Paying It Forward

A century celebration for the Main Library building never looked so sweet—thanks to Library Friends, including John and Bonnie Dauer.

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When Steve and Megan Shebik delivered a bold challenge to University of Illinois alumni and friends, John and Bonnie Dauer listened.

In concert with the 100th anniversary celebration of the Main Library building last fall, the Shebiks announced a match to all gifts—up to $1 million—to the Library Building Transformation Fund and the Library Facilities and Technology Fund. Steve ’78 BUS, ’78 BUS and Megan ’80 LAS had previously provided a substantial donation in 2020 to launch the venture, which will get underway
this spring [see “Building Project Gets Official Nod”].

The proclamation particularly touched the Dauers, who count their college experience as pivotal to their lives. They were spurred to commit $2 million to the vision of reimagining the University Library for the 21st century.

“If you look at our lives together—or each of us separately—I think we both look at it the same way,” said John, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1989. “Illinois really is a cornerstone.

“Without Illinois, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We wouldn’t have had the opportunities that we have.”

In like manner, “the Library is the cornerstone of the university,” said Bonnie, who received an undergraduate degree in speech communication in 1992. “It’s such an important building on campus.”

As undergraduate students at Illinois, John Dauer and Bonnie Glasscock met while working in food service at the Illinois Street Residence Halls, where they both lived. Neither one had looked too closely at other campuses before deciding to be part of the Illini Nation.

“I think I took six college visits for campus tours,” John said, “and five of them were at Illinois.

“I wanted to go to the best university in the state,” he said, as well as one he could afford. “To me, that was Illinois.”

Bonnie was introduced to the university when her high school sponsored a trip to the annual Engineering Open House. “That was the first time . . . I had seen a college campus,” she said. “Much  like John, I put all my eggs in that basket.”

As a huge sports fan, John reveled in the exciting reign of the men’s “Flyin’ Illini” basketball team of the day, while Bonnie remembers the opportunities Illinois afforded to meet people from all backgrounds and cultures. “It’s just a special place,” she said of her campus experience, which John credits as among the most significant of his life.

While he did not date Bonnie at that time, after graduation John looked her up in her hometown of Plainfield, Illinois, while he was living in nearby Naperville.

“I started calling up all of the [relevant] last names in the white pages” of the telephone book, John said. “And it took quite a few days of calling her relatives repeatedly because Bonnie’s number was unlisted.”

Finally, on the urging of her grandmother, Bonnie relented and agreed to meet. The rest, as they say, is history.

These days, John serves as vice president of SCC Inc. in Elk Grove Village. Bonnie, who earned a master’s degree in library and information science in later years, has worked as a catalog librarian. She currently sits on the university’s Library Board of Advocates, as well as the board of trustees of the St. Charles Public Library.

As loyal donors to the university, the Dauers see their library gift as contributing to the longevity and upkeep of the institution. “We have trust in Illinois that the Library is going to be there . . . for a hundred more years,” Bonnie said. “We’re happy to do what we can to help keep the Library on campus.”

The Dauers remain both pragmatic and philosophical about maintaining a connection to their alma mater and taking steps to support her and her future students.

“I was the first one in my family to go to college,” John said. “One of the reasons why we always have felt good about donating,” he said, is gratitude for what Illinois gave him and Bonnie.

“To give back to Illinois is to make sure that other people have that same opportunity,” John said, “and that it lives on going forward.”