- Dr. Harold Bardo ’62, ’72
Dr. Harold Bardo came to Southern Illinois University from Sparta, Illinois, in 1957 as one of the first students in university history to receive a full athletic scholarship covering tuition, fees, room, board, and books. Awarded on the basis of basketball, the scholarship made his college education possible. He also competed as a member of the SIU track team.
Dr. Bardo graduated from SIU’s College of Education in 1962 with a major in History and a minor in English. During his undergraduate years, he became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., built lifelong friendships, and married his high school sweetheart, Lana, in 1961—years he often describes as the fondest of his youth.
Following graduation, Dr. Bardo worked in Dixon and East St. Louis, Illinois, before joining the Breckinridge Job Corps Center in Morganfield, Kentucky, which was operated by SIU. This role marked the beginning of his professional career with the University. In 1968, he returned to Carbondale as SIU’s first Intercollegiate Athletic Advisor and as an instructor in the College of Education, while simultaneously pursuing graduate study. He earned a master’s degree in Counseling from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a Ph.D. in Education from SIU Carbondale.
Over the next four decades, Dr. Bardo served the University in numerous leadership, academic, and administrative roles. His appointments included Assistant Professor and Associate Professor in Educational Psychology, interim assignments in the Dean’s Office of the College of Education and the Chancellor’s Office, Acting Director of Admissions, Special Assignment to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on two occasions.
Dr. Bardo concluded his distinguished career in 2014 as Director of the Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program (MEDPREP) in the SIU School of Medicine, after also serving as Assistant Dean for Minority Affairs and Counseling and Associate Chairman of Medical Education. In total, he dedicated more than 46 years of service to SIU and the Carbondale community.
Together, Dr. Bardo and his wife raised their three children — Craig, Helen, and Stephen — in Carbondale, where their lives were enriched through deep engagement with the University and a strong community of faculty and staff. Reflecting on his career, Dr. Bardo credits SIU with providing not only professional opportunities but also a nurturing environment in which to learn, grow, and serve generations of students.
Dr. Bardo remains profoundly grateful to Southern Illinois University for the opportunity to contribute to its mission and to positively impact students across multiple disciplines throughout his remarkable career.
- Dr. Linda Flowers ’79, ’87, ’06
Linda Flowers, Ph.D. is the fifth of eleven children born to James and Percy Anderson. She grew up on the south side of Chicago, attending Chicago Public Schools from K-12th grade.
Dr. Flowers is a three-degree graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, holding a B.S. Degree in Special Education/ Elementary Education, a M.S. Degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Ph.D. In Reading and Language Studies. She holds an Illinois Professional Educator License with numerous endorsements, including Elementary Education, Learning Behavior Specialist, Reading Specialist, General Administration, and Superintendent.
Dr. Flowers holds memberships and leadership positions in numerous civic, community, and professional organizations including; the National Education Association, National Alliance of Black School Educators, Southern Illinois University Alumni Association, Illinois Principal Association, Rock Hill Missionary Baptist Church, the Advisory Board of the SIU Small Business Development Center, the corporate board of the Man-Tra-Con Workforce Corporation, Illinois State Police Merit Board, Carbondale Fire and Police Board of Commissioners, Carbondale Crime Stoppers, Carbondale Noon Rotary, Black Graduate Greek Council of Carbondale, Jackson County 708 Board, Jackson County deputy registrar, Jackson County election judge, and Political Action Chair for the NAACP Illinois State Conference.
Dr. Flowers is serving her 6th term as President of the Carbondale Branch NAACP. She was the first female elected as the Branch’s President in 1992. She is an active life and charter member of Mu Eta Zeta Chapter, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Additionally, she is an elected member of the Carbondale Community High School #165 Board of Education, and Vice-Chair of the Shawnee Division of the Illinois Association of School Boards.
Dr. Flowers is a retired teacher/administrator with the Carbondale Elementary School District. She resides in Carbondale, Illinois, and has been married to retired SIUC administrator/professor emeritus Carl Flowers, Ph.D. for forty-eight years. They have one son, Cameron, a Portfolio Comptroller with Sound Investment Management in Chicago, one daughter, Courtney, an accountant manager with Walker’s Bluff Casino and Resort, and five grandchildren: Jordan, Isaiah, Anaiah, Micah, and Gianna.
