Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Deaths

Katharine “Kay” Oline Aston, 101, of Champaign, died May 16 at Inman Place in Champaign. A professor of English, she began teaching at the university in the program of English as a foreign language. She became the director of the English as a second language program in 1963-64 and worked for the university for 29 years. She was a founding member of the international professional organization Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in the mid-1960s. She instituted the first master’s degree in teaching English as a second language in 1966. She created one of the first minors in teaching English as a second language in the country. The Katharine O. Aston Award for Outstanding Master’s Thesis was established in her honor.

“Carol” Margadene Bateman, 88, of Mahomet, Illinois, formerly of Mansfield, Illinois, died May 16. She was employed by the university. A memorial service is scheduled at Mahomet United Methodist Church, 1302 E. South Mahomet Road, Mahomet, at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 25, with Pastor Craig Sweet officiating. Memorials: Mahomet United Methodist Church.

Lucille “Lucy” L. Finn, 91, of Urbana, died May 15. She was a costumer-seamstress for many years with the University of Illinois theater program, supporting the creation and design of costumes and wardrobes unique to each production while helping students learn the skills and secrets of the costuming craft. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. June 1 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Champaign, preceded by a visitation at 10 a.m. Memorials: St. John’s Lutheran Church School Fund. 

Joseph A. Garza, 92, died May 16 at his home in Champaign. He was a longtime financial planner administrator at the university, working for 32 years, retiring in 1984 as a securities investments accountant.

Gerald “Jerry” E. Miner Jr., 78, of St. Joseph, Illinois, died May 11 in Rockledge, Florida. He worked at the university, retiring from the operations and maintenance division in 1999. A visitation is scheduled for June 1 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church of Christ, 226 E. Sherman St., St. Joseph, with a celebration of life service at noon. Memorials: St. Joseph Church of Christ or Holiday Christian Church.

Shirley Bash Rittenhouse, 90, of Urbana, died May 17 at Clark Lindsey Village, Urbana. In 1959, she was hired as a research assistant in biochemistry, where she assisted with cancer research. She then moved to administration, serving as a staff associate in the office of the president. She retired after a lengthy tenure in that position. A visitation will be Saturday, May 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 1 p.m. at Morgan Memorial Home, 1304 Regency Drive West, Savoy, Illinois. Memorials: Alzheimer’s Association, 207 S. Prospect Ave., Suite 1, Bloomington, IL 61704.

Louis Allen Walthall, 85, of Urbana, formerly of Vermilion Grove, Illinois, died April 28 at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana. He worked for the university’s athletic association from 1970-89 in ticket sales as well as ushering for sporting and entertainment events. A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, June 29, at 2 p.m. at Champaign First Church of the Nazarene, 2403 W. Kirby Ave., Champaign. Donations: American Cancer Society.

 

Read Next

Health and medicine Dr. Timothy Fan, left, sits in a consulting room with the pet owner. Between them stands the dog, who is looking off toward Fan.

How are veterinarians advancing cancer research in dogs, people?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — People are beginning to realize that dogs share a lot more with humans than just their homes and habits. Some spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs are genetically very similar to those in people and respond to treatment in similar ways. This means inventive new treatments in dogs, when effective, may also be […]

Honors From left, individuals awarded the 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement are Antoinette Burton, director of the Humanities Research Institute; Ariana Mizan, undergraduate student in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship; Lee Ragsdale, the reentry resource program director for the Education Justice Project; and Ananya Yammanuru, a graduate student in computer science. Photos provided.

Awards recognize excellence in public engagement

The 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement were recently awarded to faculty, staff and community members who address critical societal issues.

Uncategorized Portrait of the researchers standing outside in front of a grove of trees.

Study links influenza A viral infection to microbiome, brain gene expression changes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a study of newborn piglets, infection with influenza A was associated with disruptions in the piglets’ nasal and gut microbiomes and with potentially detrimental changes in gene activity in the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays a central role in learning and memory. Maternal vaccination against the virus during pregnancy appeared […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010