List of Shimer College people explained

This is a list of notable students and faculty of Shimer College, a Great Books college that was acquired in 2017 by North Central College.

Founded in 1853, Shimer occupied a traditional college campus in Mount Carroll, Illinois, from 1853 to 1978, and an improvised campus in Waukegan from 1979 to 2006. It then occupied a dedicated space on the Illinois Institute of Technology campus in Chicago since 2006. Small throughout its existence, Shimer enrolled 141 students as of 2012.[1] As of 2008, Shimer had 5,615 living alumni.[2] On June 1, 2017, the college became the Shimer Great Books School of North Central College.

The school was known for its Great Books curriculum, and also for its early entrance program, both of which have been in effect since 1950.[3] [4] Many on this list were early entrants.

A

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Stephen AbramsParapsychologist and drug law reform activist1950s student
José AybarPresident of Richard J. Daley College1964 graduate[5]

B

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Frederick C. BeiserScholar of German Idealist thought1971 graduate[6]
John BellairsNovelist1960s faculty[7]
Beulah BondiFilm actress1907 graduate[8]
Alice BraunlichClassical philologist1910s faculty[9]
Rachel Fuller BrownChemist and coinventor of nystatin1920s faculty[10]
Carol BruchLegal scholar1960 graduate[11]
Ron BruderEntrepreneur and founder of Education for Employment1960s student[12]

C

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Samuel James CampbellBusinessman and philanthropist1909 certificate, chairman of the board 1935–1956[13]
Lynda CaspePainter, sculptor and poet1960s student[14]
Lisa Collier CoolAuthor and journalist1970s student[15]
Peter CooleyPoet and professor of English at Tulane University1962 graduate[16]
Heather CorinnaAuthor, sex columnist and activist1990s student[17]
John Nathan CrouseDentist, organizer of patent litigation, and American Dental Association president1860s student[18]

D

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Bina DeneenFirst Lady of Illinois, 1904–19121890 graduate; 1889–1890 faculty[19] [20]
Stephen DobynsPoet and novelist1960s student[21]
George W. DownsPolitical scientist1967 graduate[22]
Alan DowtyInternational relations scholar1959 graduate, 1966–1967 faculty[23]
Virginia DoxFrontier educator, popular public speaker, key Whitman College fundraising agent1875 graduate, 1875–1877 faculty[24]
Dale DubinAuthor of bestselling cardiology textbook1950s student[25]

E

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Dorian ElectraSinger and video artist2014 graduate[26]

F

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Virgil FergusonMember of the Illinois State Senate 1891–18951860s student[27]
Arthur FinePhilosopher of science1950s student
Ken FriedmanExperimental artist and author1966[28]

G

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Robert H. GrayAmateur astronomer and writer on SETI1970 graduate[29]
Evelyn GreeleySilent film actress1900s student (disputed)[30] [31]
Redd GriffinIllinois state legislator1960 graduate[32]

H

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Henry Winfield HaldemanPhysician, banker and two-term mayor of Girard, Kansas1860s student[33] [34]
Mitzi HoagTV actress1952 graduate[35]

J

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Randolph JacksonNew York Supreme Court justice and co-founder of Metropolitan Black Bar Association1960s student[36]

K

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Robert KeohaneProfessor of Political Science at Princeton University1961 graduate[37]
C. Clark KissingerPolitical activist1960s student[38]
Ken KnabbWriter and translator1965 graduate[39]
Penney KomeCanadian author and journalist, editor of Straight Goods1960s student[40]
Adam KotskoWriter on philosophy and popular cultureFaculty 2011 - present[41]
Jesse KraaiChess Grandmaster1994 graduate[42]
Jerome KristianCosmologist and discoverer of quasar host galaxies1953 graduate[43]

L

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Jake La BotzMusician and actor1980s student[44]
Kevin LarmeePainter in the East Village art movement1960s student, 1990 graduate[45] [46]
Emil LieblingPianist and composer1900s faculty[47]
Thomas LockerArtist and author1970s faculty[48]

