Summer 2008 - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...
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Alumnus<br />
u n i v e r s i t y o f w i s c o n s i n - l a c r o s s e<br />
<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2008</strong>, Vol. 34, No. 2<br />
From the<br />
ground up<br />
‘Centennial Hall’
t h e v i e w f r o m t h e b l u f f<br />
Jim Wiener<br />
‘This is a<br />
time <strong>of</strong><br />
extraordinary<br />
opportunity<br />
and challenge<br />
for UW-L.’<br />
An ambitious effort<br />
Strong support essential for Centennial Campaign<br />
Sevenyearsago,Iwashonoredtoaccepta<br />
positionatUW-LaCrosseasitsrst<br />
WisconsinDistinguishedPr<strong>of</strong>essor.Iwas<br />
drawntotheuniversitybythequalityand<br />
character<strong>of</strong>itspeople,andcantodayaffirmthat<br />
thegreatestreward<strong>of</strong>myyearsherehasbeenthe<br />
interactionwithstudents,staff,andfacultywhoare<br />
passionateaboutlearning,serviceandscholarship.<br />
Asaresult<strong>of</strong>theircollectiveeffortsand<br />
accomplishments,UW-Liswidelyrecognizedfor<br />
theexcellenceandvalue<strong>of</strong>itseducational<br />
programs.euniversityhasalsoachieved<br />
nationalandinternationalrenowninseveralareas<br />
<strong>of</strong>research.isisaremarkabletestamenttothe<br />
qualityandaccomplishments<strong>of</strong>ourpastand<br />
presentstudents,whohaveplayedsuchvitalroles<br />
inresearchonthiscampus.<br />
Anditdoesn’tendthere.You—ourgraduates<br />
—areanimpressive,accomplishedgroup.As<br />
alumni,yourepresenttheultimatelegacy<strong>of</strong><br />
excellenceatUW-L.<br />
Prideintheachievementsandpresentstature<br />
<strong>of</strong>ouruniversityhasbeenwellearned.Yetthe<br />
collectiveview<strong>of</strong>students,faculty,andstaffonthis<br />
campusisthatUW-Lcanandmustcontinueto<br />
advanceandimprove—ineducation,scholarly<br />
research,andservicetosociety.Strongsupport<br />
fromouralumniwillbeessentialtoachievingthis<br />
visionandtomeetingtheseworthygoals.<br />
isUW-LAlumnusfeaturestherecently<br />
launchedCentennialCampaign,themost<br />
ambitiousfundraisinginitiativeintheuniversity’s<br />
history.esuccess<strong>of</strong>thiscampaignwillbecrucial<br />
asUW-Lentersitssecondcentury.<br />
Asamember<strong>of</strong>theLeadershipTeamforthis<br />
campaign,Iinviteyourparticipation.Financial<br />
supportisbeingsoughtforthenewAcademic<br />
Building,undergraduateresearch,student<br />
scholarships,facultyawardsanddevelopment,and<br />
otherworthyendeavors.<br />
Ourmostimmediateneedistosecure$6<br />
millionincontributionsfortheAcademic<br />
Building,whichwillprovideastate<strong>of</strong>theart<br />
educationalfacilityforusebyallcollegesand<br />
departmentsonthecampus.Raisingthesefunds<br />
willenabletheuniversitytoreceive$38millionin<br />
statemoniestoproceedwithconstruction<strong>of</strong>this<br />
muchneededfacility.Itisnotsurprisingthatthe<br />
physicalinfrastructureonourcampusneeds<br />
updatingandimprovement,consideringthatI—<br />
nowaseniorpr<strong>of</strong>essor—wasagraduatestudent<br />
whenthelasteducationalbuildingontheUW-L<br />
campus(W.CarlWimberlyHall,formerlyNorth<br />
Hall)wascompletedin1974.<br />
isisatime<strong>of</strong>extraordinaryopportunityand<br />
challengeforUW-L.Iencourageyoutoreecton<br />
thepersonalenrichmentandpr<strong>of</strong>essionalgrowth<br />
thathaveaccruedfromyouryearsonthiscampus<br />
andtojoinmeinsupportingtheCentennial<br />
Campaignforagreatuniversity—youralmamater<br />
—the<strong>University</strong><strong>of</strong>Wisconsin-LaCrosse.<br />
JimWiener<br />
WisconsinDistinguishedPr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
UW-LaCrosse
f e a t u r e s<br />
8 Distinguished alumni shine<br />
Educators and a scientist make up the university’s<br />
distinguished alumni for <strong>2008</strong>.Find out why these four<br />
alumni are special — and why they’re being honored.<br />
17 Time to honor family<br />
Economics Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Richard Sylla didn’t go to college<br />
in La Crosse, but he attributes much <strong>of</strong> his success to<br />
UW-L.His father, Ben, a La Crosse Normal 1923<br />
graduate, went on to have a successful career in<br />
education.Find out how Richard Sylla is honoring his<br />
family on campus.<br />
d e p a r t m e n t s<br />
What’s happening on campus 3<br />
Alumni news 12<br />
Foundation update 16<br />
Cover story: ‘Centennial Hall’ 20<br />
Athletics 24<br />
La Crosse ties 28<br />
Coulee Coda 42<br />
w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g o n c a m p u s<br />
A ‘best value’<br />
UW-Lhasbeenrecognizednationally—<br />
again—for“top-flightacademicsand<br />
affordablecosts.”Kiplinger’sPersonal<br />
FinanceFebruary<strong>2008</strong>issuegaveUW-L<br />
thehonorbynamingittothe“bestvalue”<br />
listamongthenation’spubliccolleges.<br />
Kiplinger’srankedUW-LNo.39nationally<br />
basedonin-statestudentcostsandNo.38<br />
forthoseout<strong>of</strong>stateamongmorethan500<br />
public,four-yearcollegesanduniversities.<br />
SchoolsmakingKiplinger’sTop100listare<br />
noteworthyforoutstandingacademicqualityplusanaffordableprice<br />
tag,magazineeditorsnote.<br />
Lastfall,U.S.News&WorldReportrankedUW-Lthirdbestvalue<br />
amongMidwestpubliccolleges.TheonlyotherUWstomakethe<strong>2008</strong><br />
Kiplinger’sTop100:UW-Madison,No.19,andUW-EauClaire,No.<br />
64.Seecompleterankingsatkiplinger.com.<br />
New provost<br />
Kathleen Enz Finken<br />
Politics on Campus<br />
AformerMinnesotaState<strong>University</strong><br />
MoorheadadministratorisUW-L’snew<br />
provostandvicechancellorforacademic<br />
affairs.KathleenEnzFinkenbeganoncampus<br />
May19.Shehadbeendean<strong>of</strong>theCollege<strong>of</strong><br />
ArtsandHumanitiesatMoorheadwhereshe<br />
wasapr<strong>of</strong>essor<strong>of</strong>arthistory.EnzFinken<br />
earneddoctoralandmaster’sdegreesfrom<br />
Rutgers<strong>University</strong>,andabachelor’sfrom<br />
DouglassCollege,Rutger’sresidentialcollege<br />
forwomen.<br />
With the race for president in full swing when Wisconsin’s Presidential<br />
Preference Primary was held Feb. 19, hopefuls — and family members —<br />
made stops in La Crosse. Republican contenders Sen. John McCain and<br />
Gov. Mike Huckabee stopped downtown, while Michelle Obama (left)<br />
and Bill and Chelsea Clinton visited campus.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 3
f r o m t h e e d i t o r<br />
Brad Quarberg<br />
A centennial<br />
cause<br />
Heard the joke about state universities? Years<br />
ago when they were founded, they were<br />
state funded. With state funding drying up in<br />
the ’80s, they became state assisted. Today with even<br />
tighter budgets, they’re state located.<br />
The joke may be a little overstated, but not much.<br />
Students have been paying for more <strong>of</strong> their tuition<br />
— especially in recent years. In 1996 resident<br />
students paid 35 percent <strong>of</strong> the cost <strong>of</strong> their<br />
education. By 2005 that had grown to 51 percent.<br />
And, the state typically no longer fully funds<br />
buildings used for educational purposes, not to<br />
mention other budget cuts.<br />
That’s why the UW-La Crosse Foundation’s $40<br />
million Centennial Campaign is so important. Six<br />
million will fund a new academic building — the first<br />
since Wimberly (North) Hall was built in 1974. The<br />
$44 million building will provide needed state-<strong>of</strong>-theart<br />
classrooms.<br />
Other money raised will fund a new outdoor<br />
sports complex and endowments for undergraduate<br />
research, scholarships, faculty pr<strong>of</strong>essorships and the<br />
annual fund.<br />
It’s a challenging effort as the university moves<br />
into it second century. But, it’s necessary to maintain<br />
the quality <strong>of</strong> education.<br />
Pay special attention to the articles throughout<br />
this issue <strong>of</strong> the Alumnus. You’ll discover the La<br />
Crosse Experience is unique. That’s why it’s<br />
important to become involved as the university<br />
celebrates its centennial.<br />
The university’s future depends on us!<br />
Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Alumnus editor<br />
4 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
u n i v e r s i t y o f w i s c o n s i n - l a c r o s s e<br />
Alumnus<br />
<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2008</strong>, Vol. 34, No. 2<br />
The Alumnus is published in June and December for alumni<br />
and friends <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-La Crosse. Deadline<br />
for copy is April 1 and Oct. 1. Readers may submit news items<br />
to the editor in the <strong>University</strong> Relations Office, UW-La Crosse,<br />
1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601.<br />
608.785.8572 • quarberg.brad@uwlax.edu<br />
e d i t o r<br />
Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Associate Director <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> Relations,<br />
<strong>University</strong> Relations Office<br />
a r t d i r e c t o r<br />
Sanja Dojcinovic<br />
<strong>University</strong> Print Manager<br />
<strong>University</strong> Relations Office<br />
s t a f f w r i t e r s<br />
Sanja Dojcinovic<br />
Cary Heyer<br />
Dave Johnson, ’92<br />
Sue (Sullivan) Lee,<br />
’82 & ’87<br />
Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86<br />
p h o t o g r a p h y<br />
Brad Quarberg ’85<br />
Sue (Sullivan) Lee,<br />
’82 & ’87<br />
From the<br />
ground up<br />
Centennial Hall’<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-La Crosse Alumnus<br />
<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2008</strong>, Vol. 34, No. 2<br />
e d i t o r i a l<br />
a s s i s t a n c e<br />
Beth Dummer<br />
Program Assistant<br />
Cary Heyer, APR<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
Relations<br />
Jeff Kerkman,’86<br />
Alumni Representative<br />
Kelly Nowicki-Van Rooyan<br />
’98 & ’02<br />
Alumni Representative<br />
Al Trapp<br />
Acting President,<br />
UW-La Crosse Foundation<br />
www.uwlax.edu<br />
View previous issues at http://murphylibrary.uwlax.edu/digital/uwl/Alumnus/index.html<br />
Production <strong>of</strong> the Alumnus is supported by grants from the UW-La Crosse Alumni Association<br />
and the UW-La Crosse Foundation.
