Ripon Magazine Summer 2004

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 14 HONORED AS BENEFACTORS • SMITH HALL RETURNS TO UPPER CAMPUS ALUMNI WEEKEND CREATES HAPPINESS • FISK CONFERENCE DISCUSSES RACISM

MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2004

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VOLUME 37, NUMBER 3

Gratitude 2 Expressing Fourteen alumni and friends of the College are named Benefactors, Ripon’s highest donor-recognition society. A February celebration also honored a number of other donors, including 100 percent of the members of the trustees. The celebration marked the conclusion of a capital campaign which never went public but which raised more than $37 million for the College over five years (1999-2004).

Hall Is Now 10 Middle Smith Hall — Again

On the Cover: Alumni take advantage of nearperfect weather during Alumni Weekend ’04. Jim Koepnick caught these alumni as they enjoyed a visit before the all-alumni march. From left are Fred Kieser and Lois Zimmerman Kieser ’54 of Neillsville, Wis., Nan Andrews ’75 of Eagle River, Wis., and Steve Sparks ’75 of Geneva, Ill.

Ripon Magazine (ISSN 1058-1855) is published quarterly by Ripon College, 300 Seward St., Ripon, WI 54971-0248.

Periodical postage paid at Ripon, Wis. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ripon Magazine, P.O. Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971-0248.

Editor: Loren J. Boone e-mail: BooneL@ripon.edu Writer: Ric Damm Editorial Assistant: Sandi Koller Class Notes Assistant: Carol Seeliger e-mail: SeeligerC@ripon.edu Alumni Office Phone: 920-748-8126 Student Assistants: Craig Sauer ’05, Sarah Miller ’04, Danielle Paiz ’06, Abby Williams ’04, Christy Olson ’06 Layout design by the graphics factory – Deba Horn-Prochno ’74 Electronic prepress and printing

by Ripon Community Printers Inc. Ripon on the web: www.ripon.edu

The college’s second oldest building, known as Middle Hall since 1971, has returned to the name it carried from 1903-71 — Smith Hall. The name change continues to recognize the long-time philanthropy to Ripon of Elisha D. Smith, one of the founders of what is today Menasha Corp. in the Fox Valley. Smith served as a trustee from 1889-99.

of the Happiest Places on Earth 12 One Ripon College becomes one of the happiest places on earth in late June each year during Alumni Weekend.

The enjoyment the alumni express during their brief stay on campus often equals a lifetime of smiles. During the festivities this year, nine alumni were recognized with awards from the Ripon College Alumni Association, a dozen classes held reunions and Alpha Gamma Theta/Alpha Chi Omega Sorority celebrated its Centennial.

the Green Bay Packers 41 Marketing Craig Benzel ’86 loves his job promoting the Green Bay Packers professional football team. As director of marketing and corporate accounts, Benzel says his job is to “bring in revenue so that the team can sign the best free agents.”

By Lee Reinsch ’89

These Days at Ripon Scrapbook Sports Alumni Class Notes The Last Word

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GRATITUDE College Thanks Donors of ‘The Campaign for Ripon College 1999-2004’

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Fourteen Ripon College alumni and friends have been named as new institutional Benefactors, the college’s highest donor recognition level.

The 14, including eight who gained the level through estate gifts, were recognized at an upbeat celebration in early February which concluded “The Campaign for Ripon College 1999-2004.”

Without formally announcing the objectives of the campaign publicly, the campaign raised $37.3 million from more than 6,900 alumni, friends, corporations and foundations.

The College paid special tribute to the members of the Board of Trustees, 100 percent of whom supported the campaign with financial gifts.

During the program, Owen Gleason ’73, trustee and chair of the campaign, formally recognized the Trustees for their dedication and leadership “during these challenging times. Your contributions cannot be overstated,” he said.

Ripon President David C. Joyce noted to the trustees and donors on

hand, “It is my privilege to thank you for your wisdom and your generosity.

You have made a significant difference in the lives of our future leadership. You have demonstrated your loyalty and confidence in Ripon College. No words can aptly express our appreciation to you. Tonight we will make a humble effort to offer our most sincere appreciation and celebrate the success of a very ambitious effort.”

In addition to the trustees, other leadership gift donors recognized that evening were Mr. and Mrs. Oscar C. Boldt representing the Boldt Co. of Appleton; Blanche Bartizal Babcock ’53 Trustee Audrey Lyke, right, of Ripon, Wis., is presented a replica of the Benefactors plaque which honors her philanand her late husband, Tom thropy, and the philanthropy of her late husband, Doug, to ’51, from Three Lakes, Wis.;

Great Hall was all decked out for the celebratory dinner in early February.

Ripon College.

SUMMER 2004 3

Ripon President David C. Joyce, right, and Trustee Bob Lambert ’52 of Dallas visit prior to dinner.

It was laughter all around as Sam Pickard ’55, second from left, was presented a Ripon College rocking chair in recognition of his six years as chair of the Board of Trustees (1997-2003). From left are Dena Willmore ’67, the new chair of the board, Pickard, Trustee Owen Gleason ’73 who served as chair of the campaign and Ripon President David C. Joyce.

Visiting during the social hour prior to the celebration are, from left, Trustee Bill Jordan ’69 of Princeton, N.J.; Mary deRegnier, vice president for finance; and Trustee Guy Henshaw ’68 of Walnut Creek, Calf.

Nedra and Bill Martz, professor of English emeritus; and George H. Miller, professor of history emeritus.

Forty-four estates were settled, equaling $10.3 million of the campaign total.

“During the campaign, we saw the endowment grow by $9.8 million, more than half of it earmarked for scholarships,” according to Bill Neill ’67, special assistant to the president and former interim vice president for development. The totals also include $4.4 million for the renovation of student residence halls and $19.2 million for annual operational expenses.

The recognition dinner, held in Harwood Union’s Great Hall, involved nearly 100 people. r

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Former Interim President David K. Williams, now of Mankato, Minn., returned to thank donors and all who believe in all that Ripon College stands for.

Owen Gleason ’73, trustee and campaign chair, talks about why he and his wife, Roxanne, support his alma mater.

Blanche Bartizal Babcock ’53 says thank you for being recognized as a new Benefactor — and also talks about the love she and her late husband, Tom ’51, have had for the College.

CELEBRATION ‘Scholarships Are About Celebrating, About Rewarding and Recognizing Achievement’

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Being a Pickard Scholar has been a whirlwind of an experience. … It is because of the generosity of Ripon supporters, exemplified and embodied by many who sit in this room tonight, that made my education and that of many others at Ripon, all that it could possibly be.

Scholarships aren’t just about making college more affordable, though at Ripon, it certainly makes a difference!!

On a different level, scholarships are about celebrating, about rewarding and recognizing achievement, and the willingness of Ripon to do such things for so many, means they understand the vital

Kristen McCullough ’04 was one of two students to address nearly 100 people during recognition of donors.

Ric Damm photos

importance of that feat. … It’s understanding these past four years, that Ripon respects me, and respected the 18-year-old I used to be, and wanted that girl here … enough to bid against other colleges. … Should I have told the admission office I was coming to Ripon regardless of the outcome of the scholarship competition? Nah. …

Half the battle of reaching students who could go Big Ten or Ivy League is getting them here. Scholarships allow Ripon to be as attractive as possible to these super-involved, super-motivated kids, who may not realize the academic vigor and extracurricular opportunity at Ripon until they are here. If Ripon was lucky, all families would be like mine — you turn down a scholarship to Ripon, and you’re out of the will.

But not all families have the connection to Ripon that I do, and in those cases scholarships take on a world of importance, making Ripon affordable and in some cases, irresistible.

The one thing I cannot stress enough is that Ripon is a success because of the students and faculty, brought here and kept here, thanks to our endowment. This past fall, I was honored to represent Ripon in the Rhodes competition and continued on to be a state semi-finalist. But perhaps the greatest part, I must tell you, was walking into a room of some of the best and brightest students in the country, from schools like Stanford, Boston College, Madison, the Naval Academy, Marquette, Georgetown University …

— and truly realizing that Ripon is among the best schools in the country.

Tom Beatty ’05 from Neenah, Wis., also addressed the group talking about his Ripon College experiences. Beatty expressed his appreciation for the recent effort to renovate the Quad residence halls including Mapes Hall where he lives. Part of the funds raised in the campaign were used for the residence hall renovations.

And Ripon can compete with the best schools. Because we continually recruit from and bring in the best students, in no small part, due to the generosity of our scholarship packages.

Thank you all for your unceasing support of Ripon, and congratulations on the end of the campaign. r Kristen McCullough ’04 McCullough of Woodstock, Ill., is the daughter of Phil ’69 and Pat McCullough.

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Benefactors Named in 1995 The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Sherlock Bristol William S. Brockway Thomas E. Caestecker Barbara Baldwin De Frees 1930 Densmore R. Dickinson 1933 Cornelieus B. Erwin Harrison E. Farnsworth 1918 Shirley Farr The Ford Foundation Patricia Parker Francis Frank J. Harwood Edward D. Holton Orrin H. Ingram Irene Parcell Johnson and Herbert F. Johnson Robert G. Lambert 1952 and Margaret M. Lambert Rollin B. Lane 1872 George H. Miller Francis Neilson and Helen Swift Neilson OshKosh B’Gosh Foundation Samuel N. Pickard and Dorothea W. Pickard Samuel W. Pickard 1955 and Carmen K. Pickard Ralph Hale Ruppert and M. Lenore Ruppert May Bumby Severy 1908 and Harold A. Severy Clarence A. Shaler S. Frank Shattuck and Ruth Harwood Shattuck Valeria G. Stone Marie Zarwell Uihlein Charles A. Van Zoeren 1953 and Joan Hurley Van Zoeren 1953 Jeremiah W. Walcott The Todd Wehr Foundation, Inc. Delmar D. Wensink 1916 and Stolper-Wensink Foundation Rachel A. Woods Thomas R. Wyman 1950 and Shirley F. Wyman R. Douglas Ziegler The Ziegler Foundation, Inc. Also recognized on the original Benefactor plaque for their roles in founding the College are Alvan E. Bovay, Edwin Lockwood, Jehdeiah Bowen, David P. Mapes, Warren Chase, Ezra L. Northrup, John Scott Horner, Almon Osborne and Asa Kinney 6 RIPON MAGAZINE

BENEFACTORS A Lifetime of Philanthropy

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Fourteen plaques have been added to the Ripon College Benefactors wall of the Dahm Heritage Room in the S.N. Pickard Commons. The additions bring to 50 the number of Benefactors, the college’s highest donor-recognition level.

The Benefactors recognize alumni and friends for their lifetime philanthropy and significant gifts. The plaque which honors the Benefactors, says “their philanthropic efforts have played a pivotal role in the life of the College since its founding in 1851. The generosity of these Benefactors continues to assist generations of students and to enhance the liberal arts mission and financial stability of Ripon College.

We gratefully acknowledge and thank them for their altruism and tradition of caring for the college community.”

Ripon President David C. Joyce notes, “We are eternally grateful to these people who have shared of their resources to first establish this fine institution and now to help sustain it and to help build its future.

The College is forever indebted to these individuals.”

The 14 new Benefactors were added to the 36 charter members of the Benefactors A special display at the celebratory dinner recognized new who were named in 1995.

Benefactors named through estate gifts.

Ric Damm photo

Stuart Thayer of the plant department, adds the 14 new plaques to the Benefactors wall in the Dahm Heritage Room of the S.N. Pickard Commons.

Craig Sauer ’05 photo

New Benefactors Add to Ripon Heritage Catherine A. Falconer Kenneth B. Falconer 1932

Viola and Chaucey C. Hale ’28

Viola S. Hale Chauncey C. Hale 1928 The Hales, in 2003, helped secure the long-term financial health of Ripon College by leaving a portion of their estate as an unrestricted bequest to benefit the College. Chauncey Hale was a chemist and worked for a subsidiary of Exxon Research and Engineering Corporation for more than 30 years. The Hales were contributors to the Annual Fund and, in 1978, established two gift annuities with the College. Their support of Ripon spanned more than four decades.

Lois Ripley Arnegard In 2000, Lois Ripley Arnegard established the Arnegard Endowed Scholarship through an estate gift in memory of her father, Edwin A. Ripley. Mr. Ripley was a loyal Ripon College alumnus from the Class of 1898 who had frequently told his daughter that his success in life was in large part due to the education he received at Ripon. The endowment honors Mr. Ripley’s lifelong support of the College and provides scholarship assistance for first- and second-year students.

Mildred C. Schwiesow, left, and Mabel E. Schwiesow Lent ’40

Mildred C. Schwiesow Mabel E. Schwiesow Lent 1940 Although both women attended Ripon College for only a short time, twin sisters Mildred Schwiesow and Mabel Schwiesow Lent respected the value of a formal education. The Schwiesow twins left a legacy that will affect the lives of generations of Ripon College students as well as benefit cancer and cardiology research at the University of Wisconsin. Established in 2002, the Mabel E. Lent Memorial Scholarship Fund provides financial support to needy students wishing to pursue a liberal arts education at Ripon College.

After many years as regular contributors to the Annual Fund, Catherine and Kenneth Falconer amplified their philanthropy through a generous estate gift to Ripon College in 2000.

Unconcerned about formal recognition, the Falconers asked that the gift be used wherever it Kenneth B. was needed most.

Falconer ’32 It now provides scholarship assistance to students wishing to study the liberal arts at Ripon College.

Frank C. Shattuck Frank Shattuck, an architect who graduated from Yale University in 1939, had a lifelong passion for quiet philanthropy. In addition to providing architectural services for several building projects on campus, Mr. Shattuck gave a generous unrestricted gift to the College through his estate in 1999.

His gift Frank C. Shattuck enhanced the endowment and will benefit future students. Following the example of his parents, Ripon Benefactors Ruth and Frank S. Shattuck, Mr. Shattuck annually donated 90 percent of his taxable income to charitable causes, demonstrating a true spirit for philanthropy.

SUMMER 2004 7

Edgar E. Peters ’24

Elizabeth Lyon Peters ’24

Edgar E. Peters 1924 Elizabeth Lyon Peters 1924 Their lifelong generosity was an example to all who knew them. Mrs. Peters loyally supported her alma mater through contributions to the Annual Fund and capital campaigns.

In 1977, the Peters established a planned gift with Ripon. Upon her death in 1994, Mrs. Peters reinforced her belief in the College and a liberal arts education through an exceptional estate commitment which was instrumental in funding renovation of Farr Hall of Science in 1997.

Dr. Harry William Knop, Jr. 1942 A man of quiet brilliance and warm humanity, Harry W. Knop, Jr., discovered an appreciation of the universe and its workings as a physics and mathematics major with Professor William Harley Barber.

Dr. Knop was a laboratory director for DuPont Dr. Harry W. Co. at its WilmKnop Jr. ’42 ington Experimental Station in Delaware. His generous estate gift created the Knop Science Scholars Program in 1997 to ensure that future generations of Ripon students gain that same appreciation for the sciences.

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Cora “Coco” Trautman Foulkes ’24, center, and her husband, Harold D. Foulkes ’24, right, visit with noted actor and classmate Spencer Tracy ’24.

Harold D. Foulkes 1924 Cora “Coco” Trautman Foulkes 1924 In a 1999 survey from the College, Mrs. Foulkes said, “Please know that my personal memories of Ripon are indeed happy ones and that Ripon is one of the highlights of my life.” The Foulkeses met at Ripon and were lifelong contributors to the College, supporting the Annual Fund, scholarships, construction of Wehr Learning Center and renovation of Farr Hall of Science in 1997. In 2002, the Foulkeses demonstrated their love for Ripon with a generous estate gift that was instrumental in securing the financial stability of the College.

A. Douglas Lyke and Audrey Reichert Lyke were presented the college’s Founders’ Day Award in 1994.

A. Douglas Lyke Audrey Reichert Lyke Upon acceptance of the trusteeship at Ripon College in 1988, Audrey Lyke stated, “Doug and I feel that private, liberal arts colleges must continue as unparalleled sources of formal education for our young people.” Doug and Audrey Lyke have humbly and enthusiastically supported a wide range of needs on campus including the Annual Fund, capital projects, athletics, Communicating Plus, and more.

Philanthropy in its strictest definition is the “love of fellow man.” Doug and Audrey Lyke have truly embraced this definition through their tireless dedication to the College and community.

Dena G. Willmore 1967 A 1967 graduate of Ripon College, Ms. Willmore has provided support to the College in many ways, most notably through her no-nonsense leadership on the board of trustees.

In 1999, Ms. Willmore established the Willmore Fund to enhance the College’s endowment. In addition, she has Dena G. contributed genWillmore ’67 erously to the Annual Fund, capital projects and faculty development. She became chair of the board of trustees in 2003.

Gretchen “Mitzi” S. Pickard and James C. Pickard ’49

Gretchen “Mitzi” S. Pickard James C. Pickard 1949 Mr. and Mrs. James Pickard are among three generations of Pickard Family philanthropists and volunteers. They have focused their philanthropy on the Annual Fund, athletics and the Pickard Family Scholars Program.

According to Mr. Pickard, the scholarship program was created “to make Ripon’s quality undergraduate education available to the best and brightest students … it is dedicated to helping its beneficiaries develop a love for the fine arts, an understanding and compassion for their fellows and a confidence and self-reliance which are values our parents treasured.”

Roxanne S. Gleason Owen P. Gleason 1973

Marilyn Dixon Anderson ’45 and Donald Anderson ’42

Marilyn Dixon Anderson 1945 Donald W. Anderson 1942 In 2003, Anderson Hall was named in appreciation of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s generous support and dedication to enhancing the quality of student life at Ripon. The Andersons continue to demonstrate exemplary philanthropy to the College through substantial contributions to the Annual Fund, support of capital projects, scholarship assistance to students and athletics. In addition, Mr. Anderson, who majored in economics, served on the Ripon College Board of Trustees from 198493 when he was named honorary life trustee.

Thomas C. Babcock and Blanche Bartizal Babcock ’51/’53 in 1999.

Blanche Bartizal Babcock 1953 Thomas C. Babcock 1951 The Babcocks philanthropy spans more than 50 years and includes contributions to Merriman House, the Annual Fund, capital projects and athletics. In 1993, they established the Babcock Family Scholarship.

Thomas Babcock served as a trustee from 1961-94 when he became honorary life trustee. In 1996, Mr. Babcock received Ripon’s highest alumni award, the Medal of Merit, for outstanding service. In a 1963 letter to Ripon’s president, Mr. Babcock wrote, “We stand committed to the opportunity for young people to expand their understanding of themselves and the world in which they live.”

Pivotal contributors to the College, the Gleasons established an endowed scholarship fund in 1997 to help expand the financial assistance program for students. In addition, the Gleasons generously support the Annual Fund, special endowments and capital projects. In a 1981 essay on Owen P. Gleason ’73 the effects of a liberal education, Mr. Gleason, trustee and former president of the college’s Alumni Association, wrote, “In sum, while a liberal education doesn’t prepare you for any one thing, it provides the framework to allow you to become anything you want.”

SUMMER 2004 9

A Hall By Any Other Name iddle College. Smith Hall.

Middle Hall. Smith Hall.

So what’s its name today?

This summer, the college’s second oldest building, originally known as Middle College, was renamed Smith Hall, the name it held from 1903-71. The “new” Smith Hall, which serves as the main administration building on campus, was originally constructed in 1857 and had been known as Middle Hall since 1971.

The return to its roots for Smith Hall was precipitated by the renaming of the former Smith Hall, one of the Quad residence halls, to Anderson Hall in recognition of a $2 million gift from Don and Marilyn Anderson ’42/’45. The gift has been used to renovate two of the four Quad residence facilities.

