About Tim and Katie
Want to learn about the bride and groom's families? You're in the right place. Want to know how Tim and Katie grew up? We've got the inside scoop. Want to know Tim and Katie's plans after the wedding? This page has a better idea than they do! So read on for more information on the future Mr. & Mrs. Tim Franklin!
Families
Katie:
Katie is the daughter of Mark and Karen Jackson. Her younger brother Eric followed in his big sister's footsteps and is currently a freshman at the University of Illinois. Eric is a member of the Delta Chi fraternity at U of I and he works at the U of I Athletic Ticket Office. Mark works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Milan, Illinois where he is the project coordinator of the Interstate RC&D program. Karen is the assistant garden center manager at Meyer Landscape and Design in Moline, Illinois. They live in rural Milan, Illinois.
Tim:
Tim is the son of Gerry and Linda Franklin. Like Katie's younger brother, Tim's younger sister - Becky - also followed in his footsteps and is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois. She is currently employed as an Architect's Intern at FGM Architects in O'Fallon, Illinois. Gerry is a Park Ranger for Fort de Chatres State Historic Site in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois where he had a hand in building most of the wooden portions of the historic structures shown on that website. Linda teaches art at Red Bud High School in Red Bud, Illinois. They live in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois.
Growing Up
Tim:
Tim grew up in the small, Southern Illinois town of Prairie du Rocher. There Tim attended Prairie du Rocher Grade School from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Tim became fascinated with flight and was also very interested in geography, math, and science. In Junior High, he played basketball and baseball and also ran track... well he was on the track team anyway! Tim was a huge Cubs fan - much to the dismay of most of his family members. He also was a big Illini and Bulls fan.
Tim attended Red Bud High School in nearby Red Bud, Illinois. While in high school, Tim participated in basketball, baseball, Student Council, National Honor Society, Math Team, Skills-USA VICA, and WYSE. His appreciation for math and science continued to grow and resulted in him considering a career in engineering.
In the fall of 2000, Tim began attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While at the U of I, Tim majored in Aerospace Engineering and also obtained a minor in Computer Science. It was at U of I in March 2003 when he began dating Katie and the rest as they say, is history!
Katie:
Katie primarily grew up in Galesburg, Illinois but also lived for a short time in Macomb, Illinois; Mount Vernon, Illinois; Opheim, Illinois; and Quincy, Illinois. Katie attended Costa Catholic grade school in Galesburg where she played volleyball and basketball. Katie was a huge Illini fan growing up and often envisioned attending U of I. She also took piano lessons and participated in dance.
Prior to attending high school, Katie and her family moved to rural Milan, Illinois - just south of the Quad Cities. There she attended Alleman High School in Rock Island, Illinois where she played volleyball and basketball and was a member of National Honor Society, Teens Encounter Christ, and Student Hunger Drive. Katie also participated in several musicals and plays.
Katie began attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall of 2002. This was when she met Tim and they began dating the following March. Their relationship continued throughout the rest of her college career. At the U of I Katie majored in Human Development and Family Studies specializing in Child Development. As part of her curriculum she completed a semester long Child Life Specialist Practicum at Carle Hospital in Urbana, Illinois. Katie was very active in Up 'Til Dawn - an organization that raises money for St. Jude's Hospital. She also started the Klothes For Kids student organization - where kids clothes were collected from students, families, and nearby businesses and donated to children in the community. Katie graduated in August 2006.
Professional Life
Tim:
Out of college, Tim took a job with Daxcon Engineering in Peoria, Illinois. Daxcon is a consulting company providing engineering services to larger customers from the heavy industry, aerospace, and automotive world. After a year of doing design work, Tim was named the 
Lead CFD Analyst where he helped start Daxcon's Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analytical group. After using CFD to help model fluid and air-flow on projects based primarily in heavy industry, Tim decided to move on to a position in his true field of interest.
In February 2008 Tim took a job with Boeing in Houston, Texas working on the space program. He works in the Integrated Vehicle Analysis group as an Aerodynamics Engineer. He primarily works on the Space Shuttle Program using CFD and other analytical methods to analyze the aerodynamics and resultant aero-heating during launch and re-entry.
Katie:
After graduating from college, Katie took a job with the Rock Island School District in Rock Island, Illinois. She is currently an assistant teacher at Denkmann Elementary School in a state-funded Pre-Kindergarten program. The program consists of 3-5 year old at-risk children who need stimulation to help prepare them for Kindergarten. As would be expected, she deals with a wide variety of children - from the very cute to the very challenging. Katie is currently finishing up her second full year at Denkmann.
Katie also works part time at The Pediatric Group Associates - a pediatrician's office in Moline, Illinois. Katie helps out with front office duties both during the school year and summer.
The Future
After getting married, Katie will join Tim in Texas and they will begin their married life together. Tim will continue his job at Boeing and Katie will look for a teaching job with a local school. She may also decide to further investigate a career as a child life specialist - what she originally went to school for.
Both Tim and Katie have aspirations of returning to school. Tim would like to obtain his master's degree in Aerospace Engineering and Katie would like to obtain her master's degree in either Elementary Education or Human Development and Family Studies.