Summer Connection 2020

Connection
SUMMER 2020

FeatureS
4hope amid chaos
Finding hope during the
COVID-19 shutdown
Wheaton Academy leans on the promise
of God’s hope during turbulent times.
10
Kingdom Community
Our Legacy, Our Future
The kingdom of God is our standard for
the way to bring healing, unity, and love.
Contents
2 WA News
14 Development:
Community Impact
15 AlumNotes
Cover
Wheaton Academy’s 2020-21
year verse graphic design by
Emma Van Wagner ’21.
© 2020 Wheaton Academy, All rights reserved.
7ALUMNI STORIES OF HOPE
Academy alumni on the front lines
Accounts from Wheaton Academy
alumni focus on hope for the future.

Each of you has likely had your personal
and professional lives upended in
recent months. That description has
certainly been true for Wheaton Academy.
When we shifted to online learning on March
16, none of us anticipated the impact that the
coronavirus would have on daily life, on global
markets, and on schools around the world.
As the world seemed to stand still and many
of us were forced to stay home, education at
Wheaton Academy marched on. Although
we never expected a global pandemic to
keep students out of school for nearly three
months, we were prepared for the shift to an
e-learning platform. We realize how blessed we
are: every student has a Microsoft Surface Pro,
our students and teachers have had six years
of periodic e-learning experience, and we have
a robust learning management system that
makes e-learning readily accessible. Faculty
and staff pulled out all the stops to hold
virtual concerts, virtual coffee houses, virtual
Academy Awards, and a virtual Baccalaureate
service. The spring of 2020 will go down as
a semester like none other since Wheaton
Academy was founded in 1853. I believe you
will appreciate this issue of Connection which
highlights the Academy’s COVID-19 era.
I trust that also, in light of the recent
worldwide protests since the killing of George
Floyd, you will appreciate reading about
Wheaton Academy’s Kingdom Community
“While times have been
turbulent in the world,
God remains constant and
faithful. God’s sovereignty
over all creation is a
tremendous comfort in
these challenging times.”
Steve Bult
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
trusting god
vision developed in 2017. Parents, trustees,
faculty, staff, and students have worked
hard in recent years to bring this Kingdom
Community vision closer to reality. Over the
last few years, we have learned a great deal as
a school community. We have examined our
unconscious bias and the importance of loving
each other well. Recent events in our nation
serve as a reminder of the need for continued
growth and reflection. In short, we have a long
way to go, and we ask for your prayers along
the journey.
While times have been turbulent in the world,
God remains constant and faithful. God’s
sovereignty over all creation is a tremendous
comfort in these challenging times. More
than ever, we stand committed to providing
a Christ-centered education that nurtures
growth in our students through relationships,
excellence, and service, all to the glory of
God. Your encouragement and support
of the mission of Wheaton Academy is
a continuous blessing to me and to our
students. We trust that God’s powerful
hand will be evident throughout our school
community in the year ahead.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Steve Bult
Head of School
SUMMER 2020
Volume 16, Issue 2
Joy Crowe
Director of
Development
Laura Cusack ’98
Development
Associate
Dawn Earl
Director of
Alumni Relations
Barb Frost
Administrative
Assistant
Robert Johnson
Director of
Marketing
Trish Main
English Teacher &
Department Head
Chelsea Schillinger
Development
Assistant
Melodee Dill
Stephens
Graphic Designer
Angela Webster
Marketing Coordinator
Steve Bult
Head of School
Steve Karlson
COO/CFO
Kori Hockett
Principal
Wheaton Academy
900 Prince
Crossing Road
West Chicago, IL
60185
phone
630.562.7500
wheatonacademy.org
1

