Meet this years Honorees: 

DR. ROGER CROUSE :  In his famous poem “The Road Not Taken”, author Robert Frost reflects upon a decision at a fork in the road saying “… I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”  Dr. Roger Crouse takes a similar approach when evaluating patients and he attributes this approach for allowing him to be successful where other physicians have failed.  Dr. Crouse graduated from Monticello High School as a member of the class of 1969.  He received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin in 1972.  He attended the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago from 1972-1976, followed with a four year residency at the University of Louisville in Kentucky from 1976-1980.  For the next twenty-two years, Dr. Crouse practiced internal  medicine at the Welborn Clinic in Evansville, IN working in the Intensive Care unit as well as in an office practice.  In 2002, Dr. Crouse accepted a position at the Mayo Clinic in Mankato, MN.  In August, 2012, Dr. Crouse started seeing patients at the main Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  Dr. Crouse teaches family practice residence and has served on several committees including Chairman of Medicine, ethics and the medical review board.  Dr. Crouse has served on volunteer medical mission trips to Kenya and Israel.  He is currently preparing to return to Israel in November of 2012.  In his spare time, Dr. Crouse enjoys playing the violin, learning Hebrew, and reading (especially rereading books that were assigned by Mr. Maguet in high school). Dr. Crouse is married to Teresa whom he met during his medical residency. Together they have 4 children, Michael, Jennifer, Christie, and Kimberly and 4 grandchildren.

DR. BETH RILEY HICKS :The nurturing community of Monticello provided the foundation for a passion to touch the lives of others through the art of healing in Dr. Beth Riley Hicks. That passion has grown and flourished through the years into a remarkable career in the field of medicine that has taken her from the prairies of central Illinois to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.  Beth began her interest in science in high school at Monticello where her teachers remember her as an outstanding student-athlete. After graduating in 1991, Beth attended Beloit College in Wisconsin where she graduated with honors in 1995 with a degree in biochemistry. During her time at Beloit she competed for the cross country and track teams and expanded her interest in the sciences. She attended medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and received her M.D. in 2001.  During this time she did clinical research at Johns Hopkins University in Parkinson’s Disease and she also co-lead a clinical trial investigating the effects of opioids on the immune system. For her research, she was awarded 1st place in the 1999    University of Illinois Student Research Forum and the Grand Rounds Award during her residency.   She completed her residency at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL and served as chief resident of internal medicine.  Beth is presently a hospitalist for the Critical Care and Pulmonary Consultants Group based out of Sky Ridge Medical Center, Littleton Adventist Medical Center and the Medical Center of Aurora in Colorado.  She was recently elected Chief of Medicine at Sky Ridge and is the Associate Program Director of a new Internal Medicine residency program at Sky Ridge.  Beth is married and has 4 young children.  In her spare time, Beth enjoys playing piano, reading, traveling and being outdoors with her family in the nearby Rocky Mountains.   

Please make your reservations by Wednesday, February 13. Seating is limited. Your reservation includes the annual membership fee of $35.00 and supports MAEF classroom grants and scholarships. 

$75.00 per couple for _____________________________________________________ 

$50.00 single for _________________________________________________________ 

Please include your E-mail / Phone number for confirmation of your reservation. All reservations will be held at the door.

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For information, go to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or contact Brandon Hissong 217-762-2591.

Please send the above information and return with your check payable to:

Monticello Area Education Foundation, P.O. Box 473, Monticello, Illinois 61856 

Does your compnay have a mathcing gift program or a corporate sponsorship giving program.  The Monticello Area Education Foundation provides opportunties to corporations and buisnesses to become involved in sponsoring events.  For more information follow this link.

To join the Monticello Area Education Foundation, use the Monticello Schools secure online webstore by clicking HERE, complete and return the remit form http://www.sages.us/maef/remit.pdf, contact us via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or feel free to talk to  one of the board members.