NewsTribune_IV Woman_112523

woman wom an ILLINOIS VALLEY

November 2023

Meet IVCC’s President

ALSO:

• Rayanne Sester, the heart of MASS • A 90-year-old nurse reflects on her career • Warm up with cinnamon recipes

Uncovering the Past

Sending my oldest child to college this fall was emotionally hard, but it has allowed me to have more free time than I have had in the last 18 years. At first, that extra free time was daunting – I didn’t know what to do with it because I’m not used to it.

This past week, I started tackling projects around the house I’ve been meaning to get to for years, and I began getting back into the swing of my favorite hobby – metal detecting. I’ve been metal detecting for more than ten years, and I have found some amazing things. I’ve never uncovered anything that would change my lifestyle if I sold it, but I never give up hope that the next signal will be my best yet.

I’m always on the lookout for new places to detect, but one of my tried-and-true locations is my parents’ house, which was built in the 1800s.

Despite detecting there on so many occasions, I never seem to run out of signals to dig.

Just when I think I’ve found all the coins and relics I’ll find there, I find another one.

Some of these items are modern-day coins, but other items I’ve uncovered can be dated back to the 1800s.

Metal detecting is an endlessly interesting hobby. I’m always learning something about history, and I get a good workout every time. If there are any female metal detectorists who live in Bureau, Putnam, or LaSalle counties,

I’d love to feature you in an upcoming edition of this magazine. If you’re interested in being featured in an article, email me at sserpette@shawmedia.com.

If you have another interesting hobby that you’d love to see featured on these pages, contact me. I’m always eager to meet Illinois Valley women who are willing to share their stories with me.

Best wishes, Shannon Serpette

Niche Editor

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Contents

Illinois Valley Woman 426 Second Street La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com

A Life Well Lived 4

General Manager/ Advertising Director Jeanette Smith jmsmith@shawmedia.com

Sheffield woman has been a nurse for 69 years.

‘What a Time to be President’ 7

Niche Editor Shannon Serpette sserpette@shawmedia.com

Tracy Morris became IVCC president on July 1.

Directing the To-Do List 11

Writers Brandon LaChance Shannon Serpette

Sester finds fulfillment in helping senior citizens.

Spice Up Your Life 14

Photographers Brandon LaChance Shannon Serpette

Cinnamon delivers big flavor and healthy benefits.

Designer Liz Klein

On the cover: Once upon a time, Dr. Tracy Morris wasn’t a doctor or even a great IVCC student. However, some moments at IVCC changed how she thought about education, including being reprimanded at this very table in the IVCC library some 30 years earlier.

Published by:

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANDON LACHANCE

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | November 2023 3

A Life Well Lived Sheffield woman has been a nurse for 69 years Story & Photos by Shannon Serpette

F

or many people, it’s hard to fathom being in the workforce for almost 70 years, especially when all your peers have long been retired. But as Elizabeth “Wink” Barry of Sheffield watched her colleagues retire over the years, she had no desire to do the same.

Barry, who is 90 years old, has been a nurse for approximately 69 years, and she has no intention of stopping now.

“I like to be busy. It keeps you younger,” Barry said.

Barry, who was born in Neponset, said she always knew she wanted to be a nurse. In Barry’s family, nursing runs in the blood. Her daughter is a nurse, and her twin sister was a nurse.

Nursing has changed dramatically throughout the decades, and Barry has been on the job to witness those many changes. She noted how different nursing is now compared to when she started.

“The patient care is all computerized. It’s not the bedside care we were taught,” she said.

Barry acknowledged the country’s current nursing shortage, and she believes the reason for the shortage is that nurses aren’t paid as much as they should be.

While some nurses left the profession as a result of the Covid pandemic, Barry continued her work even though she was in one of the demographics most at risk from Covid because of her age. She said she didn’t worry about the possibility of contracting Covid while giving shots at Covid vaccination clinics. She wore a mask and took safety precautions but focused on the work, not what might happen to her.

Barry’s favorite part of being a nurse is interacting with the patients.

“The people love seeing her every year. Everybody wants Wink to give them their shot,” Joyce Barajas, office manager at the Bureau County Health Department, said.

Barajas has worked at the health department for 23 years and estimates she’s known Barry for 20 of those years. She greatly respects and admires Barry, saying she has a kind heart.