Mississippi radio<br />
series CD available<br />
Stories <strong>of</strong> life on the modern-day Mississippi River<br />
flow <strong>of</strong>f a new CD available from the Oral History<br />
Project. Eighteen La Crosse-area self-proclaimed<br />
River Rats share river tales in the two-disc CD<br />
package, “First Person Wisconsin: Mississippi<br />
Memories II.” Their stories were first told during 13<br />
programs airing on Wisconsin Public Radio station<br />
WLSU in 2006.<br />
“The programs continue to explore the ways in<br />
which the big river shapes the lives and memories <strong>of</strong> those who work on the river, use it<br />
as a classroom, live on its banks, or find inspiration in its history and ecology,” says<br />
UW-L History Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Charles Lee.<br />
The double CD package is available for $17.77. To order by credit card contact Paul<br />
Beck, UW-L Special Collections, at 608.785.8511. Or, make a check payable to UW-La<br />
Crosse at: UW-L Oral History Program, 325 Wimberly Hall, 1725 State St., La Crosse<br />
WI 54601.<br />
Growing school spirit<br />
UW-L student athletes have a whole new<br />
army <strong>of</strong> supporters — the Maroon Platoon.<br />
e new club — open to students, staff and<br />
alumni —caught on last fall when those<br />
signing up received a free maroon T-shirt<br />
with white leering proclaiming<br />
“MAROON PLATOON.” Around 2,000<br />
shirts later, the free supply depleted, but<br />
enthusiasm didn’t.<br />
“e club had a huge impact on student<br />
aendance at athletic events,” says Dave<br />
Johnson, ’92, sports information director.<br />
“At volleyball and football games you could<br />
easily see a sea <strong>of</strong> maroon T-shirts.”<br />
Head Football Coach Larry Terry, ’77,<br />
proposed the fan club idea last year. He got<br />
the idea from his brother, Steve, who helped<br />
organize UW-Stout’s “Blue Crew” as the<br />
school’s athletic director.<br />
e Maroon Platoon board plans to<br />
continue club activities next season — along<br />
with recruiting new freshmen and others.<br />
Local sports store Games People Play has<br />
added a line <strong>of</strong> “Maroon Platoon” clothing.<br />
Maroon T-shirts proclaiming “MAROON<br />
PLATOON” above the university’s<br />
athletic logo have been a popular item<br />
on campus. The new club — open to<br />
students, staff and alumni — was set up<br />
as an easy way to support UW-L<br />
athletic teams.<br />
w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g o n c a m p u s<br />
We’ll hang the<br />
lantern …<br />
Ever since English pr<strong>of</strong>essor O.O. White inaugurated the<br />
homecoming lantern tradition in 1931, a lantern has served<br />
as a beacon for La Crosse alumni. White’s words: “We’ll<br />
hang the lantern in the old college tower … You won’t need<br />
to look for the key — the door will be open.” A lantern hung<br />
above Graff Main Hall’s south stairwell each Homecoming<br />
(as seen in the above picture) until it moved in 1997 to hang<br />
year round in the Hoeschler Clock Tower. The “Hanging <strong>of</strong><br />
the Lantern” ceremony continues each Homecoming, along<br />
with the “Lighting <strong>of</strong> the ‘L’” on Grandad Bluff.<br />
did you know …<br />
… Wisconsin residents can own<br />
license plates with UW-L logos?<br />
Visit www.dot.wisconsin.gov/<br />
drivers/vehicles/personal/special/<br />
universi.htm for details.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 5
w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g o n c a m p u s<br />
A presidential<br />
pose<br />
UW-L Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Cecilia Manrique with former President Bill<br />
Clinton during his campus visit in February <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Political Science Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Cecilia Manrique, left, talked with<br />
former President Bill Clinton when he visited campus in<br />
February campaigning for his wife, Hillary, before<br />
Wisconsin’s primary. Manrique was invited to a behind-thestage<br />
reception with the president courtesy <strong>of</strong> former<br />
student Katie Berry, ’07. “When he got to me I introduced<br />
myself and told him that Chelsea was in my classroom two<br />
days earlier,” says Manrique. “I showed him the picture that<br />
came out in the newspaper. He thanked me. I asked if he<br />
would autograph it which he did and then my husband took<br />
our picture. It was a surreal experience.” A few days later,<br />
Manrique met Michelle Obama <strong>of</strong>f-stage thanks to a friend<br />
whose daughter introduced her to the potential first lady.<br />
6 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Grad earns<br />
highest score<br />
A Nuclear Medicine Technology (NMT) graduate earned the highest score on the<br />
2007 certification exam. Andy H<strong>of</strong>fman, ’07, took the top score <strong>of</strong> the nearly 1,700<br />
students taking the required national test. Overall, UW-L’s 2007 NMT graduates<br />
average score ranked in the 88th percentile. The UW-L program has a 100 percent pass<br />
rate over its 40-year history with 658 graduates.<br />
New registrar<br />
named<br />
Chris Bakkum<br />
A familiar face will sit in the UW-L registrar’s chair. Chris<br />
Bakkum, ’76 & ’84, was selected to head the Records and<br />
Registration Office following a national search this spring.<br />
Bakkum has served in numerous campus administrative roles,<br />
starting as assistant to the dean in 1984 and most recently as<br />
interim registrar. Bakkum, who holds a doctorate in<br />
educational administration from UW-Madison, has more<br />
than 20 years <strong>of</strong> experience in curriculum consulting,<br />
development and implementation. “Chris is an outstanding<br />
administrator and a wonderful colleague – we’re very<br />
fortunate to benet from her talents,” says Chancellor Joe<br />
Gow. Bakkum replaces Diane Schumacher, ’74 & ’83, who<br />
retired in early 2007.<br />
Educator honored<br />
Kent Koppelman<br />
Retired Educational Studies Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Kent Koppelman<br />
received the Iowa State <strong>University</strong> College <strong>of</strong> Human<br />
Science’s 2007 Virgil S. Lagomarcino Laureate Award. The<br />
award honors graduates for nationally and internationally<br />
recognized meritorious service or distinguished achievement<br />
in education. Koppelman taught on campus from 1979 until<br />
retiring in 2007.
Nuclear Med Tech<br />
students earn<br />
national scholarships<br />
Three UW-L students are among 17 nationwide to earn prestigious <strong>2008</strong> Society for<br />
Nuclear Medicine scholarships. Amy Beam, Missi Genz and Stephanie Rice received<br />
Paul Cole Scholarships, presented to the nation’s best nuclear medicine technology<br />
students. The $1,000 scholarships are given based on financial need, goals, academic<br />
performance and faculty recommendations.<br />
Amy Beam Missi Genz Stephanie Rice<br />
Donation for Benin<br />
Students living in residence halls came up big for a Peace Corps alum in Benin, West<br />
Africa. Laura Crawford, ’06, asked Residence Life staff to help gather clothes and<br />
shoes for children in Benin. She received more than 100 pounds <strong>of</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tgoods Jan.<br />
16, which she distributed Jan. 25. “The kids were so excited and each received a new<br />
item to wear and many got complete outfits,” says Crawford, a former resident<br />
assistant. “I knew I could count on the students to help provide a wonderful treat for<br />
the 93 kids.”<br />
Physician Assistant<br />
grads are tops<br />
The 2007 graduates <strong>of</strong> the UW-L-Gundersen Lutheran-Mayo Physician<br />
Assistant program earned the highest scores in the country on their<br />
certifying exam. The graduates took top honors among 145 programs<br />
nationwide.<br />
w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g o n c a m p u s<br />
Faculty, staff<br />
retire<br />
Faculty and staff who retired during 2007-08 were<br />
recognized in May. They included:<br />
Lloyd Arenz, Landscape Services<br />
James A. Batesky, exercise and sport science<br />
Terry Beck, English<br />
John Bender, Information Technology<br />
Gale Buchholtz, Campus Stores<br />
Louise Campbell, modern languages<br />
Robert Carney, finance<br />
Gerry Cox, sociology/archaeology<br />
Helen Ewoldt, Residence Life<br />
Margaret Falls, health pr<strong>of</strong>essions<br />
Lawrence Forkash, educational studies<br />
Duane Gabel, Residence Life<br />
Marilyn Kendhammer, Financial Aid<br />
Linda Kessler, exercise and sport science<br />
Judith Lezotte, management<br />
Gary MacDonald, art<br />
Jeffrey Maier, Residence Life<br />
J. Leslie Oganowski, health education and<br />
health promotion<br />
David Piehl, communication studies<br />
Johanna Stephenson, <strong>Murphy</strong> <strong>Library</strong><br />
Allen Torstveit, Maintenance<br />
Patrick Verse, Physical Plant<br />
William Wehrs, information systems<br />
Dean Wilder, geography/earth science<br />
Clifford H. Zirkel III, Counseling and Testing<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 7
m a u r i c e o . g r a f f d i s t i n g u i s h e d a l m u n i a w a r d<br />
Accepting differences<br />
Educator works to make sure human atrocities aren’t forgotten<br />
The Maurice O. Graff<br />
Distinguished<br />
Alumni Award<br />
recognizes alumni<br />
who have achieved<br />
honor and<br />
distinction with<br />
recognition and<br />
reputations that<br />
extend well beyond<br />
the immediate<br />
environments in<br />
which they live and<br />
work. To nominate<br />
an alum visit:<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/<br />
nominate.php<br />
8 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
She spent most <strong>of</strong> her life as an English teacher.<br />
Now she’s a Holocaust educator. Darryle<br />
(Damon) Clott, ’66 & ’71, planned a short unit on<br />
the Holocaust in her La Crescent (Minn.) High School<br />
English class in the ’90s. Eventually she stretched the unit<br />
out, became the founder <strong>of</strong> the school’s diversity day, and<br />
traveled to the Teachers’ Institute on Holocaust and<br />
Jewish Resistance in Poland and Israel where she talked<br />
with survivors and visited concentration camps.<br />
Less than a decade later, Clott — a U.S. Holocaust<br />
Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow — has become one<br />
<strong>of</strong> the country’s leading educators about the Holocaust.<br />
She was chosen to represent the nation’s Holocaust<br />
educators in a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum video.<br />
A year later, she represented the nation’s Holocaust<br />
educators at the museum’s decade anniversary.<br />
Clott’s dedication to education doesn’t surprise any who know her. Former<br />
UW-L Chancellor Judith Kuipers remembers meeting Clott, who was serving as<br />
Alumni Association president at the time, shortly after she began as chancellor in<br />
1991.<br />
“I was immediately struck by her almost unbelievable knowledge, enthusiasm<br />
and passion for her role as a public school teacher,” recalls Kuipers. “Here was a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional who believed all <strong>of</strong> her students had great capacity to learn and, holding<br />
each <strong>of</strong> them to the highest academic standards, made them believe it as well.”<br />
Since retiring from secondary education in 2004, Clott has extended her<br />
classroom to include students at Viterbo <strong>University</strong> in La Crosse, as well as the 7<br />
Rivers Region.<br />
“Holocaust survivors are dying and I want my students and the community to<br />
have the opportunity to see survivors and hear their stories firsthand,” Clott explains.<br />
“I believe that to meet Holocaust survivors is to touch history.”<br />
Clott has helped the La Crosse area touch history by bringing Holocaust victims<br />
to the area. Among them, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel and Emmy Award<br />
winner Gerda Weissmann Klein have visited. In fall <strong>2008</strong>, Clott has scheduled<br />
Rwandan Genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza to share her story.<br />
“I understand that the phrase, ‘Never Again,’ that became popular after the<br />
Holocaust rings hollow,” Clott notes. “Unfortunately, genocide continues all over<br />
the world and as a Holocaust educator I always include lessons on these other<br />
atrocities.”<br />
Clott says during his visit, Wiesel encouraged her to continue educating about<br />
the Holocaust as long as she is able. She plans to do that.<br />
“I am very proud <strong>of</strong> the fact that I have helped develop an interest in our community to<br />
become more knowledgeable about the understanding <strong>of</strong> the life circumstances <strong>of</strong> others<br />
in order to promote great peace and justice in the world,” says Clott.<br />
The Darryle<br />
Clott File<br />
• Holocaust educator; U.S.<br />
Holocaust Memorial Museum<br />
Teacher Fellow.<br />
• Dedicated lifetime teacher,<br />
learner and advocate for<br />
peace, justice and acceptance<br />
<strong>of</strong> people’s differences.<br />
• Brought numerous Holocaust<br />
survivors to La Crosse for<br />
presentations. Founder <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Midwest Holocaust Education<br />
Consortium.<br />
• High school English teacher<br />
and forensics coach in La<br />
Crescent, Minn., 1978-2004.<br />
Instructor at Viterbo <strong>University</strong><br />
since 2003.<br />
• Earned two degrees from<br />
UW-L: bachelor’s in English<br />
and history, 1966; master’s in<br />
history, 1971.<br />
• Wife <strong>of</strong> Marv Clott; mother <strong>of</strong><br />
Hans and Aimee.
