SATIRIC SWEETS
After completing his business degree, Jordan Zweigoron ’87 headed to a Silicon Valley career that ended with his decision to reinvent the corner doughnut shop. In 2009 he opened Psycho Donuts in the San Francisco Bay area. “We’re the world’s most unusual donut shop, with lines out the door and international media attention,” said Zweigoron, who has since opened a second store in San Jose. Themed as a light-hearted asylum complete with a padded cell, the business ranks among the Top 10 Donuts Coast to Coast according to Maxim Magazine. The menu, online at www.psycho-donuts.com, includes such unusual offerings as the hamburger donut.
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
International student Fatemeh Masjedi, M.S. ’05, returned to her homeland of Iran after completing a graduate degree in history at Illinois State. Determined to make a difference throughout her country, Masjedi became a campaign and women’s rights activist in Qom. She worked with the One Million Signatures Campaign, which was launched to persuade lawmakers to vote for change. She was arrested while working on the project and charged with spreading propaganda against the state. Initially sentenced to one year of prison, Masjedi has been fined $200 and given a six-month suspended imprisonment. Iran uses suspended sentences to silence critics of the government.
ONE FARMER’S FAME
Farming in Illinois is not unique, but the way agribusiness-horticulture alum Mac Condill ’99 goes about it is unusual. Condill is a nationally recognized cucurbit expert, specializing in melons, gourds, pumpkin, and squash. Continuing a family tradition of more than 150 years on 200 acres in Arthur, Condill does more than entertain tourists at his annual Great Pumpkin Patch, Homestead Bakery, and Homestead Seeds. He is often a featured guest of Martha Stewart, most recently appearing on her Hallmark Channel program last October. That same month he was invited to the decorate the White House lawn, joining President Obama’s family in handing out Halloween treats.
DRAWN TO MUSIC
An artist known for her amazing ink-on-paper drawings, Jessica Benjamin ’99 could not imagine her work would one day inspire an album cover. After completing her degree in studio art and printmaking, she relocated to Colorado and ultimately New York. There she honed her skill and showcased her work in numerous exhibits. One significant work was the American Series, which involved painting a portrait of the United States by painting composite portraits of its residents. Jazz great Wynton Marsalis used the paintings to illustrate his album From the Plantation to the Penitentiary. The two collaborated for a second album, He and She.
