Vision for the Future Alumni Today Fall 2021

Alumni Today

FALL 2021

Vision for the Future CLOPAS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER DAVID ABABIO IS BUILDING A TECH CAREER IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN

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FEATURES

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Grad takes career to outer space Scott Upton is an engineer for Blue Origin

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A steward of place How UW-Platteville and its alumni are enhancing the rural communities of the Driftless region

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Professional path to Zion National Park

Failing engineering put geography grad on a new career course

DEPARTMENTS

02 | Letter from

the Chancellor

04 | Orange & Blue Updates

22 | Landscape 26 | Unearthed:

From the Archives

28 | Platteville Portrait 30 | Connections 31 | Class Notes 33 | In Memoriam

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Alumni Today FALL 2021

UW-Platteville’s Mission We promote excellence by using a personal, hands-on approach to empower each student to become broader in perspective, intellectually more astute, ethically more responsible, and to contribute wisely as an accomplished professional and knowledgeable citizen in a diverse global community.

Vice Chancellor for University Relations/ Chief of Staff, External Relations Rose Smyrski smyrskir@uwplatt.edu Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Engagement Joshua Boots bootsj@uwplatt.edu Alumni Relations Manager Shelby Lang langs@uwplatt.edu Contributing Writers James Hibbard, Archives Stephen Kelley, Division of Professional Studies Director of Marketing and Communications Benjamin Jedd jeddb@uwplatt.edu Marketing and Communications Andy McNeill ’02 Johanna Belken ’04 Diana Blindert Alison Parkins Easton Green Katie Weigel Ashley McFadden Ruth Wendlandt ’06 Art Direction The ESC Plan | theescplan.com

Alumni Today is produced as a service of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Alumni Association.

Letters to the editor are welcome, as are suggestions for articles and Class Notes.

Call or write Development and Alumni Engagement, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 1 University Plaza, Platteville WI 53818-3099, 800.897.2586, alumni@uwplatt.edu. © 2021 University of Wisconsin-Platteville PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT JOSEPH STADER ’15 practices medicine in Lancaster, Wisconsin, the small town where he grew up.

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LETTER from the Chancellor

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ne of the lessons that I’ll take from this past year is that when we work together, we can achieve anything. A testament to this idea is represented by the fact that we had our biggest fundraising effort in history for the second year running. I am tremendously grateful for the level of support that we have received in our efforts to continue to provide students access to a high-quality and affordable education.

I am grateful to those of you who will read this edition of the Alumni Today and who have continued to support your alma mater—your efforts are truly making a difference.

Our institution has developed a reputation as one of the most affordable and high-quality engineering programs in the state. Our campus was originally founded in 1866 as the first state teacher preparation institution. Later, it became home to the Wisconsin Mining Trade School, which housed the first three-year degree-granting course in mining engineering in the United States.

Many things have changed since those early days, one thing that hasn’t is our commitment to being stewards of place, which is the theme of this issue.

Our university campuses have always been

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“Our institution has developed a reputation as one of the most affordable and highquality engineering programs in the state.” deeply rooted and connected to the communities that they exist within. They can be viewed as an extension of those communities and a symbiotic partner to the places that they inhabit.

It is our collective hope that these partnerships will continue to grow and prosper in the coming years and that our fundamental mission of providing students access to a high-quality and affordable education may continue for years to come.

Every day is a great day to be a Pioneer!

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Shields Chancellor, UW-Platteville

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Alumni Today is getting a new look!

Thank you to the Alumni Association board of directors for their support in making this redesign possible.

We’re thrilled to give you a preview of the magazine’s updated design and content, which includes more class notes, stronger photography, and better organization.

We have maintained the magazine’s solid foundation, which includes stories of our incredible alumni and campus. Our goal with this redesign is to make the magazine more alive and dynamic—just like the university itself.

Alumni Today

FALL 2021

Vision for the Future CLOPAS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER DAVID ABABIO IS BUILDING A TECH CAREER IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN

As part of this redesign, we are eager to give the publication a name that better reflects the personality of the institution.

To learn more about the names we’re considering and to weigh in with your vote, visit go.uwplatt.edu/alumni-today.

This publication is proudly funded by the UW-Platteville Alumni Association.

A recordbreaking year

The 2020-2021 academic year was one full of unprecedented challenges and opportunities for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville due to the global pandemic.

Students completed the semester through hybrid instruction, faculty utilized innovative methods of teaching, and most staff worked from home. It was a unique experience for all of us, and although we changed the way we worked, we did not waver in our commitment to securing a sound future for UW-Platteville and expressing deep gratitude for the Pioneer family’s generosity.

The UW-Platteville Foundation is ex-

tremely pleased to report that we had the best fundraising year in the Foundation’s history. Through 6,695 gifts from 4,600 individuals and corporate partners, the Pioneer family provided $4,798,120 in support of the university from July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021.

Every gift from our alumni, friends, and corporate partners, regardless of its purpose, ultimately supports our greatest asset—our students. On behalf of our students, who not only will dream of, but who will also create their own Pioneer stories, thank you. UW-Platteville has a bright future in which all of us have an opportunity to play an important role.

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ORANGE & BLUE updates

Building a reputation UW-Platteville was recently designated as an official Mid-America OSHA Education Center training site, making it one of the only universities with a construction management program to be designated as such. Hosted through the Department of Industrial Studies’ Construction Management and Construction Safety Management programs, this designation will allow industry partners to send employees to UW-Platteville to be certified in Occupational Safety and Health Administration courses.

Sweet news

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

Pioneer Sweets is the newest student-run business at UW-Platteville, dishing out homemade ice cream. Dr. Tera Montgomery, Professor of dairy science, has been making ice cream with students in her Dairy Products class for years, but only on a small scale, occasionally receiving conditional permits to serve it at events. Pioneer Sweets launched in 2020 with a four-person student team overseeing it. As Pioneer Sweets grows, the ice cream will be sold to the university’s Dining Services and made available in markets around campus. While the students are currently producing the ice cream in Glenview Commons, long-term plans are focused on moving the operation to Pioneer Farm to use milk from its cows.

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280+

The number of boxes of diapers and period products donated to UW-Platteville by Kimberly-Clark. The donation was distributed to several campus programs, including Pioneer Provisions—the on-campus food pantry, The Red Basket Project, and the Children’s Center.

“UW-Platteville and Kimberly-Clark are committed to protecting the safety and health of students and families struggling financially,” said Stephanie Young, Dining Services Registered Dietitian (right).

“Increasing access to these products can help relieve the burden of having to make the choice between buying period products and diapers or providing other necessities like rent, food, or tuition.”

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NOTABLE RESEARCH

MAJOR CHANGES

To meet the changing needs of industry, UW-Platteville is growing its academic programs. The newest programs to launch this fall included Cybersecurity, Computer Science + X—which combines a core curriculum in computer science with most major requirements from another chosen discipline—and a master’s in sport administration.

