DAVID MIRISCH ’59 of Missoula, Mont., and his wife, Sandy, recently escorted Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Golden Globes award winner Julie Andrews to the Gig Harbor, Wash., Film Festival. Andrews was there to accept an award in honor of her late husband, director Blake Edwards. David’s family produced a number of films that Edwards directed, including “The Pink Panther” and “Shot in the Dark.” David recently moved to Missoula to be with his daughter and two youngest grandchildren after living in Los Angeles and San Diego for the past 50 years. He still is producing fund-raising events and can be reached at david@dmirisch.com
THE 1960s RAY LAUB ’60 of Travelers Rest, S.C., is retired. After 40 years owning Laub Group Inc., a major insurance broker in Milwaukee, Laub established a real estate development company for luxury homes in Greenville, S.C. The protracted slowdown of market activity for this type of product led to his second retirement in 2011. He now spends time “landscaping, praying and attempting to stay fit with sports activity in the Blue Ridge Mountains.” DONNA SEVERANCE LESKER ’60 of Park Ridge, Ill., writes: “Moved into condo in downtown Park Ridge. My husband, Bob, died after a long illness. I was in the hospital and rehab for five months. I’m back into some golf and bridge.” SUSAN K. HANSEN ’62 of Lake Forest, Calif., is a semiretired consultant to two startup medical firms dealing with artificial kidneys. CHERYL ROFER ’63 of Santa Fe, N.M., is chief executive officer at Nuclear Diner, www.nucleardiner.com. She also is a trustee of Ripon College and was on hand to cheer for the Red Hawks cyclists at collegiate mountain bike nationals at Angel Fire in October. KAREN GOETTER DRULINER ’64 of Newark, Del., has retired after 15 years as managing editor of the University of Delaware Press. DAVE HARTMAN ’64 and his wife, Kitty, of New Providence, N.J., were honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals - New Jersey Chapter with the Outstanding Philanthropist Award for organizations that raise more than $1,000,000 per year. Dave is chair of the Overlook Hospital Foundation’s Centennial Campaign which has raised more than $100 million over the past five years, and Kitty serves on the board of directors of SAGE in Summit, a nonprofit organization for seniors. PAMELA WILSON ’65 of Minneapolis, Minn., writes that her eldest granddaughter, Lauren Ott, is in her junior year at Ripon. Pam is retired. STEVEN ADOLPHSON ’66 of West Newbury, Mass., writes: “Retired Jan. 1 after a 29-year sales career with radio station WXRV, The River. Having more time for family, friends, golf, and researching and writing the stories of Cold Water Canyon Golf Course and the 104th Illinois of Civil War fame.”
LYNN BENSON SCHENCK ’72 of Saint Louis, Mo., executive vice president and director of leasing and sales for Jones Lang LaSalle of St. Louis, has been named to the Real Estate Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
GARY YERKEY ’66 of Washington, D.C., has published a book, “Still Time to Live: A Biography of Jack Belden.” The book chronicles the life of a great American war correspondent. Gary met Belden in Belden’s later years, after a remarkable journalistic career and life that included reporting from China, Burma, North Africa and Western Europe in the 1930s and 1940s for TIME-LIFE and other news outlets. He also wrote three books: “China Shakes the World,” “Retreat With Stilwell” and “Still Time to Die.” The book was published Sept. 18, 2011, by GK Press. It is available on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. ANN GIESECKE BARBOUR ’68 of Erie, Colo., writes of herself and her husband, JAMES J. BARBOUR II ’68: “We have retired, for the most part. Jim is concentrating on his art photography — very creative. We are traveling; went to China in March and will go to New Zealand in October.” PATRICIA D. NEVERS ’68 of Hamburg, Germany, retired Oct.1, 2010, from her position in biology education at the University of Hamburg.
THE 1970s HENRY KNUEPPEL ’70 and SUE THOMSON KNUEPPEL ’70 of Beloit, Wis., have celebrated Henry’s retirement after 32 years at Regal-Beloit Corp. He had worked there for 32 years, the last six as CEO. DORETTA MILLER ’70 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is completing her 30th year as a professor at Skidmore College, Department of Studio Art. BOB THOMPSON ’71 of Hoover, Ala., is the executive director of the nonprofit Institute for Preventative Foot Health. He makes presentations about preventive foot health at national meetings of medical and allied health professional organizations all over the country about 10 times a year. He and PEGGY WITTENBERG THOMPSON ’70 have been married for 40 years. When they moved to Hoover 16 years ago, he says, “Would you believe that three other Ripon alumni were already here in this very same subdivision ahead of us? One of them was even Peggy’s first-semester college roommate at Ripon, PAM PEPPLER NICKOLI ’71 (who also married her Ripon College sweetheart, GREGG NICKOLI ’71)! The other was DR. PETER EMANUEL ’81, who moved away to Little Rock, Ark., several years ago.”
PHILLIP BOLDA ’75 of Tempe, Ariz., is the director of development at California State University-San Bernardino.
BARBARA COLEOPY PORTER ’75 of Queretaro, Mexico, married John Porter, March 19, 2011. She retired from teaching special education in June. LISA MANTHEY EHR ’76 of Eau Claire, Wis., is an options counselor in the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Eau Claire County. JENNIFER VOGEL POWERS ’76 of Hartland, Wis., has been selected by her peers for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America 2012.” Jennifer works in public finance law in the Milwaukee office of Quarles & Brady. PETER W. TUZ ’76 of Charlottesville, Va., is president of Chase Investment Counsel Corp. The investment firm has the top “mid-cap” mutual fund in America. Chase Mid Cap Growth (CHAMX) grew 14.4 percent last year, making it the best performer of about 400 such funds. JOHN C. COLWELL ’77 of San Diego, Calif., a lawyer, has been certified as a specialist in bankruptcy by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. LAIRD S. DE CRAMER ’77 of Princeton, Wis., writes: “While I left Ripon after my sophomore year to pursue a degree at Michigan State University, I returned to the area and have enjoyed all that Ripon College brings to the community. I also married a Ripon College alumna (LINDA GLAUBITZ DECRAMER ’89), and we have two wonderful children, as well. Ripon was, is and will be an integral part of our lives.” JULIE LASEE GRIDLEY ’77 of Pulaski, Wis., retired Sept. 30, 2011, as an accountant with Integrys. “I haven’t done any major traveling yet, but hope to in the near future,” Julie says. “I have continued working in a firstgrade classroom as a volunteer with Junior Achievement. I am the treasurer for my church. I also perform with a couple of community bands. Just making the most of every day.” KELAN “KELLY” McCANN ’77 of Elroy, Wis., retired in the spring of 2011 after teaching high school English for 33 years in the New Lisbon schools. In retirement, he says, he is doing “anything I want.”
WINTER 2012
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