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Illinois State alumni magazine cover showing lighting designer Jon Kusner onstage backlit by a row of lights
Incandescence: One word captures the life of television’s exceptional lighting designer Jon Kusner

Volume 16 • Number 3 • Winter 2016

Jon Kusner

Wizard of Watts: Alum masters art of illumination

Television audiences of multiple thousands have seen Jon Kusner’s talent displayed on live productions for years, and yet few viewers know of the 1995 School of Theatre alum.

Judge Brandon in front of a school

One man’s mission: Judge combines compassion with justice in juvenile court

Judge Walter Brandon Jr. looked as placid as a pond, as he had all day, while he waited for the next case to begin in St. Clair County’s juvenile justice courtroom.

Reggie Redbird has a moment with himself

Redbird proud: Tracing traditions that speak to Illinois State’s legacy

What are Illinois State’s traditions? That’s a complicated question.

Preview photo collage

50 years of Preview: 1966-2016

Illinois State’s summer orientation program was ahead of its time.

Mary (Mouser) Hofmann '76 in her vineyard in Carlock

Unique field: Alumna’s vineyard dream takes root in Illinois

Mary (Mouser) Hofmann ’76 and her husband, Rudi, are fulfilling a lifelong dream by operating White Oak Vineyard in Carlock.

Emerging as national force in biomathematics

国际期刊和托管the largest biomathematics conference in the nation, Illinois State is spearheading a quickly growing consortium of universities dedicated to advancing the science of biomath.

Neil Skaggs

他们没有w: Neil Skaggs

Neil Skaggs arrived on the Illinois State campus in 1979 after completing a doctorate in economics at Duke University.

Bone north plaza future

Mail to the Editor: February 2016

Mail to the Illinois State magazine editor for February 2016:

Brock Spack on sidelines

Conference champions: Second consecutive title, playoff run for football team

fter making it to the national championship game a year ago, Brock Spack’s football team had one objective this past season: return to the finals and bring home the trophy.

Laurie Mabry

Leader in women’s athletics mourned

Former Director of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics Laurie Mabry passed away last October at the age of 86.

运动员做社区服务

Athletes serve community and beyond

Student-athletes logged 2,666 hours of community service during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Tre Roberson

Four Redbird athletes take top annual awards

Rachel Tejada and Tre Roberson won top honors last fall at The Reggies, which is the annual awards ceremony sponsored by State Farm Insurance Cos.

Players run onto Hancock Stadium

Athletes remain strong as classroom students

Statistics for the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) released last fall by the NCAA shows an 87 percent for Illinois State, which equals ISU’s all-time high.

Students walk on the Quad

Illinois State University launches first mobile app

The Illinois State University App launched this summer, available for free from the App Store or Google Play Store.

Half Century Club

Alumni events set for milestone anniversaries

Graduates from the Class of 1966 will celebrate their 50th class reunion on April 29 and 30 during the annual Half Century Club event.

Heather Artis on Fox lot

ISU business alum sells movies, one ad at a time

Heather Artis discovered her passion for advertising in an Illinois State classroom. Twenty years later, she’s now an advertising executive at Fox Searchlight, one of the top studios in Los Angeles.

Julie (Williams) McMillin ’01

Alumna named Retail Dietitian of the Year

Julie (Williams) McMillin ’01 is a role model for every retail dietitian in the country.

Mike Bucek

Alumnus plays role for World Series champion Royals

The Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and Phoenix Coyotes are just a few of the organizations on the resume of 2015 College of Applied Science and Technology Hall of Fame Inductee Mike Bucek ’82.

Robert Moore head shot

Alum selected COO of American Dental Hygienists’ Association

Robert Moore ’95 will put his degree in industrial/organizational psychology to good use as the first chief operating officer of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA).

Lex and Carolyn

How we met: Alexander ‘Lex’ Samaras and Carolyn Jean Brown

Alexander “Lex” Samaras grew up in the Illinois agricultural town of Hoopeston. He transferred to Illinois State Normal University in 1941 with a love for music and a passion for music education.

Family patriarch Charles Geigner Sr. as Santa Claus

Redbird legacy: Alumna follows in parents’, brother’s ISU footsteps

Megan Geigner doesn’t have to look far to see how her family got connected to Illinois State.

Students pose with Reggie

Thanks to you: ISU raises $556,733 on Giving Tuesday

More than 1,400 gifts exceeded a total of $556,733 in the 24-hour campaign launched primarily via social media.