t h e m u l t i c u l t u r a l a l u m n i a w a r d<br />
An excelling educator<br />
Bernadette Lawson-Williams shares a passion for life<br />
The<br />
BerNadette<br />
Lawson-<br />
Williams File<br />
• President and CEO <strong>of</strong> Blossom<br />
Sport and Consulting, Columbia,<br />
S.C. since 2005<br />
• Chair and assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> the<br />
health and human performance<br />
department at Johnson C. Smith<br />
<strong>University</strong><br />
• Named to Who’s Who Among<br />
America’s Teachers, 2006. National<br />
Health and Fitness Association<br />
Young Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Award, 2002.<br />
South Carolina State <strong>University</strong><br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Health and Physical<br />
Education Teacher <strong>of</strong> the Year<br />
Award, 1999 and 2000. South<br />
Carolina State <strong>University</strong> School <strong>of</strong><br />
Education Award <strong>of</strong> Excellence<br />
1999.<br />
• Earned a master’s in exercise and<br />
sport science from UW-L in 1997.<br />
Also hold a bachelor’s in physical<br />
education from South Carolina<br />
State <strong>University</strong> (1995) and a<br />
doctor <strong>of</strong> sport management from<br />
the U.S. Sports Academy (2002).<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
It’s hard to give BerNadee Lawson-Williams a oneword<br />
job title. It’s easier to give her many — teacher,<br />
leader, mentor, author and cheerleader — among<br />
others.<br />
Lawson-Williams, ’97, was the rst student from South<br />
Carolina State <strong>University</strong> to head to UW-L for a master’s<br />
degree in exercise and sport science. And, she’s seen to it<br />
that she’s not the last. Lawson-Williams’ success in<br />
La Crosse has opened the door for at least eight more to<br />
earn master’s degrees at UW-L.<br />
When Lawson-Williams returned to her alma mater<br />
aer earning her UW-L degree, she taught in South<br />
Carolina’s health and physical education department. In her<br />
roles as teacher and leader, she designed and developed two<br />
degree options in the department: sport communication<br />
and physical activity management. ey added to the department’s only major,<br />
teaching <strong>of</strong> physical education, and have quickly grown to become the<br />
department’s most popular options.<br />
A member <strong>of</strong> South Carolina State <strong>University</strong>’s cheerleading squad while a<br />
student, Lawson-Williams also lead the Physical Education Majors Club. She<br />
renewed that enthusiasm when she returned to teach, serving as assistant coach for<br />
the varsity cheerleading squad.<br />
Lawson-Williams honed her mentorship roles through a grant to implement<br />
an aer-school physical activity and mentoring program for female adolescents.<br />
e program had a great impact on her undergraduate student employees, not to<br />
mention adolescents in the program.<br />
Aer a conversation with a friend, Lawson-Williams added to her author role.<br />
She and friend Tracie omas wrote “I Don’t Mean to Smash Your Tomatoes,<br />
Honey!: A Glimpse at Life’s Perspectives from A-Z.” e book features essays<br />
from 13 writers who provide savvy solutions to many <strong>of</strong> the dilemmas<br />
encountered daily by pr<strong>of</strong>essionals <strong>of</strong> all ages and genders.<br />
“Dr. Lawson-Williams truly cares about her students and has a respect for them<br />
that is rarely seen in the pr<strong>of</strong>ession,” says Barry Frishberg, pr<strong>of</strong>essor at South<br />
Carolina State <strong>University</strong>. “She lives with the passion to improve her students’ lives<br />
both in and outside the classroom.”<br />
The Multicultural<br />
Alumni Award<br />
recognizes<br />
outstanding<br />
multicultural alumni<br />
who have graduated<br />
from UW-L.<br />
To nominate<br />
an alum visit:<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/<br />
nominate.php<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 9
t h e r a d a d i s t i n g u i s h e d a l m u n i a w a r d<br />
Mercury man<br />
Alum is recognized as a top mercury chemistry researcher<br />
The Rada<br />
Distinguished<br />
Alumni Award<br />
recognizes alumni in<br />
their early to mid<br />
stages <strong>of</strong> their<br />
careers who are<br />
making exceptional<br />
contributions to their<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essions and<br />
communities.<br />
To nominate<br />
an alum visit:<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/<br />
nominate.php<br />
1 0 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Chad Hammerschmidt’s drive in life is one given by<br />
many parents — make the world a beer place.<br />
at is what he’s doing with his extensive research<br />
<strong>of</strong> mercury in the environment.<br />
Hammerschmidt began his quest for studying<br />
mercury as a pre-med biology major at UW-L in the mid-<br />
’90s when he had an opportunity to work in the trace<br />
metals laboratory in the university’s River Studies Center.<br />
Eventually, that led to undergraduate and master’s<br />
research focused on toxicological aspects <strong>of</strong><br />
methylmercury in sh, investigations that were ground<br />
breaking at the time.<br />
While pursuing a master’s he quickly realized mercury<br />
pollution extended far beyond the lakes <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin. His<br />
next step was studying the aquatic chemistry <strong>of</strong> mercury,<br />
which allowed him to fully examine and address the signicant environmental<br />
problem.<br />
When he began his doctoral studies, he worked with the world’s leading<br />
environmental mercury scientist, William Fitzgerald, a chemical oceanographer at<br />
the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Connecticut. His thesis research made several important<br />
contributions to understanding mercury in the environment on regional and global<br />
scales.<br />
“Conducting research and teaching are mechanisms by which we can have the<br />
greatest positive inuence on other individuals and society,” Hammerschmidt<br />
notes. “I plan to continue making the world a beer place during my career as a<br />
university pr<strong>of</strong>essor.”<br />
Former pr<strong>of</strong>essors believe Hammerschmidt will do just that. “Chad is one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
top young scientists in the country in the area <strong>of</strong> mercury chemistry,” says Mark<br />
Sandheinrich, chair <strong>of</strong> the UW-L biology department and director <strong>of</strong> the university’s<br />
River Studies Center. “He is rapidly advancing our understanding <strong>of</strong> the<br />
biogeochemical cycling in the area <strong>of</strong> this toxic element.”<br />
Wisconsin Distinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>essor James Wiener, based at UW-L, agrees.<br />
“Chad Hammerschmidt is without question the very nest young scholar I have<br />
ever known,” says Wiener. “I anticipate that he will become one <strong>of</strong> our most<br />
prominent alumni in recognition <strong>of</strong> this scientic research on environmental<br />
problems at the national and global scales. He is highly skilled in aquatic<br />
geochemistry, ecotoxicology and oceanography, and has the capabilities essential for<br />
sustaining a high level <strong>of</strong> success in the most competitive scientic arenas.”<br />
Hammerschmidt continues to make the world a beer place at Wright State<br />
<strong>University</strong> in Dayton, Ohio. As an assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> earth and environmental<br />
sciences, he’s not only sharing his knowledge with tomorrow’s scientists, he<br />
continues researching problems <strong>of</strong> mercury in the environment.<br />
The Chad<br />
Hammerschmidt<br />
File<br />
• Currently assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong><br />
earth and environmental sciences<br />
at Wright State <strong>University</strong>, Dayton,<br />
Ohio.<br />
• Postdoctoral scholarship, Woods<br />
Hole Oceanographic Institution.<br />
• Completed substantial<br />
biogeochemical research on an<br />
array <strong>of</strong> complex ecosystems,<br />
including temperate and Arctic<br />
lakes, rivers, estuaries and open<br />
oceans.<br />
• Substantive publication record <strong>of</strong><br />
scholarly writings on the<br />
biogeochemistry and ecotoxicology<br />
<strong>of</strong> mercury in water environments.<br />
• Earned two degrees from UW-L:<br />
bachelor’s in biology, 1997;<br />
master’s in biology, 1999. Also,<br />
holds a doctorate from <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Connecticut, 2005.
t h e r a d a d i s t i n g u i s h e d a l m u n i a w a r d<br />
Adult advocate<br />
Three-time alum shares love for research, teaching<br />
The Elice<br />
Rogers File<br />
• Worked at UW-L from 1985-1990,<br />
serving in the <strong>of</strong>fices <strong>of</strong> Multicultural<br />
Affairs, Personnel, Admissions and<br />
Minority Studies.<br />
• Cyril O. Houle Scholar and<br />
associate pr<strong>of</strong>essor in adult<br />
learning and development at<br />
Cleveland (Ohio) State <strong>University</strong><br />
since 2000.<br />
• Recipient <strong>of</strong> the 2006 UW-L<br />
Multicultural Alumni Award.<br />
• Earned three degrees from UW-L:<br />
bachelor’s in sociology, 1983;<br />
bachelor’s in business<br />
administration, 1989; master’s in<br />
education-pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
development, 1991. Also, holds a<br />
doctorate from Northern Illinois<br />
<strong>University</strong>, 1997.<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
She came to campus in the late 1970s ready to run track<br />
and cross country. Elice Rogers le more than a<br />
decade later on a path to become a nationallyrecognized<br />
adult learning advocate.<br />
Rogers ran with many aspects <strong>of</strong> college on campus —<br />
academic, cultural, political and social. Aer earning two<br />
bachelor’s degrees (’83 & ’89), a master’s (’91), and holding<br />
various jobs on campus she found her niche in being a<br />
proponent for social justice and a cultivator <strong>of</strong> diverse adult<br />
leadership. “I aribute my alma mater for serving as a catalyst<br />
in my young adult years by providing me with solid academic<br />
training and cultivating within me a curiosity and love for<br />
research and teaching which would prove to become my<br />
life’s calling and works,” says Rogers.<br />
Recognized by the Kellogg Foundation as an emerging<br />
scholar in her eld, Rogers completed a two-year study <strong>of</strong> “e women <strong>of</strong> the<br />
congressional black caucus as political leaders and adult learners” through a<br />
Kellogg grant.<br />
Rogers has co-authored two text books, along with writing refereed<br />
publications that have appeared in books, journals and conference proceedings.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the texts “Adult education in urban context: Problems, practices and<br />
programming for inner-city communities “ is used in colleges and universities<br />
worldwide.<br />
Along with writing, Rogers has been active in various honor societies and<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional organizations.<br />
Former Northern Illinois <strong>University</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essor and colleague Alfonzo<br />
urman credits Rogers for empowering women. “In many <strong>of</strong> these organizations<br />
she has served as a mentor to younger individuals, participated in commiees and<br />
engaged in other meaningful ways,” says urman, ’71, currently dean <strong>of</strong> the<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Education at UW-Milwaukee.<br />
It’s a role Rogers played while she worked at UW-L in the 1980s. “As a<br />
freshman student, I had always admired her ability to lead, advocate and mentor<br />
those students under her,” says Greg Ware, ’88 & ’06, an educational program<br />
consultant with the Milwaukee Urban League. “As an upperclassman, Elice always<br />
positioned herself to help create change and stability for all students, but<br />
particularly students <strong>of</strong> color.”<br />
Her impact on others is strong too. “As a woman in higher education and<br />
mentor to many, she has raised the bar for young women,” says Antoiwana<br />
Williams, ’00 & ’04, director <strong>of</strong> the UW-L Upward Bound Office. “She has<br />
encouraged women like myself to believe anything can happen.”<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 1 1
o u t s t a n d i n g s e n i o r a w a r d s | a l u m n i n e w s<br />
Graduating<br />
seniors<br />
honored<br />
Six graduates from 2007-08 were honored with the<br />
university’s distinguished alumni in May. They included:<br />
John Lauermann, majoring in geography and<br />
economics, and Gustav Borstad, majoring in physics<br />
(optics emphasis) and mathematics (applied<br />
emphasis), The <strong>Murphy</strong> Awards for Academic<br />
Excellence, which recognize the university’s top two<br />
graduating scholars as chosen by a committee.<br />
Ryan VanLoo, majoring in management (human<br />
resources emphasis), The Jake and Janet Hoeschler<br />
Award for Excellence, which recognizes a College <strong>of</strong><br />
Business Administration graduate for academic<br />
accomplishment and leadership on and <strong>of</strong>f campus.<br />
Bjorn Bergman, majoring in biology (environmental<br />
science concentration) and minoring in chemistry, The<br />
Strzelczyk Award in Science and Health, which<br />
recognizes an outstanding senior in the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Science and Health.<br />
Hollie Nyseth, majoring in sociology and political<br />
science with minors in international studies and<br />
Spanish, The John E. Magerus Award for the<br />
Outstanding Graduating Senior from the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Liberal Studies, which recognizes an outstanding senior<br />
in the college for academic accomplishments,<br />
leadership, and involvement in the campus and<br />
community.<br />
Mary Jo Michels, master’s <strong>of</strong> public health,<br />
UW-La Crosse Graduate Thesis Award, which<br />
recognizes a graduate student who has written the<br />
best graduate thesis, based on originality, impact and<br />
written quality.<br />
1 2 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
John Lauermann<br />
Gustav Borstad<br />
Ryan VanLoo<br />
Bjorn Bergman<br />
Hollie Nyseth<br />
Mary Jo Michels<br />
Centennial<br />
alumni<br />
directory<br />
Find old friends you promised never to forget! e<br />
UW-L Alumni Association will compile a centennial<br />
alumni directory as part <strong>of</strong> the university’s 100th<br />
anniversary. e<br />
directory will have an<br />
expanded classnotes<br />
section, as well as a<br />
photo gallery where<br />
alums can submit<br />
favorite photos.<br />
Look for a<br />
questionnaire in<br />
September to<br />
verify your<br />
contact<br />
information via<br />
mail or e-mail<br />
from Harris<br />
Connect. Reply so you’ll be<br />
included in this historical record. e directory will<br />
be printed and ready for distribution in summer<br />
2009, just in time for the university’s centennial<br />
celebration. e last directory (pictured above) was<br />
published in 2000.<br />
Refer questions to Harris at 800.877.6554or<br />
the Alumni Association at 877.UWL.ALUM.<br />
did you know …<br />
… <strong>Murphy</strong> <strong>Library</strong>’s gate<br />
count jumped more than<br />
10 percent from 2005-06 to<br />
2006-07 — despite easy<br />
access to e-resources?
