Class Notes
1950s and 1960s
Chuck Cunningham ’62, with the trumpet and Dick Schermer ’56, still blowing after all these years!
Attorney Igor Ellyn ’68 received the 2023 Law Society Medal for excellence in the legal profession in Ontario, Canada.
Jeff Bogart, ’69, a retired attorney, will be lecturing about trial practice at his law school alum, University of Toledo College Of Law.
Jan Nothdurft Freeland ’68 (Tuna), Jim Freeland ’68 (Ross), Bob Alusic ’68 (Batman), Parry Carlson ’69 (Sig) and Richard Read ’69 (Rich) relived their days at Bradley during a week-long visit to Hilton Head Island in September. The men roomed together the first year University Hall opened.
1970s
Alpha Epsilon Phi pledge sisters Sherilyn Rubin Krell ’70, Hetty Becker Bers ’70 and Sherry Kolker Haber ’70 along with Nancy Wasserman Loeb celebrated Krell’s “Platinum Jubilee,” i.e. 75th birthday.
Carol Coram ’72, qualified for Team USA in the triathlon at the Age-Group World Championships in Hamburg, Germany and Montreal in 2023.
David ’72 and Randi Viner Zacher ’73 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 30, 2023.
James Bucker ’73 retired in 2018 as corporate director of Environmental Management Systems with Aleris, Inc. Living in The Villages, Florida with his wife Pat, James is enjoying golf, pickleball, and all that life has to offer!
Jaki Samuelson, ’75, received the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys Arabella Mansfield Award on July 22, 2023. Over the years, she has encouraged women to apply for judicial positions and enter private practice. Jaki is general counsel at Whitfield & Eddy Law and serves as co-chair of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She has been recognized for her expertise by both clients and colleagues in Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers where she was named “Lawyer of the Year.”
Steve Weller ’77 made his fourth trip to the Major League Baseball World Series in 2023 as the official scorer.
1980s
Steven McCarthy ’80 lectured at the Design History Society conference in Portugal in 2023. He is professor emeritus from the University of Minnesota, where he taught graphic design for 22 years.
The University of Illinois Department of Economics awarded Dr. Carla Tighe Murray ’83 its 2022 Economics Career Achievement Award, honoring her extensive career in public service.
After 40 years, this group of ’83 grads
reunited: Pam McNair Parsons, Sherilyn Farnam Wethington, Sharon Kekelik Barrett, Kass Kratt Jackman, Ellen Smith MacCracken, Annie Tilson Coppola, Maurie Beckman Jacobeit, and Carol Caleo Lucas.
After 38 years as an engineer and manager at the General Electric Company, Tim Frederick ’84 has retired. He is enjoying retirement in Indiana with his wife of 38 years, Diana Judy Frederick ’83.
Rhonda Washington Clay ’84 was promoted to director of Major Gifts at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, leading a team of Major Gift Officers in engaging prospects
and donors in the mission of the ELCA. Rhonda resides in Knoxville, Tenn. with her family.
Stacey Slice O’Connell ’87 has been named clinical director of Thrive Postpartum, Couples and Family Therapy.
Bradley grads Rick Snyder ’88, Michael Rittenhouse ’90 and Dean Murin ’89 met in St. Louis to watch the Braves play at the Missouri Valley Conference in 2023.
Matthew Walsh ’89 and his family were honored by the Irish American Hall of Fame for their contributions in the areas of law, construction and philanthropy. His wife Catherine Walsh (Hartman) ’91 and their
daughter Hope Walsh ’21 were among the Walsh family members in attendance.
1990s
Melvin Flowers ’90 has been granted the Exelon Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award by the Chicago Bar Foundation at the annual Pro Bono and Public Service Awards luncheon. Currently Accenture’s Global Legal
Lead for Strategic Initiatives as part of the Global Data Privacy Legal Team, he has also co-developed and directed the company’s Midwest Market Unit pro bono program for many years.
