The careers of 79 Redbird senior student-athletes will be honored during the ISU Credit Union Senior Student-Athlete Banquet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4 in the Ballroom at the Bone Student Center.
The seniors will receive the second half of a medallion, which includes the phrase to this emblem well be true from the Redbird fight song. The first half of the medallion was presented at the Walk of Champions ceremony when these seniors entered Illinois State.
Keynote speakers at the event will be former Redbird gymnasts Jill Hollembeak, a 1991 graduate, and Diane French-Bricker, a 1988 graduate.
Tickets are $25 and reservations should be made through
Annie Campbell by calling 438-3803. Tickets must be purchased by 5 p.m. Friday, April 29.
Kurt Pegler, the current sports director at WMBD and a 1987 graduate of Illinois State, will M.C. the event, while University President Dr. Al Bowman, and Dr. Linda Herman, the interim director of athletics over the past year, will also make brief remarks at the banquet.
In addition, representing ISU Credit Union, President & CEO Thom Ewen, a 1990 graduate of Illinois State, will be on hand, as will former Redbird basketball player Beth Landes Ehresman, who will represent the Varsity I Club. Redbird student-athletes Stephen Carroll from football and Kelly Rikli from volleyball will speak for their fellow seniors.
Special honorees include the 2004 Milt Weisbecker Illinois State Male Student-Athlete of the Year Boomer Grigsby, the 2004 Jill Hutchison Illinois State Female Student-Athlete of the Year Liina Suurvarik, the 2004 Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year Neil Plank and Suurvarik, Verizon Academic All-American Plank and the announcement of the Laurie Mabry Award winner.