WA News
Impact and Elevate the Next Generation
Provide Wheaton Academy Students
with an Internship Experience
Wheaton Academy desires to create unique opportunities
for students to engage in career-shaping activities that will
help them in their discovery of the way God has uniquely
equipped them to have a positive impact on the world. An
internship will help students gain a firsthand perspective
of the skills and tasks needed to be successful in a potential
career path.
The experience can engage students in business strategy,
digital transformation, sales, marketing, or operations of a
for profit or not-for-profit business. It can also give them a
glimpse into the engineering, computer science, real estate,
food, wealth management, commodities trading, education,
or healthcare industry.
Wheaton Academy places such high value on these
experiences that, starting with the class of 2022, students
must complete one internship sometime in their four
years. Wheaton Academy specifically encourages students
to use the two weeks of Winterim (January 4-15, 2021)
to pursue an internship. Alternate timing may be available
based on the internship opportunity, the nature of an
experience, and student availability.
If you are interested in creating an internship experience,
please visit WA.360alumni.com and post it under the Jobs
tab, Post Job function, choose Internship. You can also email
Phil Strzalka at phil.strzalka@gmail.com. An internship
does not have to last the two weeks of Winterim and can
be project based. We will work with you and the student to
impact and elevate the next generation!
Goals
of our
internship
program
Introduce
students to
for-profit and
not-for-profit
business
Provide
hands-on
experience
in a career
Prepare
students by
developing
leadership,
management,
and other
employment
skills
Expose
students to
professional
expectations
Reinforce the
importance
of thinking,
being curious,
and problem
solving
WHEATON ACADEMY Alumni Needed
Provide students with
realistic, challenging
internship experiences.
Serve as a mentor,
sharing benefits, drawbacks,
and suggestions for
entering the profession.
Help students learn about
business and careers.
Intentionally engage with
students to answer questions
and to provide information
and resources about different
careers and industries.
“This internship has given me a chance TO
experience different jobs involving fishing.
In the future, I know I want to do something
involving fishing, and this experience has
opened my eyes to what it could be like.”
Mason Abbott ’22 | mason’s internship was anything but basic.
he learned about the fly fishing industry through a double internship
at both DuPage Fly Fishing and Youth Conservation Alliance.
2

WA News
CELEBRATION OF SERVICE
Rescheduled for
Homecoming 2021!
After careful consideration and
consultation with Dr. Frost, the
decision has been made to postpone
the Celebration of Service scheduled
for September. Instead, we will honor
Dr. Frost as part of Homecoming
2021 which also happens to be his
fifty-year Academy class reunion. More
information will be provided once
the dates for Homecoming 2021 are
finalized. Please check for updated event
details at WA.360alumni.com/events.
Gene Frost ’71 can often be found
in the stands or on the sidelines
of Academy athletic events. He is,
without a doubt, one of Wheaton
Academy’s most faithful fans.
kiernan mack presented the 2020 Hiller Award
In 1976, the family and friends of Will Hiller, former Wheaton Academy board
member, established the Wilbur A. Hiller Memorial Teaching Award to carry on
his dream to stimulate and encourage teaching excellence. The recipient of this
annual “Teacher of the Year” award is selected by the faculty and students based on
the following qualities:
• The consistent exhibition of Christian graces, integrity, and service.
• Knowledge and competence in their field.
• Dedication to the profession of teaching and the ability to inspire students toward
higher academic achievement and the display of Christian virtues.
• Sensitivity and concern toward students as people in a changing world and society.
• The willingness to offer time and talents to this school outside the classroom
responsibilities.
The Hiller family has faithfully carried on the tradition of this award since its
inception. Betsy Hiller ’71, daughter of the late Will and Ruth Ann Hiller, presented
the award to the 2020 recipient Kiernan Mack who teaches AP Chemistry, advanced
chemistry, and physics at the Academy.
kiernan mack,
2020 hiller award recipient
3

HOPE
AMID
CHAOS
Lockdowns. Quarantines. Skyrocketing
unemployment. Plunging markets.
Unprecedented surreal events.
Where do we find hope amid the chaos?
4

In 2020 all Americans have grappled with the
ramifications of the global effects of COVID-19. For
Wheaton Academy students, the school year was
upended on Friday, March 13, at 3 p.m., when Governor
Pritzker announced that schools statewide would
remain closed through the end of March, a closure that
was later extended through the end of April.
Though the mood was somber, the attitude within the Academy community
was also one of determination to “flatten the curve,” with optimism that the
lockdowns were a temporary condition.
On April 17, when Governor Pritzker announced that Illinois schools would be
closed through the rest of the school year, Principal Kori Hockett shared these
thoughts in response to the news: “As we finish the end of school in a way that
seems like it should be part of a movie, I want to leave you with Romans 5:3-5.
And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions because we know that affliction
produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character
produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured
out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Yes, my soul, find rest
in God; my hope comes
from Him. Truly He is my
rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress,
I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6
wheaton academy
2020-21 year verse
Wheaton Academy Principal
Kori Hockett and her pup
Oswald in one of Kori’s
weekly YouTube broadcasts.
The Academy leadership team pivoted to the new reality of an extended
shutdown. The teachers and staff launched learning initiatives using podcasts,
ZOOM, and other technology. Student chapels and faculty/staff devotions
continued virtually. Kori Hockett and her faithful pup Oswald appeared weekly
in a YouTube broadcast that maintained personal connections with both faculty
and students. Head of School Steve Bult also communicated important updates
and encouragement via video messages. A HomeStay Week filled with contests,
prizes, and good old-fashioned fun was planned, and the classes responded with
true Wheaton Academy spirit. The Student Life Team coordinated the assembly
of care packages which were delivered by faculty and staff to the students’ homes.
An online prayer wall for the extended Wheaton Academy community was
created by the marketing team, and one enterprising teacher even hosted online
5

