan considers the Irish rock star a friend. In the book she relates a story of him asking her to chase him around the room in her wheeled scooter (to get his energy up) during a break in a board meeting for his ONE Foundation. President Obama nominated Sullivan to be a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which she considers the highlight of her career. “It was such an honor, and it was my way to help. I went to the White House often. I was invited there to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
To make her vision of the “Looking Up” movement come to life, Sullivan knows she needs help. So she’s enlisted Bradley students and faculty. Becky Wood, instructor of management and leadership, said Sullivan presented the concept of “Looking Up” to a group of deans, explaining the movement she hoped to create and asking for ideas of how to promote it. “We discussed strategy, with good ideas coming from several colleges,” Wood said. “A few I remember were a possible ‘Looking Up’ documentary, a coordinated social media push and the development of an app for the movement. Michele (believes) ‘Looking Up’ could become a concept as well known as ‘Life is good.’” This collaboration, which led to a meeting with a group of students, is an example of Sullivan’s deep and lasting connection to her alma mater. She has mentored Bradley students, including speaking to MBA classes. Lately, however, she’s been busy with all that a national book launch entails. “I went to Nashville in November to read the book for Audible,” she said. “I had done voice-over work before, so I was confident I could do it. It was over two days, probably 10-11 hours. If you make mistakes, they have you go back and do it over.” Why write the book now? “I wanted to tell the story of some of the people who inspired me. In today’s world, I think the book is going to hit a nerve.” B
I
S
O L A T
IO
N
A look at how the Bradley family has dealt with the COVID-19 global pandemic to date
TOGETHER BY S.L. GUTHRIE M.A. ’20 PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUANE ZEHR 10 MIN.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Faculty stopped teaching face to face. Students studying abroad returned early. Research and other projects were interrupted or canceled. Campus-based students who could, moved out. Men’s basketball missed its back-to-back NCAA tournament spot. Spring sports couldn’t finish their seasons. No one was able to say goodbye the way they wanted.
22 BRADLEY magazine
All in all, not a great start to spring 2020. The coronavirus global pandemic has changed everyone’s lives and many experts agree there are permanent changes as a result. Medical personnel have become the new heroes as they risk their lives to save ours. Unemployment is the highest it’s been since the Great Depression. As individuals, we’ve learned to practice social/physical distancing, which in some locations has created long lines to buy food. Major events — like Commencement — had to be canceled. As of press time, all but essential Bradley personnel have moved to working remotely, while faculty and students have transitioned to an online learning platform, which will continue through the summer months. The changes have not been easy, but the Bradley family continues to get through this crisis with support and strength for each other and for those in our communities. MOVE TO ONLINE TEACHING Faculty had two weeks to get up to speed with technology, with a number of online options available. Megan Remmel, assistant professor of political science, chose to teach asynchronously, which means students don’t have to be online at a specific time. Remmel spent the extended spring break building lessons for each of the content areas for her classes. “Teaching asynchronously has advantages and disadvantages,” she said. “I chose asynchronous learning because I knew many of our students’ schedules would be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of them may have essential jobs. Some may be caring for younger siblings at home while their parents try to work from home. Some may be struggling with reliable internet access or need to share bandwidth with their families. So, I wanted to give them flexibility in completing the class when they have the time.” Remmel admitted one of the disadvantages of this method is not having regular checkins with her students.
“Certainly, I’ve had dozens of teleconferencing sessions, but I don’t get to see all their faces on a screen at once. That means I’m being extra vigilant in emailing students to remind them of due dates and that I’m available to chat.
Curtis added the change to online learning could prove even more challenging for international students who returned home because of a lack of internet bandwidth and time zone differences.
“Several students have emailed just to tell me what’s going on in their lives, and I’m so happy to hear from them. I really miss my students — working with them face-to-face, joking around with them and talking politics with them.”
“You can’t really ask someone who has gone home to some place that’s eight or ten time zones away to be awake in the middle of the night to meet a schedule for synchronized learning on Zoom.”
Marketing instructor Brad Eskridge ’08 MBA ’10 has taken advantage of several platforms. He used Panopto to make videos for his students. With Bongo, Eskridge hosts meetings where he and his students can share their screens. He also uses Bongo, Zoom and FaceTime to hold virtual office hours, or even a simple phone call, whatever the student prefers. Unlike Remmel, Eskridge holds synchronous classes during regular times and gives pop quizzes through Sakai, a learning management software. He said although the pandemic has disrupted the educational ecosystem, the faculty have to adapt to keep students and themselves healthy and safe. “My dedication to my students isn’t changing,” said Eskridge. “Of course I miss seeing (students) face to face. Part of the Bradley experience is that close personal interaction. That’s what we live for. I still care about them — what they learn, what they take away. None of that changes.” However, some faculty have expressed concerns for students who don’t have the discipline to work from home. Professor of Political Science Craig Curtis told Peoria Public Radio at the end of March he expected some to struggle with time management, focus and adapting to unfamiliar programs and technology. “They’ll miss deadlines because they don’t have to get up and go to class,” he said. “There will be students who simply aren’t paying attention in the same way.”