Explore Ireland<br />
or Greece with<br />
UW-L alumni<br />
Looking to get away? Two opportunities are available for<br />
UW-L alums to travel abroad this fall.<br />
“Enchanting Ireland” is scheduled Sept. 19-27, <strong>2008</strong>. e trip<br />
includes four nights <strong>of</strong> rst-class accommodations in Killarney<br />
and three nights in Kilkenny. e land package is $1,599 per<br />
person. An airfare package is available for an additional $1,199.<br />
e land package includes a full Irish breakfast daily, scenic<br />
transfer between Kilkenny and Killarney, and the services <strong>of</strong> a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional tour guide. Optional excursions to the Dingle<br />
Peninsula, Kinsale, Blarney, Dublin and the Waterford Factory<br />
are also available. For more information, contact Go Next at<br />
800.842.9023 or visit www.uwlalumni.org/travel.php.<br />
e second opportunity is “Affordable Greece” featuring<br />
Greek Isles cruising. For $2,735, receive round-trip air<br />
transportation from Minneapolis departing Nov. 4 and returning<br />
Nov. 12. Fourteen meals and services <strong>of</strong> a pr<strong>of</strong>essional tour<br />
manager are included. Departing from Athens, the four-day<br />
cruise includes stops in Mykonos, Rhodes, Patmos and Piraeus. A<br />
variety <strong>of</strong> optional excursions are available, including the<br />
Acropolis <strong>of</strong> Lindos, Temple <strong>of</strong> Athena and the ancient city <strong>of</strong><br />
Ephesus. For details, contact Mayower Tours at 800.728.0724.<br />
a l u m n i n e w s<br />
Stadium construction<br />
changes football,<br />
soccer sites<br />
With construction <strong>of</strong> the new<br />
Veterans Memorial Field<br />
Sports Complex, home<br />
football and soccer contests<br />
will move <strong>of</strong>f campus. Soccer<br />
matches will move across town to the<br />
Fields for Kids in La Crosse. Football will<br />
move upriver to Winona (Minn.) State <strong>University</strong>. Get more<br />
information at: www.uwlax.edu/athletics. See the construction site at:<br />
www.uwlax.edu/stadiumcam.<br />
Trip winner<br />
tours Spain<br />
Christa Baldridge, ’99,<br />
and her husband, Bill,<br />
enjoyed the Plaza de<br />
Espana in Sevilla in<br />
Spain (where Lawrence<br />
<strong>of</strong> Arabia was filmed).<br />
Baldridge won the 2007<br />
Alumni Association<br />
membership trip giveaway<br />
and traveled to<br />
Spain in April.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 1 3
a l u m n i n e w s<br />
Chancellor for a day<br />
Craig Gerlach<br />
Spending the day with Chancellor Joe Gow was a great<br />
incentive for UW-L alums to join or renew their<br />
memberships in the UW-L Alumni Association. Craig<br />
Gerlach, ’85, was the lucky recipient for 2007-08.<br />
Gerlach, a high school superintendent, spent the day<br />
shadowing Gow. The two welcomed a Milwaukee High<br />
School group visiting campus, attended two communication<br />
studies classes, and were entertained and inspired that<br />
evening by the Awareness Through Performance group.<br />
Chancellor’s golf<br />
outing is Aug. 13<br />
The 19th annual UW-L Chancellor’s Golf Outing will be held Wednesday,<br />
Aug. 13, at Cedar Creek Country Club in Onalaska. Alumni, faculty, staff,<br />
and students are encouraged to participate.<br />
“Even though I’m not a golfer, I’ll be on hand to support the event and<br />
provide a little musical entertainment during the social hour,” says<br />
Chancellor Joe Gow.<br />
This event has a long tradition <strong>of</strong> keeping alumni, faculty, staff and<br />
friends connected while supporting various programs on campus. This<br />
year’s proceeds will support legacy scholarships, student programs such as<br />
the Etiquette Dinners and Move-In Day Ice Cream social, and alumni<br />
activities including Celebrate UW-L! Family, friends and Alumni weekend,<br />
the Alumnus magazine, reunions and more.<br />
Registration for the five-person scramble is $125 per person and<br />
includes lunch, 18 holes <strong>of</strong> golf with cart, registration gift, beverages on the<br />
course, special hole events, games, dinner and a raffle with great prizes.<br />
The field is limited to 145; register early to secure a space.<br />
1 4 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
It’s time to pay<br />
it forward<br />
Remember the movie “Pay It Forward,” starring Kevin<br />
Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment? Pay it<br />
forward was a concept that took the country by<br />
storm. Osment played Trevor McKinney, a boy who<br />
performed good deeds to help others. When asked what they<br />
could do for him, he replied, “Pay it forward.”<br />
Today, we are asking you to pay it forward and join<br />
thousands <strong>of</strong> UW-L alumni who have joined the Alumni<br />
Association from across the country and around the world.<br />
e education you received at UW-L has helped you<br />
become the person you are today. Now we need your help to<br />
pay it forward, and support UW-La Crosse.<br />
e Alumni Association membership program supports<br />
a growing list <strong>of</strong> UW-L student and alumni programs such as<br />
the Etiquee Dinners, Alumni Awards, Legacy scholarships,<br />
Move-In Day ice cream social, Freshmen Send-Offs and<br />
alumni reunions, just to name a few. Our program allows<br />
students to participate in many events and programs that<br />
would not be possible without the nancial support from<br />
you, through the Alumni Association.<br />
For just $35, you can join your UW-L Alumni<br />
Association and receive the Alumnus magazine; invitations<br />
to alumni events around the world; discounts on home and<br />
auto insurance; access to the online directory, <strong>Murphy</strong><br />
<strong>Library</strong> and Recreational Eagle Center; as well as discounts at<br />
La Crosse-area merchants.<br />
Membership in the Alumni Association is the best way to<br />
stay connected while supporting programs that strengthen<br />
UW-L. Pay it forward and join today!<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Sharon Bornheimer Bryant, '79 & '88<br />
Membership Chair<br />
Janie Spencer, ’85 & ‘86<br />
Executive Director
Celebrate UW-L! Family, Friends & Alumni Weekend<br />
<strong>2008</strong> schedule <strong>of</strong> events (tentative) | visit www.uwlalumni.org for updates<br />
Monday-Friday, Oct. 13-17<br />
• Medallion hunt, all day<br />
Thursday, Oct. 16<br />
• Student Alumni Ambassador Spirit Day,<br />
11a.m. - 1 p.m.<br />
Friday, Oct. 17<br />
• Silver Eagles annual meeting, 10 a.m.<br />
• Take an Eagle to Lunch, 11 a.m.<br />
• Fish Fry, 5-8 p.m.<br />
• Clock Tower Kick-Off (Hanging <strong>of</strong> the Lantern and<br />
Lighting <strong>of</strong> the ‘L’), 7 p.m.<br />
• Alumni social, 7:30-10 p.m.<br />
• Theatre — “The Deviners,” 7:30 p.m.<br />
• Music, TBA<br />
Saturday, Oct. 18<br />
• Beta Sigma Chi breakfast, 8 a.m.<br />
• Chancellor’s Run, 8:30 a.m.<br />
• Football Captains breakfast, 9 a.m.<br />
• Campus tour, 10 a.m.<br />
• Drews Neubauer CC invitational, 10:30 a.m.<br />
• L-Club pre-game festivities, 11:30 a.m.<br />
• Football vs. UW-Platteville, 1 p.m.<br />
• Class <strong>of</strong> ’58 reunion, 6 p.m.<br />
• Family entertainment, 7 p.m.<br />
• Bingo, 7 p.m.<br />
• Theatre — “The Deviners,” 7:30 p.m.<br />
• Music, TBA<br />
Sunday, Oct. 19<br />
• Athletic Wall <strong>of</strong> Fame brunch, 9 a.m.<br />
• Residence Life staff brunch, 10:30 a.m.<br />
• Family brunch, TBA<br />
• Theatre — “The Deviners,” 2 p.m.<br />
• Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts, 3 p.m.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 1 5
a l u m n i n e w s | f o u n d a t i o n u p d a t e<br />
UW-L<br />
Alumni<br />
Association<br />
Events<br />
June<br />
25 Madison Alumni Network Social,<br />
Capital Brewery, Middleton<br />
July<br />
9 Milwaukee Alumni Club Boat<br />
Cruise, Milwaukee<br />
26-27 Art Fair on the Green, campus<br />
August<br />
5 Twin Cities Freshmen Send-Off,<br />
Maplewood<br />
6 Milwaukee Area Freshmen<br />
Send-Off, West Allis<br />
7 Madison Area Freshmen<br />
Send-Off<br />
13 Chancellor’s Golf Outing, Cedar<br />
Creek Golf Club, Onalaska<br />
23 Alumni Association Board<br />
Meeting, campus<br />
25 Skemp Golf Outing, Cedar Creek<br />
Golf Club, Onalaska<br />
30 Move-In Day Ice Cream Social,<br />
campus<br />
September<br />
2 Classes start<br />
26 Oktoberfest — Sept. 26 - Oct.4<br />
October<br />
17-19 Celebrate UW-L! Family, Friends<br />
& Alumni Weekend, campus<br />
1 6 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Time to honor family<br />
NY pr<strong>of</strong>essor establishes endowment<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Economics Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Richard Sylla holds<br />
three Harvard degrees. Yet, the Henry<br />
Kaufman Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> the History <strong>of</strong><br />
Financial Institutions and Markets at New York<br />
<strong>University</strong>’s Stern School <strong>of</strong> Business since 1990<br />
aributes the groundwork <strong>of</strong> his success to<br />
UW-L, even though he didn’t go to college in<br />
La Crosse.<br />
Sylla’s father, Ben,<br />
was born on a<br />
Trempealeau County<br />
farm at the turn <strong>of</strong> the<br />
century. Aer high<br />
school, the secondgeneration<br />
American<br />
went to La Crosse<br />
Ben Sylla<br />
Richard Sylla<br />
Normal, graduating in<br />
1923. Ben became a<br />
teacher and principal in<br />
Campbellsport, Wis.,<br />
before moving to<br />
Chicago Heights.<br />
When Richard<br />
Sylla was born, his<br />
father was school<br />
superintendent in<br />
Chicago Heights.<br />
Richard says he and his<br />
older brother, Jim,<br />
received excellent<br />
public school educations before heading to<br />
college — Jim at Cornell and Richard at<br />
Harvard. When his brother died in a plane crash<br />
at age 53 in 1987, he was president <strong>of</strong> energy<br />
giant Chevron U.S.A.<br />
“My brother and I had many advantages in<br />
our lives and our careers,” notes Richard. “I oen<br />
think the groundwork for those advantages we<br />
enjoyed began to be created when our father<br />
went to La Crosse for college.”<br />
Richard Sylla had been discussing with<br />
UW-L Economics Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Mike Haupert, a<br />
longtime friend and colleague, his intent to<br />
express gratitude for his father’s college<br />
education. en, Haupert asked Sylla to present<br />
in the 2007 CBA lecture series. It was the 20th<br />
anniversary <strong>of</strong> Jim Sylla’s death. So, Richard Sylla<br />
decided to create the Ben A. and James R. Sylla<br />
endowment fund to benet the CBA — an initial<br />
cash gi with arrangements through his will to<br />
create a fund with more than $100,000.<br />
“My dad had taken some economics classes<br />
at La Crosse and recommended the discipline to<br />
me,” he explains. “Jim had a distinguished career<br />
in business. And, I teach at an excellent business<br />
school. It all came together in 2007.”<br />
Sylla says he enjoyed returning to campus to<br />
see where his dad earned a degree. “Walking<br />
about the campus, I could visualize my father<br />
tramping about the campus long ago,” he says.<br />
“He loved the place.”<br />
Sylla hopes his gi inspires others. “I hope<br />
that my gi, and my reasons for making it, will<br />
encourage others who have a warm place in their<br />
hearts for CBA, UW-L, the Coulee Region,<br />
Wisconsin and our country to consider joining<br />
me in making their own gis.” Sylla says.<br />
“Together we can make a big investment in the<br />
quality <strong>of</strong> UW-L education in the years and<br />
decades ahead.<br />
He’s sure that would please Ben and<br />
Jim Sylla too.<br />
Sylla funds support scholarships, activities<br />
The Ben A. Sylla and James R. Sylla Fund supports scholarships and other College <strong>of</strong> Business<br />
Administration activities. Scholarship recipients, open to undergraduate and graduate students,<br />
must be enrolled full time in the CBA and in good academic standing. Awards will be at least<br />
$1,000 and can be renewed. Activities targeted for support include student and faculty research,<br />
guest lectures, and travel expenses for students and faculty to attend research conferences.
