BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University and COUNTRY Financial will celebrate
their shared history this month with a public program marking IWU’s 175th anniversary
and COUNTRY’s 100th.
Both organizations are partnering with the McLean County Museum of History to host the event at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at IWU’s Hansen Student Center.
The evening will begin with a welcome from Illinois Wesleyan President Sheahon Zenger, followed by opening remarks from COUNTRY Financial Chief Executive Officer Jim Jacobs.
A featured presentation, “Partnership from the Start: Illinois Wesleyan University and COUNTRY Financial, 1959–1961,” will be delivered by Bill Kemp, librarian at the McLean County Museum of History; and Liz Bloodworth, Illinois Wesleyan’s archivist and special collections librarian. Developed through a collaboration between IWU and the Museum, the presentation will highlight the longstanding connections between COUNTRY and the University, including how COUNTRY first established operations in Bloomington-Normal with significant ties to the IWU campus.
A Q&A session and reception will follow the presentation.
The event is free and open to the public.