The annual Alumni Association Awards Program honors alumni for their outstanding accomplishments. Established in 1971 with one award, the program now recognizes the accomplishments of alumni in five categories: the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, the Alumni Achievement Award, the E. Burton Mercier Alumni Service Award, the Senator John W. Maitland Jr. Commitment to Education Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award.
The alumni will receive their awards on Feb. 17 at the Alumni Association Awards Recognition Dinner. Registration for this event is open and may be done online at www.Alumni.ilstu.edu/awardsdinner.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Laurie Metcalf ’76
Actress, International Creative Management
Valley Village, Calif.
Metcalf grew up the oldest of three children in Edwardsville. Her mother was a librarian, and her father was the comptroller for Southern Illinois University. After high school, she attended Illinois State and majored in theatre.
It was on the University’s stages as she completed an undergraduate degree that Metcalf honed her talent before going forward to become recognized as one of the most versatile and enduring actors in Hollywood.
During her collegiate years Metcalf met fellow students John Malkovich ’76, Jeff Perry ’78, and Terry Kinney ’76. Together with Gary Sinise they founded Steppenwolf Theater in 1976, initially staging productions in a church basement in Highland Park. Today Steppenwolf is one of Chicago’s most recognized theaters and consistently garners national acclaim.
Metcalf has proven to be a natural on stage and in the spotlight during her years at Steppenwolf. She has starred in more than 30 productions at the theater, including Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, My Thing of Love, The Glass Menagerie, Little Egypt and Purple Heart. Her role in Balm in Gilead—in which she delivered a 30-minute monologue—earned her the 1984 Obie award for best actress and the 1985 Theatre World award.
Metcalf is most famous for the nine years she played Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne. She captured an Emmy for best supporting actress in 1992, 1993 and 1994 for that role. Metcalf’s television success continued during the three years she appeared on the ABC sitcom Norm.
Fans have also seen her on Saturday Night Live, Grey’s Anatomy, Frasier and 3rd Rock from the Sun. Beyond television, Metcalf’s long list of film roles include Blink, Chicago Cab, Desperately Seeking Susan, JFK, Runaway Bride, Secret Life of Houses, Scream II, The Long Island Incident, Toy Story and Uncle Buck. She has appeared on Broadway as well, cast in Brighton Beach Memoirs, My Thing of Love and November, for which she received a Tony nomination.
A recipient of Illinois State’s Alumni Achievement Award in 1993, Metcalf resides in California with her husband, Matt Roth, and their three children.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Dori Byard ’96
Global Sourcing Manager, The William Wrigley Jr. Company
Evanston
Raised on a family farm in Illinois with her parents and older sister, Byard ’96 knew plenty about agriculture before she reached the University’s classrooms. Her father urged Byard to explore the opportunities of a career in agriculture, and she did just that at Illinois State.
Majoring in agricultural business and economics, she combined a rigorous curriculum with a host of extracurricular activities. In her college career she was an active member of Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honor Society, Alpha Zeta Agriculture Honors Society and Alpha Lambda Delta.
Upon graduation, Byard put the skills she acquired in the classroom to work in the field. She became a vital contributor at several companies, including Grain Merchandiser, Bulk Oil Division, Archer Daniels Midland and Kraft Foods. She gained experience with trading, sales and management oversight.
Her efficiency and responsibility in strategic sourcing of company products led to promotions, as Byard saved companies millions of dollars and consistently met sales goals. Her quick and impressive rise in the field prepared her for the challenges and opportunities in her current role as the global sourcing manager for the William Wrigley Jr. Company in Chicago.
She has effectively blended the fields of business and agriculture in this prestigious position, which has her managing the supply chain for Wrigley’s products, driving cost savings while maintaining consistent brand quality. She also seeks out the flavors, colors, coolants and menthol for the popular chewing gum and candies manufactured in 14 countries.
Alumni Achievement Award
Rose Stadel ’01
Vice President of Operations, Heritage Enterprises
Normal
Stadel, a licensed practical nurse since 1968 and a licensed nursing home administrator since 1977, majored in health education with an emphasis in community health at Illinois State. The program cemented her desire to help those around her. She put her education into practice during her 40-plus years in the health care field.
Known for giving of herself to empower others, Stadel partnered with the Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) to develop a touch therapy project for the Alzheimer’s residents at Heritage Manor-Normal, and played a critical role in the development of the Joe Warner Teaching Nursing Home Project. Named in honor of her late husband, the project was developed in collaboration with MCN and Heritage Enterprises.