Super service<br />
Pat Stephens receives Chamber award<br />
By Sue (Sullivan) Lee, ’82 & ’87<br />
UW-L Director <strong>of</strong> Collegiate Gis Pat Stephens, ’71, was<br />
honored at the 140th annual La Crosse Area Chamber <strong>of</strong><br />
Commerce recognition dinner in March. He received the<br />
Chairs Community Service Award recognizing <strong>of</strong> years <strong>of</strong> work with the<br />
chamber and community.<br />
Stephens was the driving force behind Rotary Lights, Airfest and<br />
Irishfest, and is actively involved with Riverfest and Chamber<br />
Ambassadors. e award, given annually since 1947, recognized<br />
Stephens for more than 36 years <strong>of</strong> work.<br />
“Pat Stephens has helped create La Crosse as a destination,” says<br />
Past Chamber Board Chair and commiee member Deb Carlson. “I<br />
nominated him because he’s been a role model for me and has goen<br />
me involved in the community. He’s been an inspiration to me and to<br />
others. Stephens has been a remarkable leader.”<br />
Stephens has always been comfortable in leadership, he says,<br />
recalling his rst leadership position as president <strong>of</strong> his Milwaukee<br />
neighborhood clubhouse in second grade. roughout high school —<br />
he was class president three years — and college, he was always<br />
involved. “I’ve always liked being involved and trying to improve<br />
situations,” he says.<br />
Stephens acknowledges he’s an extrovert who gets energized by<br />
being with people, leading meetings, and hearing different approaches<br />
to solve problems.<br />
Stephens is known for enticing friends and acquaintances to<br />
volunteer. His family is no exception. ey traditionally spend<br />
Christmas day at Rotary Lights, a food pantry fundraiser over 2.2 million<br />
lights in La Crosse’s Riverside Park.<br />
His daughter Dr. Kelley Bahr admits it’s easy to be lured into helping<br />
with dad’s projects. “You see the time that Dad has spent giving and its<br />
impact, so it’s easy to be in his shadow and help out. He has such a big<br />
heart. He’d do anything for anyone at anytime,” she says.<br />
“Being involved and helping and trying to make a difference has<br />
been my way to pay back the community,” says Stephens. “I love<br />
La Crosse.” He had never been to La Crosse before aending UW-L.<br />
Stephens graduated in 1971 with a secondary education degree and a<br />
business minor. He was a founding member <strong>of</strong> Delta Sigma Phi, the<br />
largest and longest-existing campus fraternity.<br />
Stephens’ involvement in the community helps him in his role as a<br />
UW-L fundraiser. He has been involved with fundraising since he was<br />
hired in 1979 as director <strong>of</strong> planned giving and has aained the<br />
designation Certied Fund Raising Executive, the primary credential for<br />
career fundraisers.<br />
f o u n d a t i o n u p d a t e<br />
Pat Stephens’ family helped celebrate with Stephens, ’71, at the 140th annual La Crosse<br />
Area Chamber <strong>of</strong> Commerce recognition dinner in March when Stephens received the<br />
Chairs Community Service Award. From left, daughter Dr. Shannan Stephens Linse; son<br />
Sean Stephens; Pat Stephens, ’71; wife Joanne, ’79; daughter Dr. Kelley Bahr; and son<br />
Casey Stephens. Photo by Janet Loeffler, Chamber <strong>of</strong> Commerce <strong>of</strong> Greater La Crosse Area.<br />
Stephens sees himself as a bridge uniting community members and<br />
alumni to UW-L. “Some people still see UW-L as an island,” he explains.<br />
“It helps if they have a name and a face they know here.”<br />
He personalizes all communications he makes on behalf <strong>of</strong> UW-L<br />
and seeks to know individuals by name and face. “People never give to<br />
strangers,” he notes.<br />
“Pat has always understood that fundraising is not about money; it’s<br />
about people,” says Al Trapp, acting president <strong>of</strong> the UW-L Foundation.<br />
“People give because they believe in a cause, they believe you’re doing a<br />
good job with their money, they trust you and giving helps them<br />
accomplish something good and important that they want done.”<br />
UW-L’s College <strong>of</strong> Business Administration Dean Bill Colclough<br />
has worked closely with Stephens, who has helped the college with<br />
restricted giving since 1994. ey seek to enhance educational<br />
experiences for UW-L students and expand contacts with alumni, the<br />
business community and students. Students, alumni and the business<br />
community all win, says Colclough. “People value the ability to interact<br />
with students and gain a sense <strong>of</strong> contribution to the educational<br />
mission,” he explains.<br />
Stephens’ enthusiasm about UW-L and his commitment to campus,<br />
along with his extensive network, Colclough says, are central to<br />
enhancing internship placements for students as well as private and<br />
corporate support.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 1 7
f o u n d a t i o n u p d a t e<br />
Fund brings relief to<br />
flood victim<br />
Heavy rains and floods hit the Coulee Region in mid August 2007. Houses slid <strong>of</strong>f the bluffs, a<br />
train derailed and people were stranded or forced to evacuate. Lives were lost and devastated.<br />
For one UW-L graduate student, waters and mud wrecked her La Crosse apartment,<br />
ruining her laptop which contained the only copy <strong>of</strong> the master’s thesis she was working on.<br />
Word <strong>of</strong> her plight made it to UW-L’s Development Specialist Mike Desmond, ’76 &<br />
’87, the university’s Guardian Angel contact. UW-L’s Guardian Angels anonymously gave<br />
the student a new laptop.<br />
UW-L’s Guardian Angel Fund was started two years ago when the Foundation learned<br />
<strong>of</strong> a student whose mother’s medical issues were preventing him from continuing school.<br />
UW-L modeled its fund after one Desmond developed at La Crosse’s Aquinas High<br />
School, where he previously worked. The funds are used solely for unanticipated crises in<br />
students’ lives. Anonymous donors contribute to help victims deal with the unexpected. “If<br />
you can think <strong>of</strong> it, it’s probably happened,” says Desmond, who has seen many students<br />
helped by Guardian Angels over the years.<br />
It’s not the only guardian angel fund on campus. The Maurice O. Graff Guardian Angel<br />
Fund also provides grants to students who many not be able to continue their education<br />
because <strong>of</strong> hardships. To learn more to or become a UW-L Guardian Angel, contact<br />
Desmond at desmond.mich@uwlax.edu.<br />
And the free tuition<br />
goes to …<br />
Freshman Jackson Pattermann. He’s the winner <strong>of</strong> UW-L<br />
Foundation’s spring tuition raffle. Pattermann’s fall <strong>2008</strong> tuition<br />
will paid by the Foundation, which holds a tuition raffle each<br />
semester for underclassmen. Pattermann has a double major in<br />
physics and engineering through UW-L’s Dual Degree<br />
Program, which allows students to earn a bachelor’s <strong>of</strong> science<br />
in physics at UW-L, then complete a bachelor’s in engineering<br />
at UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Platteville or the<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Minnesota.<br />
1 8 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Jackson Pattermann<br />
New funds<br />
The following funds were recently established<br />
through the UW-L Foundation:<br />
• The Center for the Advancement <strong>of</strong> Teaching<br />
and Learning Endowment Fund, provides<br />
support for the Provost Office program.<br />
• Roger Grant Scholarship Endowment Fund,<br />
supports scholarships for students studying<br />
photography.<br />
• Hillel Jewish Education and Programming<br />
Fund, provides support to enrich Jewish student life<br />
on campus and increase campus-wide and<br />
community awareness <strong>of</strong> Judaism to build bridges<br />
between the Jewish community and other religious,<br />
ethnic, multicultural and international organizations<br />
on campus and the community.<br />
• James R. Parker Scholarship Fund, provides<br />
student scholarships for students <strong>of</strong> color.<br />
• The Sloan Book Fund, supports the purchase <strong>of</strong><br />
art-related items, but not meant to be exclusive, for<br />
use and/or for the <strong>Murphy</strong> <strong>Library</strong> collection.<br />
• Environmental Science Education and<br />
Research Fund, supports environmental research<br />
and education by faculty, students and staff to<br />
promote awareness about the need for adopting<br />
environmentally sustainable lifestyles.<br />
• Peter J. Talen Memorial Scholarship Fund,<br />
provides scholarships for students pursuing a<br />
theatre arts degree.<br />
• Maurice O. Graff Guardian Angel Fund, provides<br />
grants to students in such dire need and<br />
extraordinary circumstances that, among other<br />
hardships, the continuation <strong>of</strong> their education is<br />
threatened.<br />
• Let Freedom Ring Honor Flight Fund, honors<br />
area veterans by funding arrangements for them to<br />
visit veterans memorials in Washington, D.C.<br />
For information on these funds, or to find out how to<br />
establish a fund, contact the UW-L Foundation at<br />
608.785.8489.