Working remotely hasn’t been easy for the faculty. Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Yufeng Lu admitted there’s no longer a clear line between work and home. “Everything takes planning,” he said. “The side effect of working from home is that the efficiency of communication drops. When we were on campus, a quick talk in the hallway could solve a lot of things on the fly.” STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS GO DIGITAL Bradley’s student newspaper, The Scout, has had to adapt to bring fast-breaking news to an all-digital platform. Editor-in-Chief Tony Xu ’20 said he and his team have a natural obligation to keep up with the situation and called it “a time when good journalism is needed the most.” “During an emergency like this, we must keep people informed and maintain an even-higher standard for our editing and fact-checking processes,” said Xu. “Meanwhile, we try to feature the good in the community. Faculty and staff have come up with creative ways to make online learning as enjoyable as possible. I can attest to their hard work since all my online classes have had a smooth start.” Xu, an international student from southwest China, is still on campus, while most of his staff works remotely. He said eliminating the print edition for the remainder of the semester meant scratching their regular workflow and lost ad revenue. The move
Spring 2020
23
toward developing and growing their digital media products over the past few years, including social media and an email newsletter, have helped. “Our ad team has been great at coming up with ideas to create new ways for our clients to advertise digitally with us. We even did our annual April Fool’s Day special edition online. It was a one-day-only website, and we wrote many satirical articles to bring some light-hearted content to our audience. We had so many people reach out to us and express how much they loved the special edition.” WAYS OF COPING, WAYS OF HELPING The viral outbreak changed more than not having face-to-face classes. One of the biggest disappointments was the NCAA’s canceling of March Madness, eliminating the Braves’ men’s basketball team from competing. Canceling the remainder of the season erased the women’s team’s chances of a Missouri Valley Conference trophy (pg. 30). Infielder Allison Apke ’20 lamented the end of practices, games and hanging out with her softball teammates. “It is really hard being away from my teammates and friends during this time because who knows when I will be seeing them next,” she said. I think it’s important for people to understand that even though the NCAA is giving us a year of eligibility back, it doesn’t completely fix things. Some people have made post-graduation plans already and it’s difficult to adjust your whole life plan just to play the last 30 games of your career.” What about activities already online? Bradley’s esports members agree the games help relieve stress, but they miss getting together. “I know for the Super Smash Bros. and fighting game communities, our roots are in meeting in person and enjoying the atmosphere a group of friends brings to the games we play,” said Jake Roy ’21, president of Bradley’s Fighting Game Club. “It’s definitely been harder for us, especially since WiFi tournaments are not an ideal status quo nor the norm. Having the games we do online though has definitely brought 24 BRADLEY magazine
some amount of comfort during this time for sure.”
conference. Another prospective employer rescheduled.
“Esports has been a paramount outlet for me to release anxiety I have about college,” added Nicholas Shepherd ’23. “Whenever deadlines are fast approaching, running a 30-minute aim routine serves as a great outlet to relax, especially now that college is online and I have to worry about my grandmother.”
“I wasn’t planning on doing virtual interviews, but I’m up for the challenge,” he said. “This is new to everyone. They (employers, recruiters) don’t know what to expect, and neither do I.”
For many, the lack of social contact has led to mood swings and other mental health issues. Junior Katie Shields currently studies anxiety, with a focus on younger generations. She’s been able to keep her honors research project going through weekly video chats with her fellow researchers. Although she lost her job at a small coffee shop, Shields keeps sane with dance parties and reading the “Harry Potter” series. “All my life, I’ve struggled with what my dad has kindly labeled as ‘major control issues,’”
He said when the virus first hit, it felt like the end of the year being whisked away. “But my understanding has evolved. I realized it’s not just me this is affecting. There’s something greater here that’s dictating this, and we shouldn’t be complaining. We have time to work on ourselves, to work out. This time is good to better ourselves.” In late March, Bradley employees filled a van with thousands of PPEs, including more than 2,500 masks, dozens of boxes of medical gowns and several hundred boxes of gloves. The donation went to a local hospital. Gathered with help from engineering, psychology, chemistry/biochemistry, student
“ We try to feature the good in the community. Faculty and staff ... make online learning as enjoyable as possible. I can attest to their hard work.” — Tony Xu ’20, editor of The Scout she said. “The biggest challenge is definitely the ambiguity of the situation. No one seems to understand what’s fully going on in all aspects of life. With no structure or certainty, it’s so easy for your mental health to take a hit.” There’s also fears of entering a depressed job market. Nikkoh Mendoza ’20 caught a lucky break from electric car manufacturer Tesla, who changed his interview to a video
affairs, dining services and facilities, a hospital employee said the university’s donation was the largest local gift they had received as of that date. More recent efforts include launching a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence called “Ask Bradley.” Designed to help answer Bradley-related COVID-19 questions, users can visit the university’s coronavirus
FIRST IMPRESSIONS website and click the chat icon in the lower righthand corner. The chatbot provides efficiency and service benefits to the university and its various audiences. “We essentially have a digital assistant available 24/7 to answer questions and provide users with information instantaneously, not just when our workforce is online,” said Jim Crone ’02, Bradley’s executive director of digital marketing and communications. “‘Ask Bradley” continuously learns from new information we provide to the Bradley family, as well as from responses based on our users’ interests.” Additionally, the university’s student engagement team increased its services. Members reached out personally to students based on their midterm grades and offered resource recommendations to help them for the remainder of the semester. “These teams are creating connections to resources and building ways to communicate while gathering ideas and information about a variety of ways to cope with the new situation,” said Professor of Education Heljä Antola Crowe, who led the effort. “Faculty and staff are focused on many issues including how to support our colleagues (now virtually) and increase the coping skills and quality experiences for everyone.” President Gary Roberts ’70 shared his appreciation for the combined efforts. “I want to offer my sincerest thanks to everyone for your patience and for the gargantuan effort you have put in to get the university up and running for distance learning on such short notice,” he said. “I could not be more grateful and proud of the Bradley family for making sure our students continue to receive the great education and services that are our identity.” B With additional reporting by Bob Grimson ‘81 and Mary Brolley.