“I’m gaining a new appreciation and understanding for the material that I have worked with for so long and love so much.”

Melanie Bisbach, a cross-disciplinary fine arts major, is combining science and arts to conduct research and develop her own porcelain recipes. She is focusing on the chemical compositions of the individual ingredients found in the ceramic material, attempting to answer questions like how to make pure white porcelains or what adds to the translucent nature of porcelains.

Tyler Vargo has focused his research on putting Southwest Wisconsin on the [digital] map. Like many rural areas, Southwest Wisconsin is significantly underrepresented on digital mapping platforms, like Google Maps. Vargo researched and selected sites in the region that he considered to be underrepresented, yet educationally, scientifically, or historically significant.

Each week, he traveled to one or two sites, took several 360-degree photos, and uploaded them to Google Maps.

As a future biology teacher, Vargo said he sees a number of opportunities for using this technology in the classroom.

“Using Google Maps in the classroom is an excellent way to bring placebased learning into schools and build community involvement.”

If you live in Wisconsin, deicing of roads in the winter is a common sight, but a research project at UW-Platteville is studying the long-term impacts of these treatments on concrete durability. Dr. Danny Xiao, Assistant Professor of civil engineering, and student Dylan Notsch completed a series of freeze-thaw tests on large concrete specimens from different anti-icing solutions. They also looked at the specimens from the microscopic level to understand the mechanism of damage.

$4,798,120

A new fundraising record set by the UW-Platteville Foundation for the 2021 fiscal year. More than 4,600 donors contributed, with a large amount of support benefiting the Pioneer Annual Fund and the Pioneers Helping Pioneers Fund, which provides emergency aid to students.

$217,000

Annual savings projected from UW-Platteville’s new solar array. Constructed in Memorial Park, the 2.4 megawatt solar array is the largest solar array owned by a Wisconsin state agency and will make the university the sixth-highest on-site producer of renewable energy among higher education institutions in the nation. It is anticipated to offset electricity by 17% and reduce carbon emissions by 2,300 tons per year.

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Grad takes career to outer space

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t’s fair to say Scott Upton’s head has always been in the clouds—or rather—above them. A passion for aerospace was sparked as a youth and has driven his career and educational journey. Upton received a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota before earning a Master of Science in Project Management from UW-Platteville. He currently works for Blue Origin, a company Upton said is “paving the road to space.”

“The intent of Blue Origin is to facilitate millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth,” Upton said. “We’re building reusable rockets and launch/re-entry vehicles that will inspire current and future generations to put their businesses in space for the good of the Earth.”

Upton’s drive to reach for the stars may have been predestined. His father, Richard Upton, was a longtime middle school science teacher in Platteville. It wasn’t until later in his life that Scott Upton learned his father was one of a handful of educators under consideration to be the first teacher to go to space on the Space Shuttle Challenger. Despite several rounds of interviews, Richard Upton was ultimately not selected for the mission. Tragically, on Jan. 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, just 73 seconds into its ascent, killing all seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe.

“I was born in 1987, so I literally wouldn’t be alive had my dad actually made it through all the way and been selected to be that astronaut,” Upton said.

After spending the first five years of his professional career as a systems engineer, Upton made a shift to quality engineering in hopes of

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preventing future tragedies before they happen.

“My thought is, if we’re going to be doing incredible things in space and designing vehicles that are going to have people on them, then they need to be of the highest, safest quality possible,” Upton said.

Earlier this year, Upton joined Blue Origin as a Senior Software Quality Engineer. It’s his job to ensure that any product built by the company or a supplier meets the highest quality and standards. That work has him playing a role in launching two major rocket programs, New Shepard and New Glenn.

New Shepard is a reusable suborbital rocket system designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space. He played a role in the New Shepard’s 15th successful mission test. On July 20, the rocket made its first human flight. Meanwhile, New Glenn is an enormous orbital rocket capable of carrying people, payloads, or satellites to Earth’s orbit and beyond.

Upton said his career would not have reached these heights without his master’s degree from UW-Platteville. Following his undergrad, Upton took a job as a systems engineer at AVISTA Inc., an engineering company located in Platteville that works in the aerospace, defense, and medical fields. Upton said he’s always had a passion for education and was quick to take advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursement program.

“I applied for the UW-Platteville Project Management master’s program because I thought it would give me a nice well-rounded education between engineering and man-

SCOTT UPTON ’13 with his family

agement,” Upton said. “I had researched the program, and the people delivering the program at UW-Platteville were high-quality. I didn’t feel like I needed to go anywhere else.”

Upton also credits the flexibility the online program provided, allowing him to do his studies when it was convenient for him. It took him roughly three years to earn his online master’s degree. He says the skills he’s learned have not only helped him achieve some lofty career goals, but thrive in those roles as well.

“There are skills that I apply every single day— not as a program manager or project manager, but as a regular engineer,” Upton said. “It makes me more efficient doing my own job, as well as working with everyone else on the project, because I have that master’s degree knowledge, even though it might not necessarily be my central role.”

Upton currently lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife and two children. His next goal is to move into a managerial role with Blue Origin.

Stephen Kelley

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A Steward of

PLACE

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Dating back to its roots as the first Normal School in Wisconsin in 1866, through its merging with the Mining School and up to the present-day institution, UW-Platteville has always been deeply embedded in and connected to the communities it serves.

As a steward of place, the fabric of UW-Platteville has been woven throughout Southwest Wisconsin for more than 150 years—the successes of the university and its communities inextricably linked.

Whether it’s driving innovation and economic development, addressing needs in health care and education, or being a steward of the natural resources we all share, UW-Platteville—with the help of its alumni— is enhancing the rural communities of the Driftless region.

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Partnerships that build

COMMUNITY Alumnus finds career and community in his hometown

David Ababio’s community has always been rooted in Southwest Wisconsin. With Ghanaian

roots, his family, and particularly his father, Dr. Samuel Ababio, a UW-Platteville professor, imparted the strong cultural and community values that influence him today.

“My appreciation for community really started when my parents involved me in different community programs. Whether it was Platteville Children’s Choir, karate club, volunteering with churches, or school activities; those opportunities gave me a wide perspective on the types of people that are out there and how to better communicate differences,” Ababio said. “I think what really clicked for me was when I realized the importance of the values that each mentor instilled in me. With every program, there was always a value of empathy for your neighbor, and I believe that also resonates with that cultural value of ‘it takes a whole village.’”

Those cultural values, along with a streak of curiosity, enabled Ababio to explore numerous opportunities at UW-Platteville beyond his coursework as an electrical engineering major— along with a minor in microsystems and nanotechnology. As an Explore Engineering summer camp counselor, he helped campers stay safe when a tornado touched down on campus in 2014.

He was also an active member of the International Student Club, the University Men’s Choir, and University Orchestra, among other extracurriculars. It wasn’t always easy for Ababio to balance it all while maintaining his good standing as a student; however, a great deal of personal organization and motivation helped him along the way.

And, though each of the activities might seem disparate, they represented his combined interests.