Artwork by Ellen Shales ’21
The Swoboda sisters recreated an old family photo
as part of HomeStay Week’s throwback thursday
contest. From left: Britta ’20, Lizzy ’18, and Sara ’22.
cooking classes. The singular focus of
these efforts was to keep the community
connected and spiritually encouraged
during the days of isolation.
An example of the Academy’s efforts to
continue instructional excellence and
maintain community was the Fine Arts
showcase. The showcase, a joint endeavor
by multiple Academy faculty and staff,
combined separate events – percussion
and jazz concerts, choral and instrumental
concerts, performing arts and visual arts
shows, and Evening in the Furnace –
into one grand online performance.
Evening with the Arts premiered on
YouTube on May 21. Visual arts teachers
digitized their students’ artwork, editing
these submissions into seamless videos.
The Advanced Performing Arts class
held online rehearsals each day, resulting
in an entire virtual musical number
with choreography and singing. The
percussion class created a quarantine
jam using household objects from knives
to toilet seats. The Furnace Company
improv team contributed vignettes of
humor while the dance team performed
an entire number which was woven
throughout the video.
The virtual concerts were the most
time-consuming aspect of the showcase.
All students videoed themselves
playing or singing to a perfectly timed
pre-established beat. Then these video
recordings were edited into a clean,
professional mix. Finally, this music
track was inserted into an edited video,
a process that required about 35 hours
per video.
Featured here are ZOOM screen shots from the Fine Arts showcase, Evening with the Arts.
view the entire event ON wheaton academy’s youtube channel.
The teamwork necessary for the realization
of this incredible project is emblematic of
the community which exists at Wheaton
Academy. A similar collaboration is
now at work as the Academy prepares
to reopen the campus for the fall. A task
force has been assembled, and the campus
is being readied to meet CDC guidelines.
6

In anticipation of the future, Wheaton
Academy’s 2020-21 year verse – Psalm
62:5-6 – was chosen to remind us of the
hope we have in Him.
ALUMNI Stories
of
hope
As the weeks have turned into months,
testimonies of God’s faithfulness have
brought hope during the isolation. Those
who were weathering the COVID storm
looked for ways to help others who had
lost jobs or had been hard hit with the
virus. Social media allowed connections
around the country to be spotlighted, and
accounts of the responses of Academy
alumni to the virus and/or shutdown
emerged and inspired others. Here are
just a few of those stories that we hope
will encourage you.
TOP: Artwork by Jessica Zhang ’22
BOTTOM: T-Shirt art by camryn mcclure ’20
Jillian (Heidlauf ’07) Carmichael
Hope for Future Cures
Jillian (Heidlauf ’07) Carmichael is a virologist who has been
working in NYC during the COVID-19 pandemic. She
received a PhD in Virology and Immunology from Penn State
College of Medicine in 2019 and is currently a postdoctoral
fellow in Benhur Lee’s lab in the Microbiology Department
at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
She started a science communication blog (SciComm) on the
lab website where virologists and immunologists write articles
about SARS2 and COVID-19 that everyone can understand.
All the COVID-19 articles are written by graduate students,
postdocs, and other PhD-trained scientists. Visit the blog at
leelabvirus.host/covid19.
7

