CARLINVILLE – Shelsie Timmermeier, a senior middle blocker from Gillespie, concluded an excellent career for the Blackburn College volleyball team this fall. The 6’0 Timmermeier appeared in all 28 matches for Blackburn and finished the season with 125 kills. She recorded fifteen kills to go along with three block assists in Blackburn’s four-set victory over […]
Help needed for missing Macoupin County track records
Work is continuing on the second and third volumes of a history of the Macoupin County Track Meet that benefit high school track programs around the county. However, some information is missing on individual winners from some of the county meets, and track athletes, parents, coaches, and fans are being asked to help contribute information. […]
Blackburn’s Young is Celtics assistant
CARLINVILLE – It’s a long way from Blackburn College to the Boston Celtics bench. But Jamie Young has enjoyed the ride. Young, a 1998 Blackburn graduate, just completed his seventh year as an assistant coach with the Celtics, who have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in each of the last two seasons. It’s been […]
Blackburn College names interim president
CARLINVILLE – Blackburn College has temporarily filled a leadership vacancy with the naming of an interim President. Dr. Jennifer Braaten, who spent fifteen successful years as President of Ferrum College in Virginia, will serve in an interim capacity as Blackburn conducts a nationwide search for a permanent President. Braaten assumes her duties at Blackburn on […]
Blackburn guarantees free tuition with Macoupin Promise
By Tom Emery CARLINVILLE – A bold new program at Blackburn College will guarantee free tuition to students from Macoupin County high schools, while a separate program will meet financial needs of students from around the nation. The Macoupin Promise will provide free tuition to Blackburn for qualifying students from all high schools within Macoupin […]
Staunton was home to minor league baseball a century ago
The face of minor league baseball is changing today, as larger urban areas boast teams with state-of-the-art ballparks in areas of urban renewal. It is quite a departure from a century ago, when fifty-one minor leagues dotted the nation and placed teams in many smaller cities and towns. Staunton was among them, and for four […]
Gillespie’s Timmermeier excels for Blackburn volleyball
By Tom Emery Gillespie High School graduate Shelsie Timmermeier enjoyed an excellent season for the Blackburn College volleyball team last fall. A 6’0” middle blocker, Timmermeier was a third-year starter for Blackburn and recorded 137 kills on the season. She ranked fourth in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a .251 hitting percentage. Timmermeier […]
Blackburn celebrates record with $26.3 million campaign
By Tom Emery CARLINVILLE—Blackburn College is celebrating a record capital campaign that raised over $26.3 million for the school. The Creating Opportunity campaign exceeded the goal of $25 million in the most successful fund-raising effort in Blackburn history. The campaign brought in donations and pledges from alumni, staff, faculty, and friends of the college. “This […]
Project of Gillespie man wins award from ISHS
Contributed article by Tom Emery A historical and free reading project conceived by a rural Gillespie man has earned the Certificate of Excellence from the Illinois State Historical Society. A Rough Broken Country: Diary of a Wagon Train to the California Gold Rush was the conception of Lindell Loveless, a retired hog producer and businessman […]
Old postcards provide clues to courthouse cannon
By Tom Emery CARLINVILLE – A pair of recently-discovered old postcards may provide some clues to research on the cannon that adorns the grounds of the Macoupin County courthouse. Organizers of an effort to restore the cannon have asked for the public’s help in locating information on the six-pound, 1841 cannon, including historical background such […]