Governors State President Joyce C. Ester featured on Phoenix Historical Wall
South Suburban College Recently Unveiled Showcase
(University Park, Illinois) -- In a nod to her childhood home, Governors State University (GovState) President Joyce C. Ester was recently added to the newly refurbished Phoenix Historical Wall at South Suburban College.
Photos and documents on the Phoenix Historical Wall, one of 21 that represents the college’s service area across the Southland, had been resized and reframed in a renovation project that also relocated the showcase to a more prominent area of the South Holland campus, said Kellie Martin, Executive Director of Public Relations & Resource Development.
The other historical walls are also being renovated but the Phoenix wall was unveiled in a ceremony earlier this month with Dr. Ester and Phoenix Mayor Terry Wells in attendance. Wells is also Chairman of the South Suburban College Board of Trustees.
Dr. Ester, a Phoenix native who returned to the Southland in July to begin her GovState presidential tenure, served at Minnesota’s Normandale Community College for 11 years before moving back. She said she was thrilled to be included on the wall, where historical headlines and images tell the story of Phoenix. Dr. Ester joins CBS Chicago Sports Director Ryan Baker on the Phoenix Historical Wall. Baker also has roots in Phoenix.
Ester said she was delighted “to read and be reminded of the history and legacy of the town that gave me my foundation.”
After graduating from Thornridge High School, Ester attended Northern Illinois University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, then moved to California. She earned a master’s degree and doctorate in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
It was 16 years before Dr. Ester would return to Illinois to serve as President of Kennedy King College, one of seven schools that comprise City Colleges of Chicago. At Normandale, Ester served as President for 11 years, leading the largest college in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system with more than 14,000 students.
Lynette Stokes, President of South Suburban College, said Dr. Ester’s addition makes the wall even more special. “The Phoenix Historic Wall is a powerful reflection of legacy, pride, and the enduring impact of community,’’ said Dr. Stokes. “It was especially meaningful to share this moment with Dr. Joyce Ester, whose roots in the Village of Phoenix speak to the deep connections between education, place, and possibility. This wall not only honors history, but it inspires future generations to see themselves as part of that story."