Celebrating 100 Years of Excellence in Our Community
For a remarkable century, IVCC has stood as a beacon of education and service in our community. From its humble beginnings to its current stature, it has been a cornerstone of knowledge, shaping minds and futures. With unwavering dedication, it has nurtured generations, fostering growth, and fostering a spirit of excellence. As we celebrate its centenary, let us honor its legacy of impact and look forward to another century of empowerment and enlightenment.
with in.
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A Century of Excellence
Illinois Valley Community College is excited to be celebrating 100 years of excellence in our community. The second oldest public community college in the state, IVCC predecessor La SallePeru-Oglesby (LPO) Junior College was established April 24, 1924, by action of the LaSalle-Peru Board of Education and was originally located on the third floor of LaSalle-Peru Township High School. In the almost 100 years since that day, LPO and IVCC have served generations of credit students, continuing education students, GED and adult education students, and has been the only higher education institution in our district.
It is amazing that just a few short months ago, we celebrated the kickoff of our 100th birthday celebrations with our Presidential Investiture Ceremony in September 2023. As those who have heard my story or who have heard me speak know — at the heart of everything we do here, it is my firm belief that community colleges change lives. IVCC changed my life many times, as a young child of a single mom going back to school and as a student who didn’t know what she wanted to do right out of high school. I had great teachers like Harold Bauswell, Gil Meyer, and Ed Krolak who made learning fun for me and are a major reason that I stand here today. As a young professional, I had mentors like Dr. Robert Marshall and Dr. Jean Goodnow who believed in me and supported me. IVCC changed my life in so many ways, and for 100 years, LPO and IVCC have changed the lives of generations of students and their families.
I absolutely love seeing and hearing the stories of our students who have completed their GED or high school equivalency and then come to IVCC for a new career, the stories of students facing hardships but persevering through, the stories of students coming back many years after high school who are scared but excited to pursue a new career, the stories of our successful alumni who are changing the world in whatever field they are in, and the stories of generations of families who have all attended IVCC.
Serving the community for 100 years is something to celebrate! We hope you will join us in celebrating, sharing your stories of how LPO and IVCC have changed your life, and becoming part of our new traditions. Details on events and chances to tell your story can be found at www.ivcc.edu/100. It is a tremendous honor to be the President of the college that gave me so many opportunities in my life. Please enjoy this celebration of our 100 years of history, and we look forward to our next 100 years.
Sincerely,
Tracy Morris, Ed.D. President
IVCC 2024 ALL IN Sponsors
The IVCC Foundation would like to thank the following ALL IN sponsors. These businesses have stepped up to support the Foundation in our 100th Anniversary campaign.
Champion
Hometown National Bank
Maze Lumber
Supporter
Armstrong & Associates, Inc.
DPH Biologicals
Heartland Bank & Trust Co.
IL Valley Labor Management
Nucor Marseilles
Warrior
Inman Electric Motors
Northern Partners Cooperative
Zukowski Law Offices
Friend
Black Bros. Co.
Hi Way Restaurant
John F. Wayland, CLU, ChFC
Martin Equipment of Illinois
Pioneer Hi-Bred International
April 24, 1924
La Salle-Peru-Oglesby (LPO) Junior College is established, originally located on the third floor of LaSalle-Peru Township High School in La Salle.
Sept. 9, 1968
The first IVCC classes convene in 12 temporary buildings on a scenic bluff overlooking La Salle-Peru and the Illinois River.
Sept. 15, 1924
The college’s first day of classes welcomes 32 freshmen, seven faculty, and two administrators.
1948-49
July 1, 1966
The college’s name is officially changed to Illinois Valley Community College.
First summer school classes are offered at LPO.
1928-29
Basketball is the first sport instituted at LPO.
1951
Football team invited to the Gold Dust Bowl game.
1933
First LPO student newspaper, the Hi-Co Scanner, is established.
Oct. 21, 1967
District 513 votes 10-1 in favor of an $8.25 million referendum to finance the beginning of IVCC.
Oct. 1972
A new $20 million permanent campus is officially dedicated.
May
1974
Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski, an LPO alumnus, is named IVCC’s seventh President. He holds the record for longest serving IVCC President at 21 years.
Nov. 1, 2013
Dec. 2022
Dr. Tracy Morris is named as President of the college. She is the first IVCC graduate to serve in this position.
Oct. 1980
Construction of the theater is completed.
The Peter Miller Community Technology Center is dedicated.
2006
Dr. Larry Huffman creates the 21st Century Scholars Society and the LPO-IVCC Hall of Fame.
1996
Dr. Jean Goodnow is named IVCC’s eighth President. She is the first woman to serve as President.
1975
The IVCC Foundation is established with a $100,000 gift from the estate of former educator Helen Taylor.
Aug. 9, 2010
Dr. Jerry Corcoran leads the opening of the Ottawa Center satellite campus.
Aug. 2017
IVCC receives a $1.1 million donation–the largest in the college’s 93-year history–from the estate of Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg, former faculty member and Dean for the College.
Alumni
Whether you attended LPO Junior College in the early years, the IVCC temporary east campus, or the IVCC current campus, the IVCC family is proud of your accomplishments as a student, your successes in your career and life, and your generosity to continue the tradition of excellence in education. We love to celebrate the amazing things our alumni are doing and to recognize their impact on their communities.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
The Illinois Community College Trustees Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes the many success stories of Illinois’ community college graduates. Nominees must have completed a recognized program of instruction or attended at least 30 semesters hours at an ICCTA member college.
Past nominees include John A. “Jack” Schibrowsky, Donald Fike, Dr. Holly Novak, Dr. Maureen Rebholz, William Taylor, Daniel Janka, Joseph Franco, Dr. John Derango, Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg, and Camillo Valle.
Hall of Fame
The IVCC Hall of Fame started in 2008 and honors the academic, fine arts, athletic, or career achievements of alumni during their years at IVCC or LPO or in their personal or professional lives. In addition, the Hall recognizes individuals who may not have attended the college but who made a significant difference in the lives of IVCC students through their service or generosity. To date, 72 individuals and teams have been honored. We are planning to bring back the Hall of Fame as we celebrate our 100th year, and the nomination process is always open on our alumni page.
Keep in Touch
Please let us know how you are doing by visiting https://www.ivcc.edu/alumni/ or please contact Susan Monroe, Alumni and Donor Relations Coordinator at susan_monroe@ivcc. edu or call (815-) 224-0549.
ICCTA Distinguished Alumni
The first recipient of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association award was Former Illinois Supreme Court Judge Howard C. Ryan of Tonica, LPO 1935, who won the alumni award in 1985. Judge Ryan was elected as a LaSalle County judge in 1954 and circuit judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit in 1957, serving as chief judge from 1964 to 1968. He was elected to the District Appellate Court in 1968 and from that district was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1970. Ryan served as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois from January 1982 to January 1985, retiring in 1990 after serving 36 years as a judge, including 20 years on the Illinois Supreme Court.
Dr. Henrietta Herbolsheimer, a 1932 LPO alum and University of Chicago professor emeritus, won the state-wide award in 1990. She was one of only five women in her University of Chicago medical-school class in the 1930s. Dr. Herbolsheimer was chief of the Maternal and Child Hygiene Division of the Illinois State Department of Health and helped to establish licensing standards for Illinois hospitals and nursing homes. In 1985, she received the Benjamin Rush Award from the American Medical Association for outstanding citizenship and public service.