“Everyone loves her. She’s an amazing per-

4 November 2023 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication

Elizabeth “Wink” Barry of Sheffield is 90 years old and continues to work as a nurse – a job she’s been doing for approximately 69 years. son. I love working with her,” Barajas said.

Barry has gotten to know many people during her years as a nurse and values her relationships with friends and family.

“I had a 90th birthday party and 200 people showed up, and I knew them all,” Barry said.

Barry continues to volunteer two days a week at a medical center in Kewanee and gives vaccinations at flu clinics for the Bureau County Health Department whenever they need her. When she isn’t working, she is involved with her church and stays active by mowing her own yard every week.

When asked what her secret to longevity and a happy life is, she offered this advice: “Stay ornery, honey.”

Elizabeth “Wink” Barry prepares to give a flu shot at the Bureau County Health Department. Barry has helped at Covid vaccination clinics and flu clinics.

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | November 2023 5

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One of the most important duties of being the IVCC president for Dr. Tracy Morris is being available for students, staff, and the community. If she sees you in a hallway, at the cafeteria, in the library, a resource center, or any other location on the IVCC campus, she’ll say hello and begin a conversation.

‘What a time to be president’ Tracy Morris became IVCC president on July 1 Story & Photos by Brandon LaChance

D

r. Tracy Morris became Illinois Valley Community College’s 11th president on July 1, 2023. But her relationship with the college began long before her hiring.

Her initial experience with the college started

when she graduated from Putnam County High School and decided to attend IVCC. “I was a little bit of an underachiever. I wanted to go to the University of Illinois, but I didn’t make the cut. I didn’t know what I

wanted to do,” Morris said.

“Coming to IVCC was the only choice, a good choice.

I was a business major for about a half a minute. I then had Gil Meyer, who taught psychology in jeans,

See MORRIS page 8

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | November 2023 7

Dr. Tracy Morris is proud of her background at IVCC, but also of the history of the college. The new IVCC president found photos of different buildings on campus being built and hung them on the hallway walls to share history.

Dr. Tracy Morris officially became the 11th Illinois Valley Community College president on July 1, 2023.

Morris FROM PAGE 7

sitting on top of the desk.

He made learning fun in a very casual way. That was my first hook.”

“I had Ed Krolak, who taught English, and never let me say, ‘I don’t know.’

He’d get frustrated with me if I tried to take the easy way out. Harold Bauswell called me out when I didn’t go to class regularly,” she added. “I say all of this because my foundation at IVCC led me to be a teacher. I had never thought about being a teacher before in my life.

I think about those days as a student at IVCC – it just made learning so different for me.”

After entering IVCC as a student unsure of her future, Morris graduated from IVCC and went to Western Illinois University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree to become a teacher. She then took a job at Mendota High School from 1994 to 1999, where she taught freshman

English, professional careers courses, and psychology, and was the yearbook advisor.

Through counselors at MHS, she became interested in counseling and obtained a master’s degree in counseling. The extra education and passion for counseling brought her to Annawan, where Morris was a kindergarten through third-grade counselor.

After marrying her husband, Mike Morris, in January 2001, the couple moved to Spring Valley.

She decided it was time to return to IVCC, becoming a counselor and orientation coordinator in the summer of 2001. She then became the director of admissions and records and received mentorship from Dr. Bob Marshall, who was her boss as the vice president of student services.

“He was the first one that saw me having leadership potential. He encouraged me to get involved at the state level with our admissions group. The first meeting I went to, they were looking for a secre-

8 November 2023 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication

tary, and I told them I’d do it,” Morris said. “I then spent the next nine years in leadership positions in those groups because I said yes once. I started as secretary, then became president-elect, president, past president, and then went to the next group and did the same process.”

“It was all because Dr. Marshall said he wanted me to get involved,” she said. “Then he said he wanted to see me get my doctorate degree and told me I could do more.”

Morris went to Illinois Central Catholic in East Peoria as the vice president for five years and Joliet Junior College for four years, where she was the first compliance officer for a community college in the state of Illinois.

When she heard Dr. Jerry Corcoran was retiring as IVCC president, Morris threw her name into the hat. She was named the new president, started training with Corcoran, and officially took over the role on July 1, 2023.

