CHAMPAIGN/URBANA, IL -- The Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation (CUSF) announces the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Honorees. These awards recognize Unit 4 and District 116 graduates whose achievements, strength of character and citizenship serve as role models to inspire and challenge today’s youth. Awards will be presented to Distinguished Alumni from each public high school, as well as the Local Hero and Local Business Community Impact Honoree. The 2024 Distinguished Alumni honorees are Will Patterson, Urbana High School class of 1984, Stacy Walton Long, Centennial High School class of 1997, and Barbara Suggs Mason and Angela Rivers, Central High School class of 1970.
The Champaign Unit 4 honorees are:
Stacy Walton Long – Centennial HS Class of 1997-- Healthcare Attorney
Graduating from Centennial High School in 1997, Stacy went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2004 with honors (cum laude). Throughout her youth in CU, Stacy participated in plays, ballet and was a cheerleader at both Centennial and the University of Illinois. In law school, Stacy was a finalist in the American Bar Association Negotiation Competition, participated in the Civil Litigation Clinic, obtained 711 licenses, represented clients in custody battles and landlord-tenant disputes, excelled in Trial Advocacy, won a custody battle, and was nominated for a Rickert's Award. Stacy joined Krieg DeVault LLP law firm in 2004 and was promoted to partner in 2018. She specializes in healthcare and litigation law and advises clients on significant issues, including tort claims, contract breaches, and commercial disputes. Stacy actively contributes to the firm's daily diversity and inclusion initiatives, and was the first African-American female partner hired at Kreig DeVault LLP in Indianapolis. Stacy serves on the Board of Executive Women in Healthcare. Her professional involvements include the Indianapolis Bar Association's Health & Life Science Executive Committee, the Indiana State Bar Association, the American Health Lawyers Association, and the American Bar Association.
Barbara Suggs Mason – Central HS Class of 1970-- Educational Visionary
A graduate of Champaign Central High School, Barbara attended Northwestern University to pursue her musical studies and received her masters and doctorate degrees here at the University of Illinois in Music Education, Voice Performance, and Education Policy, Organization and Leadership. Barbara has worked in public education in Illinois for over 35 years at every level, teaching in the school districts of Champaign, Evanston, and Oak Park. She is a recipient of an Award of Merit from the Illinois State Board of Education for her work as a classroom teacher. She served for over 16 years in the south suburban area as a Principal, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, and Superintendent of Schools.
Cousins, Barbara Suggs Mason, and Angela Rivers have also co-chaired the development of the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail. The Champaign County African American Heritage Trail is a celebration of the lives and contributions of African Americans in the Champaign County area. The mission is to educate today’s residents and visitors about the rich cultural history of people whose stories have been largely unrecognized, but who directly shaped the local Central Illinois area.
Angela M. Rivers – Central HS Class of 1970-- Artist, Educator, and Historian
An artist, educator, historian and museum professional, Angela Rivers spent over thirty-five years in teaching, supervisory, managerial, and consulting positions in museums and in the cultural arts arena in Texas, Central Illinois, and the Chicago area. Her working experiences include, DuSable Museum of African American History, Chicago, IL; Chicago History Museum; The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL; Art Institute of Chicago, Dallas Museum of Fine Art, Dallas, TX; and teaching African and African American Art at Eastern Illinois University. She was Artist and Project Coordinator for the mural "The Pictorial History of African Americans in Champaign County" that formerly graced a building at Park and 5th Streets. She holds a BFA in painting from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a Certificate of Arts Administration from the University of Illinois, Springfield; with post graduate work in art education and art history at Southern Methodist University and Eastern Illinois University.
Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation is grateful to the forty-two community partners for supporting this Distinguished Alumni Class. A celebratory reception is planned at the I Hotel on Friday, April 5th from 5-7:00 pm. Ticket information will be available in February at www.cusf.org.
For more information, please visit https://cuschoolsfoundation.org/meet-our-2024-distinguished-alumni-honorees/.