|Alumni Newsletter PioneerVOL. 21 NO. 1 SPRING 2016 1982 Pioneer Patrick Bergin a citizen of the world By John Moody lands and Conservation Service Centers, part because of U-High’s status as part of the latter he played a major role in con- ISU,” Bergin said. An urgent part of his ceptualizing. He was also instrumental in job these days is the plight of the African developing AWF’s current five-year plan. elephant. On January 1, 2002, AWF’s chairman According to awf.org, 35,000 African of the board, Stuart T. Saunders Jr., an- elephants are killed each year by poachers nounced that Bergin was the organization’s illegally harvesting their tusks. In some new president and chief executive officer. parts of Africa, elephant populations have AWF’s mission is to “ensure the wildlife declined by more than 60 percent. and wild lands of Africa will endure forever.” China is the largest market for Is it unusual for a guy who studied elephant tusks, but China and the U.S. English and spent much of his career recently announced a commitment to working so closely with people to be “take significant and timely steps to halt Patrick Bergin, U-High Class of 1982, chosen to lead such a group? the domestic commercial trade of ivory” has lived in Africa since 1988. So, how “Interestingly, my specialty is in com- in their respective countries. does one get from Normal, or Bergin’s munity development and ‘people’ work,” Bergin’s response, according to AWF, hometown of Merna, to be exact, to Bergin said. “The answer to us is clear. was positive but cautious: “If these com- Nairobi, Kenya, a nation in East Africa? If you give wildlife a safe place to live, it mitments translate into meaningful co- The answer would probably be something looks after itself as it has for millennia. operation and action by these geopolitical along the lines of: “You head out of town The real issues of conservation are social giants on tackling poaching and wildlife east toward Urbana, and then go straight and economic.” trafficking, the future will be bright for … to the Peace Corps.” He is far from the prairie of his home Africa’s giants.” Bergin holds bachelor’s and master’s state as he travels the world seeking His vision for the future is to promote degrees from the University of Illinois at to connect corporate and government what he calls “Wildlife in a Modern Af- Urbana-Champaign. His bachelor’s is in partners to the cause he has devoted his rica,” and to work with the governments English and his master’s is in agriculture professional life to. Does he ever wake and people of Africa. All this, he said, is education. He later earned a Ph.D. in up some mornings in Africa or in some an effort to promote a more modern and rural development from the University of far-flung place and wonder how on earth more prosperous continent where wildlife East Anglia in Norwich, England. Along a kid from central Illinois and U-High isn’t constrained to a few small token the way he became fluent in Swahili. ended up working and living in Africa? parks, reserves, or zoos. Any of those accomplishments could “All the time, just recently I was rec- He is one of nine children of Jim and get you to Africa, but serving as a Peace ognized by the board of African Wildlife Angela Bergin; his dad worked at ISU, and Corps volunteer from 1988-89 in Tanzania Foundation at our annual meeting in his mother retired from teaching at Met- is what really gave Bergin direction. By Nairobi for my 25 years of service,” calf. He thinks his Midwestern roots have 1990, he was a Peace Corps training offi- Bergin said. “When I was at U-High served him well on the international stage. cer, also in Tanzania, and by late 1990 he and beginning to take an interest in “I think and hope there is an authen- joined the African Wildlife Foundation international affairs, I would have never ticity about the character of many people (AWF) as a project officer assigned to the imagined leading a wildlife conservation from the Midwest that is especially ef- Tanzania National Parks Community organization in Africa.” fective in doing cause- or mission-related Conservation service. He gives credit to inspirational work,” Bergin said. “I think people from In April 1999, he was appointed vice teachers at U-High, and he said being a the Midwest are generally not preten- president of AWF’s African Operations, Pioneer helped prepare him by encourag- tious, and that plays well abroad.” ing a world view. which put him in charge of the organiza- UNIVERSITY tion’s two major initiatives: African Heart- “I was certainly itching for exposure to a larger world, and I got that in