“It was my involvement in the FIRST Robotics

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program that solidified my love for engineering and creating things, and it was through the performance arts that I learned how to communicate the expression of those ideas. I really like karaoke, so I’ll build a karaoke machine! I really like standup comedy, so I’ll build an improv generator to fill in the gaps for sketch ideas,” Ababio said.

While he was exploring these interests, there were a couple ideas that were consistently in the back of his mind: gaming and community. His career in gaming began to take shape just before he graduated in 2018 when he was approached by Scott and Roxane Adams, the founders of Clopas LLC, a new Platteville video game development studio. Scott Adams, considered one of the pioneers of the computer gaming industry, created the first text-based adventure game called “Adventureland” in 1978 with his company called Adventure International. The company was also known for its “Questprobe” series, which featured the first implementation of Marvel Comics characters in video games. After Ababio reconnected with Adams at a gaming conference, he began to help with their narrative design and testing. One of his first and most exciting projects was to demo “The Lost Legends of Redwall: Escape the Gloomer,” a game based on one of Ababio’s favorite book series from middle school.

From there, Ababio was offered a full-time position as a game developer, while moving on to become a narrative lead, and then to his current position as Chief Operating Officer.

Since the beginning, Ababio has helped shape the company’s vision, and a big part of that was recruiting locally. “In the beginning stages, there were a couple of things that we decided were really important. We wanted a big emphasis on local.

There is a need for people to have opportunities to get involved in tech, especially in the Southwest

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Wisconsin region. People, locally, can grow here and have a high impact. It’s pretty amazing,” Ababio said.

Since 2018, the Clopas LLC staff has expanded from four to 12, hiring mostly local talent including three UW-Platteville alumni. At the heart of the company and a major part of Ababio’s work and passion is partnerships within the community. Several projects and collaborations are in progress, such as the development of an application meant to make games accessible for people with visual impairments. They are also planning a project to assist educators in teaching students with hearing impairments. One other major collaboration includes Platteville’s Mining & Rollo Jamison Museum, where Clopas LLC is looking to create a game that will tell the diverse stories of the Driftless Region and upper Mississippi Valley.

Clopas LLC is also actively collaborating with UW-Platteville, consulting with Dr. Afzal Upal on a game development emphasis and partnering with the computer science senior design class.

With each partnership, Ababio and the team at Clopas LLC aim to uplift others and be a positive force in Southwest Wisconsin.

“Games have a unique ability to draw people in and draw people together,” said Ababio.

“That’s an area that our company is focusing on because we want to create things that will bring people together. We believe there is a story we can tell about the Driftless Region, not only to benefit Platteville, but many other communities in the region. We’re trying to solidify projects that can have a real impact for people.”

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UW-Platteville has made significant strides

TOP: STUDENTS IN a Green Building Design class created placards as part of a public campaign to encourage small, environmentally-friendly habits.

NO-MOW ZONES WERE created around campus in areas of native flowers and plants.

over the past year in its commitment to sustainability—not only inspiring action on campus, but also serving as a model and driver of change to create a more sustainable future for the entire region.

Last February, UW-Platteville received state approval to construct a 2.4 megawatt solar array in Memorial Park. This will be the largest solar array owned by a Wisconsin state agency and will make the university the sixth-highest on-site producer of renewable energy among higher education institutions in the nation.

Scheduled to be operational by fall 2021, the array will feed directly into the main electricity meter connected to the 32 campus buildings, generating electricity in real-time, rather than sending back to the grid. It is anticipated to offset electricity by 17%, saving an annual $217,000 and reducing carbon emissions by 2,300 tons per year.

A project team explored several locations for the array, before deciding on five acres of south-facing hill just west of Pickard Hall. The plans for the solar array stemmed from a 2018 petition, signed by more than 300 UW-Platteville students, asking the university to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030.

Students were the driving force behind another major initiative last spring, when a group of students researched and presented a proposal to Chancellor Dennis J. Shields for a zero waste plan.

More than 400 students signed a petition seeking institutional commitment to the zero waste plan, and 17 university-sanctioned organizations signed a coalition letter seeking the same goal. On Earth Day, Chancellor Shields pledged to commit the university to become a zero-waste campus by 2035. A zero waste campus is defined as diverting 90% of unwanted items from landfills, through recycling, composting, or reusing.

With courses ranging from cooking with local foods to solar 101 for residential homes, UW-Platteville also places a priority on sharing the sustainability knowledge of its faculty and staff with the broader community.

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STUDENTS HELP CONDUCT research that explores best practices for sustainable agriculture.

Students work in the Edible Garden on campus.

STUDENTS SIGNED A petition asking the university to commit to a zero-waste plan.

UW-PLATTEVILLE INSTALLED A 2.4 megawatt solar array in Memorial Park, which is the largest owned by a Wisconsin state agency.

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A Sustainable

FUTURE Beyond campus boundaries

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OUR SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT, BY THE NUMBERS

60,000

annual rides for students and community members on the university-city bus system.

UW-Platteville partners with the City of Platteville to offer the most rural fixed-route bus system in Wisconsin, making transportation more affordable and reducing pollution.

35%

reduction in landfill items thanks to Pioneer Restore. Instead of throwing used items in the landfill, UW-Platteville sells low-cost computers, furniture, and clothes back to the community.

10,000

pounds of waste diverted from the landfill at the first-ever Spring Swap. Hosted in partnership with the City of Platteville and Faherty Inc. last spring, students and community members exchanged gently used items to keep them out of the landfill.

2,300 tons of carbon emissions reduced each year anticipated by the new solar array.

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acres of outdoor recreation area on campus and a 90-acre nature preserve at the Platte Mound.

75+

graduates with a major in sustainability and renewable energy systems since the creation of the major less than a decade ago. One of only a handful of its type in the nation, this program prepares graduates to lead corporations and municipalities to a more sustainable future.

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Wisconsin’s rural

H E A LT H CARE New program aims to help address shortages

Physician Assistant Joseph Stader ’15 spends

his days treating patients in the small community in Southwest Wisconsin where we he grew up.

In a city the size of his hometown of Lancaster, Wisconsin—which has a population just under 4,000—many of his patients are people he grew up with, neighbors he might chat with in passing at the grocery store, or fellow farmers. Like many rural health care providers, he is integrated in the community where he works, giving him a unique perspective on health care compared to counterparts in urban areas.

“I enjoy practicing medicine and farming, so it makes me relatable to the rural population of this area,” said Stader. “Many people think of doctors or physician assistants as a hierarchy above them, but I think [farming] shows I’m a normal person.”

Stader is one of a shrinking number of health care providers choosing to practice in a rural area.

According to a 2018 report issued by the Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce, less than 10% of Wisconsin physicians practice in a rural area, even though one-fifth of the Wisconsin population lives in such areas. The same report indicated that a statewide shortfall of primary care providers is anticipated by 2035—a shortage that will be more acutely felt in rural areas.