Besides having to teach online, how has the pandemic affected your life? Our 20-year-old son, who studies at Boston University, was sent home from his study abroad in Germany and we had to quarantine for 14 days after his return. The day before he arrived, I went shopping and bought long-lasting ingredients like rice, beans, flour, frozen veggies, chocolate and meat we could freeze. I had never filled my shopping cart like that. I decided to keep the receipt as a historical artifact of these surreal times. My memories of growing up in food-deprived, totalitarian Romania in the ’80s were triggered by the sight of the empty shelves and long lines, but I was touched by how graceful and patient people were with each other during this time. What coping strategies have been useful? Staying focused on the present, exercising, sewing masks, keeping in touch with family and checking in with friends. Despite my best efforts, I’ve had periods when I couldn’t focus, was filled with anxiety and felt downhearted. We’re worried for aging parents at home with compromised immune systems and chronic conditions. They were lonely before, now even more. Thank God for WhatsApp! What’s been the biggest challenge of this unprecedented situation? The life-anddeath stakes of the pandemic and its economic consequences represent the biggest challenge for me. My husband and I are lucky to be in good health (so far) and to have salaried jobs, shelter and food. I don’t take it for granted. It’s hard to hear about the growing number of fatalities in the world. The statistics and updates from doctor friends give me a sense of growing danger that makes it hard to focus. There’s a broader anxiety about how the world is changing economically, politically and culturally. I have a sense we may lose certain things for good, and we don’t know exactly what they are yet: some of our voice, privacy, our innocence, our ways of working together, of teaching, of maintaining relationships, touching and connecting? I believe there is an opportunity to renegotiate how we protect vulnerable groups (children, the elderly, the unemployed),
Content was edited for length. For the full interview, visit bradley.edu/magazine.
Associate Professor of Organizational Communication Elena Gabor on the new normal. as well as our local small businesses, nonprofits and artists. I also anticipate students’ anxieties about jobs. A former student already texted me she is out of her job because of COVID-19. I have high hopes she’ll find another one because she’s bright and resilient, but I would have liked to be able to take her worry away. I think our field of communication is well positioned to provide job opportunities in training and talent development, in virtual teamwork, in virtual corporate communication or crisis management. The ability to present our ideas and connect to others online, choose our channels strategically, understand networks and organizational systems and adapt to change over time is ever more important.
March madness 26 BRADLEY magazine
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUANE ZEHR.
s
Successful seasons come to a crashing halt because of COVID-19. REPEAT CHAMPIONS BY BOB GRIMSON ’81 5 MIN.
Spring 2020
27
Bradley’s men’s basketball team won its final game — an 80-66 victory over Valparaiso in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament’s championship game — earning a repeat as conference champions and a second consecutive spot in the NCAA Tournament. But the season came to a heartbreaking end when the NCAA Tournament was abruptly canceled by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The attempts to shut down the spread of the virus also cut short the best women’s basketball regular season in program history. The MVC canceled its women’s tournament after the first day, before third-seeded Bradley, which finished with school records for victories overall and in conference (22-7 and 13-5 in the conference), played on the second. And spring sports never got a solid start. The NCAA curtailed all sports and championships, wiping out the remainder of the seasons for baseball, softball, men’s and women’s golf, outdoor track for men and women and tennis. A pair of sports, soccer and volleyball, have limited spring exhibition seasons, which also are affected. In basketball, it’s the first time the men’s basketball team had repeat NCAA appearances since 1954–55. The Braves also won MVC titles in 1980 and 1988 and are the ninth team to successfully defend the crown. It’s the 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament
28 BRADLEY magazine
in school history, with Final Four appearances in 1950 and 1954 and a Sweet Sixteen spot in 2006. On the women’s side, the team’s 16-2 start was the best through that point in the season and the 7-0 start in the conference was the best in team history. The record of success helped put three players on the All-MVC First team. Chelsea Brackmann ’20 and Gabi Haack ’21 repeated their spots on the team, joined by Lasha Petree ’22. For the first time in 16 seasons, three member of the men’s team gained All-MVC honors, led by three-time selection Darrell Brown ’20 on the second team. He was MVP of the conference tournament. Elijah Childs ’21 joined him on the second team, Nate Kennell ’20 made the third team. The three selections were the most among conference schools. B
See more of the Braves in action at bradley. edu/magazine/ braves2020.
SCENES FROM A SEASON Danya Kingsby ’21 goes up for a dunk in Bradley’s 80–66 victory over Valparaiso in the title game at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The victory meant a second consecutive conference title but the global coronavirus pandemic knocked out the repeat appearance in the NCAA Tournament. BELOW: Coach Brian Wardle shares a joyful moment with senior Darrell Brown.
“ Y’all know it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, so make the most of it. Be remembered forever. Team first. Self last.” — Team huddle before final game of the MVC
ABOVE: Senior Darrell Brown, the team’s leading scorer and tournament MVP, charges ahead with the ball in Bradley’s title game. The Braves finished the season with their second straight MVC title and a 23–11 overall record, 11–7 in the conference. RIGHT: The Braves crowd around the trophy after their repeat win as conference champs.
“ This team was truly an honor to coach! While this team’s accomplishments have been celebrated and documented, what will always stand out to me is the selflessness and spirit this team shared with each other. They celebrated one another’s individual successes and always represented our program and university in a positive way. The definition of a true team.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUANE ZEHR.