- Michael “Stinger” Glenn ’77
Michael “Stinger” Glenn began his professional life in the NBA from 1977 to 1986. Since then, he has spent 26 years broadcasting sports, 13 years teaching G.E.D. classes, and has been showing expertly curated historical exhibits. He served one year on the board of directors for the National Basketball Retired Players Association.
In 1980, while in the NBA, Glenn started the nation’s first basketball camp for deaf athletes, and it is still going. In 2013, Glenn played himself in a feature-length film about his camp, Spirit of Love. The film won “Best Inspirational Movie of the Year” at the ICM Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mike Glenn’s awards include:
- Two-time NCAA Academic All-American Basketball Player, and number one voted in 1977
- The Gate City Barr Association Professional Athlete Award
- Walter B. Kennedy Citizenship Award by the NBA, 1981
- “The Spirit of Love Award” by the NBA Players Association, 1984
- The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Service Award by the Roberto Goizueta Business School of Emory University, 2001
- The Hosea Williams Award for Community Activism by Georgia State University, 2009
- “Champion Award” by Operation Lifesaver, Inc., 2010
- All-Century Team, Southern Illinois University, 2014
- Inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame, 2015
- The National “Service Above Self Award” by the Springfield, MA Rotary Club, 2015
- Inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, 2016
Glenn is an alumnus of Leadership Atlanta, class of 1988-89.
Glenn has written five books; the most recent is My Next Shot Goes In: 10 Sacred Characteristics of NBA Players that Lead to Success.
- Dr. Joan Higginbotham ’87
Dr. Joan Higginbotham is an electrical engineer, retired NASA astronaut, and proud Southern Illinois University alumna whose distinguished career spans government service, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship. She began her professional journey at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where she held numerous technical and leadership roles and supported 53 Space Shuttle launches before being selected as a NASA astronaut in 1996.In December 2006, Higginbotham made history as a Mission Specialist aboard Space Shuttle Discovery (STS‑116), becoming the third African American woman to travel to space. After her NASA career, she went on to serve in senior leadership roles at several Fortune 500 companies, including Marathon Oil, Lowe’s Corporate, and Collins Aerospace.In 2022, she founded Joan Higginbotham Ad Astra, LLC, an aerospace consulting firm that helps organizations navigate complex technical challenges and accelerate innovation from concept through execution.Higginbotham holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (’87) and an honorary doctorate in Aeronautics, Aviation Science, and Technology (2016) from SIU. She currently serves on the boards of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), and the Space Telescope Institute Council (STIC).An internationally sought‑after speaker, she has been widely recognized for her leadership, perseverance, and impact on the aerospace community. Her honors include the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the National Space Medal, and recognition as one of the nation’s most influential women in science and technology.
- Dr. Ella Lacey ’64, ’72, ’79
Dr. Ella P. Lacey was born in Hayti, located in the Missouri Bootheel. Except for two years spent in Akron, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan, she completed her primary and secondary education at Central High School in Hayti. Demonstrating academic excellence, Dr. Lacey graduated as the valedictorian of her 12th-grade class at the young age of 15. Despite not receiving a public college scholarship, she enrolled at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, but financial hardships led her to leave after one semester.
Following her time at Lincoln University, Dr. Lacey relocated to Chicago, where she worked for three years as a federal Civil Service statistical clerk. She then moved to Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale. In 1964, she graduated with a degree in psychology with minor studies in mathematics and guidance.
Dr. Lacey began her professional career at SIU, initially serving as an in-training counselor for long-unemployed coal miners, and later as a vocational rehabilitation counselor in an Illinois Civil Service position. After eight years in counseling, she earned a fellowship to SIU’s master’s program in Rehabilitation Administration. Upon receiving her master’s degree, Dr. Lacey was recruited by the newly emerging SIU School of Medicine to serve as a faculty member but was assigned to health care system planning tasks. Her first major assignment was to facilitate and coordinate the replacement of hearses with Department of Transportation (DOT) ambulances for emergency transport in southern Illinois communities. This project required two years of collaboration and engagement for the attainment of five DOT-funded ambulances and an Illinois Department of Public Health agreement to train sufficient staff for the ambulances in their respective communities.
