Honorary Alumna Award, Town & Gown Award Presented to Stults, Ritter

Honorary Alumna Award, Town & Gown Award Presented to Stults, Ritter

Two women who have contributed to Western Illinois University and their community were honored Thursday evening at a special community event as part of President Kristi Mindrup's inauguration.

The 2025 Honorary Alumni Award was presented to Lin Stults, owner of Engraving by Lin in Macomb. The Honorary Alumni Award is presented to an individual who is not a WIU graduate but who has provided exceptional service to the WIU community. The 2025 Town & Gown Award was given to WIU Alumna Sarah Ritter, manager of WIU's Photographic Laboratory. The Town & Gown Award is presented to an individual who has provided exceptional service to WIU and the community.

Stults, who's known around town for her cheerful demeanor, positive mental attitude and all-things-engraved, has been running her engraving business for 40-plus years. She's the woman behind many of WIU's trophies, plaques, medallions nametags and much more.

Fun fact: Western's stylish employee nametags were Stults' brainchild, and she continues to be the sole provider of WIU's branded nametags.

And it's not just WIU employees and students who benefit from her skills. If area residents have a sports trophy, a recognition plaque, a nametag or an engraved clock (along with a good many other pieces that feature engraving), nine times out of 10, the piece is Stults' handiwork. Because of her commitment to the institution and the Macomb community, she was the recipient of Western's Town & Gown Award in 2010.

'Lin is someone who has the best interest of the Macomb and WIU communities at heart in everything she does' is a common refrain from those who cross her path.

Ritter began working at WIU in July 2012 as a digital imaging specialist, and audited to assistant manager of the laboratory in 2018.

She took over the department in January 2020. But even before joining the department, Ritter was honing her skills as a student photographer in the department, which was called the Visual Production Center at the time.

Ritter, along with photographer Rachael Keating, are the institution's sole photographers, capturing memories and moments to archive WIU's history in photographs. Those who have worked with her, and nominated her for Employee of the Month and other awards have noted that, over her many years at Western, Ritter brings 'enthusiasm, passion and drive to her work, and it shows through her award-winning photographs.'

'Those who work with Sarah will attest to her positive, can-do attitude, and her creativity through the shots she takes,' they added.

'Sarah goes above and beyond her regular job requirements. She captures, through photos, the best of Western and the community. Her photographs capture Western Illinois University and the surrounding community in an uplifting and a beautiful way.'