The Illinois College Alumni Association recognizes the recipients of their annual awards. Leonard Brink ’66, Richard Meidel ’85, Dr. Steven Gardner, The Monticello College Foundation, Gray Noll '99 and Kristin Van Aken Jamison ’99 were celebrated for their dedication and outstanding service to the college, their local communities, the nation and beyond.

Brink and Meidel were honored with the Distinguished Service Award for meritorious service. The College’s Distinguished Service honorees have made significant contributions to intellectual life and service to humanitarian or charitable causes, as well.

According to Brink, Illinois College offered him a welcomed support system and learning environment along with small class sizes, a beautiful campus, academic challenges, and opportunities for growth and development. He remembers Dr. Ethel Seybold addressing his freshmen class, explaining that the faculty’s two primary goals were to help students learn how to think and learn how to write. Brink believes Dr. Seybold, and her colleagues, particularly Dr. Ernest Hildner and Dr. Charles Frank, fulfilled their promise.

In 2008, Brink retired as owner and chief executive officer of Sequest Technologies, a clinical record software company, and Sequest Consulting Inc., a healthcare management consulting company. After his retirement, he wrote and produced “DMZ Patrol,” a documentary about his Vietnam military service that included actual combat footage of his platoon. That experience triggered a newfound love for movie-making, as Brink next wrote and produced a feature film, “Precious Mettle.” Brink maintains that his movie-making experience supports that it is never too late to reinvent oneself or to pursue new opportunities for self- fulfillment and contribution.

“I am very proud to be an Illinois College alumnus, and to be able to invest in IC’s mission, helping ensure that other students are afforded the same opportunities to grow, learn and flourish,” said Brink. “My experience at IC has been a major life resource for me and, for that, I am thankful!”

Meidel is currently in his 32nd year working for ExxonMobil Corporation. He has held numerous executive and management assignments within ExxonMobil in the areas of power, manufacturing and field operations, wholesale and retail sales, business analysis and strategy development. He began his career with Exxon immediately upon graduation.

Meidel has also been involved with dog rescue since 2008, co-founding Schnauzer Rescue of Houston in 2014. The organization rescues and adopts more than 300 dogs every year. He also coordinated a mentoring/tutoring organization for at-risk students between 2007 and 2014, with more than 100 volunteers serving under him. He is an eight- year veteran of Junior Achievement and regularly teaches economics and personal finance.

During his acceptance speech, Meidel said, “For so many reasons, not the least of which is a circle of friends that I continue to cherish, I am a proud graduate of Illinois College, and I am pleased to be able to invest in its mission.”

The Faculty Ambassador Award recognizes an Illinois College faculty member who has brought goodwill to the College through community service and professional achievement. This year’s recipient was Gardner, who teaches Spanish language, literature and civilization.

Working with Dr. Larry Zettler, Gardner has helped develop collaboration agreements with institutions in Ecuador and Cuba, providing IC students with international research opportunities. His passion at Illinois College has been working to increase the number of students who participate in study abroad programs and helping them become more internationally oriented. Gardner also has guided students doing independent research, helping student presentations get accepted at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research every year since 2004. Working with Liliana Costa, Dr. Gardner helped establish a Community Tutoring Program in 2009, in which Illinois College students help Spanish speakers work on their English skills.

According to Gardner, “the most rewarding moments as a professor come when students have eureka moments: when they struggle with something, and after research and reflection, they develop an understanding of the situation that they did not have before.”

The Friend of the College Award honors a person or organization who has supported Illinois College in generous and significant ways. Dating back to 1977, Illinois College has long been a recipient of scholarship grants from The Monticello College Foundation. Since 1980, the scholarships awarded by Illinois College with funds from The Monticello College Foundation were done so in memory of Myrtie T. Dixson. This is due to a bequest to The Monticello College Foundation from Dixson to be used for scholarships for worthy students with an emphasis on citizenship, leadership and scholarship. To date more than 124 Illinois College women have benefited from $756,400 in Monticello College Foundation funding.

The connection between Illinois College and Monticello College started in the 1830s with Theron Baldwin, a young man who came west with a group from Yale University to bring religion and education to the Illinois frontier. He was instrumental in the founding of both Illinois College and Monticello Female Seminary (the college’s original name) and became the first principal of Monticello, serving from 1838 to 1843.

Noll, a 1999 graduate of Illinois College, received the Young Alumnus Award in recognition of meritorious service to Illinois College and noteworthy professional achievement. After graduating from Illinois College, Noll attended Southern Illinois University School of Law, graduating with honors in 2002. He immediately began working as a public servant at the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office. As an assistant state’s attorney in Sangamon County, he successfully prosecuted many complex criminal cases including first degree murder, home invasion, attempted murder and armed habitual criminal offender cases. In December 2015, he was unanimously chosen by the Morgan County Board of Commissioners to succeed fellow Illinois College alumnus Bobby Bonjean ’94, as Morgan County State’s Attorney. Noll was elected to serve a four-year term in this role by the people of Morgan County last November. In his short time as state’s attorney he has successfully tried a first degree murder charge and secured convictions on countless felony and misdemeanor cases.

As an Illinois College student, Noll was immersed in coursework, relationships and activities that nurtured, challenged and prepared him well for public service and the legal profession. Noll remembers former President Richard Pfau encouraging Noll and his classmates during opening convocation to make the most of their college experience, as ultimately the next four years would be what he and his peers would make of them. Noll credits his involvement in Sigma Pi Literary Society for helping him develop public speaking and interpersonal skills. He also learned the importance of treating others with respect, being truthful, working hard and personal responsibility.

“I am proud to be an Illinois College graduate because of its rich history, legacies of fellow alumni and academic rigor,” explained Noll. “While a student at Illinois College, I met my closest lifelong friends and became part of a family tradition – both of which shaped the person I am today. I can never repay the gift given to me by the College, but will continue to try and give back as much as possible. Jamison, also a 1999 graduate, was honored with the Young Alumna Award for meritorious service to her alma mater. The director of alumni relations and development communications at Illinois College, Jamison graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in communications and theatre. She was an award- winning performer in Illinois College TheatreWorks productions, a member of Action Jacksonville and gained induction into Lambda Pi Eta and Alpha Psi Omega honor societies as a student.

Upon graduation, Jamison earned a Master of Arts degree in communication at the University of Illinois in Springfield. She participated in the Graduate Public Service Internship Program while at UIS, and interned in the communications department at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. She also worked for then Illinois state legislator Dan Rutherford as a legislative aide in his Capitol and Pontiac offices.

Over the past dozen years, Jamison has worked on the development team at Illinois College in areas related to communications, marketing and fundraising. In her current role, she initiates, plans and directs the overall mission of alumni relations and oversees the development office’s communication with and stewardship of alumni, parents and friends.

“Illinois College is more than the place where I earned a degree. It is more than the place where I work. This special place has served as a second home for thousands, offering them experiences that have changed their lives. I am thankful for the opportunities that have been afforded to me as a member of the Illinois College family,” said Jamison.