The Smith Hall name was removed from Middle Hall in 1971 and attached to the northernmost residence facility in the Quads to assure that Elisha Smith’s philanthropy would continue to be recognized on campus and that the historical name of Middle Hall would persist.

The story of Middle and Smith halls, now one and the same, started more than a century ago. In 1903, the College opted to rename Middle College as Smith Hall to honor Smith’s philanthropy. Elisha D. Smith, a trustee of the College from 1889 until his death in 1899, was founder and president of Menasha Wooden Ware, which is known today as Menasha Corporation.

Menasha Corp., based in Neenah, Wis., is the third oldest private manufacturing company in the U.S. The $1.1 billion business employs more than 5,000 people in 60 facilities in 17 states and nine other countries and serves the packaging, material handling, plastics, promotions and printing industries. The company, which is listed by Forbes magazine as one of America’s largest private companies, is still owned by descendants of founder Elisha D. Smith.

In a story “A Friend of Ripon College” edited by Attorney S.M. Pedrick, class of 1891, in about 1940, Smith was referred to as a trustee who was “deeply interested in the college’s upbuilding.” Smith, the story says, had built up Menasha Wooden so that it employed 1,800 men who made pails and tubs and “fine things of wood.”

After the death of Elisha Smith in 1899 at age 72, the Menasha business was taken over by his son, Charles, who didn’t share his father’s interest in educational and church activities, according to James L. Stone, who was president of First National Bank of Ripon and who was a Trustee from 1908-70.

Elisha Smith, Pedrick says, “was a deeply religious

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This photo from the College archives is labeled “Middle College in the Sixties,” meaning 1860s. The portico was added prior to 1910.

man. He took the responsibilities of wealth seriously and he was a benefactor of many charities in his lifetime.”

Elisha Smith’s will outlined a number of charities which were to receive funds including Ripon College, Beloit College, “the various Congregational corporations carrying on the missionary activities of the denomination and his local church.”

Charles Smith took over the management of the company and also, according to the college archives, became a trustee of the College, succeeding his father on that board. He was approved by a 9-0 vote at a board of trustees meeting on Jan. 16, 1900, to “serve for the balance of the unexpired term of the late E.D. Smith.”

The bequest from Elisha D. Smith to Ripon College stipulated that a large block of stock in the Menasha Woodenware Co. be placed in trust with directions to pay from such income certain annuities to each of the named institutions and causes.

Charles Smith, however, objected to the will’s wording and said that his father “had had an unjustified hopeful attitude in relation to the ability of the company to earn in the future as it had in the past, and that Ripon College and other beneficiaries under his father’s will could not expect anything for a good many years, if ever,” Pedrick said in a document outlining Elisha Smith’s association with the College.

In 1931, a fire in Smith Hall caused extensive damage to the interior of the building.

While the will’s directives and the son’s objections could have been challenged in the courts, the College and other beneficiaries eventually settled on an agreement whereby they gave up their rights to the share of stock in the trust in exchange for a specific sum of money. For Ripon College, the $7,000 it received was to be used “in the reconstruction and furnishing of old Middle College as a dormitory, to be named Smith Hall.” Had the directions of Elisha Smith’s will been followed, Ripon College could today be one of the shareholders of Menasha Corporation.

Elisha Smith is also a well-known benefactor in the Fox Valley. Among the Menasha landmarks which have carried the Elisha Smith name are a 25-acre park and the Elisha D. Smith Free Public Library. r Loren J. Boone The original Smith Hall plaque, installed in 1903, has been refurbished and remounted in the portico of the building.

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celebrate!

Alumni Weekend 2004

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uring one weekend each summer, the Ripon College campus is one of the happiest places on Earth. Each year hundreds of alumni return to their alma mater and not one of them do so without a smile.

They return to celebrate memories. They return to celebrate old friends and to make new ones. They return to relive the past and to reenergize themselves for the future. Even the most casual of observers can’t help but be caught up in the magic — can’t help but smile.

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he College understands the importance of its alumni memories and dedicates a “That Was Then…” session, a special hour each alumni weekend, for the airing and sharing of tales tall and small. As in years past, Sue Angell Schmidt ’80 stirred the pot and the stories bubbled to the surface. Those stories spilled over throughout the entire weekend, and probably into the trips home and beyond. Still forward progress continues, and President David Joyce, during “This is Now…,” shared what his administration is doing today to ensure happy Ripon memories continue to be made for years to come.

If Joyce was a bit out of breath, it was the result of his participation in the annual poker bicycle ride. Alumni weekend also provides ample opportunities to stretch the legs and the mind. Several events, including the bike ride, the golf open, the 5K Fun Run/Walk and the All-Alumni March, gave alumni a chance to move their bodies. Meanwhile, events like the leadership studies and Students Talking About Respect (STAR) programs were designed to keep the brain cells active. “A Walk on the Prairie,” an adventure through the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy guided by Skip Wittler, professor of biology, was a popular exercise for both brain and body.

Unique celebrations this year included the centennial anniversary of the founding of Alpha Gamma Theta/Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Lyle House ladies and Johnson Hall girls came together to mark the occasion with tea and — what else? — plenty of smiles.

With the juxtaposition of ceremonies Sunday morning, alumni reflected on who has been lost — honoring the departed during the service of remembrance — and what has been gained — tabulating the class gifts that help ensure the college’s future during the celebration breakfast. If there is a sadness associated with Alumni Weekend, it is found in the remorse for those not present and in the realization that the happy weekend cannot last forever. r

Classmates from 1954, Katherine Frye Richardson and Jean Spikings Davis update each other by sharing photographs at the Friday evening president’s reception.

Nine Honored at Annual Award Dinner

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he alumni association honored nine during its annual banquet and awards presentation at alumni weekend: four with the distinguished alumni citation, one outstanding young alumnus and four inductees into the athletic hall of fame.

The Distinguished Alumni Citation recognizes achievements in their field and support for community and alma mater.

■ “It is humbling and thrilling to be recognized by an institution which I have had a love affair with for more than half a century,” says Verne Churchill ’54 of Northbrook, Ill., who served as vice president, president and finally board chair and chief executive officer of Chicago marketing research firm

Market Facts. During his tenure, the company grew from 12 employees and billings of less than $1 million to a publicly traded corporation with more than 1,200 employees in 25 offices worldwide and billings exceeding Verne Churchill ’54 $300 million. He also served as president of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and its Chicago chapter. He has been a lecturer at the AMA School of Marketing in

Professor of Biology Skip Wittler leads alumni on the everpopular tour of the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy Saturday afternoon.

Bob Wallace photo

Vice President for Advancement Lyn Corder, right, shares a light moment with Trustee Richard Threlkeld ’59 and his wife, Betsy Aaron, during the “That Was Then …” program.

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This 1994 golf foursome is all smiles. From left are Joy Bortz Schleusner, Lisa Sproston Sutter, Tracy Schmidt Plato and Penny Larson Graham.

K.G. “Doc” Weiske ’50, center, congratulates the winners of the 28th annual alumni association golf open at Mascoutin Golf Club near Berlin, Wis. Lee Zarnott ’87, right, recorded the low score to win the tournament. Heather MacPherson, daughter of Mark Holland ’72, recorded the women’s low score.

Professor of Philosophy Emeritus William Tyree was a popular figure throughout the weekend. Here he chats with Helen Billett Warren ’54 during the Friday evening president’s reception on the West Hall lawn.

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Madison and for the Institute for Advanced Advertising Studies. In 1980, he served as chair of the Market Research Association national conference.

■ Dennis Frahmann ’74 of Los Angeles, Calif., is the senior vice president of integrated marketing communications at Best Software, a company he created to offer products and services to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses.

Prior to Dennis Frahmann ’74 starting Best Software, Frahmann spent 23 years working for the Xerox Corporation, holding management positions in public relations, direct mail, product marketing and costumer support. He moved up to vice president of brand marketing and advertising for products aimed at the small office/home office market and led a worldwide program for trade shows, events and global sponsorship of the Olympics.

“I often wonder why I was in such a hurry to graduate,” says Frahmann, who was the first student to graduate from Ripon’s three-year degree program. “I was taught to think by great teachers, and I made friendships that I maintain today. At Ripon, I was

given the ability to learn and grow and become what I wanted to become,” he says.

■ Wilbur Nimmer ’49 of Kenosha, Wis., has practiced medicine in Chicago and Wisconsin, specializing in the physical rehabilitation of post-traumatic patients with brain and spinalcord injuries.

He has also been a professor and chair of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Chicago Wilbur Nimmer ’49 College of Osteopathic Medicine, assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and is professor emeritus in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University. He was named to Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare for 2002-03. Additionally, he was named to Who’s Who in America in 2001-2003. The American College of Utilization Review Physicians elected Nimmer as a fellow to the college in 1978. In 1984, the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Alumni Association presented Nimmer with an outstanding achievement award. Nimmer insists, however, that his goal in life was never such accolades.

“Everything I’ve done in this world, I’ve done for fun,” he says.

■ “I’ve been called a lot of things but certainly not distinguished,” says Steve Rashid ’79 of Evanston, Ill., a composer, performer, producer and recording engineer. In 1993, his collection of lullabies, “I Will Hold Your Tiny Hand,” won a Parents’ Choice Gold Award. The next year, Rashid again won that award for “Fidgety Feet,” an album of swing music for kids. He is also a two time Jeff Award winner, Chicago’s equivalent of a Tony Award, for his work as composer and lyricist for the musical

“Sylvia’s Reel Good Advice” and “The Good Times are Killing Me,” for which he was the musical director.

Rashid also owns and operates a Steve Rashid ’79 recording studio, Woodside Avenue Music Productions, which opened in 1991, and has an independent record label of the same name. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University, where he received his master’s degree in music composition, and Barat College, teaching courses in both recording studio production techniques and music.

Receiving the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award for achievements in his field and support of community and alma mater within 10 years of graduation is Robb Kahl ’94.

Kahl recently became the youngest person to be elected mayor of Monona in the city’s history. He focused his campaign on commercial development. In addition to the post, he also works for Jackson Kahl Insurance and Title Companies as the vice president

The near perfect weather may have played a role in attracting a large crowd to the Saturday morning 5K Fun Run/Walk. It certainly wasn’t the prospect of being beaten by perennial winner Lori Stich Zimmerman ’91.

and general counsel.

Kahl began his political career with the Monona City Council in 2001 and was elected president of the council the Robb Kahl ’94 following year. After graduating cum laude from the University of WisconsinMadison Law School, Kahl practiced law in Madison and was

It was Ripon’s version of “Storytellers” as musician and Distinguished Alumni Citation recipient Steve Rashid ’79 performed for a standing-room-only crowd at the Rodman Center. Rashid sang, tickled the ivories and shared insights into his award-winning compositions.

Kim Conroy ’94 and Wade Packard ’93 represent the 1990s during Saturday’s all-alumni march.

SUMMER 2004 15

The sisters — yesterday and today — of Alpha Gamma Theta/Alpha Chi Omega celebrated the centennial anniversary of the founding of their sorority at Ripon. Pictured are, from left, Carol Grant Troestler ’60, Donna Haubrich Reichle ’59, Rebecca Nowak ’06, Sydney Rouse ’54, Angela Hodgson ’06, Danielle Paiz ’06, Kira Corsten ’04, Alison Nowak ’06, Pamela Mazurak ’06, Maggie Johnson LeFevre, Mary Jane Bumby ’52 and Marion Murner Harten ’59.

Founded in 1904, Alpha Gamma Theta became Alpha Chi Omega in 1959. The inset painting of Lyle House, the sorority’s original Ripon home, was created by the late Mary Landwehr Berry ’54 in the 1950s.

The Leadership Studies program at Ripon is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Program Director Jack Christ shares the program’s past, present and future with a full house of alumni in the Kresge Little Theatre.

16 RIPON MAGAZINE

voted one of the area’s “Best Lawyers” in a poll conducted by Madison Magazine in 2001.

“The liberal arts curriculum at Ripon forced me to broaden my horizons and expand my education,” says Kahl. He says his experiences at Ripon, where he tried new things and did well at them, made his leap to run for political office less of a gamble. “I knew my Ripon experience had provided me with the tools to succeed,” says Kahl.

The Hall of Fame recognizes alumni and coaches who have distinguished themselves through participation in Ripon’s athletic programs.

■ The first swimmer elected to the hall of fame, Bruce Haffner ’72 of Winnetka, Ill., was a co-captain and champion swimmer. He helped the swim team win two consecutive conference championships in 1971 and 1972. His record time of 49 secBruce Haffner ’72 onds, set in 1971, in the 100 Freestyle held until 2003, and his record time of 22.4 seconds in the 50 Freestyle still holds today. He was also a

member of Ripon’s record-setting 400 Medley Relay team.

“Bruce made me look like I knew what I was doing as a swim coach,” says fellow hall of famer Chuck Larson ’65, who is better known for this abilities as tennis coach.

■ Sandra Secor Koresch ’89 of Mukwonago, Wis., was one of the first women at Ripon to letter in four sports: softball, volleyball, basketball and track. She received All-Conference honors in softball as a junior and senior and was named second team All-Conference in both volleyball and basketball as a junior. As a senior she Sandra Secor was team Koresch ’89 captain of the softball, volleyball and basketball teams. She set school records in volleyball — an individual season record for digs with 334 — and in basketball — a career record for three-point field goals with 34.

“The greatest treasure I have taken from Ripon College is the people I have met here,” says Koresch. She says her involvement in athletics facilitated many of those relationships, affording opportunities to meet many people in different situations.

■ “I did not play baseball to be part of the hall of fame,” says Everett Wood ’89 of Richfield, Wis. Wood was a leading pitcher and the college’s first four-time All-Conference baseball selection. He led Ripon to Everett Wood ’89

Professor of Art Emeritus Lester Schwartz hosted an exhibit of his Ripon College faculty and staff portraits, like the inset of former Dean of Faculty and Professor of English Douglas Northrop “contemplating paradise regained,” at his Gloria Hills gallery outside Green Lake. Joining Schwartz, in wheelchair, for an afternoon drink are, clockwise from Schwartz’s left, an unidentified visitor, Alexander Hooker, professor of Romance languages emeritus, and his wife, Frances.

three Northern Division Titles and the 1989 Midwest Conference championship. He completed 33 games, making him second among NCAA Division III pitchers. With a 26-10 record, he is currently second in Ripon career wins and is among the leaders in Ripon’s baseball history with 18 career conference wins.

“I simply played because I loved the game,” Wood says, adding he shares the award with his teammates. “I didn’t win any games. … All I ever did was keep the other team from winning,” he says.

■ Lee Zarnott ’87 of Mayville, Wis., was a two-sport athlete at Ripon, active in basketball and track. He was a five-time AllConference track team member and three-time letter winner. In basketball, he set a single-season

record in field goal percentage in 1984-85 and remains second on the all-time record list.

Zarnott, a four-time letter winner, was team captain Lee Zarnott ’87 as a senior.

He set a season record for scoring that year with 453 points and was named Most Valuable Player. He was a three-time All-Conference selection and ranks among the best at Ripon in career points, career field goal percentage, career rebounds and games played. He was a member of consecutive Midwest Conference championship basketball teams in 1986 and

Bill Jensen ’54 and Joan Dunham McCombs ’54 share commentary on a Ripon scrapbook with President David Joyce.

SUMMER 2004 17

The Very Rev. Martin J. Dwyer ’54, at left, leads alumni and friends in the Sunday morning service of remembrance. Attendees, including Dwyer’s wife, Rebecca, far right, remember lost classmates, including more than 60 alumni who died in the last year.

1987. In 2001, Zarnott received the first Ripon alumni “Coach of the Year” award as head coach of Green Lake, Wis., High School’s boys’ basketball team.

“The impact of the liberal arts

While visiting the ROTC open house, Art Myrberg ’54 instructs Adam Kirschling ’05 on cadet life in Ripon during the 1950s.

Scott Bolstad photo

Photos by Jim Koepnick and Ric Damm

Memories Flow at ‘That Was Then…’ Session

T

he “That was Then” session of Alumni Weekend has two constants — 1) alumni are eager to talk about their college memories and 2) time always

Pick me! Pick me! Nearly everyone in attendance at the Saturday morning “That Was Then…” program has a story to share. Among them, with hands in the air, are Jim and Pat Ostrom Kohnen ’64/’64 and Scott Nyquist ’69.

18 RIPON MAGAZINE

education is visible on this stage tonight,” says Zarnott referring to his fellow award winners. “I am grateful for the association of friends and family at Ripon,” he says. r

runs out before everyone gets a chance to share their favorite stories.

Such was the case in 2004 as alumni packed a large classroom to spend more than an hour laughing, smiling and remembering what going to Ripon College as many as 60 years ago was really like.

Here’s a sampling of some of the memories shared this year: ■ A friend ended up assigned to a male roommate, despite being female, because her name was Lindley.

■ An alumna met her now husband on a blind date while at Ripon.

■ About 40 of those attending had married fellow Ripon alumni.

■ One alumnus shared that his roommate taught him how to tie

Golden R Class of 1954

In the front row, from left, are Beverly Johnson Steffes, Ginny Foertsch Glenn, Sydney Rouse, Helen Matteson Schotanus, Peg Jess Schieler, Lois Zimmerman Kieser, Katherine Frye Richardson, Bill Moran, Jean Spikings Davis, Jo Hartough Franz, Jane Furzland Stelter, Pat Goodrich Christensen, Barb Lloyd Nickels. In the second row, from left, are Joan Dunham McCombs, Christina Diamantes Slavins, Verne Churchill, Bill Calawerts, David Runkel, Helen Billett Warren, Art Myr-

a tie and tuck in a shirt — but the roommate only changed the sheets on his bed every three months.

■ An alumnus told that the late Paul Cassidy ’88 had been his roommate. Cassidy was killed in the Iraqi War a year ago.

■ There was much talk of cold, cold winters, living in the “barracks” behind Middle (now Smith) Hall and having one’s eyelids freeze shut.

■ Dandelion wine ■ President Clark Kuebler (194355) was known to come to Bartlett Hall in his pajamas in an attempt to stop someone who was blowing a bugle. Kuebler lived in Hughes House, former home of the president at the corner of Woodside and Elm streets.

■ Lawrence beating Ripon 62-0 in football and Ripon students burning an “R” in the Lawrence football field.

■ The Hawk, eating in Great Hall, being waiters, watching the “world’s slowest eater” and pouring milk from a huge jug.

■ Spencer Tracy stories ■ Faculty stories about Bill Tyree, Ed Webster, Clifford Moore, Dr. Comfort, John Livingston. r

berg, Bill Donaldson, Dan Booras and Jerry Stelter. In the third row, from left, are Carolyn Krueger Mangold, Barbara Bagemihl Anderson, Ned Lufrano, Cal Scheiller, Bill Jensen, Martin Jim Dwyer, Jim Klapmeier, Jim Jacobsen and Ray Nickels. In the fourth row, from left, are George Sinadinos, John Ferbend, Tom Poullette, Margaret Binzel Peters, Barbara Elsy Denner, Dick Harmet, Jim Cunningham and Walter Hofman. In the back row, from left, are John English, Jim Thayer, Dan Harmon, Jim Wagner, Duke Pepke, Bob Brown, John Kahoun and Graham Foster.

Like the Energizer bunny, some alumni just keep coming back year after year. From left, Frances King West ’39, Florence Zick Tinkham ’48, Clayton Tinkham ’49 and Dwight West ’38 are among the oldest alumni to return for Alumni Weekend 2004.

Margaret Binzel Peters ’54 greets classmate Jo Hartough Franz with a smile and a hug.

SUMMER 2004 19

These Days at Ripon these days at ripon MELLON SUPPORTS GLOBAL AWARENESS, OFF-CAMPUS OPPORTUNITIES

Ripon recently received a $25,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support two initiatives that support global awareness among faculty and off-campus learning opportunities for students during the next two years.