M

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Gavin MacFadyenInvestigative journalist and documentary filmmaker1958–1959 student[49]
Annie Marion MacLeanSociologist1894–1896 faculty[50]
John Norman MacleanAuthor and journalist1964[51]
Samuel W. McCallGovernor of Massachusetts1864–1866 student[52]
Anne McKnight (Anna de Cavalieri)Opera soprano1943 graduate[53]
Suzanna Whitelaw MilesMayanist1940–1942 student[54]
H.H.C. MillerEarly Evanston mayor and civic leader1860–1864 student[55]

N

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Debbie NathanFeminist journalist and writer1960s student[56]
Henry NeikirkMine owner and Colorado state senator1850s student[57]
Mary NourseHistorian of China and co-founder of Jinling College1899 graduate[58]
Jan NovákCzech novelist and screenwriter1970s student[59]

O

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Kenneth OlwigGeographer1967 graduate[60]
Jinny OsbornSinger and founding member of The Chordettes1945 graduate[61]

P

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Mia ParkTV show host and actress1995 graduate[62]
Theodore PepoonNebraska state senator1850s student[63]
Daniel PerlmanPresident of Suffolk University and Webster University1954 graduate[64]
Nick PippengerResearcher in computer science1965 graduate[65]
Frank PoolerChoirmaster and choral instructor1950s faculty[66]
Edwin Hartley PrattHomeopathic physician and inventor of "orificial surgery"1864–1865 student[67]

R

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
J. Morris ReaIowa state senator1850s–1860s student[68]
Jen RichardsWriter, actress, producer, and activist2000s student[69]

S

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Daniel J. SandinComputer graphics and visual arts pioneer1964 graduate[70]
Ron SchultzFlorida State Representative1950s student[71]
Frances ShimerEducator; founder and principal of Mount Carroll Seminary, which later became Shimer CollegeFounder
Henry ShimerEntomologist and physician19th-century faculty, husband of founder Frances Shimer[72]
Neta SnookPioneer aviator and teacher of Amelia Earhart1912 graduate[73]
Phoebe SnowSinger-songwriter1970s student[74]
Laurie SpiegelComposer and computer scientist1967 graduate[75]
Sydney SpieselPediatrician and clinical faculty at Yale University School of Medicine1961 graduate[76]
Sarah Hackett StevensonFirst female delegate of the American Medical Association1850s student[77]
Paula StewartStage, film and television actress1947

V

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Elizabeth Van Wie DavisAsian studies scholar and administrator at Nazarbayev University1977 graduate[78]
Elizabeth VandiverClassicist and classics educator1976 graduate[79]

W

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
David WeisburdCriminologist1970s student
David Hilton WheelerItalian translator and Northwestern University and Allegheny College president1850s faculty[80]
Lilian WhitingAuthor and editor19th-century student[81]
Mary WingsWriter, artist, and musician1960s student[82]
Roland WinstonExpert in nonimaging optics for solar energy1953 graduate[83]

Y

width=15% Name !width = 35% Known for!width = 20% Relationship to Shimer College!width=10% Citation
Cat YronwodeComic book publisher and folklorist1960s student[84]