Happy raffle<br />
winner enjoys<br />
Packer game<br />
Somebody always wins a raffle, and for the UW-L<br />
Foundation’s drawing last fall it was Julie Johnson. She won<br />
tickets to a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field. The<br />
raffle didn’t only benefit Johnson and her family, but also<br />
benefited UW-L student-athletes through the<br />
L-Club. Posing with Julie, second from left, was, from left, her<br />
husband, Marc, daughter, Jillian, and Jillian’s friend, Daniel<br />
Laurent. Jillian and Daniel are current students at UW-L.<br />
f o u n d a t i o n u p d a t e<br />
Good call!<br />
Phonathon finding success<br />
Alumni and friends have been answering the call.<br />
The annual UW-L Foundation Fall Phonathon had exceeded its $225,000 goal<br />
when alumni pledged $229,772 last fall. That’s up from a year earlier when<br />
$203,860 was collected.<br />
This spring, callers brought in $103,276 in pledges for specific campus programs<br />
and colleges. That’s down from $108,000 a year ago, but was pledged with one less<br />
week <strong>of</strong> calling.<br />
“We’re very pleased alumni and friends are responding to our student callers by<br />
pledging to donate so generously to the annual fund and funds dedicated to specific<br />
programs,” says Aaron Bonnett. “These dollars are needed for many projects that<br />
enhance campus life and learning for our students.”<br />
Among projects funded through the annual fund are student scholarships;<br />
grants to faculty and staff for research projects as well as pr<strong>of</strong>essional and program<br />
development; building projects and much more.<br />
did you know …<br />
… more than 500 UW-L students studied abroad in<br />
2007-08, up from 407 students a year earlier?<br />
UW-L is in the Top 20 colleges and universities<br />
nationwide for the proportion <strong>of</strong> our students who<br />
study abroad according to the Institute <strong>of</strong><br />
International Education. (Opendoors report)<br />
Half million handed out to students<br />
More than 500 students will benefit from the hundreds <strong>of</strong> awards and scholarships funded<br />
through the UW-L Foundation. Among them is Robert Anderson, right, a sophomore from West<br />
Salem majoring in information systems, who received the UW-L Alumni Band Scholarship Fund<br />
in Memory <strong>of</strong> Dr. John L. Alexander. Lisa (Jernander) Butterfield, ’83, represented the alumni<br />
band at the annual scholarship reception on campus in April. Butterfield and others helped to<br />
establish the scholarship to honor the former director <strong>of</strong> bands. Next academic year, the<br />
Foundation will give nearly $508,000 through 569 awards in the <strong>2008</strong>-09 academic year.<br />
Find out more at www.foundation.uwlax.edu/sch.html.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 1 9
c o v e r s t o r y<br />
‘Centennial Hall’<br />
$44 million project is centerpiece <strong>of</strong> largest fundraising appeal<br />
in UW-L history<br />
By Cary Heyer and Natalie Olsen, ’01<br />
Here’s a pop quiz — no pencil necessary. What is the last<br />
academic building at UW-L to be supported with state funds<br />
and when was it built?<br />
If you said “North Hall in 1974,” you’re right. And if you answered<br />
“W. Carl Wimberly Hall,” it’s quite likely that you graduated aer<br />
2000, when the building was renamed to honor the academic vice<br />
chancellor who served the campus from 1953-1992.<br />
As the university approaches its 100th birthday in 2009, the UW-L<br />
Foundation is launching the public phase <strong>of</strong> its Centennial Campaign,<br />
the largest single fundraising appeal in its history. is comprehensive<br />
appeal includes six initiatives: the annual fund, faculty awards and<br />
development, scholarships, undergraduate research, a new Veterans<br />
Memorial Field Sports Complex, and a new academic building.<br />
Of those, it is the laer — descriptively called “Centennial Hall”<br />
— that is <strong>of</strong> foremost importance to the campus. e proposed $44<br />
million facility will include 44 classrooms, two auditoriums, six study<br />
rooms, three conference rooms, and a Hall <strong>of</strong> Nations. Each will<br />
incorporate advanced design with the needs <strong>of</strong> today’s students in<br />
mind.<br />
Ask Jim Leonhart, ’68, chairman <strong>of</strong> the UW-L Foundation board<br />
<strong>of</strong> directors, to dene the signicance <strong>of</strong> the new academic building<br />
and he <strong>of</strong>fers an answer without hesitation. “It is the single most<br />
important building project in campus history,” Leonhart says. “e<br />
iconic Graff Main Hall represents UW-L’s rst 100 years <strong>of</strong><br />
extraordinary accomplishments. Centennial Hall will herald a new<br />
century <strong>of</strong> opportunity, discovery and achievement.”<br />
While he acknowledges the primary focus <strong>of</strong> this capital campaign<br />
is the construction <strong>of</strong> Centennial Hall, “We must look beyond the<br />
bricks and mortar to the exceptional students who benet from the<br />
education they receive at UW-L, the talented faculty and staff who<br />
support them, and a community <strong>of</strong> loyal friends and alumni who<br />
consistently advocate the university’s mission,” Leonhart says.<br />
“Together, they reect the strength and character that is part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
UW-L experience.”<br />
e project, he says, is a necessary investment. “We can’t expect to<br />
continue UW-L’s tradition <strong>of</strong> quality without demonstrating an<br />
2 0 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
unwavering commitment to aract and retain top talent — faculty,<br />
staff and students — and providing whatever tools and facilities they<br />
need to succeed.”<br />
‘It’s our turn’<br />
For the rst time in 34 years, UW-L will receive $38 million that<br />
has been tagged for new construction by the State <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin. ere<br />
is a string aached, though: e UW-L Foundation must raise<br />
$6 million in private funds, including $3 million by Aug. 31, to secure<br />
the leer <strong>of</strong> credit needed to proceed with the project.<br />
Al Trapp, acting president <strong>of</strong> the Foundation, leans forward when<br />
he explains the prospect <strong>of</strong> a return on investment that’s beer than<br />
seven-to-one. “is is a rare opportunity for UW-L to receive<br />
substantial state funds for a project dedicated to teaching and learning.<br />
e university has waited far too long. It’s our turn to move to the front<br />
<strong>of</strong> the line.”<br />
While the prospect <strong>of</strong> raising $3 million by the end <strong>of</strong> August may<br />
seem daunting, it’s worth noting that the university already has one,<br />
$1 million pledge in hand from alumnus Duncan Cameron, ’69. e<br />
Foundation recently launched a campus appeal for faculty, staff and<br />
emeriti employees, with a goal <strong>of</strong> 100 percent participation.<br />
“One <strong>of</strong> the rst questions a prospective donor asks is, ‘What is the<br />
level <strong>of</strong> involvement from your employees?’” Trapp said. He hopes a<br />
strong, shared commitment from UW-L faculty and staff will send a<br />
clear message to prospective donors <strong>of</strong> the urgent need to support the<br />
Centennial Campaign.<br />
At press time, 34 percent <strong>of</strong> UW-L faculty and staff have pledged<br />
their support for the effort. “We feel good about the progress we’ve<br />
made and expect that number to ascend signicantly now that Spring<br />
Semester is behind us.”<br />
The need, now<br />
To unveil the decits <strong>of</strong> the current classroom situation on<br />
campus, one needn’t be a student, pr<strong>of</strong>essor or building inspector.<br />
An observant eye will do.<br />
Today, many UW-L students aend classes in dated rooms<br />
continued on page 23
By the numbers<br />
Total Square Feet: 180,000+<br />
Classrooms: 44 classrooms seating 40-70 students each<br />
Auditoriums: Two auditoriums seating 250<br />
Footprint: 1 city block<br />
Occupancy: 5,000<br />
$44 $38 $6<br />
Total Project Cost<br />
State Support<br />
$3<br />
$3<br />
UW-L Foundation<br />
c o v e r s t o r y<br />
Additional $3 million<br />
to be raised for the<br />
project<br />
$1.5 million more<br />
needs to be raised<br />
by Aug. 31, <strong>2008</strong><br />
$1.5 million raised<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 2 1
c o v e r s t o r y<br />
For floor plans and more, visit www.uwlax.edu/campaign<br />
2 2 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8
continued from page 20<br />
without adequate seating. Makeshi spaces that have been hastily adapted to<br />
accommodate popular course <strong>of</strong>ferings do not provide the infrastructure<br />
required for emerging educational techniques. Add to that the impact <strong>of</strong> UW-L’s<br />
Growth, Quality and Access agenda, which will allow the university to admit 500<br />
additional students over time and add faculty and staff positions to support<br />
them, and the need for more space becomes increasingly evident.<br />
However, providing an effective learning environment extends beyond<br />
providing adequate space. e manner in which lessons are delivered — and<br />
how students receive them — has changed. e proposed Centennial Hall will<br />
feature exible seating that adapts to interactive teaching methods, small group<br />
discussions and project work.<br />
ough some might suggest that the genesis <strong>of</strong> the Digital Age is the<br />
epicenter <strong>of</strong> the current revolution in classroom learning, those who have been<br />
around for a while are quick to point out that today’s innovations may be relics <strong>of</strong><br />
the next revolution — whenever that will be.<br />
e namesake <strong>of</strong> Wimberly Hall itself, who taught his last American<br />
Government class in 1966, fondly recalls the advent <strong>of</strong> the audio-visual<br />
revolution he witnessed during his time as a pr<strong>of</strong>essor.<br />
“We made great use <strong>of</strong> the blackboard, but that meant we had to turn our<br />
backs to the students,” Wimberly remembers with a smile. “at was replaced by<br />
overhead projectors and transparencies. at was the audio-visual age as we<br />
knew it!”<br />
Much has changed since then, <strong>of</strong> course. Even now, the long-term usefulness<br />
<strong>of</strong> the internet as a method <strong>of</strong> abeing education is being questioned. “ere are<br />
so many changes (in technology). I can only imagine the challenges those who<br />
are planning the building are facing,” Wimberly empathizes.<br />
Advanced technology shapes how lessons are delivered<br />
Among those experienced in designing the learning environments in the<br />
new academic building is Jim Jorstad, ’78, UW-L’s director <strong>of</strong> educational<br />
technologies.<br />
While he acknowledges that the traditional approach to delivering lessons —<br />
a pr<strong>of</strong>essor delivering a lecture to a group <strong>of</strong> students — is appropriate in some<br />
circumstances, the emergence <strong>of</strong> mobile devices and high-speed data transfer<br />
have had a pr<strong>of</strong>ound inuence on shaping the way students learn.<br />
“Being mobile and having the capacity to access information and resources<br />
worldwide is a major shi in how we learn and teach,” Jorstad explains.<br />
“Technology allows us to learn anytime, anywhere. Students don’t stop learning<br />
at 5 p.m. Being able to provide access to students and faculty 24/7 is the new<br />
learning landscape in which we exist.”<br />
Providing experiences that promote interaction and collaboration between<br />
students and faculty are most conducive to learning, Jorstad contends. Webcasts<br />
<strong>of</strong> presentations, electronic response systems that permit students to interact<br />
with pr<strong>of</strong>essors in real time, tablet PCs that permits students to take notes with<br />
digital ink, and teleconferencing that allows students, faculty and staff to connect<br />
to anyone in the world with a click on a computer screen are among the<br />
technologies that will be part <strong>of</strong> the new facility.<br />
“Centennial Hall will provide us with a unique opportunity to blend<br />
innovative teaching and learning environments with techniques that promote<br />
collaborative experiences,” Jorstad says. “It’s our chance to create a legacy <strong>of</strong><br />
innovative teaching and learning that will celebrate UW-L’s excellence.”<br />
Conceiving learning environments that promote interactivity and inquiry,<br />
continued on next page<br />
How to give<br />
c o v e r s t o r y<br />
Every alumnus <strong>of</strong> UW-L shares an<br />
inextricable link to a place that values<br />
integrity, embraces intellectual<br />
challenges, rewards innovative<br />
approaches to solving problems, and<br />
respects the contributions <strong>of</strong>fered by<br />
individuals <strong>of</strong> different backgrounds and<br />
perspectives.<br />
The $6 million campaign for Centennial<br />
Hall represents the most ambitious<br />
academic initiative the UW-L Foundation<br />
has attempted. If we are successful, we<br />
will receive $38 million from the State <strong>of</strong><br />
Wisconsin to construct a building that<br />
will help to ensure that today’s and<br />
tomorrow’s students will continue to<br />
experience all that UW-L has to <strong>of</strong>fer.<br />
It is, by all measures, a once-in-acentury<br />
opportunity to establish a legacy.<br />
Supporting this historic campaign is<br />
easy. You can contribute via check, credit<br />
card or EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer).<br />
Or, if you prefer, you can be billed in<br />
regular increments by the UW-L<br />
Foundation.<br />
To make a pledge or to give online, visit<br />
www.uwlax.edu/campaign. Or simply<br />
mail your gift in the attached envelope.<br />
Many employers have matching gift<br />
plans. Check to see if your workplace<br />
<strong>of</strong>fers such a program and how you can<br />
use it to leverage an even larger gift for<br />
UW-L. Payments on pledges are<br />
deductible for income tax purposes as<br />
provided by law.<br />
If you would like more information or<br />
have questions, contact:<br />
Al Trapp, Acting President,<br />
UW-L Foundation<br />
trapp.alle@uwlax.edu | 608.785.8496<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 2 3
c o v e r s t o r y / a t h l e t i c s<br />
continued from previous page<br />
and anticipating future advancements in technology, is also part <strong>of</strong> Jorstad’s<br />
view. “Creating environments that promote exibility and interaction are<br />
high priorities <strong>of</strong> this project,” he notes. “In the end, we are designing effective<br />
classrooms <strong>of</strong> the future, today.”<br />
Sustainability is important consideration<br />
e Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green<br />
Building System is a third-party certication program that establishes a<br />
worldwide standard for measuring sustainability. Projects that are LEED<br />
certied demonstrate they are environmentally friendly and adhere to green<br />
building practices.<br />
It is anticipated that Centennial Hall will meet LEED Silver Certication<br />
and will be approximately 35 percent more energy efficient than is required<br />
by the existing energy code, due in large measure to a C-shaped design with<br />
exterior walls and more windows that maximize the use <strong>of</strong> sunlight.<br />
Plans also call for sustainability features such as multiple rain gardens for<br />
catching storm water run<strong>of</strong>f, energy recovery devices that reduce the amount<br />
<strong>of</strong> heating and cooling energy needed for building mechanical systems, solar<br />
panels to heat water, and an enhanced process that assures that all building<br />
systems are working in concert in the most energy-efficient manner.<br />
“We expect this building to be around when UW-L celebrates its<br />
bicentennial,” says Ma Lewis, campus planner and director <strong>of</strong> facilities<br />
management. “Environmental sensitivity is <strong>of</strong> great importance to everyone<br />
on campus, so we’re examining every aspect <strong>of</strong> this project and assessing its<br />
impact on how it will inuence the environment today and for generations to<br />
come.”<br />
Using non-toxic paints that do not release signicant pollutants, building<br />
with products that contain recycled materials, and placing as many bike racks<br />
around the building as possible are among the ideas Lewis and his colleagues<br />
are considering that will minimize the ecologic impact <strong>of</strong> the project.<br />
A high-stakes proposition<br />
It’s no secret that the fundraising appeal for Centennial Hall concurs with<br />
a much-publicized campaign for a new Veterans Memorial Field Sports<br />
Complex. While Trapp concedes that some will wonder whether the<br />
ongoing appeal for the sports complex will impact donations given to the new<br />
academic building, he is condent the UW-L Foundation will be successful in<br />
its quest to raise the $6 million it needs to secure $38 million from the state.<br />
“is is a different project,” Trapp says. “e new Centennial Hall is<br />
about providing students with the tools they need to navigate comfortably in<br />
a global community. Teaching and learning are central to our mission. e<br />
motivations <strong>of</strong> those who contribute to the campaign for Centennial Hall are<br />
similar, yet different than those who give to the sports complex. Both projects<br />
are a vital part <strong>of</strong> our campus. Neither can stand alone.”<br />
His reasoning makes sense. Aer all, UW-L’s moo is Mens Corpusque<br />
— mind and body.<br />
2 4 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
National champs<br />
Men’s Indoor Track & Field<br />
e men’s track and eld team captured its 14th NCAA Division III<br />
Indoor Championship in March. e Eagles nished with 43 team<br />
points; Monmouth College (Ill.) was second with 33.<br />
ose 14 titles are the most in NCAA III history. UW-L, which has<br />
won seven <strong>of</strong> the last eight indoor titles, has captured a nation-leading<br />
25 national championships overall. It was the rst track and eld title<br />
for interim head coach Don Fritsch, ’80 & ’93.<br />
UW-L junior Bobby Riley won the shot put title (55-7) for the<br />
second straight year aer placing seventh in 2006. He became the<br />
third athlete in Division III history to win at least two indoor shot put<br />
championships, joining UW-L’s Terry Strouf , ’90, (1986, 1987, 1988)<br />
and Concordia-Moorhead’s Aaron Banks (1995, 1996). e Eagles’<br />
4x400-meter relay captured the national championship for the sixth<br />
straight year in <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
UW-L also won its seventh straight conference indoor<br />
championship. It is the Eagles’ conference record 33rd title in school<br />
history. Fritsch was named the WIAC Co-Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year.<br />
did you know …<br />
… UW-L welcomed 52 international<br />
students from 18 countries this spring, up<br />
from 29 a year earlier? There were more<br />
than 275 international students on<br />
campus during the spring semester.