— Andrea Gorski ’92, women’s basketball head coach
30 BRADLEY magazine
Former
SPEECH Now
Lillian Glass’ career in communication is a master class in flexibility. AT A HOLLYWOOD PARTY IN THE EARLY 1980s, Lillian Glass ’74 was in a group of actors and directors discussing their latest projects. Asked what she did for a living, the speech therapist and professor at USC hesitated. Rather than explain her current research, she mentioned that as a graduate student at the University of Michigan, she’d worked with patients transitioning to a new gender, coaching them on speech and mannerisms. A man in the circle perked up, handed her his number and asked her to call him the next day. When she did, he gave her an address in Westwood and asked her to drive there and not tell anyone where she was going. “And that’s how I ended up meeting Dustin Hoffman and coaching him on how to become Tootsie,” Glass said. This offhand but startling story is one of many Glass related as she traced her career progression from a speech therapy student at Bradley, to an academic, to a therapist, to a best-selling author, to a filmmaker. Remember the 1985 movie “Mask”? Glass was the real-life speech therapist of Rocky Dennis, the young man with the severe bone disorder played by Eric Stoltz. She coached deaf actress Marlee Matlin before her acceptance speech at the 1986 Academy Awards. She had an office in Beverly Hills and worked with Gene Kelly, Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas, Melanie Griffith, Julio Iglesias, Dolly Parton, Andy Garcia and many others. Glass started out as an academic, earning her master’s degree at the University of Michigan and her doctorate at the University of Minnesota. She published more than 50 articles in professional journals.
32 BRADLEY magazine
“Even as an undergrad at Bradley, I loved research. Later I taught at USC and in medical and dental schools and continued my research in medical genetics and in gender differences in communication.” Throughout her career, she also demonstrated a willingness to explore novel career paths. She became a news reporter for the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles. Afterward, she became a sought-after TV show commentator (“The Dr. Phil Show,” “20/20” and others) on interpreting body language and, later, as an expert witness in criminal trials. She’s written more than a dozen books, including “He Says, She Says,” “The Body Language of Liars” and the bestselling “Toxic People.” Glass, who grew up in Miami, decided to become a speech therapist after watching a telethon for cerebral palsy patients when she was 9 years old. “I knew immediately that’s what I wanted to do with my life — help people.” Her childhood, with older brother Manny and devoted parents who ran a drapery business, was loving and supportive. “My parents worked so hard. I was blessed to no end. They said, ‘You can do anything you want in life.’ They were so positive and encouraging. That was the biggest gift they could have given me, and I am forever grateful.” She graduated at the top of her high school class and decided to attend Bradley because of its well-respected School of Speech and Hearing Sciences. “It was a beautiful experience,” she said. “I’d never been away from home before. It was the best place for me to get my feet wet. Such a beautiful campus, great professors. They didn’t dull my sparkle.”
H COACH
Award-Winning Director PERSISTENCE BY MARY BROLLEY 5 MIN.
TRIP ABROAD REVEALS FAMILY SECRET At Bradley, she had the chance to do a semester abroad. “I was 19 or 20. After I finished studying in several countries, I went to Israel and met a friend of my father’s, and she told me some things that had happened to my parents during the Holocaust. “When I came back, I asked my parents about it. They were upset because they didn’t want me to be exposed to it. “They’d never told me about their experiences. I knew they’d come over from Europe, and of course that there was a Holocaust. They didn’t talk about it with my brother and me because they were focused on assimilating into America.” Over the years, as her career took off, Glass continued to be curious about this dark episode in her family’s past. But her parents were still reluctant to discuss it. A few years ago, Glass decided it was time to tell her mother’s story. That led to her most personal project to date: “Reinventing Rosalee,” an award-winning documentary about her mother, who died in December at 102. Glass produced and directed the 80-minute film, which blends interviews, archival footage and movie clips to tell a fascinating story. Newly married when the Nazis invaded Poland, Rosalee and her husband Abraham narrowly escaped into Russia after several frightening encounters with Nazi soldiers. They were soon captured by the Russians and sent to a series of brutal labor camps. The couple lost an infant son to starvation and a young daughter to disease and poor living conditions.
Finally, the couple and their remaining son were allowed to emigrate from a displaced persons camp in Germany to the U.S., where Lillian was born a year later. Despite early hardships and losses, Rosalee Glass remained upbeat and generous until Manny died during a botched medical procedure in 1999. To help her mother recover, Glass persuaded Rosalee to move in with her and enrolled her in French, tai chi, piano and acting lessons. “She always had a beautiful singing voice,” said Glass before joking, “and then she started auditioning for and getting commercials. I became her stage mother.” “Several years ago, I took her back to Poland and Russia so she could mourn her family who were killed in the Holocaust. We traveled around the world together. Whatever I did, she did. Wherever I went, she went.” Her mother’s death has left Glass devastated. “She was not only my mother but my muse and my soulmate,” she said. “It’s been the hardest time. I’m deciding on my next move… but I know I’ll be carrying on her legacy of ‘fighting hate with compassion.’ “And I’ll continue making films.”
B
Lillian and her mother go dog sledding in Alaska to celebrate her 100th birthday in 2017.
alumni news Share your news bradley.edu/magazine
Update your contact information alumnirecords@bradley.edu
magazine@bradley.edu
Give us feedback or ideas slguthrie@bradley.edu
(309) 677-2250
Policies NOTES Submissions are included as
space permits, may be edited for length or clarity, and may be published in any medium.
PHOTOS Send us your high resolution photos: minimum 1,200 pixels on the shortest side.
class notes 1974
1984
1994
Doug Pomatto received a Defense Attorney Achievement Award from the Jury Verdict Reporter. He retired from Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C.
The Arc of Midland, Mich., has named Michelle Sullivan Bahr its 2019 Educator of the Year. She is special education director for the Midland County Educational Services Agency.
Shawn Goetz marked 25 years with Hanson Professional Services Inc. He is a vice president and project manager in the company’s Minnesota office.
