Glenbard South classmates re-establish scholarship fund in memory of Kristina Wesselman

GLEN ELLYN – Thirty years after her murder, a scholarship fund has been re-established in the memory of 15-year-old Kristina Wesselman.

Wesselman, a Glenbard South High School sophomore, was murdered on July 21, 1985, while she was walking home from the Jewel food store near Butterfield Road and Route 53 in unincorporated DuPage County near Glen Ellyn.

She was last seen walking on a well-traveled path toward her residence in the Valley View subdivision. Wesselman never returned home, and she was subsequently reported missing by her mother.

Her body was found the next day by sheriff’s detectives in a field near the path where she was last seen walking. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed eight times, authorities said.

Through re-establishing the scholarship fund, Wesselman's classmates say they want to bring the focus back on her life and legacy and away from her murderer.

Michael Jones, 62, of Champaign, has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault in the murder and assault of Wesselman. He pleaded not guilty Oct. 13 in a DuPage County courtroom.

If found guilty, Jones faces a potential sentence of life without parole.

Wesselman served as class president during her freshman year at Glenbard South, and she was elected vice president her sophomore year, said Bridget King, Wesselman's neighbor and friend. King is a 1988 graduate of Glenbard South and a member of Wesselman's class.

The goal of the re-establishment of the scholarship fund is to send a message to young people that they can make a difference in their community, King said.

"She was a leader already as a freshman in high school," she said.

The scholarship fund was originally started in 1986 by Wesselman's mother, Sandy Wesselman. Kristina Wesselman's classmates intend for the scholarship to be a $1,000 award given annually starting with the 2016 graduating class.

"The initial goal is to raise $10,000 to ensure a decade worth of scholarships," King said.

Donations are being accepted at Glenbard South High School, c/o Kristina Wesselman Scholarship, 23W200 Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.