Calvin Butler Jr. ’91, CEO of Exelon (No. 218 of the Fortune 500) and Dave Bozeman ’91, CEO of C.H. Robinson (No. 259) are among the eight Black CEOs who made the list, the highest number of companies helmed by Black CEOs ever. Although Black representation is only 1.6% of the list, 25% of them are Bradley grads. Congratulations!
Michael Spires ’90, was named chief information officer and executive vice-president of Americold Logistics.
Sylvia Shelton ’91 has officially retired as a board-certified Cytotechnologist. She resides in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Lauri Harvey Keagle ’92 was named 2023 Northwest Indiana Influential Woman of the Year in Marketing & Media by the Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association.
Tobin Taylor ’93 was appointed Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen’s new managing partner, effective Jan 1, 2024.
Mike Eickhoff ’94 was promoted to managing principal – Credits & Incentives at Grant Thornton LLP. In his role, Mike supervises a national team assisting clients in identifying new operational locations and negotiating government subsidies to support those decisions.
Kerri J. Holloway ’94 was appointed chief academic officer/provost for the University of Business Innovation and Sustainability with headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Margaret Hanley Williams ’94 has joined the American Institute of Steel Construction’s Board of Directors. She is the CEO of A. Lucas & Sons Steel in Peoria, where she has served as president since 2006. She is a visiting professor at and alumna of Bradley University, from which she holds an MBA and two Bachelor of Science degrees in construction and political science. She was appointed vice chair of Intersect Illinois by Governor J.B. Pritzker, and she founded the Greater Peoria Honor Flight in 2013.
Karen Farris Cotton ’96 joined Corix Group of Companies as the vice president of communications and public relations.
Genevra Knight ’97, CPA, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois CPA Society for her commitment to excellence in her volunteer service role at Porte Brown LLC, Audit and Assurance Committee.
Brian Sluga ’97 completed the Chicago marathon in 2022 after surviving cancer.
Andrew Steben ’99, joined Lima One Capital as Director of Wholesale Lending.
2000s
Matthew Dawson, ’00, M.S. ’10, P.E., PTOE, an assistant vice president and the transportation practice lead for Hanson Professional Services Inc., was named the Civil Engineer of the Year on Sept. 28, 2023, during the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Central Illinois Section annual banquet in Champaign.
Shamilya Woods Pettis ’03, Campus Director at the University of Chicago Charter School Donoghue Campus, was featured on Fox News for her strong leadership and passion for motivating her students and staff.
As a proud Bradley Alum (and member of Sigma Gamma Rho) she wears her Braves gear to school to encourage her college-bound scholars to excel in the classroom.
2010s
Jill Brewster Dodaro ’12, MSN ’13 was named CNO of Carle Health Greater Peoria.
Nick Swiatkowski ’12 was promoted to lieutenant commander in the United States Navy on Sept. 8, 2023. He is currently president of Swiatkowski Welch Properties and stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.
Mahjoub Abdalla MA ’16 joined Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Indianapolis office. He will work as part of multidisciplinary design teams to plan and execute transportation projects for a variety of clients, including local governments and state departments of transportation.
Sean Cain ’17 was appointed president and CEO of Morton Building in Morton, Illinois.
2020s
Intellihot’s lead corporate trainer and applications engineer, Robert Svidron ’20, was recognized as one of 2023’s Top 20 Next Gen Plumbing All-Stars by Plumbing & Mechanical Engineer magazine.
Jessica Tilton ’20 won the Miss Illinois title in 2023 and competed in Miss America in 2024. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biology from Bradley and she is studying medicine at Southern Illinois University.
Dr. Afrim Shabani, Dr Ed ’22, an associate adjunct professor in Humanities and Fine Arts at Heartland Community College, has been recognized as a Teacher of Distinction by The Royal Conservatory of Music. Out of a nationwide pool of thousands of dedicated music educators, only six teachers were selected for this prestigious recognition.
Professor Emeritus Edward L. Lamoureux, Ph.D. has been elected a board member of the Bix Beiderbecke Museum and Archive in Davenport, Iowa. Lamoureux retired in May 2023 after 37 years at BU.