William Taylor was named the 2019 Illinois Community College Trustees Association Distinguished Alumnus. Winning the award over 20 other nominees, Taylor was the third IVCC graduate – and the first in 29 years – to earn the distinction.
Since retiring in 2005 as a lead partner for Big 4 accounting firm Deloitte, Taylor has devoted his life to philanthropy and donated generously to his alma maters, IVCC and Northern Illinois University. He and his wife Dian, also an IVCC alum, have donated $150,000 to two IVCC fundraising campaigns and their generosity has directly benefitted as many as 19 current and former IVCC students in a single year. The Taylors are charter members of the IVCC Foundation’s 21st Century Scholars Society and fund full-tuition scholarships to NIU for IVCC transfers in accounting and STEM-related fields. The two awards, for the student’s junior and senior year, are worth approximately $25,000 to each student. In 2014, the Taylors were recognized with the naming of the IVCC counseling area as the William and Dian Taylor Student Development Commons, 2014. More than providing monetary gifts, the Taylors have stayed connected to many of their scholarship recipients. When IVCC alum Thanh Nguyen, a Vietnamese exchange student, had no family to witness her graduation from NIU, the Taylors were there to celebrate with her.
Judge Howard C. Ryan
Bill and Dian Taylor
IVCC Foundation History
Helen Taylor
The Illinois Valley Community College Foundation began in 1976 through a generous gift of more than $100,000 from Helen Taylor, a retired elementary teacher from Peru. This substantial gift provided the impetus for the chartering of the Illinois Valley Community College Foundation a year later. The Foundation was granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service, and the College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to transfer the Taylor estate into the Foundation.
The 21st Century Scholars Society
The society was established in 2007 to honor and reward IVCC’s most promising second-year students. It has awarded more than $225,000 to 200 students including $11,250 to nine scholars in 2023.
The Society is currently made up of generous members who each contribute $500 annually. The Society meets once a year to hear the stories of the students they support.
The Peter Miller Family
On Nov. 15, 2011, Joyce McCullough, president and publisher of the NewsTribune, and Pete Miller’s wife Cathy announced the $1 million naming gift and naming rights for the Peter Miller Community Technology Center in honor of Peter Miller, Jr., and his son Peter “Pete” Miller, III. In the mid-1960s, Peter Miller, Jr., publisher of the NewsTribune in La Salle and owner of La Salle County Broadcasting Corp., lent crucial support to the campaign that won voter support for construction of IVCC at its present location. Pete Miller was beloved for his transformative philanthropy toward area charities. He also embraced technology and its ability to improve the lives of others.
Peter Miller, Jr.Peter Miller, III
Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg
1951 LPO Junior College alumnus Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg played a major role in the development of IVCC from its inception in 1966. Dr. Weeg, IVCC’s first Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts and a longtime English instructor, inspired thousands of students, teachers and friends with her love of language, literature, music, art, and travel. She was an ardent supporter of the College until her death in 2015. Her devotion to the college continued with a $1.1 million bequest on Aug. 25, 2017 –the largest gift in IVCC history – and the subsequent naming of the Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre.
Dr. Rose Lynch presents a check from Dr. Weeg’s estate to the Foundation.
The IVCC Foundation advances education in our communities through scholarships to deserving and well-qualified IVCC students and provides financial support for worthy and innovative IVCC educational programs and services. The Foundation has awarded over $1 million in scholarships over the last 4 years. Awards start at $500 and can reach up to $4,500. To learn more, visit www.ivcc.edu/foundation.
100th
Anniversary Gala
On April 12, 2025, IVCC will host a Roaring Twenties themed Centennial Gala at Senica’s Oak Ridge. If you would like to serve on a planning committee, make a contribution, or receive an invitation, please contact Tracy Beattie, Executive Director of the Foundation at tracy_beattie@ivcc.edu or 815-224-0550.
Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg
Alumni and Friends of the College
Whether you attended LPO Junior College in the early years, the temporary east campus, or the current campus, the IVCC family is proud of your accomplishments as a student, your successes in your career and life and your generosity to continue the tradition of excellence in education.
Learn more or sign up with the QR code below
Sign up now for news, discounts and events by contacting Susan Monroe, Alumni & Donor Relations Coordinator at Susan_monroe@ivcc.edu or call (815) 224-0549
Award-Winning Faculty and Staff
2024 Stephen Charry Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence
The namesake of this award, Dr. Stephen Charry, was a respected history professor from 1999 until his untimely passing in 2008. In 2009, the Faculty Excellence Award was renamed in his honor.
Loved by faculty, staff, and students alike, Steve went above and beyond his role as faculty member. He served multiple terms as the faculty union president, participated on and led numerous committees, and was very involved in the community. He was a devoted father, husband, and friend. Steve was a life-long learner and a great role model to his students and his peers. His dedication to students and his passion for teaching will live on in the many lives he touched while he was at IVCC. He is fondly remembered by his family, friends, and colleagues as a scholar and a true gentleman. Steve’s legacy and devotion to faculty excellence will live on through the Stephen Charry Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence. The award was established to recognize faculty for outstanding service in teaching, leadership, professional development, and contributions to the College and the community.
2024 Amber Robertson
2023 LeeAnn Johnson
2022 Arthur E. Koudelka
2021 Kimberly M. Radek-Hall
2020 Matthew E. Johll
2019 Mary A. Black
2018 Amanda P. Cook Fesperman
2017 Jill L. Urban-Bollis and Dr. Promise K. Young
2016 Dr. Patricia L. Pence
2015 Dr. Rebecca S. Donna
2014 Nora Villarreal
2013 Abhijeet Bhattacharya
2012 Lori M. Cinotte
2011 Michael L. Phillips
2010 Dr. David A. Kuester
2009 Kimberly H. Abel
2008 Susan M. Caley Opsal
2007 Merri J. Mattison
2006 Kaushalya G. Jagasia
2005 R. Larry Ault
2004 Diane C. Christianson
2003 Stephen W. Charry
2002 Randy R. Rambo
2001 Pam Mammano
The Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Member Award recognizes the dedicated group of instructors and counselors who serve IVCC and our students on a part-time basis.
2024 Deborah Burch
2023 Kevin Hermes
2022 No recipient
2021 Christine Boughton
2020 Jennifer Mills
2019 Craig Casteneda
2018 Christian Jauch
2017 Wendy Lamboley
2016 Andrea Kowalski
2015 Dan Serafini
2014 Valery Calvetti
2013 Cathi Nelson
2012 Tammy Ebner-Landgraf
2011 Tina Hardy
2010 Mary Black
Steve Charry
2024 Amber Robertson
2024 Deborah Burch
2024 Connie Skerston Memorial Award for Support Staff Distinguished Service
The Support Staff Distinguished Service Award was created in 2001 to honor those support staff who provide outstanding service to their departments and to students. In 2019, the award was renamed to honor Assistant Director of Admissions & Records
Connie Skerston, who was the epitome of dedication, hard work, enthusiasm, and student-centered service. Candidates for the Connie Skerston Memorial Award for Support Staff Distinguished Service are nominated by fellow IVCC employees based on their outstanding contributions to the College, students, and community. All nominations are then scored by support staff to determine the recipient of this annual award.