Bethany Aikenhead ’14
Hope for a Return
to Normal
Bethany Aikenhead ’14, a nurse in a
Chicago area hospital, volunteered in
mid-March to care for COVID-19
patients, convinced she could make
a difference in their care. Bethany’s
experience with the COVID patients
has given her a firsthand look at
the societal and racial inequities in
healthcare as minority communities
have been disproportionately affected.
She acknowledges the sobering reality of
the impact of social and environmental
issues on these groups’ ability to live
healthy lives. However, as she has seen
community members, families, and
churches working to help the sick,
unemployed, and quarantined with
provision of food and payment of
bills, Bethany has been encouraged
by glimpses of God’s grace and also
by hope as her hospital is shutting
down some of the COVID units and
restarting normal elective surgeries.
Dr. Dave Hulsey
husband of Julie (Dancheck ’89) Hulsey
Hope for Protection
A team of Wheaton Academy students from Josh Burick’s
Engineering Design class was challenged to tackle the shortage
of N95 face masks and face shields for healthcare providers.
Peter Sorenson ’21 researched and found a design for a
face shield that could be produced using the Academy’s 3D
printers. Peter and his team—Robert Dieter ’21, Josh Brunner
’21, and Brenden Maucieri ’23—took printers home and
began making the shields.
The boys’ work was under way when the Academy was
contacted by Julie (Dancheck ’89) Hulsey and her husband
Dave, an ER doctor at a hospital in Sterling, IL. The Hulseys
wondered if the Academy could help provide PPE for Dave.
With Mr. Burick’s guidance, Peter’s team moved forward with
production. Their project now had a real-life purpose. Peter
described the process as follows: “Working from home meant
that I did not have access to all of the tools in the IDEA Lab,
but it also meant that the 3D printers could have almost
100% uptime, producing parts around the clock. Even though
our team was not able to meet in person, I was able to receive
troubleshooting help and ideas from the other students and
Mr. Burick using the online platform Discord.”
8

ALUMNI Stories
of
hope
Carolyn (Bazzoli ’04) Strobel
Hope for a COVID Test
A bright spot during the early days of
the COVID-19 story was the launch
by Abbott Laboratories of an antibody
blood test, Abbott’s third COVID-19
test. Carolyn (Bazzoli ’04) Strobel is
a member of the Abbott team that
developed this test which is a serology
or antibody test that helps to detect if
a person has been previously infected
with the COVID-19 virus. Availability
of this test was a critical step because
precise, timely testing has been a major
challenge in the coronavirus pandemic.
We salute Carolyn and her team for
their efforts in bringing this test to
market so quickly.
Roy Roe ’78
The God of Hope
Amid the COVID chaos, Roy Roe
’78 received a new heart.
In 2014, Roy discovered, quite by
accident, that his heart was failing.
A chest X-ray for his coughing and
shortness of breath showed that he
had congestive heart failure (CHF).
Roy started treatment immediately. By
2016, with Roy’s condition worsening,
his cardiology team referred him to
the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute
at Northwestern Memorial Hospital
in Chicago. The new team of doctors
confirmed that the cause of Roy’s rapid
decline was cardiac sarcoidosis, an
autoimmune disease that attacks and
damages the body’s organs. In Roy’s
case, it was attacking his heart, which
is rare and often undetected. Thanks
to the diagnosis, the doctors were able
to stop the disease’s progression, but
damage had already been done.
In September 2017, Roy was accepted
into the Heart Transplant National
Registry. As the waiting began, Roy’s
doctors suggested that he become a
“Bridge to Transplant” patient. Because
the process involved open-heart surgery
to install a Left Ventricular Assist
Device (LVAD), Roy resisted. However,
after a serious scare and trip to the ER,
Roy relented.
After his LVAD surgery, Roy realized
that God had blessed him with a
second chance, and as he sought hope
and encouragement in the Lord, he
was blessed with Romans 15:13: May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, so that by the power of
the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Leaning on the God of hope brought
Roy joy and the peace that passes all
understanding, and Roy learned the
power of relationships and the power
of prayer as he waited.
Having waited for three years, he had
become accustomed to not thinking
about it. On May 14, he received
“the call.” At first, he was not really
paying attention to the caller, but then
he heard “transplant coordinator” and
“match.” He stopped. He had to sit
down. The moment was surreal.
The waiting was over.
Roy received his new heart on May
15. The first six months are critical
as the doctors monitor Roy’s heart for
rejection. He seeks our prayers that
there will be no rejection and that
God will use him and this experience
to bring glory to His name.
9

