Hallwas receives Distinguished Alumni AwardJohn Hallwas

Frieden receives inaugural Young Alumni Excellence Award

The outstanding accomplishments of John Hallwas and Aundrea “Andi” Frieden were recognized May 16 when Hallwas was presented the WIU Distinguished Alumnus Award and Frieden was presented the inaugural Young Alumni Excellence Award at the Spring 2009 Commencement Exercises.

The Distinguished Alumni Award, given since 1973, recognizes alumni who have reached the pinnacle of their careers and have brought credit to the University and themselves through their professional accomplishments or community service at local, state, or national levels, and who have extended meritorious service for the advancement and continued excellence of WIU.

Hallwas, a 1967 (bachelor’s) and 1968 (master’s) graduate in English, served as an English professor and archivist at Western for 34 years, retiring in 2004.

Hallwas came to Western in the early 1960s from Antioch (IL). An NDEA (National Defense Education Act) Fellow in the English doctoral program at the University of Florida (1968-1970), he earned his Ph.D. (1972) with a specialization in medieval literature. Two years before completing his dissertation, Hallwas accepted a call from his alma mater to teach British literature.

In 1979, Hallwas assumed added responsibilities as director of regional collections at the University Archives, a unit of the WIU Libraries, which complemented his emerging focus on American studies. Since the 1970s he has also lectured widely in Illinois and the Midwest.

Hallwas is the most widely published professor in WIU history. His most recent book, “Dime Novel Desperadoes,” focuses on Illinois’ most noted outlaws. He has written and edited more than 20 books and monographs, most of them focused on Midwestern literature and history. His 1998 book “The Bootlegger: A Story of Small-Town America” was nominated for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction. He has also won a variety of awards for his teaching and community service, including the WIU Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award and the Macomb Citizen of the Year Award.

The author of “Macomb: A Pictorial History,” Hallwas was also commissioned to produce “First Century: A Pictorial History of Western Illinois University” for Western’s Centennial Celebration (1999-2000). Those and other books have made him a well-known academic figure who symbolizes the University’s commitment to the people and values of the western Illinois region.

Since retirement, Hallwas has served on several University boards, including the WIU Foundation. He and his wife Garnette are major donors and have made a variety of gifts to the University. Western’s annual liberal arts lecture was renamed the John Hallwas Liberal Arts Lecture following his retirement. Hallwas was chosen to present the inaugural Liberal Arts Lecture in 2003.

Andi FriedenFrieden was recognized May 16 as the inaugural recipient of the WIU Young Alumni Excellence Award. The Young Alumni Excellence Award is presented to an alumnus/na who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in his/her chosen field; exceptional service in local, state or national affairs; and exceptional service in support of the advancement and continued excellence of Western; and who is not yet 35 years old.
Frieden, a 1996 political science and pre-law graduate, is a partner with Gibbs & Bruns, LLP in Houston, TX. While she focuses much of her practice on securities matters, the scope of her litigation experience includes contract, environmental, construction, oil and gas, medical malpractice, intellectual property and directors’ liability matters. Her practice has included representation of the Enron board of directors in connection with that company’s iconic end, as well as pro bono representation of the City of Houston in defense of its air pollution ordinance.

While at Western, Frieden was an Honors scholar, a member and assistant coach of the Western Debate Team, a member of Phi Kappa Phi, a resident assistant, the Lincoln Laureate graduate and the 1996 Honors Convocation student speaker. Following graduation, Frieden served as a performance auditor in the Illinois Office of the Auditor General. She then went on to obtain her juris doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2000. During law school, Frieden clerked for the Illinois Attorney General and served as articles editor for the University of Illinois Law Review. Following graduation from law school, she practiced with Jenner & Block LLC in Chicago before moving to Houston.

Frieden has been named a “Rising Star” by Legal Media’s guide “Benchmark: Litigation” (2009); a “Texas Rising Star” by Texas Super Lawyers (2008-2009); and one of Houston’s “Lawyers on the Fast Track” and “Professionals on the Fast Track” by H-Magazine (2004; 2008).

She is a member of the Houston Bar Association and is affiliated with the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Texas.

Frieden is a member of the WIU President’s National Advisory Council. She and her husband, Joe Gulley, established the C. Robin Frieden Memorial Scholarship at Western in honor of her mother.

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