2024 Jill Wohrley
2023 Nikki VanNielen
2022 Paula Hallock
2021 Tina Hardy
2020 Crystal Credi
2019 Gerilynn Smith
2018 Diane Kreiser
2017 Jeannie Franklin
2016 Paula Hallock
2015 Lorri Foockle
Designation of Emeritus Status
Board Policy 01.24 allows for the designation of Emeritus/Emerita (referred hereafter as Emeritus) status as an honorary designation awarded by the Board of Trustees to an employee as a way of recognizing outstanding levels of service to higher education and specifically to Illinois Valley Community College at the point of retirement. This new honor can be bestowed upon faculty, adjunct faculty, staff, or administrators who meet the following criteria:
• Fifteen years or more of service in their designated role for L-P-O Junior College or Illinois Valley Community College, combined with 25 or more total years in the field of education or their specific area of expertise at the point of retirement; and
• Retired from the College; and
2014 Jeannette Frahm
2013 Kris Curley
2012 Sue Harding
2011 Carey Burns
2010 Theresa Carranco
2009 Jeanne Hayden
2008 Kim Stahly
2007 Eileen Twardowski
2006 Cheryl Stoddard
2005 Marlene Merkel
2004 Jan Vogelgesang
2003 Angela Dunlap
2002 Judy Day
2001 Sandy Beard
• Has demonstrated professional competence, provided meritorious service, and has upheld the mission, vision, strategic objectives, and core values of the College during their employment; and,
• Has championed or will continue to champion the role of the College in the community.
Recommendation Process:
The recommendation is submitted by department or division colleagues, former students, or community members through the Dean or Vice President of the department where the content area currently resides. Individuals may not be nominated by spouses or immediate family members. In those cases, the family member is encouraged to contact the current department for assistance to prepare a recommendation. For additional information, you can contact the President’s Office.
Connie Skerston
2024 Jill Wohrley
Athletics at IVCC
Athletic programs at both LPO and IVCC have a long tradition of excellence. In 1928, Director of Physical Education and Junior College coach Howard Fellows scheduled the first basketball games for the College. In 1930-31, the first football team competed in three games. In 1975, basketball became the first organized sport for women under the direction of Ken Pyszka.
Over the years, Athletics has played an integral role in the college experience at IVCC. The College currently offers 12 intercollegiate teams including:
Men’s Sports: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, and Tennis
Women’s Sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, and Volleyball
The student-athletes who have represented both LPO and IVCC have performed extremely well in competition, as well as in the classroom. In 2023-2024, the overall athletic GPA was 3.11 and 54 athletes were recognized for academic excellence in the Arrowhead Conference. While participating in athletics, IVCC Student-Athletes gain knowledge and experience in many areas that will help them in other aspects of their life, including competition, teamwork, discipline, organization, and communication. These values are evident by the way athletes approach their academic careers, represent IVCC in competition, and the many community service projects they perform.
Athletically, many teams have won Arrowhead Conference Championships, advanced to Regional Tournaments, won
Athletes and teams who have been honored in our Hall of Fame include the following:
James Bergagna (2011): 1950
Gold Dust Bowl team, advocate for disabled children
Eric Bryant (2010): IVCC 1968 athlete, Hall High School hall of fame basketball coach
Donald James Haas (2010): Athlete and mechanical technology program leader
Les Hoensheid (2008): Longtime instructor and coach at LPO and IVCC
William R. Kaiser (2009):1950
Gold Dust Bowl team captain, Princeton grade school coach
Donald Mayszak (2009): LPO
1955, three-sport star
Vince McMahon (2016): IVCC football coach and athletic director
James A. Mini, M.D. (2010): Led LPO 1959 national tournament team, Loyola University starter
Rhonda Morel (2008): IVCC
1980, first woman scholarship athlete (EIU)
Rollie Morris (2008): LPO 1950, athlete and hall of fame Hall
High School track coach
John Strell (2008): Athletic
Director 1946-1976, football and basketball coach
1959 LPO JC Basketball Team (2011): Won region, advanced to national JUCO tournament
1976 IVCC Football Team (2014): “The turnaround team” finished 6-3, the first of 15-straight winning seasons
1979 IVCC Football Team (2010): 11-0, finished third in nation
1987-88 and 1988-89 IVCC
Men’s Basketball Teams (2013): ’87-88 team won region and finished third in nation; ‘88-89 team went school-record 30-2, 14-0 in N4C Conference
Regional Tournaments, and earned an opportunity to compete at NJCAA National Tournaments. In addition, many athletes have earned individual athletic awards at the conference, regional, and national levels. Beyond graduation, many of our student athletes have remained in the community and are local business owners, teachers, and professionals who continue to give back.
Former IVCC student-athletes who currently work at the College include LeeAnn Johnson (softball, biology), Tom Tunnell (basketball, math), Jill UrbanBollis (tennis, psychology), Kaitlyn Edgcomb (volleyball, Admissions and Records), Wendy Lamboley (volleyball/softball/basketball, biology adjunct), Nick Harstead (baseball, baseball coach), Julie Milota (tennis, tennis coach), and Kate Vigars (volleyball, volleyball coach).
Vince McMahon
IVCC Head Football Coach 1975-1991
Coached Jr. High, High School, Junior College, and Division III College level
Over 20-year career in community college coaching at Vermilion Community College in Ely, Minn., IVCC, and Joliet Junior College, he won 127 and lost 73
IVCC teams appeared in five Midwest Bowls, winning four
Undefeated 1979 team finished third in the final NJCAA poll
15 straight winning seasons beginning in 1976
5-time North Central Community College Conference (N4C) Coach of the Year
1994 NJCAA Football Coaches Hall of Fame & Region IV Hall of Fame
Inducted into IVCC-LPO Hall of Fame with ’79 and ’76 teams
Joined Aurora University football staff as an assistant in 1998 handling the running backs and special teams
IVCC offensive coordinator (1994-1998)
Head football coach, athletic director, and assistant dean of students at Joliet Junior College (1991-1994)
Head football coach, athletic director, and PE instructor at IVCC (1975-1991)
Varsity football offensive coordinator, head baseball coach, assistant professor of PE at University of Wisconsin-Superior (1971-1975)
Coaching and teaching career dates back to 1958. In ’58, he received a master’s in education from the University of South Dakota
The History of IVCC’s Performing Arts
For 100 years, LPO and IVCC have had a rich history of musicals and plays. You can keep up with all of the latest theatre events, as well as art and music events, by following IVCC Fine Arts on Facebook. Enjoy looking back at 100 years of theatre excellence…
1924 – Little Eyes
1925 – Captain Applejack
1926 – Catesby; The Sequel
1926 – Helena’s Husband; The Sleeping Beauty
1926 – The Goose Hangs High
1926 – Polished Pebbles
1927 – The Purple Peacock: Musical Revue
1927 – The Poor Nut
1928 – The Thirteenth Chair
1929 – Two Girls Wanted
1930 – The Grand Cham’s Diamond; The Thread O’ Scarlet
1931 – Between the Soup and the Savory
1931 – Rory Aforesaid
1931 – The Monkey’s Paw
1931 – A Marriage Has Been Arranged
1931 – Marriage ala Mood
1932 – The Perfect Alibi
1932 – A Night at the Inn
1932 – Five Birds in a Cage
1932 – The Pot Boiler
1957 – The Red Mill
1958 – Brigadoon
1958 – Yes and No
1959 – The Curious Savage
1959 – Annie Get Your Gun
1960 – Showboat
1961 – Oklahoma
1962 – One Act Plays: Hello Out There; Three on a Bench
1962 – South Pacific
1963 – Christmas Collage
1963 – Bye Bye Birdie
1963 – Take Me Along
1964 – Fiorello!