KINGDOM
COMMUNITY:
our legacy,
our future
“ABout the year 1850,
a movement was set
on foot in the Illinois
Annual Conference of
the Wesleyan Methodist
denomination to
establish an institution
of learning somewhere
in the State of Illinois.
“ The originators of the scheme were mostly
men who had but little of this world’s
goods and prized learning for the power
that they saw it gave others, rather than from
any extensive realization of its benefits in
themselves. They were real reformers and were
especially interested in the anti-slavery struggle
which was then at its height.
“They saw with deep concern the children
of anti-slavery fathers and mothers, who
were sent to college, where nothing was
said against human bondage, soon losing
their parents’ principles and concluding
that if slavery were as bad as they had
been taught at home to regard it, the
teachers they had learned to reverence
and love would say something about it.
Their purpose… was not so much to start
a denominational, sectarian school, as to
provide a place where their principles,
by them prized and early taught to their
children, should not be smothered out
by being held in silence by those who
taught or destroyed by the active, despotic
teaching of the times. Wheaton, offering
the most favorable terms, was chosen as
the seat of this school. Preparations for
building began by the founders kneeling
10

in the prairie grass on the summit of the beautiful hill now
crowned by the stately stone edifice known as Wheaton College
building, and dedicated the hill and all that should be upon it to
that God in whom trusting they had boldly gone into the thickest
of the fight, not only for the freedom of human bodies, but of
human souls as well…”*
Kingdom Community:
Who We Are
Kingdom Community is
rooted in the following
beliefs about who we are
in our humanity.
When Steve Bult became the Associate Head of School in 2017,
he felt a keen responsibility in assuming the mantle of the legacy
of Wheaton Academy’s founders. While slavery has been officially
outlawed for over a century, our fractured world weighed heavily on
Bult. In response to his prayers, the Lord gave him the vision
of a Kingdom Community at Wheaton Academy based on these
verses in Revelation:
After this I looked, and behold, a great
multitude that no one could number, from
every nation, from all tribes and peoples
and languages, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, with palm branches in their hands,
and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation
belongs to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9-10
The Academy exists to advance God’s glory. As Jesus taught us to
pray “Thy kingdom come – on earth as it is in heaven,” so we seek
to be used by God to build that kingdom here on earth. We want
to help our students think about the eternal kingdom described in
Revelation as they navigate the earthly kingdom, striving to bring
healing, unity, and love—all to the glory of God.
Two truths are clear: God’s Kingdom includes people from
all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses,
denominations, countries of origin, and learning styles; and the
purpose of His Kingdom is for all to worship Jesus who is the
reason for our salvation. We are committed to looking at issues
through this lens and striving to nurture growth in students
through relationships, excellence, and service.
* From Rufus Blanchard’s History of DuPage County Illinois (1882), Oscar Fletcher Lumry,
the son of Rufus Lumry, one of the founding parents who knelt in the prairie grass.
We are created in the image
of God (Imago Dei).
God created man and woman
in His image, and we are all
deeply valued by our Creator.
We are sinners in need of a
Savior. We are born into sin,
which separates us from God,
unable to save ourselves. In His
mercy and grace, God reconciled
us through faith in the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We are a new creation.
Through faith in Jesus Christ,
we are a new creation.
Our identity is now in Him
rather than in ourselves.
We are members of the body
of Christ. Believers are united
through Christ, one body with
many members. According
to Galatians 3, our unity in
Christ supersedes and breaks
down societal labels we have
for ourselves or others. Our
individual and shared identity
is first and most importantly,
in Christ. We celebrate our
differences and relate to others
from that identity in Christ.
11

THOUGHTS ON KINGDOM COMMUNITY
Members of the Wheaton Academy Kingdom Community
(Parent Committee, Student Committee, and
Faculty/Staff) were asked for their thoughts about
Wheaton Academy’s Kingdom Community efforts.
Excerpts from their responses are presented here. Read the questions that were asked and
the respondents’ complete answers for each question at wheatonacademy.org/voices-1.
WELDON Williams, Board of
Trustees and Past Parent
How do you feel Wheaton Academy
has made progress in striving to be a
Kingdom Community over the last few
years, and how can we continue to grow
in this area?
I believe that the Kingdom Community
vision for Wheaton Academy has slowly
made advances toward being realized.
The faculty and staff’s genuine love for
Christ and others is exemplified in the
way they pour their lives into all children,
regardless of color, and seek to have the
tough discussions regarding the prevailing
issues in society. A genuine, heartfelt
commitment to see God’s Kingdom is
manifested in their midst. The challenge
before Wheaton Academy is to understand
the ways the prevailing norms of society
may continue to perpetuate systemic bias
and disenfranchisement. The greatest
challenge for people is to recognize that
they have blind spots and to seek to
uncover them.
Greg Cox ’82, Past Parent
and Member of the
Kingdom Community
Parent Committee
The Kingdom Community initiative has
its biblical foundation in Scripture as
found in Revelation 7. How do you see
this positively at work here?
The school is different than when I went
here in the late 70s and early 80s. I had
a great experience, but I see much more
diversity now than we had back then. This
current administration seems intentional
in making the school as it needs to be
in terms of diversity. Wheaton Academy
has been diligent, seeking to understand,
asking questions, and making an effort
to change. While change is not easy, it is
really important. We may not be where
we need to be yet, but I think we are
moving in a good direction.
Isabelle Case, Faculty
Wheaton Academy’s Kingdom
Community is rooted in the belief that
we are all created in the image of God.
What real life applications does this
belief have for our students?
Each person is due the respect given to
God’s creation, indeed the creation He
deemed as special and above all else.
It is imperative for us as Christians to
12

