This page lists alumni of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (iSchool) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, editors of the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and Center affiliates who served on Caldecott Medal Selection Committees. Unless otherwise noted, the alumni listed received their master’s or doctorate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The italicized book titles represent the Caldecott Medal winner in the specified year. An asterisk denotes service as the chair of the Caldecott Selection Committee in the specified year.
Established in 1938, the Caldecott Medal is awarded by the American Library Association to “the artist who had created the most distinguished picture book of the year.”1 Until 1978, the Caldecott Medal was awarded jointly by the annual committee that selected the Newbery Medal; separate committees were then established and began operating with the 1980 selection process.2 To learn more about the Caldecott Medal and past recipients, visit this page by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) or the ALSC Book & Media Awards Shelf.
Donna L. Bessant (MS/LIS, 1970) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1994 (Grandfather’s Journey)
Kathleen Breckenridge (MS/LIS, 1962) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1980 (Ox-Cart Man) and 1972 (One Fine Day)
Ann Carlson (PhD, Columbia University, 1986; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1992-1996) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2001 (So You Want To Be President?)
Julie A. Corsaro (MA, University of Chicago, 1985) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1990 (Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China)
Carol A. Doll (PhD, 1980) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2004 (The Man Who Walked Between the Towers)
Mary K. Eakin (MA, University of Chicago, 1954; Bulletin Editor, 1949-1958) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1965 (May I Bring a Friend?), 1959 (Chanticleer and the Fox), 1958 (Time of Wonder), and 1957 (A Tree is Nice)
Yolanda Federici (Roosevelt University; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1970-1985) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1960 (Nine Days to Christmas)
Sara I. Fenwick (MA, University of Chicago, 1951; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1970-1975) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1973 (The Funny Little Women), 1972 (One Fine Day), 1971* (A Story, a Story: An African Tale), 1964 (Where the Wild Things Are), and 1959 (Chanticleer and the Fox)
Ellin Greene (PhD, Rutgers University, 1979; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1980-1984) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1982 (Jumanji) and 1976 (Why Mosquitos Bite)
Carla Hayden (PhD, University of Chicago, 1987; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1986-1987) – Caldecott Selection Committee 1988 (Owl Moon)
Betsy Hearne (PhD, University of Chicago, 1985; Bulletin Editor, 1985-1994) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2005* (Kitten’s First Full Moon)
Elizabeth Huntoon (MS/LIS, 1969; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1992-1996) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1989 (Song and Dance Man) and 1981 (Fables)
Marika L. Jeffrey (MS/LIS, 2013) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2018 (Wolf in the Snow)
Christine Jenkins (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1995; CCB Director, 2007-2010) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1990 (Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China)
Wilbur (W.) Duane Johnson (MS/LIS, 1959) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1980 (Ox-Cart Man)
Ann Kalkhoff (MS/LIS, 1967) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1990 (Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China) and 1973 (The Funny Little Woman)
Susan D. Lempke (MLS, Indiana University; BCCB Reviewer, 1994-1996) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1987 (Hey, Al)
Barbara Lintner (MS/LIS, 1965) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2000 (Joseph Had a Little Overcoat)
Isabel McCaul (MA, University of Chicago, 1964; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1970-1989) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1982 (Jumanji), 1974 (Duffy and the Devil), 1973 (The Funny Little Women), 1972 (One Fine Day), and 1968 (Drummer Hoff)
Anne McDowell (CAS, 1978) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1978 (Noah’s Ark)
Alice Brooks McGuire (PhD, University of Chicago, 1958; Service Bulletin Editor, 1947-1949) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1972 (One Fine Day), 1961 (Baboushka and the Three Kings), and 1953 (The Biggest Bear)
Debra A. McLeod (MS/LIS, 1975) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2008 (The Invention of Hugo Cabret) and 1994 (Grandfather’s Journey)
Janice M. Del Negro (PhD, 2007; Bulletin Editor, 1996-2001) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2007 (Flotsam) and 1997 (Golem)
Sarah Okner (MS/LIS, 2009) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2021 (We Are Water Protectors)
Charlemae Rollins (University of Chicago, 1933; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1970-1977) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1958 (Time of Wonder), 1957 (A Tree is Nice), 1956* (Frog Went A-Courtin’), 1954 (Madeline’s Rescue), 1953 (The Biggest Bear), and 1949 (The Big Snow)
Selma K. Richardson (PhD, University of Michigan, 1969; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1992-1996) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1985 (Saint George and the Dragon)
Patricia Rua-Bashir (MS/LIS, 2010) – Caldecott Selection Committee 2022 (Watercress)
Deborah Stevenson (PhD, University of Chicago, 1999; Bulletin Editor, 2001-2021) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2001 (So You Want to be President?)
Peggy Sullivan (PhD, University of Chicago, 1972; Bulletin Advisory Committee, 1974-1977) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1978 (Noah’s Ark)
Zena Sutherland (MA, University of Chicago, 1968; Bulletin Editor, 1958-1985) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 1976* (Why Mosquitos Buzz), 1969 (The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship), 1963 (The Snowy Day), 1961 (Baboushka and the Three Kings), and 1960 (Nine Days to Christmas)
Roger Sutton (MLS, University of Chicago, 1982; Bulletin Editor, 1994-1996) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2008 (The Invention of Hugo Cabret)
Lucinda Whitehurst (MS/LIS, 1987) – Caldecott Selection Committee Member 2010 (The Lion and the Mouse)
1 “Randolph Caldecott Medal,” Association for Library Service to Children.
2 “Randolph Caldecott Medal,” ALSC.