The first initiative provides for two, two-day retreats to gather representative groups of faculty members from various disciplines and Andrew W. Mellon focus their energies on ways to connect and provide mutual support for courses and programs dealing with global awareness and international studies.

“The more faculty understand what we are trying to do with our global-studies programs the better it is for the coherence of our curriculum,” says William Schang, dean of faculty and project director for the international studies activity. “Global studies is critically important for liberal arts students today, and we are looking for ways we can sharpen and collaborate on what we already offer,” he says.

The second initiative provides support for an increase in the variety of offcampus, student-learning opportunities.

Such opportunities have proven valuable in broadening students’ understanding of the disciplines they study and increasing participation in the wider intellectual life of those disciplines, according to Chris Ogle, dean of students and project director for the off-campus activities portion of the grant.

In the past, the dean of students office has helped fund student participation in a wide range of off-campus conferences and workshops. That budget,

20 RIPON MAGAZINE

however, is limited and therefore some trips had to be denied, says Ogle.

“Without a doubt students get a unique learning experience when they step out beyond the campus,” Ogle says. Fewer than 30 students receive funding for off-campus learning activities each year. Ogle says the grant could triple that number.

GOPLIN RESIGNS, WITTLER ’76 FILLS POST TEMPORARILY Michele Baran Wittler ’76, registrar since 1985, has been named acting vice president and dean of admission and financial aid. Wittler, who has also served as assistant dean of academic affairs since 2000, replaces Scott Goplin who resigned from the post in June.

Goplin has joined the staff at TriState University in Angola, Ind., where he serves as vice president for enrollment management. During his tenure at Ripon, Goplin led a team of admission professionals who assisted in increasing the college’s enrollment each of the last six years. Last fall, Ripon enrolled 1,001 students, the highest since 1973 and an increase from 612 in 1997.

President David Joyce says he is pleased that Wittler has agreed to step in to provide “creative leadership to this important area of the College.”

Wittler, he says, “knows what it takes for students to be successful at Ripon

Brooke Tireman Konopacki ’94

Michele Baran Wittler ’76

and she certainly knows the strengths of the institution. She is passionate about the College and, most importantly, she will look at the admission process with a fresh perspective.”

In addition to Wittler’s appointment, Brooke Tireman Konopacki ’94, former director of admission, has been named director of admission/assistant dean of admission and will handle the day-today operations of the office.

READING EXPERIENCE TO EXAMINE WORKERS’ STRUGGLES The working poor, affordable housing and labor unions are just some of the issues addressed in the 2004 Ripon College Reading Experience (RCRE) book — Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, by journalist Barbara Ehrenreich.

Ehrenreich spent three months working as a waitress, a professional house cleaner and a Wal-Mart associate, spending about one month at each job in Florida, Maine and Minnesota. Written in 2002, the book chronicles Ehrenreich’s struggle to make ends meet while working for hourly wages. Led by Professor of French Linda Clemente, who is serving her second year as faculty representative of the RCRE, students will coordinate activities to raise awareness about the struggles Ehrenreich faced.

“Students hope to present this fall not just on problems but on solutions already in place to help the working poor,” Clemente says.

They will do this by working with agencies in Milwaukee, such as the

Helen Bader Foundation, which supports organizations and initiatives that create positive changes in a community.

Kathryn J. Dunn, a community investment officer with the foundation, helped RCRE students draw up a list of organizations that work with and help the working poor, says Clemente.

“This fall interested students will contact these organizations to set up visit times to shadow, or at least meet, individuals at the organizations to learn more about community efforts in place, and about issues that directly affect the working poor to help them help themselves, or about policies that might adversely affect that group,” Clemente says.

On-campus, first-year students will participate in discussion groups on topics such as small businesses versus large corporations, living versus minimum wage, unions, gender and labor issues, religion and the working poor, and health and demanding physical labor.

“We hope to bring to campus speakers offering various perspectives about issues related to the working poor, including someone who might offer insights into the Ehrenreich book from the point of view of management or personnel directors,” says Clemente.

Students who helped organize the RCRE, including Web site production, study guides and book cover design, are senior Colin Rafferty, juniors Zena Bauer, Kaelin Butch, Erik Carlson, Zack Chitwood, Joe Fontaine and Jason Nevins and sophomores Jennifer Delaney, Ryan Gustafson and Jill Jones.

The theatre department will produce a play by Joan Holden, based directly on the book, in March.

The RCRE, which was initiated in 2002 by Professor of History Diane Mockridge, is in its third year.

NEW AWARD BENEFITS STUDENT LIBRARY WORKERS Bernice Wells Carlson ’32 has been giving to Lane Library since 1992, but it is only recently that her annual gift is being structured into an award for a student worker interested in pursuing careers in librarianship, elementary ed-

ucation or writing.

“We had been thinking about forming an internship-like experience for students wishing to learn more about library work and this award has allowed us that option,” Bernice Wells says Assistant LiCarlson ’32 brarian Valerie Viers. “We are all looking forward to working with a student who could be a colleague in a few years.”

Carlson, who lives in Lake Ridge, Va., has spent most of her life improving the lives of children as a Brownie troop mother, substitute teacher for 20 years, and the author and co-author of more than 25 children’s books. She has long acknowledged the value of working in a college library and her intentions with the gifts have been to guarantee students have that opportunity.

“Working in a college library is a learning as well as earning experience and no student should be denied the opportunity to learn by doing,” she says.

The gift has enabled the College to add additional work grant monies to the library’s annual budget. Over the last several years the money has supported the overall student workers fund. With the formation of the restructured award, a student, upon being chosen, will receive a work grant for eight hours of work per week. The student will have the opportunity to shadow librarians in the different departments and learn about the various facets of library work. They will also be invited to attend professional conferences with librarians and visit libraries at other institutions.

“We have had several students in the past who have gone on to library school,” says Viers. “This will give students the opportunity to get a well rounded work experience.”

SCHOLARSHIP SENDS TAYLOR ’06 TO GERMANY Amanda Taylor, a junior from Appleton, Wis., has been selected to receive a DAAD EDU.de scholarship to study

Think You Have Stress?

Ukrainian-born sculptor Oleg Sohanievich creates one of his stress sculptures for the College. To create a sculpture, Sohanievich uses readily available materials such as aluminum and steel, but his pieces are made without the use of industrial technology. He uses only leverage and his own strength to twist, contort or even break the metal, all while the material is still cold. His creation at Ripon provided an opportunity for art students and the campus community in general to witness this process. Sohanievich studied art at the Art School in Kiev and at the Art Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. Uncomfortable with the repressive societal conditions in the USSR, Sohanievich defected in 1967 by traversing the Black Sea, a journey of more than 150 miles, in a rubber life raft. He eventually came to the United States as a refugee and later became a naturalized American citizen. An exhibit of his work was featured in the Caestecker Gallery in April.

Ric Damm photo

in Bonn, Germany, beginning this fall.

DAAD, known in English as the German Academic Exchange Service, is a private, publicly-funded organization of higher education institutions in Germany that created the EDU.de program to provide more scholarship opportunities for undergraduate students who SUMMER 2004 21

Calendar of Events September 10-11 Family Weekend September 10 - October 9 Roy Staab Environmental Sculpture Exhibit Caestecker Fine Arts Series September 10 Minneapolis Guitar Quartet Chamber Music at Ripon Series September 14 Opening Convocation October 1-2 Alumni and Trustee Board Meetings October 2 Homecoming Board of Trustees Annual Meeting October 10 Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Caestecker Fine Arts Series October 18-22 Fall Break October 23 Alumni Event Ripon vs. St. Norbert Football Alumni Tailgate in DePere, Wis. October 29 Laura Caviani Chamber Music at Ripon Series November 12-14 Theta Chi Fraternity 50th Anniversary November 13 Red Hawk Athletic Banquet December 10 Last Day of Classes December 13-17 Final Exams

For details on Alumni Events, call the Alumni Office, 920-748-8126 22 RIPON MAGAZINE

wanted to study abroad.

Taylor, in addition to participating in Ripon’s University of Bonn program, hopes to do research for her senior seminars in German and Latin while in Europe. “I plan to research the influence the Romans had on Germany, which had been heavily colonized by the Romans, especially in Bonn and its surrounding regions,” says Taylor, who intends to spend an entire year in Germany.

The EDU.de program, which began in 2000, awards recipients with a stipend plus additional funds to help defray the cost of travel, research and health insurance. Of the 294 who applied, Taylor is one of 56 undergraduates from 46 different Canadian and American universities who received the scholarship.

THREE NAMED TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES The College has named three new members to the board of trustees: including an adjunct instructor and two alumni.

■ Thomas Hefty, who received an honorary degree from Ripon in 2002 and joined the faculty as an adjunct instructor of business administration last fall, is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Cobalt Corp. He has served as Wisconsin’s deputy insurance commissioner, as assistant general counsel for the Sentry Insurance Group, (as president of Competitive Wisconsin Inc.), and as an attorney in the Bureau of Competition of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. He spent 20 years at Cobalt, joining Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin in 1982. He was named chief executive officer of Blue Cross & Blue Shield and United Wisconsin Services in 1986.

Blue Cross and United Wisconsin were merged in 2001 to form Cobalt.

Hefty recently joined the corporate, health care, government relations and insurance practice groups of Milwaukee law firm Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C., and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has appointed him to head a state economic development council in 2003.

■ Ron Peterson ’70 is a partner in the Chicago offices of law firm Jenner &

Packers Foundation Carl Kuehne Supports Ingalls ’63, chair the Field Improvements of Green Bay Packers Foundation committee, announces more than $100,000 in awards to 57 civic and charitable groups throughout the state of Wisconsin, including Ripon College, the Ripon Public School District and the Joint Ingalls Field Board. The foundation awarded the group $2,000 to support repairs and improvements to the pole vault area at Ingalls Field. The improvements, including new landing pits and a new runway approach to the pole vault, will allow the college and the high school to host regional and sectional meets, according to Robert Duley, head track and field and cross country coach.

Dave Minor ’68 photo

Block. He has concentrated his practice as a corporate restructuring attorney in the areas of commercial, insolvency and bankruptcy law, focusing primarily on representing debtors, trustees, creditors’ committees, landlords and secured lenders in Chapter 11 cases.

Peterson is also legal council for the Boy Scouts of America in Northeast Illinois and a member of the Chicago Bar, Illinois State Bar and American Bar Associations. On the American Bar Association he serves on the Business Bankruptcy Committee and the Commercial Financial Services Committee. He is also a member of several other associations related to his area of practice.

■ Marti Spittell Ziegelbauer ’82 spent

sium lets the greater campus and community know what good things are being done by our research-oriented students,” he adds.

Held each spring for more than 10 years, the symposium is open to all students performing research. It is sponsored by Psi Chi, the psychology honor society, and Beta Beta Beta, the biology honor society.

Thomas Hefty

Ron Peterson ’70

18 years as a news anchor for WLUKTV and morning co-host for WIXX radio in Green Bay. She now spends her time raising awareness of cervical cancer since she was diagnosed with the disease in 1998. After her diagnosis, she spent three years as a television talent and communication consultant with Frank N. Magid and Associates in Marion, Iowa, before devoting all of her time to philanthropy.

Last fall, Ziegelbauer served as mistress of ceremonies at the inauguration of President David Joyce. She received an Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 1993 and continues to be involved with her alma mater as a class reunion committee member and volunteers as part of the Alumni/Parents Supporting the Admission Process program. (See related story in the Class Notes section on page 51 for more information).

GREEN LAKE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 25 YEARS The Green Lake, Wis., Festival of Music, which celebrated its 25th anniversary season this summer, has long benefited from its connection to the Ripon College community.

It’s creator, Douglas Morris, was a long-time Ripon music professor; many of its attendees are college students, faculty and staff; and a string of presidents’ wives have served on its board of directors, including Lynne Joyce.

“The college has been invaluable in supporting the festival,” says Maria Dietrich, administrative director of the festival and adjunct professor of music at Ripon. “Part of what keeps us going is the mission of education that we have in common with the college.”

Each year the festival offers opportunities for children and students to participate in the festival, including

41 STUDENTS PRESENT RESEARCH Biology, chemistry and psychology students, 41 in all, presented their research at the college’s annual research symposium in the spring. Topics ranged from ecological research at White Lake in Marquette County, Wis., to the effects of local anesthetics on back pain to the emotional similarities and differences between men and women.

The annual Ripon College Research Symposium, modeled after larger professional research conferences, gives all students a chance to present their research to the campus and Ripon community, according to Tim Petersik, professor of psychology. “The primary benefits to students come from the opportunities for exchanging ideas amongst one another. It’s a great source of cross-fertilization,” says Petersik. “Also, the sympo-

Green Lake Festival of Music 2004 The 25th Anniversary Season!

the intensive student chamber music camp.

To mark its anniversary, the festival commissioned Janika Vandervelde, a native of Green Lake, to compose a new string quartet, “Monapacataca,” inspired by the natural beauty of the area.

The work made its world premiere in the Demmer Recital Hall of the C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts and was broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio.

The Green Lake Festival of Music is a non-profit organization and provides the greater Green Lake area with numerous classical music concerts throughout the summer.

CHITWOOD ’06, PHI DELTS HONORED Phi Delta Theta fraternity was honored with a host of awards at the annual general convention of the international fraternity, held in Los Angeles, including a national scholarship awarded to junior Zack Chitwood of Fallon, Nev. The award granted by the Phi Delta Theta Educational Foundation is worth as much as $4,000. Chitwood Zack Chitwood ’06 was nominated to represent the Ripon chapter and compete against members representing every other chapter for $170,000 of individual scholarships. The foundation, created as a scholarship-granting body, has over the years broadened its scope to support a wide range of educational programs.

The fraternity also received the Silver Star Award, which is the second highest overall rating for a chapter the fraternity offers. Other awards included recognition of the fraternity’s recruiting efforts, a Community Service Citation, and the General Headquarters Trophy for overall excellence.

Senior Ryan Bobholz of Beaver Dam, Wis., president of the Ripon chapter, attended the convention and picked up the awards at the ceremony.

The Ripon Phi Delts will celebrate SUMMER 2004 23

their 45th anniversary next spring, April 22-24, to coincide with their sixth annual fire safety program. The program, held each spring, is the fraternity’s top fundraising event and benefits the City of Ripon Fire Department. Additional activities for Phi Delt alumni this year will include golf outings, a picnic and a Saturday evening banquet.

GRAMS, RIEL ’57 LEAVE GIFTS The late Lucile Mosling-Morton Grams, a long-time Ripon resident and philanthropist, and Barbara Zimay Riel ’57 made significant gifts to the College recently.

Before her passing, Grams, who died July 19, donated $5,000 to the Chamber Music at Ripon Series. The Series is in its 33rd year of bringing professional chamber musicians to campus.

In the past, Grams was a key supporter of the completion of Demmer Recital Hall’s Mildred Thiel Memorial Organ and also funded an endowed scholarship award in music. Although a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Grams and her philanthropic efforts are familiar to Ripon. “Her willingness to help was boundless,” says Bill Neill ’67, special assistant to the president. She contributed to the improvements for both Francis Field and Ingalls Field and supported scholarships and materials for the Advance College Experience (ACE) program. Grams taught junior high school before raising four children as

Lucile Mosling-Morton Grams shares a moment with a puppet friend during the 1993 ACE program.

24 RIPON MAGAZINE

well as many foster children. She was also a contributor and director of the Green Lake Festival of Music.

Riel, an English major who had donated to the College for 23 years, died in May 2003 and left a $10,000 bequest to the College through her will. She and her late husband, Melvin, lived in California before settling in Bellevue, Wash., in 1978. Two years later Melvin started the Mars Co., an electronic manufacturers’ representation firm which served the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. In addition to raising two children, Riel assisted with the operations of the company.

Ripon has a history and tradition that is indebted to, and honors, the philanthropy of its alumni and friends, according to Vice President for Advancement Lyn Corder. She says generous private support enriches the Ripon experience and enhances the academic environment for faculty and students alike. “The college community is deeply grateful to Lucile Grams and Barbara Riel, and many others like them,” says Corder, “who decide to share a portion of their resources because they believe in the special, personalized experience that a college like Ripon provides.”

ALUMNUS TRACKS TRAIN TRIPS Thanks to an unlikely encounter with other alumni, Edward Cheetham ’43 is headed down the tracks of an old story that touches both his love for trains and for his alma mater.

At a California meeting of a chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society — of which Cheetham is the treasurer — a conversation with Clayton Tinkham ’49 turned into a reminiscence of their college days at Ripon. Both men, with their fondness for trains, remembered that during their time at Ripon, there had been a much celebrated train trip.

Students, faculty, staff and “pretty much anybody who wanted to go” would board the picnic train Saturday morning and travel roughly 28 miles northwest to Wautoma, Wis., where there was a large amusement park, swimming pool and other attractions,

Celebrating the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial

Local collector and historian Todd Berens shares insight into the collection of Lewis and Clark materials he and his wife, Betty, donated to the College. “The Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Journals,” held in April, was a celebration of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which lasted from 1803 to 1806. The exhibition was supported by a grant from the Fond du Lac Area Foundation. Although neither are alumni of the college, the Berenses have been donating items to Lane Library for years, culminating in a collection known as the Dale L. Morgan Memorial Library of Western Americana. Highlights from the collection include rare and out-of-print copies of Lewis and Clark journals, Western Americana books, framed maps and a 10drawer map cabinet. Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photo

according to Cheetham. “Everybody had a good time,” he says.

At first the conversation seemed to be a happy coincidence, but when another society member spoke up about the Ripon train trip Cheetham was shocked.

“He said his sister went to Ripon and that she remembered the train,” Cheetham recalls. “When I heard that I

just about fell on the floor. It turns out she was my roommate’s girlfriend. It really is a small world,” he says.

Now Cheetham is attempting to piece together a story of the train trips and the experiences people had on them. Cheetham remembers the trip during his freshman year in 1940 and Clayton says he recalls the trip during his time at Ripon later in the decade, but neither can say when the trips originated and how often they occurred.

“Obviously this happened a long time ago and it is hard to find information and people who knew about it,” Cheetham says.

To help him fill in the blanks and to gather the experiences of other alumni, Cheetham enlisted the help of classmate and 1943 class officer Frannie Sischo Altheimer ’43. Through a newsletter, they have received 20 responses from alumni who remember the train trip.

Cheetham, a retired high school principal who lives with his wife, Mary Jane, in Los Angeles, has spent the summer putting together a story on the train trip. Alumni who have recollections of the train trips are urged to contact Cheetham at 310-670-4235.

15 CONDUCT SUMMER RESEARCH ON CAMPUS Fifteen students advanced their research experience by conducting their own research on campus this summer. Their research is funded through a variety of grants, the College and support from local individuals.

A new Communicating Plus Summer Collaborative Research Grant supported the work of four students, including seniors Joe Laedtke, Loryn Ohlaug and Leah Sievert and junior Matthew Nicolai. Created by Deano Pape, Communicating Plus director, the grant emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, oral communication and written communication by having students work one-on-one with a faculty or staff member, researching a topic of their choice.

Laedtke researched the experience of “coming out” for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, and how that experience influenced teaching methods and practices. Nicolai researched the accuracy of

historical films about the Roman Republic and Empire. Ohlaug spent eight weeks researching killer whales on San Juan Island off the coast of Washington to produce a computer model for the southern resident killer whale population, a group of about 100 whales that gather around the San Juan Island group in the summer. Sievert worked to revitalize the Tri County Animal Shelter in Green Lake through publicity and visioning sessions with community and board members.

The Merck Co., a research-driven pharmaceutical products and services firm, supported four students through grants, including seniors Jatinder Dhillon, Andy Tratar and Nikola Bjelos, and junior Dan Feld.