The primary care health care shortage is an issue that UW-Platteville is hoping to help address with the upcoming launch of a collaborative program with UW-Madison, called UW-Madison WisPACT@ UW-Platteville. The program will allow UW-Platteville students to earn a degree

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through UW-Madison’s nationally-recognized Master of Physician Assistant Studies program, while remaining on the UW-Platteville campus to complete the coursework.

“It is an incredible opportunity for students in the tri-state area to pursue their undergraduate degree in biology and transition directly into a PA program, all at UW-Platteville,” said Dr. Wayne Weber, Dean of the UW-Platteville College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture.

Administrators and faculty developing the program hope that educating and training students near the community where they grew up will make them more likely to remain in that community and practice medicine there. Weber noted that with nearly 300 biology majors—more than half of whom have an interest in health care and often hail from a rural community—UW-Platteville is strategically fit for this collaboration and poised to make a difference in the shortage of health care in rural, underserved areas.

Stader’s father has practiced medicine in Lancaster since 1978. One of eight children—most of whom went into medical fields themselves—Stader was originally leaning toward a different career.

“Naturally, being the youngest, I didn’t want to go into medicine,” he said. “But, I remember taking a general biology class at UW-Platteville and learning about genetics, and that’s what grabbed me and made me more interested in science and medicine.”

Stader continued to UW-Madison’s Physician Assistant Program, where he graduated in 2018.

Many people think of doctors or physician assistants as a hierarchy above them, but I think farming shows I’m a normal person.”

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Less than

10%

of physicians practice in a rural area, even though one-fifth of the state’s population lives in such areas.

— Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce, 2018

He returned to Lancaster and currently practices at Lancaster Family Medical Center.

“There is a variety in rural health care, especially in a small town,” said Stader. “You can really build relationships with the patients. You see a patient’s parents or cousin, or grandma or grandpa. You see a few different generations of folks. There are a lot of things you need to know when you help a person, and knowing those family dynamics can make decision-making more straightforward. You really get to understand people’s belief systems.”

Practicing in a rural area doesn’t come without its unique challenges, said Stader. “If you’re in Madison, for example, there are a slew of specialists right down the hallway. In a small town, you have an ER and some specialists, but a lot of decision-making gets put on your plate and sending someone to Madison to see a specialist is no nickel and dime decision. It’s something that can potentially affect your patient’s livelihood.”

One of the aspects of practicing in the rural Southwest Wisconsin area that Stader said he really appreciates is the opportunity to treat communities of people that those in larger cities don’t see.

“One of the interesting things about my posi-

tion is the opportunity to take care of members of the Amish and Mennonite communities. They generally have a low-intervention mentality on medical care, which makes medical providers really fine-tune their clinical skills.”

As officials at UW-Platteville finalize the new collaborative program with UW-Madison, Stader is hopeful it can make a difference in increasing health care providers in the areas they are most needed.

“Some people are just nervous about the idea of going to Madison, and there are a lot of small town folks who just want to stay around here,” he said. “Even those who go to Madison, while they learn about rural medicine they aren’t ingrained in it 100%. Doing the program in Platteville, the students are going to be attending school and doing rotations where the need is. They will be immersed in the culture of rural medicine.”

Construction is currently underway on the first floor of Ullrich Hall, where the Physician Assistant program will be housed at UW-Platteville.

The first cohort of students is scheduled to be admitted to the program in spring 2023.

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Teacher of the

YEAR Alumnus honored as one of five in state

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UW-Platteville alumnus Eric Mumm was re-

cently selected by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as one of only five teachers in the state to be honored as Teacher of the Year.

Mumm, who graduated in 2011, is a Technology Education Teacher in Lancaster, Wisconsin.

Mumm, who is from Lancaster, originally went to UW-Platteville to pursue a degree in building construction management—a field he had long had an interest in, thanks to his own high school technology education teacher, Dennis Schmidt, a 1981 UW-Platteville graduate. While he was pursuing his studies, however, his thoughts returned to Schmidt and the role he played in his education.

“He was part of the reason why I wanted to be in tech ed,” said Mumm. “I knew that he loved what he did, and I wanted to love what I do.”

Mumm switched to UW-Platteville’s technology education program, and after graduation he was offered a full-time teaching position in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. After a year-and-a-half, an opportunity opened up that was too good to pass, when Schmidt retired and Mumm was selected to fill his position at Lancaster High School.

Now in his 11th year of teaching, Mumm instructs ninth through 12th grade students in courses ranging from building trades and construction, engineering and woodworking. He also teaches courses through UW-Platteville’s STEMStart program, which offers early college engineering courses that high school students can complete for college credit.

The key to keeping his students inspired, Mumm said, is to make every learning experience about them.

“In my area, it’s a little easier to do that,” he said. “In my wood tech class, for example, I used to have students pick project A or B. That didn’t really give them a lot of their own take on it. So now I open it up, and they decide. Sometimes that falls flat. Maybe that’s a bad thing, but I think it’s a good thing to have them learn what they shouldn’t do, which is as valuable as learning what they can do. In my area, keeping them inspired is me staying out of the way and letting them show their own interest.”

The five 2022 Wisconsin Teachers of the Year were also among the 101 educators in the state recognized earlier this year with the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation’s Teacher Fellowship Program, which honors teaching excellence and innovation across the state.

Mumm said he was surprised to receive the honor of Teacher of the Year.

“I’m not even the best teacher in this building, let alone this district,” he said. “I have a lot

of room to grow, and I always want to do better.”

He added that he is proud of what this recognition means – for his discipline, his rural school district, and his alma mater.

“Most people probably don’t think of a tech education teacher first, and I’m okay with that,” said Mumm. “But, I’m honored to represent Southwest Wisconsin, small schools, UW-Platteville, and tech ed in general. It’s a little rare—a lot of the awardees, this year and in past years, are from the Milwaukee and Madison areas. I’m proud to represent UW-Platteville and our area with this.”

Returning to its roots: School of Education trains teachers to respond to rural needs When UW-Platteville’s School of Education was presented with the opportunity to re-envision its core framework, Dr. Jennifer Collins, Director, said they started with a question: “who are the people and where are the places we serve?” The answer, she said, was overwhelmingly rural communities. Building on the strong legacy of being the first teacher preparation institute in the state, the School of Education began looking toward the future with a focus on building a teaching workforce responsive to the needs of their local, rural communities.

The opportunity to reframe its pedagogy came about, Collins said, when the State of Wisconsin announced a change to its licensing structure and introduced a new grade band covering 4k through ninth grade. In response, the School of Education is developing a new elementary-middle major.

“It became a great opportunity to re-envision who the School of Education wants to be,” said Collins. “Even though we might have students who want to end up in an urban or suburban area, our place—and where we’ll do our practice for the most part—is a rural place.”

The new elementary-middle licensure program launched in fall 2021, and preparing teachers for rural districts is a primary component of it. Collins said that, in a way, it feels like returning to the School of Education’s roots, as it has been training teachers to serve in rural communities since 1866.

