A digital special section of | Subscribe


Don Elmore

Don Elmore

Director, Champaign County | Small Business Development Center | Class of 1980

Heard the one about the future local business owner and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band that couldn’t find its way around campus?

We’ll let 1980 communication grad Don Elmore tell it.

“As a UI student, I was studying on the lawn one afternoon at our apartment on South First Street when I saw four guys rollerblading down the street. It was Van Halen, minus Eddie but plus a roadie. 

“They were tired and lost, and they asked for directions back to University Inn — now The Tower on Third on campus. I gave them directions but then managed to remember that I had a car.  

“I asked if they wanted a ride. Their looks indicated that I might have offered that information sooner, but they accepted and still appreciated the ride."

Related Articles

Paul Wood from 2012: Getting Personal with Don Elmore
Christine Des Garennes from 2009: New owners taking over Jane Addams Book Shop