1965 – 110 in the Shade
1965 – She Loves Me
1965 – My Fair Lady
1966 – The Fantasticks
1967 – Funny Girl
1967 – The Sound of Music
1968 – The Teahouse of the August Moon
1969 – Brigadoon
1969 – You Can’t Take It With You
1970 – The Detective Story
1970 – Our Town
1971 – Dark of the Moon
1971 – The Skin of Our Teeth
1971 – Kismet
1971 – Solid Gold Cadillac
1972 – The Three Sillies
1972 – Winnie the Pooh
1972 – Plaza Suite
1973 – Arsenic and Old Lace
1973 – The Crucible
1974 – A Phoenix Too Frequent
1974 – Antigone
1974 – Dracula Baby
1974 – Cactus Flower
1975 – Tea and Sympathy
1976 – Come Blow Your Horn
1976 – Sabrina Fair
1978 – Diary of Anne Frank
1978 – The Teahouse of the August Moon
1979 – Blithe Spirit
1979 – Bus Stop
1980 – Under Milk Wood
1981 – Carousel
1981 – You Can’t Take it With You
1982 – The Ballad of the Sad Café
1982 – Everyman
1982 – The Second Shepherd’s Play
1983 – Barefoot in the Park
1983 – A Streetcar Named Desire
1984 – The Man Who Came to Dinner
1984 – The Fantasticks
1985 – Harvey
1985 – The Good Doctor
1986 – A Thurber Carnival
1986 – Medea
1987 – Prisoner of Second Avenue
1987 – The Wizard of Oz
1988 – The Dining Room
1989 – Death of a Salesman
1990 – Centuries of Comedy
1990 – Steel Magnolias
1991 – Hansel & Gretel [Theatre Workshop]
1991 – Dracula
1991 – Godspell
1992 – Cinderella
1992 – A Child’s (Fractured)
Thanksgiving
1992 – A Doll’s House
1992 – Our Town
1993 – Forest Friendships
1993 – Pippin
1993 – Plaza Suite
1994 – Lend Me A Tenor
1994 – Story Theatre
1994 – Little Nell
1995 – Little Mary Sunshine
1995 – The Coins of Lin Foo
1995 – Crimes of the Heart
1996 – A Christmas Carol
2000 – Harvey
2000 – Holiday Flare
2001 – The Miss Firecracker Contest
2001 – Murder on Center Stage
2002 – Bell, Book and Candle
2002 – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
2002 – You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
2003 – A Cautionary Tale of Tolerance
2003 – Deathtrap
2003 – The Streets of New York
2003 – The Boys Next Door
2004 – The Vagina Monologues
2004 – The Murder Room
2004 – The Importance of Being Earnest
2005 – Once On This Island
1996 – Agnes of God
1996 – Dancing at Lughnasa
1996 – Of Mice and Men
1996 – A Christmas Carol
1997 – The Wiz - The Wizard of Oz
1997 – A Christmas Carol
1998 – Snow White and the 7, 8, or 9 Dwarfs
1998 – Man of La Mancha
1998 – Blithe Spirit
1998 – A Holiday Dream
1999 – The House of Blue Leaves
1999 – I Hate Hamlet
1999 – Winter’s Rule
2000 – A 1940s Radio Swing Dance
2009 – Scrooge
2010 – Let the Eagle Fly
2010 – The Good Doctor
2011 – IVCC Play Festival
2011 – Haunted Halloween
2012 – Improv with Kim Howard Johnson
2012 – Nickel and Dimed
2012 – The Snow Queen
2013 – Xanadu
2014 – Gypsy
2014 – Dames at Sea
2014 – Spooky Tales: Shaken and Heard II
2014 – Grunella, the Story Stealer
2014 – Most Wonderful Time of the Year
2015 – Legacy: A Love Story in the Shadow of Lincoln
2015 – Sugar Babies
2015 – Playing the Palace
2015 – Tales of Terror: Spooky Tales Shaken and Heard
2015 – Ruthless! The Musical
2015 – The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
2016 – Young Frankenstein
2016 – Terror in the Aisles
2016 – Directors Showcase
2016 – Jingle All the Way
2017 – Sweet Charity
2017 – Terror in the Aisles
2017 – Jingle All the Way
2018 – Disaster!
2018 – Something Wicked This Way Comes
2018 – Jingle All the Way
2019 – Mamma Mia
2019 – Broadway Backwards
2005 – Shakespeare’s Girls Gone Crazy
2005 – Victorian Holiday at Reddick Mansion
2005 – Victorian Holiday at Hegeler Carus Mansion
2006 – School House Rock
2007 – Cabaret
2007 – Dracula Baby
2007 – Holiday Music Through the Ages
2008 – Bat Boy
2009 – Camelot
2009 – Halloween Improv Show
2019 – Witches & Warlocks of Westclox
2019 – Elf: the Musical
2019 – Jingle All the Way
2020 – Legally Blonde
2020 – Cool Yule
2021 – Hooray for Hollywood
2021 – Steppin’ Out
2021 – Grunella the Story Stealer
2022 – Broadway Backwards
2022 – Mame!
2023 – The Prom
2023 – Terror in the Aisles
2023 – Jingle All the Way
2024 – Tootsie
IVCC memories are precious to the Brolley family
Returning alums keep polishing Fran and Vince Brolley’s collection of “Dad stories” to a new luster at every formal reunion or casual chat.
One recurring tale recalls a November day in 1963 when a commotion in the LPO Junior College hallway pulled instructor Ray Brolley out of his English classroom. He encountered a frantic student and what he heard rattled him: The President had been assassinated.
A stunned Brolley returned to his classroom.
“He just stared at his students. They stared back at him. Nobody spoke,” Vince recited the story.
“That was the only time I ever saw my dad cry, watching the funeral,” Fran recalled.
Through the years, students and their instructors have faced many such pivotal moments – from worldshattering global crises to a rehash of Friday’s football game – together. Those collective memories are dividends the Brolley children savor.
“They remind us of the impact our dad had on them – how, through him, they learned to love reading and love English and love words,” Fran said.
“How much he cared,” added Vince.
“His favorite time was on the temporary campus,” Vince said.
“The atmosphere was crackling with excitement and shared sacrifice. He loved getting together with his colleagues at lunch in the Student Union building.”
Now, as an IVCC instructor, Vince teaches psychology to teenagers at high school extension sites and adults slipping in evening classes after a day of parenting or work. He hears how he inspires, as his father did.
“They are the moments that really mean something. Or when you hear, ‘This is my first college class, and I’m glad I had it with you.’”
The stories Fran heard as public relations director and IVCC Foundation Director reminded him “how this college gave them so much more than they can ever give back,” he said.
The donors he met showed Fran the impact LPO and IVCC have had on the lives of its students.
“Throughout their careers, they appreciated what LPO-IVCC had done,” Fran said, adding that the reactions of students whose lives were changed by scholarships were even more powerful, he said.
As the only Brolley who didn’t attend IVCC – nothing could pull him away from the University of Notre Dame that he’d dreamed of attending since he could pronounce the name – Vince came back on weekends to reconnect with high school classmates still attending IVCC and indulge his passion for local sports.
He noticed intense sports rivalries in the Illinois Valley melted away on the college campus.
“As soon as people got here, it was all gone. Everybody got along. This was
a really happy place. You can see it in the yearbooks,” Vince said.
Football was “a big deal” on campus when Fran attended.
“The players hung out in the cafeteria and were pretty cool. Everybody looked up to them. We went to games, saw them socially, and became friends,” Fran said.
IVCC also was home to cultural events like concerts and an Arts & Letters series. Mostly, Fran remembers the feeling of freedom in the air.
