Fall/Winter 2025
By Tim Ruzek APEF Executive Director
of her AHS athletic career was “making it to State in a relay with my twin sister.” She and her husband, Ben, live in Austin, with their daughter and son. Tisha is an Austin High science teacher.
Mike Hirsch
Tisha (Simonson) Pischke
ischke lettered in swimming six years; basketball one year; and track five years. In swimming, she was the Big Nine champion in her event. She also participated in the state tournament and was an academic AllAmerican. In track,
Hirsch lettered in football three years; wrestling four years; and track four years. In football, he was AllConference. In wrestling, he was awarded all-conference honors three times. Hirsch participated in the state wrestling tournament three times, finishing second his senior year. He was also a high school All-American his senior year and awarded academic All -State. In track, Hirsch was All-Conference two years and participated in the state tournament two years. Hirsch said his favorite memory of his AHS athletic career was “creating and doing chants with my teammates during sporting events!” Mike and his wife, Erin, live in Holmen, Wis., with their two children. He is a construction foreman for a large company in La Crosse, Wis.
Patrick Geraghty
Lori Bergstrom
Jeremy Dudycha
Rhynda (Simonson) Dulas
Ian Caruso and Troy Tigner
Tom Klapperich Class of 1983
Chris Harder
This summer, Harder was inducted into the Minnesota Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame, where he joins the late Larry Gilbertson, a legendary AHS cross country and track coach. Since 1997, Harder, a 2003 AHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, has coached Rosemount’s boys cross country, and he coached girls cross country there from 1998 to 2021. Harder’s boys teams have qualified 15 times for the state competition; his girls teams have qualified six times for state.
In the Progress 2025 magazine by the Austin Daily Herald, Meza was highlighted for being known as a “champion of communities.” Meza was recognized for her work at
the Torres family’s Alicia Bakery on Austin’s east side that opened in 2003 and her work in the main School.
On the first day of school in late August, Austin Public Schools highlighted Moser while reading to her class of kindergartners at Southgate Elementary School.
Hardy, a social studies teacher at Austin High, was interviewed this fall by a crew from the national PBS News Hour program that visited Austin for a segment
on the city’s transformation since the 1985-86 Hormel strike. His late father, William, (Class of 1948), worked 47 years at the Hormel plant and then 15 years as a teacher’s aide in Austin Public Schools.
Alayna (Loveland) Moser
Liz (Vogel) Kellner
Ronald Anderson, teacher, died Aug. 6. Lisa Beschnett, teacher, died July 17. Joan Eidem, teacher, died Oct. 19.
John Steffen, teacher/coach, died July 4.