treat each other not just nicely, but with
kindness, love, and respect. We can be
better equipped for doing this by exposing
ourselves to the stories and experiences of
people who do not look/talk/act like we do.
“The challenge before
Wheaton academy is to
understand the ways
the prevailing norms of
society may continue to
perpetuate systemic bias
and disenfranchisement.
The greatest challenge for
people is to recognize that
they have blind spots and
to seek to uncover them.”
WELDON WilliAMS
Gerald Blackmon ’19
Explain how your relationship with
Wheaton Academy began.
My relationship with Wheaton Academy
began five years ago as a young black
kid looking for a safe place to grow into
a young adult. Although opportunity
was everywhere at the Academy, I felt
as though I had to take a different route
than the white students, which was an
overwhelming, frustrating, and even
heartbreaking feeling. That feeling of
never measuring up blinded my focus
and vision from what was right in front
of me, but only for a short time. In front
of me were teachers and staff who were
believers in Christ before their career. They
exemplified Christ’s love and saw me as not
just a young black kid but as a young black
MAN in need of direction. I realized that I
did not need to measure up to anyone but
instead to be the best version of me.
Christian Rivera, Faculty
How do you see the murder of George
Floyd, and the subsequent national
protests, affecting our community?
[The death of George Floyd and the
subsequent protests] should raise awareness
of the sensitivity of the issue of equity that
exists for those who are not a part of the
majority group. Many feel like “everything
is fine… we are no longer living in the days
of civil rights so all is fine.” Unfortunately,
many minority groups still carry the
heaviness, sometimes even bitterness and
frustration, of the generational injustices,
and these responses can be triggered by
insensitivity to the issues or by blindness to
the fact that injustice does still exist. These
current events can propel Wheaton Academy
to help students understand that what may
not be an issue in their eyes may be a deeprooted
issue that affects some students daily.
Rochelle Yang, Faculty
Wheaton Academy was founded by
abolitionist parents who were seeking to
provide a biblical worldview for their
kids and train them to “fight the evils
of society at that time,” predominantly
slavery. What can Wheaton Academy
do to continue the fight against
today’s “evils of society,” such as
racism and bigotry?
We must admit that racism and bigotry
still exist in this broken world. But
I’m afraid I disagree with many of the
statements made by news outlets and
protesters. Empty slogans cannot fight
racism and bigotry. They do not solve
any problem. We need to seek truth in
God’s words and do real work to connect
with people in various cultures and serve
different communities.
13

DEVELOPMENT
$50,500 giVen $100,000 GOAL
#WACARES
Todd Beamer
Benefit Golf
Outing 2020
Mark your calendar
and plan to join us
Monday, September 14,
for our annual Todd
Beamer Benefit Golf
Outing at Stonebridge
Country Club in
Aurora. Each year,
this outing raises
significant funds to
support scholarships
for Wheaton Academy
students. Please visit
wheatonacademy.
org/tbgo to register!
Questions? Contact
Laura Cusack
at lcusack@
wheatonacademy.org.
While these times are challenging
for us all, a number of our families
are experiencing job loss and
financial hardship due to the COVID-19
pandemic. Because of these difficulties, we
established the WACARES Fund on May 25.
The WACARES Fund, a part of the
Academy’s Annual Fund, provides
financial assistance for our families who
are requesting an increase in assistance at
this time. The WACARES Fund will also
supply the additional resources necessary
to provide for the health and wellness of
our students as they return to campus by
purchasing items such as face masks and
hand sanitizing stations.
Thank you to our Wheaton Academy
family and friends who have already
given over $50,000 toward our
$100,000 WACARES goal. We are
thankful that over one-third of these
gifts have come from new givers.
If God has given you the ability to
help at this time, will you prayerfully
consider doing so? Your support in
helping us meet our goal of $100,000
would be a great blessing.
Please use the enclosed self-addressed
envelope to send your gift today.
But who am I, and who are my
people, that we should be able
to give as generously as this?
Everything comes from You,
and we have given You only
what comes from Your hand.
1 Chronicles 29:14
14