“It was shocking to go from high school where it was pretty disciplined to free discourse where there were no taboos or boundaries,” he said.
IVCC prepared the Brolley family well for universities and careers, Fran said.
“The people who leave here are so ready for classes at the universities,” he said. “You can get an even better education here because it’s so much more personal. Vince knows his students by name the first week. He knows their stories.”
IVCC helped instructor LeeAnn Johnson find her wings and soar
Long before IVCC became the home of the Eagles, it was home to a very special owl.
Charlie arrived as an orphaned owlet and stayed to teach area students and adults about raptors and wildlife. She tore biology instructor Lou Borio from his microscopes, turned him into a raptor rehabilitation specialist, and trained LeeAnn (Mertel) Johnson to be Borio’s successor.
“Caring for raptors was my job as a student worker,” Johnson said. “I loved helping them recover from injuries and seeing them up close and how they reacted with each other.”
And she loved releasing healthy birds back into the wild. As many as 1,000 and counting, from owls to bald eagles, have gone through the program she inherited. It seems IVCC’s popular jingle that begins “No place so close” can apply to birds, too.
“I feel we’ve done a great deal to keep the raptor population stable. There are so few rehabbers in this area, and without us, I don’t know that many people would have been willing to drive a distance to find another program,” she said.
IVCC is also the place that helped Johnson find her own wings and soar. It offered her a good place to start, room to mature, and a way to save money for the rest of her college. Besides, she wasn’t ready to trade her small town and small school for a big university.
“It helped me tremendously to be able to come here and have small classes where I felt comfortable talking to instructors,” she said.
Borio’s mentorship continued after Johnson left campus, supplying more than raptor lore and science formulas. He influenced her own teaching style. Because of him, “I love science and teaching it, being able to explain the
material to students. And he taught me not to focus on individual grades but to learn the subject matter and be passionate about it,” she said.
Then, in 1992, IVCC changed Johnson’s life once more when she received a phone call that IVCC was looking for a biology lab instructor. Johnson got the job.
“The lab setting was love at first sight,” she said.
Johnson began to understand how her mother must have felt as she left for work each day to teach IVCC’s
dental assisting program in the 1970s.
“She thought she was going somewhere special,” her daughter remembers.
IVCC has played a significant role in Johnson’s life – and in the lives of her loved ones.
Johnson and her husband and two children are all IVCC graduates.
“We all fall back on IVCC; it’s the
Johnson page 29
The Novak family’s long LPO and IVCC legacy
For generations, the Novak family has attended and supported IVCC predecessor La Salle-Peru-Oglesby (LPO) Junior College and IVCC.
Bill Novak and Bernadine Duffy met at LPO and were crowned homecoming king and queen. Their daughters, Dr. Kim Novak and Dr. Holly Novak, attended the newly minted Illinois Valley Community College as the Oglesby campus sprouted from the cornfields.
Then Kim’s daughter, Caitlin Rinker, attended IVCC. And even when the family was no longer enrolled in classes, they set up a scholarship to help other students.
Bill Novak, a strategic thinker and a practical man, had been the first in his family to go to college. His daughters were bright, their potential unlimited, and they would be right at home at IVCC, he reasoned.
“I had a great time at IVCC. It was a huge amount of fun,” Kim said.
She joined the band, helped start a chemistry club that hosted a magic show featuring faculty, and hung out in the biology lab with other “lab rats.”
“You had more fun than I did,” said Holly, her younger sister. “I worked to earn every credit I could. I don’t have any fun stories.”
They both made new friends from all over the county, creating ties that remain strong to this day, and endured temporary classrooms that were “freezing cold in winter and boiling hot in the summer,” Holly recalled.
Staying home an extra two years meant both girls could keep their jobs with a local veterinarian and sample an area rich in medical expertise, a field both girls aspired to, Kim said. She became one of the youngest veterinarians in the state and took over that veterinary practice. Holly became a renowned cardiac surgeon. Caitlin joined her mother’s practice.
Bernadine’s science-minded daughters were “a puzzle” to their fashionable, social parent, but she was proud of how they’d worked and saved and agreed to supplement some expenses, Holly said.
A generation later, Caitlin was active in Student Government.
“We had an office where we could
hang out and feel special. We met people from other community colleges – it was something different to do that wasn’t medical,” Caitlin said.
Like her mother, she was drawn to the science lab to study and hang out.
Tracy Morris credits IVCC with shaping her life
IVCC is too big in Tracy Morris’ s life to fit into one story. It’s been a constant thread throughout her life – and in the lives of her mother, grandmother, siblings, children, and father-in-law. At IVCC, she’s been an observer, a graduate, an employee, and now serves as College President.
“I love my story, because it’s not just about me. I hear pieces of it across the district, from people who come up to me and want to share how the College touched their lives,” she said.
She’s quick to tell students she is an IVCC graduate.
“I think it’s important. It shows you can do anything. We are a springboard for whatever you want to do – be a nurse, a lawyer, or President of the College. It’s important for you to see someone like you in a position of leadership,” Morris said.
Morris understands that shared experiences knit us together.
“It’s so important not to take for granted what’s in your backyard. People who come here have positive experiences. They remember teachers or courses they liked. We’ve got to tell that story because someone out there doesn’t know it and won’t know to come here,” she said.
IVCC supports the Illinois Valley in bad times – and also during good times. Morris was working at the College when factory closures in the 2000s idled hundreds of workers –including her stepfather.
“I knew a lot of the men and women who came in for training and GED programs after losing jobs they’d had their entire career. I really came to understand a community college’s role in bridging that gap,” she said.
Morris traces her first memory of IVCC to watching her mother’s nurse pinning ceremony when she was about 5 years old.
“My mom looked really pretty. I didn’t
realize then how much hard work she put in to get there. She was a single mom with three children under 8 who’d study in the closet with a flashlight so she didn’t wake us,” Morris said.
Family circumstances improved, and the now-blended family celebrated other graduation ceremonies. Her siblings studied truck driver
training, criminal justice, or art. Her stepfather brushed up his skills. Her grandmother got a nursing degree. Her toddler was enrolled in campus childcare years before she took dual-credit courses as a high school student.
Around every corner was a new story. Even a 2004 Gold Dust Bowl reunion led to new insight into her father-inlaw. Morris said statistics don’t tell the whole story of all the amazing things Rollie Morris accomplished.
“It was amazing to go to this reunion and learn all we didn’t know,” she said.
The room crackled with energy.
“Fifty years later (after the legendary football match), they were talking like best friends who’d never left. The coach had saved articles about his players even after their college careers ended. They were his athletes, and he cared,” Morris said.
That’s also a constant theme underlying many IVCC students’
The Tunnells have shaped generations of minds at IVCC
Tom Tunnell still grumbles about his college statistics instructor’s grading scale. The complaint hasn’t changed, but the perspective has now that he occupies the instructor’s office in the math department – his dad’s office.
Tom taught for a year with Delmar Tunnell before his father retired in 2000. Delmar had one tip to pass down to his son.
“Dad didn’t give me advice, teachingwise, but he told me who to hang out with,” Tom said.
The colleagues who welcomed him on board are still some of Tom’s best friends.
“Delmar had the worst jokes to tell during class,” remembers daughter-inlaw Tracy (Hughett).
“I always thought the students kinda liked them,” Delmar said.
Tom regrets his attempts at humor don’t live up to his dad’s.
“I had a great time teaching here – I wouldn’t change it for anything,” said Delmar, who taught computer courses and math.