“We like to say that ‘teaching started here,’” said Collins. “We have a lot of pride in that, and now we are able to come back and enhance those same rural communities today.”

Alison Parkins

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LANDSCAPE Boebel Hall, the university’s main science building, recently underwent a $23.7 million state-funded renovation to improve, expand, and update instructional laboratories, preparation and support space, and undergraduate research space.

Renovated facilities include a Cadaver Lab, Microbiology Lab, Molecular and Biotechnology Lab, Freshwater Lab, and Environmental Science Lab. The stunning design incorporates representations of the Driftless Area throughout, including the use of limestone and sandstone in the atrium and wood highlights throughout the building.

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Alumnus follows professional path to Zion National Park

F

eaturing scenic views of high plateaus, sandstone canyons, and the Virgin River, Zion National Park—nestled in southwest Utah—may be a popular tourist destination, but for alumnus Philip Schulz, it’s his backyard.

Schulz graduated from UW-Platteville in 2016 with a degree in geography and started working at Zion as a wilderness ranger. In April 2021, he took a new role as a Law Enforcement Park Ranger. He describes his current position as, “protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from the people.” Schulz also serves as an EMT and search and rescue personnel.

“It’s pretty cool to help protect this place I’ve come to think of as home,” he said. “My favorite part of being a wilderness ranger was getting to go out into the park for work—be it hiking, canyoneering, or backpacking. I got to experience things some people may only get to do once in their lives, and it was very special to do that.”

Schulz credits a particular experience at UW-Platteville in guiding him to his passion.

“Ultimately, it was failing engineering that definitely got me to where I am now,” he said. “I tried biting off way more than I could chew, and it was the final straw of several rough semesters and interviews with professional engineers that helped me realize I was not meant to be an engineer.”

That key moment led Schulz to the department of geography. Schulz highlights two class trips that shifted his career trajectory: Professor Emeritus of Social Sciences Dr. Richard Waugh’s Geography of the Western U.S. and Geography of the National Parks field trips. Schulz acknowledges how those hands-on opportunities of exploring national parks and talking with park rangers sparked his new interest.

“I met some pretty awesome professors,” he

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PHILIP SCHULZ ’16 works at Zion National Park in Utah as a Law Enforcement Park Ranger.

said. “Through the various geography courses, I realized this was the stuff I was suited for and then it was a matter of getting into the National Park Service.”

According to the Zion National Park website, the park is 232 square miles full of diverse ecosystems and geologic formations created over 250 million years.

In 2019, the park had more than four million visitors. When visiting, Schulz hopes people will research the park, be mindful of picking up their trash, and take in the natural beauty.

“Zion is consistently one of the top five most visited national parks; we’re really busy.

Planning ahead will make your trip far more enjoyable,” he said. “Take a deep breath and take the park in once you’re here. I can’t count how many people I’ve seen on the side of the road taking pictures. Those same people then get in their car or start to leave right after without taking a minute to look out and take in and appreciate what

they’ve just taken a picture of.”

From the days of being a student to now living out his professional dream, Schulz is always grateful to be a Pioneer.

“I’m very thankful for my UW-Platteville experience. I had some great professors along the way, both in engineering and geography, and made some lifelong friends,” he said. “I really like my job—you get folks who come back from their backpacking trip you helped plan and they tell you all the great things they got to see and do. You help get someone who broke their ankle while hiking the narrows back to the trailhead and get them medical help, and they’re telling you how grateful and relieved they are. Or, most commonly, you’re sitting in your backyard [many of us live inside the park] when you see the sunset and it’s hard not to just smile and think about how my job is so amazing.”

Ruth Wendlandt ’06

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UNEARTHED from the archives

Becoming UW-Platteville

By James Hibbard, Archivist

In September 1958, in the comfort of his office

in Old Main, Bjarne Ullsvik, the new president of Wisconsin State College at Platteville, composed a letter to faculty, staff, and students entitled Look Ahead. In the letter, Ullsvik predicted that due to the steadily increasing enrollment “WSCP will soon outgrow its present facilities.”

What Ullsvik did not, and could not see was that WSCP would experience tremendous growth, two mergers, and become a university, all in the short span of 13 years.

Wisconsin State College and Institute of Technology at Platteville: July 1, 1959

When Ullsvik became President in 1958, he knew a merger between the State College and the Institute of Technology was already in the works. The two schools already shared Royce Hall, a male residence hall. In addition, the Student Center that was scheduled to open in spring 1959, was financed jointly and centrally located between the schools at Main and Hickory.

This merger, however, was not without its challenges. An Oct. 20, 1958 Exponent headline stated it bluntly: “Merger Presents Problems.” The article chastised the students: “If there are any students who have particular biases—attempt to forget them now!” For 50 years, the two schools had maintained an intense rivalry socially and athletically and it was not going to be forgotten so quickly.

The most prominent illustration of the rivalry was on the football field. According to former history professor Tom Lundeen, “Because of the roughness of the games and fear of serious injuries, the two schools never played football with one another after 1925.”

The merger, however, was completed on July 1, 1959.

Ullsvik remained president, but Milton Melcher, President of the Institute of Technology, became the Dean of Technology. Significantly, the traditions of both schools were kept and the two most identifiable symbols of each school, the Normal School Bell and the Mining School M, were eventually combined into the official seal.

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LOOK AHEAD Bjarne Ullsvik led Wisconsin State College at Platteville through its merger with the Institute of Technology.

Wisconsin State UniversityPlatteville: July 1, 1964

Remarkably, only five years later, in June 1964, the Exponent expressed the frustration at another name change: “Throw your sweatshirts away; they’ve done it again. Since 1842, Platteville has etched six different names across its walls, stationary, sweatshirts or the like.” This time, however, Platteville was being promoted to university status.

This name change derived from UW-Platteville’s Normal School origins. When the Normal Schools were established in Wisconsin in the 19th century, they were grouped together and administered by their own board of regents. From 1866 to 1927, the Normal Schools functioned primarily as three-year institutions for educating teachers. In 1927, when they were authorized to award four-year baccalaureate degrees, they became

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What’s in a name?

A timeline of UW-Platteville

1958 Bjarne Ullsvik becomes president of Wisconsin State College at Platteville

1959 Wisconsin State College at Platteville merges with the Institute of Technology

1964 The college updates its name to Wisconsin State University– Platteville to align with its new state university status

1968 THE BAND EXITS the Old Main building c. 1965.

MILTON MELCHER RIGHT, former President of the Institute of Technology, became Dean of Technology following the merger.

State Teachers Colleges. In 1951, due to expanded curriculums, they became State Colleges. Finally, in 1964, they all became state universities that offered master’s degrees in education.

Platteville, however, was even more specialized. As President Ullsvik noted at the time, only a few larger universities “have curricular offerings in engineering, agriculture, industrial education, teacher education, and the liberal arts.”

