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Renaissance Circle Society

Individual Charter Members as of April 2008

Anonymous

$1 million for Athletic Performance Center

Bradley University
Faculty, Staff, and Emeriti
Gifts to the Campaign for a Bradley Renaissance

$1.2 million to date

Bradley University’s faculty, staff, and emeriti have been and continue to be the heart and soul of this institution. They provide the knowledge, the experience, and the guidance for our students as they prepare for their life beyond the Hilltop. Not only do they give so generously of their time and talents, they give of their financial resources as well.

Many of today’s faculty and staff are veterans of two capital campaigns at Bradley that succeeded due to the hard work of many and the support of many more. These campaigns changed the face of our campus and helped insure our financial health.

Once again, Bradley’s faculty, staff, and emeriti have responded enthusiastically to another campaign challenge––The Campaign for a Bradley Renaissance. Through their generous and unifying support, Bradley University will reach an even higher level of excellence.

Robert '67 and Kathleen Clark

$2.5 million unrestricted gift

Robert Clark received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bradley in 1967 and earned his MBA in 1974 from Northern Illinois University. After graduation, he accepted the position of internal auditor with Northern Illinois Gas Company (now Nicor Gas) and rose through the ranks of the company to vice president-Eastern Division. In 1980, he was named vice president-Nicor Exploration in Denver. In 1985, Mr. Clark became vice president of Ladd Petroleum Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric, and in 1988, he was named senior vice president of Snyder Oil Corporation.

Mr. Clark formed Bear Paw Energy, LLC in 1995. Bear Paw operated gathering systems in Oklahoma, Wyoming, Texas, Kansas and Colorado and three natural gas processing plants in North Dakota. Bear Paw was sold to Northern Border Partners, L.P. in 2001. Immediately following the sale of Bear Paw Energy, Bear Cub Energy, LLC was formed with Mr. Clark as director, president and CEO. Bear Cub operates Madisonville Gas Processing, a natural gas treating plant near Houston. He currently serves on the board of directors of Storm Cat Energy Corporation and Evergreen Energy, Inc. He previously served on the board of directors of Patina Oil & Gas Corporation, and Evergreen Resources Inc. He has also served on the boards of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States and is past president and board member of the Denver Petroleum Club.

Mr. Clark became a Bradley University Centurion in 2005. He and his wife, Kathleen, reside in Golden, Colorado, and are members of the Bradley Rocky Mountain Alumni Chapter.

Jay '59 and Joan Janssen '69

$1 million unrestricted gift

A native Peorian, Jay Janssen majored in political science at Bradley, graduating with honors in 1959. While at Bradley, he was a member of the Forensics team and was recognized as the 1957 Outstanding Forensics Student of the Year. He received his juris doctorate from the University of Illinois and began private practice in 1961. The Janssen Law Center, specializing in personal injury, has represented hundreds of accident victims. Mr. Janssen has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer, as a Premier Lawyer by Fortune magazine, and as a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Illinois College of Law.

Joan Lorig Janssen received her bachelor’s degree in English and history in 1969 and was certified to teach. While on campus, she wrote for the Scout and was a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority and the English Club. Following graduation she taught at Richwoods High School, had a career in modeling, and worked in property management for the Janssen Building. She also has been deeply involved in volunteer work for the Peoria community. A member of the board of the Crittenton Center, she served as its president and received the Charles N. Crittenton Distinguished Merit Award. She was instrumental in founding the center’s crisis nursery and was recognized as the Junior League’s Volunteer of the Year. She has been a member of Bradley’s Communications and Fine Arts International Advisory Council, served on the BU Council from 1986 to 1994, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees.

The Janssens established the Janssen Oratorical Contest and Scholarships at Bradley. The contest is the prime recruitment tool for outstanding speech students to participate in Bradley’s nationally recognized Forensics Program.

David Markin '53

$8 million naming gift for the Markin Family Student Recreation Center

David Markin received his bachelor’s degree in business in 1953. As a student at Bradley, he was captain of the tennis team and a co-founder and president of his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. Following graduation he joined his family’s business, Checker Motors Co. As its CEO, he expanded the company from a manufacturer of a single product to a major supplier to the automobile industry. On the national tennis scene, Mr. Markin served as president of the United States Tennis Association and piloted the development and building of the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Mr. Markin is the only individual to twice receive Bradley’s President’s Award for leadership, service, and philanthropic support. He is a Bradley Centurion and was the 1999 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. He served on the Bradley Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2004 and is now an honorary member. The David R. Markin Tennis Courts, dedicated in 1998, were named in honor of his generous support to the University, and ground was broken for the Markin Family Student Recreation Center in the spring of 2007. The Markin Center is projected to be completed in the fall of 2008.

Nicholas '67 and Nancy Owens

$1 million for the Athletic Performance Center

Nicholas R. Owens graduated from Bradley in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in business management and administration. He worked his way through school, beginning a long and successful career with Keystone Steel & Wire in 1962. He became vice president of manufacturing in 1979 and president in 1982. He became COO of Keystone Consolidated Industries in Dallas in 1985, also serving on the board of directors until 1988.

In 1989, Mr. Owens purchased Electrical Specialties, an electrical cable and wire harness company, from Kiefer Electrical Supply Co. He led this Bartonville company through years of steady growth until he sold it to Trans Technology Electronics Inc. of Peoria in 1993.
He was named president of L.R. Nelson Corporation in 1992. Mr. Owens had already served several years as a director for L.R. Nelson at the time of his appointment. He retired from that position in 1996. Later that year, he became the first non-family member to serve as chairman and CEO of Hagerty Brothers Co. Nick and his wife, Nancy, divide their time between Florida and Illinois. Their son, Nicholas Eric Owens, graduated from Bradley in 2001 with a degree in political science.

