September 2011 | North Central College

Today's Student-Veterans Bring a New Dynamic

A growing population of student-veterans is bringing a unique set of experiences to North Central classrooms. They’ve endured military basic training, the heat of Iraq, parachute jumps, rigorous duties and reentry to civilian life. The enrollment of military veterans has reached 25 and dozens more are expected in years to come.

Fitness classes and intramurals start soon

With the start of fall term, it’s time to think about joining fitness classes and signing up for intramurals. Both are open to all students, faculty and staff. Fitness classes are free and and there’s no registration, except for indoor cycling and weight training. Intramurals require registration with a $20 refundable deposit.

Northcentralcardinals.com/recsports is your portal for more information.

Will Allan '09

Will Allan was named among the seven Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater by Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones. “What do they have in common? Talent. Artistry. And a desire to entertain Chicago and beyond. You’ll be seeing them around,” Jones writes. He summarizes Allan’s career this way: Allan first attracted attention when he appeared in “The History Boys” at TimeLine Theatre, a production that launched several Chicago careers.

Ron Smith '75

Ron Smith published “Eight Days a Week: Births, Deaths and Events Each Day in Oldies History,” which was released May 8. Featuring a foreword by broadcasting legend Dick Biondi, the book lists significant happenings for each day of the year and includes caricatures of famous musicians. He also published four reference books about the local music charts of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. While enrolled at North Central College, he was a disc jockey for WONC-FM in 1975 and began collecting music history tidbits.

Paul Roots '07

Paul Roots ‘07, a civil engineering student at the University of Illinois-Chicago, was named a Udall Scholar for his commitment to the environment, leadership potential and academic achievement. In April, the Udall Foundation selected 80 students from 61 colleges and universities as 2011 Udall Scholars, awarding scholarships up to $5,000. Roots majored in music and jazz studies at North Central and after graduation, joined the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in 2008.

Michael Pappalardo M '99

Michael Pappalardo M ’99 is CEO/CFO of Pappalardo Enterprises LLC, a property acquisition company specializing in rental and construction operating in Illinois and Indiana. His son Eric is president. He lives in Naperville and may be reached at mjpappalardo@gmail.com.

North Central Now Fall 2011

Kathleen Lichay '02

Kathleen Lichay is a criminal intelligence analyst assigned to the Investigations Unit with the Naperville Police Department. Her duties include assisting detectives and patrol officers on a multitude of cases, from narcotics and gangs to child pornography and bank fraud. In 2009, she won first place in the International Association of Crime Analysts annual bulletin contest. Her entry about an online phenomenon called “Second Life” beat other crime analysts across the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

Becky Anderson ’82 Wilkins

Becky Anderson ’82 Wilkins, a co-owner of Anderson’s Books, had the honor of delivering books to the White House Library for the family of President Barack Obama, a tradition of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) that dates back to the administration of President Herbert Hoover. “It’s a rare occasion that the books are delivered in person,” she says. “It was a very relaxed situation and the President is very into books. He told that us he can’t just walk into a book store and browse anymore.”

Brooke Mabbitt ’04 Keane

Brooke Mabbitt ’04 Keane has parlayed her love for dogs and her copywriting background into “Naperville Dog,” a new magazine geared toward dog owners. She’s editor, designer and ad salesperson. Keane plans to have a “cover dog profile” for each issue, with the first cover dog being her own Siberian husky named Zeus. The centerfold feature of the magazine is called Dogs About Town and features photos of Naperville dogs. Readers may contribute pictures of their dogs to the magazine for possible publication, and she welcomes freelance article submissions on appropriate topics.

Alumnae Cherrelle Blevins ’09 and Jill Bushman ’10

Alumnae Cherrelle Blevins ’09 (left) and Jill Bushman ’10 served as co-directors of the Junior/Senior Scholars summer camp, a college readiness program that partners with high-need elementary and secondary schools in Aurora and Chicago. Program Coordinator Jan Fitzsimmons recruited them along with four other alumni as coaches and 17 students as interns for the 2011 five-week summer program.