ALUMNOTES
1954
The FAA recently awarded Maurice
“Maurie” Deming ’54 with the Wright
Brothers Master Pilot Award. This
prestigious award, named after
America’s first pilots, recognizes
“individuals who have exhibited
professionalism, skill, and aviation
expertise for at least 50 years while
piloting aircraft as Master Pilots.”
Maurie’s first solo flight was out
of DuPage County Airport in West
Chicago in 1957. His 20000+ hours of
flight time have taken him around the
globe. He has flown everything from
DC-9s to the A 300 with a sterling
record – no violations, accidents, or
incidents. The thrill of a takeoff in
an aircraft with a turbo compound
engine that shot blue flames to
the back of the wings remains
with Maurie. His older brother
Doug ’48, also a recipient of the
Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award,
was an encourager and mentor to
him as was Pastor Gene Frost. A
gifted singer, Maurie’s pilot career
opened opportunities for him to sing
and to share his testimony. He and
his wife Corlyn have been married for
59 years and reside in North Carolina.
They have four children (Jeff ’82,
Craig ’83, Tim, and Brooke) and seven
grandchildren. The love of flying has
become a family tradition as Brooke,
Craig, and Doug’s son Kevin are all
career pilots.
1979
One of the unique aspects of
Wheaton Academy is the lasting
friendships formed during high
school. One such example is a group
of four alumni from the class of 1979
– Rich MacPartland ’79, Tom Pienkowski
’79, Tim Hill ’79, and Steve Votava ’79.
Following their graduation from the
Academy (then Wheaton Christian
High School), these four guys started
planning a road trip to the west coast
which they took in the summer of
1980. They have remained in touch
with each other consistently. They
Rich MacPartland ’79, Tom Pienkowski ’79,
Tim Hill ’79, and Steve Votava ’79
have been in each other’s weddings
and brought their wives into
their friendship. They have traveled
across the country to support each
other at their parents’ funerals.
When one of the guys had some
health issues, the other three
immediately drove across the
country to visit and to help with
household projects. The four couples
have often gotten together and have
even vacationed together. Best of
all, they have enjoyed each other’s
company for all these years.
Laura (Broadhurst ’80) and Rich MacPartland ’79
and Steve ’79 and Sue (Pienkowski ’83) Votava
on a road trip in 2019 to Niagara Falls.
From left: Kristine (LeBarbara ’79) and Tom Pienkowski ’79, Teresa and Tim Hill ’79,
Laura (Broadhurst ’80) and Rich MacPartland ’79, and Sue (Pienkowski ’83) and
Steve Votava ’79 at the funeral of Rich’s mom in January 2020.
15

ALUMNOTES
1997
Mike Southwell ’97 attended Taylor
University (IN) after graduating from
Wheaton Academy. After many
years in public education, Mike
and his wife Fawn have now been
serving as missionaries in Hungary
since 2018 with ABWE (Association
of Baptists for World Evangelism).
Mike is the high school principal at
the International Christian School of
Budapest while Fawn is serving in
a Hungarian women’s ministry and
supporting a local MOPS (Mothers
of Preschoolers) group. Budapest,
the capital of Hungary, is a hub for
many missionary organizations
that reach people with the gospel
all over central and eastern Europe.
ICSB was started in 1994 to support
an influx of Christian missionaries
who had moved to the region
after the fall of communism. Today
ICSB provides a Christ-centered
education to missionary kids as
well as international students with
a strong focus on evangelism and
discipleship. Mike looks back on his
time at Wheaton Academy with fond
memories, as he too was discipled
and grew in his faith. If you would like
to learn more about the Southwells’
ministry, visit servebudapest.org.
2005
Megan (Taylor ’05) DeBarr and husband
Derek welcomed Isaac James on
December 1, 2019. The DeBarrs live
in Springfield, IL, where they both
teach in the same district. Megan is
a reading specialist for kindergarten
through second-grade students and
coaches high school girls soccer.
Derek teaches junior/senior history
and coaches high school track
and cross country. The couple met
during college while working as
counselors at a summer camp. They
lost contact for about eight years
and reconnected through Facebook
and discovered they shared many
similar passions: their faith, traveling,
adventure, and teaching. They
recognize the Lord’s intricate plan in
bringing their lives together.
in memoriam
1953
Betty Lou (Pierson ’53) Teasdale
went home to be with the Lord
on Thursday, March 5, 2020,
after battling pancreatic cancer.
She was born in the Congo
to missionary parents, Floyd
and Amy Pierson. The family
furloughed in Illinois and became
friends with the Hockmans.
Betty Lou and Ruthie (Hockman
’53) Bell attended Wheaton
Academy together. When the
Piersons needed to return to
the Congo for another term,
Betty Lou stayed with a dear
aunt at first but then lived with
Ruthie’s family for more than a
year. Following graduation from
Moody Bible Institute, Betty
Lou served for many years as
a missionary in Africa with her
husband Paul. They moved to
the Snowbird Community of
Robbinsville, North Carolina, in
1979 to establish The Masters
Mission, a ministry committed
to training, sending out,
and supporting long-term
missionaries. She is survived by
Paul, her loving husband of 62
years; her three children and
spouses; eight grandchildren
and spouses; and four greatgrandchildren.
16

