I’s on the World: Wat Fun!

Bangkok’s Wat Arun temple rises above three intrepid Illini: Janet Vrasic, and Cathy and Carl Risberg (left to right). (Image courtesy of Janet Vrasic)

Illini cousins Janet Vrasic, ’90 LAS, ’90 LAS, and Cathy Risberg, ’68 LAS, joined Cathy’s husband, Carl Risberg, ’67 LAS, for a cruise to the Treasured Temples of Asia. It was winter when they left but too warm in Thailand for the orange and blue gear they had packed. Instead, they made do with their Illinois flag, proudly displaying it in front of Bangkok’s magnificent Wat Arun Buddhist temple.

Turns out the trio weren’t the only Illini aboard the Oceania ship. They discovered fellow travelers Pennie Hall, ’85 ENG, Mike Henleben, ’84 UIC, Bob Lewis, ’69 BUS, and Robert Walter, ’83 ENG, during one of the ship’s trivia nights. The septet dubbed themselves the Cruisin’ Illini. “It was so great to meet everyone and chat about our time at Illinois!” says Vrasic.

For more photos of alumni around the world, check out our Flickr album. Send pictures of yourself clad in orange and blue to IllinoisAlumni@uillinois.edu. You also can post to www.Facebook.com/IllinoisAlumni and twitter.com/uiaa using hashtag #IlliniWorldwide.

Illinois Alumni, Summer 2026