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Volume 19 • Number 1 • Summer 2018
From bleak to blessed: Student rebuilds life after twice defying death
Like every young child, Tristen Sharp went through that toddler phase of incessantly asking ‘why.’ Now as a young woman, the question is one she has every reason to ponder.
The power of one: A story of mentorship
A tough hallway conversation made all the difference for Michael Thomas.
Food fight: Battle diabetes with diet
Sarah (Dran) Hallberg is a physician on a mission to reverse Type 2 diabetes. She is convinced it can be done without using medicine—read insulin—to treat what she terms “a food problem.”
Mystery money: A beginner’s lesson in cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are increasingly researched, debated, used for purchases, and considered an investment option internationally.
Inside look: University Residence
The University Residence is more than just the house where Illinois State University presidents live.
Educate Connect Elevate: Campus moving forward with new strategic plan
Educate • Connect • Elevate: Illinois State-The Strategic Plan for Illinois’ First Public University 2018-2023 articulates the University’s mission to serve citizens of Illinois and beyond.
Where are they now? Laura Berk
Illinois State was the perfect academic home for Distinguished Professor of Psychology Laura Berk.
Play and protect: Golf club gains prestigious environmental status
The Weibring Golf Club at Illinois State University has achieved designation as a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, making it one of 897 golf courses internationally to earn the designation. Endorsed by the United States Golf Association, the Audubon program for golf courses helps preserve and enhance wildlife habitat.
Redbirds end season with classroom win
Student-athletes set a new semester departmental grade point average (GPA) record of 3.24 during the spring 2018 semester. Three 2018 teams tied or beat their previous team GPA records. In addition, 295 of ISU’s 410 student-athletes were named to the AFNI Honor Roll. Every member of the women’s golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball teams earned
ISU Hall of Fame 2018 inductees chosen
Four alums will be inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Percy Hall of Fame during Homecoming. They are Tim Glover ’14, Brittany Smith ’14, Kevin Tokarski ’12, and Julie Morgan, M.S. ’94.
Turf replacement completed
Having withstood a decade of practices and game-day competition, the playing field at Hancock Stadium was replaced during the spring semester.
Heart attack on court takes former Redbird
Zeke Upshaw, who played ISU basketball from 2010 to 2013, died in March of cardiac arrest.
Working for you: Alumna Kris Harding leading Alumni Engagement
Kristin “Kris” (Meseth) Harding began as executive director in the spring following the retirement of Doris (Liefer) Groves ’81.
Alums join board
Five alumni were elected to three-year terms on the Alumni Association board of directors.
Legacy families recognized
Anyone whose sibling, parent, or grandparent attended ISU is in a legacy family.
A mother’s love: Alumna’s breast milk nourishes premature newborns
Ten thousand ounces of milk. That’s what Monique (Witkowski) Borzick ’06 provided to premature newborns as a result of pumping for 10 months following the birth of her third child.
Pause for applause: Summer 2018
Pause to applaud these alumni accomplishments.
How we met: Mike and Norma Caringello
Nothing about Mike Caringello’s Illinois State Normal University experience was anticipated.
Redbird legacy: Five sisters forge decades-long bond with ISU
Mary (Hynd) Schrock ’82 grew up in Moline with five sisters. Four of them followed her to Illinois State, creating a strong family legacy that deepened further when two of their children also chose to attend the University. Accepted at two Iowa universities, Mary ultimately decided to study in Illinois. ISU rose to the top,
A legacy of generosity
Larry and Patricia (Hunkler) Stagen were committed to education throughout their lives. Even now, when both Larry and Patricia are deceased, their legacy continues through the Hunkler-Stagen Teaching Scholarship, originally established within the College of Education in 2008.