He felt surrounded by friends and recalls how faculty and staff enjoyed picnics, bridge-playing groups, and other social activities.
“They were a good bunch, and many became lifelong friends,” he said.
And the area was a great place to raise a family, he added.
When Delmar arrived at IVCC in the 1970s to teach computer courses, he found a half-completed campus and a fresh new office. Classes and personnel were still split between the temporary campus and the permanent one, and there was an electric charge of excitement in the air, he said.
Community colleges were great places for technical education because their instructors were pulled
from industry. IVCC became one of the first community colleges to offer a technical degree in computing, Delmar said.
“Universities didn’t offer technical degrees, so if you were looking to go into the workforce, you came here where those classes, like computers or auto mechanics, were available. You could look at getting good jobs in those fields reasonably soon,” Delmar said.
The College continues to draw on the community’s professional expertise to expand educational opportunities.
Tracy, a bank loan officer, enjoyed teaching mini-courses for first-time home buyers.
“Helping people buy their first home is very emotional,” Tracy said.
Delmar taught students on equipment that a mere cell phone would easily outpace today.
“We got one of the first personal computers, and I still remember the college president at the time looking at it and saying it would never catch on,” he chuckled. “Things changed so often, you had to keep re-educating and re-inventing yourself.”
As children, Tom and his brother played video games in the campus game room while their dad taught summer school. As he grew older, Tom began to appreciate other qualities of community colleges.
See Tunnells page 29
Morris
experiences – even its President. She said she was blessed with academic mentors who prodded and guided, and professional mentors who coached and encouraged.
Gil Meyer’s psychology classes ignited a spark under an indifferent student who was good at test-taking but uncommitted to the present or future.
“I was excited to go to class and learn more,” she said.
English instructor Ed Krolak never let her get away with “I don’t know” as an answer, and sociology instructor Harold Bauswell called attention to her “tendency not to attend regularly.”
Tunnells
“I was mortified, and I never missed again. He made me accountable, and I wasn’t prepared for that,” she remembered.
She would find a way to use everything she learned at each step in her career to help students.
“My story has really helped make me a more accessible and better leader,” she said.
The next page finally brought her back to the job of her dreams.
“Where else can you get SnoCones and cotton candy for lunch or read poetry or play bags or watch a play or come to work on Friday wearing tennis shoes and jeans –and impact generations of students?” she said.
“You have more personal relationships at a community college. There were instructors willing to help, and I never felt as comfortable asking questions at the universities I attended. And faculty and students see each other around the community,” Tom said.
Tom and Tracy carried a lot of IVCC with them when they moved on to university. Like many students before and
Johnson
FROM PAGE 25
FROM PAGE 28 place where we all got our start,” she said.
Over the years, Johnson has become known for her work with birds, but she cares for the people on campus, too. She’s proud of the firstresponder medical first–aid team she helped develop so people on campus “have that immediate help when they need it.”
She treasures having the opportunity to connect with her students. Her great uncle, Dick Puetz (a long-time biology teacher), showed her how important humor is in the classroom.
“He used it, and so do I. We can’t have students think this is all so serious. This is meant to be fun,” she said.
In Johnson’s lab, passing years bring new technology – sophisticated microscopes that allow images to be projected on a screen and
since, they finished general education requirements at IVCC so they could concentrate on major courses at their universities. Tom roomed with several IVCC classmates. A bunch of Tracy’s friends transferred to the same university, which made that transition easier, she said.
Reflecting on his career, Tom said, “It’s strange being in the institution I attended, but teaching at a community college is one of the best jobs around.”
“I agree,” Delmar said.
software that supplies virtual cadavers for dissection. But Johnson is glad to see that, despite the changing times, IVCC still values the personal aspect of education that made such a difference in her own life.
“I see small groups of students, not in a large lecture hall where I lose the ability to form relationships with them,” she said.
Former students are always checking in to catch up. That relationship never ends, she said.
Neither does her relationship with softball, a game she excelled in at IVCC and that she still enjoys through a community women’s league. She credits athletics with teaching her a lot about organization, time management, and working with others.
“The weather usually stinks at that time of year,” she said, but out of those crazy seasons grew lifelong friendships. “Success is not just about the number of wins.”
FROM PAGE 27
“It was a warm environment to learn in,” she said.
Her time there paid off.
“I was way ahead of the game compared to my university classmates. IVCC instructors had so much time to work things through with you. They invested in you,” she said.
As a Peer Tutor, she encountered an array of students and strengthened skills she still uses.
“I tried to figure out how to explain things in different ways. That’s a big part of my job now,” she said.
Both Kim and Holly value what they learned at IVCC and the many people who helped them along the way.
IVCC had prepared them for university academic life, but new challenges awaited them. Men still outnumbered women in medical programs, so women came prepared and determined to succeed. Some classmates sneered at their community college background, but Holly’s finely tuned study habits were envied, as was the way their family had sidestepped crushing student debt.
Family support lifted them to new heights, Holly and Kim acknowledge. Even their maternal grandfather who never reached eighth grade pitched in to ferry his college student granddaughters to class.
To pay it forward, they wanted to create a scholarship for families who lack that crucial support.
“It’s important that you help the future and open some doors for others,” Kim said.
MARTY CHIROPRACTIC
Bottom photo: First Row—John Ciesielski, Franklyn Campbell, Captain Darrel Morris, Burnelle Massatt, Jim Loos, Bob Sonnenberg, Coach John Strell, Roy Aaron, and Manager Frank Vlastnik, Jr. Second Row—Joe Salisbury, Bob Gerding, Charles Martin, Ernest Marty, Manager Dick Samlin, Richard Ristau, August Liesse, and Manager William Vlastnik
1948-1949 IVCC Men’s Basketball Team
Top photo: Front Row (L-R) Laura Harp, Donna Saville, Rhonda Marty, Jean Keenan, Val Whitler, Tammy Bima. Back Row (L-R) Assistant Coach Goodwin, Diane Freeman, Tammy Girard, Melissa Lorenzi, Laura Anderson, Wendy Lamboley, Mary Freeman, Coach Oseland.
100th Birthday Celebration
By Peggy Schneider
Two-year colleges make lasting impressions on generations, as David Kuester realized during class introductions one semester.
One of his new students informed Kuester that her parents met in his theater class at Illinois Valley Community College more than 20 years earlier. And now, here she was, taking the same class.
In 26 years teaching at IVCC, Kuester found a place to thrive –on stage and in the classroom. As he told an audience at the College’s 100th Birthday Celebration on Thursday, April 25th: “Theater is based on people working together for one wonderful, artistic outcome. IVCC is all of that, does all of that. Our collaboration is all the talented people who focus on creating wonderful opportunities and the best possible future for our students.”
The night’s speakers encountered IVCC in different ways and at different times in their lives – and sometimes often.
“IVCC changed my life so many times,” said College President Dr. Tracy Morris.
As a child, Morris was awed watching her mother graduate from the nursing program. She attended college here, worked here, and nine months ago she was chosen to lead as President.
Like many in the community, Jill Wohrley’s introduction came through three daughters who participated in science summer camps and academic competitions. When they eventually enrolled in
high school dual-credit programs, the classroom topics of the day stimulated plenty of dinner-table conversations at home, Wohrley, who now works in the College’s Financial Aid Office, recalled.
“My favorite part is advising and teaching students and families about financial aid opportunities. We’re all working to provide the best experience possible for anyone who walks into our college,” Wohrley said.
As a child, Lostant Grade School Principal Courtney Klobucher was impressed by the couches where students spent breaks.