1976 Greg Bower is county controller for York County, Pa. He earlier worked for Caterpillar Inc. and in insurance. 1977 Steve Weller retired as director of athletics and recreation at Parker University in Dallas where he led the department to 12 overall team championships in 15 years at the 13-sport Chiro Games. He also served as the first sports information director (SID) at the University of Central Missouri, as well as SID stints Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and The University of Texas at Arlington. Steve was a press officer for U.S. baseball teams at both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics and for a pair of World Junior Baseball Tournaments. He is the official scorer for the Texas Rangers. 1980 Kathy Hartman Lavin M.A. ’82 retired after 36 years as a speech/language pathologist for Illinois school districts in Cambridge, Kewanee and Galva.
34 BRADLEY magazine
1988
1998
Kay Gardner Lee M.S. and John Grillot MBA ’94 are on the board for Building Hope in Kids-Uganda, which builds schools in that country. They are both retired from Caterpillar Inc.
The Capital Chapter of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers named Lee Bloome its Engineer of the Year. He is a water and wastewater discipline manager at Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s office in Springfield, Ill.
1990
2000
Alfred Benesch & Company has promoted Michael J. O’Connor to vice president.
Sara Crites is an occupational therapist at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo. Following her stroke in 2006, she has now helped others for seven years.
1993 Timothy Ninowski is director of wealth management and a lead adviser with Nathan Kinzinger and Northwestern Mutual-Chicago. He recently earned certified financial planner (CFP) certification. He also is active on the executive steering council of Aspire Chicago, an organization for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
The Illinois Principals Association has named Dunlap Grade School Principal Mandy Ellis M.A. ’07, ’12 its elementary principal of the year. 2001 Chevonne Totten-Garner is the assistant dean of recruitment and admissions in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She and her husband, Jerecki Garner, director of analytics at Northwestern Medicine, have three daughters and live in the Chicago suburbs.
2004 Joseph Fiore is managing director of business development and finance for the risk management foundation for Sigma Chi International Fraternity, where he is also a member. 2005 Jacob Hopping joined Peoria Surgical Group as a general and bariatric surgeon. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Richard Weers MBA ’13 is chief executive officer at the First National Bank of Lacon, Ill. 2008 Myles Badour is a project manager for Ruby + Associates, Inc., a structural engineering company where he has worked since 2016.
Peoria Magazine selected the following alumni for this year’s 40 Under 40: Brent Baker ’13 Andrea Dixon Campbell ’05 Christine Cooney Deehring ’07 Adam Duvall ’09 Justin Kauffman ’02 Hannah Ramlo M.A. ’18 Liz Gunty Wiest ’15 Camille Yameen ’12
Future Alumnae? Chevonne Totten-Garner ‘01, her husband, Jerecki, with their girls (l-r): Kennedy, 13, Payton, 9, and Riley, 13.
Doug Valentine won a K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award for his work at the University of Missouri, where he is a doctoral candidate in sociology. He also is pursuing graduate minors in college teaching, women’s and gender studies, and a certificate in higher education administration. He has won several honors for his teaching and research. 2009 Keith Mundrick is the 2019 Outstanding Young Lawyer selected by the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana and a member of the group’s board. He is a partner with SmithAmundsen LLC in Indianapolis. 2011 Brach Jennings began a doctoral dissertation in systematic theology in summer 2019 under theologian Prof. Jürgen Moltmann at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen, Germany.
1983 BU roommate reunion
in Arizona, October 2019. From left: Ellen Smith MacCracken, Carol Caleo Lucas, Pam McNair Parsons, Kass Kratt Jackman, Sharon Kekelik Barrett and Sherilyn Farnam Wethington.
Spring 2020
35
6 ALUMNI NEWS
bells
&
rattles
1 J erad ’10 and Teryn Skowronski Hynning ’11, Bradlee Grace, April 2019 2 M ike ’11 and Andi Viviano Person ’12 MSN ’13, Nolyn Ann, May 13, 2019 3 J oseph and Melissa Wahl Hammer ’10, Evangeline Rose, May 26, 2019
1
4 M atthew ’10 and Ashley Seroka Zarate ’10, Brewyn Stanley, June 7, 2019 5 L isa Juskelis Zika ’06 and Michael Zika ’08, Mallory Lorraine, June 12, 2019 6 B rittany Christensen Corpus ’12, Cecilia, August 2019 7 C ole Aronson ’16 and Alyssa Malfitano ’16, married Oct. 5 8 P eyton McDermott ’16 and Becca Laird ’17, married Oct. 11, 2019 9 N ick ’12 and Allison Douglas Thommen ’11, Aubree Lincoln, Oct. 31, 2019
1: ALICIAIRVIN.COM; 8: BECCA HEUER PHOTOGRAPHY.
5
36 BRADLEY magazine
7
2
4
8
3
9
ALUMNI NEWS
passages
ROBERTSON, in red shirt, cast his hands in plaster to be used on the statue of his father, Coach A.J. Robertson. Sculpted by Jaci Willis and Fisher Stolz, the statue sits in the circle drive of A.J. Robertson Court on campus.
