This month in Illinois State University history

November 1—Jean Borg’s vision gives gift of reading to young learners

Today is National Family Literacy Day. Illinois State has long been a leader in promoting literacy, and thanks to the kindness and generosity of one alum, the University has a state-of-the-art center to anchor its efforts.

The Mary and Jean Borg Center for Reading and Literacy strives to enhance literacy on the elementary and middle-school levels by providing high-quality, accessible tutoring. Dedicated on September 17, 2008, on the third floor of DeGarmo Hall, the center is the vision of Jean Borg ’50, and honors the memory of her mother, Mary.

Born in Elgin on April 30, 1928, Jean enjoyed a close relationship with her mother; a nurse who strongly supported women’s rights. Jean attended Illinois State at her mother’s urging, aided by a scholarship from the state of Illinois based on her father’s Army service in World War I.

Jean earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and education and taught in various high schools before moving to Champaign, where she earned a master’s degree in counselor education in 1962. After working as a high school counselor, she relocated to Florida in 1972 and became a faculty member for curriculum and instruction at the University of South Florida for over two decades.

Jean served on a national commission to promote the professional development of teachers, co-authored several instruction manuals, and conducted seminars on teaching practices around the nation. She died at age 95 on May 26, 2023.

Jean made several other generous gifts to Illinois State, including the Jean M. Borg Endowed Scholarship, also established in 2008 to assist students pursuing careers teaching biological sciences. She also gave the Mary R. Borg Endowed Scholarship in honor of her mother, and the Jean M. Borg Campus Enhancement Endowment.

The Borg Center, however, may be Jean’s greatest contribution. In addition to vital tutoring, the center and its faculty have fostered groundbreaking research on curriculum studies, reading motivations, pedagogy in literacy instruction, cultural perspectives, multilingual classrooms, and equity and justice in early childhood classrooms.

At the 2008 dedication, President Al Bowman told Jean, “You are giving the most precious gift of all—the gift of reading.” It was an apt summary of Jean Borg, whose foresight and generosity have helped countless youngsters enjoy the benefits of literacy.

November 11—Best-selling artist Gloria Estefan brings “musical fiesta” to Redbird Arena

On this date in 1989, Gloria Estefan, a five-time Grammy Award winner known as the “Queen of Latin Pop,” performed at Redbird Arena on the Illinois State campus.

Estefan, a Cuban-American, is one of the world’s best-selling artists, with over 100 million record sales worldwide. Both VH1 and Billboard have named her among the Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Between 1985 and 2011, Estefan had 21 singles reach No. 1 on either the Billboard Hot 100, the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, or the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, plus 19 others that reached the top 10 on at least one of those three charts. She has also had No. 1 hits in Canada, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.

Estefan’s Illinois State appearance came months after she began to be credited as a solo artist. Prior to that, she performed as part of the Miami Sound Machine, with which she had five No. 1 American hits, including “Conga” and “Anything for You.”

The concert was part of Parents’ Day, and Estefan was coming off a week-long illness that forced her to cancel four dates. Four months later, she suffered a cervical spine fracture when her tour bus was involved in a collision in Pennsylvania.

Still, Estefan thrilled the Redbird Arena crowd with what The Vidette called a 90-minute “musical fiesta of Latin dance tracks.”

She opened with her signature song, “Conga,” and delivered other major hits like “Anything for You,” “Cuts Both Ways,” and “Don’t Want to Lose You.” The aesthetics were enhanced by a “colorful light show,” as described in The Vidette, featuring “a series of geometric figures resembling the sun” against “a white backdrop on the stage.” Highlights included “an astounding sax solo” and a “unique drum solo.” The Vidette admiringly noted “this concert was quite different than most rock/pop concerts.” The evening closed with “Get on Your Feet,” which was repeated in the encore.

At one point, Estefan asked the crowd, “What day is it?” claiming the band loses track of time on the road. The Vidette concluded that “Parents’ Day ended with a bang” from Estefan’s wide range of talents.

Since her night in Normal, Estefan has earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017. She has also served on the board of trustees of her alma mater, the University of Miami, while becoming a successful businesswoman, actress, and author.

November 21—TV-10 trains the next generation of broadcasters

Today is World Television Day, designated by the United Nations in 1996 to recognize television’s role in informing the public of world events, including international conflicts, peace, security, and economic and social issues.

At Illinois State, TV-10, the student television station, has helped fulfill those roles since signing on the air on March 18, 1974. TV-10 is both a working laboratory and an academic unit that gives students hands-on experience in broadcast journalism and production.

