ICCTA Distinguished Alumnus Award

Previous Recipients

1985
The Hon. Howard C. Ryan
Former chief justice
Illinois Supreme Court
LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College (now Illinois Valley Community College)

1986
Evelyn Meine
Associate director of centennial events
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Oakton Community College

1987
Dr. Donald A. Holt
Director
Illinois Agricultural Experimental Station, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Joliet Junior College

1988 (co-winners)
William S. Badgley
Chairman of the board / president
Magna Group, Inc.
Belleville Area College (now Southwestern Illinois College)

Dr. Constance T. Rockingham
Dean of students
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
State Community College (now East St. Louis Community College Center)

1989
Mary L. Bramer
Retired junior high school English teacher / One of the first students with disabilities to graduate from the University of Illinois
Elgin Community College

1990 (co-winners)
Dr. Henrietta Herbolsheimer
Associate professor emeritus
Department of Medicine, University of Chicago
LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College (now Illinois Valley Community College)

Dempsey J. Travis
Real estate entrepreneur / African-American historian
Wilson Junior College (now Kennedy-King College)

1991 (co-winners)
Dr. William H. Matchett
Dean of the graduate school
New Mexico State University
Elgin Community College

Mary Karasek
City treasurer of Berwyn / Trustee, Morton College
Morton College

1992
Dr. Mark A. Pierce
Founding director
Infectious Disease Clinic, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
John A. Logan College

1993
The Hon. Rosemary Mulligan
State representative, 55th District
Illinois House of Representatives
William Rainey Harper College

1994
Byron J. Williams
System engineer
Advanced intelligent network area, AT & T Bell Labs
Olive-Harvey College

1995 (co-winners)
Terry L. Lengfelder
Managing partner
Central Region, Arthur Andersen and Co.
Belleville Area College (now Southwestern Illinois College)

Alice "Tinker" Parker
Business instructor / Student services staff
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee Community College

1996
Ricardo Cruz
Author / English professor
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Richland Community College

1997
Dr. Vernita Irvin-Mays
Coordinator, Tech-Prep program / Radiologic technology professor
Malcolm X College
Malcolm X College

1998
Raquel G. Martinez
Attorney / Compliance counsel
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Morton College

1999 (co-winners)
James Belushi
Actor / Business owner
College of DuPage

Mark Michalic
Special agent
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Rend Lake College

2000
Henry English
President / CEO
Black United Fund of Illinois, Inc.
Malcolm X College

2001
Karen Keasler
Chair, Business division
Southeastern Illinois College
Southeastern Illinois College

2002
Eric Donaldson
Art teacher
Pecatonica High School
Highland Community College

2003
Peggy Kirby
Retired publisher
ElginCourier News
Elgin Community College

2004
John W. Fountain
Author and visiting scholar
Wilbur Wright College

2005
The Hon. Gerald C. Bender
Judge, Domestic relations division
Circuit Court of Cook County
Wilbur Wright College

2006
Marija Zivanovic-Smith
Government programs senior professional
IBM Corporation
College of DuPage

2007
Chad Pregracke
Founder and president
Living Land Waters
Black Hawk College(2001)

2008
Penny Panayiota Deligiannis
Senior consultant for international development
Orthodox Autocephalous Church and Diaconia Agapes
Waubonsee Community College(1985)

2009
Dr. Dennis Hall
Associate provost for research and graduate education
Vanderbilt University
Southwestern Illinois College(1968)

2010
Kim Gilmore
President and founder
Gilmore Marketing Concepts
Elgin Community College(1991)

2011
Larry Blackerby
Vice president and general manager
WRTV
Lake Land College(1968)

2012
Deborah Nelson
Senior lecturer and director, Carnegie Seminar
Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland
College of Lake County (1973)

2013
Juan Salgado
President and CEO
Instituto del Progresso Latino
Moraine Valley Community College(1989)

2014
Alan Ladwig
Chief
To Orbit Productions
Elgin Community College(1969)

2015
Dr. Phillis Dewitt
Adult hospitalist, sexual assault nurse examiner, and nursing instructor
OSF St. Francis Healthcare
Illinois Central College(1993)

2016
Cinda Edwards
Coroner
Sangamon County, Illinois
Lincoln Land Community College(1978 & 1979)

2017
Jay D. Bergman
President, CEO and founder
Petco Petroleum Corporation
Joliet Junior College(1968

2018 co-recipients
William Albracht
Retired special agent
US Secret Service
Black Hawk College(1973)

Dr. Karla Ivankovich
President and co-founder
OnePatient Global Health Initiative
Lincoln Land Community College(1993)

Susan Trieschmann
Founder and executive director
Curt's Café
Oakton Community College(2006)