Three cheers for the professor who made Foellinger fun for a freshman Danielle DuMerer.
We speak, of course, of the late, great Richard Scanlan, who taught Greek and Roman mythology to throngs of wide-eyed teens in the big auditorium.
“Professor Scanlan brought the subject matter to life, often coming in costume, and always engaged us with the content he knew so well. He also led us in chanting I-L-L-I-N-I, instilling a sense of camaraderie and pride in our school," says DuMerer (BA '99, English literature and rhetoric), who in 2019 left her job as chief information officer for the city of Chicago to become VP of technology at Shedd Aquarium.
“While there are many places that I think of from my time at U of I — from the house I lived in during my junior and senior years at Springfield and Busey to the Oregon Computer Lab, where I pulled many an all nighter — Foellinger Auditorium is the place that I feel really bookended my experience.
"I also graduated in Foellinger, and remember taking those steps up after four years of hard work and growth to get my English literature degree awarded with highest distinction.”
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