James and Carolyn Petersen

$1 million for the Puterbaugh Men’s Basketball Practice Facility

James Petersen and his brother, Robert, founded Petersen Health Care in 1974 with two flagship facilities, Kewanee Care Home of Kewanee and Robings Manor in Brighton. As registered physical therapists, James and Robert embraced a commitment to strong community involvement by “bringing the community to the nursing home, and the nursing home to the community” as well as Petersen Health Care’s “resident care-based philosophy.”

Currently, Mr. Petersen is owner of Wee-Ma-Tuk Golf Course. Carolyn Petersen is an interior designer. Residents of Fairview, Illinois, the Petersens are members of the Braves Scholarship Society. Their gift will be recognized with the naming of the Men’s Basketball Head Coach’s office.

David & Kathy Puterbaugh

$3 million naming gift for the Puterbaugh Men’s Basketball Practice Facility

A native of Peoria, David “Harry” Puterbaugh graduated from Southern Methodist University and spent his early years in Dallas, where his company, Pine Oaks Diversified, built eight shopping malls. He returned to Peoria in 1985 to run Leisy Brewing Company, a family-owned brewery originally founded by his great-grandfather, Edward Puterbaugh, and his two brothers. The brewery business was later diversified into real estate development and a farming business.

The Puterbaugh name has had an historic association with Bradley University beginning with the leadership of Leslie D. Puterbaugh, who served on the first Board of Trustees and as president of the Board in 1914, to the leadership of his great-uncle, David Puterbaugh, who currently serves on Bradley’s Board of Trustees.

David and Kathy have enthusiastically supported the Bradley Braves as members of the Braves Club and as members of the Braves Scholarship Society.

Michael '73 and Benita Romano

$1 million for general facility renovation

Michael Romano graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1973. While on campus, he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and played hockey with the BU Hockey Club. Following graduation he joined his family’s business, the Romano Brothers Beverage Company, which, before its sale in 2002, sold one third of all beverage alcohol in the State of Illinois. Mr. Romano is now the play-by-play sportscaster for the Chicago Steel hockey team. He is a member of the Bradley Council. Michael and Benita have four children and reside in Burr Ridge, Illinois. Their daughter, Florence Romano ’08, graduated with a degree in theatre arts in May.

Michael and Benita were the 2005 recipients of the Harper Heritage award given to a Chicago-area donor whose generous contributions significantly impact the lives of Bradley students.

Gerald '66, MBA '68 and Pamela Shaheen '73

$1 million unrestricted gift to the Campaign for a Bradley Renaissance

Gerald Shaheen received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Bradley University in 1966 and an MBA in 1968. He completed the Tuck Executive Program at Dartmouth College in 1988. With a distinguished, lifetime career at Caterpillar Inc., Mr. Shaheen served as group president from 1999 until his retirement in 2008. He is the immediate past chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is the current chairman of its Executive Committee.

His service to the University has been equally distinguished. He served as president of the National Alumni Association, took a leadership role in both the Campaign for Bradley and Centennial Campaign, and has been a member of the Bradley University Board of Trustees since 2001, serving as vice chairman from 2005-2006. Currently he is board chairman and chairman of the Campaign for a Bradley Renaissance. He was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1993 and was concurrently inducted into the Centurion Society.

Pamela Cuthbert Shaheen received her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Bradley in 1973 and was a member of Pi Beta Phi. She currently is a member of the board of directors of the Center for Prevention of Abuse and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The Shaheens have established the Gerald and Pamela Shaheen Endowed Scholarship at Bradley.

Timothy Shea '70

$1 million for the Bradley Soccer Program

A Peoria native, Timothy Shea attended Bradley University prior to venturing into a successful career in real estate and property management in central Illinois. Today Mr. Shea is president of Peoria Builders, Inc., a local real estate and development company.

In 2002, Mr. Shea donated the lead gift to convert Pete Vonachen Stadium at Meinen Field into a state-of-the-art soccer complex named in his honor. Shea Stadium now serves as one of the finest soccer-specific college venues in the nation. Tim Shea is also one of the founding members of the Braves Scholarship Society and is a member of the board of the Braves Club. In 2003, he established a soccer scholarship in memory of his mother, Betty Mae Jacobs Shea, who graduated from Bradley in 1944 and was an avid Bradley Braves fan. One of his daughters, Kelley Shea Cressman, is a 1994 graduate of Bradley.

Rajesh '71 MSIE and Indu Soin

$1 million for general facility renovation

Born in New Delhi, India, Rajesh Soin graduated from Delhi University in 1969 with a degree in mechanical engineering and earned his Master of Science degree in industrial engineering from Bradley University in 1971. He began his career at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company prior to joining Williams International in 1978. Gifted with a natural affinity for entrepreneurship, Mr, Soin founded Modern Technologies Corporation (MTC) in 1984 with the idea of providing engineering and technical services to the Defense Department. MTC employs over 3,000 people in 40 offices throughout the United Sates and was recently ranked by Forbes as one of the Nation’s top 200 small companies. In addition to MTC, which is traded on the NASDAQ, Mr. Soin is chairman of five other diverse companies that are involved in software development, plastics manufacturing, metal manufacturing, cotton dying, and land development.

A member of the Bradley Board of Trustees since 2005, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2004 and was concurrently inducted into the Centurion Society.

Indu Soin is a graduate of Punjab University. Rajesh and Indu reside in Dayton, Ohio.

The Campaign for a Bradley Renaissance
1501 W. Bradley Avenue • Peoria, Illinois 61625
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