Doris Broehl Hopper ’41, who passed away on March 26, 2017, embodied those intangibles. She will be remembered for her smile, grace, knowledge and dedication, inspiring and supporting students on the Hilltop. Hopper graduated from Illinois College in 1941 with honors, earning an A. B. degree in English. She was actively involved in Hilltoppers theatre group, Gamma Delta Literary Society and the college choir.

Hopper joined the College’s staff in 1954 and held various positions, including director of admissions, director of the news bureau, editor of the Quarterly and dean of women. From 1972 to her retirement in 1984, she simultaneously held three positions: registrar, associate dean of students and associate professor of speech and theater.

Hopper was devoted outside of the classroom, as president of Smith House Board of Directors and in writing and publishing the biography of David A. Smith. She helped promote opportunities for women on campus, including the Illinois College Association of Women, Women’s Collegium, and the intercollegiate athletic program for women. IC’s outstanding female student-athlete award is named in her honor.

"Doris moved through her professional career and as a citizen of Jacksonville in ways that transformed the lives of the countless others and she wanted students to open their eyes to the possibilities for their lives," President Barbara A. Farley said. "We have lost a beloved alumna, professor, dean, historian, author, advocate and mentor.”

In 1989, Hopper was granted the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from IC. She also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Alumni Association in 1984, with late husband, Ed Hopper ’37. At the time of his death in 2001, the family established the Edward P. Hopper Award in Sociology in his honor. Memorial gifts are suggested to Illinois College in support of the Hopper Award.