Stadel also identified a need for support and resources for those who care for their aging parents in our community. She developed, and for the past five years has facilitated, a monthly support group called “Children of Aging Parents.”
Now vice president of operations with Heritage Enterprises, Stadel plays a major role in the lives of seniors. Her main responsibility is to oversee the care given to the residents and their families at the Heritage Manor nursing homes of Bloomington, Normal, El Paso and Gibson City, as well as the Adelaide Retirement Apartments and Evergreen senior living communities.
Stadel is also a certified health education specialist. She taught first aid, CPR and nonviolent crisis intervention classes to Heritage employees and the community. She worked with Illinois State students at MCN and the Department of Health Sciences. She serves on the advisory boards of Mennonite College of Nursing, the Heartland Community College Nursing Program and the Maitland/Warner Long Term Care Scholarship Board.
Stadel has been recognized for her commitment to volunteerism. She received the Donald B. Stone Outstanding Service Award from the Illinois Society for Public Health Educators, the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and was named Health Educator of the Year by the Cornbelt Health Educators’ Association. Illinois State’s Health Sciences department recognized her with an Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship in 1997, and presented a Distinguished Alumni Award to her in 2005.
E. Burton Mercier Alumni Service Award
Alan Chapman M.S. ’75, Ed.D. ’84
Retired McLean County Unit District No. 5 Teacher, Administrator and Superintendent
Normal
After graduating from Normal Community High School (NCHS), Chapman received his bachelor’s degree in social studies education in 1969 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He served honorably in the United States Army from 1970-1972, and earned his graduate degrees in educational administration at Illinois State.
Chapman devoted himself to a career in education in Unit 5. For 31 years he served the district as a teacher, coach, dean of students, assistant principal, principal and ultimately principal of NCHS for 12 years, retiring in 2002. He is a past president of the Illinois State Deans Association and served on the Illinois High School Association Board of Directors. He also coached youth soccer, softball and baseball for 16 years.
Chapman was appointed interim superintendent in December of 2003 and superintendent in August of 2004. He led the district for 3½ years. He remains a member of the Illinois State Deans Association, Illinois Principals Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, and Illinois and American Associations of School Administrators.
Chapman’s devotion to Illinois State is equally strong. He has been committed to the advancement of the University, especially the College of Education. He served on the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations Alumni Advisory Council from 1992-1997 and the college’s Capital Campaign Fundraising Advisory Committee from 2002-2004. He is currently a member of Illinois State University Community Partners and The Weisbecker Scholarship Fund. Chapman was awarded the ISU Foundation Fellowship by the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations in 1980, and was inducted into the College of Education Hall of Fame in 2004.
Chapman and his wife, Kathie (Campbell) ’69, M.S. ’97, reside in Normal. He serves on the board of directors of United Way of McLean County, Beyond the Books Educational Foundation and Normal Rotary Club of Rotary International. Chapman chaired the 2008 United Way campaign, and is a past president of the congregation and current trustee of First Christian Church, Bloomington.
John Maitland Commitment to Education Award
Walter H. Warfield ’78, Ph.D.
Scholar in Residence, University of Illinois at Springfield
Clearwater, Fla.
Warfield, Ph.D ’78, received both a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in educational administration from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and a doctorate in educational administration at Illinois State.
Warfield’s career has allowed him to work with students in Madison, Mason City, Normal, Fairfield, Mattoon, Decatur and Springfield. During the 42 years he dedicated to education, he served as a teacher, coach and principal at the middle school and high school level. He worked as a research assistant for Illinois State’s Center for the Study of Educational Finance before serving as superintendent of schools in Decatur, Mattoon and Fairfield from 1978 to 1992. Warfield was the executive director of the Illinois Association of School Administrators from 1992 to 2006 before taking his current position as scholar in residence with the College of Education and Human Services at the University of Illinois in Springfield.
Warfield has also had an active role in education. He is the author of numerous education articles, writing regularly for the Illinois School Board Journal. He served on committees at the Illinois State Board of Education in areas of teaching, financing public education and special education service delivery.
At Illinois State, he has served as president of the Illinois State Administrator’s Club in 1978, on Illinois State’s Educational Administration and Foundations Graduate Advisory Committee from 1979 to 1984, and on the Illinois State Alumni Board from 1998 to 2005. In 1995, Warfield was inducted into the College of Education Hall of Fame as a charter member.
Warfield served as national president of the Horace Mann League in 2006 and remains on the board, and as national president of the Association of State Executives in 2001. He currently serves as the executive director emeritus of the Illinois Association of School Administrators. He and his wife, Catherine, have three children, two of which are Illinois State graduates.