Recognizing the importance of further education for her faculty career, Dr. Lacey pursued and attained a Ph.D. in community health education. She transitioned to the faculty track and, over the next twenty years, developed curricula in community health and medical interviewing. She taught first-year medical students and guided doctoral students in health education. Her academic work included researching pica, adolescent pregnancy, and provision of service to professional associations and governmental bodies at local, state, and national levels.
After a distinguished career, Dr. Lacey retired with 35 years of credit at age 54. Shortly after, she joined the U.S. Peace Corps, arriving in Africa on her 55th birthday and serving as a volunteer for 27 months. Over the next eight years, her international service continued with seven three-month assignments as a polio consultant, trained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and assigned to either UNICEF or the World Health Organization (WHO). Then, she contributed to water, sanitation, and hygiene projects in Malawi and Kenya, including being a leader on a major funded project on Remba Island, Kenya, sponsored by Rotary International.
Back in Carbondale, Dr. Lacey is an engaged Board member for the I Can Read Program and for the SIU Foundation. She holds or has recently held membership and leadership roles in organizations such as AAUW, NAACP, UNA-USA, Rotary International, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She participates weekly in Zoom or in-person meetings with a local group (with nationally based participants), Race Unity.
Dr. Lacey is inspired by her four adult children, twelve grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, who continue to encourage her in her domestic and international travels. She looks forward to future adventures, expecting to include Taiwan in her travels in 2026.
- Dr. Terrence Roberts ’77
Dr. Terrence Roberts is CEO of Terrence Roberts Consulting, a management consulting firm devoted to fair and equitable practices in business and industry. Started in 1975 as Terrence J. Roberts and Associates, this firm seeks to assist management personnel in the creation of workplaces conducive to employee growth and development. (Parent Company: Modern Solutions, LLC; DBA Terrence Roberts Consulting)
A graduate of California State University at Los Angeles (BA) and UCLA (MSW), Dr. Roberts obtained his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.
For forty years (1975-2015), Dr. Roberts was a practicing clinical psychologist, first in Deer Park, California, and later in Pasadena, California. During this same time period, he was Director of Mental Health Services at St. Helena Hospital and Health Center (1977 – 1985); Assistant Dean of Student Services at UCLA’s School of Social Welfare (1985 – 1993); and Department Chair and faculty member in psychology at Antioch University, Los Angeles (1993 – 2008).
Dr. Roberts has taught, written about, and consulted with a variety of groups, institutions, businesses, and professional organizations on issues related to race and racism in American society. He believes that complete resolution of these issues can only happen when we, collectively, decide to rid ourselves of the pernicious ideology of racism.
As one of The Little Rock Nine, Dr. Roberts has been in demand by a number of groups who wish to learn about the impact of the chaos in Little Rock in 1957 on the social, cultural, political, and economic life of citizens in contemporary America. He regularly spends time with educators from ELHI to colleges and universities.
LESSONS FROM LITTLE ROCK, a memoir by Dr. Roberts, was published on October 1, 2009. In this book, he describes his experience at Central High School and talks about the salient lessons to be learned from that episode.
On February 1, 2010, his second book, SIMPLE, NOT EASY: Reflections on Community, Social Responsibility, and Tolerance, was published. The essays in this volume seek to guide the reader toward more socially responsible positions in life.
In recognition of his contributions to society, Dr. Roberts has been the recipient of:
- The Congressional Gold Medal
- The Pere Marquette Discovery Award
- The Spingarn Medal
- The Robert S. Abbott Award
- Dr. Melvin Terrell ’78
Dr. Melvin Cleveland Terrell is a nationally recognized scholar-practitioner and longtime chief student affairs officer with more than four decades of leadership in higher education. An alumnus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), he also completed fellowships with the American Council on Education (ACE) and postdoctoral studies at Harvard and the University of Virginia. For 20 years, he served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Northeastern Illinois University, the longest tenure of any African American in that role at a predominantly white institution. Celebrated for advancing student success and mentoring emerging leaders in the field, Dr. Terrell’s honors ranged from President and chairperson of professional organizations to journal editorship, 30+ publications, and national awards for his contributions to student affairs. He founded the Dr. Melvin C. Terrell Educational Foundation, Inc.; more information can be found on http://www.mctfoundation.org