Works cited

Notes and References

  1. Book: Peterson's Colleges in the Midwest . Peterson's . Lawrenceville, NJ . 2012 . 61 . 978-0-7689-2690-3.
  2. Web site: Shimer College Profile . R.H. Perry & Associates . 2010-04-28 . 6 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080819185126/http://www.rhperry.net/clients/profiles/Shimer_College_Profile.pdf . August 19, 2008 .
  3. Web site: Shimer College Early Entrance Program . Shimer College . 2012-10-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130602055849/http://shimer.edu/academicprograms/undergraduate/earlyentrantprogram.cfm . June 2, 2013 .
  4. Web site: Great Books Curriculum. Shimer College. 2012-11-26. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130117120930/http://www.shimer.edu/academicprograms/curriculum/index.cfm. January 17, 2013. mdy-all.
  5. Web site: Leadership. Richard J. Daley College. City Colleges of Chicago. 2012-12-05.
  6. Book: Shimer College Graduation Bulletin. Shimer College. 1971.
  7. Web site: Teaching. Bellairsia. 2012-10-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20120806135906/http://www.bellairsia.com/the_life/il/teaching.html. August 6, 2012. dead. mdy-all.
  8. News: Shimer College Bulletin. March 1976. 8. Beulah Bondi Stars at Shimer Film Tribute. Shimer College.
  9. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=k8-uLxAnngUC&pg=PA61. 61–62. Janice M. Benario. Braunlich, Alice Freda. Ward W. Briggs. Ward W. Briggs. Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists. Westport, CT/London. Greenwood Press. 1994. 9780313245602.
  10. Book: The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science. 1. 2000. Brown, Margaret Fuller. 191. Joyce Harvey. Marilyn Ogilvie. Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie. Joy Harvey. 0203801458. https://books.google.com/books?id=QmfyK0QtsRAC&pg=PA191.
  11. Web site: Carol S. Bruch. University of California Davis. 2012-12-05.
  12. News: Ronald B. Bruder '68. Adelphi University Transfer Students Newsletter. 5. 2011. Adelphi University. 2012-10-03.
  13. Frances Shimer Record. Class of 1909. 51. 2. 1. April 1910 .
  14. News: Lynda Caspe: A Profile. Carla Marie Rupp. 2008-02-03.
  15. Web site: Creative Success. https://archive.today/20130629100653/http://alumni.shimer.edu/s/1028/index.aspx?sid=1028&gid=1&pgid=586. dead. 2013-06-29. Shimer College. 2013-04-26. 2013-06-24.
  16. Web site: Peter Cooley. Tulane.edu. 2010-04-22.
  17. Web site: Biography. 2010-04-22.
  18. Dental Items of Interest. John Nathan Crouse, D.D.S.. 36. 1914. 234.
  19. Book: Carroll County: A Goodly Heritage. 1968. E. George Thiem. George Thiem. Kable Printing Company. 369. Bina Deneen House.
  20. Book: The Oread of Mount Carroll Seminary. 1890. Shimer College. https://archive.org/stream/TheOreadOfMountCarrollSeminaryAugust1890/Oread_August_1890#page/n14/mode/1up. 13. Mount Carroll Seminary.
  21. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=tyl58xl1fYYC&pg=PA53. Rosemary Herbert. 53. Dobyns, Stephen. 2003. Whodunit? : A Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing. 0198035829. Oxford University Press.
  22. Web site: Remembering George Downs, 1946-2015 . PDF. New York University. 2015-02-01.
  23. Web site: Alumni board of directors. 2010-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20100609203614/http://alumni.shimer.edu/s/1028/index.aspx?pgid=295&gid=1. June 9, 2010. dead. mdy-all.
  24. News: Oread. Letters. June 1893. 25–26.
  25. Web site: Shimer College Alumni News. Shimer College Bulletin. May 1970.
  26. Web site: 2014-09-03. Shimer College. Dorian Electra '14 Releases A New Music Video. 2015-02-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20150208094509/http://www.shimer.edu/live/news/279-dorian-electra-14-releases-a-new-music-video. February 8, 2015. dead. mdy-all.
  27. Book: Triennial Catalogue of the Mount Carroll Seminary. 13. 1862.
  28. News: Shimer College Bulletin. March 1976. 16. Class Notes. Shimer College.
  29. Web site: Robert Gray. LinkedIn.com. 2013-07-01.
  30. Book: Rudolf Ulrich. Österreicher in Hollywood. 2004. 167. 3901932291. Film Archiv Austria.