Growth

Parallel to the name changes, the university’s student enrollment increased rapidly. In just 10 years, the school’s enrollment increased nearly four-fold, from 1,282 in 1958 to 5,024 students in 1968. This led to an increased number of new campus structures. This enrollment increase, however, brought on other challenges: housing shortages, food complaints, and the drinking age

The university’s enrollment increased nearly four-fold in 10 years reaching 5,024 students

1971 Governor Patrick Lucey merges the state’s two public university systems and Bjarne Ullsvik becomes Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville

requirement of 21, among other issues. These problems came to a head in May 1967 when, of all things, a cat got inside a power station and caused a power outage. For three nights, the students took to the streets and rioted over their grievances. President Ullsvik addressed the students’ concerns as best as he could, even helping the students who had been arrested. It is unknown if the cat survived.

University of WisconsinPlatteville: October 12, 1971

Remarkably, in 1971 a third change occurred. This was then-governor Patrick Lucey’s initiative. The idea behind it was to streamline administrative costs and save taxpayers money by merging the two public university systems: Wisconsin State University and University of Wisconsin. The proposed merger was not universally favored. For example, Roy Kopp of Platteville, the President of the Board of Regents of the Wisconsin State University system, was opposed to it.

As he told an Exponent reporter, he did not think it would save money and saw “no valid reason for the merger.”

The legislature, however, approved the merger and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville became a reality on Oct. 12, 1971, 50 years ago. Besides the expense of $1,000 to change signs, stationary, and diplomas, the biggest change was Ullsvik’s title. The board of regents required a president over the UW System, hence, President Ullsvik became Chancellor Ullsvik.

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PLATTEVILLE PORTRAIT

ENGINEERING EDUCATION FUELS GROWTH OF FAMILY BUSINESS

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I

t’s a family business that has evolved since 1956, and for the past 40 years, UW-Platteville alumnus TODD JOHNSON ’81 has led the company. Johnson is the Chairman and CEO of Capstan Corporation, a holding company which focused on acquiring and growing businesses in a variety of industries, headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.

To help with the changing demands of the business, Johnson made the decision to move to Southwest Wisconsin to continue his education.

“My father and grandfather started a small construction company in Superior, Wisconsin, and started it with a brand new wheelbarrow and a used pickup truck,” said Johnson. “I was guided into the business and showed interest. I selected UW-Platteville because at the time the business really needed an engineer.”

Johnson earned a degree in individually contracted engineering management, and after graduation he moved back to Superior to assist with the family business. He credits his UW-Platteville education with preparing him to grow the company and become an investor in different industries. Throughout the decades, the business, originally named Reuben Johnson and Son, Inc., advanced from being a building contractor to a highway-heavy contractor working in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. The company continued to expand

TODD JOHNSON right, pictured with his father, Troy Johnson, whom he worked side-by-side with for 25 years

into different areas.

“We started a bank in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We bought Fraser Shipyard on Lake Superior. We started a plastic company, and it became a pretty big deal. It brought jobs to our hometown community of Superior. We bought a utility company in Omaha, Nebraska. Most recently, we founded a crane rental that serves the Midwest, and acquired a fire and rescue boat manufacturing company,”

said Johnson. “Yes, we have applied ourselves, taken risks, and have worked hard. We have integrity, people like to work with us, but the foundation of all of it was going to UW-Platteville.”

As Johnson continues to run Capstan Corporation, there are lessons he learned at UW-Platteville that still benefit him today—specifically, the quest to solve problems. This takeaway has Johnson running towards problems with solutions instead

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UW-Platteville challenged me and pushed me.

The regiment you have as an engineer—it got me in the mindset of let’s figure it out; the curiosity to solve the problem.”

of avoiding them.

“UW-Platteville challenged me and pushed me,” he said.

“The regiment you have as an engineer—it got me in the mindset of let’s figure it out; the curiosity to solve the problem.”

As Johnson reflects on the family business, he’s proud of all the success, and he’s also mighty proud of being a Pioneer. It’s why Johnson continues to give back to his alma mater. Through his financial gifts, Johnson hopes the next generation of students will appreciate their collegiate chapter.

“I went to school for an education. My grandfather got to the eighth grade and my father got to the 12th grade. I was encouraged to go to college. It was a big deal,” said Johnson. “We

have been very blessed. I received a phenomenal education at UW-Platteville. When I talk to UW-Platteville student callers I say, ‘Do me a favor, when you are in my shoes and somebody calls, take the call and give what you can. We should give back throughout our career.’”

Johnson is being recognized by the UW-Platteville Alumni Association for his career accomplishments and support of the university with the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Since Johnson’s graduation, he has come back to the Driftless area to visit campus and recalls his days of living in Morrow and Pickard halls and participating in different organizations.

“I was involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. It was

a nice release for me from the driving pressures of school,” said Johnson. “Saturday night Glenview didn’t have food, and I developed an interest in cooking. We would get a bunch of people together from the dorms and I enjoyed the challenge of cooking for friends.”

As Johnson looks back on his UW-Platteville days, he’s grateful for his experience and the relationships he was able to build with his peers and instructors.

“I respect the education I received and the commitment from the professors to make sure we knew the materials,” he said. “It was an incredible experience and one that I wouldn’t trade to go anywhere else.”

TODD JOHNSON AND his wife, Susan Johnson

Ruth Wendlandt ’06

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CONNECTIONS Lauren Parkinson Ganzer ’14

Jessie Tranel Backes ’07 — Matt ’09 and I met in the dining hall Glenview Commons in September of 2004. My friends group ended up being pretty good friends with his friends group through the fall semester of 2004. He asked me to be his girlfriend in October 2004. He proposed in the summer of 2009 after he graduated. We got married in 2010 and took our wedding pictures in various spots around campus. We currently live near Madison with our son Caden, 7, and daughter Joey, 5.

— My husband and I met at practice for Cheer and Stunt on Halloween 2011. We began officially dating on Leap Day 2012 after he asked me to be his girlfriend at the top of the M. We had our engagement photos taken on campus and wedding reception at Velzy Commons.

We moved back to Platteville in December 2014. We can see the Homecoming fireworks from our backyard. We had our future Pioneer in April 2020. Blue and orange runs deep in our veins and we are so excited to raise our kids where it all began.

UW-Platteville formed the very foundation of our family.

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Thank you for sharing!

“what I’m thankful for banner” in our wing’s shared bathroom was: “I’m thankful that the Bowling Alley Man finally asked Paula out so she’ll shut up about him.” I am thankful too. Kevin, AKA, “The Bowling Alley Man” and I celebrated our 26-year wedding Anniversary last May.

Paula Metz Unbehaun ’90 –

Bridget Klinkner Spraggon ’10 – John and I met in the fall of 2008 in the Metals Lab of Russell Hall. I was the only girl in the basic metals class of 15–20 boys. My husband John was a teacher’s helper. Word had got out that there was a girl in the class and he had to find out for himself. He also discovered I would go to the open labs on Monday night and had to make sure he would be there. From there I got to know him briefly and he found out when my birthday was. He then asked me to go on a date with him for my birthday. He arrived at my dorm with a bouquet of a dozen roses.

