Iver Yeager

Iver Franklin Yeager, 94, died in Englewood, Colorado on July 21, 2016, after a brief illness. He and his wife, Natalee Carlander Yeager, were active in the Jacksonville, Illinois community for 54 years until moving to Colorado in 2012.

Iver was born April 24, 1922 in Yoder, Wyoming, to Elise Thingelstad and Charles F. Yeager. He lived in enver as a young child, then in western South Dakota, attending one-room schools, and Newell [SD] High School. In 1944 he graduated with honors from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota in philosophy, with minors in history and Latin.

Dr. Yeager was a World War II veteran, serving in the United States Navy as a Combat Information Center Officer on the U.S.S. Dyson, a destroyer, with responsibility for radar, sonar, radio, and coding operations. He participated in naval engagements in the southwest Pacific and the Philippines and picket duty for kamikazes at Okinawa. At the end of the war, his ship sailed to the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard for special Navy Day ceremonies in October, 1945. In June 1946 he was released from active duty with the rank of Lieutenant (j.g.). In later years he attended Dyson reunions in Nashville, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, and Baltimore.

Family was an important part of Dr. Yeager's life. On March 1, 1946, Iver married Natalee R. Carlander of Minneapolis. They had three children, Larry, Kenneth, and Ruth, who all graduated from Jacksonville High School. The Yeagers visited and frequently corresponded with their extended and widespread family. Earlier this year, Iver and Natalee celebrated their 70th anniversary.

A lifelong scholar, Mr. Yeager earned a master's degree at the Chicago Theological Seminary. In 1951 he was ordained as a minister of the Congregational Christian Churches [now the United Church of Christ]. He taught in the Religion Department of the College of Wooster, Ohio, and Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri while completing a Ph.D. in theology (University of Chicago Divinity School, 1957). In 1958 he became Dean of the College and Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois. In 1970 he relinquished his administrative duties and continued as a full-time faculty member until his retirement in 1988. Among the subjects of particular interest for him were the Bible, world religions, and the mutual influences of religion with society and culture. He took an active role as mentor, helping his students reach their academic and life goals.

Mr. Yeager was installed as the Scarborough Professor of Religion and Philosophy in 1974 and was awarded the Dunbaugh Distinguished Professor Award in 1977. He was an active member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and the American Association of University Professors. As chairman of Illinois College's 150th Anniversary Committee, he edited The Sesquicentennial Papers. He served on the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Illinois State Scholarship Commission.

The Yeagers were active members of the Congregational Church of Jacksonville. Dr. Yeager served on various committees of regional and state church organizations. He edited and helped write a brief history of the local church. He also served as supply preacher at many churches through the years, especially the First Congregational Church of Waverly. He performed marriages and conducted funeral and memorial services.

A long-time member of The Club, a men's literary organization, Dr. Yeager served as president, recording secretary and as archivist. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville for more than 40 years, serving as its president, as the first chairman of the international youth exchange program, and as district representative.

Dr. Yeager enjoyed car trips to visit relatives, national parks, and places of historic interest. He traveled, usually with Natalee, to many parts of Europe and Asia, as well as Israel, Mexico and Canada. An enthusiastic photographer and always a teacher, he took slides for his lectures and travelogues. In later years, he researched family history and wrote detailed memoirs of his early life. Two audio interviews, made in 2012, can be heard at www.oralhistory.illinois.gov.

In retirement, Dr. Yeager's interest in the early history of Illinois College culminated in the publication of Julian M. Sturtevant (1999), a biography of the college's first professor and second president. He also arranged for the reprinting of Sturtevant's Autobiography . He wrote numerous articles for college publications and worked extensively to help preserve the college's academic records and other historical documents. In recognition, Illinois College recently named its archival storage facility the Iver F. Yeager Special Collections and Storage Room.

By 2002 Dr. Yeager had lost most of his vision through macular degeneration. He continued to write, using a talking computer, as well as giving talks, serving on committees, and taking an active role with the Jacksonville Area Center for Independent Living (JACIL). Always an avid reader, he switched to books on tape. He enjoyed lively conversation with the "First Saturday" men's breakfast group. He was often seen walking between home and campus with his white cane.

Dr. Yeager is survived by his wife, Natalee Yeager of Englewood, Colorado. Also surviving are two sons, Larry (wife Cynthia) of Bolton, Massachusetts, and Kenneth, of Sunnyvale, California, and one daughter, Ruth Yeager (husband Mark Jacobson) of Denver, Colorado. There are three grandchildren: Amy Yeager (husband Michael Rutter), Nathan Jacobson (wife Rebecca), and Kjersti Jacobson, and two great-granddaughters, Abigail and Samantha Rutter. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Robert Yeager in 1963 and Anson Yeager in 2005. Three brothers are still living in South Dakota: Richard Afdahl (wife Esther V.) of Spearfish, George Afdahl (wife Annelle) of Faith, and Larry Afdahl (wife Esther May) of Aberdeen.

There will be a memorial service at 10:00 a.m., September 21, at Rammelkamp Chapel on the Illinois College Campus. The family will also have several informal memorial gatherings in Denver. Memorial donations may be made to the Iver F. Yeager History Endowment at Illinois College (Illinois College, President's Office, 1101 West College Avenue, Jacksonville, IL 62650).