“If you would have told

18-year-old me, who was a student at IVCC, that I’d be in charge someday, I never would have believed you,” Morris said. “It was tough to leave IVCC as a counselor, but I got to see a different model at ICC and had different experiences that allowed me to form what I want to do and what I don’t want to do. At ICC, Dr. John Erwin asked me, ‘Do you want to be president someday?’ He said his job was to get me there, and he fulfilled the job. That was the first time I began to think being president could be real.”

Despite her extensive experience in education, Morris wasn’t sure she had much of a chance at becoming president of IVCC when she applied.

“When I heard Dr. Corcoran was retiring, I thought it would be a long shot. I didn’t know because the campus had changed.

But I love this school, and anyone who listens to me for any period of time will know I love this school, and I’ll do anything for the school. I think that’s where I’m very similar to Corcoran,” she said.

“When I tell my story, I still get a little tearyeyed because this school changed my life. My mom was a single mom who came to IVCC to get a nursing degree. She had three young kids, and it changed her life. When I came here as a student, and it let me into education, it changed my life. When I came here as a professional, had leadership opportunities, it changed my life,” she added. “I couldn’t not apply. Even though I

wasn’t ready to leave Joliet, I had to do this.”

Tracy and Mike Morris have two children – Zoey, who is a junior at the University of Iowa, and Caroline, who is a freshman at Hall.

Becoming the new IVCC president was important for her as a mother because she became the second female president of the college after Jean Goodnow (1996-2005). Morris named Goodnow and Dr. Marshall her biggest inspirations, role models, and supporters.

“There is a significant component for being a women president as a mother, for my daughters to see that they can do anything that they want to do.

I went back to school with a young daughter. I had my youngest child, Caroline, during my last semester of my doctorate program. I wrote my dissertation with a newborn and a 6-yearold. I think it’s important for them to see that I’m still committed to be there for their athletic events, for their academic events, to make sure their lunch is packed in the morning, and to help them learn how to manage expectations, that it’s OK to ask for help.”

Not only is she the second woman president, but she is the first IVCC president to be an IVCC graduate.

“I was the first to graduate IVCC. For me, because I started here, when I tell students that, their eyes light up,” Morris said. “Are they all going to be the president of a college? No, and most of them don’t want to be. But just to

show that this education is important and quality, and to be the first in anything is a big deal. For me, this one is extra special because I really do feel like when the students will tell me their concerns or their needs, I’ve sat there. It may be different than it was 30 years ago, but it’s important.”

After Morris was recognized as the new president at the IVCC presidential investiture ceremony on Sept. 21 with her parents Nancy Burress, Don Burress, David Gapinski, and Mary Beth Gapinski present, she has had time to think about how she wants to form her legacy.

Corcoran added a community and technology center, truck driving training, and a center in Ottawa.

And Morris has some ideas ready to go.

“On the forefront is restarting mission, vision, core values, and strategic plans to shape IVCC for the next 3 to 5 years,” Morris said. “IVCC turns 100 in April, and we have a committee working on events and ways to celebrate the college and celebrate stories from individuals who have been part of IVCC. Lawyers, doctors, award-winning scientists, police officers, hospital staff, business owners, rotary members, and chamber of commerce members have all went to IVCC.” “We’re also breaking ground on the Agricultural Education Complex, which the project began before I took over. But anytime you can build a new building, it’s exciting,” she said. “What a time to be president.”

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | November 2023 9

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Transportation for senior citizens is one of the biggest responsibilities of Mendota Area Senior Services. Sester and transportation director Gary Stevens look at GPS on the computer for the best route to get a senior citizen from home to an appointment. MASS offers rides for medical, social, food, and educational purposes.

Directing the To-Do List Sester finds fulfillment in helping senior citizens Story & Photos by Brandon LaChance Finding time to garden, read, or color on her phone application is difficult for Rayanne Sester. Although she loves her hobbies, there are other activities she loves just a tad more.

Sester, the director of Mendota Area Senior Services (MASS), has fallen in love with helping senior citizens and others who need assistance.

“Throughout my life, I’ve always worked

with seniors. Before I came to MASS, I worked in nursing homes as an aid,” Sester said. “I love working with seniors. They’re kind of my niche.”