We went out to eat and then to a movie which we didn’t even watch, we just talked the entire time. We were engaged in April of 2010 and married on April 30, 2011. We now have six beautiful children: Josephine, 9; Lillian, 7; Emmett, 5; Herman, 4; Henrietta, 2; and Marrialla, 6 months.

In February, we asked our alumni to share how they met their significant other on campus. We received an overwhelming number of responses, and you can see all of them on the UW-Platteville Alumni Facebook page.

Alyssa Szydel Grimsled ’17 — Cody and I met in Brockert Hall in the fall of 2013. Cody set up a scavenger hunt one snowy winter night in 2018 with all of our Platteville friends and the last task on the list was “take a picture by your freshman dorm.”

When I pulled into the circle, Cody and all of our friends were already there and he was down on one knee asking me to spend forever with him in the same spot we met.

The 80s were a great time to be a young college student, especially at UW-Platteville. I was a sophomore, living in Dobson Hall—which was an all-girls dorm at the time. Needing a job, work study came to my rescue and I landed a job as an attendant at the campus bowling alley, which was part of the Game Room. Those lanes are no longer on campus, and even in 1988 they weren’t new, which meant a fair amount of mechanical attention. That mechanical attention turned out to be a life changer for me.

Since they did need frequent repair, everyone who worked at the Game Room took a turn once a week helping the mechanic. Mondays became my favorite day of the week; the day I helped the “bowling alley man,” for that was what he came to be called on Fourth West Dobson. The dimpled smile and dusty blue eyes won me over, and I must have talked a little too much about him to my wingmates. Written on the

Ashley Ackerson Schmitt ’08 – My husband, Adam, and I met in the spring of 2005 at UW-Platteville after we both took jobs at the Information Center in the student center. We both worked various roles in our time at the Information Center, but ultimately both became building managers. After a few years of dating and working together, Adam proposed and we decided to get married right there at UW-Platteville! Our wedding photos were mostly on campus and our reception took place at Ullsvik Hall on Oct. 23, 2010.

We are now happily married for 10 years and have three children. McKenzie is 7, Carson is 4, and Porter is 2.

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CLASS NOTES Any information on other students and graduates who lost their lives in Vietnam should be forwarded to Kolar at mackolar @verizon.net.

Share your news!

Tell us about any updates in your professional or personal life—promotions, accomplishments and awards, moves, marriages, baby announcements, and more.

uwplatt.edu/shareyourstory

Roger Borcherding ’59 retired from DARCO management on Jan. 1, 2021 after serving as CEO for 28 years. Borcherding previously retired at age 55 from Texaco after serving 33 years in oil exploration in many positions including geophysical manager, geological manager, and pathfinding manager. Borcherding was in the final graduating class of the Wisconsin Institute of Technology and said he appreciates the excellent education he received at WIT, and later while pursuing a master’s degree in geophysics at the Missouri School of Mines. Borcherding writes, “I have wonderful memories of my time in Platteville.

Friends, please contact me and come by for a visit in Denver.”

Dr. Judyth Kenney Swingen ’66 and ’68 is Professor Emerita at

Paul Chase ’70 had a solo exhibition of his work featured at Nohr Gallery in Ullsvik Hall, in its first exhibition since the pandemic. Chase earned both his bachelor’s degree in art and his master’s degree in communications from UW-Platteville. The exhibit, which included large portraits, paintings, and sculptures was entitled Portrait Visions and ran earlier this fall.

“It was always a dream and goal to have a solo exhibit in the Harry and Laura Nohr Gallery,” said Chase, who resides in Galena, Illinois, and has his own studio there. “The portraits are of fellow artists who have influenced my life and creative endeavors. While the university has evolved greatly over the last 50 years, when I enter Ullsvik Hall and visit Nohr Gallery, it feels like home.”

the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Lt. Col. Mac Kolar ’69, U.S. Marine Corps retired, is attempting to identify former students and graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville who were killed in the Vietnam War, with the goal of memorializing them on campus. After announcing his search in the February alumni e-newsletter, he re-

ceived immediate response, and he thanks those alumni who reached out to him.

Those he has been able to identify, to date, are: Cpl Francis Mulvey, Army Fennimore; 2nd Lt Vasilios Demetris, Marine Corps New York; LCpl Daniel Gallagher, Marine Corps Blanchardville; SP4 John Imrie Army Johnson

Creek; 1st Lt Wilbur Krueger Air Force Reedsville; WO Ronald Blohm Army Eau Claire; Sgt Edwin Brown Army Beloit; Pfc Louis Zittergruen, Army Monona, Iowa; SP4 Paul Mattson, Army Lake Bluff, Illinois; SP4 Brian Perlewitz, Army Milwaukee; HN Richard Sutherland, Navy Dubuque, Iowa; HN Larry William Knight, Navy Rockford, Illinois.

Mark Kramer ’74 was named Legionnaire of the Year for American Legion Post 306 and for Wisconsin’s Sixth District on May 13. Kramer served as post commander for 12 years. He is now the Public Relations Officer and Historian, keeping local newspapers informed of American Legion activities and accomplishments. Kramer, right, pictured receiving the award from American Legion Sixth District Commander Bob Borszich.

Ryan Berg ’78 is a Consultant at Ryan R. Berg & Associates Inc. Berg has been honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers with the 2021 Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award for his expertise in geosynthetic-reinforced earthworks, retaining structures, and for his lifelong contributions to the developments and applications of mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls, which helped create innovative solutions for practical problems.

Bob Byrnes ’79 was elected to his ninth term as Mayor of Marshall, Minnesota, in the November 2020 election. He is currently in his 29th year as Mayor and served six years as city councilman prior to being elected Mayor. Byrnes retired in July 2019 following a 40-year career with the University of Minnesota

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CLASS NOTES Extension, where he served as state-wide director of operations.

He is currently serving as an Interim Extension Regional Director with the University of Minnesota.

Luann Gebler Radke ’80 retired on Feb. 1, 2021 after more than 40 years at the Monroe Wisconsin Police Department. She was hired as the first female patrol officer and worked 15 years combined as a juvenile officer and detective. The last 21 years, she was the court liaison officer. Radke has been married for almost 38 years, has three children, and three grandchildren.

Al Rommel ’85, Greg Kjos ’85, Mike Biszak ’86, and Scott Czysz ’86 pictured left to right in lower photo celebrated 40 years of friendship with a two-day reunion in Platteville. They met at UW-Platteville in 1981 and lived on first east Pickard Hall.

The annual UW-Platteville Soil and Crop Science Alumni Golf Outing and Picnic was held Sept. 10 at Apple Canyon Lake, Illinois. There were 45 participants with 31 golfers, including

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Jeff Plenty ’88, Kevin Lange ’82, Todd Mau ’83, and Jerry Smalley ’80 pictured left to right. The group also held an informal auction with the proceeds benefiting the Soil and Crop Science Scholarship for incoming freshmen. Alumni are invited to the 2022 gathering on Sept. 9.