“I’m pretty sure that was when I decided I was going to IVCC,” she joked.
On visits to her aunt on campus, Klobucher peeked into classrooms and labs and “dreamed about what I wanted to be when I grew up.”
Klobucher also was impressed by her aunt’s passion for nursing and teaching and her impact on students and the community.
“IVCC’s core values get passed from generation to generation. Now, this fall, my son will walk through the doors that I walked through, and my mother and my aunt. It was here that I built my foundation to who I’ve become today,” she said.
Attending IVCC became a tradition in the Urban family, said Jill UrbanBollis, the youngest of 10. Her three sons continued the family tradition when they were enrolled in the childcare center as toddlers.
“IVCC took me far and brought
me back close and has opened so many doors for me and my family,” said Urban-Bollis, who joined the faculty 26 years ago.
“I still admire those tiny flowers that bloom around the building each spring, and I get to see my students blossom each semester. There’s no better joy than seeing them complete their goals and reach their potential. I can’t wait to see where we go next.”
Dr. Rose Marie Lynch’s admittedly “unofficial and undocumented” history romp drew chuckles from the audience as she sprinted down Memory Lane past Shippingsport Bridge delays and fitness endurance tests presented by distant parking lots. She recapped the College’s nicknames, from “Plywood Tech” to “Euchre U” to “Harvard on the Hill.”
She urged the audience to “recognize other participants in these footnotes and legends who make their own unique contributions to the College’s rich history.”
State Senator Tom Bennett presented a commemorative Certificate of Celebration for the event. Dr. Morris shared short-term and long-term improvements and announced other centennial-related activities such as an IVCC theme night at the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp game next month, a re-imagined IVCC Hall of Fame, the unveiling of a history mural, and scheduling of a euchre tournament. The centennial celebration wraps with a gala in Spring 2025. The full video of the event, as well as a link to photos, can be found at www.ivcc.edu/100.
“Fun” History Presentation : History That Is Not In The Books
By Dr. Rose Marie Lynch
I think I was invited to participate in this celebration of IVCC’s 100th anniversary because I lived a lot of it. But, despite what you might think, I was not here when LPO was founded. However, you have probably heard that old phrase about someone being older than dirt? Technically, I am older than IVCC’s dirt, since buildings A, B, and C of this campus were muddy holes in the ground when I arrived in 1970, which means I’ve been around for about half of the college’s history.
So Dr. Morris asked me to present a “fun” history of the college, which I interpreted to mean “history not in the books.” So here’s a few footnotes that are not part of the official documentation, some I witnessed, some I heard from people who were old-timers to me when I got here, and some from LPO college newspapers dating back to 1933.
When I arrived here, LaSalle-PeruOglesby Junior College had just become Illinois Valley Community College, and the location had moved from the high school to 12 temporary buildings on this campus. Those buildings were to the east where Automotive Technology and Welding are now.
So my first couple of years at IVCC were in those buildings, accurately depicted in one of the college’s pet names -- Plywood Tech. Classrooms had thin walls and faculty offices were cubicles – no walls or a door. And many of us shared offices. When fellow English instructor Ed Krolak entered our cubicle, I had to stand up and move my chair so he could get in. So you can imagine how incredible a real, modern-looking and airconditioned building, with real offices was to us as the buildings we are in
today began to open 50 years ago.
One building on the temporary campus, which housed a student union and a faculty lounge, was very popular. This was the late 1960s and early 1970s so often there was a haze of smoke throughout that building, with a rather peculiar, slightly sweet and very identifiable odor. It surprised me that some faculty did not recognize it or at least claimed not to.
Cards were very popular then. Instead of cell phones, students carried a deck of cards, which led to another pet name for that campus, Euchre U. On the day I came to interview, classes weren’t meeting, but a group of faculty were in the faculty room playing bridge.
However, before you form an inaccurate impression of LPO and IVCC, let me note that another pet name for the college was Harvard on the Hill, which more accurately described the goals of the college founders who set the requirements and standards of LPO to match those of the University of Illinois. An introductory course required of all freshmen was modeled after introductory courses at Columbia, Dartmouth and Princeton. So as you see, IVCC inherited a long and distinguished academic reputation.
And likely as a result of that academic history, converting from a junior college to a comprehensive community college meant an expansion in focus – and not entirely welcomed by everyone. For example, while LPO had offered career courses in nursing and teaching, at IVCC, career programs exploded. In those early days, some people indicated their bias by referring to these programs which were not designed for transfer as “terminal.”
In another change as the college moved from the high school to this campus across the river, there was one sure-fire excuse for being late to class, especially if you were from LaSalle or north: the Shippingsport Bridge was up. Shippingsport was a lift bridge on highway 351 connecting LaSalle and Oglesby, and the center of it had to be raised to allow the frequent river barges to pass. That bridge was replaced in the late 1990s. In the early days, local cities also ran buses to campus. That had started when LPO was located at the high school. Remember, few students had cars back then.
As the college district grew, students had to travel from greater distances. For a period of time, stories about IVCC not cancelling for bad weather were legendary. When radio announcers were reading the list of school closings the standard phrase was, “Of course, IVCC is not closed.” On those days, I remember colleagues saying, only part joking, that students from Streator and Serena were in class, but many from LaSalle, Peru and Oglesby were not.
And related to driving to the campus, I’m certain that you are aware of IVCCs fairly recent extension site in Ottawa. Ottawa graduates had attended LPO, so as the state community college system developed, quite a controversy emerged because many Ottawa citizens wanted a college located there, but that is part of the official history.
There is, however, another location where IVCC offered a range of courses for nearly 40 years. That site did not generate as much interest since the classes there were not open to the public. The location was the Sheridan Correctional Center, a medium
security prison in the college district. I was one of several instructors who taught the adult male felons there. Incidentally, there weren’t any guards in our classrooms, and the classroom door was locked.
The interesting side note on Sheridan was the widely-recognized observation that the inmates were generally much more respectful and courteous to female instructors than to male instructors. For example: There was one bathroom in the classroom, so I typically used it before my inmate students arrived. On one particularly windy day, as the students were entering the class, I remarked about the wind and noted that I’d stepped into the bathroom to comb my hair but there wasn’t a mirror in there. The next week, there was a mirror in that bathroom, and I didn’t ask any questions.
In a later semester at Sheridan, I missed one week because I took a bad fall working in my yard and injured my back. When I returned to Sheridan the next week, my students were miffed at me – asking why I didn’t show up the previous week. They had only been told I didn’t arrive. As I explained that I’d been in the hospital one of them noticed the metal brace just visible at the neck of my shirt. They apologized and then were angry they hadn’t been told. Later in class, when I dropped a pencil, three of them in the front row jumped up to retrieve it.
Moving on to another area that is fascinating in IVCCs history: the college’s athletic programs. LPO teams date back to basketball in 1928 and football in 1930. Teams have had great successes in state and national competitions and scores of talented players have received university scholarships, but there have also been disappointments, some controversy, and some teams with a great season followed by one with no team at all because of too few players.
Early LPO teams were called the Purple and White or Purple Raiders. Purple and white were used as LPO
100TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
colors apparently because they were related to being first class and to royalty. In 1947, the mascot name of Apaches was adopted. Legend has it that the LPO lettermen, watching cowboy and Indian movies, wanted to be identified with fierce fighters. They liked both Comanches and Apaches, neither of which had lived in the Illinois Valley, but Comanches, a longer name, would have been more expensive to print on jerseys, so that name was rejected probably by some school administrator looking at the budget. A student body vote then picked Apaches over other options including the earlier name of Purple Raiders. And as you know, in 2001 the controversy over use of Indian names led IVCC to replace the Apache with Eagles.