Emeriti Faculty
MOORE
Bonnie Hinrichsen Bonnie Hinrichsen, assistant professor of nursing emerita who taught at Bradley from 1980–2009, died Oct. 21, 2019, at her home. She earned her master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a doctorate from Southern Illinois University. Surviving are her husband, Dave ’88, MLS ’01; three daughters, including Claire Enter Perry ’93 and Kellie Enter Walker ’00; Dave’s four children, including Jenette Hinrichsen Brown ’98 and Jaclyn Hinrichsen ’04; a sister and eight grandchildren. Versie June Moore Versie June Moore, senior supervisor of custodial services emerita, died Nov. 1, 2019, in Peoria. She worked at Bradley from 1979–2017, retiring as interim director of custodial operations. Surviving are a son, stepson, six sisters, one brother, five grandchildren and a great-grandson. Corky Robertson ’53 M.A. ’64 William C. “Corky” Robertson, athletic ticket office manager emeritus who
38 BRADLEY magazine
STRASMA
worked at Bradley from 1987–2000, died Nov. 14, 2019, in Peoria. The son of famed Bradley coach A.J. Robertson, he also was a renowned athlete and high school coach in the Peoria area for many years. He was a member of the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame and the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, winning the university’s Orville Nothdurft Lifetime Achievement Award. Surviving are his wife, Dolores Frels Robertson ’54, three children, including William P. Robertson ’83, nine grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren. Linda Strasma Linda Strasma, emerita lecturer in communications from 1986–2011, died Nov. 13, 2019, in Peoria. She earned a master’s degree at Western Illinois University and was active in her church. Her husband, Jim, two sons, including Brian ’95, and four grandsons survive her. Conley Stutz Conley Stutz, professor of physics emeritus who taught at Bradley from 1968–2001, died Dec. 17, 2019, in Peoria. An Army veteran of the Korean Conflict, he earned a master’s degree
STUTZ
at the University of New Mexico and a doctorate at the University of Nebraska. While at Bradley, he also served as interim dean of graduate studies and University Senate president. Surviving are his wife, Donna M.A. ’74, two sons, two grandchildren and two sisters. Charlie Muvdi Bichara “Charlie” Muvdi, professor of civil engineering and construction emeritus who taught at Bradley from 1964–93, died Feb. 26 in Peoria. He served as department chair for 18 years and as acting dean of the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology. An author of four books on engineering and winner of the Putnam Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1983, he earned a master’s degree at Syracuse University and his doctorate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Survivors include his wife, Gladys, two children, including Charles Bonaccorsi Muvdi ’74, three grandchildren and a great-grandson.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUANE ZEHR.
HINRICHSEN
Alma Waldschmidt Dejohn ’37, Feb. 10, 2019, Ocala, Fla. Verla Siebenthal Frietsch ’45, Feb. 4, Deer Creek, Ill. Albert Gast ’45, July 7, 2019, St. Joseph, Mich. Lynn Haerr Ripley ’47, Nov. 23, La Jolla, Calif, Theresa Kupper Ross ’47, Nov. 26, Phoenix Bertha Stettner Ahrens-Lessen ’49, Feb. 23, Lincoln, Ill. Harry Fay ’49, Jan. 14, 2019, Glen Ellyn, Ill. Gordon Hornbuckle ’49, Jan. 7, Murrieta, Calif. Irma Stiers Krantz ’49, Jan. 12, Galva, Ill. Jerry Crubaugh ’50, July 22, 2019, Blairsville, Ga. Willie Densberger ’50, Dec. 9, Peoria William Harmon ’50, May 7, 2018, Grand Rapids, Mich. Wiley Hummel ’50, Dec. 24, Geneseo, Ill. Gerald Oltman ’50, Feb. 16, Sebastian, Fla. Lyle Reedy ’50, Feb. 5, Freeport, Ill. Jack Siewert ’50, Sept. 13, York, Pa. Merle Smith ’50, Dec. 11, Peoria Dana Burton Throckmorton ’50, Feb. 25, Washington, Ill. Rosemary Arneson Brown ’51, Oct. 30, Taylorville, Ill. James Courtright ’51, June 20, 2018, Nicholson Township, Pa. Mary Staszecki Engan ’51, Jan. 9, Chubbuck, Idaho Ray Ledford ’51, April 5, 2019, Hannibal, Mo. Robert “Loren” Watson ’51, Jan. 27, Sarasota, Fla. Jack Wilson ’51, Feb. 23, Clinton, Iowa Phillip Burke ’52, June 2019, Palos Heights, Ill. Hugh Maroney ’52, Oct. 7, Peoria Heights, Ill. David Muir ’52, Dec. 10, Missoula, Mont. Barbara Maasberg Pruitt ’52, Nov. 17, Hot Springs, Ark. Arthur Templin ’52, July 7, 2019, Des Moines, Iowa Arthur Levin ’53, Dec. 27, Carmel, Ind. Frank Murante ’53, June 15, 2019, Rochester, N.Y. Charles Obalil ’53, June 18, Oak Brook, Ill.
Carl Larson ’54, Dec. 5, Aiken, S.C. Lois Anderson Strickfaden ’54, Nov. 5, Metamora, Ill. Robert Zesiger M.S. ’54, Nov. 23, Davenport, Iowa Alberta Daniels ’55, Oct. 23, Austin, Texas Ralph Ferre ’55 MEA ’68, Jan. 30, Peoria Donald Guariglia ’55, Nov. 21, Overland Park, Kan. Nancy Motley Harms ’55, Nov. 21, Minonk, Ill. Bob Osborne ’55, Dec. 31, Virginia Beach, Va. Joseph Spapperi ’55, August, Itasca, Ill. Willa Sitton Yordy ’55, Jan. 28, Morton, Ill. David Buchanan ’56, Oct. 11, Paradise Valley, Ariz. Kenneth Doruff ’56, Nov. 15, Palatine, Ill. Rowland “Bud” Ham ’56, August, Lake Forest, Ill. Rosalie Hoerdemann Cremer Molloy ’56, Dec. 10, Indianapolis Richard Norton ’56, Feb. 25, Chillicothe, Ill. Mary Wickert Stafford ’56, Nov. 27, Peoria Edward Taylor ’56, Oct. 19, Arlington Heights, Ill. Edward Hirsch ’57, Jan. 24, Seal Beach, Calif. Eliott “Jim” Leen ’57, Sept. 15, 2019, Houston Frederic Tarleton ’57, April 24, 2019, Neosho, Mo. Sanford Cantor ’58, April 10, 2019, Glencoe, Ill. Warren Parr ’58, Jan. 20, Metamora, Ill. Jerome Richter ’58, Nov. 27, Sylvania, Ohio Horace Russell ’58, Nov. 3, 2019, Upper Marlboro, Md. Samuel Wilson ’58, Dec. 13, Batesville, Ark. Chuck Brown ’59, Oct. 3, Peoria Joellen Ladley Evans ’59, Oct. 8, Spring, Texas R. Bruce Funston ’59, Jan. 2, Bonita Springs, Fla. Don Goldner ’59, Oct. 25, Fort Wayne, Ind. Roger Hill ’59 M.A. ’60, Jan. 25, Grapevine, Texas Christ Thompson ’59, Dec. 28, Peoria Eddie Harrison ’60, Oct. 2, Pekin, Ill. Gerald Hartwig ’60, Nov. 9, Peoria Richard Edwards ’61, Aug. 14, Hot Springs Village, Ark.