  31. Book: The ultimate directory of the silent screen performers: a necrology of births and deaths and essays on 50 lost players. 1995. 0810829584. 31. Evelyn Greeley. Billy H. Doyle . Anthony Slide .
  32. News: Remembering Redd. 2012-11-20. Wednesday Journal. 2012-11-26. Ken Trainor.
  33. Book: https://archive.org/stream/TriennialCatalogueOfTheMountCarrollSeminaryForTheYearsEndingJuly7/1862_triennial_catalogue#page/n13/mode/1up. Triennial Catalogue of the Mount Carroll Seminary. Shimer College. Gentlemen. 1862. 14.
  34. Book: Bryan, Mary Lynn. The Selected Papers of Jane Addams, vol. 1: Preparing to Lead. Barbara Bair . 2002. 0252027299. 508.
  35. News: Shimer's First Four-Year Graduates Received Degrees Seventeen Years Ago. May 1969. 1. Shimer College. Shimer College Bulletin.
  36. Web site: Shimer College Symposium, Fall 2010, p. 12 . October 4, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120607052032/http://alumni.shimer.edu/s/1028/images/editor_documents/Symposiums/Fall2010-web.pdf . June 7, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
  37. Web site: Alumni Profiles: Robert O. Keohane . Shimer College . 2013-06-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120301205342/http://www.shimer.edu/alumninetwork/RobertKeohane.cfm . March 1, 2012 .
  38. Book: Kirkpatrick Sale. Kirkpatrick Sale. SDS: Ten Years Towards a Revolution. New York. Vintage Books. 1974. 0394719654. 126.
  39. Book: Public Secrets. Ken Knabb. Shimer College and first independent ventures. 1997.
  40. Web site: Bit of Background. Penney Kome. 2013-08-03.
  41. Web site: Adam Kotsko . 2012-10-02 . Shimer College . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120708055425/http://www.shimer.edu/aboutshimercollege/AdamKotsko.cfm . July 8, 2012 .
  42. News: Shimer College Symposium. Jesse Kraai Attains Chess Pinnacle. 3. Spring 2008. 2013-06-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20100609191125/http://alumni.shimer.edu/s/1028/images/editor_documents/Symposiums/08%20spring%20Symposium.pdf. June 9, 2010. dead. mdy-all.
  43. Obituary: Jerome Kristian, 1934-1996. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. Guido Munch. Guido Munch. 1476. 1997. 29. 4. 1997BAAS...29.1476M.
  44. Web site: Jake La Botz. The Days of Yore. 2012-05-14. 2012-09-29.
  45. . Does not distinguish between graduates and non-graduates.
  46. Web site: Eight Urban Painters: Contemporary Artists of the East Village. The Fine Arts Center Art Gallery (SUNY Stony Brook). 5. 1986-07-09. 2014-12-18.
  47. News: The Departments of Music and Art. 8. Annual Calendar of the Frances Shimer Academy of the University of Chicago. Shimer College. 1905.
  48. Web site: Galleries. Catskill Mountain Foundation. 2012-10-02. August 2000.
  49. Web site: 2017-04-24 . Long before WikiLeaks, the FBI spent decades obsessing over Gavin MacFadyen . Michael Best . Muckrock.com.
  50. Book: Annie Marion MacLean and the Chicago Schools of Sociology, 1894-1934. Mary Jo Deegan. 2014. 9781412852883.
  51. Web site: About John Maclean. 2010-12-03.
  52. Book: Samuel McCall, Governor of Massachusetts. Houghton Mifflin. Lawrence Boyd Evans. 1916. 7.
  53. Web site: Elizabeth Anne McKnight. Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame. 2011-11-05.
  54. Proskouriakoff, Tatiana . Tatiana Proskouriakoff . August 1968 . Suzanna Whitelaw Miles, 1922-1966 . 670556 . . Arlington, VA . American Anthropological Association and affiliated societies . 70 . 4 . 753–754 . 10.1525/aa.1968.70.4.02a00060. 0002-7294 . 481547925. free .
  55. News: Letters. The Oread of Mount Carroll Seminary. June 1893. 16–17. H.H.C. Miller.
  56. Web site: Diez y Seis de Septiembre and Rosh Hashanah—Oh My! . 2012-09-17. Patrick Murfin. 2013-06-20.
  57. Web site: Amendment to Metal Mining and Tourist Era Resources of Boulder County. 2013-05-30. 2009. Eric. Twitty. E99. https://web.archive.org/web/20151220194141/http://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/crforms_edumat/pdfs/623amend09.pdf. December 20, 2015. dead.
  58. News: Shimer College Record. Shimer Honors Four Alumnae. 13. 58. 1. April 1966.