Dhillon, who based her research on that done by her Professor of Biology Bob Wallace and Knop Scholar Sara Wichlacz ’04 take sediment samples from White Lake in Marquette faculty mentor Professor of County, Wis., in an effort to obtain detailed information that Biology Peggy Stevens, studwill help residents keep the lake healthy.

Craig Sauer ’05 photo ied the gene sequence of a sea urchin, where it came Ripon historian Samuel Pedrick (1868from and how it formed its sequence.

1963), who wrote the definitive history Tratar researched the electron transfer of the city, and cataloged archives and properties of Glutyral-CoA dehydrogeartifacts related to Ripon and World nase (GCD), an enzyme that is essenWar II. Both performed oral history intial in the breakdown of fatty acids in terviews of alumni during the annual the human body — a study that was alumni weekend. part of an ongoing project started by Junior Anthony Falk, with funding Associate Professor of Chemistry from the Puelicher Foundation, comColleen Byron. Bjelos cloned genes pared new species lists with old species from a bacteria that lives in the mouths lists of the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy of humans to investigate how this bacand examined what environmental facteria causes disease in the mouth. Feld tors contributed to those which were analyzed the concentration of lead in found. eggshells from Rush Lake and comWith funding provided through the pared those results to the lead concenKnop Scholars Program, junior Ksenia tration in eggshells from an area near Borisova explored the influence of metal Appleton, Wis. ions on gene expression of an oral bacteFunded by a grant from Ripon hisria, while Sara Wichlacz ’04, conducted torian and Professor of History Emeriresearch at White Lake in Marquette tus George Miller, junior Zack ChitCounty, Wis. Wichlacz tested lake orwood and senior Jessica Owens focused ganisms, recorded the oxygen and temtheir research on Ripon history. Chitperature range and investigated rooted wood used oral histories from local plants through macrophyte mapping.

World War II participants and wrote an Working with Professor of Psycholoanalytical paper based on their acgy Tim Petersik, ProCollege Scholarship counts to determine how the war did or recipient junior Curran Rice researched did not change the city and the Colhow humans perceived movement and lege. Owens researched the papers of SUMMER 2004 25

in particular the illusion of movement seen with rapidly presented still pictures.

“Summer research,” according to Professor of Greek and Latin Eddie Lowry, “enriches the education of the students involved, and it also sends a signal to graduate schools that the student has a passion for their subject and is eager to advance beyond normal degree requirements.”

RECENT GRADS FILL CAMPUS AMERICORPS*VISTA POSTS Dana Olson and Kate Hersey have returned to campus to serve for one year as AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members. The two 2004 graduates will provide support for community and service-learning programs to build connections between the campus and Ripon communities, according to Director of Communicating Plus Deano Pape, who wrote and submitted the grant for the two positions.

Originally conceived as one position, overwhelming response from the campus prompted Pape to submit an amended grant for two positions. “We had significant interest considering our small campus in comparison to the other schools applying,” he says. Pape wrote the grants with the help of the Wisconsin Campus Compact, a coalition of state college presidents and chancellors, which facilitated work on the grants.

VISTA members have the opportunity to design any kind of program, as long as their work is dedicated to serving low-income populations. “The program affords us so many opportunities,” Hersey says. “It’s a great program to help with community activism on campus.”

Kate Hersey ’04

Dana Olson ’04

26 RIPON MAGAZINE

Hersey, whose career goal is to become an English professor, sees the program as a stepping-stone.

She wants to combine her work on “some pet projects” with her position. A classical studies and English double major, Hersey worked extensively with Ripon’s Clark Collection of Ancient Art during her senior year. Through her position, she hopes to create a number of courses focused on the collection. “The community already utilizes the college’s assets so much, and my goal is to organize that more,” she says.

Alison Collaborative Olson, who wants to pursue Nowak ’06 Leadership Network of Lake non-profit work, was attracted to Geneva, the position because it offers the Hosts Workshop Wis., and “ability to work in a group setting Jose Luis, a student from J.S. Morton East High where I can definitely reach out School of Cicero, Ill., were among 20 people who and help others.” Her goal is to participated in a June workshop on campus to decreate a lasting position on camvelop the Collaborative Leadership Network curpus. “I want to walk away knowriculum. Others attending included seven teaching that we started a strong proers from five Wisconsin high schools and J.S. ject that’s going to sustain itself,” Morton, the curriculum coordinator for the Fond Olson says. du Lac, Wis., School System, and five students from J.S. Morton. Presenters included Jack All VISTA members attend Christ, professor and director of the leadership orientation sessions where they studies program and Doug Northrop, director of learn about goals and expectations Ripon’s new ethical leadership program. Leaderfor the program. Participants are ship studies and educational studies students separated into smaller groups by were also involved.

Craig Sauer ’05 photo location to discuss the role they will have on campus. “Instead of was involved in philanthropic work direct service, I help organize and gathwith her sorority, Delta Psi Delta. er resources,” says Olson. “It’s more inOlson and Hersey will receive direct and behind the scenes.” stipends from AmeriCorps and CommuPape says he expects that Hersey nicating Plus that will take care of some and Olson will build strong bridges of their housing, travel and office expensacross the campus and the community. es. Located in an office in Communicat“I also expect that they will use their ing Plus, they will also communicate with energies to create sustainable programthe 35 other AmeriCorps*VISTAs workming for the future and that everyone ing at Wisconsin colleges and will take advantage of their skills and universities. energy and engage the campus in some The AmeriCorps*VISTA program fantastic projects,” he says. has been working to help communities While Pape will guide Olson and out of poverty for 40 years. There are Hersey, he stresses that “they will be 6,000 members working to improve litdoing their own jobs and will rely a lot eracy rates and health services, increase on each other and their backgrounds to housing options and create businesses. help them overcome challenges.”

The VISTA program was created in Olson, a communications major, 1964 as part of President Lyndon B. will draw on her communications classJohnson’s Economic Opportunity Act. es and philanthropy work. “My learnVISTA merged with AmeriCorps when ing on campus in an applied communiPresident Bill Clinton signed the Nacations class gave me an idea of how a tional Community Service Trust Act service-learning class can work for the in 1993. community,” she says. Olson also helped with Relay for Life events and

Stuart Russ ’07 peers from behind a tree as he watches for a sniper during an ROTC field training exercise.

Ian Stepleton ’98 photo

WAR GAMES: CADETS TRAIN FOR COMBAT A young man in camouflage peers out from behind a tree. Somewhere on the horizon is a sniper. If he moves his squad out of the protective cover too soon, it could mean the death of a friend. But if too many are killed, they’ll brush themselves off and try again.

The exercise wasn’t real, but Ripon ROTC students were keenly aware that it could be and all too soon. Those thoughts hung in the minds of the students as they participated in a field training exercise (FTX) outside Princeton, Wis., in March. “[When I’m on an FTX], I start to think about the real-life situation, when we end our exercises,” says Kjell Sporseen, a junior from Bothell, Wash., after the training. “[Right now], everything kind of is dropped [at the end] and suddenly we’re just a bunch of cadets.

[In real combat], there will be no endexecution. You go tactical, you stay tactical. There’s no reset.”

Students in the Army training program at the College use the FTXs to ready for just such a day. The cadets arrived at the training grounds — 70 acres just outside Princeton owned by the relative of an area Army officer — at about 9 a.m. From that moment until they conclude a long hike out of the woods

thing to run great and be in control, and it doesn’t end up that way.”

Knowing what to do is only one side of the equation. Understanding the consequences of one’s actions can be just as difficult. “You wonder what it would be like if it was actual fire, and if the guy next to you really got hit in the arm, or someone gets killed,” Becker says. But the cadets haven’t reached that point yet. For now, their top concerns are Adam Kirschling ’05 safeguards the perimeter, watching for more mundane as they ready the enemy.

Ian Stepleton ’98 photo for life as a soldier.

“Dealing with the weather the next day, the students are in the [is tough],” Kirschling says. “Everything Army. For some, it’s one of their first has to be kept dry.” peeks into military life.

Ian Stepleton ’98 “As an MS1 [first-year student], I Reprinted with permission from the Ripon kind of went in there expecting to Commonwealth Press have a good time and do what I was told,” says Mike Lindsay of Elgin, Ill., noting that he expected the weather to TERRACE RECEIVES make it tough. “It was a lot of fun; I expected a lot worse weather … and [the DESIGN AWARD better weather] made morale high.”

The Terrace, the college’s newest eating The MS3s — juniors on the brink establishment and gathering place locatof signing a contract to go into the ed in the lower level of Bovay Hall, will Army after graduation — have much display a 2003 Design Award from the more to worry about. “Basically it’s a Wisconsin Chapter of the American Sotime where we get tested to see where ciety of Interior Designers (ASID). The we compare with other MS3s,” says Milwaukee-based firm Uihlein-Wilson Adam Kirschling of Mequon, Wis. “It’s Architects, which designed the Terrace, an overall learning experience to help received the gold award in the prepare for our time in the Army. I historic/renovation/recycle category. consider it intense when it comes to ASID “identifies interior designers the STXs [situational training by the results and benefits they bring to exercises].” the building environment through their In an STX, the classroom theory specialized design skills and sound busimeets real-life execution. Students are ness practices,” according to the organigiven realistic missions to execute. zation’s Web site. They present gold, silFor younger students, it’s a time to ver and bronze awards each year in sevget their bearings. But for the MS3s, eral categories. r the rest of their lives in the Army can be determined by how they handle the opportunity. “I knew MS3s would be rotated into leadership positions,” says junior Hallie Becker of Huntley, Ill. CORRECTIONS/ “As an MS3, I take it very seriously, CLARIFICATIONS because we get graded,” Kirschling says.

Students may be faced with reaching a ■ The name of Martha Dantuma, a destination in the face of a sniper, or sophomore from Watertown, Wis., may have to deal with the aftermath of was inadvertently omitted from the an explosion. “It’s a challenge to be in Academic All-Conference listing for a leadership position and people count women’s basketball. Dantuma plays on you to make the best decisions posforward for the Red Hawks. sible,” Becker says. “You want everySUMMER 2004 27

Students Connect at Annual Conference on Racism The 2004 Ripon College contingent to Fisk: in the back, from left, are Pooja Chawda ’06, Mauro Sacchi ’01, Caitlin Clark ’06, Professor of Philosophy David Seligman, Jasmin Pantoja ’04, Fred Cook ’03, Brad Burge ’04, Andy Ross ’06, Alejandro Castillo ’06, Alexia Clayborne ’07 and Rachel Sidenbender ’05. Standing in front, from left, are Christina O’Reilly ’07, Raquel Gonzalez ’07, Rose Struble ’05, Rebecca Fettig ’05, Lis Conde ’07, Silvia Petig ’04 and Julian Becker ’06. Seated in the front row is a Fisk student, and kneeling is Trina Lee ’06.

F

or three days, students from a predominantly white college in Wisconsin moved in with students from predominantly African-American Fisk University and held an intense series of talks on racism.

The experience was sometimes uncomfortable, the students said, but as their time together came to a close here yesterday, the students said they found more similarities than differences in each other. They said it helped them see their own racial beliefs more clearly.

“This forced us to deal with the prejudices we all have,” said Jhamerra Smith, a Fisk student who participated in the annual I wish more Ripon spring conference on race relations. “It students had the forced us to interact and deal with each opportunity … to other’s conflicting ideas. A lot of people attend the conferthink racism is one sided, but it goes in ence. … I would not both directions.”

For 12 years, students from Fisk and trade the experiRipon College in Ripon, Wis., have ence for any other been sharing dorm rooms and discussing spring break trip. race relations, alternating between camAlejandro Castillo ’06 puses every year.

Oakland, Calif.

Among the topics discussed this year were health disparities among AfricanAmericans, the environmental hazards of being poor, images of African-Americans in the media and the effect of racism on the American psyche.

“White privilege is something a lot of educated people deny or don’t want to confront, but it’s still there,” 28 RIPON MAGAZINE

said Mauro Sacchi, a 2001 graduate of Ripon College.

“But we can do a better job of confronting these attitudes and accept each other’s differences just by interacting.”

But Raquel Gonzalez of Ripon College said she came to Fisk looking for similarities, not differences.

“We really found out how alike we are,” she said.

“We’re all just human beings trying to have a better life.”

Jeannine Hill of Fisk said most barriers that prevent people of different races from seeing their similarities are self-imposed.

“People isolate themselves so they don’t have to confront race, and if you’re a white person, you really don’t have to confront racism,” Hill said. “But we found out we’re not all that different and there is a lot of common ground.”

Hazel Joyner-Smith, community outreach coordinator for Fisk’s Race Relations Institute, one of the event sponsors, said that the colleges and the students needed to be as creative as possible to keep their dialogues about race going.

“We’re keenly aware that what used to take place in the ’60s and ’70s is not the only thing we can do on this journey we’re all taking,” she said. “We need as much freedom as possible to be expressive in our inner-circle dialogues about race.” r This story was written by Holly Edwards, a staff writer with the The Tennessean of Nashville, Tenn., and appeared in the newspaper’s March 21 edition. It is copyrighted by The Tennessean and reprinted with permission.

Fisk Conference a Big Success

A

llow me to praise the work and passion of all the individuals involved in the 2004 Fisk/Ripon Race Relations Conference, which once again proved to be a one-of-a-kind challenging and inspiring event.

Born in the early ’90s, springing forth from Professor Doug Northrop’s (then Dean of Faculty) and his Fisk University colleague’s vivid imaginations, the conference has provided participants from Fisk, a historically black university in Nashville, Tenn., focused on the betterment of talented young humans through the liberal arts, and Ripon College (its historically “pale” companion) with an instinctive playfield for social analysis, cultural interchange and heartfelt debate on the “racial” issue, one that is too This was a group of young often misinterpreted, college students and a few misunderstood, and sickeningly (ab)used for of the faculty, coming the sake of political and together and addressing some of the most controsocial propaganda.

In doing so, it has versial topics that our been an outlet striking- country is faced with and ly peculiar and unique, suffers with. I was shocked allowing young women and men from a variety to find out that this is the only program of its type. I of ethnic, social, ideological and geographihad expected this to be a cal backgrounds to disnationwide program. I cuss racial identity, believe it should be, but it prejudices, racism and made me appreciate the their multi-faceted inopportunity even more. terplays within our world, and to do so Christina O’Reilly ’07 without hidden agendas Glenwood City, Wis. nor ulterior motives, but simply out of sheer thirst for knowledge and exchange of basic, diverse human experiences.

A lot of the merit for the conference’s success goes to the faculty members who since day one poured their insight, ideas and fatherly care into the program: from Dr. Northrop to Dr. Leslie Bessant, all the way to Dr. David Seligman and (officially beginning his “tour of duty” next year) Dr. Joe Hatcher, Ripon’s spokespersons have provided a leadership that has been as friendly and immediate as it is effective.

But the Fisk/Ripon conference would not exist, and could not function, without its more spontaneous, rambunctious components, the many students from both institutions who year after year feed each other with challenges, entertainment, practical jokes, wisTrina Lee ’06 is flanked by Fisk dom and clearly spelled-out friends.

Mauro Sacchi ’01 displays the Fisk University flag.

definitions of what it means to be human in this non-flawless world, today. Whether this happens during a discussion session on the ever-sopresent, yet never acknowledged, “White Privilege,” or after a speech by Civil Rights hero Diane Nash, while drinking beer Raquel Gonzalez ’07 and Christina with mustache- and mulO’Reilly ’07 pose for a photo with a new let-sporting natives in a friend from Fisk. liquor venue in downtown Ripon, or after an impromptu all-nighter of ‘socializing,’ it is always something that leaves a mark of thoughtfulness in its unmediated beauty.

As a member of the Ripon College family since 1998, I have been truly blessed to be a part of the Fisk/Ripon exchange for the past six years, and bear witness to its outstandingly unique and mind-opening nature, one that is intuitively inspiring — sometimes life-changing. Simply and truthfully, there is no other event like it: not in the academic universe nor in the vaster spectrum of American social life.

For this, and for the sake of the young human beings who make it what it is, the whole Ripon community should embrace and cherish it. r Mauro Sacchi ’01 Sacchi is a native of Gallarate, Italy. He served a mandatory term in the Italian military before returning to Ripon this winter. He will begin a position as a teaching assistant in Italian and head resident for the Italian House at Colorado College, an Associated Colleges of the Midwest institution in Colorado Springs, in August. His article originally appeared as a letter to the editor in The College Days and is reprinted here with permission.

SUMMER 2004 29

Building a Bridge

Mike Sambrowicz instructs Ripon College students on how to install the bottom beams that became the bridge’s foundation.

A number of Ripon students helped rebuild the footbridge that spans Crystal Creek in the city’s South Woods natural area which adjoins the college’s Ceresco Prairie Conservancy. Students who helped are involved in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, Merriman (Phi Kappa Pi) and Phi Delta Theta fraternities. The hardest part of rebuilding the bridge was to lift the three former power poles, trudge through wet mud while carrying them into the woods and then install the poles across the creek.

Ripon Commonwealth Press photos

The bridge over Crystal Creek, which also runs through the west end of campus along the east edge of the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy, is now more firmly in place.

Meeting at the Top Ford Attends EAA

President David Joyce and his wife, Lynne, speak with actor Harrison Ford ’64 at an Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) reception in Oshkosh, Wis. Ford, a recreational private pilot, was recently named the chairman of the EAA’s Young Eagles children’s program and was in Oshkosh for the association’s annual AirVenture fly-in and convention.

A member of EAA since 1996, Ford is a Young Eagle Flight Leader and has flown nearly 200 Young Eagles in his plane and helicopter since he first participated in the program in 2001. He took his first flying lessons to become a pilot when he was a student at Ripon in the early 1960s.

30 RIPON MAGAZINE

In March, these two Ripon alumni met at Kit Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Ariz. At right is Barbara Lloyd Nickels ’54 of Green Lake, Wis. and Tucson, along with Steve Gillespie ’03 of Green Lake who met at the top.

Nickels reported that she drove her car to the top and Steven rode his bike. Steve spent two years at Ripon before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Ripon

k o o b p a r c S Cruisin’ Down the River

These four alumnae took a cruise together on the “Queen of the West” down the Columbia, Snake and Willamette rivers in Oregon. From left are Jane Peterson Krampert ’50 of Mt. Prospect, Ill.; Mary Ellen Brodie Whitmore ’50 of Phoenix; Jean Deroin Weber ’45 of Sierra Madre, Calif.; and Jere Deroin DuBois ’50 of Portland, Ore.

COWS Tour Swings Through Ripon

Forty-four high school guidance counselors visited the College in April as part of the Counselors Observing Wisconsin Schools (COWS) tour. The annual effort brings counselors from around the country to campus to help familiarize them with Ripon. They also

Lon Michels in FLorida

Artist Lon Michels ’84 recently had an art exhibit at the Key West Museum of Art & History at the Custom House in Florida. Above, Michels is shown with his painting “Freedom,” a 140-inch by 112-inch acrylic on canvas.

make stops at Beloit, UW-Madison, Marquette and Lawrence.

Above, the group gathers in front of the president’s house after a prairie walk and reception there.

Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photo

SUMMER 2004 31

Food for the Soul The annual soul food dinner continues to be a popular event for students, faculty and staff — when food is involved, events are always popular. Below, a group of students enjoy a slightly different fare than they would have gotten in Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photos the Commons.

$5,000 Fire Safety Day

Ripon College’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity turned over a check for more than $5,000 to the Ripon Fire Department as a result of their fifth annual fire-safety fund-raising event. At left, one the Phi Delts, dressed in full gear, pulls a dummy as his part of the fire fighter challenge obstacle course similar to what a fire fighter might encounter when fighting fires. Other Phi Delts pulled loaded fire vehicles and still others ran laps in full firefighting gear. The event has raised Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photos more than $21,000 for fire safety projects.

32 RIPON MAGAZINE

Roy Awarded Underkofler

Associate Professor of Communication Jody Roy, second from right, is Ripon’s 2004 recipient of the James Underkofler Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The award was created in honor of James Underkofler, past president and chairman for Wisconsin Power and Light, now Alliant Energy. Administered by the Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges (WFIC), the award recognizes the importance of excellence in undergraduate teaching by honoring one outstanding teacher from Ripon each year. Joining Roy in the photo are, from left, President David Joyce; Mary Brott, major account manager for Alliant; Pamela Wagner, Alliant’s executive vice president for strategy and performance; Roy; and Marc Torinus, WFIC president.

Ric Damm photo

The Ripon Contingent at Washington State

Dick Bennett ’65, the new head basketball coach at Washington State University (WSU) and Trevor Durham ’98, assistant director of communications for the WSU Foundation, got together for a photo in April. Bennett and Durham started their new positions at Washington State about a year ago. Bennett, former head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, guided his new team to a 13-16 record, a six-win improvement over 2002-03. The team also had seven Pac-10 conference wins after winning just seven of its last 46 conference games entering last season. Washington State was named the men’s basketball national team of the week in early February after winning games at UCLA and Southern California. Bennett, as expected, is working his magic with another collegiate basketball team.

The Newest of Ripon’s Finest

Lindsey Gorske ’04, right, was sworn in as the newest member of the city of Ripon Police Department in May. At left swearing Gorske in is Mayor Aaron Kramer. In the middle is Ripon Police Chief Dave Lukoski ’77. Gorske worked for the local police department as a junior and senior at the College.

Ripon Commonwealth Press photo

SUMMER 2004 33

Ripon at Fort Bragg

A chance Ripon gathering took place at the 82nd Airborne Museum at Fort Bragg, N.C., last December when Lt. George Johnson ’00 went to buy a copy of the book All the Way to Berlin from author Jim Megellas ’42, not knowing that Megellas was also a Ripon grad. Jim, noting George’s Ripon T-shirt, asked George if he went to Ripon. Of course, a Ripon conversation ensued. George is the grandson of Frances Sischo Altheimer ’43 who was at Ripon when Megellas was.

Massachusetts Gathering

Kay Stender Rains ’71 of Braintree, Mass., left, and Jon Meyer ’70 of Aberdeen, Wash., visit at her home in April. Kevin Rains ’71 photo

34 RIPON MAGAZINE

Women’s Alumni Basketball Team

Last winter, Ripon hosted an alumni basketball weekend. Alumni from a variety of years and a broad geographic area participated. In the front row, from left, are Heidi Marks ’96, Kristin Dodds ’98, Crystal Helm ’97, Kelly Johnson ’99, Erin Gatzke ’00 and Neely Zakos ’01. In the second row, from left, are Niki Gorske ’01, Molly Kneip ’03, Sandy Secor Koresch ’89, Lori Bull Katte ’90, Andrea Wepner ’96, Jeri Belongia Loewe ’96, Kelly Koepp ’00 and Kim Wachtel ’01. In the back, from left, are Rit Lee Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photo ’93 and Heather Van Gorden Thomas ’92.

Dutcher Claims ‘District Attorney of the Year’ Honors

Guy Dutcher ’87, center, of Wautoma, Wis., was named the 2004 “District Attorney of the Year” by the Wisconsin District Attorney’s Association. Dutcher is district attorney in Waushara County. He was recognized for his work with other community agencies in developing the Waushara County Coordinated Community Response Team to Domestic Violence. He was also recognized for his dedication to his community and close working relationship with local enforcement agencies. “What sets him apart from other district attorneys is his compassion for the mission of fair and equitable justice for all while maintaining the integrity of the office he services,” says Waushara County Human Services Director Lucy Rowley in the Waushara Argus newspaper. Dutcher’s community involvement includes the Waushara County Fair, Booster Clubs, Rotary, Kiwanis, Shara Olympics, youth basketball and Pop Warner football. From left are Waushara County Sheriff David R. Peterson, Dutcher and Curt Olson, a detective in the sheriff’s office.

Waushara Argus photo

Men’s Alumni Basketball Teams

Kneeling, from left, are Matt Becker ’99, Eric Pilsl ’93 and Brad Augustyn ’88. Standing, from left, are Andy Van Wie ’99, Mike Basile ’94, Brett Vraney ’01, Jeff Massen ’01, Todd Fortune ’96, Adam Crawford ’03, Lud Wurtz ’78 and Steve Kohl ’02.

Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photos

Habitat Challenges Wyoming

Kneeling, from left, are Chris Graham ’93, Matt Ritchie ’96, Scott Young ’93, Pat Broeske ’89 and Tom Reader ’86. Standing, from left, are Joe Early ’03, Chris Braman ’97, Jerry Liska ’02, Dan Clark ’87 and Dan Davis ’91.

Ripon’s Habitat for Humanity chapter took its spring break project to Casper, Wyo. Ten Ripon students helped other volunteers and the future Habitat homeowner with installing siding and insulation and other projects. The Ripon group has traditionally gone South for the spring break build but this year opted for the cooler and scenic views of Wyoming. In front, from left, are Peter Kane ’05 of Champaign, Ill., and Reid Oven ’06 of White Bear Lake, Minn. In back, from left, are Stuart Russ ’07 of Wausaukee, Wis.; Justin Nelson ’07 of Blue Island, Ill.; Jenny Delaney ’07 of Rockford, Ill; Jordyn Rush ’07 of Poplar Grove, Ill.; Nathan Polum ’07 of Stevens Point, Wis.; Rebecca Malinowski ’07 of Orland Park, Ill.; Scott Mundro, Quads hall director and program coordinator for leadership and special programs; Amanda Zahn ’05 of Ripon, Wis.; and Mara Evans ’07 of Monona, Wis. At left, loading glass at the Habitat project are, from left, Justin Nelson, Jenny Delaney, Jordyn Rush and Nathan Polum.

SUMMER 2004 35

Commission Leads Road to Dental School

Greg Furdek ’04 of Beaver Dam, Wis., is sworn in as an officer in the U.S. Army by Maj. Scott Bolstad, adjunct assistant professor of military science. Furdek received a direct commission from the Army. He will attend dental school at Marquette University and then enter the Army Medical Corps as a captain with an obligation of eight years of service. The Army, in return, funds Furdek’s schooling and provides a living stipend.

Three other Ripon students were commissioned this year Ric Damm photo through the ROTC program.

Variety in Variety Show

Van Dyck Painting Restored

The second of the college’s paintings by Sir Anthony Van Dyck has been restored by Barry Bauman Conservation of Chicago. The painting, “Princess Amelia of the House of Orange,” was delivered to Bauman’s studio last winter and returned to campus in April minus several layers of grime along with varnish-type coatings intended to protect the 17th century work of art. Bauman restored “A Young Gentleman” in the late ’80s with Bauman’s former firm, Chicago Conservation Center. Bauman now provides the painting conservation services as a gift to museums and other non-profit institutions. To see more of Bauman’s restoration work, please go to www.baumanconservation.com/homefs.html.

Ric Damm photo Matt Rhody ’04 of Ogema, Wis., plays the banjo and Travis Parker ’06 of Tiburon, Calif., perform as part of the annual Choraliers Variety Show this spring in Great Hall. Not shown is Michael Timm ’04 of Milwaukee who plays the harmonica as part of the group.

36 RIPON MAGAZINE

Also at the variety show is Jessica Pankratz ’04, of Mt. Calvary, Wis., who sang as part of a group.

Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photos

Not Quite the Yellow Jersey

Assistant Director of College Relations Ric Damm, left, presents cycling legend and threetime Tour de France winner Greg LeMond with a Ripon College cycling jersey. Damm participated in the 2004 Trek 100 Ride for Hope, a charity ride to raise money for Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund. By raising more than $1,000, Damm became a member of the inaugural Century Club and had the opportunity to meet and Dave Pahl photo ride with LeMond.

Singing for Kerry

Noted singer Carole King visited campus last February to promote the presidential candidacy of Democrat John Kerry. Above King, right, visits with Registrar Michele Wittler who brought record jackets for King to autograph. The college museum in West Hall was filled to capacity for King who sang several songs. Ric Damm photos

Pressing for MS

The second Bench Press for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) raised $2,548 for the Wisconsin chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. An equal share of the funds also go to improve student fitness facilities at the College. Winning the event were: Phi Delta Theta, Alpha Delta Pi, Campus Christian Fellowship, Jack Christ, Dave Sarnowski, Nicole Nault, Mary Dean ’04, Mike Hatfield ’05 and Greg Furdek ’04.

Hammer Strength and Life Fitness were the event’s title sponsors.

Ric Damm photos

SUMMER 2004 37

Woolley Portrait Unveiled

80 Students Tour S.C. Johnson

Jon Fasanelli-Cawelti ’75, center, poses with William Woolley, Professor of History and Victor and Carrie Palmer Chair for Leadership Values Emeritus, Woolley’s wife, Jean, and his portrait of his former professor. “As an intaglio printmaker first trained at Ripon, I sought to synthesize an historical figure (Bill) with the process of engraving and drypoint. With art and history so intertwined, in this way I could pay homage and thanks to Ripon College and one of its great professors,” says Fasanelli-Cawelti. The portrait was unveiled in April.

Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photo

About 80 students in business administration, leadership studies and economics classes participated in a day trip to S.C. Johnson Co. in Racine in mid-February. The group toured the Johnson building (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright), watched the film “Carnuba, A Son’s Memoir,” which chronicles the Johnson family’s recreation of Sam Johnson’s father’s 1935 flight from Racine to Brazil to study the Carnuba palm plant.

Above, Ripon seniors, from left, Nathan Vanden Heuvel of Allenton, Wis., Andy Uecker of Appleton, Wis., James Stirewalt of Terrebonne, Ore., and junior Tom DePietro of Wildwood, Ill., view displays of Johnson Outdoors products in the foyer of the Johnson building.

At left, Ripon President David C. Joyce, right, and Helen Johnson-Leipold, chair and chief executive officer of Johnson Outdoors, visit during the trip to Racine.

Sal De Los Angeles ’05 photos

38 RIPON MAGAZINE

Pals

These four Ripon grads found a bite to eat, or perhaps something to drink, at the Goose Blind in Green Lake during Alumni Weekend ’04. From left are Cynthia Sanborn Nyquist ’69 of Burr Ridge, Ill., Mary Jo MacSwain ’77 of Park Ridge, Ill., Jean Black ’77 of Elgin, Ill., and Connie Jess Zolkoske ’77 of New London, Wis.

Sports sports

Coles Is New Swimming Coach

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ssistant Professor of Exercise Science and Assistant Football Coach Rick Coles will be getting his feet wet at the Kohler Pool.

Coles has been named Ripon’s new swimming coach, replacing Liz Tierney, who departed following one season with the Red Hawks.

Coles, who with the addition of swimming will have coached four collegiate sports, will give up his position as an assistant on the track and field team to become the full time swimming coach.

“I would like to solidify the program for the future,” says Coles, Rick Coles who is also the offensive coordinator for the football team. “This will be the first time the program has had a full-time coach in a number of years. And if you look at the top three swimming programs in the conference they all have full-time coaches,” he says.

According to Coles, having a fulltime coach in for the program can make

a big difference in recruiting and consistency. “A full time coach has more time for recruiting than a part time coach who is just on campus part of the year,” he says. “If we increase our numbers we should have an opportunity to compete for the conference championship.”

Coles received bachelor’s degrees in history and physical education from Coe College and later received his master’s in physical education from the University of Northern Iowa. After spending six years teaching and coaching at Osage High School and Reinbeck High School, both in Iowa, Coles returned to Coe as an assistant professor of physical education in 1985. He was also Coe’s head wrestling coach and defensive and offensive line coach for football.

After a brief stint at Cornell College as a professor and offensive coordinator for the football team, Coles became the head football coach at Lawrence University, where he was also the throwers coach for the track and field team. In 1999, Coles came to Ripon as an assistant football coach and assistant professor of exercise science.

Real Hawk Invades

This Cooper’s hawk spent several days in the Wyman Gym and Aylward Hall in the Storzer Physical Education Center during July. The home of the Ripon Red Hawks basketball teams and other varsity sports seemed like home to this bird of prey until it eventually found its way out a pair of open doors.

Ric Damm photo

Although Coles admits he has little experience with swimming he says that doesn’t bother him, and he welcomes

S PRING A CADEMIC A LL -C ONFERENCE S ELECTIONS BASEBALL Nick Collins So. Economics Tyler Haddock So. Politics & Government Eric Schwendimann So. Educational Studies EC/MC Larry Teeling Sr. Business Administration and Economics

SOFTTBALL Abby Binder Exercise Science

Sr.

Michelle Erickson Jr. Anthropology and Educational Studies Lindsey Gorske Jr. Self-Designed - Criminal Justice Sr. Joan Hammer Exercise Science Kara Koldon Sr. Chemistry and Biology So. Elizabeth Miller History

MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD Daniel Billings Sr. Mathematics and Politics & Government Ryan Bobholz Jr. Biology

WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD Gina Baker Educational Studies Sarah Brewster Environmental Studies

Jr. Jr.

Martha Dantuma So. Undeclared Beth Huber Sr. Art and Music Veronicka Johnson Sr. Business Administration and Economics So. Stephanie Motzel Music

MEN’S TENNIS Jr. Paul Larsen Self-Designed - Political Economy

SUMMER 2004 39

the challenge. “When I was at Coe I had very little background in wrestling, but by my fourth year we were conference champions,” Coles says. “I believe if you’re a coach, you can coach anything.”

Coles lives in Ripon with his wife, Nancy. They have four children, a son Michael ’04, and triplet daughters: Sara, Jennifer and Katie. r

Reichert Is Ripon All-American in Softball

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ose Reichert, a junior this fall from Cedarburg, Wis., has been named to the third-team AllAmerican Softball Team for NCAA Division III. Reichert may well be Ripon’s first All-American in softball.

Reichert was first named to the allconference team as a catcher and then

advanced to being named to the all-region team as a designated hitter. She was among nine Midwest Conference players named to the allregion first team.

Kelly Witte Reichert batted .509 and lead the Red Hawks in at bats (110), runs scored (41), hits (56), doubles (tied with 7), triples (5), home runs (7) and RBI (37).

Reichert was one of the reasons Ripon’s softball team finished 26-10 last season and second in the conference tournament. The 26 wins set a new record surpassing the old one of 23 wins in 2000.

Teri Helpler ’00 was an all-region selection in 2000.

Head Coach Kelly Witte was also named conference north division coach of the year. r

S PRING A LL -M IDWEST C ONFERENCE S ELECTIONS Rose Reichart ’05 is thought to be Ripon’s first All-American in softball.

Al Fredrickson photo

For a complete listing of all fall sports schedules, go to

w w w. r i p o n . e d u 40 RIPON MAGAZINE

BASEBALL First Team Bill Nolan Pitcher Noah Wishau Pitcher Dan Williams Pitcher John D`unleavy Catcher Tyler Haddock Infield Tim Roerhig Outfield Dan Williams Outfield Second Team John Ernser Infield Pat Garland Outfield

So.

Player of the Year Dan Williams Pitcher of the Year Noah Wishau

Kevin Blackburn Jacob Banks Nate Boehm 4x100 Relay

SOFTBALL

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

Jr. Jr. So. So.

Lindsay Gorske Outfield Rose Reichart Catcher Coach of the Year Kelly Witte

Sr. So.

Sr. Jr.

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

Jr.

Dave Billings So. 10,000 m, 5,000 m Ryan Bobholz Jr. 100 m, 4x100 Relay

Sr.

Sr. Jr. Sr.

Erin Courtney Fr. Discus Beth Huber Sr. High Jump, Pole Vault So. Martha Dantuma High Jump Erin Courtney Fr. Hammer Gina Baker Jr. 10,000 m, 5,000 m Martha Dantuma So. Javelin

ALumni alumni

MARKETING THE GREEN BAY PACKERS

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Craig Benzel ’86 Helps Packers Win Championships; Guards History, Tradition

very day, someone pulls up outside Craig BenThat means partnering with health care facilizel’s workplace and snaps a photo of it. ties and automobile dealerships, getting major elec“There hasn’t been a day since I started here six tronics companies, such as Sony, to be the official years ago that I haven’t seen it happen,” says Benzel, provider of electronic components on the field, ne’86, director of marketing and corporate accounts gotiating with area tribal communities to host footwith the Green Bay Packers. ball clinics or perform halftime entertainment, or It could be a slight exaggeration, and probably is, arranging any of a slew of promotions that can since Benzel has more pressing things to do than to bring in cold hard cash. stare out the window all day. But it’s not too far a “What is fun about my job is knowing a little stretch neither of the truth nor of the imagination. about a lot,” Benzel says. “Every day is different.”

Benzel works at Lambeau Field, home of the PackIndeed, every minute is different in the workday ers, the professional football team that has won of this Ripon alum. One minute he’s going over more championship titles than any other team in corporate contracts with the company’s attorney, the National Football League. (Twelve, to be exact.) Craig Benzel ’86 while the next minute he’s arranging for circus eleFrom his modern office at the Lambeau Field phants to eat at Curly’s Pub. (Named after Packers Atrium, the newly refurbished, multi-million dollar glass-andfounder and first coach E. L. “Curly” Lambeau, the on-site brick, year-round facility housing Lambeau Field in Green Bay, restaurant touts “NFL-sized portions” and features Packers hisWis., Benzel oversees more than 100 corporate accounts that tory in its décor). Benzel gets to travel with the team to away advertise with or do sponsorships with the Packers. games and while he has a backstage pass to all of the Packers “There are no hidden agendas with this job,” he says. “We games, he’s not always able to purely be a fan. He’s the one are all here to help the Packers win championships. I’m here who coordinates the team’s entrance onto the field through to bring in revenue so that the team can sign the best possible the “tunnel” during pre-game introductions. “It looks like it free agents.” just happens spontaneously, but it’s me in the back wearing a SUMMER 2004 41

A statue of “Curly” Lambeau stands outside the entrance to the new Lambeau Field Atrium.

headset working on the timing,” he says. “When people attend a game, they have no idea what goes on behind the scenes.”

It’s not till after halftime that he can settle down and start enjoying the game.

This Aug. 11 marks the 85th birthday of the Packers. And even though Benzel’s job ostensibly is to bring in revenue for the Packers organization, he says he also acts as guardian of the team’s history and image.

The Green Bay Packers organization is the last remaining publicly owned professional sports team, with more than 111,000 shareholders owning more than 4.7 million shares of stock. The team has season ticket holders from every state in the nation except Vermont, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

More than 60,000 people are on a 30-year waiting list for tickets.

“Some people weep when they see Lambeau Field in person for the first time,” Benzel says. “It’s a special place for people.

My biggest responsibility is making sure we don’t do anything that will damage the reputation of the 80-plus year of tradition that came before us.”

The name Packers is older than any other team name. In its early years, it was first the Indian Packers, named after the now-defunct Indian Packing Co., whose employee Curly Lambeau was one of the founding members. After Indian Packing Co. went out of business, the team was called Acme Packers for a short time. Lambeau and George Calhoun started the team with a meeting held at the Green Bay Press-Gazette newspaper office, according to the official Web site of the Green Bay Packers, www.packers.com.

The team has 20 Professional Hall of Famers, more than any other NFL team except the Chicago Bears. Lambeau Field (originally City Stadium — renamed in 1965 following Lambeau’s death) was built in 1957 and is the oldest NFL stadium in continuous use. The Packers were also the first team to

42 RIPON MAGAZINE

open a hall of fame and museum, which they did in 1967, according to www.packers.com “We have a real sense of protection of the image and of the history,” Benzel says. “We don’t want to wreck it for anyone.”

Part of that sense of protection lies in making sure the Packers organization doesn’t partner with any company that could reflect poorly upon the wholesome, family-friendly image it strives to maintain. Gambling and cigarettes are two vices the Packers don’t wish to promote. “Casinos advertise with a lot of sports teams but in the Packers organization, we don’t have deals with casinos or tobacco companies,” he says.

Benzel signed on with the Packers in 1998. Except for a stint selling mattresses briefly after graduating from Ripon, most of his career life has been in sports marketing and promotions. He lists the Milwaukee Brewers as his first “real” job. He worked there for 2 1/2 years before taking a job with the athletic department at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he also worked on his master’s degree in business administration. From 1993-98, he worked for the Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer team.

“The minor leagues are a great proving area to test your skills,” he says. “You wear many different hats.”

His responsibilities with the Packers can be boiled down to three areas: advertising, tourism and game-day entertainment.

His “lean and mean” staff of five (including him) coordinates the music, scoreboard contests, player introductions and halftime entertainment.

Before the multimillion-dollar renovation of Lambeau Field, his department concerned itself mainly with the 10 home game days (two pre-season and eight regular season).

But since the addition of the Lambeau Atrium, a year-round facility open to the public, he and the fans have had to rethink Lambeau Field.

“Now we are trying to get the word out that Lambeau Field is more than just the football games,” he says. “Our aim is to market Lambeau Field as a year-round destination. What we are telling people is, ‘You can experience Lambeau Field.’ ” The Lambeau Field Atrium offers the Packers Hall of Fame, two restaurants open year-round (Curly’s Pub and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Grill) and the Packers Pro Shop.

Despite the reputation of the Green Bay Packers as being an above-average NFL team, Benzel describes himself less exorbitantly. “I was an average student in and out of the classroom,” he says of his years at Ripon. “I didn’t excel in anything. I was just an average student.”

He played football for four years with the then-Redmen and still values the friendships he made during that time. “I think the fact that it was a small school helped you bond and make some lasting friendships,” he says. “The close-knit camaraderie of the school keeps that going. Some of my best friends are a handful of people I met while at Ripon.”

Benzel and his wife of 10 years, Wendy, an elementary schoolteacher, live in De Pere, Wis. r Lee Reinsch ’89 Reinsch is a reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette and a frequent contributor to Ripon Magazine.

News from the Alumni Association President Why I Come Back

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s I write this column, I am still on a “high” from this year’s Alumni Weekend. I’ve been attending these “never-long-enough” weekends annually for many years now.

Yes, I always return home, all charged up about Ripon College and, admittedly, a bit sad, too, that I probably will not see many of these people ever again; some of course, I will see at the next big Alumni Weekend. But, I am not infrequently asked by friends and classmates: “Why do you go back every year?”

Well, along with all the young women I dated while at Ripon, I also fell in love with Ripon as a prospective student and I have maintained this love affair ever since. Whenever I’m back on campus, I feel good. I feel miraculously younger. I feel a pride in Ripon College — what it was for me as a student, what it is today, what it will be in the future.

For one thing, I had a great experience at Ripon College, as have the vast majority of Ripon alumni. First of all, I am convinced that I could not have received a better education at any other college. Example: Not to “toot my own horn,” but I was so well-prepared by Ripon’s faculty (individual “stars” like Paul Aldus, John Glazer, Alexander Hooker, George Miller and Bill Tyree) that when I was in graduate school at UW-Madison I earned the first 4.00 GPA of my entire college life! Why? Well, I certainly was not any smarter than my colleagues. It was because I had learned the “hard way,” with Ripon’s

S

truly great teachers, to think o, what have you, my fellow and analyze critically, to reason alumni, and I to look forward persuasively, and to write well to at Ripon College? What will (this column excepted). It was keep alive and nourish our love readily apparent to me what a of and for Ripon? First, every superior education I had respring more than 200 new graduceived at Ripon when I saw the ates are added to the alumni term papers and projects of my ranks (now numbering more fellow graduate students and than 10,000 “satisfied cusPaul Kegel ’57 how they struggled to complete tomers”). They are so bright (as them. Graduate school was hardly a we were, of course), so vibrant, so enbreeze, but I was very well-prepared. thusiastic — they will add so much to And I have heard the same story from Ripon’s legacy. Secondly, we can all rest so many alumni I have talked with assured that Ripon’s faculty is as warm, about their experience in graduate and friendly, helpful, talented, knowledgeprofessional schools. able and creative as ever. Our future I am also inordinately appreciative alums are in good — no, great — hands. of the lifetime friends I made at Ripon.

And thirdly, under the leadership of Although, in the course of my career in President David Joyce and his staff, higher education, I have lived in nine there is an excitement, optimism and different communities and made many confidence at our College that says, wonderful friends in each, I still espe“We’re going to be better than ever!” cially cherish the phone call, letter and Do I sound like a cheerleader? Well, holiday card contacts I periodically so be it. These are my honest feelings have with many of my friends from about our College, feelings that are when we were students at Ripon. An strongly held by so very many of Ripon’s extra thrill, of course, is when I actualalumni. I sincerely hope that you share ly can get together with an old classour enthusiasm, that you share our pride mate. Seeing many of these friends, in Ripon College. I hope to see you at from various classes and years dating the next Alumni Weekend; you’ll not from the late ’40s to the present. Some be sorry you were there. of them have also become dear, treasured friends: a bonus for having atPaul Kegel, President tended our alma mater.

Ripon College Alumni Association This may sound terribly corny, but I Board of Directors honestly feel that Ripon College is my 1814 Charles St., DePere, WI 54115 “spiritual” home. When I am “home,” I 920-337-9186 feel renewed and rejuvenated.

Twin Cities

ALUMNI GATHERINGS

Milwaukee

At a reception at the Calhoon Beach Club in the Twin Cities, Lynne Joyce, right, visits with, from left, Heather Thomas ’92, Alicia Nemecek Barber ’92 and Dana Tannenbaum Cahoon ’92.

Milwaukee

In Milwaukee, at a reception at the Bavarian Inn, Bill Neill ’67, right, special assistant to the president, visits with Terry Capes ’71, center and his wife, Jean Staub Capes.

The Brewer Racing Sausages were a big hit during the tailgate party. Above, the sausages in back, from left, include Polish sausage, bratwurst and Italian (not pictured is hot dog) are joined by, from left, Susan Clot ’89 of Kenosha, Wis.; Margaret Kastein ’03, assistant director of alumni relations at the College; Raven Bachand, Clot’s daughter; and Emily Hanson ’03 from Milwaukee, special graduate trustee.

During a tailgate party prior to a Milwaukee Brewers game alumni and friends gathered including Dean, right, and Patti Legawiec Kowalski ’92/’93 of Waukesha, Wis.

44 RIPON MAGAZINE

The Brewers play in Miller Park which features a retractable roof.

Donnie Malchow photos

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., area alumni gathered in April for a welcoming reception for President David C. Joyce and his wife, Lynne. Students attending who were on the Washington Semester, included Casey Becker ’05, Shelby Deering ’05, William Dernbach ’05 and Elizabeth Giedd ’06. Alumni on hand included Todd Baker ’92; Tamara Browne ’80, Charles “Rick” Estberg ’75, Jennifer Brengle Giedd ’79 and her husband, James (from Beaver Dam, Wis., and in

Washington to visit their daughter, Elizabeth ’06), Edward and Alice Hall Hayes ’69, Tom ’62 and Judy Herrick, Pamela Goodden Keeton ’81, Lani Makholm ’72, William Olivier ’67, Rudy Ostovich ’63 and Pam Mulloy, Nicholas and Birgit Arbromaitis Retson ’69/’77, Neil and Kathleen Coesfeld Ryan ’66, Christy Schwengel ’97 and Geoffrey Seymour ’88.

Ripon President David C. Joyce, right, visits with the four students participating in the Washington Semester. From left are Casey Becker ’05, Spring Valley, Minn.; Elizabeth Giedd ’06 of Beaver Dam, Wis.; William Dernbach ’05 of Wausau, Wis.; and Shelby Deering ’05, Elkhorn, Wis. Christy Schwengel ’97 photo

New Vice President for Advancement Lyn Corder, left, visits with Alice Hall Hayes ’69, center, and her husband, Christy Schwengel ’97 photo Edward Hayes.

Atlanta This group met March 20 for a welcome reception for President David C. Joyce and his wife, Lynne, at the home of Gary ’84 and Mary Page in Atlanta, Ga. Among those present were Lezlie Heard Bishop ’66, Greg and Kathryn Santimays Dunn ’68/’67; Norm and Marjorie Forster Gardner ’47; Jerry and Geraldine Jensen James ’55/’56; William ’54 and Roberta Jensen; Larry and Barbara Berger Lascody ’65/’67; Gib ’85 and Kiyoko Malm; Tom and Gayle Fanok McMahon ’80; Walter ’67 and Sheila Mortlock; John ’67 and A.J. Tygerg; Peter ’85 and Janet Williams; and Lyn Corder, vice president for advancement at the College.

SUMMER 2004 45

Building Alumni Programs

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ipon College recently filled two new alumni posts with college alumni. Larry Malchow ’77 has returned to his alma mater as the college’s director of alumni relations, the annual fund and parent programs and Margaret Kastein ’03 has been named assistant director of alumni relations.

Malchow’s main responsibilities concern the annual fund, specifically, working with the college’s advancement staff to design and implement strategies that facilitate better relationships with donors and marketing major initiatives.

In addition to overseeing the annual fund, Malchow will plan alumni events and assist in recruiting and training alumni volunteers for a variety of programs. Malchow wants alumni to be involved in the College and strives toward “the overall goal of a more dynamic, more fun, more successful alumni program,” he says.

Malchow also plans to develop programs to foster better communication

What’s NEW with You? Where is the first place you look when you open up the Ripon Magazine? If you are in the top 90 percent of people, you check the Class Notes to read about what your classmates have been doing since you last saw them. Please join them in adding your own information to keep the Ripon College community up to date.

Let us know about a new job, promotion, wedding, birth, achievement, or retirement. We’d love to hear about you and all of your successes! There are several ways to submit this information: ✍ Send your information to: Alumni Office P.O. Box 248 Ripon, Wisconsin 54971 ✍ E-mail us: alumni@ripon.edu ✍ Online at Ripon Online Community to add your information under “Class Notes” 46 RIPON MAGAZINE

between parents and the College while promoting Ripon through special events. He will meet with volunteer members of the college’s parent board and discuss issues that affect students and parents, ranging from the food service to invitations for commencement.

“We want to make Ripon College a better experience for their children,” Malchow says.

Malchow returned to the city of Ripon in the late 1990s and volunteered at the College as acting director of alumni and parent relations for four

Larry Malchow ’77, Margaret Kastein ’03 Work to Enhance Alumni Relations months in 2002-03. In October 2003, he volunteered as acting director of the annual fund and held that position until he began his current job in June.

According to Vice President for Advancement Lyn Corder, Malchow’s professionalism as a volunteer, combined with his background, made him the ideal candidate for the position.

“He had learned very rapidly during his time as interim director of the annual fund and alumni and parent relations,” she says. “His training in the military and organizational skills made him stand out from the other candidates.”

After graduating from Ripon with a degree in English, Malchow briefly attended graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley and shortly thereafter joined the U.S. Navy where he spent 12 years as a cryptologic officer after learning Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif. Later he worked for the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, Va., providing satellite systems support for military and government organizations. Malchow also worked as an information systems engineer for a defense firm and wrote economic predictions for Perception International, a private think tank.

Larry Malchow ’77

Margaret Kastein ’03

Kastein, meanwhile, will work directly with alumni in an effort to bring them closer to the College. “The bulk of my duties are focused on off-campus event programs, coordinating events — from a Milwaukee Brewer’s tailgate to an Al Jarreau ’62 concert in Atlanta, Ga.,” says Kastein.

Malchow says he welcomes the understanding he knows Kastein brings to the position. “Margaret is a perfect fit for the assistant director of alumni relations. She is a product of Ripon culture, knows the College through and through, and personifies what makes us unique — that we are a very personal institution in how we relate to each other, our students and our alumni,” he says. “She has the needs of our alumni uppermost in her mind.”

While a student at Ripon, Kastein interned for the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce, Business Development Services in Ripon, the campus admission office and Students Talking About Respect (STAR), an educational initiative designed to prevent hatred and violence among youth. After graduating, Kastein was an executive team leader at the Target Corporation and then worked as a marketing and sales service coordinator at Aither State Farm Agency in Ripon.

Kastein, a native of Fond du Lac, Wis., knew that returning to Ripon would be a good choice. “After my internships throughout the community, working with various non-profits and on campus, I felt that Ripon was truly where my heart is and I’m very pleased to be back,” she says. r Sarah Miller ’04 Miller earned an English degree from Ripon this spring. She is from Delmar, Iowa.

Class Notes CLASS NOTES from his home as a catalog consultant. His wife Judy Jenz Houlihan ’62 teaches secondary English.

1960s

Golden R Classes 1953 & Prior

In the front row, from left, are Bernice Gardner Zamzow ’53, Kenn Jacobs ’53, Blanche Bartizal Babcock ’53, Dwight West ’38, Frances King West ’39 and Marjorie Ferrell ’47. In the second row, from left, are Earl “Blacky” Zamzow ’50, Dorothy Neese Evans ’46, Anna McLean Mathy ’49, former English faculty member Albert Witte and Florence Zick Tinkham ’48. In the third row, from left, are Robert “Bud” Zentner ’44, Jim Edinger ’53, Mary Perrin Danielson ’46, Ralph Martin ’52, Bill Brennan ’52, Bob Walker ’52. In the back row, from left, are Ron Balej ’53, Barbara Case Zentner ’45, Clayton Tinkham ’49, William Miller ’52, Jim Klapmeier ’54 and Art Linden ’51.

1940s

June 24-26, 2005 65th Reunion, Class of ’40 60th Reunion, Class of ’45

of Idaho, chairman of the steering committee to write the state’s Mental Health State Plan and Codes and mental health director for the Bonneville County Jail.

J. Patrick Houlihan ’57 of Wichita, Kan., works

Daniel W. Behring ’62

June 24-26, 2005 45th Reunion, Class of ’60 40th Reunion, Class of ’65 Daniel W. Behring ’62 of Manistee, Mich., was recently awarded the Samuel R. Marotta Faculty Ethics Award. He is a professor at Northwood University in Midland.

John C. and Barbara Blank Lueck ’64/’64, of Fort Collins, Colo., have retired from teaching at Colorado State University and Rocky Mountain High School, respectively.

Col. Nicholas P. Retson (Ret.) ’69 of Centreville, Va., retired from active duty and is a civilian working as the acting general counsel of the Defense Contract Management Agency at the Department of Defense and member of the Senior Executive Service.

The Rev. Donald P. Buteyn ’46 of San Marcos, Calif., recently retired from the pastoral staff at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego. He will continue as adjunct professor at both San Francisco and Fuller Theological seminaries.

1950s

June 24-26, 2005 55th Reunion, Class of ’50 50th Reunion, Class of ’55 Ramona Fisher Potter ’51 of Franklin, Tenn., recently returned from a trip to England with Ripon alum and longtime friend Vilma Butcher Carlson ’51 of Tekonsha, Mich. They sailed on the Queen Mary.

Mariann Thull Rush ’55 of Fitchburg, Wis., recently retired as transportation coordinator at the Fitchburg Senior Center where she was a volunteer.

David R. Doten ’57 of Idaho Falls, Idaho, has been director of a regional mental health center, acting state mental health authority for the state

Class of 1959

Kneeling, from left, are Richard Schulze, Margaret Johnston LeFevre ’61, and Richard Threlkeld. In the second row, from left, are Jerry Woeste, Marion Murner Harten, Jack Cooley, Joseph White, Darlene Etchingham White ’62 and Larry Larson. In the third row, from left, are Carol Grant Troestler ’60 and Donna Haubrich Reichle. In the back row, from left, are Roger Venden, Tom Troestler, Daniel Anderson, Ronell Bradbeer Anderson, Allen Peters and Peter Kasson.

SUMMER 2004 47

Gero ’82 Focuses on Wedding Documentary After working in photojournalism as staff photographer for the Chicago Tribune and the Arizona Republic, and as contract photographer for the French photographic agency SYGMA, Paul F. Gero ’82 has a new and surprising focus — weddings.

Gero’s style of wedding photography — wedding documentary — is an unconventional mix of candid shots and natural Paul F. Gero ’82 portraits, chronicling the event from the bride in her dressing room to relatives dancing at the reception. “I look for great moments and great emotion composed artfully,” Gero says. “I prefer to watch and record the day as it happens, rather than direct.”

Gero admits that capturing most of his photos naturally can be a challenge, but it’s worth it. “After working in daily journalism for nearly 20 years, I know that pictures somehow always come together, and they reveal themselves to me as more beautiful than anything I could set up,” he says.

In addition to weddings, Gero does portrait and editorial freelance photography work out of his freelance business, Paul F. Gero Photography, based in Ladera Ranch, Calif. He is also completing a book, Step-byStep Digital Wedding Photography, for British publisher Ilex Press.

Gero and his wife, Nicki, whom he met while shooting a wedding in 2001, reside in Ladera Ranch.

Abby Williams ’04

Katherine Williams Hoffer ’74

1970s

Lt. Col. Steven G. Woods ’82

June 24-26, 2005 35th Reunion, Class of ’70 30th Reunion, Class of ’75 Dr. Doretta M. Miller ’70 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has received an honorary Robert Davidson Chair in Art at Skidmore College.

Robert H. Uehling ’70 of Monterey, Calif., is a financial planner with Lincoln Financial Advisors.

Terence L. Capes ’71 of Wauwatosa, Wis., retired in July from Milwaukee Public Schools after 33 years as a Spanish teacher.

The Rev. Clifford G. Smith ’71 of Grand Prairie, Texas, was recently appointed a Vicar Forane (Dean or Archpriest) for the Diocese of Dallas. He was also appointed to the Diocesan Presbyteral Council and went as a delegate for the diocese to the National Federation of Priest Councils Convention in Atlanta, Ga. in April.

Katherine Williams Hoffer ’74 of Danville, Vt., joined 930 others to run in the annual Mt. Washington footrace, which follows a road up the highest mountain in New England. Despite winds up

Angela G. Mertig ’87

Francis “Abe” Dymond ’90

to 56 miles an hour, she finished at 2:02:38.

Richard A. Deck ’76 of Emeryville, Calif., has been elected to the executive board of Burmese American Democratic Alliance, a non-governmental organization.

Cyril K. Daddieh ’78 of Cranston, R.I., is relocating to Ghana on sabbatical.

1980s

June 24-26, 2005 25th Reunion, Class of ’80 20th Reunion, Class of ’85 Lt. Col. Steven G. Woods and Kara Zartner Woods ’82/’85 have moved to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, where Steven is the chief of staff of the 5th U.S. Army Recruiting Brigade which includes more than 2,000 soldiers and civilian recruit soldiers in an 11-state area. He earned a master’s degree in strategic studies at the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa. Angela G. Mertig ’87 of Murfreesboro, Tenn., is an assistant professor in the department of sociol-

Williams is a recent graduate from Ripon, Wis., with an English major.

Class of 1964

Among those attending the 1964 reunion were, from left, Ione Winter, William Winter, David Indermuehle, Marilyn Kaiser Indermuehle, Robert Schneider, Michele Moschel, Richard Moschel, David Hartman, James Kohnen and Patricia Ostrom Kohnen. At right are Ripon President David C. Joyce and his wife, Lynne.

48 RIPON MAGAZINE

ogy and anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University.

judge advocate for six months to serve in Iraq as a division chief on the Multi-National Force military headquarters legal staff.

Richard Warch, of Appleton, Wis., who received an honorary degree from Ripon College, has retired as president of Lawrence University.

Warch received a doctor of humane letters degree from Ripon in 1980.

1990s

Kelly F. Millenbah ’90

June 24-26, 2005 15th Reunion class of ’90 10th Reunion, Class of ’95 Francis “Abe” Dymond ’90 of Woodbridge, Va.,

Scott A. Schiller ’90

was recently appointed assistant general counsel for financial management and assurance at the U.S. Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C. Abe, a major in the Army Reserves, was also activated last year as a reserve

Eric A. Peterson ’91

Kelly F. Millenbah ’90 of Mason, Mich., was promoted to associate professor with tenure in the department of fisheries and wildlife at Michigan State University.

Scott A. Schiller ’90 of Wauwatosa, Wis., is a public relations specialist in graphics & technology at the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Brookfield, Wis.

SCHNEIDER ’66 NAMED PHYSICIAN CITIZEN OF YEAR Dr. George R. Schneider ’66 was honored this spring as the Wisconsin Medical Society’s 2004 Physician Citizen of the Year for establishing and maintaining the Greater Milwaukee Free Clinic with his wife, Kathleen.

“Dr. Schneider’s gift to Milwaukee is his great compassion and ability to inspire volunteerism in the many colleagues and others who work alongside him,” says Michael Reineck, president of the Wisconsin Medical Society.

“I was totally surprised and humbled at the unexpected honor from my peers,” says Schneider. “There is great personal satisfaction in knowing that I can convert the spirit of medicine into something practical and beneficial for patients in our local area.”

Since its opening in 1995, the clinic has provided $3.4 million worth of services and medications to its patients and has had more than 11,000 patient visits. The clinic has sparked the start of nine other free clinics in southeastern Wisconsin.

Schneider’s responsibilities include seeing patients, ordering and reviewing test results, recruiting volunteers, prescrib-

ing and ordering medtwo years, she ications, and securing established a steerfree sample medicaing committee of tions from pharmaceuphysicians and tical companies. businessmen, Schneider and his wife selected a site, also keep track of all recruited volunexpenses, supplies and teers, raised startlab services. up funds and The clinic primarsecured the donaily serves the lowtion of equipment income, uninsured to furnish the working class but also clinic. She is the R. treats the unemployed, George unpaid executive Schneider ’66 as well as immigrants. director, and “Using my knowledge and Schneider serves as the unpaid skills to care for truly needy medical director. “My wife and I patients in an atmosphere unenhave made a good team for this cumbered by all the everyday project,” he says. hassles of insurance companies The clinic is staffed entirely and government control is by volunteers, including 40 rewarding,” says Schneider. The physicians from the greater Milclinic’s board of directors chooses waukee area, 10 nurses, 15 not to receive any governmental non-medical personnel and firstor third-party support, but and second-year medical stuinstead relies on funding from dents from the Medical College private individuals, religious of Wisconsin (MCW). organizations and civic and fra“I derive a great deal of satisternal groups. faction personally and profesAfter original funding plans sionally by volunteering at the for the clinic fell through, clinic,” Schneider says. “I am Schneider, a member of the honored to be involved with so board of directors of the Milwau- many of my colleagues who kee County Medical Society, share their time and talents at the turned to his wife, who he clinic.” describes as “a strong-willed, The Physician Citizen of the experienced community volunYear Award is given to one Wisteer,” for help. Over the next consin physician each year who

demonstrates a commitment to the community through volunteer or charitable activities.

Schneider is a board certified general internist who started his private practice in 1976. He has been a clinical instructor at MCW and a staff member at West Allis Memorial, St. Luke’s and St. Joseph’s hospitals. At West Allis Memorial, Schneider served three terms as chief of internal medicine and has served on multiple committees.

After graduating from Ripon with a degree in chemistry, he received his medical degree from the Marquette School of Medicine in Milwaukee. He interned for one year at the University of Missouri Medical Center before being called to active duty in the U.S. Navy in 1971 as a lieutenant in the medical corps.

After completing his residency training in internal medicine at MCW in 1975, Schneider began working at Falls Medical Group in Menomonee Falls, Wis. He is a member of the Milwaukee Medical Society and a former board member. He and Kathleen live in Wauwatosa, Wis. They have two grown daughters, Elizabeth and Mary Lynn, who is an anesthesiology resident at MCW. Sarah Miller ’04

SUMMER 2004 49

John S. Hinds ’96 of Seattle is with Travelport as the sole technical training specialist and course developer for the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia.

Capt. Brian C. North ’96 of Clarksville, Tenn., is Commander of Bravo Company, 501st Signal Battalion, 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky. His wife Tanya Hennes North ’97 teaches general biology for Austin Peay State University, along with anatomy and physiology for Hopkinsville Community College.

Krista Gengler-Dwyer ’97 of West Bend, Wis., is a seventh grade science teacher and coach at Silverbrook Middle School in West Bend.

Class of 1969

Part of the class of ’69, which held its dinner in Scott Hall, included, from left, John Shether, Steve Thompson, Bob Wachholtz, Paul Atkins, Rodney McGee, Dan Wolfgram, Joan Knutson Wolfgram, Dan Dykstra, Sam Johnson, Bob Nichols and Mike Boyd.

At left, Fred Kiekhaefer ’69 and his wife, Carol, enjoyed the 35-year reunion.

Eric A. Peterson ’91 of Fond du Lac, Wis., is the dean of admission at Marian College.

Krystin Burrall Trustman ’91 of Overland Park, Kan., has started her own real estate investment company.

Julie Tillema Hernandez ’93 of Rockford, Ill., was recently awarded tenure at Rock Valley College in Rockford, where she is an assistant professor of psychology.

Kyra N. Hyser ’93 of Oakdale, Minn., is a business analyst in the compliance department at American Express Financial Advisors.

Class of 1974 + Friends

Kimberly J. Calvert ’94 of Alfred Station, N.Y., received her master’s degree in athletic training from Indiana University in June 2003, and is an assistant athletic trainer at Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. Capt. Todd J. Johnson ’94 is the aide-de-camp to the Deputy Chief of Staff-Operations of the Joint Force Command Naples (NATO) in Naples, Italy.

Tonya R. Ewers ’95 of Denver is a media relations manager for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center-University Hospital.

Brooke E. Husbands ’97 of Watertown, Mass., has been promoted to sales manager for Book Club and Subsidiary Rights for Candlewick Press, a children’s book publisher in Cambridge.

Carey A. Witt ’97 of Munich, Germany, will be starting a master’s degree program in educational studies at the University of Oxford-Brookes in the United Kingdom. She will be concentrating on adult learning.

1st Lt. Stephen J. Kennelly ’98 of Golden Valley, Minn., is serving with the 45th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade of the 180th Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan.

Michael J. Berens ’99 of Colorado Springs , Colo., recently graduated cum laude from New England School of Law in Boston and is sitting for the Washington State Bar Exam.

Starr A. Nordgren ’99 of Chicago has graduated summa cum laude from DePaul University with a master’s degree in writing theory and pedagogy.

Brian J. Zehren ’99 of Madison, Wis., is the recruitment information specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the undergraduate admission office.

In the front row, from left, are Deba Horn-Prochno, Jeff “Scott” Mayer ’72, Jane Runkel Frederick, Linda Landin Karow, Vicki Hofbauer Dorman, Tricia Chandler Mayer, Mary Kay Sommers, Marge Zellmer, Jan Petrovski MacLeod and Deb Evans Clem. In the second row, from left, are Steve Dorman ’73, Ainsley Brook Wonderling, Mary Breese Ray, Dennis Pordon, Scott Dicks, Linda Mohr Dicks, Tim Reich, Evelyn Colucci Suzdak ’73 and Sue VonderHeide. In the third row, from left, are John Frederick ’73, Dave Cook ’72, David Wheeler, Sue Allen Green, Walt Henry, Steve Johnson, Don Riewe, Chris Overly Wallace, Joe Wallace, Dennis Frahmann and Eric Sorensen.

50 RIPON MAGAZINE

Class of 1979

In the front row, from left, are Tom Oakley, Karen Steffes Driscoll, Mike Tracy, Gail Goodrich Tracy, Sue Rigler Palmer, Dolley Zosel Ledin, Joannie Siegler, Deb Marnocha, Beth Palmbach Nemecek, Jay McDonald, Tom Jadin and Andrew Dickson.

In the second row, from left, are Steve Rashid, Peggy Perkins, Sharon Kasper Adams, Jeni Brengle Giedd, Mike Zahn, Kevin Warmack, Ruth Hollinger Peters, Susan Meier, Chris Kulinski Kohal, Susan Palmer and Jane Butenhoff Beahm. In the back row, from left, are Bob Schmitt, Matthew Chelap, Royce Dunbar, Paul Canning, John Rohrs, Jeff Janson, Sandy Lundeen Meyers, Tim Beauchamp, Elizabeth Potter-Murray, Jon Helland, Julia Classen, Perry Page and Tom Vaubel.

2000s

June 24-26, 2005 5th Reunion, Class of ’00 Capt. Whitney Bildsten Berens ’00 of Colorado Springs, Colo., recently graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Mass. After completing her officers training in July, she will be a dentist for the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs.

1st Lt. George H. Johnson III ’00 of Dixon, Mo., is attending the chemical officers captain’s career course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Erin C. Meyer ’00 of Rhinelander, Wis., is doing group therapy with adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral problems at a day treatment program.

Joshua J. De War ’02 of Ripon, Wis., is the director of residence life at Ripon College.

Peggy J. First ’02 of Columbus, Wis., is a kindergarten teacher at Columbus Elementary School.

Amanda R. McDonald ’02 of West Bend, Wis., has just completed her master’s degree in Spanish and recently returned from Spain. She will be teaching the “Hispanic Theatre Workshop” in the fall at Ripon College.

Christina A. Abel ’03 of New York City was a media relations consultant at Merrill Lynch and is attending Syracuse University in central New York for her master’s degree in journalism.

Mark D. Nolan ’03 of Manawa, Wis., joined the Air Force in March and completed basic military training in May. He is stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss.

Jennifer A. White ’03 of Columbus, Ohio, has received the NASA Graduate Student Research

S P I T T E L L Z I E G E L B AU E R ’ 8 2 A P P E A R S O N “ T O D AY ” Retired television of the Marti Spitnews anchor tell Endowment Marti Spittell Fund, which Ziegelbauer ’82 contributes to found herself in help fund free front of the camcervical screening era once again and assistance for this March. After women in need at a surprise call Green Bay’s St. from NBC’s Mary’s Hospital.

“Today” show, Also, a foundaZiegelbauer was tion she started Marti Spittell ready for her will look at proZiegelbauer ’82 close-up. She viding similar was interviewed by a assistance in communities in “Today” producer for the and beyond the metro Green five-day series, “Slow Your Bay area.

Clock Down” with NBC “My advocacy work has Medical Contributor Dr. given me a true sense of purJudith Reichman. pose in life that I may not Diagnosed with cervical have found if I had not been cancer in November 1998, touched by cancer. It has Ziegelbauer has since been played a major role in my an advocate for awareness overall healing process,” says of the illness. She strongly Ziegelbauer in an interview encourages women to take with the New York Times in June 2003. Ziegelbauer was care of themselves, ask recently featured on the cover questions and have regular of the April 2004 issue of check-ups. She contends that women need to be edu- Women, a publication for and about women in northcated about their reproduceast Wisconsin. tive health. Since her diagIn addition to her foundanosis, she has been instrution activities and her public mental in the development

speaking about reproductive cancer, Ziegelbauer is honorary chairperson of “Unleash the Possibilities,” a capital fundraising campaign for the Fox Valley Humane Association in Appleton, Wis. She also serves on the boards of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Family Violence Center, and works with the local chapter of Zonta International, a global organization to advance the status of women worldwide.

Ziegelbauer describes herself in Women as a “professional fundraiser who works full-time with no pay. My father said there’s always someone who needs your help, and I try to do that everyday. I believe when we achieve success, no matter how you define it, you need to turn around and share with your community.”

Christy Olson ’06 Olson is a sophomore from West Bend, Wis., majoring in communication.

SUMMER 2004 51

Program Fellowship and will be carrying out her Ph.D. research at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Jennifer A. White ’03

Jacqueline M. Adams ’04 of Chicago is interning at the Environmental Protection Agency developing indicators for all of the cobblestone and bedrock beaches along the shores

of the Great Lakes.

Nyong H. Atkins ’04 of Columbus, Ohio, is a student services associate at Hondros College, a real estate school in Columbus.

Kristen M. McCullough ’04 of Bethesda, Md., is a client services representative with Student Horizons Inc., in Washington, D.C. She will interface with college clients in the Midwest in e-communications initiatives.

Rebecca J. Perkins ’04 of Platteville, Wis., is an office manager at the Northeast Iowa School of Music in Dubuque.

Marriages marriages Brian G. Sterr ’04 of Kent, Wash., is with the

Judith Du Frene ’65 to Bill Hall, Jan. 4. Now in California and Minnesota, Judy has retired from teaching.

James M. Garden III ’85 to Lisa Tucker, December 2003. Now in Radford Va., James is working on his master’s thesis in architecture at Virginia Tech.

Christine Phillips ’93 to John Heskett, Dec. 20, 2003. Now in Park City, Utah, Phillips Chiropractic is starting its eighth year in business.

Catherine Wilson ’93 to Spencer Hallett, May 23.

Now in Cotuit, Mass., Catherine is director of artist development and marketing at SeaSound Recording Studios in Sandwich.

John F. Leone ’95 to Stacey Ruscette, June 12.

Now in Deltona, Fla., John is a senior customer support engineer/field service specialist at PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences.

Mary Rose Gragido ’99 to Jeff Sivik, Sept. 6, 2003. Now in Valparaiso, Ind., Mary Rose is in Valparaiso University’s accelerated nursing program.

Timothy J. Reichwald ’00 to Miya Molaison, May 7. Now in Iowa City, Iowa, Tim received his juris doctorate with honors from Drake University Law School and is at the law firm of Betty, Neuman and McMahon in Davenport.

Leanne Stevenson ’01 to Jeremy Zirbel, July 26, 2003. Now in Burlington, Wis., Leanne is the

52 RIPON MAGAZINE

Class of 1984

In front, from left, are, Vicki Vicha Erickson, Desiree Swenson Strom, Ann Williams Lundberg, Connie Herbon Moser and Nancy Kennedy Johnson. In the second row, from left, are Mike Schulz, Gary Page, John Capper, Richard Carballo, Eric Lusty, Mike Galvan, Mark Sprague and John Woodard. In the back row are, from left, Tod Henderson, Christopher Lundberg, Mike Mulford, Mike Francolucci. At the picnic but not in the picture were R. Daniel Lee, Donna Reardon Golberg, Krist Enstrom and Bob Bechard.

head bank teller at State Financial Bank.

Emily Nelson ’02 to Stephen Urban, April 17.

Now in Fairfax, Va., Emily is starting six months of training for the U.S. Secret Service.

Nadezhda Stoyanova ’02 to Dennis Hall, Nov. 28, 2003. Now in Oklahoma City, Okla., Nadezhda is pursuing a degree in international business and marketing at Oklahoma City University.

Scott J. Bicknell ’03 to Stephanie Smith ’03, June 19. Now in West Bend, Wis., Scott is at Kohler Co. and Stephanie is a teacher in the West Bend School District.

Births births

Son, Nicholas Martin, adopted by George H. Long ’75 and his wife, Martie, of East Greenbush, N.Y., March 8. Nicholas was born Dec. 27, 2001, in Bulgaria. George is a chief hydraulics engineer for New York State Department of Transportation.

Son, Rhett Alan, to Mark S. Jonas ’85 and his wife, Drae, of Kaukauna, Wis., Dec. 3, 2003.

Mark is an English teacher and head football coach at Kaukauna High School.

Son, Maximilian Nelson, to George J. Zornada ’87 and his wife, Dore, of Acton, Mass., Feb. 17.

George is a partner with Kirkpatrick and Lockhart LLP, practicing investment management law.

Daughter, Morgan Kim, to James E. and Susan Vander Kinter Brown ’89/’89, of Westchester, Ill., Nov. 29, 2003.

Daughter, Sophia Nicole, to Dr. Nicole Balistreri-Garcia ’90 and her husband, George, of Yorba Linda, Calif., Jan. 3.

Daughter, Sophie Anne, to Michelle Ryan Bartlett ’91 and her husband, Russ, of Santa Ana, Calif., April 9.

Son, Noah John, to Steven B. and Elizabeth Kruse McCrary ’92/’92, of Sun Prairie, Wis., Feb. 3. Steven and Elizabeth continue to work at Covance Laboratories. Elizabeth is also a Creative Memories consultant.

Son, Jake Martin, to Penny Precour-Berry ’92 and her husband, Joseph, of Tomah, Wis., June 15.

Son, James Patterson, to Bret T. and Jennifer Hanson Reese ’92/’94, of Mequon, Wis., May 11.

Son, Aahil, to Vir Singh ’92 and his wife, Charu, of New Delhi, India, July 12.

Daughter, Keenan Catherine-Christine, to Christopher J. and Catherine Parnell Wylie

’92/’92, of Greendale, Wis., March 1. Christopher is the director of campus activities at Mt. Mary College.

Daughter, Chelsea, to Laura M. Schultz ’93 and her husband, Christopher Simons, of Pitman, N. J., May 27.

Daughter, Carly Renee, to Scott A. and Jennifer Luepke Young ’93/’95, of Arlington Heights, Ill., Dec.1, 2003.

Christopher J. Wylie ’92

Daughter, Cameron Nell, to Robert J. and Shelly Hein Schaefer ’94/’95, of Brownsville, Wis., April 21.

Son, Ashton John, to Kenneth J. and Denise Ramstack McGlone ’95/’95, of Appleton, Wis., Nov. 26, 2003.

Daughter, Meryem Mghouda, to Cynthia Jo

Class of 1989

In front, from left, are Susan Wagoner Wittren, Darlene Honie Loyer Gerick, Laura Wolf Storzer, Jodi Gibson and Kathryn Schultz. In the second row are, from left, Joel Anderson, Cal Bergman, Chris Hannes, David Luongo, James Girouard, Donald Koch, John Mathews and Jon Anderson. In the back row, from left, are Kristin Larson Besler, Alice Gallagher Archabal, Kathleen Hannes Cesario, Tobi Cawthra, Elizabeth “Scottie” Nichols Girouard, Susan Vander Kinter Brown, Tammy Liska Jahns, Tracy Unger, Everett Wood, Patrick Broeske and James Brown.

BERNIER ’94 HELPS BUILD L I B R A R Y, C O M M U N I T Y When Julie Soeldner Bernier ’94 became the director of the small public library in Rowley, Mass., a town 35 miles north of Boston with a population of 6,000, she knew what kind of impact the facility could have on the community.

“In a small town such as Rowley, the public library is really the only community center,” Bernier says. “So we are trying to build it up each day.”

And build the library up is exactly what Bernier, a native of Manitowoc, Wis., has done since taking the job in 1999.

Due largely to her efforts, Rowley opened the doors to a brand new facility last January. She helped write a construction grant that made Rowley’s one of 10 libraries to receive funding from the state in 2001. With additional funding from a town tax override in 1998, a total combined amount of $3 million was made available for construction of the new facility.

Phillip ’95 and her husband, M’barek Oubelkho, of Neenah, Wis., December 2003.

Daughter, Ella Kathyrn, to Karin Sand Weiss ’95 and her husband, Travis, of Oregon, Wis., Feb. 28.

Daughter, Courtney Lynn, to Andrew D. Vande Hey ’96 and his wife Maxine, of Kaukauna, Wis., Dec. 20, 2002.

Son, Tiernan James, to William C. Deppiesse ’98 and his wife, Danae, of Oshkosh, Wis., April 4.

Will is a commercial loan officer at First National Bank-Fox Valley in Oshkosh.

Son, Ryan Nicholas, to Megan Wolgamot Malvey ’98 and her husband, Michael, of Roseville, Minn., Dec. 8, 2003.

Son, Noah Lee, to Chad R. and Ami Stevenson Wangeline ’99/’99, of Fort Collins, Colo., Nov. 1, 2003. Chad works at a radiochemistry lab, and Ami is getting her doctorate in botany at Colorado State University.

Julie Soeldner Bernier ’94

Throughout the process, Bernier helped oversee the construction, updated local and state reports, organized the move from the former location to the new one and prepared staff to work in the new building. At the same time, she continued to maintain her day-to-day responsibilities of running the library.

“It was a tremendous amount of work,” says Bernier, who credits her Ripon education with giving her the tools to see the broad picture in any situation.

“But the best thing about the new building is how much busier the library has become,” she says.

After graduating from Ripon with a degree in history and elementary education, Bernier received her master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of Wisconsin in 1996.

Craig Sauer ’05 Sauer is a senior working toward majors in mass communication and history. He is from Columbus, Wis.

Obituaries obituaries

If you are aware of a Ripon College alumnus who has passed away please send that information along with a printed obituary from the paper to the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, Ripon College, P.O. Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971.

George John Hulka ’34 of Cedarburg, Wis., died June 29. He was a retired agent for Old Line Life Insurance Co. He also served as Cedarburg’s emergency government director in the ’60s. During World War II, he served in the Army and rose to the rank of colonel. He was a life member of the 40 & 8 Voiture and past commander and life member of the American Legion Rose-Harms Post

SUMMER 2004 53

Class of 1994

In front, from left, are Victor Grob and Don Roca-Dawson. Standing, from left, are Brittany Edwards, Rob Kahl, Doug Long, Kevin Pratt, Ashleigh Henrichs, Penny Larson Graham, Sara Holbach Kleckner, Carrie Camarato Brock, Jennifer Dunn, Brooke Tireman Konopacki, Lisa Sproston Sutter, Tracy Schmidt Plato, Jennifer Grenie, Joy Bortz Schleusner, Carrie Roca-Dawson, Jennifer Hanson Reese, Anna Greene Benjamin, Kathleen “Kim” Conroy and Todd Zarwell.

355 in Grafton. He had been a contributor to Ripon College for 39 years. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.

LABARBERA ’82 EARNS R E S E A R C H F E L L OW S H I P The national Medicine and Physician Assistant Science in Foundation has North named Dawn BenChicago, is a ning LaBarbera doctoral can’82 of Grayslake, didate in Ill., the recipient of organization the 2004 Breitand manageman-Dorn ment at Endowed Research Capella University in Fellowship.

Minneapolis.

The fellowship Dawn Benning Her thesis provides financial LaBarbera ’82 measured assistance to doctoral candidates who are vocational satisfaction making a contribution to within the PA profession research on the influence of and found PAs to be highly physician assistants (PA) in satisfied with their careers, medical care. PAs are specialty choices and jobs. licensed health professionals LaBarbera is a member who practice medicine as of the American Academy members of a team with of Physician Assistants, Illitheir supervising physicians. nois Academy of Physician The endowment encourages Assistants, Association of a commitment to research Physician Assistant Proin the PA profession. grams, Society of DiagnosLaBarbera, who serves tic Medical Sonographers, as research coordinator and American Registry of Radiassistant professor at Rosologic Technologists, Ameralind Franklin University of ican Institute of Ultrasound

54 RIPON MAGAZINE

in Medicine, and American Society of Radiologic Technologists. She was also a founding member and public relations/community service officer for the Northeastern Illinois Physician Assistant chapter.

She has taught numerous courses at the physician assistant program at Rosalind Franklin, lectured at various health conferences and supervised numerous masters’ theses. She is a member of various committees at Rosalind Franklin, including the faculty senate, faculty affairs committee and radiation safety committee.

LaBarbera also works part-time in a family practice office in Libertyville, Ill. She and her husband, Thomas, live in Grayslake with their two children, Michael and Danielle.

Ruth Patch Westhause ’34, of Ripon, Wis., died July 3. She was a retired piano/organ teacher, and also a retired Ripon High School English teacher.

She was a member of the Oshkosh Area Keyboard Teachers Association and the National Music Teachers Association. With her husband, the Rev. Erwin C. Westhause, she helped found Terrace Shores Church in Green Lake, Wis. She was a member of Plymouth Congregational Church in Oshkosh, Wis., and also attended Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Ripon. Survivors include a sister, Esther Patch Jones ’37 of 128 W. Elmwood Place, Minneapolis, MN 55419 and two stepsons.

Mary Eleanor Dickhut “Dickie” Wildes ’37 of Merrill, Wis., died Dec. 27, 2003. She was a retired teacher having taught in the Merrill Public Schools from 1960-80. She was Teacher of the year in 1979 in Merrill. Her career also included teaching assignments in Wisconsin in Tomah and Lincoln County Teacher’s College. She is survived by a daughter, Judy Esser of N2231 Rae Dr., Merrill, WI 54452.

Robert H. Casati ’42 of Columbia, Mo., died March 28. He was involved in continuing education with the University of Missouri Extension Service. He had attended Ripon before being drafted during World War II in 1941. He finished his degree in agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin. He is survived by his wife, Jane Casati of 206 Manor Dr., Columbia, MO 65203, two sons and a daughter.

Robert H. Dittberner ’43, of Columbus, N.C., died July 16. He was the retired vice president of Leggett and Platt Inc. He was a U.S. Army veteran and attended Congregational Church of Christ in Tryon. The Dittberners have established a Ripon College endowed scholarship. Survivors

include his wife, Jayne Blumenshine Dittberner ’45 of Tryon Estates, Apt. A204, 615 Laurel Lake Drive, Columbus, NC 28722 and one daughter.

band, Donald M. Duncan ’51 of 12321 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, MO 64145, a son and two daughters.

Ruth Ferdinandson Knuth ’45 of Mount Prospect, Ill., died in March. She was a homemaker and is survived by two daughters.

David L. Finley Sr. ’50 of Dunlap, Ill., died Feb. 18. He was a retired inspector for Caterpillar Tractor Co. He is survived by a son and three daughters.

Diana Starnes Duncan ’50 of Kansas City, Mo., died Dec. 25, 2003. She is survived by her hus-

Herbert P. Mahler ’50 of Mequon, Wis., died

MISSAK ’00 TEACHES AND REACHES HOMELESS STUDENTS The challenges of an ordinarily hectic elementary classroom can affect the most educated and patient of individuals. For Jodi Missak ’00 the everyday struggles of an ordinary elementary classroom are something to be desired.

Since 2002, Missak has been a kindergarten through second grade instructor at the Metropolitan Ministries Academy in Tampa, Fla. Metropolitan Ministries is a non-profit organization designed to help homeless, and those at risk of becoming homeless, by promoting dignity and instilling selfsufficiency. Missak’s students consist of homeless children who find themselves and their families temporarily living at the shelter.

In addition to ordinary challenges, Missak faces an experience unique to working with homeless children.

Most of her students have been homeless for more than half of their lives, and her class is comprised of students who have little or no previous schooling, says Missak in “The Works,” a University of South Florida St. Petersburg publication.

She says students often suffer from sleepiness and suppressed appetites due to the stresses of constant adjustment. Dealing with the

cation. Upon emotional graduation, she needs of homecompleted a less students teaching interncan be trying, ship, and then but, according worked at a prito academy vate school in administrator Florida with only Bonnie seven students.

Guertin, MisLooking to sak manages expand her expethe pressures riences, Missak beautifully. interviewed with “Jodi has a Jodi Missak ’00 Metropolitan very sweet and caring side. She’s nurturing Ministries in 2002. As an undergraduate, Missak had and she gives them love, hoped of being a child counand our kids really need selor, and she has found her that. Those kids adore her current position to be and that speaks volumes,” closely related. Teaching says Guertin.

Missak says she appreci- often in small groups and a hands-on atmosphere, Misates the chance to teach small classes and to be more sak contends that her individualized education at affectionate towards stuRipon enabled her to be dents than in a traditional school. The unique learning confident in this type of situation at the shelter lends teaching atmosphere. She says Ripon’s education parents the opportunity to department was successful become more involved in in preparing her to confront their children’s academic lives. The school has weekly tough issues surrounding underprivileged students parent meetings, and and untraditional encourages increasing classrooms. parental activity. “I think “I truly have seen many the rewarding part of my job families really come a long would be the feeling of way. …Some [parents] knowing I have played an important role in their fam- have even earned college ily’s transition to a life with- degrees. I feel proud that my work plays a role in that out homelessness. I am not kind of outcome,” says a typical teacher,” says Missak.

Missak.

Christy Olson ’06 At Ripon, Missak majored in French and edu-

July 13. He was the former president and CEO of Henri’s Food Products Co. and had been instrumental in helping Milwaukee host the Great Circus Parade for many years through his sizable financial support. He had also been a major donor to the Milwaukee Zoological Society having given that group $1 million in 1996 for the Mahler Family Aviary. He had attended Ripon for one year before transferring. He is survived by his wife, Nada, a son and four daughters.

Albert J. Loach ’52 of New Buffalo, Mich., died May 12. During his career, he had been a salesman with Hoerner Waldorff. He is survived by his wife, Bonita (Bonnie) Loach of 18626 Forest Beach Dr., New Buffalo, MI 49117.

Gertrude Powell Johnson ’53, of Yakima, Wash., died March 6. She was a retired real estate agent.

She was an Army officer’s wife volunteer, and a life-long bridge player who achieved the Life Master rating in the American Contract Bridge League. After settling in Yakima in 1971, she sold real estate for many years. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi for 31 years and held every office and chaired several committees. She was also a member of the United Christian Church. Survivors include her husband, Kenneth G. Johnson ’52 of 202 South 28th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902, two sons and one daughter.

Lidann Bruss of Dousman, Wis., a member of the college’s Parent Advisory Board, died July 11. She had been a teacher in the Mukwonago School District and had been on the Parents’ Board since 1998. She is survived by her husband, Terry, of 548 W 33286 Onisch Dr., Dousman, WI 53118 and two daughters: Terilyn Bruss ’02 and Meghan Bruss ’05.

Muriel Keipe of Ripon Wis., a retired head resident in Tri-Dorms, died July 23. She worked for the College as housemother and head resident in Tri-Dorms from 1969-79 and had previously worked for Fabriko in Green Lake as a shipping department supervisor. She was 96 years old. Survivors include a son, two daughters, great-granddaughters Michelle L. Mirr ’01 and Abigail R. Mirr ’05. The family has requested that memorial gifts be directed to Ripon College.

C. George Niebank Jr. of Gainsville, Ga., died July 30. He served as a Ripon College Trustee from 1977-86 and had served as chairman of the Illinois State Judiciary Inquiry Board from 197680. He was a Yale University graduate. He was commissioner of the newly-established U.S. Court of Military Appeals in 1952-53 before joining the law department of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Chicago where he worked until 1982 when he retired as senior vice president-law for Santa Fe Industries. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy “Tootie” Niebank, two sons, including Justin Niebank ’78, three stepsons and two daughters.

SUMMER 2004 55

the last word The Last LAUDING COMMUNICATING PLUS

I have just finished reading the entire article about the Communicating Plus program at Ripon and feel a great sense of relief. As I was reading, my husband (Jeff Nelson ’78) and daughter are attending summer orientation at Ripon.

My greatest worry for her in college is her writing skills … and she was reminded to talk to her advisor about this.

We were satisfied with her public education in a large high school, with the exception of English. We regret the decision to let her stay in “regular” English, rather than “Advanced Placement.” She has yet to write a substantial research paper!! We even had her take a college English prep course, but unfortunately, the class was interrupted by teacher illness and teacher training in a new form of discipline.

Now I feel that she should be able to get the assistance she needs for improving her writing skills — in what appears to be a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere! Again, I am reassured that Ripon was a great choice for her for college … and I look forward to her flourishing next year!

Katie Nelson P’08 Racine, Wis.

SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON TRACY HOUSE Wow, they sure work fast in Ripon!!!

I’m referring to the letter from John Jamrich ’43 and your response on the “Last Word” page of the spring issue of your magazine. You mentioned that Tracy House was located where the Horicon State Bank now stands. Unless they build buildings awfully fast, this statement could be in error. My wife and I went through Ripon during Thanksgiving break in 2003. The corner we looked at (across from Parkhurst) was a parking lot much as are the sites of Harwood and Duffy. I don’t remember the street names.

Maybe the red brick John picked up was from the fireplace? The exterior brick of Tracy was grayish white, and if 56 RIPON MAGAZINE

memory serves just a little bit, the exterior wood was painted gray. The only sorority or fraternity house with an exterior of red brick was Lyle. I hope some alumnus who lived at Tracy back in the ’20s, ’30s or early ’40s will verify this.

Bob Bierman ’42 West Allis, Wis. Editor’s Note: Tracy house was located at the corners of Ransom and Thorne streets, across from Parkhurst house. The parking lot to which Mr. Bierman refers belongs to the Horicon State Bank (formerly Valley State Bank and several other names). Or, perhaps he is referring to a parking lot one block west which belongs to the College and which is the former site of Harwood house.

WILLIAMS WAS RIGHT Don Williams’ “slight guess” on page 56 of the spring issue is a correct one.

The smiling professor in the middle background is William Harley Barber.

Jane Barber Emerson ’46 Emporia, Kan.

of conventional energy production. In that world, he and RMI have functioned as highly vocal critics. As noted by many active in developing conventional resources, Mr. Lovins’ and RMI’s criticisms have not been constructive. One should, indeed, examine Mr. Lovins’ and RMI’s advocacy to determine if “integrative design” and “savings” are its bases. Hopefully, Ripon College will take advantage of the connectedness Mr. Lovins extols to provide a forum for thinkers with a better grasp of the mix of conventional energy sources, alternative energy sources and conservation required to provide the world’s 21st century energy needs. Some likely candidates are Dr. John K. Sutherland of Edutech Enterprises, Canada and Dr. Daniel Yergin, president of Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Don Giegler ’58 La Jolla, Calif. d.giegler@alum.mit.edu

FRATERNITY ROUTINE, TOO ‘NOT AN INFLUENTIAL THINKER IN THE BROADER WORLD’ …

It was interesting to see Mr. Amory Lovins chosen as an honorary doctorate recipient at Ripon College’s 2004 commencement. Mr. Lovins may be an influential thinker in the realm of alternative energy sources and conservation, but he most assuredly is not an influential thinker in the broader world

I read with interest the letter from Cindy Springer about the “Spencer, Spencer, Spencer” routine. He was a member of Alpha Phi Omega in West Hall. We pledges had to run into the lounge and do that and run out swiftly.

How it got to a sorority ritual is beyond me. I have fond memories of my two years of pre-dental at Ripon.

John P. Costello ’52, DDS Sacramento, Calif.

What Do You Think?

Opinions expressed in the Ripon Magazine are those of the author or person interviewed. We’d like to hear what you think about college news and views. Letters must be signed and include an address and telephone number. They may be edited for length and clarity.

Send your letters to the Editor, Ripon Magazine, Office of College Relations, Ripon College, P.O. Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971.

Or, you may contact us via the Internet at BooneL@ripon.edu

ThankforYou your Wisdom and Generosity.

President David C. Joyce

This is an enlarged version of the pin presented to each new Benefactor of Ripon College.

Maymester in the

Wilderness

B

ob Wallace is not only an awardwinning biology professor, he’s also got a great eye for photography.

Wallace took these photos while on a Maymester course, “Ecology of the Boreal Forest,” at the Wilderness Field Station in northern Minnesota this spring. Above, Wallace captures a sunset while at right, Professor of Biology Skip Wittler, center, shows a pitcher plant to Alejandro Castillo ’06 of Oakland, Calif., left, and Robin Roecker ’06 of Mayville, Wis. They are standing on a floating sedge mat on the north end of Grassy Lake which is about one mile from the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Each year, Ripon offers a number of courses during a three-week period in May immediately following commencement. Other courses this spring included “Dimensions in Multiculturalism,” “Military History of World War II,” a trip to Germany and studying killer Robert Wallace photos whales off the coast of Washington state.

From the President A MYRIAD OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING, SERVICE, LEADERSHIP & RECREATION

A

fter completing my first year as president of Ripon College, I must confess that the time is passing much too fast. This campus is a vibrant community of scholars. Every day offers a myriad of opportunities for learning, service, leadership and recreation. I continue to be amazed at the dedication of our faculty, the engagement of our students and the loyalty of our alumni. Would there be 12 more hours to the day, I would still be hard pressed to take advantage of all the opportunities offered on our campus.

One of the greatest assets that helps to define Ripon and ensure our future is the college’s governing board. This body of 41 volunteers gives significantly in time, talent and resources to Ripon College. In addition to three annual meetings, numerous committee meetings and individual consultations, every single board member made a contribution to the Annual Fund for 200304 with a grand total approaching $1 million. Their total giving for all purposes to the College was approximately $2.4 million. I have served a number of institutions of higher learning over the past two decades. Without hesitation, I can attest that the Ripon College Board of Trustees is the most engaged of any with which I have had experience. Sam Pickard ’55, who shepherded the college through some very difficult times, capably led the Board for the last six years. Dena Willmore ’67, our first female board chair, succeeded Sam this year. I have been struck by Dena’s energy, vision and commitment to Ripon. I can assure you that the progress made under Sam Pickard’s watch will grow exponentially under Dena Willmore’s leadership.

R

ipon has a strong reputation largely based on the success of our alumni. We are fortunate that so many of our graduates have found success in their careers, family and in service to the nation and their communities. We have a reputation of educating leaders for public and private service. Our graduates have excelled in the arts and sciences.

As a testament to the strength of their educational experience, more than an average of 40 percent of our alumni have made a gift to their alma mater on an annual basis (nearly twice the national average) during the last 15 years. We recently recognized 14 new Benefactors who have made extraordinary gifts over their lifetime to Ripon College. Our alumni recognize that these gifts are investments in the future of deserving students, our future leaders. One of our recent graduates, Kristen McCullough ’04, comments: “Scholarships aren’t just about making college affordable,

though at Ripon it certainly makes a difference. Scholarships are about celebrating, about rewarding and recognizing achievement, and the willingness of Ripon to do such things for so many years means they understand the vital importance of that feat.”

We must continue to invest in our students.

R

ipon, like most extraordinary liberal arts colleges, faces many challenges. As president, I will have to address these challenges to unleash the almost unlimited potential of this institution.

■ We need to grow and stabilize our enrollment to a size that both guarantees the intimacy that is a hallmark of our educational program and, at the same time, will also allow us to pay competitive salaries to attract and retain the best faculty and staff.

■ We have to commit ourselves to one of our greatest distinctions, the community created by having a resident student body. This will require significant enhancements to our current student residence facilities as well as the development of independent living options (i.e., apartment-style housing).

■ Our classrooms and our library need to be upgraded to accommodate the best that a learning community can offer.

We have to preserve our historical facilities as a testament to our past. Our programs and facilities should reflect our commitment to environmental responsibility.

■ We need to ensure that capable students have access to the high-quality education offered at Ripon College regardless of true cost. This means that we have to significantly increase our endowed and annual scholarships.

■ We have a responsibility to incorporate ethical leadership into the fabric of our campus culture.

There is much to be done.

R

ipon College is fortunate to lay claim to a wonderful cadre of alumni, trustees, faculty and staff. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve Ripon at this sanguine time in history. I look forward to working with you to fulfill the aspirations of our community. I am excited about the possibilities. Our students deserve no less.

Dr. David C. Joyce President joyced@ripon.edu