In Memoriam

Above: Phyllis Hallene

___

Benefactors Hallene, Wetzel to be missed

This fall saw the passing of two friends of the Library—Phyllis Hallene ’51 LAS and Rebecca S. Wetzel, MS ’69 LIS.

Phyllis Hallene and her late husband, Al ’51 ENG, were well known for their generosity to myriad aspects of the University of Illinois campus, including student scholarship; research in engineering, as well as the arts and humanities; athletics; the restoration and installation of the Hallene Gateway, now a notable landmark on the campus’s eastern edge; and the endowment of several chairs. In 2003 the couple established the Alan M. and Phyllis W. Hallene Library Endowment Fund, which provides unrestricted support for the Library and the acquisition of the 10-millionth volume (Unlocking Our Past, Building Our Future). Phyllis Hallene passed away in November.

After earning her master’s degree in library and information science at the University of Illinois in 1969, Becky Wetzel enjoyed a long career in computer technology on the Urbana-Champaign campus. As an academic professional computer consultant, she specialized in the role that magnetic tapes played on the university’s mainframe computer, and helped manage the student computer consulting service. In 2010, she and her late husband, John (Jack) Wetzel, a UI professor emeritus of mathematics, established the John E. and Rebecca S. Wetzel Library Endowment to “enhance and preserve the Mathematics Library’s collections for scholarly endeavors and to enhance and preserve the Library’s collections for scholarly endeavors.” Rebecca Wetzel passed away in September.

Memorials to Hallene and Wetzel may be made to their respective endowments. Call (217) 333-5682 or visit go.library.illinois.edu/gift.