  59. Web site: Jan Novák: Děda (1-12). CS. 2007-10-06. 2012-09-30. Český rozhlas 3 - Vltava.
  60. Web site: Kenneth R. Olwig: Calendar 2012, Research Projects, CV, Publications. 2012-10-02. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024502/http://www.slu.se/Documents/externwebben/ltj-fak-dok/landskapsarkitektur/Personal/Olwig-1.pdf. March 4, 2016. mdy-all.
  61. News: Radio and Television Mirror. July 1950. Jinny Osborn. 84.
  62. Web site: Shimer College Alumni Make News. 2012-09-30. Alumni.shimer.edu. Shimer College. dead. https://archive.today/20121215022324/http://alumni.shimer.edu/s/1028/index.aspx?sid=1028&gid=1&pgid=252&cid=1536&ecid=1536&ciid=4547&crid=0. December 15, 2012. mdy-all.
  63. News: Oread of the Mount Carroll Seminary. Mount Carroll Seminary. 12–13. August 1878. Personals.
  64. Web site: History of the Presidency. Webster University. 2012-09-20. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121017070217/http://www2.webster.edu/president/history.shtml. October 17, 2012. mdy-all.
  65. Web site: Nicholas Pippenger. Hmc.edu. 2010-04-25.
  66. Web site: In Memoriam. https://archive.today/20130618024752/http://alumni.shimer.edu/s/1028/index.aspx?sid=1028&gid=1&pgid=252&cid=1706&ecid=1706&crid=0. dead. 2013-06-18. 2013-02-05. 2013-06-15. Shimer College.
  67. Book: Edwin Hartley Pratt. The Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Representative Men of Chicago, St. Louis and the World's Columbian Exposition, Part 2. American Biographical Publishing Company. 1892. https://books.google.com/books?id=G1Y0AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA470. 468–473.
  68. Web site: Rea, J. Morris. Iowa Historical Society. 2000. 2013-06-12.
  69. Web site: Heinichen. Claire. Emmy Nominated Writer, Producer and Actress Jen Richards Joining Cast of Nashville. https://web.archive.org/web/20160914032818/http://www.cmt.com/news/1770863/emmy-nominated-writer-producer-and-actress-jen-richards-joining-cast-of-nashville/. dead. September 14, 2016. CMT News. CMT. December 16, 2021. September 13, 2016.
  70. Web site: 35 Years of Art & Science Collaboration. Shimer College. 2013-06-15. dead. https://archive.today/20130617220204/http://www.shimer.edu/lectureseries/Sandin.cfm. June 17, 2013. mdy-all.
  71. Web site: Representative Ron Schultz. Florida House of Representatives. 2012-10-02.
  72. News: Chicago Reader. Big Ideas: Tiny Shimer College has survived for 135 years on great books, high hopes, and very little money. Harold Henderson. 1988-06-16.
  73. News: Shimer College Bulletin. September 1975. 16. Class Notes.
  74. News: Named for a Train, Phoebe Snow is on the Right Track. People. March 22, 1976. 2010-09-13.
  75. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=jEGpMqRcQjIC&pg=PA857. 857. The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Spiegel, Laurie. 1996. 0674372999. Randel. Don Michael.
  76. Web site: Who We Are . Slate Magazine . 2010-12-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110605065441/http://www.slate.com/id/117517/ . June 5, 2011 .
  77. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/eagle/congress/stevenson-sarah.html Chicago Women: Sarah Stevenson
  78. Web site: Center for Asian Studies . 2015-08-03 . Davis, Elizabeth Van Wie . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140822002848/http://cas.colorado.edu/people/davis-elizabeth-van-wie . August 22, 2014 . mdy-all.
  79. Web site: Whitman College. Directories: The Faculty. 2013-06-15. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130609160829/http://www.whitman.edu/academics/catalog/directories. June 9, 2013. mdy-all.
  80. Book: First Biennial Register and Circular. 8. Mount Carroll Seminary. 1855.
  81. News: Oread of Mount Carroll Seminary. Personals. August 1890. 25. Shimer College.
  82. Book: Contemporary lesbian writers of the United States. 0313282153. 572. Mary Geller (1949 -). Ellen Lewin. 1993.
  83. Web site: UC Merced Appoints First Founding Faculty. University of California, Merced. 2012-09-29.
  84. Web site: Catherine Yronwode. Luckymojo.com. Cat Yronwode. 2013-06-15.

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