With a combined 551 years of service to NIU, 28 retiring faculty members will be honored at a recognition dinner Friday.

NIU staff member Gary Vander Meer, planning director for the event, said the annual recognition dinner is sponsored by the NIU Alumni Association and the NIU Faculty Club. Joan Popp, club president, will preside over the evening’s events.

etiring communicative disorders Professor Cletus Fisher said, “(My retirement) is a chance to completely change my current lifestyle, which will make my coming years very enjoyable, but I’ll miss NIU and I hope that someone at NIU will miss me.”

NIU President John LaTourette will present recognition certificates to faculty members W. Elwood Briles, biological sciences; William T. Brown, art; John Comer, technology; Sanford Dean, psychology; William Deschler, health service; Louise Dieterle, curriculum and instruction; Hugo Engelmann, sociology; Robert Fischer, university libraries; and Cletus Fisher, communicative disorders.

Other retirees include: Icilda Flournory, human and family resources; Clifton Fulton, physical education; Paul Groke, marketing; Leona Heilman, human and family resources; Donald Heilman, leadership and educational policy studies; Donald Herrick, mathematical sciences; John Larsen, library and information studies; and Wallace McAllister, psychology.

Also, Keith MacDonald, clinical education and student services; Wayne McIlrath, Sidney Mittler and Kadaba Prahlad, biological sciences; Edgar Sherbenou, political science; Helen Sherbenou, nursing; Miluse Soudek, university libraries; William Stark and Malcolm Swan, curriculum and instruction; Edward Syrek, art; and Everette Van De Voort, community college relations will be honored for their service to NIU.

etiring faculty also will receive honorary memberships into the NIU Alumni Association from NIU Foundation director Richard Ubl.

The retirees will be welcomed into the NIU chapter of the Annuitants Association by its representative Gordon Bird. The Annuitants Association brings together retired individuals from Illinois state universities.

Technology professor John Comer, who has worked at NIU for 18 years, said he will give a short speech as the faculty response.

Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Holmes Student Center Regency Room followed by dinner at 6:30. Following dinner, guests will be entertained by the NIU Opera Workshop under direction of Lee Strawn and Elwood Smith, music department professors.