Students serve as anchors, reporters, photographers, and news writers, while editing stories, creating on-screen graphics, and producing weather forecasts. They are supervised by faculty and staff who have worked professionally in the television field.

The recipient of numerous collegiate broadcasting awards, TV-10 rose from simple origins. At the start, the newsroom was in the Old Union building while the studio was in Metcalf School, which caused much running back and forth.

The original TV-10 news director was Jeff Hawkinson, a veteran of Peoria radio who taught broadcast news at Illinois State. He also worked at WEEK-TV in Peoria from 1975-86 as assignment editor, news director, and broadcast manager before accepting a multimedia position with Caterpillar. Hawkinson died in February 2010 at age 63. He was joined at TV-10 by the first production director, Martin Grindeland, who later earned numerous accolades as a faculty member at Minnesota State – Moorhead.

The first broadcast of the station in 1974 was a nervous one, and The Vidette covered it under the headline “TV-10 News Debuts with Jitters.” Newscasts were in black-and-white until 1978. The station settled in new facilities in the basement of Fell Hall in 1992.

In 2008, TV-10 introduced a new look after a wholesale studio renovation, with new theme music recorded by the Big Red Marching Machine and a memorable slogan: “Your Campus, Your Community, Your Life.”

The station went completely digital in August 2009, replacing tapes, and switched to high-definition broadcasting in summer 2016, along with renovations to the control room and studio. All program sets were filmed with a green screen for virtual broadcasts.

Popular TV-10 segments over the decades include Sports Zone, Ten on 10, The Bottom Line, and Good Afternoon BloNo—a daily look at life around Bloomington-Normal.

Hawkinson once said he wanted students trained “to react like a commercial station in judging news values.” That goal has been met time and time again, as dozens of TV-10 alums have become anchors, reporters, and producers in top media markets nationwide. Many are enshrined in the Illinois State University Broadcast Hall of Fame, established in Fell Hall in April 2016. As of 2024, there were 44 recipients, a testament to the school’s opportunities for students in broadcast journalism, including TV-10.

November 25—Redbird rivalry with Eastern Illinois spans more than a century

On this date in 2006, Illinois State played longtime rival Eastern Illinois University in the first round of the Football Championship Series (FCS) playoffs. Illinois State came up with a pair of interception returns for touchdowns in a 24-13 victory in the most important matchup in the rivalry, the longest-running series in the history of Redbird football.

The schools first played in 1901, a 28-0 loss for Illinois State in the first of 112 meetings since. Illinois State University holds a 62-43-9 advantage in the series, the oldest FCS (formerly Division I-AA) rivalry in Illinois and the 13th-oldest in the nation.

For many years, both schools were in the same conference, adding flavor to the rivalry. There have been only 13 seasons since 1901 in which they have not met. With a series this long, there have been plenty of memorable moments.

In Charleston in 1915, the game ended in a scoreless tie as both teams fumbled inside the 10-yard line. Though Illinois State first celebrated a full-scale Homecoming in 1921, there were elements of homecoming celebrations earlier, including a 1916 football game against Eastern. Illinois State scored on a blocked punt for a touchdown that afternoon, but it was the only points they scored in a 24-7 loss. The Redbirds gained a measure of revenge at the real Homecoming five years later, with a 42-3 blowout.

On November 14, 1959, the home game was played in the snow, forcing Redbird linemen to wear gloves in a 6-6 tie. On September 30, 1961, the host Redbirds rolled to an 18-0 victory remembered for a touchdown pass estimated at 18 inches.

In their next meeting, on September 29, 1962, Paul Whitmore returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown, the only points Illinois State needed in a 6-0 win. It remains the longest punt return for a touchdown in university history.

The 2006 FCS playoff meeting was part of a banner year for the rivalry. The teams had also met that September in Normal, both nationally ranked for the first time ever in the series. The No. 7 Redbirds rallied from a 10-0 first-quarter deficit for a 44-30 win over the 18th-ranked Panthers.

In 2012, the game took on an official name: the Mid-America Classic. That year, the teams celebrated by playing the highest-scoring contest in series history, as Illinois State won 54-51 in Normal. The 105 total points smashed the old record of 85, set in a 44-41 Redbird win in 2000.

Only one meeting has been decided in overtime, a 34-31 Redbird win at Charleston on September 20, 2015—just one of many memorable moments in the series between Illinois State and its longest-running rival.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher who, in collaboration with Carl Kasten ’66, co-authored the 2020 book Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University.