Harold Franklin ’61 M.S. ’62, Oct. 13, Homosassa, Fla. Herman Kornatz ’61, Dec. 6, North Saanich, British Columbia Charles Linn ’61, Oct. 29, Corpus Christi, Texas Duane Maloney ’61, Dec. 22, Bartonville, Ill. Edward Mills ’61, Aug. 19, Orland Park, Ill. William Parker ’61, Dec. 26, Granville, Ohio Louis Rohs ’61, Oct. 21, Roscoe, Ill. Marilyn Allen Stetson ’61, May 19, 2019, St. Louis Lynn Swigart ’61, Jan. 17, Ipswich, Mass. Gerald Unks M.A. ’61, Nov. 9, Chapel Hill, N.C. Anne Brewster Christensen ’62, Oct. 30, Manlius, Ill. Phyllis Brummond Dotson ’62, Jan. 9, Kewanee, Ill. John Ericzon ’62, May 13, 2015, Ottawa, Ill. Melva Tolliver Gordon ’62, Nov. 28, Peoria James Hyman ’62, Dec. 9, Edina, Minn. Carl Shafer ’62, Aug. 27, Durham, N.C. Donald Broaddus ’63, Sept. 23, Pompano Beach, Fla. Gilbert Cook ’63, Oct. 14, Highland Ranch, Colorado Anthony Dowiatt ’63, Dec. 2, Goodfield, Ill. Janet Roszell Lord M.A. ’63, Fairfield Glade, Tenn. Louis “Don” Shuford ’63, Jan. 22, East Peoria, Ill. Charles “Andy” Trotter ’63, Feb. 13, Bartonville, Ill. Judith Voigt ’63, Oct. 26, Venice, Fla. Rosie Dantone Eimer ’64, M.A. ’73, Dec. 13, Nottingham, Md. Donald Micheli ’64, Aug. 27, Westchester, Ill. John Cahill ’65, Oct. 22, Utica, N.Y. John Shea ’65, Feb. 19, Burlington, Wis. Joseph Orwat ’66, Sept. 9, Palmdale, Calif. Mary “Jill” Cussins Peterson ’66, Nov. 11, Holland, Ohio James Wiley ’66, Oct. 22, Obetz, Ohio William Wreath ’67, April 30, 2019, Juneau, Wis. William Brewster ’68, Jan. 25, Peoria Thelma Beeler Gernandt ’68, Dec. 22, 2018, New Caney, Texas
Spring 2020
39
ALUMNI NEWS
passages Richard Warren ’68, Oct. 31, Guilderland, N.Y. Bruce Hoag ’69, January 2020, Sherman, Conn. Delbert Tally M.S. ’69, Jan. 16, Knoxville, Ill. Jerry Erickson ’70, Oct. 25, Evanston, Ill. Jeanette Rasmussen Lillehoj ’70, Dec. 23, Kimballton, Iowa Jeanne Scott ’70, Oct. 19, Springfield, Ill. Bob Weimer ’70, Feb. 22, Pekin, Ill. Martin Weiner ’70, Jan. 17, Northbrook, Ill. Roger Bartlett ’71, March 21, 2018, Merriam, Kan. Michael Koblitz ’71, May 10, 2019, West Palm Beach, Fla. Thomas Lavander ’71, June 13, Benton Harbor, Mich. Judy Murphy M.A. ’71, Dec. 31, East Peoria, Ill. Joyce Burklund Perino ’71, Dec. 20, Peoria Steven Smith ’71, Oct. 8, North Port, Fla. Luana Zeeck Butler ’72, Jan. 11, Havana, Ill. Naur Coelho MEA ’72, Feb. 2, Murrieta, Calif. Patrick Dendler ’72, July 10, Orchard Park, N.Y. Debra Parr ’72, Dec. 13, Metamora, Ill. Steven Brown ’73, Dec. 28, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Gene Collins ’74 M.A. ’75, Jan. 18, Peoria Howard “Sonny” Duncan ’74 ’75, Dec. 26, Colorado Springs, Colo. Robyn Borchardt Fram ’75, Dec. 2, Roselle, Ill. Robert Marek ’75, Dec. 31, Phoenix Anna Moriarty M.A. ’75, Oct. 8, Goshen, Ind. Ana Lee Rhodes ’75, Feb. 15, 2019, Silver City, N.M.
