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Description
Oral history interview with Illinois State Normal University alumni Thomas Krones, John Lowey, Roger Weller, and Thomas Wilson, Class of 1959. The interview was conducted on November 3, 1979, by Joyce Wittmus Tartar, Class of 1959.
John Lowey reminisces about the growth of the student body during his time on campus; he graduated with a record-breaking class of over a thousand students. The interview touches upon notable figures in the university administration, including Arthur H. Larsen and President Robert Bone, with special mention of Dr. Larsen's ability to remember students' names.
The conversation delves into various campus activities, such as athletics and extracurriculars. Roger Weller highlights his involvement in track and basketball, recalling competing alongside renowned athletes like Hayes Jones. John Lowey shares memories of campus events and his participation in sports, particularly the 1959 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) basketball tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tom Wilson reflects on his engagement with the Social Science Club and fondly recalls faculty members who left a lasting impression on him, such as Warren Harden. The interview also touches on the others’ academic experiences, including classes taught by professors such as Ted Sands and Jennie Whitten.
The conversation extends to major national and world events of the period, including the 1956 national election and the burgeoning interest in space exploration. Campus life during the late 1950s, characterized by more formal dress codes and prohibition of smoking and drinking, is discussed, along with memorable incidents on campus. The interviewees reminisce about residence halls, such as Walker Hall and Cardinal Court, as well as the required weekly assemblies.
Interview Date
11-3-1979
Index
- Introduction; size of student body: 00:00-01:31
- Notable administrators: 01:31-03:12
- Weller and Lowey on athletics: 03:12-06:00
- Wilson on Social Science Club: 06:00-06:49
- Krones on managing track team: 06:49-07:33
- Notable faculty: 07:33-09:53
- National news: 09:53-10:56
- Tartar and Weller’s recollections of ISNU; modes of dress: 10:56-12:12
- Lowey on “panty raid”: 12:12-13:12
- Dormitories; conclusion: 13:12-15:56
Biographical Statement
John Richard Lowey (1937-2018) was born to Paul Francis and Della (Smith) Lowey in Kankakee, Illinois. He graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in business education. While at ISNU he was elected president of Cardinal Hall and vice president of University Club. Lowey also participated in the Gamma Phi Circus in various capacities, including as a clown and trampoline act. A few months after graduation he married Judith Ann Harris; they would go on to have two children together.
Lowey’s career in education began in Heyworth, IL where he taught social studies to 6th graders and junior high school students from 1959 to 1961. In 1965 he earned a master’s degree in school administration from the newly-renamed Illinois State University, then took a position as a high school principal in Beecher, Illinois. From 1969 to 1971 he served in a similar capacity in Arcola, Illinois, thereafter assuming the position of district superintendent. Lowey remained at Arcola until 1982, then took a job as superintendent at Foreman School District in Manito, Illinois. He held that position for nine years, finally becoming the superintendent of Neoga Community Unit School District from 1991 to until his retirement in 1993. After retirement he worked part-time as a financial consultant for the Charleston School District until fully leaving the workforce in 2004.
Thomas Edward Krones (1927-2019) was born to Joseph and Marie (Reilly) Krones in Danforth, Illinois. At the age of 23 he was drafted into the U.S. Army for a period of two years, during which time he worked as a cook and baker. In 1955 Krones enrolled in Illinois State Normal University. At the end of his first semester he married Lois M. Lambert; the couple would go on to have four children together. Krones graduated from ISNU in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He served as a teacher, coach, and finally principal at Cropsey Grade School from 1959 to 1967, earning a master’s degree in school administration from the newly-renamed Illinois State University in 1965. Krones worked as principal of Chenoa Grade School from 1967 until 1989, then took a position as assistant regional superintendent of McLean, DeWitt and Livingston Counties. He retired in 1995.
Roger Bruce Weller (1937-2020) was born to John M. and Bernadine (Dremann) Weller in Princeton, Illinois. He graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. While at ISNU he was a four-year letterwinner in track and field while also making time to play on the basketball team. A year before graduation Weller married Sue Ann Rave, a student at nearby Illinois Wesleyan University; together they would go on to have three children. In 1960, he followed up his bachelor’s degree with a master’s of science in education. Weller then took a position as a basketball and track coach at De Land-Weldon High School in rural Piatt County, Illinois. In 1962 he resigned from that position to become assistant basketball coach at St. Charles High School; it was there that he first coached future track world recordholder Rick Wohlhunter. Weller returned to the newly-renamed Illinois State University as head track coach in 1965, a position he held until 1974. After leaving his career in coaching, Weller completed a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois and came back to ISU as a faculty member; he retired as chair of the Department of Health Sciences in 1994. Weller was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame in 1991.
Thomas Dwight Wilson (1937-2017) was born to Arthur and Ann (Sellers) Wilson in Dwight, Illinois. He graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in social science and from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1960 with a master’s degree in political science. Wilson’s first teaching position was at Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois; during the summers he worked at the state reformatory in Dwight. Wilson accepted a position as an instructor in political science at ISNU in 1961. The following year he married mathematics student Kay Byers; the two would go on to have two children together.
Wilson was especially active in social justice causes in the local Bloomington-Normal community during the 1960s and 70s. While serving on the board of the McLean County Economic Opportunity Corporation, Wilson oversaw a project to interview hundreds of low-income residents and created a directory of community services for those in need. He also raised money for a county-wide Head Start program and co-led ISU’s Academic Senate committee on community and campus programs. In 1975 he earned his doctorate in political science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Wilson would continue to serve as on the faculty of ISU’s Department of Politics and Government until his retirement in 1992.
Wilson remained an active volunteer at ISU following his retirement, including serving as president of the Friends of Milner Library and co-chairing the ISU Annuitants Association’s Legislative Committee. He also led the State Universities Annuitants Association’ Legislative Committee for several years, making many trips to Springfield to consult with legislators regarding state employees’ retirement systems. Two scholarships are named after him: the Thomas D. Wilson Award, which he endowed in 1996 to help unpaid interns in the Department of Politics and Government meet their expenses, and the Thomas D. Wilson Student Assistant Scholarship for students working at Milner Library, which was endowed by Kay in 2020. Thomas and Kay were both inducted into the ISU College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 2012.
Keywords
College buildings; College sports; Basketball; Nineteen fifties; Student activities; Bone, Robert Gehlmann, 1906-1991; Larsen, Arthur H., 1907-1994; Illinois State University--Alumni and alumnae
Recommended Citation
Krones, Thomas Edward; Lowey, John Richard; Weller, Roger Bruce; and Wilson, Thomas Dwight, "Interview with Thomas Krones, John Lowey, Roger Weller, and Thomas Wilson, Class of 1959" (1959). Alumni Oral Histories. 6.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/aoh/6