Has a new member joined
your family recently?
Let us know, and we will send you
a Maroon Platoon t-shirt for your
little one.
Pictured here is the youngest of the seven
grandchildren of Academy Director of Alumni
Relations Dawn Earl and her husband Bob:
Sloane Katherine Earl, daughter of Alex ’07 and
Mary (York ’07) Earl, and future Warrior of the
Class of 2037. Sloane is also the granddaughter
of past parents Rand and Kay (Frost ’72) York.
Like us on Facebook
Have you liked the Facebook page for
Wheaton Academy Alumni?
WA Memorabilia
We are always thrilled to accept
Wheaton Academy memorabilia
to help us preserve the history and
legacy of our school. Please contact us
if you are willing to donate your
old yearbooks or other Wheaton
Academy treasures.
Updates!
Keeping our records up-to-date and
maintaining contact with you are
priorities for us. If you are moving,
getting married, or changing your
contact information, let us know.
Young alumni, if your newsletters
and reunion information are still
being mailed to your parents’ house,
please update your current contact
information with us so that you can
receive these items at your own home.
Share your updates by sending us a
photo of your new baby, wedding,
family, etc.
keep in touch
THREE WAYS TO SUBMIT
YOUR ALUMNOTE
1. Email your photo(s) to Dawn Earl
at dearl@wheatonacademy.org.
2. Mail them to Dawn at
900 Prince Crossing Road
West Chicago, IL 60185.
3. Submit an online Alumni Update
at wheatonacademy.org/
alumni/update-us.
Photos for the next issue of the
Wheaton Academy Connection must
be received by September 15, 2020.
Please include a complete description
of the photo.
Alumni Platform
Your Online Connection to Wheaton academy
Visit Wheaton Academy’s alumni online community at WA.360alumni.
com. The platform includes an online directory and map locator,
jobs board, and much more. Information about Homecoming 2021,
including class reunions for both 2020 and 2021, will be updated
regularly, and registration for all Homecoming events will be available
online through the platform. Explore the online directory and find
former classmates. Be sure to activate and update your profile while
you are there so friends can find you.
Keep up-to-date with Homecoming 2021,
reunionS, and COVID-related updates at
the alumni platform WA.360alumni.com.
homecoming 2020
announcement
In cautious consideration for
the health and well-being of
our alumni and friends, all
Homecoming 2020 events have
been rescheduled to 2021. Reunion
classes for 2020 and 2021 will be
honored at Homecoming 2021.
Dr. Frost’s Celebration of
Service will also be a part of the
Homecoming 2021 events. In
addition, the 2020 alumni award
recipients will be honored with
the 2021 recipents.
Homecoming 2021 updates
and details will be posted on
WA.360alumni.com.
17

NON PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #1096
CAROL STREAM, IL
900 Prince Crossing Road
West Chicago, IL 60185
homecoming 2020
announcement
In cautious consideration for the health and
well-being of our alumni and friends, all Homecoming
2020 events have been rescheduled to 2021.
Reunion classes for 2020 and 2021 will be honored at Homecoming
2021. Dr. Frost’s Celebration of Service will also be a part of the
Homecoming 2021 events. In addition, the 2020 alumni award
recipients will be honored with the 2021 recipents. As updates and
details about Homecoming 2021 become available, they will be
posted on the alumni platform, WA.360alumni.com.