In the early 1970s, as IVCC’s permanent campus was beginning to take shape, there was, as I mentioned earlier, excitement and anticipation about moving into a new and modern facility. However, atmosphere and culture started to change for students and staff. For a couple of years, faculty and students were split between the new campus and the old one. And on the new campus there wasn’t any planned space for a student center or a faculty lounge, making it difficult for us to gather as we had in the past, and that led to some grumbling. But a culture shift was also occurring. In the transition to a community college, IVCC attracted a broader, more diverse student population, older, more of them part time, and more career-focused. That had an impact on social interaction and on participation in student activities. Activities that were more successful in the future were generally the ones that were career-focused.
Another issue on the new campus that led to grumbling was the distance of the parking lots from the new buildings and especially in winter. The grumbling was interesting given IVCC’s physical education history. LPO junior college had shared LP high school’s facilities. With the move across the river, IVCC was in temporary buildings and did not have
a gymnasium. PE courses at that time were required in most programs so finding places for activities was a challenge. It was common knowledge that one PE instructor had his students walking around the parking lots on the old campus. And walking the lots was quite a joke because that was before the mantra emerged of 10,000 steps as the secret to good health. The grumbling quieted some after the Community Technology Center and its nearby parking lots were completed.
As the new community college was settling in on this permanent campus, technology was exploding, and IVCC was at the forefront and continuing to live up to its reputation for leadership and excellence. For a number of years, our students reported that computer labs at IVCC were more technologically advanced than labs at their transfer universities. And we had computers in our offices earlier than faculty at many community colleges and even universities. Surprisingly, English faculty here were among the earliest to have computers because we had adopted a word processing program for our classes – in the pre-Windows days. It was a standing joke that the computer labs used by English classes had claw marks on the doorways made by some of the English faculty who were dragged into those labs kicking and screaming.
So, as we observe this 100th anniversary and work to prepare for future challenges, let us celebrate not just our founders, community leaders, and educators with their lofty goals and commitment to higher education who helped make IVCC what it is today. Let us also recognize the many other people who are part of these footnotes and legends, with their foibles and failings, who made their own unique contributions to the college’s rich history.
Here’s to an even greater and yet fun future.
Commencement
More than 500 degrees or certificates were awarded to Illinois Valley Community College graduates this spring, and over 200 were presented in person during the college’s 58th annual commencement ceremony. More than 70 students earned multiple degrees or certificates. PHOTOGRAPHY BY
More than 400 Illinois Valley Community College students earned 536 degrees or certificates this spring. Some 200 of them, cheered by families who packed the IVCC Gym, participated in the 58th annual commencement on May 18. In all, 74 of those students earned multiple degrees or certificates. In honor of the 100th year, graduates had the option for a purple or a black gown.
Keynote speaker and IVCC Alumnus Kim “Howard” Johnson urged graduates not to be daunted in pursuing their dreams.
“Do something that frightens
you. Follow the fear. I’m talking about making choices in our everyday lives that seem daunting, or asking for something that might result in a ‘no’ rather than a ‘yes.’
Everything you think is a risk is really just an opportunity to move your life forward, taking a chance that you could be rewarded in ways you never imagined,” Johnson said.
JH STUDIO
Pinning Ceremony
Forty-two graduates of Illinois Valley Community College’s associate degree nursing program were pinned in a ceremony on May 18 in the Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre.
The time-honored tradition signifying the end of the registered nurse’s academic rigor and advancement into nursing takes place before the IVCC commencement. Each graduate receives a pin.
The 2024 class of IVCC registered nursing students celebrated completing their program recently by accepting their pins of honor, lighting candles and reciting a nursing pledge. Forty-two students received associate degrees this spring. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JH STUDIO
Passing the Torch
The tradition of the investiture is designed to provide a symbolic recognition of the transition for a new President. It gives us the opportunity to honor the great history of IVCC and allows our new President the time to introduce her vision for the future as we celebrate together as a community. The investiture of a President is a significant event in the life of a college, and as IVCC enters into its 100th year, this is the opportune time to celebrate our history and look ahead to our future. LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College, founded in 1924, has been guided by eleven Directors and Presidents, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the history of IVCC. This ceremony celebrated their legacy and the legacy of the College over the past 100 years.
The Investiture ceremony included the following individuals and groups:
• Military Veterans of the Oglesby American Legion Post 237, who presented the colors, and IVCC alumnus Matt Valle, who sang our National Anthem.
• Former Presidents Dr. Jean Goodnow, Dr. Larry Huffman, Dr. Charles Novak, and Dr. Dave Lewis.
• Speakers included Dr. Robert P. Marshall, Dr. Jean Goodnow, Kira Pfeffinger, Lori Cinotte, Mark Grzybowski, Kathy Ross, Student Trustee Elizabeth Boyles, and Joliet Junior College President Dr. Clyne Namuo.
• A musical selection featuring Brandon Czubachowski, Megan Olson, John Armstrong, Andrew Jacobi, and Mary Estelle.
• The event closed with the presentation of the Presidential Medallion and remarks from President Morris.
You
DR. TRACY MORRIS
as the eleventh President of Illinois Valley Community College
Investiture Ceremony 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 21
IVCC’s Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre
Community Celebration and Reception to follow in CTC 124-125 RSVP at ivcc.edu/investiture
IVCC’s Next Chapter
As we continue to celebrate 100 years, IVCC is always looking ahead to the future. The College is undergoing strategic planning and facility master planning – looking ahead to what the future looks like for our College and community. Over the past ten years, we expanded our campus with the Peter Miller Community Technology Center and have enhanced facilities, including the East Campus J-Buildings, the Dental Assisting/Dental Hygiene labs, Student Life space, Café, and lighting for our Truck Driver Training program and parking lots.
The next expansion will break ground in 2024 with the Phase Two addition of our Agricultural Education Center. Phase One, completed in 2020, brought the new building to store our state-of-the-art equipment and served as the first cornerstone of our complex. Phase Two will bring the classrooms and lab closer to our field and include lab space, classroom and meeting spaces, student collaboration space, and an innovation lab. Made possible by a $3.5 million U.S. Department of Economic Development Administration grant, the facility will allow IVCC to train and upskill agricultural workers in the development of sustainable practices and utilizing technology in the field of agriculture. Stay tuned for further updates at www.ivcc.edu.
As part of our 100th celebration, the IVCC Foundation supported commissioning a mural to commemorate our past and future. Westclox Studios of Mendota, led by artist Ray Paseka, created the 10-foot-high by 20-foot-wide mural, which now is proudly displayed on the entrance to Building C. Two IVCC alumni, Morgan Phillips and Emily Maze, helped to develop this beautiful artwork. Paseka’s words ring true not only for this artwork but for the future of the College when he said, “Brilliant ideas from the past affect today, and ideas today owe the past.”
As we look forward to the next 100 years, we are so excited to continue to serve our community and thank you for your support of LPO and IVCC. Community colleges change lives, and we are proud of the work we do with you to grow and enhance our communities. Thank you for believing in us, supporting us, and celebrating with us!
Tracy Morris
President, Illinois Valley Community College Class of 1991
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
PRELIMINARY RENDERINGS COURTESY
OF DEMONICA KEMPER ARCHITECTS (DKA) AND CHAMLIN & ASSOCIATES, INC.