Colonel Eric Schadler ’90 retired from the Oregon Air National Guard. During his career of more than 30 years, he spent 10 years in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps Seabees and transferred to the Air Force Reserve where he was a CE commander, emergency triage medical commander, and a medical group commander. In his civilian capacity, he works for the City of Vancouver, Washington, as the Sewer Engineering Program Manager. He oversees the wastewater treatment plants, sewer collection engineering, and operations.

Danielle Westmore ’97 is a Registered Nurse at Carle Health. Westmore graduated Summa Cum Laude from Chamberlain University - Chicago campus in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

She was accepted into the Carle Ambulatory Nurse Residency Program and began her nursing career in December.

Jeff Heller ’01 received Kimberly-Clark’s Technical Excellence

Award at the company’s 2020 Science and Technology Exchange Conference this fall.

Heller, a Senior Process Engineer, played an instrumental role in the development of a lightning fast way to print colorful graphics and personal monograms directly onto Huggies® Special Delivery and Huggies® Made By You diapers. He is one of only 33 engineers and scientists who have won the prize since 1991.

with my professors, Alpha Phi Omega, Students for Peace and Justice, and the community as a whole for the work that I’ve done, the achievements I have made, and the changes I have yet to bring to Beloit, Rock County, and beyond.”

Aaron Athas ’10 is the Instructional Technology Specialist for the Sartell-St. Stephen School District. This spring, Athas received the 2020 Kohl Teacher Fellowship from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. Athas is also the Chair of the UW-Platteville Alumni Association.

Tricia Walker ’03 has been appointed by Governor Tony Evers to the Fond du Lac County Circuit Court. Walker will be the third Asian-American to ever serve as a state court judge in Wisconsin.

Megan Kuzminski Miller ’06 is a Reading Interventionist at Whitewater Unified School District. Miller earned her master’s in education from Carthage College in 2012. She was elected President of the Beloit Board of Education in 2021. Miller and her husband have three daughters. She writes, “My goal continues to be to create meaningful literacy experiences for every child and to bring justice to the practice of education. If we don’t educate the most vulnerable of our children, then we don’t properly educate any of our children.” Miller added, “As a student at UW-Platteville, I learned the value of activism and civic engagement. I credit the experiences I had at UW-Platteville

Keena Spencer-Dobson ’11 and ’19 has been recognized by the Society of Women Engineers for her impact on the Society as well as the engineering community with the SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award. Spencer-Dobson, a Senior Civil Transportation Engineer at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, accepted the award at SWE’s annual conference, WE21, in October. “Earning this award validates my place in the engineering world and gives me confidence to lead more complicated projects in the future,” Spencer-Dobson said. “I am honored to be recognized as one of few distinguished new engineers within SWE.”

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IN MEMORIAM Andrea Dietzel-Luedtke ’12 has been recognized by the Wisconsin Law Journal as one of the 2020 Unsung Heroes. The Unsung Heroes award recognizes legal support staff members who excel in providing exceptional service and assistance behind the scenes at their firms.

Dietzel-Luedtke serves as a Paralegal in Reinhart’s Intellectual Property Practice.

Are you part of a Pioneer legacy family?

If you had parents or grandparents who also attended UW-Platteville, please share your family’s story and photos, and they may appear in the next Alumni Today issue, the alumni e-newsletter, or the UW-Platteville Alumni Facebook page.

uwplatt.edu/shareyourstory

1940s

1980s

Miltin L. Keene ’48, Chatham, IL Joyce W. Walker Kirschbaum ’49, Beaver Dam, WI

Dawn Swiggum Erickson ’80, Mount Horeb, WI William A. Denkert ’80, Oshkosh, WI Elmer C. Klar ’83, Hazel Green, WI Daniel J. Davis ’86, Cedarburg, WI

1950s Mary Jean Hlavac ’51, McFarland, WI David C. Berndt ’52, De Pere, WI Robert J. Lacke, ’52, Ottawa, IL Theodore J. Ralph ’52, San Antonio, TX Keith F Faherty ’54, Brookfield, WI Richard L. Hess ’54, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Leon “Grant” Loy ’54, Stitzer, WI Stanley C. Walz ’54, Portage, WI Loran C. Eldred ’55, Somona, CA Betty M. Krebs Heer ’59, Monroe, WI Myrna J. Gilbertson Spencer ’59, Mequon, WI

1990s

1960s

Employees

Robert C. Hardie ’60, Taylor, WI Mahlen “Mel” C. Friske ’60, Hayward, WI William J. Rice ’62, McFarland, WI John W. Santas ’62, Kalamazoo, MI Mark J. Powers ’63, Durham, NC Gary D. Beerkircher ’65, Waukesha, WI Dennis A. Loftus ’65, Saint Paul, MN Barry G. Woodle ’66, Gilbert, MN Mary E. Johns ’67, Darlington WI Deloris “Dodie” Robertson ’67, Lancaster, PA Duane C. Woerpel ’68, Prairie Du Sac, WI Kenneth M. Theisen ’68, Geneva, IL Larry D. Strahl ’69, Sun Prairie, WI

Roy “Sarge” V. Pierce, Platteville, WI Eila B. Butterworth, Platteville, WI Dr. Vernon G. Vradenburg, Platteville, WI

Diane L. Bartels ’91, Belmont, WI Aaron P. Lancaster ’96, Darlington, WI Anthony Tony Worachek ’99, McFarland, WI

2010s Mitchell G. Billeb ’17, Slinger, WI

2020s Dylan I. LaMere ’21, Waunakee, WI

Friends of the University Wallace G. Huttenburg, Greenville, WI Judith T. Dillon, Plano, Texas Katherine C. Carothers, Asbury, Iowa E. Robert Clair, Platteville, WI Mark “Red Dog” Redfern, Platteville, WI

1970s Betty J. Richardson Bumgardner ’70, Platteville, WI Thomas A. Ferguson ’70, Naples, FL David R. Nee ’71, Fishers, IN Roger A. Dalsoren ’71, Dodgeville, WI Gerald “Jerry” E. Bouzek ’71, Stoughton, WI Peter L. Hansen ’73, Union Grove, WI Douglas J. Swanson ’79, Waunakee, WI

Some alumni and friends inquire about making a memorial gift. If you would like to do so, please contact Josh Boots at bootsj@ uwplatt.edu or 608.342.3961.

ALUMNI TODAY | FALL 2021

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1 University Plaza Stop 1 | Platteville WI 53818-3099

Do you know a high school or transfer student with Pioneer potential?

Alumni, we need your help to recruit the next generation of Pioneers! Alumni are among our greatest ambassadors. As a graduate of UW-Platteville, you know best what the university has to offer and who would be a great fit for the Pioneer experience.

Visit www.uwplatt.edu/alumni-friends

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