If you have not yet received your February issue of the alumni magazine, it will be arriving soon. It is already available online at IllinoisState.edu/Magazine.

Avid sports fans remember when the U.S. basketball team lost by one point to the Russians in the 1972 Olympics. The moment was excruciating for team member Doug Collins ’73, who made what should have been the game-winning free throws. Collins recalls vividly how the controversy thrust him—and Illinois State—into the national spotlight.

This issue also includes the work of Al Runte, M.A. ’71. An activist and author, Runte works to preserve treasured open spaces. He partnered with Ken Burns to chronicle the significance of America’s grand, yet threatened, park system.

Alums will enjoy reading about Milner Library, which has been reinvented. Students reach a librarian by email. They pull laptops from backpacks, plugging into collaboration stations to complete projects with classmates. A vending machine, bean bag chairs, and artistic performances are additional signs that Milner is keeping pace with the needs of today’s students.

The final February feature is about the journey of Josh Stevens ’06, who was the only person in the country chosen to take the Groupon challenge. His goal was to live for an entire year without using any form of money. Stevens bartered with coupons so well that he traveled the U.S. and overseas. His journey ended with a $100,000 prize, and priceless memories.