Individual national<br />
championships<br />
• Junior Bobby Riley (pictured below) won the <strong>2008</strong> NCAA III indoor shot put title for<br />
the second straight year.<br />
• UW-L’s 4x400-meter relay <strong>of</strong> seniors Dylan Randolph and Jonathon Doble and<br />
sophomores Alex Rooker and David Kolbe won the national title at the <strong>2008</strong><br />
NCAA III indoor championships.<br />
• Senior Josh Chelf (pictured below) was named the <strong>2008</strong> Most Outstanding<br />
Wrestler at this year’s national championships. It was his second consecutive<br />
national crown at 174-pounds. (Photo by Jerad Chelf)<br />
• Sophomore Gabi Hooper (pictured below) won her second straight NCGA vault<br />
title in <strong>2008</strong>. (Photo by Eric Wuennenberg)<br />
• Sophomore Dan Laurent (pictured below) became the third wrestler in UW-L<br />
history to win the 285-pound title at the <strong>2008</strong> NCAA III Championships.<br />
(Photo by Jerad Chelf)<br />
Dan Laurent<br />
Gabi Hooper<br />
Bobby Riley<br />
Josh Chelf<br />
a t h l e t i c s<br />
Gymnasts win<br />
NCGA<br />
Championship<br />
Women’s Gymnastics<br />
e gymnastics team captured its 12th National Collegiate<br />
Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship in<br />
March. e Eagles nished with a team score <strong>of</strong> 189.050<br />
while SUNY-Brockport placed second (188.425) and<br />
SUNY-Cortland third (188.375). Six teams competed.<br />
It is UW-L’s seventh title in the last eight years and ninth<br />
in the last 12. e Eagles’ dozen crowns are the most in<br />
NCGA history.<br />
Head coach Barb Gibson, ’78, named the <strong>2008</strong> NCGA<br />
Co-Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year along with Jeff Schepers <strong>of</strong> Ursinus<br />
College (Pa.), has led UW-L to all 12 titles in her 23<br />
seasons. She has also guided the Eagles to 16 conference<br />
championships.<br />
UW-L set single-season highs on the vault (47.400),<br />
balance beam (47.600) and oor exercise (47.550). e<br />
Eagles’ team score was also a season high.<br />
In individual competition, sophomore Gabi Hooper<br />
captured her second consecutive NCGA vault title. Hooper<br />
tied for rst with a score <strong>of</strong> 9.675. Hooper, who tied for rst<br />
on the vault in 2007 with LaFleur, is the rst gymnast in<br />
school history to win two national vault titles. She is the<br />
seventh athlete in school history to win at least two national<br />
individual crowns.<br />
UW-L also captured its 12th straight WIAC<br />
championship and sixth consecutive NCGA West<br />
Regional title.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 2 5
a t h l e t i c s<br />
Title holder<br />
Freshman is world<br />
powerlifting champ<br />
UW-L freshman Kevin Mc Cusker earned the 2007 International<br />
Powerlifting Federation Sub-Junior 125+kg World title in France last<br />
summer.<br />
UW-L has had its share <strong>of</strong> champions over the years. Collegiate<br />
teams have brought home more than 50 national titles. Track star<br />
Andrew Rock won an Olympic gold medal in 2004. And now,<br />
the campus has an international powerlier.<br />
Kevin Mc Cusker, a freshman from Osceola, Wis., won the<br />
2007 International Powerliing Federation Sub-Junior 125+kg<br />
World title in France last summer.<br />
Mc Cusker became involved in the sport before high school,<br />
somewhat by accident. “My <strong>of</strong>fensive line powerliing coach in<br />
high school got me involved in powerliing in 8th grade,” he<br />
explains. “He gured it would help a lot for football and it did. But,<br />
I wound up being much beer than either <strong>of</strong> us thought.” He<br />
aributes that early powerliing success to his high school coach,<br />
Jeff Hahn.<br />
Mc Cusker not only earned the world title, he took the 2007<br />
Wisconsin 275-pound State Title and the 2007 High School<br />
National 125 kg title to earn the overseas trip.<br />
Mc Cusker says the university’s microbiology major drew<br />
him to UW-L; his powerliing helped him decide his<br />
concentration: strength and conditioning. He continues to li<br />
weights four days a week and is a UW-L Weightliing Power<br />
Bodybuilding Club member. UW-L Powerliing Coach Phil<br />
Paulson helps him prepare for competition.<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Mike Winfrey says Mc Cusker’s world<br />
powerliing title is the rst for the department. e freshman’s<br />
adviser notes that Mc Cusker’s step brother, Joe Anderson, was a<br />
microbiology major who earned a doctorate in microbiology.<br />
“Kevin said that while growing up, Joe was able to beat him up,<br />
but he can’t do that anymore,” notes Winfrey.<br />
Find out more about IPF at www.powerliing-ipf.com.<br />
2 6 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Individual national<br />
championships<br />
Seniors Dan Thour (men’s cross country), Josh Chelf (wrestling) and Kasey<br />
Clausen (gymnastics) were selected Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference<br />
Scholar-Athletes for 2007-08. The male scholar-athlete award is named after Max<br />
Sparger, the female award, Judy Kruckman. To be nominated, student-athletes<br />
must have a 3.25 GPA minimum, be in their last year <strong>of</strong> competition or on schedule<br />
to graduate in the academic year, and have competed for at least two years.<br />
Dan Thour Josh Chelf Kasey Clausen<br />
Schumacher is<br />
top coach<br />
Illinois Wesleyan <strong>University</strong> track and field coach Chris<br />
Schumacher, ’91, was named <strong>2008</strong> national women’s<br />
indoor track Division III “Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year” by the U.S.<br />
Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.<br />
He was also named Midwest Region “Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year”<br />
for the <strong>2008</strong> Division III indoor season.<br />
In his 10th season at Illinois Wesleyan, Schumacher<br />
coached the Titans’ women to their first-ever College<br />
Conference <strong>of</strong> Illinois and Wisconsin track championship.<br />
At UW-L, Schumacher was an All-American for three<br />
Chris Schumacher<br />
years in track, competing on teams that won three national<br />
championships. In 2006 he was inducted into the UW-L Wall <strong>of</strong> Fame and in 2002<br />
earned the UW-L Multicultural Alumni Award.
Classmates<br />
lead teams to<br />
boys state<br />
tourney<br />
ree Class <strong>of</strong> 1978 graduates led their boys basketball teams to<br />
the WIAA Boys Basketball Tournament in March. And two<br />
took home state titles. e three:<br />
• Rich Roginskiled his Eleva-Strum Cardinals over<br />
Randolph, 61-45, in the state seminals, avenging a loss to the<br />
Rockets in the 2007 state title contest. e Cardinals beat Suring,<br />
62-58, in the <strong>2008</strong> WIAA Division 4 championship game to<br />
nish 27-0 on the season. Roginski completed 23 years as head<br />
coach for Eleva-Strum, compiling a 383-146 career record, and<br />
retired at the end <strong>of</strong> the 2007-08 academic year. He was chosen<br />
the <strong>2008</strong> Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)<br />
and Associated Press (AP) Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year. Roginski was also<br />
named the 1990 UW-L Alumni Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year.<br />
• Dave Scheidegger led New Berlin Eisenhower to the<br />
WIAA Division 2 title with a 54-41 victory over Adams-<br />
Friendship. e Lions defeated Monroe in the state seminals,<br />
53-49, and nished the year 23-4. Scheidegger completed his<br />
18th season as head coach.<br />
• Rick Giller nished his ninth year as head coach for the<br />
Luck Cardinals in <strong>2008</strong>. Luck advanced to the WIAA Division 4<br />
seminals, falling 57-45 to Suring. e Cardinals nished 23-3<br />
overall.<br />
2007-08 winter sports final standings<br />
2007-08 Winter Sports Final Standings W-L Season Finish WIAC/NCAA<br />
Men’s Basketball 11-15 Tied 5th/Did not qualify<br />
Women’s Basketball 14-12 5th/Did not qualify<br />
Gymnastics 26-1 1st/1st (NCGA)<br />
Wrestling 21-2 1st/2nd<br />
Women’s Swimming & Diving 4-0 1st/13th<br />
Men’s Swimming & Diving 3-1 2nd/Did not qualify<br />
Women’s Indoor Track & Field* 0-0* 1st/4th<br />
Men’s Indoor Track & Field* 0-0* 1st/1st<br />
Totals<br />
*No win-loss record<br />
79-31<br />
a t h l e t i c s<br />
Back on the hardwood<br />
Former NCAA Division III All-American student-athlete Joe Werner, ’06, who had a<br />
short stint with the Green Bay Packers last fall, is continuing his basketball career down<br />
under. Werner is playing for the Club Kilsyth Cobras in the South East Australian<br />
Basketball League, Australia’s Premier Winter Basketball<br />
League. The league plays its regular season March through<br />
July with the play<strong>of</strong>fs through August.<br />
In the first 10 games, Werner averaged 20 points and 15.4<br />
rebounds per game while shooting 54.8 percent from the<br />
field. He ranked second in team scoring and first in<br />
rebounding. He scored in double figures in all 10 contests<br />
and recorded at least 10 rebounds in nine.<br />
The 2006-07 WIAC Player <strong>of</strong> the Year, Werner was a<br />
three-time all-conference first team choice and one <strong>of</strong> 10<br />
Joe Werner finalists for The Jostens Trophy for the NCAA III Player <strong>of</strong><br />
the Year.<br />
Photo courtesy <strong>of</strong> Scott Paulus, Milwaukee Brewers<br />
Brewers<br />
watch<br />
Former UW-L baseball standout Vinny Rottino,<br />
’02 is in his sixth pr<strong>of</strong>essional baseball season, all<br />
with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was named the<br />
2004 Brewers Minor League Player-<strong>of</strong>-the-Year.<br />
Rottino is currently the starting catcher for the<br />
Nashville Sounds, the Brewers' Triple A affiliate.<br />
Other winter stats …<br />
All-America Honors 56<br />
All-Conference Honors 104<br />
WIAC Athletes <strong>of</strong> the Week 30<br />
Conference Team Titles 5<br />
WIAC Scholar-Athletes 2<br />
WIAC Coaches <strong>of</strong> the Year 3<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 2 7
’43<br />
Harris Grabow, Watertown, was featured as<br />
a “Living Legend” in the Watertown Daily<br />
Times. Grabow, a three sport letter winner in<br />
college, was a long-time successful coach<br />
and athletic director in his hometown <strong>of</strong><br />
Watertown.<br />
’54<br />
Thomas Rosandich (pictured), Daphne, Ala.,<br />
received the prestigious<br />
Ellis Island Medal <strong>of</strong><br />
Honor in May. The<br />
medal, presented by<br />
NECO (formerly the<br />
National Ethnic<br />
Coalition <strong>of</strong><br />
Organizations),<br />
honored U.S. citizens <strong>of</strong><br />
various ethnic<br />
backgrounds in<br />
homage to the immigrant experience.<br />
Rosandich is president and CEO <strong>of</strong> the United<br />
States Sports Academy.<br />
’56<br />
Emelyn Burdick Kalinowski, Lincoln, Calif.,<br />
retired in 2003 after 30-plus years in physical<br />
education, the last 22 years in adapted<br />
physical education. She currently supervises<br />
teachers in elementary physical education for<br />
California State <strong>University</strong> Sacramento.<br />
’58<br />
Edwin Steinbrecher, Evergreen, Colo.,<br />
retired as executive director <strong>of</strong> the American<br />
Education Finance Association last year. He<br />
was honored at the association’s annual<br />
conference in April with a luncheon and was<br />
2 8 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Classnotes<br />
To learn how to keep in touch, go to page 37.<br />
made a lifetime member and executive<br />
director emeritus. He is a past president <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Association and a past recipient <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Outstanding Service Award.<br />
’67<br />
Dean T. North, Madison, plans to retire July<br />
25.<br />
’68<br />
James R. Christensen, Oak Hill, Va., has<br />
retired from the U.S. Secret Service after 30<br />
years as a supervisory special agent. The last<br />
eight years he was assistant chief, deputy<br />
chief, and chief with the International Criminal<br />