40 BRADLEY magazine
Nora French Lindstrom ’76, Jan. 20, Reynoldsburg, Ohio John Reyns ’76, Oct. 24, Riverside, Ill. Beata Zsofia Riedlmayer ’77, Aug. 30, 2019, Cambridge, Mass. Thomas Cox II MBA ’78, Sept. 26, Peoria Kathryn Mitchell ’78, Nov. 7, Dallas Dave Karlin ’79, Oct. 24, Half Moon Bay, Calif. Jeffrey Myers ’79, Jan. 8, Chillicothe, Ill. Doris Van Pelt Hoerdeman M.S. ’83, Dec. 21, Peoria Donald Kuegler ’83, Oct. 5, Fairview Heights, Ill. Gregory Pedersen ’83, Feb. 8, Indianapolis Peggy Foss Dollinger M.A. ’91, Nov. 27, Washburn, Wis. Stephen Hester ’92, Oct. 18, Indianapolis Chris Kane ’92, Oct. 15, Godfrey, Ill. Christine Jordan Kalil ’00, Jan. 27, Lexington Park, Md. Angela Frank Shirley ’03, Oct. 31, Peoria Phillip High M.A. ’20, Jan. 14, Ocean Shores, Wash. Faculty/Staff Joe Dolan, Athletics group sales coordinator, Dec. 29, Peoria Richard Hansen, Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts director of marketing, Jan. 21, Peoria Joyce Hexdall ’82, library, Jan. 21, Peoria Jeff Hibbard ’74 M.S. ’79, IT, Feb. 11, Peoria Bethany Witherell, IT service desk manager, Dec. 24, Peoria
Nobody wants their gift to pay for fiber-optic cable. But when you have to transition to online classes, having enough cable is everything.
Gifts to the Bradley Fund pay for the things students need to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers and doers. Even fiber-optic cable. And best of all, they fit any size budget. Consider making your gift to the Bradley Fund today. Contact Shelly Smith phone: (309) 677-3091 email: ss@bradley.edu online: give2.bradley.edu
ALUMNI NEWS
calendar
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EVENTS
HOMECOMING SEPTEMBER 29 – OCTOBER 3 For all the latest details, visit bradley.edu/homecoming
Visit bradley.edu/alumni for details and registration. Office of Alumni Relations at (309) 677-3565 or (800) 952-8258.
MISS AN EVENT? Check out all the fun on our social media pages: Facebook: Bradley University Alumni Association Instagram: @BradleyUAlumni Twitter: @BradleyAlumni
42 BRADLEY magazine
lasting connections 1
2
3
4
5
1 ATLANTA A few Atlanta alumni from across generations met in early March at Hudson Grille in Alpharetta, Ga. 2 KANSAS CITY Fans got together at Fox & Hound to watch the men’s basketball game against Illinois State in January. 3 DENVER Alumni-owned Joyride Brewing hosted a bunch of Braves in February. Door prizes were handed out and fans watched an exciting men’s basketball game vs. Loyola on TV. 4 PEORIA Great turnout as fans gathered at the Hotel Pere Marquette before the men’s basketball game against Northern Iowa in January. Cheerleaders and Kaboom! came by to get everyone in the mood before the game. 5 MESA, ARIZ. Major league multitasking as fans at a Cubs spring training game in early March also stopped to watch the men’s basketball team win the Missouri Valley Conference championship.
Spring 2020
43
Binge-worthy. Now you can connect to Bradley magazine anywhere, anytime, with more content than ever before. Our online edition is in an easy-to-read format that works on your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop. Subscribe to our twice-monthly updates! Check it out at bradley.edu/magazine
MY BRADLEY EXPERIENCE
With the help of his Bradley family, Nick Porter ’20 learned how to be his authentic self. GRATITUDE
The Flow of the River My close friends and family can attest to the fact that I am a sucker for a good river; they flow with definitive purpose, gracefully outline cities, and are oftentimes muddy, dirty, and unashamedly real. I instantly fell in love with the aesthetic beauty of the Illinois River and the bluecollar landscape that surrounded it while on my first visit to Peoria and Bradley. The river wasn’t pristine, but that’s what made it relatable. I grew up in the small town of Paxton, Ill., where my life — like everyone else’s — was far from perfect. My father died in June of 2014, and I spent the tail end of my high school career channeling grief into academic and athletic endeavors. This tunnel vision attitude allowed me to join one of the best distance-running programs in the country and gave me the confidence to pursue a double major in biomedical science and Spanish. It also pushed me to orchestrate my own week-long community service trip and increased my desire to attend medical school. However, this fixation on success created a façade, one where I put on the mask of perfection despite what happened in the world around me. During my freshman year, the intense demands I placed on myself around high-level athletics, academics and other extracurriculars began to expose holes in the wall I had built. I’ve had a lot of successes while at Bradley, but the weight of the struggles almost always felt heavier than the relief of accomplishments.
classmates who have picked me up time and again. More importantly, my Bradley family has shown me that being true and genuine is okay.
“ I am a sucker for a good river; they flow with definitive purpose, gracefully outline cities, and are oftentimes muddy, dirty, and unashamedly real.”
I now value my individuality and identity and work diligently to cultivate it. I spent much of my last year on the Hilltop thinking about my next steps, especially applying to medical school. While some may feel apprehension about such situations, I did not because of how well Bradley prepared me to attack every challenge that lies ahead. To my Bradley family and all the Braves reading this, I would like to give you the most true and heartfelt thank you. You have made me a better student, a better athlete and, most of all, a better, more genuine person. For that I will be forever indebted to, and thankful for, the privilege of attending this incredible institution.
PAXTON, ILL.
I offer this very real reflection of my time at Bradley because, just like the Illinois River two miles down Main Street that never masks itself for anything besides what it is,
My Bradley Experience has been anything but a steady ride. However, at every peak, valley, and countless points in-between, I have had truly incredible professors, coaches, friends, teammates, lab partners and
Spring 2020
45
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage 1501 West Bradley Avenue | Peoria, IL 61625
PAID Champaign, Illinois Permit No. 453
The Big Question
How did you meet your significant other at Bradley? Send us your memories and photos to magazine@bradley.edu.