large LABORATORY SCHOOLS University High School Alumni Association BOARD MEMBERS Pioneer Welcome We had a tremendous time this past year reflecting on the rich history and tradition of University High School while celebrating 50 years at Gregory and Main. It was a great opportunity to not only welcome back friends from many years ago but to also help our current students better understand how our school has survived and thrived over many years. This was never more evident than on the evening of Homecoming as the Class of 1945 celebrated its 70th reunion at Biaggi’s in Bloomington. I had the pleasure of joining the group, and while we were at dinner, we found ourselves seated just a few feet away from a group of the Class of 2019 having dinner before the Homecoming dance. The Class of ’19 asked to take a picture with the Class of ’45, and it certainly made for a very special moment. Only at U-High does this happen, as these two spe- cial groups formed a link from past to present and helped me remember that being a Pioneer is a bond that cannot be broken. I hope you enjoy this edition of The Pioneer, and thank you for your ongoing support of our school! Jeff Hill, Ed.D. Laboratory Schools superintendent Future THE HOMECOMING Pioneer DATES BOARD CONSULTANTS ALUMNI NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 Volume 21 Number 1, Spring 2016 Friday| Published semiannually Illinois State University University High School Campus Box 7100 Normal, IL 61790-7100 2 Pioneer | Alumni Newsletter Alumni Newsletter | Pioneer 3 Upcoming Pioneer reunions Class of 1946 Class of 1976 Second Wednesday of the month at noon 40-YEAR REUNION | June 24 & 25, 2016 Jim’s Steakhouse in Bloomington Friday evening: Social with NCHS class of ’76 at Pub II Saturday: Golf Outing to be organized Class of 1947 Saturday at 6 p.m.: Times Past Inn on Towanda Ave., Bloomington Fourth Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. Contact: Marty Kiesewetter at (309) 925-5086 or CJ’s Restaurant in Bloomington [email protected], Julie Gannaway Golliday at Class of 1950 [email protected], Denise Grupp-Verbon at [email protected] First Wednesday of the month at 8:30 a.m. Class of 1981 CJ’s Restaurant in Bloomington 35-YEAR REUNION | September 23 & 24, 2016 Contact: Gordon Schroeder at (309) 452-2875 Contact: Shelley Livingston at (309) 310-2706 or [email protected] Class of 1955 Class of 1991 60 +1–YEAR REUNION | September 23, 2016 25-YEAR REUNION | September 23 & 24, 2016 Contact: Lowell and Eleanor White Antenen at (815) 575-1217 Contact: Dana Klauss at [email protected] or [email protected] Class of 1966 Class of 1996 20-YEAR REUNION 50-YEAR REUNION | September 23 & 24, 2016 Contact: Jennifer Yang at [email protected] Contact: Jim Eckert at (309) 723-4241 or [email protected] or (847) 312-9128 Eric Schlipf at [email protected] Class of 1967 Class of 2001 50-YEAR REUNION | Date to be announced for 2017 15-YEAR REUNION Contact: Margaret Theis Bratcher at [email protected] Contact: Ryan Scritchlow at (309) 287-6294 or [email protected] Class of 1969 Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s ANNUAL HOLIDAY REUNION | December 24, 2016 School (ISSCS) All Pioneers are welcome ANNUAL REUNION | September 16 & 17, 2016 Contact: Karen Mercier Crusius at (309) 662-8909 Friday at 5 p.m.: Ice Breaker on at Eastland Suites. All UHS grads or [email protected] welcome to join fellowship. Saturday morning: Picnic on ISSCS grounds, lunch served at noon. Class of 1971 Contact: Bernie Latta ’60 at (309) 829-1991 or (309) 261-4272 or 45-YEAR REUNION [email protected], Debbie Burt Macchiaroli ’73 at Contact: Cindy Chiodo Kelley at [email protected] [email protected] Facebook group: UHIGH AND ISSCS MEMBERS GROUP Lead like a Future PIONEER! Opportunities Make your class reunion a reality by stepping up to get the ball rolling for your class reunion by contacting one of the Alumni Relations Coordinators. Gatherings can be simple or HOMECOMING elaborate! Customize your celebration! And DATES remember that reunions don’t have to be on milestone years or limited to one class. Be TO SERVE! SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 creative and imaginative to organize a reunion Friday| of Pioneers who were sports teammates, or If interested in serving your alma mater, cast members and crew of a play, or an alliance please contact any board member or that published the Clarion together. Let the email us at [email protected]. UHS Alumni Association assist in the process · Awards Committee members to locate classmates. Email the UHSAA at · Website coordinator [email protected] or call (309) 438-8542.