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IWU Homecoming: Alumni discover new additions to school, campus
By Michele Steinbacher
msteinbacher@pantagraph.com
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BLOOMINGTON -- Charles Doxey is an Illinois Wesleyan University graduate, but he had some difficulty finding his way around the Bloomington campus. | Photo gallery

“The last time I was here, Shaw Hall was the new building. Now it’s one of the older ones,” he said Saturday, sharing amazement at the changes since his 1985 visit.

The Valparaiso, Ind., resident came then for his 25th class reunion. This weekend, he returned for the Class of 1958 golden reunion.

Doxey, his wife and some rediscovered college buddies attended an alumni luncheon, and spent the afternoon strolling through the Eckley quad and “Fall Into the Arts,” a juried art fair.

Gary Ohler of Normal, who sits on the IWU Alumni Association Executive Board, joined a crowd watching a demonstration by woodturner Jerry Rhoads of St. Joseph. “We’ve had a record turnout” for the 2008 homecoming, Ohler said.

Nearby, painter Martin Darjevics of Oshkosh, Wis., showed his acrylic paints, mixed with gold and copper leaf and covered with epoxy resin. Visitors noted how each piece appeared to be tile, but he said the items were painted on canvas.

In all about 50 artists set up booths at the fair, including Marcellous Lovelace of Chicago, a painter who used vivid colors to showcase black Americans various settings.

Danielle Trejo of Chicago was among about 10 other American Academy of Art students showcasing art at the show. Her paintings, on stretched cashmere covering blocks, presented small cartoonish figures in different poses.

Doxey, an accountant, was impressed with the new campus buildings. “My favorite is the (Ames) library,” he said. “That’s something.”

Among the newest structures is the Minor Myers Jr. Welcome Center, officially unveiled Saturday morning. A crowd gathered at 10:30 a.m. to listen to President Dick Wilson. The center houses the admissions office and Hart Career Center.

Wilson noted the structure is the first in Bloomington to be considered for federal LEED (Leadership in Environmental Design) standards.

Just before the men’s football team kicked off a 2 p.m. game against Carthage, Tina and Matt Swingler of Normal toured the welcome center, with their children Garrett, Jenna and Leah.

As part of the arts fair, a children’s area was set up near live music. The inflatable bounce houses were a big hit with Jack, Jacob, Joseph and Joshua Stearns, who range in age from 2 to 10. Their dad, 1992 IWU graduate Sam Stearns, walked over with the kids from their nearby home. He said the escape allowed a break for the boys’ mom, Martha Stearns (IWU ’95).

Some Titan band members, dressed in green and carrying instruments, rushed across the quad. Uchenna Nwaizu, a sophomore from Dallas, Texas, took advantage of a face-painting station to recreate a Titan green stylized butterfly on her face. She said Friday’s first-time “Titanium” pep rally “awesome,” giving a nod to the fireworks.

Take a look
Barrie Bredemeier, a glass artist from Urbana, hangs his handmade ornaments on a display during the arts and craft show at Illinois Wesleyan University's homecoming, Saturday, October 4, 2008. (The Pantagraph, David Proeber)
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Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Titan Sentinel wrote on Oct 5, 2008 7:39 PM:

" IWU builds a multi-million dollar library, warehousing books that many of which will never be read, when most institutions are putting money into technological advances.

They name the Welcome Center after a president who ran the university like a hobby of his, preferring Japanese Studies over Chinese Studies b/c "he liked Japan better" (now there are finally Chinese classes). He also re-routed contributions to the Division of Business and Economics to music scholarships, and nearly ran IWU into the ground financially. Ask retired administrators who served with him. "

Dr.Orangutan Chief Cardiologist Miller Park Zoo wrote on Oct 5, 2008 12:51 PM:

" My sister and ex brother in law went to Illinois Wesleyan University. "
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