Little did she know when she applied for a job at MASS, she was embarking on a career that would span 30 years.

See SESTER page 12

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | November 2023 11

Rayanne Sester has put in the time and the commitment to have a busy desk at Mendota Area Senior Services. Sester, who has been with MASS for 30 years and has been the director for the last 12 years, has a long to-do list to continue to give residents in LaSalle and Putnam counties the best services possible, including transportation, Medicare Plan D enrollment appointments, fun events for holidays, and more.

Sester FROM PAGE 11

“I stayed at home with my kids when they were younger and in school, and I did a daycare in my home. There was an ad in the paper for a part-time outreach worker at MASS,” she said.

“I was hired on the spot for the outreach position. I loved it because you went to people’s homes looking for seniors in our area to let them know about our services. It was always so fun. I got to talk to them on their turf. They loved talking. There were times where I was at their house for two hours,” she said.

Sester and her spouse, Chris Sester, have three adult sons, Ryan, Joe, and Aaron, and eight grandchildren. She has worked her way up through MASS over the years, serving as director for the past 12 years.

Her duties have changed along the way.

And as the director, it’s easy to run out of paper when jotting down her responsibilities.

Sester writes grants for funding, including for vans through the Illinois Department of Transportation, keeps track of all budgets, organizes fundraiser events such as pork chop dinners, baked potato bars, and spaghetti dinners since grants only provide 50 percent of funding, recruits donations from the public, and reports monthly to the umbrella agency MASS is under, Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging.

The director tracks every phone call made, every person who comes in, every ride given, and IDOT wants to know whether it’s a trip

12 November 2023 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication

for shopping, doctor, social, or education.

There are also caregiver fairs, thank you cards delivered to volunteers and donators, Facebook and social media posts, payroll, paying vendors, and managing the staff.

One of the biggest responsibilities of MASS is providing transportation – MASS gives senior citizens rides throughout LaSalle and Putnam counties.

“Western went to county-wide transportation around 12 years ago, around the time I became the director, and that was a huge undertaking. We cover ten counties, but we have a lot since LaSalle County is huge. We have a full-time van in Peru, and there are as many as three or four vans in LaSalle and Peru at any given time during a weekday, especially since the hospitals closed. The seniors now go to Ottawa and Princeton,” Sester said.

“Putnam County didn’t have senior transportation for a year, so IDOT asked us if we could provide the service. They gave us three minivans when we began driving for Putnam County on Oct. 1, 2023. We now have 14 vehicles with ten minivans, two 12-passenger vans, and two smaller vehicles for long travels,” she said.

Although the paperwork and behind-thescenes duties are still fun for Sester, she does miss her responsibilities of the past.

Transportation is a huge chunk of MASS’ services, but they also offer one-on-one assistance to senior citizens. Sester can’t help as much as she would like, but she does when she can. She gives her staff the best resources to help seniors and promotes MASS so seniors know the services are there.

“Seniors know that MASS is here and that

they have a place they can go to if they have issues. There are a lot of details, circumstances, restrictions, and guidelines that people don’t know about Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and other senior programs.

We are here to help them with their questions, filling out applications, and to make sure they get enrolled.

It’s still surprising that a lot of people don’t know about MASS, even people in Mendota. They usually don’t know until they need us, then they’re here, and they’re grateful,” Sester said.

“That was one of the hardest parts about becoming the director.

Before, I dealt with people oneon-one for appointments and for everything else they needed. When Medicare Part D came out in 2006, I met with them every year. It was kind of cool because sometimes I wouldn’t see some of them for a year, and then they’d come for Med-D enrollment, and we’d catch up. They’d ask me about my family, and I’d ask them about their family.

Through the years, they’d watch my kids grow up, and I got to know them also,” she said.

The director still takes Med-D appointments when she can because some only want to have her assistance, and she likes to help people save money.

In 2022, MASS helped seniors save roughly $400,000 through programs, medicine costs, and premiums.

As a whole, the Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging helped seniors in its ten counties save over $2 million.

