C OLLEGE R ESEARCH PAPER PAYS O FF D ECADES L ATER Sometimes, efforts from college days at Ripon bear fruit in unexpected ways. As an anthropology major at Ripon, Susan Frikken ’90 of Madison, Wis., researched and wrote a paper — “Historic Ripon: The Byron Kingsbury/ Hutton Edifice” — for her Field Methods in Archaeology class with Professor Jeffrey Quilter. One of the original owners of the building was Byron Kingsbury, who ran a grocery store. Frikken visited campus in 2008 with Elizabeth “Scottie” Nichols Girouard ’89 of North Prairie, Wis. She took a picture of the building, tagged it “Ripon” and posted it online on Flickr.com. (www.flickr. com/photos/sfrikken/29024 03973/). She noted that she’d written a paper about the building. A descendent of Byron Kingsbury, who lives in England, is working on genealogy of her family and noticed the photo while searching the Web. “We talked via e-mail and I sent a copy of my paper and copies of some primary research documents so she could have more data,” Frikken said. “From the historical society, I was able to send copies of some documents in (Kingsbury’s) handwriting. “She learned more than she could have hoped, and I enjoyed hearing about her search for her ancestors, many of whom are featured prominently in Ripon’s history,” Frikken says. But the story doesn’t end there. “The fun thing that ended up happening is that I e-mailed Ripon and the anthropology 32 RIPON MAGAZINE
Theatre in Spring Green, Wis., this summer. He is pursuing a master’s of fine arts degree in acting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Matt Judson Mangerson ’04 of Milwaukee, Wis., is serving full time in the U.S. Army. Silvia C. Petig ’04 of Berlin, Germany, received a master’s degree in North American Studies from the Free University of Berlin in 2009 and in political science from the University of Potsdam, Germany. After having worked in the German Parliament for 2-1/2 years, she now works for the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS).
Susan Frikken ’90, left, Scottie Nichols Girouard, Professor Michelle Fuerch and Professor Paul Axelrod reconnect during a retirement celebration for Axelrod during Alumni Weekend.
department for information. I got an e-mail back from Paul Axelrod who was my adviser at Ripon and found out he was retiring. I shared the word among fellow anthropology majors.” That helped lead to a retirement celebration for Axelrod during Alumni Weekend in June. She also has developed solid friendships with Scottie’s mother, Gail Altman ’67 of Surprise, Ariz.; Gail ’s friend, Melissa “Missy” Keyes ’66 of Madison, Wis., and Missy’s partner, Ingrid Rothe. She also is a student in the doctor of physical therapy program at the University of WisconsinMadison with Minhwan “Min” Kim ’08 of Kenosha, Wis. And she and Andrew Irving ’87 both serve on the board of New Harvest Foundation in Madison. Frikken, Irving and Girouard all were in a dance company together at Ripon. “I love all the connections,” Frikken says. “I’ve learned the world is interconnected and very, very small, and it’s exciting when things like that happen. The Ripon Connection turns up in all these interesting ways.” Frikken said Ripon is a
special place for her, and that she is proud of her time here. “It’s obvious it’s a wellcared for place and turning out people who are doing amazing things,” she says. “I’m very fortunate to have gone there. It was a really good solid place. “It changed a lot of things for me. There were a lot of important people. I learned so much about the world in general. I learned about the natural world from Bill Brooks, Skip Whittler and the biology department. I learned more things than I ever could have imagined. I needed that sort of holistic experience that I had there. “The connections I made are still strong, and my education is proving itself second to none. Additionally, as a bicycle enthusiast who sold my car when I moved to Madison, I am like a proud parent to hear about the success of Velorution. “It was a pleasure to unearth this paper and relive my Ripon days in this way. The paper wasn’t as poorly written as I’d feared, either!” For more about Frikken, see the feature about cats and their Ripon alumni starting on page 20.
Christopher Scott Zeman ’04 of Colorado Springs, Colo., has been promoted to captain in the U.S. Army. He and his wife, Megan Mangerson Zeman ’06 have a daughter, Aida Elizabeth Zeman, born Dec. 19, 2009. Elizabeth “Betsy” Jones ’05 married Eric A. Skibicki, Oct. 25, 2008. They live in Milwaukee, Wis. Paul M. Neuberger ’05 of Oak Creek, Wis., is the advancement director at Messmer High School in Milwaukee. He previously was vice president for advancement at Saint Thomas More High School. Jennifer Schultz ’05 of Chicago, Ill., completed two master’s degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in August 2009. One is a master’s of library and information science, and the other is a master’s of foreign language and linguistics. Jennifer is associate linguistic validation project manager for Corporate Translations Inc. in Chicago. Jennifer was the Pickard Scholar at Ripon College in 2001. Jen Millen ’06 of Dubuque, Iowa, married Mark Even, Aug. 29, 2009. Drew Davis ’07 of Wisconsin Dells, Wis., received his master’s degree in national security May 14 from the George Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University. Robert C. Perkins II ’07 of Janesville, Wis., is a patrol officer with the Janesville Police Department. Price S. Ward ’07 of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., is in medical school at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. Adam R. Hetz ’08 of Springfield, Mo., is studying for his master’s of physician assistant studies at Missouri State University. Billie Jeanne Lowe ’08 of Philadelphia, Pa., works part time for a nonprofit organization, organizing and chaperoning children from low-income neighborhoods and also doing community service projects. She just started a new job as a marketing and development coordinator for Hayes Manor Retirement Home. Taiyi Sun ’08 of Washington, D.C., graduated May 8 with a master’s degree from American University. His master’s was in international affairs, specializing in international politics with a focus on international political economy. He has