Alumni to be Honored at Homecoming 2018
Sept. 13, 2018
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Recipients of the 2018 Illinois Wesleyan University Alumni Awards will be honored during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 5-7.
Dr. Steve Doran ’79, Debo Olaosebikan ’06, and John and Pat (Lashbrook) Jordan (’57 and ’59, respectively), will be recognized at the annual Alumni Awards Reception on Friday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Center’s Young Main Lounge.
Dr. Steve Doran '79, an oral surgeon in Bloomington, Illinois, will be presented the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is presented to an alumnus or alumna who has made a distinguished contribution to society, has achieved distinction in his or her profession, or has demonstrated civic leadership. In 2011, the Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS) presented Doran with the President’s Award for outstanding contributions to the dental profession. Since then, he has made 12 oral surgery mission trips to Haiti and Honduras, in addition to his participation in the Gary S. Johnson ’71 free extraction clinic and four ISDS Mission of Mercy clinics. He presently serves on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal and John Scott Health Services. He and his wife Joy, a retired Illinois Wesleyan piano instructor, have provided generous financial support and summer employment for many IWU students.
The 2018 Robert M. Montgomery Outstanding Young Alumnus Award will be presented to Debo Olaosebikan ’06 in recognition of outstanding professional achievement and civic leadership.
Olaosebikan is the chief technology officer and co-founder of Gigster, a smart software development service utilized by top businesses including Staples, Airbus and MasterCard. Olaosebikan came to Illinois Wesleyan from Nigeria as a Presidential Scholar at 16 years old and was named the IWU Anderson Scholar for 2005-06. Olaosebikan pursued graduate-level physics at Cornell University, where he represented Cornell in a collaboration with MIT, Stanford and Caltech to build the world’s first electrically activated silicon laser, a project supported by $6 million in grants. Olaosebikan has demonstrated his dedication to promoting education through a variety of scholarships and educational opportunities for students in Nigeria, including CATCH AFRICA, a scholarship competition for secondary school students.
This year’s Loyalty Award, presented to alumni or friends of the University who have made large service or financial contributions to Illinois Wesleyan, will be given to John and Pat Jordan (’57 and ’59).
While students, both chaired the Religious Activities Commission of the student government and were active in other organizations. After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan, John studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University and earned a graduate degree in divinity from Drew University. Pat went on to earn a master’s degree and taught in New Jersey for 15 years. She served as president of the Education Association, was active in Citizens for Public Education, and also served as the district reading specialist. The Jordans lived in Teaneck, New Jersey, while John worked for the United Methodist Church, but later returned to Illinois, where he served as the Executive Director of the University of Illinois YMCA. John joined the IWU Board of Trustees in 1992 and has served on many committees, including the committee for re-accreditation. They served as emcees for the Golden Titans homecoming dinner in 2017 and have been loyal supporters to the University through their donations and service.
By Rachel McCarthy ’21