When Sester sees those significant numbers and knows the people MASS helps are happy and satisfied, it doesn’t matter how many duties, responsibilities, jobs,

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Mendota Area Senior Services Director Rayanne Sester has friendly relationships with senior citizens who come to MASS for their services and weekly engagements like Pokeno and Euchre. The Pokeno group gladly invites Sester to have some laughs. stacks of papers are on her desk, or appointments she has in a day.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s rewarding. This has been my life. My blood, sweat, and tears are in this job. It’s so rewarding because I always go home at the end of the day feeling like I’ve done something worthwhile. Every day is different. There isn’t a day exactly like another. You never know what is going to hit you, but when you help seniors and the disabled, it’s so gratifying,” Sester said.

“They have a need for people to help them. I don’t do it to make myself feel good, but it is a good feeling to know I am helping people every day. That’s what’s kept me

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here for all these years,” she added.

Sester has just over three years until she reaches her retirement age of 67. She doesn’t know when she’ll resign as the director officially, but that’s her goal as of now.

During her time left on the job, she still has missions she wants to complete, including a new transportation facility to house the 14 vehicles MASS owns because they’re running out of room at the garage they rent.

She doesn’t think it’ll happen during her time as director because it will take money and energy.

However, she’s added helping the next director complete the project to her already lengthy to-do list.

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1102 Meriden Street • Mendota 815-539-9341 A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | November 2023 13

Spice Up Your Life

Cinnamon delivers big flavor and healthy benefits

By Shannon Serpette With its amazing scent and outstanding flavor, it’s no wonder that cinnamon is a favorite spice in fall and winter. But cinnamon is more than just delicious – it has health benefits as well. Experts say this spice might reduce blood pressure and lower blood sugar.

Cinnamon contains antioxidants, nutrients like potassium and magnesium, and is low in calories. These recipes will help you find new ways to add cinnamon to your recipes to deliver extra flavor and nutrition.

BAKED CINNAMON APPLES INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

3 apples (peeled or unpeeled), cut in chunks 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 drops of vanilla extract A pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the diced apples with cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla, water, and a pinch of salt. Spread in a single layer in a baking dish and dice the butter over the top. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven before taking the dish out to stir the apples. Spread the apples out evenly again and bake for another 15 minutes. They’ll be done when the apples are soft. Eat as is, add them to oatmeal, or top with vanilla ice cream.

SNICKERDOODLE BARS INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 cup butter, softened 2 cups packed brown sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large eggs 2 and 2/3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and then beat in eggs, one at a time. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Gradually beat into the creamed mixture. Spread the batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan.

Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top. Bake until set and golden brown, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars.

TOPPING INGREDIENTS 1 and 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

14 November 2023 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication

CINNAMON CHICKEN INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced 6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup 1 cup chicken broth Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, sauté the onions and then move them to a baking dish. Brown the chicken in the skillet for three minutes per side and place the skin side up over the onions in the baking dish.

In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, paprika, salt, pepper, honey or maple syrup, and chicken broth. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.

CINNAMON CARROTS INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 pound carrots (either baby or sliced carrots) 1 cup water 1/2 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large, tall-sided skillet, whisk together the water, orange juice, honey, and cinnamon. Add the carrots, cover the skillet, and turn the heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Remove the cover and simmer for ten more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the extra liquid has evaporated, leaving a glaze. Serve immediately.

CINNAMON BREAD INGREDIENTS FOR CINNAMON FILLING 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon INGREDIENTS FOR BREAD 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large egg 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt 2/3 cup whole milk 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray. Make the cinnamon filling

by mixing 1/2 cup of sugar with one tablespoon of cinnamon.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg and sugar together until combined. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla into the egg and sugar bowl. Whisk together the contents of the two bowls just long enough to combine.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle almost all of the cinnamon sugar evenly on top of the batter. Reserve about two tablespoons for the topping. Gently spread the top layer of batter on top of the cinnamon sugar layer. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. If you want, you can use a knife to gently make swirls in the batter to mix in the middle layer of cinnamon sugar.

Bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes. At the halfway point of baking, cover with foil to prevent the top from browning too much. The loaf will be done when a toothpick comes out clean.

CINNAMON GLAZE Editor’s note: This glaze is delicious over cinnamon rolls, cinnamon bread, or over a bundt cake.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk

Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add one tablespoon of milk and stir. If the glaze is too thick for your liking, add a little more milk until you have the desired consistency.

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | November 2023 15

16 November 2023 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication