MAGAZINE WINTER 2018
Our neighbors’ keepers: giving back
Helicopter pilot steers rescue missions
Catalyst students tackle research for social good
Many Ripon student-athletes have gone on to the pros W I N T E R 2018
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Winter 2018 VOLUME 51, ISSUE No. 1
RIPON COLLEGE SOCIAL NETWORKS facebook.com/ripon.college flickr.com/photos/ripon_college instagram.com/riponcollege linkedin.com/company/ripon-college twitter.com/riponcollege vimeo.com/riponcollege youtube.com/riponcollegevideo
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Ripon Magazine (ISSN 1058-1855) is published twice annually by Ripon College. Postage paid at Ripon, Wisconsin. Copyright © 2018 Ripon College POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ripon Magazine, 300 W. Seward St., Ripon, WI 54971
Ripon College prepares students
Editor: Jaye Alderson, email: AldersonJ@ripon.edu, phone: 920-748-8364 Editorial Assistants: Melissa Anderson ’02, Loren Boone, Ric Damm and Mike Westemeier Student Assistants: Lauren Hince ’18 and Mel Sohr ’18 Design: Ali Klunick Photography: Ric Damm Office of Constituent Engagement: 920-748-8126
citizenship. Our liberal arts
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of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible and sciences curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education.
Inside 4 W ILLMORE GETTING PLENTY OF USE Every corner of the new Willmore Center is showing constant activity. See the proof in our photo essay.
8 CATALYST RESEARCH PROJECTS As sophomore students prepare for Catalyst’s first Applied Innovation Seminar in the fall of 2018, they present research posters that are helping them develop their collaborative and problem-solving skills.
16 BILL QUISTORF TO THE RESCUE! Bill Quistorf ’80 is the chief helicopter pilot for an elite group of professionals and volunteers who come to people’s aid in eastern Washington.
22 ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES ON GIVING BACK Alumni share their favorite ways to give back to improve the quality of life in their own communities and places around the world.
28 PROMINENT PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES From the early 20th century through today, outstanding alumni from Ripon College sports teams have gone on to play with professional teams.
DEPARTMENTS : 26 Sports 32 Around the Clocktower 34 Remarkable Ripon ON THE COVER: Helicopter pilot Bill Quistorf ’80 hovers at 8,300 feet on Mount Goode in the Cascade Mountains, Washington state, in July 2013. The crew is hoist-inserting a helicopter rescue technician so he can make contact with a climber who has fallen and sustained serious injuries.
PHOTO: A prairie winter on the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy. Photo by Ric Damm.
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PRESIDENT
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ver the past generation, we have made a decision as a nation to lower taxes, reduce public spending and shift the burden of responsibility away from government and toward local communities. While I’ll save the discussion about whether this is a positive or negative development for a government class, it is, as they say, what it is. In Ripon, our faculty, staff, students and alumni have joined with committed citizens to step into the void. We are thankful for the Rotary and Kiwanis Club volunteers who pitch in to help clean up along our highways, the generous people who helped fund a K-9 dog for the local police department, and those who subsidized an educational trip for high school students to go to China. We applaud our own students who take the initiative to beautify Watson Street, volunteer at local senior citizen centers and devote their time at a local food pantry or an animal shelter. And we are thankful for everyone in the community who supports the College by supporting student scholarships, academic programs and the renovation of facilities — like the brand-new Willmore Center — that benefit the entire community. The spirit of giving back is part of what it means to be an American. The French essayist Alexis de Tocqueville, in his travels across the young Republic in the 1830s, wrote: As soon as several of the inhabitants of the United States have conceived a sentiment or an idea that they want to produce in the world, they seek each other out; and when they have found each other, they unite. From then on, they are no longer isolated, but a power one sees from afar, whose actions serve as an example; a power that speaks, and to which one listens.
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Twenty-five years ago, when I was a graduate student living in my hometown of Washington, D.C., I volunteered as a basketball coach for a group of fourthgraders at a Boys and Girls Club. Our team was called the Mighty Bison. And those kids taught me more about what it means to be a good citizen than I taught them about basketball. As the coach, I traveled to sections of the city I had never seen before and glimpsed what it was like to grow up less fortunate. This same spirit of giving back translates to our student body and the annual charitable activities of our fraternities and sororities. We are proud of our alumni, like Bill Quistorf ’80 and his helicopter rescue missions; Jennifer Lambrecht ’09 and Zev (Steven Bruce) Barnett ’88, who run programs to feed the homeless in their communities; and Helen Holter ’78, who has won Emmy Awards for her work profiling global health and understanding. Giving back, volunteering and helping those less fortunate are part of who we are and what we are about as an institution. Being a part of the Ripon community means that we are duty-bound to be “our neighbors’ keeper” in what we do today and hope to accomplish tomorrow.
ZACH P. MESSITTE, PRESIDENT
SAVE THE DATE
RALLY for
RIPON 18 HOURS
51 MINUTES
APRIL 25, 2018 5:09 A.M - TO MIDNIGHT
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Every square foot in use at Willmore Center! SINCE WILLMORE CENTER OPENED IN AUGUST 2017, THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED NEW SPACES IN THE ATHLETICS, HEALTH AND WELLNESS FACILITY HAVE SEEN ACTION BY SPORTS TEAMS, STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE GREATER RIPON COMMUNITY.
ABOVE Honorary Life Trustee Dena Willmore ’67 handles the ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the building that bears her name. RIGHT The main atrium of Willmore Center was filled with students, alumni, parents, faculty and friends for the Saturday morning ribboncutting ceremony.
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1. The Ripon College men’s basketball team plays Grinnell College Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in Weiske Gymnasium.
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2. Members of the Red Hawks football team, including first-year students Eric Hietpas of Little Chute, Wisconsin, Carlos Pittman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Tim Ladewig of Palos Heights, Illinois, were on hand for the Saturday morning ribbon-cutting celebration. The team debuted brand-new uniforms supplied by Ripon Athletic for the Homecoming game. 3. Female student-athletes wait for treatment in the Agnesian HealthCare Athletic Training Center. 4. Rally the Red Hawk engages fans at a women’s basketball game in Weiske Gymnasium.
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5 5. Associate Professor of Exercise Science and Chair of the Department Mark Cole teaches a class in one of the new classrooms inside Willmore Center. 6. The renovated dance studio has been transformed not only to provide ample space for the Red Hawks dance team to train, but also to provide an overhead projector and sound system for on-demand WellBeatsTM classes and regularly scheduled, instructor-led spin, yoga and other fitness classes. 7. A few female students work out on the Hopp-Gonring Fitness Balcony. 8. Children from the Journey Charter School in Ripon use the field house in Willmore Center. 6
MWC Indoor Track and Field to be held at Willmore The 2018 Midwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held Feb. 23 and 24 in the Field House of the newly renovated Willmore Center on the Ripon College campus. The 65,000-square-foot area is considered to be one of the best indoor tracks in the state of Wisconsin. It features the Doug and Audrey Lyke Memorial Track, a full 200-meter NCAA regulation indoor track; a 200-meter straightaway named in honor of former Red Hawks track star Dan Sutter ‘01; and the Ron ’70 and Loretta Law Peterson Performance Courts for competition basketball, volleyball and tennis.
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11 9. Ron Peterson ’70, chair of the Board of Trustees, presents Honorary Life Trustee Dena Willmore ’67 with a lifetime membership card to the building named in her honor. 10. Tom Boldt, CEO of The Boldt Company, addresses the crowd at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Willmore Center.
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11. Former Coach of Track and Field and Cross Country Robert Duley embraces Niki Gorske Sutter ’01. The straightaway of the track inside the Willmore Center field house is named in honor of Niki’s late husband, Dan Sutter ’01, a Ripon College Hall of Fame athlete and former coach. Dan died in 2013 at the age of 34 after a courageous battle with cancer. 12. Director of Athletics Julie Johnson shows Trustee Tom Abendroth ’81 around the suite of athletic offices named by his family to honor his grandfather, C.G. “Abe” Abendroth, Ripon College Class of 1920.
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CATALYST Y E A R
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Catalyst students tackle collaborative research
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1. Mya “Yupar” Oo ’20 of Myanmar points out a finding on her research poster. 2. Zea Woods ’20 of Hillsboro, Wisconsin, explains her group’s findings.
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sing research and creativity to address complex, real-world problems is a key component of Ripon College’s innovative Catalyst curriculum.
Students in “Democracy Counts” used mathematics and political science to investigate gerrymandering as it is practiced in the United States.
Through Catalyst courses, current sophomore students have been developing essential skills needed to work collaboratively and independently.
Instructors were Rebecca Matzke, associate professor of history and associate dean for faculty development; Mark Kainz, professor of biology and Catalyst curriculum director; Andrea Young, associate professor of mathematical sciences and special assistant to the president and liaison to the Board of Trustees; and Ed Wingenbach, vice president and dean of faculty.
In December, they presented professional posters demonstrating collaborative group research in preparation for the junior capstone project, the Applied Innovation Seminar. The collaborative group project addressed open-ended research questions using interdisciplinary approaches to guide their research and assemble an argument. It also gave students practice in solving problems and making decisions as a group. Students in “Bring Out Your Dead: Infectious Disease in World History” used biology and history to research one of two timely issues: predicting the next worldwide pandemic disease and its likely effect on society; and making a case for or against mandatory vaccination laws.
The students were able to demonstrate a well-developed ability to work collaboratively and creatively to solve problems that have value in the realworld. They also showed they have developed the necessary knowledge base to develop nuanced solutions to the tasks through approaches using at least two different disciplines.
3. Jillian Connors ’20 of Porter, Indiana, talks about her research. 4. Yixuan Feng ’20 of Ripon, Wisconsin, left, and Alaura Lemieux ’20 of Luck Wisconsin, talk with Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences Andrea Young. 5. Wyatt Thomas ’20 of New Berlin, Wisconsin, discusses his research. 6. Elizabeth Paur ’20 of Delavan, Wisconsin, talks about her group research. 7. Zaeem Kitsos ’20, of Inverness, Illinois, answers a question.
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This robust academic experience ties Catalyst studies to real-world applications, setting Ripon College students apart in the world of job applications.
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Ripon students give back to world community About 80 percent of Ripon College students donate thousands of hours per year to community service. Because of this commitment, Ripon College often has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Many students conduct individual acts of service, and many participate as an organized group on campus. Here we highlight some of the campus groups that donated service hours during recent semesters.
“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” THE REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
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Blue Mountain Project collaborates with the people of the Jamaican Blue Mountains to improve the region’s health, education and economy. On campus, Ripon College members also gave back by helping put up and take down decorations for Campus Christian Fellowship’s annual Christmas party. Each year, Ripon offers students an optional twoweek peace studies Liberal Arts in Focus course in the Hagley Gap District of Jamaica and also has provided staffing for five Blue Mountain Project back-to-school Fun Camps for youths in Hagley Gap. Sydney Radandt ’17 participated in her third trip to the Blue Mountains of Jamaica in January 2017. She is shown with a favorite student, Kasha, whom she grew to know very well during her trips. Radandt now is on the board of directors of the Blue Mountain Project, and she is a member of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and the Waukesha County Team at the James Madison Academic Campus.
The Red Hawks women’s basketball team participated in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Day of Service on Sept. 17. At the Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac, team members painted equipment, cleaned out garden beds, and fixed outdoor equipment.
Phi Kappa Pi fraternity. Members worked on highway cleanup; setups and takedowns for Student Life events and music performances; a cookie bake sale for charity; and leaf raking for area residents.
Volunteering at the Fond du Lac Children’s Museum: TOP: Molly Cullinane ’21 of Oak Park, Illinois, left; Josie Garrett ’21 of Birchwood, Wisconsin; and Renate Barker ’18 of Kenosha, Wisconsin. BOTTOM: Mikayla Hartman ’18 of Wittenberg, Wisconsin, left; Caitie Carpenter ’20 of Clintonville, Wisconsin; Laurissa Johnson ’19 of Little Chute, Wisconsin; and Eva Schaible ’19 of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Alpha Chi Omega sorority. The group held a dodgeball tournament to raise money for Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services in Oshkosh. They also volunteered hours at Christine Ann, cleaning out and organizing the garage, cleaning up the garden and raking leaves.
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Theta Chi fraternity cleaned a section of highway several times. Ten brothers helped prepare the Harvest Festival rummage sale at the Thrasher Opera House in Green Lake, including moving couches, chairs, desks and boxes of goods.
Love Your Melon is a national organization dedicated to putting a hat on every child battling pediatric cancer and raising funds for pediatric cancer research. This is the Ripon crew’s third year on campus. Fall projects included Spread the Warmth, where more than 80 volunteers made 114 tie blankets for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; and Be the Match Swab Drive, to encourage people to join the bone marrow registry. In the photo above, Love Your Melon celebrates a successful conclusion to Spread the Warmth.
The B.R.O. (Brothers Reaching Out) Mentorship Program is for black male college students of all class standings. Their service included holiday decorating at the Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac and partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Carlos Pittman ’21 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, left; and Ermias Woldu ’19 of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, carry in holiday decorations at the Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac.
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Members of Circle K, the collegiate branch of the Kiwanis Club, participated in: • Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast. • Storybook project at Green Lake County Correctional Facility. • Decorating holiday cards for Prairie Place Assisted Living. • Playing games and socializing with residents of Prairie Place Assisted Living. • Making dog toys for a local animal shelter. • Decorating children’s socks for Ronald McDonald House. • Gift wrapping for local Giving Tree. • Partnering with Campus Christian Fellowship for a spring service trip for hurricane relief.
R-Paw, Ripon People for Animal Welfare, held a fundraiser to help animals impacted by Hurricane Harvey, and donated the proceeds to the Humane Society of the United States. R-Paw also sponsored a pet costume contest to raise funds for the Green Lake Area Animal Shelter.
In the photo below, Riley Pennington ’21 of Lake City, Minnesota,left; Kayla Furlano ’20 of West Bend, Wisconsin; Kaitlin Hutchinson ’21 of Sturtevant, Wisconsin; and Maeve Kim ’21 of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, serve food at the Ripon Noon Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast during Septemberfest.
Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Members worked at the Ronald McDonald House in Wauwatosa where they served meals to families and prepared bag lunches for long trips from the hospital. They also collected food for Ripon’s Community Food Pantry. Individual sisters volunteered at elementary schools and served at the food pantry. From left, above, are: Tenzin Tsephel ’18 of Madison, Wisconsin; McKenna Meza ’19 of Waupaca, Wisconsin; Sierra Tireman ’20 of Douglass, Kansas; Haylee Conradt ’19 of Shiocton, Wisconsin; and Caileigh Campbell’19 of Hartland, Wisconsin.
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OUTSTANDING ALUMNI
On the road again — and again — with Vikki Bleise ’73 14
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VIKKI BLEISE ’73 Vikki Bleise ’73 of St. Paul, Minnesota, is one dedicated volunteer, especially to Ripon College — and she isn’t even an “official” graduate. She attended from 1969 to 1971. “I suspect that I hold the pleasure of being the only non-graduate of the institution to have served as president of the Alumni Board,” Bleise says. “I did receive a citation a few years ago that made me an official honorary member of the class of ’73. It hangs right next to my B.A. diploma from the University of Minnesota. It means more to me than the diploma!” Bleise served on the Alumni Board for 13 years, the Board of Trustees for 18 years, attended numerous special events and meetings in Ripon, was a volunteer phone caller, organized area meetings and served as host to Career Discovery Tour participants. She drives to campus four or five times a year, 275 miles one way or 550 miles roundtrip. That totals somewhere between 68,200 and 85,250 miles in lifetime Ripon travel — thus far. Because the circumference of the equator is 24,901 miles, Bleise estimates that her trips to Ripon are the equivalent of three times around the equator. “Makes your head spin ...,” she says. She also notes that there are only four stoplights between her house and checking
in to her hotel in Ripon: two from her house to the interstate, one at Montello just 28 miles from Ripon, and one at the corner to turn in to the hotel. Oh, OK, if she goes all the way to campus, there is another one. Bleise has been on every continent except the Antarctic; attended five different academic institutions; and met two U.S. presidents in the same year — Jimmy Carter while she was working on a national Habitat for Humanity project and George H. Bush at the ATT Leaders Council recognition dinner in San Juan. Bleise served as a client business manager at AT&T for 30 years and also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, Rotary, Books for Africa and her church.
The Victoria Bleise ’73 Fund for Student Health and Well-Being last year helped support the purchase of supplies for the Red Shoe campaign for sexual assault awareness; the popular fall giveaway of apples to students to promote healthy eating; a wellness program about emotional health; and Student Life division attendance at first-year Catalyst courses focusing on sexual consent and alcohol abuse.
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Ripon alumnus to the rescue! Bill Quistorf ’80 puts his own safety on the line to help save others
Bill Quistorf ’80 of Everett, Washington, first entered a helicopter at the age of 18. To pay for his education, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and worked as a helicopter repairman. This experience would shape the rest of his life and eventually impact the lives of many others. Today, Quistorf is the chief rescue pilot of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in Washington state. His team received the 2015 Golden Hour Award — a prestigious international recognition commending an organization for its lifesaving rescues. He also recently was granted an honorary membership in the Everett Mountain Rescue Organization.
The Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team responds to more than 80 calls per year in terrain ranging from urban areas to the most remote sections of the Cascade Mountains. They help in locating missing children, lost Alzheimer’s patients, overdue hikers and rafters, people trapped by flood waters, and injured climbers and skiers. The team is made up primarily of volunteers who purchase most of their own equipment and often pay for their own specialized training. Quistorf began as a volunteer pilot for the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team and, in 2000, was appointed the chief pilot, attending the
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Law Enforcement Academy to become a commissioned officer for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. At Ripon, Quistorf majored in art and participated in theatre, music and dance, and worked with College Days and Parallax. He was a member of ROTC, which he completed early because of his previous military experience. During his senior year, he was the detachment commander for Ripon’s National Guard unit. After graduation, he served for 16 years in the U.S. Army as an active duty officer and helicopter pilot, instructor pilot and aviation unit commander. “My military experience as a commander and flight instructor allowed me to come into the Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit and develop and implement a training program 18
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from the ground up,” Quistorf says. “When I arrived, no formal training for flight standardization was in place. Being able to think creatively, seek input from others, gain consensus, put a plan in place and then carry out that plan are invaluable skills that anyone can gain from an education at Ripon.” Quistorf has participated in numerous rescues. In March 2014, his team rescued seven people in Oso, Washington, from the United States’ largest and most deadly landslide. He briefed Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, Washington senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Gov. Jay Inslee. That day, he also met then-President Barack Obama. “I informed them about aviation response involving our regional partners and the
federal agencies and military aviation units. “We meet regularly and conduct joint training and air operations throughout the year,” he says. “This group was recognized by the Department of Homeland Security and presented the national Outstanding Regional Partnership Award in 2010.” His favorite part of his job is working with highly trained, elite, mountain-climbing volunteers in Search & Rescue. “They donate a tremendous number of hours to train in the complex tasks involved in mountain rescue,” he says.
importance of maintaining the federal surplus equipment program, which is how we acquired our county helicopters,” he says. His team also rescued a rock climber holding onto the shear side of a mountain 5,000 feet in the air; and they have conducted a nighttime rescue of an injured climber, stranded on a 7,000-foot-mountain under turbulent wind conditions. One such dramatic rescue can be viewed at ripon.edu/quistorfrescue. In 2004, Quistorf helped establish and now chairs Northwest Regional Aviation, a statewide consortium of local, state and
able to meet world leaders and fascinating people through those jobs. “Many professors at Ripon took a personal interest in students’ progress. That personal attention and the small class sizes make Ripon stand out from so many other colleges. I feel fortunate to have experienced life at Ripon and thankful for the opportunities that came forth after graduation because of that experience.”
“The part of the mission I enjoy most is determining the best and safest way to extract someone who is injured or stranded on a mountain. Time is of the essence due to fuel restraints, so organizing the rescue takes all our concentration, experience and skills. We evaluate the scene, discuss the options and then agree on the rescue plan. There are some tense moments during the rescue; we are relieved when the subject is on board and we are headed back.” Quistorf credits his time at Ripon with the tremendous opportunities that have come his way. “I grew up in a blue-collar town and was the first in my family to obtain a degree,” he says. “That degree, coupled with my ROTC training, allowed me to enter a career in aviation and to live in many different parts of the world. I had many exciting jobs in aviation, and I have been W I N T E R 2018
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OUTSTANDING ALUMNI
Feeding the hungry 20
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them have physical issues or mental issues. They are not equipped to deal with the normal way of living — but they’re humans. We can’t box them off them into a corner.” Raised in a Jewish community, Barnett was taught from an early age to help others. “There’s a basic tenant of our religion, Tikkun Olam, or ‘repair the world,’” he says. “That’s a theme that came up over and over again in school and as an adult. In our community, it was very standard to do projects to help other people.”
Sandwiches address local hunger For six years, Zev (Steven Bruce) Barnett ’88 has helped the hungry and disadvantaged in Denver, Colorado, through his nonprofit The Peanut Butter Plan (peanutbutterplan.org). “I understand why people don’t want someone laying on the doorstep of their business, but the answer isn’t to push them down another block,” Barnett says. “Most of
One of Barnett’s first projects was bringing meals to homebound seniors. In Denver, he and volunteers began to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, as many as they could carry, and went out into the city to feed those in need. The Peanut Butter Plan has outgrown five venues and now operates in a large Denver synagogue. For each event, thousands of sandwiches are put together by hundreds of volunteers, including community members, Boy Scouts, Brownies, Mormon groups, National Honor Society members, school
Lambrecht’s donation-based business, Pastry it Forward, is achieving that. “I don’t think I could necessarily pinpoint exactly when I started baking,” she says, “but a general time would be — my whole life! My mom owned a deli and catering business when I was young, so a lot of my memories are of cooking and baking.”
Sweet pastries show love and compassion “I really enjoy the happiness and gratitude people have because you can’t be sad when you’re holding a cupcake or cookie,” says Jennifer Lambrecht ’09 of Cottage Grove, Oregon. “I don’t think any amount of money could give me the same type of satisfaction.”
After moving to Oregon in 2014, she was inspired by people’s reactions after a shooting at Umpqua Community College. “Personally, I was not affected,” she says, “but when I saw the outpouring of community support throughout an entire state for this single tragedy, I could not turn my back. So I guess, in reality, it gave me the final push to put my pastry plan in action — what better way to raise spirits than with cookies?” Lambrecht aspires to make Pastry It Forward as helpful and charitable as possible, and soon will rely almost completely on donations, with negotiable prices and flexible hours. Part of her proceeds are donated to client-chosen local and
children and their parents. Barnett has to manage hundreds of volunteers, budget for their resources and face obstacles such as a recent “camping ban,” prohibiting people from lying down in public. This legislation has led to complications for many charities as homeless people are pushed away from services and into dark alleys and riverbanks. The group recently launched The Bag Lady Project, which supplies bags with toiletries and other comforts; and in the winter, they give away hand warmers, coats, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, thermal socks, gloves and hats. “Homelessness and hunger are very real issues,” Barnett says. “Generally, 99 out of 100 times, when we give someone something they say, ‘Thank you, God bless you.’ That’s the standard answer from these people. We are making a difference, people expect us, they know us.” MEL SOHR ’18 OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN
community causes, such as Relay for Life, the police, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and community schools. A donation-based business may not be lucrative, but Lambrecht’s goal was never money. “Our riches (will) come from bettering the community we live in, hopefully inspire others to do the same (and) to show people that volunteer work can be fun, smiles are contagiously moodaltering, and giving without the expectation of repayment is extremely satisfying.” And food is a perfect way for her to bring happiness and compassion to others. “Food is one of the best ways to show you care for someone,” she says. “Food knows no barriers, and it reaches everyone in an amazing way. No matter what the meal is, we recognize the time and care that was put into home-cooked meals or treats. With no words necessary, it says, ‘I love you, and you deserve a happy belly.’” MEL SOHR ’18 OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN
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ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES
How do you give back — and why? “Ripon College prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship.” From supporting our alma mater to making life better in their own communities and around the world, Ripon College alumni are generous with their time, talents and resources. They truly act as our neighbors’ keepers.
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“I usually say ‘making a difference’ rather than ‘giving back.’ I joke about being more than 100 board years old as a result of serving concurrently on so many boards.
Al Pach ’74 in Nepal in the summer of 2017, while doing research study on antibiotic resistance and finishing two monographs on Hindu clan histories. Al Pach III has worked on infectious diseases and vaccine introduction in developing countries for 25 years and now is finishing a master’s of divinity program at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He is studying theology, psychology and religion, and working in faith formation for individuals and communities. “I find working in pastoral care in communities and hospitals entails caring for the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of people who are seeking a deeper meaning in life and in difficult situations. Caring for those in need and seeking to realize a deeper voice of God in my life is also part of my faith journey. I find whatever religion you draw on to relieve suffering and make a better society entails a profound ethics and spirituality.” Al Pach ’74 Summit, New Jersey
“In my community, I have served as a member of numerous boards (village, zoning, planning, school, historical society), as well as various civic committees. Perhaps my most rewarding role has been as a founding member and (still) president of a spiritual-based retreat house. We help 1,500 people per year cope with life’s challenges, particularly those who are in recovery. “For the past 40-plus years, I have had a sign posted by my desk (shown above) that I look at every day. It’s just a personal challenge to me to see if I can ‘make a difference’ today. The sign also reminds me that I may have to wear multiple hats to make that difference. While I am certainly not always successful, I have to try.” Paul Jakstas ’62 Ingleside, Illinois
Mara Evans has taken two trips with Doctors Without Borders to South Sudan. She is a midwife and in the doctoral program at Johns Hopkins University. “Caring for women is a privilege in any country as the health of a woman has far-reaching consequences for herself, her children, her family and her community. … Teaching local midwives about lifesaving skills and medications provides sustainability of medical care making childbirth safer for women in low-resource communities. … People and kindness always make the difference in giving back.” Mara Evans ’07 Madison, Wisconsin W I N T E R 2018
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ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES
Jane Steffen Kolakowski teaches reading and writing to immigrants and is a courtappointed special advocate for foster kids. “I give back because I feel validated as a human being when I help others. I love the thought that the service I provide people and the knowledge they gain can never be taken away from them.”
Jim and Susan Ritter Kalanges help provide a good meal and conversation to street people in south Richmond, Virginia. “I enjoyed talking to some of these folks and hearing their stories — they have not lost their dignity or hope that tomorrow will be a better day,” Susan says.
Jane Steffen Kolakowski ’73 Fredericksburg, Virginia
Jim Kalanges ’61 Susan Ritter Kalanges ’63 Chester, Virginia
Gary and Jean Kirkpatrick Lederer are guardian ad litem volunteers, serving as the voice of children in dependency court in southwest Florida.“We are finding it interesting, challenging and rewarding,” Jean says. “We feel good about doing it and are hoping that we are helping these children during a very difficult and stressful period in their lives.” Also, Jean and a friend have been raising money since 2007 to send a group of children in Swaziland to a private school. “We started with 12 children and are down to six who are nearing the end of high school. Our hope is their education will provide them with a better future.” Gary Lederer ’72 Jean Kirkpatrick Lederer ’73 Estero, Florida 24
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David Bardwick and his wife, Amita, created and support a free Montessori School for 60 children in the heart of a slum in Old Delhi, India. “We have seen hundreds of children’s lives transformed, coming from the worst of circumstances and becoming bright, accomplished young people. Simply by expressing their joy of being at school, they return tenfold our gift of the opportunity to come to this exceptional Alpha Montessori School. We can’t help but see where we can lend a hand and act, be it in our neighborhood or somewhere across the world. To relieve suffering, give love and hope is its own reward. It is not really about giving back, it is about sharing what we have.” David Bardwick ’72 Escondido, California
Dave and Linda Tracy Fonda ’70 of Freeport, Illinois, participate in two annual cycling events in Freeport and in Monroe, Wisconsin, and have raised more than $15,000 to assist cancer patients in their area.
Helen Billet Warren participates in an English conversation class for international visitors. A recent class included individuals from Brazil, Spain, El Salvador, Korea, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. “The reason I volunteer for this and other projects is purely selfish,” Helen says. “It keeps me active and involved in the community, and I get to interact with really interesting people.”
Andrew Limouris is CEO of Medix, a staffing firm. He donated the first month’s proceeds of his first book, Won with Purpose, to the CHASE Your Dreams program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, providing healthcare learning opportunities to high school students from nearly 30 underserved Chicago public high schools. Medix supports 20,000 Kids, providing workforce support and mentorship to students; and mentors children in an orphanage in Sierra Leone, Africa. “We’re an organization focused on corporate social responsibility.”
Helen Billet Warren ’54 State College, Pennsylvania
Andrew Limouris ’94 Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Phyllis Schaffer Kraft ’58 of San Antonio, Texas, spent 52 years doing Christian service in South Africa with her husband, Richard Kraft ’58, who served in ministry and received Ripon’s Distinguished Alumni Citation in 2005. They went to South Africa during the heat of apartheid and worked toward desegregation.
“Despite the fact I dropped out at far too young an age to get married, I still make an annual gift to Ripon because I am a staunch believer in the merit of a liberal arts education. My two years at Ripon gave me a foundation for my professional work as well as my role as a wife, mom and grandma.” Abby Carlstrom Humphrey ’66 Denver, Colorado
“(I) mentor public relations and marketing majors and students who want to also enter the world of show business, the nonprofit world and special events. Since I have been involved in more than 2,500 fund-raising events throughout the United States and in seven foreign countries, I feel that I am well-qualified to help guide these students on their chosen careers. During the past 50 years, I have used at least two interns per semester and these have come from schools such as UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount, Mira Costa, San Diego State, UCSD and the University of Montana.” David Mirisch ’59 Westlake Village, California
Ed Siebel ’60 of Balboa Island, California, advocates for children with developmental disabilities to receive services they need and are legally entitled to from local school districts. Disabilities include autism spectrum, ADHD, processing problems such as dyslexia, and impairments in hearing, speech, cognition and motor acuity.
“I have enjoyed getting involved in my new community of Aiken, South Carolina, by taking an active role in two organizations: SCORE (the volunteer arm of the Small Business Administration); and Public Education Partners, a nonprofit that supports the local country public schools. “My dad was in SCORE in Appleton, Wisconsin, after he sold his restaurant. It was his way of helping the Fox Cities grow. I’ve found doing the same here in Aiken has been rewarding for me and for our community. … I’ve gone from initially being retired with a lot of time on my hands to being almost too busy these days. As one of my professional volunteer colleagues says, ‘We had 25,000 wake-ups to learn all of this stuff and only about 3,600 wake-ups left to share it with others.’”
Ray Besing ’57 of Deerfield Beach, Florida, is an internationally known trial attorney with more than 35 years of experience in the fields of telecommunications and antitrust law. In 2009, he founded The Kibera Centre for Legal Aid & Human Rights, a free legal aid clinic in the impoverished Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya.
Nicholas P. “Chip” Retson ’69 Aiken, South Carolina
For Ripon College, he has donated gift certificates and gift cards to motivate Phonathon students, and included the College in his will. “I am in the top four of the largest donors to Ripon from the Class of 1971, even though I flunked out in my second semester at Ripon. (That was my fault, NOT Ripon’s). This is what I do, and I thank Ripon for helping to make me the person I am today.”
Adam Weiss is associate director of the Guinea Worm Eradication Program at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. From once plaguing about 3.5 million people in 21 countries in Africa and Asia, today the end of Guinea worm disease is in sight. “I view contributing to society an explicit human responsibility, a worldview reinforced by the family and community values of a good Wisconsin upbringing! … I am honored to be surrounded by trailblazers who inspire, challenge and support me in a quest to make the world a little better than how we found it. Call it paying it forward, building good karma or being just and fair, working for humankind is less about what you do and more about how you treat the people around you, including those we try to assist.”
Dale Abrams ’71 Fairfax Station, Virginia
Adam J. Weiss ’03 Atlanta, Georgia
Dale Abrams generously shares financial resources with his local high school from which he graduated 50 years ago; a local elementary school; and Children of Tibet Trust Foundations, for which he serves as chairman of the board.
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Being a student-athlete takes a certain level of dedication. Being a two-sport studentathlete takes twice that commitment. Senior Jonalee Elliott has shown the ability to succeed at doing just that, earning Academic All-Conference honors in both basketball and volleyball.
DEDICATION SPARKS SUCCESS IN ATHLETICS, GIVING BACK
“Time management is my ultimate tool for having a successful student-athlete experience,” Elliott says. “By learning to manage time accordingly, I’m able to accomplish all of my goals.” Recruited to play basketball for the Red Hawks, Elliott thought long and hard about trying out for the volleyball team prior to her junior year. After recording just 51 kills in her first year with the program, Elliott exploded for a teamhigh 261 kills as a senior. That helped Ripon reach the MWC volleyball tournament for the second time in three years. Elliott also has played a key role on Ripon’s women’s basketball team, leading the program to two consecutive trips to the conference tournament. The team burst out with success this season. As of early February, Ripon had recorded the longest winning streak in the MWC (eight games) and the fourth longest in Ripon’s women’s basketball history; and was in first place in the conference standings at 10-1. Elliott is contributing to that achievement. She was leading the MWC in blocked shots per game (1.7), which ranks in the top 100 in Division III. She has had at least one block in 15 of Ripon’s 19 games at that point in the season, and she had recorded 121 blocked shots for the season.
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“SPENDING TIME WITH THE SAME PEOPLE EVERY DAY, WHO ARE MAKING THE SAME SACRIFICES, REALLY HELPS TO MAKE A CONNECTION ON A DEEPER LEVEL. BEING A TWO-SPORT ATHLETE ALSO HAS TAUGHT ME TO NEVER GIVE UP AND GIVE EVERYTHING I HAVE.”
FALL SPORTS UPDATES
• ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT: NCAA Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative for November, for outstanding diversity-related projects, programming and initiatives, received, in part, for providing a safe zone training seminar for its coaches, athletics trainers and student-athletes.
• ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: offensive lineman Jacob Diny ’19 for football; and goal keeper Miye Aoki-Kramer ’20 for women’s soccer.
• FOOTBALL: Team finished 5-5, including
“Spending time with the same people every day, who are making the same sacrifices, really helps to make a connection on a deeper level,” Elliott says. “Being a two-sport athlete also has taught me to never give up and give everything I have.” Earlier this season, Elliott broke Ripon’s women’s basketball school record for career blocked shots. She also holds the school record for single-season blocks. “Seeing how excited my teammates, family and friends were when I broke the career record was the best recognition I could have ever received,” Elliott says. “Without any of them, it would have just been my name in a record book, but they all made it memorable.” As a psychobiology major from Shiocton, Wisconsin, Elliott is thinking about what life after Ripon College will hold for her. “I know that working with the mentally ill will definitely be part of my journey,” Elliott says. “I have always had a passion for helping others, and I’m curious about how the brain functions and how it affects an individual’s mental stability. That led me to my major, which creates the best of both worlds.” Another thing that makes Elliott’s college experience a well-rounded one is her
involvement in community service activities, including the Storybook Program at the Green Lake Correctional Facility. “The Storybook Program allows me to sit oneon-one with an inmate and record him or her reading a children’s book. I then send a DVD of the recording and the book that they have read to the family for their children,” Elliott says. “This helps children and inmates stay connected even through difficult times during imprisonment, and truly hits a sense of giving back because the inmates are grateful that we take time out of our day to help them stay in touch with their family.” With graduation rapidly approaching, it’s safe to say that Ripon College has helped make Elliott into the person she is today. “Ripon College has pushed me to my limits and made me realize that I can succeed in anything I put my mind to,” Elliott says. “It has given me a sense of belonging and has shown me what career path is the best fit for me. Ripon has given me friendships and experiences that will be remembered forever.”
winning their final three games. AllConference: defensive lineman Brandon Bartel ’18 and defensive back Lane Barnes ’20 were first-team selections; and quarterback Julian Patton ’21, offensive linemen Jem Rein ’19 and Jacob Diny ’18, defensive lineman Vince Stensrud ’18 and linebacker Hunter Gruenwald ’18 were second-team selections. Ripon’s football team defeated Lawrence for the 18th consecutive season to retain the Doehling-Heselton trophy given to the game’s winner annually since 1987.
• MEN’S SOCCER: Midwest Conference’s Sportsmanship Award, identified by league coaches.
• WOMEN’S SOCCER: All-Conference: Paige Pierce ’20 and Claire Schaible ’18 were named to the second team. The team finished 10-7, their fifth 10-win season in six years.
• VOLLEYBALL: Middle blocker Kat Kulas ’18 was named First Team All-Conference and helped Ripon advance to the MWC Tournament for the second time in three years. To watch Red Hawks games online, go to portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon.
MIKE WESTEMEIER DIRECTOR OF SPORTS INFORMATION
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Ripon’s standout student-athletes who went on to the pros Ripon College has had a proud history of standout student-athletes. The Ripon College Athletic Hall of Fame, established in 1979 by the Alumni Association Board of Directors, recognizes alumni and coaches who distinguished themselves in Ripon athletic programs. Other high-achieving student-athletes have been selected as Academic All-Americans, Academic All-Conference, All-Americans and All-Conference, and as major award finalists. Aris Wurtz ’12 won the 2012 Jostens Trophy, a national award recognizing basketball ability, academic ability and community service. A select number of Ripon College student-athletes have gone on to play with professional teams.
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LYNN WALES “TUBBY” HOWARD ’19 played 12 games for two seasons in 1921-22, making seven starts for the Green Bay Packers. He died in 1969.
WALTER JOHN “WALLY” SIEB ca. ’24 played two games in 1922 as a running back for the Racine Legion in the National Football League. He died in 1974.
BERNARD “BOOB” DARLING ’26 played 36 games in 1927-32, starting 16 as a center for the Green Bay Packers, and was a member of the NFL Championship teams in 1929, 1930 and 1931. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1970. He died in 1968.
CHARLES PATER “CHARLEY” MATTHYS ’22 played 52 games in 1921-26, making 49 starts as a running back for one season for the Hammond Pros and as quarterback and kicker for five seasons for the Green Bay Packers. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1977. He died in 1983.
GEORGE GLENNIE ’25 played five games in 1926 for the Racine Tornadoes, making one start as an offensive lineman. Formerly called the Racine Legion, the professional team was a member of the National Football League from 1922-24. Glennie died in 1998.
VINCENT LYLE “COWBOY” WHEELER ca. ’22 played five seasons with the original Green Bay Packers football team. He started in 1919, two years before the team joined the National Football League. From 1921-23, he played 22 games, starting 10 as an end. He died in 1939.
CHAMP C. SEIBOLD ’35 played 59 games in 1934-42, making 22 starts as an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cardinals. He was a member of the Packers’ championship teams in 1936 and 1939. He died in 1971. W I N T E R 2018
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MILBURN RUSSELL “TINY” CROFT ’42
KERMIT “DOC” WEISKE ’50
CHARLIE RUTKOWSKI ’60
was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets, then a National Basketball Association team. He played semi-pro and pro basketball before turning to coaching at Fort Atkinson (Wisconsin) High School and Ripon College. He died in 2016.
was a first-year rookie as a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills in 1960 and for the Boston Patriots (now New England Patriots) in 1961. He later coached high school football and track in Round Lake and McHenry, Illinois, and Valders, Wisconsin. He died in 2013.
DAVE SMITH ’59
JACK ANKERSON ’64 (left)
Between 1960 and 1964, he was drafted by the Packers, played for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (now Tennessee Titans) as a running back and fullback and named First Team All-Pro during his rookie season. He was a member of the AFL’s first two championship teams in 1960 and 1961; and selected by Sporting News as the first All-AFL fullback in 1960. He later was a scout for the Buffalo Bills.
was drafted by the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals as a quarterback. He spent the rest of his career as an executive with the American Basketball Association’s Kentucky Colonels, San Antonio Spurs and Virginia Squires minor league baseball team; Hampton Roads Mariners, United Soccer League; Norfolk Tides, minor league baseball team; Hampton Roads Admirals of the East Coast Hockey League; and Hampton Roads Sports Commission. He has been a sports broadcaster for nearly two decades.
was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1942. For the Green Bay Packers, he played 51 games in 1942-47, making 11 starts as an offensive lineman. He died in 1977.
THEODORE “TED” SCALISSI ’47 played 10 games in 1947, making one start as a running back, for the Chicago Rockets of the All-American Football Conference. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1947. He also played for the Oshkosh All-Stars in the National Basketball League (now the National Basketball Association) in 1947-48. He died in 1987. 30
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Photo courtesy of the Tennessee Titans
DICK REHBEIN ’77 was an NFL offensive position football coach for 23 seasons. He was part of the Green Bay Packers’ 1977 training camp and special teams coach in 1979. He then was on the coaching staffs of the United States Football League’s Los Angeles Express and the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. He was quarterbacks coach of the New England Patriots from 2000 until his death in 2001, and he championed the draft selection of the then-little-known Tom Brady.
KENT TIMM ’81, although not an athlete, is a threetime Olympian. As a doctor of physical therapy, he participated in Olympic Games in Atlanta, Australia and Salt Lake City in the sports medicine department. He also has been a sports physical therapist for the Pittsburgh Penguins and athletic trainer for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
MATT DENURE ’98 was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies major league baseball team in 1998. He played in 48 games for the Batavia (New York) Muckdogs, the Phillies’ Class A affiliate.
Photo courtesy of the New England Patriots
TERRENCE M. “TERRY” CRAMER ’81
MICHAEL POLCYN ’16
was a 1981 draft pick by the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
played for the St. Louis Cardinals Rookie League affiliate in June 2015. They compete in the Gulf Coast League in Jupiter, Florida.
JEFFREY GABRIELSEN ’80 played three years in the Canadian Football League, two with the Montreal Alouettes and one with the Toronto Argonauts; and two years with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and one with the Chicago Blitz in the United States Football League, a league which played for three seasons, 1983-85. He now is athletic director at Wauwatosa West (Wisconsin) High School.
KEVIN KING ’82 played in tryout seasons with the British Columbia Lions and the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division of the Canadian Football League.
TY SABIN ’17 is playing professional basketball with the Horsholm 79ers in Horsholm, Denmark. W I N T E R 2018
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AROUND THE CLOCKTOWER 1
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1. Patrick Willoughby awarded $70,000 research grant
3. Nine students, two faculty collaborate on publication about patent
5. Two Ripon students competed for Miss Wisconsin
The American Chemical Society has approved a $70,000 grant award for Assistant Professor of Chemistry Patrick Willoughby. The grant is furthering Willoughby’s research on developing new methods for the synthesis of organic molecules.
Nine Ripon College students, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Patrick Willoughby and Associate Professor of Chemistry Joseph Scanlon wrote about a pharmaceutical patent in the Oct. 13, 2016, issue of Tetrahedron, a scientific journal highlighting experimental research. The students are: Robert N. Enright ’17, Jeffrey L. “JJ” Grinde ’17, Lincoln I. Wurtz ’17, Matthew S. Paeth ’17, Tekoa R. Wittman ’18, Emily R. Cliff ’17, Yessra T. Sankari ’16, Lucas T. Henningsen ’15 and Chuchen Tan ’16.
Erin Canon ’17 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Malainey Myrin ’16 of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, competed in the Miss Wisconsin Pageant in June in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
2. Wallace publishes article with 22 scientists from around the world Robert Wallace, professor of biology, published a paper with 22 scientists from 13 different countries. “Fifteen species in one: deciphering the Brachionus plicatilis species complex (Rotifera, Monogononta) through DNA taxonomy” establishes a protocol for other scientists wishing to study the species barriers in rotifers. It was published in the journal Hydrobiologia. Scientists involved with the work were from Australia, Mexico, United Kingdom, Japan, United States, Spain, Italy, Austria, Iran, South Korea, Finland, Belgium and Slovakia.
The patent is the accepted form of a provisional patent Willoughby and five of the students — Enright, Henningsen, Wurtz, Cliff and Grinde — created in 2015, which “describes a new process for making nitrogen-containing molecules that are relevant to the pharmaceutical industry.”
4. Matt Knoester publishes book about education Matt Knoester, associate professor of educational studies, is coauthor of a book that came out in July. Beyond Testing: 7 assessments of students and schools more effective than standardized tests was published by Teachers College Press.
Canon competed as Miss West Allis. Her platform was “Invisible Scars: Breaking the Cycle of Relationship Abuse,” and her talent was an Irish dance to “The Sky & The Dawn & The Sun.” She majored in psychology, with minors in religion and business management. Myrin competed as Miss Central Wisconsin. Her platform was “Own Your Story,” and her talent was a jazz dance to “Jump in the Line (Shake Senora).” She majored in biology at Ripon College. Photo: Malainey Myrin, left, and Erin Canon)
6. Ripon College named a ‘best college’ by The Princeton Review Ripon College is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review’s 2018 edition of “The Best 382 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of the country’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two colleges outside the United States are profiled. Ripon also was included in the “2018 Best Colleges: Region by Region” web feature in the Midwest category.
7. New edition of book by Jody Roy published in September Hawthorne Books and Literary Arts released a second, expanded edition of Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead: the Frank Meeink Story, as told to Jody Roy, in September. Roy is a professor of communication and the Victor and Carrie Palmer Endowed Chair for Leadership Values.
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8. Timothy Reed edits book of plays by García Lorca
11. Chris Ogle co-writes handbook on mental health
14. Professor, graduate present at World War I symposium
Associate Professor of Spanish Timothy Reed is the editor of a compilation of dramas by Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca, published in the European Masterpieces series. “Bodas de sangre, Yerma, La casa de Bernarda Alba” were the last dramas the author wrote before he was killed. Reed also wrote a short biography of the playwright, a glossary and footnotes to each play.
Vice President and Dean of Students Chris Ogle ’80, in collaboration with Dr. Philip K. McCullough ’69 and Kristen M. Granchalek ’04, has written “Mental Health and the Adaptation to College: a Handbook for Residence Advisors,” available through Amazon.
On Oct. 28, 2017, Associate Professor of History Rebecca Matzke and Amy Fels ’16, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, presented on a panel at the “World War 100: A Centennial Symposium” in Madison.
9. Retired director’s short story a semifinalist Larry Malchow ’77, retired director of development for major and planned gifts, advanced to the semifinals of a fiction contest sponsored by The New Guard Literary Review. His short story, “Trapped,” will be published in the Volume VII journal in 2018.
10. Assistant Professor of English Megan Gannon publishes poem Megan Gannon, assistant professor of English, had a poem published in the Spring 2017 issue of Boulevard, a magazine of fiction, poetry and essays. “Dispatch from a Viral Video” was written “in connection with some of the multimedia projects we were creating in Advanced Poetry during the Spring 2016 semester, so having that poem published was a particular delight,” Gannon says.
The handbook was released in November and is being used at Ripon College with the hope other colleges and universities will adopt it as a resource for residence advisors and faculty.
12. Associate professor of art contributes to book about Maya A book co-edited by Associate Professor of Art Travis Nygard, Landscapes of the Itza: Archaeology and Art History at Chichen Itza and Neighboring Sites, has been released. He also co-wrote one of the chapters, “To Face or to Flee from the Foe: Women in Warfare at Chichen Itza.” Chichen Itza was one of the largest ancient Mayan cities, thriving from about 600-1200 CE. It has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in the world, with a large stepped pyramid, a huge natural well and large amounts of sculpture and murals.
13. Colucci writes chapter for book about intelligence Lamont Colucci, associate professor of politics and government, wrote a chapter for the second edition of Homeland Security and Intelligence, published in November by ABC-CLIO. The chapter concerns the role of the “Five Eyes,” an intelligence alliance comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Matzke discussed her talk, “The Pamphlet War in the Great War: British Propaganda to a Wisconsin Audience,” and Fels discussed “Oshkosh on the Home Front: Activities and Attitudes During World War I,” based on research she did both for Matzke’s World War I class at Ripon and as part of her internship with the Oshkosh Public Museum. Photo: Amy Fels, left, and Rebecca Matzke
15. Ripon College faculty/staff team wins cross country run A team from Ripon College won the Olde English Steeplechase run at Beloit College in September. The run included going over hay bales and through a stream. This has been an annual event hosted by Beloit, pitting faculty and staff from Beloit, Lawrence University and Ripon against each other in a 5K cross country run. Pictured are, from left, Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences Andrea Young, Assistant Professor of English Meg Gannon, guest Jeremy Knaus, President Zach Messitte, guest Kate Salas, Professor of Psychology Joe Hatcher, Associate Professor of Art Rafael Salas and Vice President and Dean of Faculty Ed Wingenbach.
It’s a small world with Ripon College connections Don Francis ’93 and Pete Thompson ’93 had an impromptu meeting at a restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin, when they just happened to run into each other.
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REMARKABLE RIPON
Helen Holter: Advancing global health through communications she has received. Others include a firstplace award from the Society of Professional Journalists for “Surgeon Confronts Cancer”; a Best in the West Award for a health series; honors from the National Council of Christians & Jews for “Siberian Seven Christmas”; an invitation to speak at the ground-breaking New Media for a New World conference in Moscow, Russia, where she was named top presenter; Microsoft Ship It Award for an online project; and a KIRO-TV (CBS Seattle affiliate) Award for Excellence for community service. Her visit to Chernobyl in 1990 — at the time, it was among the first by a western TV reporter — and first-hand knowledge of the devastating effects of the nuclear accident set her passion for global health. “I find it a gift that I have these skills that I can share with others,” Holter says. “To make this world a better place.”
Helen Holter ’78 came to Ripon College with an interest in Russian studies, which she parlayed into international work, travel and numerous awards and honors as she sought to make the world a better place through communications. She promoted global health as principal and executive producer of Helen Holter Communications in Seattle and as an advocate on community initiatives. An Emmy Award for creating the medical/health show “HealthSmart” and group Emmys for best newscasts and documentaries are among the major honors 34
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Holter came to Ripon College from her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. She was selected to be in the honors seminar for world history and world literature with Dr. William Woolley and Dr. Douglas Northrop. Students in this seminar met and discussed issues in-depth, and Holter established lifelong relationships. She also co-anchored a news show at WRPN radio. With the encouragement of Woolley, she went on to Indiana University-Bloomington to begin a M.A./Ph.D. program in Slavic languages and literatures, focusing on Russian language and the Soviet Union as the major and Serbo-Croatian and Yugoslavia as the minor. “I was planning to pursue a Ph.D., but U.S./ Soviet relations soured so badly around
“HOW CAN I, IN MY OWN TINY WAY, HELP TO CHANGE BUT THEN BRING IT RIGHT HOME? IT’S ABOUT GLOBAL TO LOCAL. WHAT CAN I DO TODAY TO HELP CHANGE OR IMPROVE THIS ISSUE OR CAUSE THAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME?”
1980 and 1981 that the educational visas for our advanced research in the U.S.S.R. were yanked — leaving me with nothing but a question mark on my future,” she says. She finished her M.A. and got a job in the psychology department at the University of Washington, but began to think about a career in journalism. She took a job with Seattle’s CBS affiliate, KIRO-TV, and within her first week, Holter made waves. It was 1983, and the Soviets had just shot down a Korean airliner. “My news director asked if anyone knew Russian or anything about the Soviet Union. I did, and that’s how things took off in my career. After that, it seemed the Soviet Union was in the news constantly — especially with Gorbachev and perestroika and all the changes leading up to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.” In 1990, she received an Alderdinck Foundation Award from The Hague, Netherlands, to report in Russian as senior correspondent for Soviet television. She also volunteered with a program that helped train Russian journalists how to do western journalism. One of her sessions included the bureau chief of ABC News-Moscow who offered her a freelance position with the ABC Moscow bureau.
Holter was there for some of the most monumental moments of the 1990s: “Covering the first Clinton-Yeltsin summit, the first democratic elections in Russia, the rise of ultra-conservative Communist Zhirinovsky, the mysterious bombings of Jewish synagogues in Moscow at the time, as well as Russian mafia shootouts in the streets of Moscow. Just crazy. Those journalists at ABC were the best in the world, and I was so honored to work with them, meeting Peter Jennings, Ted Koppel, and others. I knew that — after this — I could never go back to local news. This was as good as it would ever get.” After returning to Seattle, Holter pivoted toward digital media and technology. Through Helen Holter Communications, she helped organizations create videos to spread their messages. She now volunteers in ways to help organizations continue to do so. “How can I, in my own tiny way, help to change but then bring it right home?” she says. “It’s about global to local. What can I do today to help change or improve this issue or cause that is right in front of me?”
celebrating its 40th anniversary of cultural, business, medical and diplomatic exchanges; created, anchored and executive produced “Global Health Lessons” and global health video channel; and served with the leadership team of Global Health Initiatives in FaithBased Settings, an ecumenical service to Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities. Holter received a Distinguished Alumni Citation from Ripon College in 2013 and is grateful for the experience she gained here. “Ripon was never just about a set of information that you memorized,” she says. “We were taught to be resilient. … I can truly trace all of (my success) back to Ripon. I am so grateful to Ripon for its scholarships, the professors and the camaraderie. “It’s the generosity of strangers: the kindness of local, national and international philanthropists and organizations with their scholarships, fellowships and encouragement for me to pursue my education and career when I otherwise might not have, given my socio-economic background. To them, I am forever grateful, and my goal is to pass it on.”
She has served on the board of directors for the Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association, W I N T E R 2018
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Jack Ankerson ’64 of Norfolk, Virginia, was John Murray ’66 of Del Rio, Texas, was the focus • • “The Rise and Fall of Bronzeville,” about a former • spotlighted in “Once a pro hoops executive, Jack Ankerson has become the ‘Voice of Hampton Roads Sports,’” by The Virginian-Pilot online, July 8, 2017. Ankerson is a Ripon Athletics Hall of Famer and for years has been a sports announcer for numerous sporting events.
neighborhood community in Milwaukee, included the late jazz singer Al Jarreau ’62 and his family. It mentioned Jarreau’s graduation from Ripon College and his participation here in the singing group The Indigos. The article was published Aug. 5, 2017, in Urban Milwaukee.
• “ Can Fond du Lac embrace diversity? Some • Zach Bayreuther ’13 was featured in an article community leaders say yes,” about support for a diversity initiative in Fond du Lac County, was published by the USA Today Network, July 10, 2017. Ripon College President Zach Messitte is a signer of the Statement in Support of Diversity in Fond du Lac County, publicized in two fullpage ads in the Fond du Lac Reporter in June and on local radio.
• Christine Anhalt-Depies ’09 of Madison, Wisconsin, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was spotlighted in USA Today, July 13, 2017. The article featured the Snapshot Wisconsin Project, led by community volunteers who help set up trail cameras, take photos and document wildlife in the region.
• In July 2017, the Ripon Commonwealth Press published “The war on carp: Green Lake team fights fish to restore estuary, improve water quality” in two parts, focusing on efforts of conservation groups, including Ripon College mathematicians, to reduce carp populations in Green Lake and its County Road K estuary .
• Several media outlets mentioned Ripon College when it again was host to Badger Boys State in the summer of 2017. These included a lengthy feature about local participants in the Sauk Praire (Wisconsin) Eagle and the New Richmond News. Badger Boys State is for male high school students to learn about government, leadership and responsible citizenship. Ripon has been the home of Badger Boys State since it began nearly 75 years ago. About 870 young men from around the state attend each summer.
published by the Janesville Gazette Sept. 12, 2017. Bayreuther was a baseball hitting coach for the Madison Mallards during the summer. The article referenced his batting success at Ripon College.
• Several media outlets featured Ripon College when it was named one of the best colleges in Wisconsin by U.S. News & World Report in September. Ripon was named a tier 1 National Liberal Arts College on the annual rankings list, placing at 117. Ripon also remains on the list of “A+ Schools for B Students.”
• College attendance at Ripon College by movie actor Harrison Ford ’64 was mentioned in an article Sept. 13, 2017, in the Chicago Tribune. Ford was promoting his new movie, “Blade Runner 2049,” released Oct. 6. Todd Johnson ’94 was featured Oct. 12, 2017, in • the Lovell Chronicle newspaper in Lovell, Wyoming. He is beginning a new career as a park guide in the Interpretive Division at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, part of the National Park Service. In 2016, he retired as a lieutenant colonel following a 22-year career in the U.S. Army. G uy McHendry ’06 of Omaha, Nebraska, • was interviewed by WJLA, an ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., Oct. 16, 2017. Experts: Protests hurting Kaepernick’s career, but collusion by owners hard to prove focused on football player Colin Kaepernick’s court filing to prove NFL team owners are conspiring to keep him off the field because of his protests during the playing of the national anthem.
of Veteran’s Day feature, “Overcoming adversity: Vietnam hero John Murray served, fell down, and kept on serving,” published in the Del Rio News Herald, Nov. 12, 2017.
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aul Neuberger ’05 of Colgate, Wisconsin, was P featured in BizTimes: Milwaukee Business News on Nov. 30, 2017, for being named president of the Greenfield-based insurance and risk solutions firm The Starr Group. Neuberger previously was a major gift officer at Ripon College and held positions at several other organizations.
• Ripon College is referenced in “Extend the Exemption for the Endowment Tax,” an opinion piece by David Gerard, the John R. Kimberly Distinguished Professor in the American Economic System and associate professor of economics at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. The piece was published Dec. 12, 2017, by Inside Higher Ed, and is an argument against pending legislation that would, among other actions, place an excise tax on investment income from college and university endowments. Valerie Viers of Louisville, Kentucky, who worked • at Lane Library at Ripon College from 2000-2008, was featured in an article on insiderlouisville.com Dec. 17. Viers now manages the Louisville Free Public Library’s Iroquois Branch. She has lived in numerous places around the world and is fluent in four languages, and she helps international visitors feel at home.
• A handbook written by Ripon College Vice President and Dean of Students Chris Ogle, Dr. Philip K. McCullough ’69 and his daughter, Kristen M. Granchalek ’04, a licensed clinical social worker, was the focus of a feature article published Jan. 4, 2018, in the Woodstock (Illinois) Independent newspaper. “Mental Health and the Adaptation to College: a Handbook for Residence Advisors” is available through Amazon in both paperback and ebook formats.
Lamont Colucci, associate professor of politics, • Ripon College being named to the Princeton • • George J. Dudycha, a professor of psychology at Review’s 2018 list of Best Colleges was noted continues to have frequent opinion pieces published by several media outlets, including the Fond du Lac Reporter newspaper and WOSH Radio.
• “‘Taking Sides’ a timely exhibit of art as a tool for activism” is a review of an exhibit at the Madison (Wisconsin) Museum of Contemporary Art written by Rafael Francisco Salas, associate professor of art. It was published Aug. 3 by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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Ripon College from 1926-1950, was referenced in a column by John Kelly in The Washington Post, Nov. 5, 2017. He quoted from an article by Dudycha, “A Qualitative Study of Punctuality,” published in a 1938 issue of the Journal of Social Psychology.
with media outlets such as U.S. News and World Report, The Hill, The Washington Times and AMI Newswire.
FROM THE RIPON ARCHIVES
Pacifism — not Passivism — with the Rev. Jerry Thompson
In March 1965, Ripon College Chaplain the Rev. Jerry Thompson and five students travelled to Selma, Alabama, to stand with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sometimes it’s important to gather with others to make your voice heard. Other times, it’s important to stand where you are and make a difference in your own community. In the following excerpt from “Confessions of an Elderly Christian Pacifist,” Thompson discusses how he was moved by his experience in Selma to help improve the lives of Menominee and African American youths in Wisconsin here at Ripon College. “I did not embrace pacifism until about my forty-second year. I had toyed with and was intrigued by the pacifist ideal as a senior in seminary in 1961. Going to Selma, Alabama, and associating with Dr. Martin Luther King in 1965 put the capstone on my convictions. Selma was my Road to Damascus, a la St. Paul. Fortunately for me, I was able to return to Ripon College after Selma and ... put my pacifism into action. (sic)
enrichment and survival training. “Seventy percent of the Native American youth on the Menominee Reservation were dropping out of high school. We taught them how to be survivors, starting by acknowledging (to) each of them that they were human beings with fantastic potential and worth and, yes, they were sacred to us, their teachers and counselors. This ten-year relationship with Upward Bound made Selma come alive. To make a long story short, ninety-five percent of our students graduated from high school, dozens completed college.” From “Confessions of an Elderly Christian Pacifist,” presented by Jerome “Jerry” Thompson at the Religion, War and Peace conference, Nov. 1-2, 1996, at Ripon College. Thompson died in 2010. ANDREW PRELLWITZ ASSOCIATE LIBRARIAN AND ARCHIVIST
All photos show students participating in the Upward Bound program at Ripon College.
“I always talk pacifism, not passivism. I was able to initiate and direct a program, an early teenage supplement to Head Start entitled (sic) Upward Bound. Here, I could put philosophy into action, to work directly with the poor, the oppressed. Our Upward Bound brought fortyfive Native American teenagers and fifteen Milwaukee blacks to Ripon College for six weeks each summer for what I called academic W I N T E R 2018
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F l a s h B A C K 1962 A pick-up football game in the snow was captured in February 1962 by Roger Farleigh ’62 of Boca Raton, Florida. During his senior year, Farleigh often was seen across campus with his trusty Kodak Retina Reflex S capturing scenes for the Crimson yearbook. The Roger Farleigh Photograph Collection has been donated to the Ripon College Archives and can be viewed online at ripon.edu/farleigh. During the spring 2018 semester, a selection will be on display in the West Hall Museum. 3 8 |from R I P these O N C ophotographs llege