Police Organization, INTERPOL in the U.S.<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Justice in Washington, D.C. As<br />
part <strong>of</strong> his secret service duties, he was<br />
assigned to President Nixon in San Clemente,<br />
Calif., and worked closely with four other<br />
presidents while assigned to the Los Angeles<br />
<strong>of</strong>fice for 13 years. On duty, he visited nearly<br />
every country. He enjoys being retired.<br />
’69<br />
Brian S. Foster retired in 2001 and moved to<br />
the Sierra Foothills, near Auburn, Calif. Foster<br />
is having a great time playing golf, tennis and<br />
“just playing.” He and his wife, Diane, will<br />
celebrate their 25th anniversary this fall.<br />
Mary (Tornowske) Lubner, Cedarburg,<br />
retired from Grafton Public Schools in 2004.<br />
She has a 4th degree Black Belt in Taekwon<br />
Do and continues to take seminars for<br />
knowledge advancement. She teaches TKD<br />
on a regular basis. In December 2007, Lubner<br />
was a delegate to China with the People to<br />
People Ambassador program. She volunteers<br />
many hours to 4-H and will chaperone youth<br />
to Korea this summer. And, she attends the<br />
local YMCA and occasionally subs for the<br />
senior classes.<br />
’71<br />
John O. Schwenn became president <strong>of</strong><br />
Dalton State College in Dalton, Ga., March 1,<br />
<strong>2008</strong>. His wife, Judy (Casberg) Schwenn,<br />
also ’71, planned to move to Georgia in June<br />
after her semester at Emporia (Kan.) High<br />
School was complete.<br />
’72<br />
Sue Kuhn, ’72 & ’88, La Crosse, has retired<br />
from Southern Bluffs Elementary in La Crosse<br />
after 32 years <strong>of</strong> teaching. She was Wisconsin<br />
Teacher <strong>of</strong> the Year in 1990. Her husband,<br />
Joe Kuhn, ’72, is a retired art education<br />
instructor.<br />
’74<br />
Cheryl Kasuboski, Clintonville, is retiring<br />
June <strong>2008</strong> from Iola-Scandinavia School<br />
District. She taught 30 years at I-S, plus two<br />
years each at Lac du Flambeau and Elk<br />
Mound as a physical educator, health<br />
educator and athletic coach.<br />
Bob Nelson, Manitowoc, has been inducted<br />
into the Lakeshore All-Sports Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame.<br />
Mark Thibodeau, Nekoosa, Adams County<br />
District Attorney, is currently the longest<br />
serving DA in Wisconsin. He has held the post<br />
since March 1978.<br />
Cathy (Rynders) Walsh, Greenfield, retired<br />
from the IRS in June 2005 after working for 25
Service adds up<br />
Alums recognized for volunteering<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Two alums are being recognized for their<br />
community work. The CPAs are<br />
featured in a statewide Wisconsin<br />
Institute <strong>of</strong> Certified Public Accountants<br />
advertising campaign.<br />
Randy Dummer, ’87, and Matt Cody, ’06,<br />
are featured in separate full-page ads<br />
promoting CPAs by the organization<br />
scheduled to run throughout <strong>2008</strong>. Dummer’s<br />
feature proclaims “CPAs lead the way.” Cody’s<br />
touts “Exceptional commitment.”<br />
They are two <strong>of</strong> seven certified public<br />
accountants featured in the campaign to raise<br />
awareness <strong>of</strong> roles CPAs play in their<br />
communities. The seven were selected from<br />
the institute’s 8,200 members, targeting CPAs<br />
involved in community projects other than<br />
treasurer <strong>of</strong> an organization.<br />
Dummer, a Holmen native, has been<br />
involved in community projects since joining<br />
4-H at age 9.<br />
He nurtured a community service interest<br />
on campus, serving as a band <strong>of</strong>ficer for the<br />
Marching Chiefs’ Orange Bowl trip in 1985.<br />
An auditor for Virchow, Krause & Co. in<br />
Appleton, Dummer says there are many<br />
benefits to giving back. “Not only are you able<br />
to assist others who want or need assistance,<br />
but it also helps you appreciate the blessings in<br />
your own life,” he notes. “Beyond that, the<br />
friendships you make when getting involved in<br />
community service are very special.”<br />
His WICPA ad focuses on his involvement<br />
as treasurer <strong>of</strong> the Gardens <strong>of</strong> the Fox Cities.<br />
But, Dummer is also on the board <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Volunteer Center <strong>of</strong> East Central Wisconsin, a<br />
Fox Cities Chamber <strong>of</strong> Commerce committee<br />
member, a Junior Achievement classroom<br />
volunteer, a Cub Scouts master, and a frequent<br />
blood donor.<br />
Cody says his college years helped<br />
reinforce his belief in helping others. “Many<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essors and organizations around campus<br />
made volunteering something easy to get<br />
involved with, and encouraged everyone to do<br />
something outside <strong>of</strong> their regular education,”<br />
explains the Beaver Dam native. “The<br />
environment <strong>of</strong> the UW-L campus made<br />
volunteering a fun activity to participate in.”<br />
Like Dummer, Cody was active in the<br />
marching band. He also helped tutor<br />
accountancy students, volunteered with Safety<br />
UW-L alums Randy<br />
Dummer, ’87, left,<br />
and Matt Cody, ’06, are<br />
featured in a statewide<br />
CPA advertising campaign.<br />
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
on Our Sidewalks, and organized Roncalli<br />
Newman Center events. “Community service<br />
has always been important to me,” he notes.<br />
“Almost every activity that has made me who I<br />
am today would not have been possible<br />
without volunteers and individuals willing to<br />
donate their time to a good cause.”<br />
Cody, a staff accountant at Ritz, Holman,<br />
Butala, Fine in Milwaukee, was selected for his<br />
involvement with My Good Mourning Place,<br />
a grievance support center for children. A<br />
center board member, he runs a monthly<br />
bingo fundraiser.<br />
“I became involved with this board because<br />
I wanted to find a different outlet to help<br />
people outside <strong>of</strong> my job,” Cody says. “My<br />
Good Mourning Place was looking for<br />
someone with a financial background, and I<br />
thought this would be a good way to put my<br />
knowledge and skills to good use.”<br />
The ads ran in spring and will run in fall in a<br />
variety <strong>of</strong> business-related statewide<br />
publications.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 2 9
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Helping out<br />
By Sanja Dojcinovic<br />
Patty Krarup, ’75, has been a<br />
successful business owner for years.<br />
So successful that her business —<br />
PLK Insurance and Financial Services in<br />
Janesville — has been a 22-year member <strong>of</strong><br />
the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT).<br />
MDRT, a prestigious organization <strong>of</strong><br />
less than 1 percent <strong>of</strong> the world’s top life<br />
insurance and financial services<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, has more than 35,000<br />
members (368 Wisconsin members) in 76<br />
countries worldwide. These top performers<br />
have to reapply annually to renew their<br />
membership by meeting the organization’s<br />
strict standards, both in business<br />
performance and ethical conduct.<br />
The MDRT Foundation, the<br />
philanthropic arm <strong>of</strong> the organization,<br />
provides funds for eligible charitable<br />
organizations throughout the world, as well<br />
as an opportunity for members to get<br />
involved and give back to their<br />
communities.<br />
Krarup, who earned degrees in French<br />
and business administration, has been the<br />
foundation trustee since 2000 and its<br />
president since September 2007. “I’ve been<br />
in the business for many years and I decided<br />
it was time to give back,” Krarup explains.<br />
“My mother was always volunteering,<br />
always helping out.”<br />
Krarup also found inspiration while a<br />
UW-L student. “Robert Burns, a former<br />
English pr<strong>of</strong>essor and an adviser for the<br />
3 0 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Patty Krarup, ’75<br />
Alumna is president <strong>of</strong> Million Dollar Round<br />
Table Foundation<br />
Sigma Pi fraternity, where I was a little sister,<br />
had a young family, but devoted so much<br />
time to his volunteer work.”<br />
MDRT members benefit from the<br />
organization. “Members can apply for grants<br />
to be awarded to an organization <strong>of</strong> their<br />
own choice,” Krarup explains. Members get<br />
to help out non-pr<strong>of</strong>it organizations close to<br />
home and ones they are personally invested<br />
in.<br />
In the last 18 years, the MDRT<br />
Foundation has given more than $82,000 in<br />
grants to Wisconsin charities. Some <strong>of</strong> the<br />
credit goes to Krarup, an 11-year cancer<br />
survivor, who understands the importance<br />
<strong>of</strong> getting involved with groups that mean a<br />
lot to her. One MDRT Foundation grant<br />
made it to the Rock County’s YWCA<br />
cancer support group.<br />
Members are also encouraged to go<br />
directly where help is needed. They travel<br />
on their own dime, rolling up their sleeves to<br />
get the work done. One <strong>of</strong> those efforts was<br />
a house building project for Habitat for<br />
Humanity in post-Katrina New Orleans.<br />
A current project is construction <strong>of</strong> a<br />
children’s playground in Toronto through<br />
Kids Around the World organization.<br />
“MDRT members are committed to their<br />
charity,” notes Krarup. “A lot <strong>of</strong> our<br />
members become quite involved.”<br />
To learn more about MDRT and its<br />
foundation, go to www.mdrt.org.<br />
years in various positions: tax specialist, tax<br />
auditor and disclosure specialist. She earned<br />
a bachelor’s in accounting from Lakeland<br />
College in 2001. Walsh was an elementary<br />
education teacher from 1974-79 and has been<br />
on the Greenfield School Board since 1992,<br />
currently serving as treasurer. Also, she has<br />
been treasurer <strong>of</strong> CESA #1 Board <strong>of</strong> Control<br />
since 2006. Her husband Michael, who<br />
attended UW-L from 1970-73, retired as a<br />
Greenfield police <strong>of</strong>ficer in December 2005.<br />
’75<br />
Gayna (Schulz) Gaber, Presque Isle, retired<br />
from a 33-year teaching career in June and<br />
has moved to northern Wisconsin. She taught<br />
math in Wisconsin Rapids and Hartford before<br />
spending the last 27 years at Watertown High<br />
School.<br />
’78<br />
Vince Megna, Lake Worth, Fla., moved to<br />
south Florida in 1982. He is an area sales<br />
executive in the major accounts division for<br />
ADP.<br />
’79<br />
Diane (Thode) Turek, Bloomington, Ill.,<br />
received the <strong>2008</strong> “Outstanding School<br />
Orchestra Teacher” award for Illinois from the<br />
American String Teacher’s Association. She<br />
has taught orchestra for the Unit 5 School<br />
District for 29 years. Along with being the<br />
director <strong>of</strong> orchestras at Normal Community<br />
West High School, Turek teaches beginning<br />
fifth grade string players at six elementary<br />
schools and assists at three middle schools.<br />
She continues to play violin in the faculty<br />
string quartet. She and her husband, Jeff,<br />
have been married for 25 years. They have a<br />
son, Alex, a high school senior.<br />
Laurie Littel Zdon, Naperville, Ill., went back<br />
to school to become a nurse following a<br />
successful career in journalism and public<br />
relations. After five years part-time school, she<br />
has completed a bachelor <strong>of</strong> science-nursing<br />
degree from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> St. Francis in<br />
Joliet, Ill. She was recently inducted into<br />
Sigma Theta Tau, the international nursing<br />
honor society, and has accepted an RN<br />
position at Advocate Christ Medical Center in<br />
Oak Lawn, Ill.
’82<br />
Gary G. Bloesl, Pretoria, South Africa, is a<br />
commanding <strong>of</strong>ficer with the U.S. Marine<br />
Corps Embassy Security Group, Region 6, in<br />
the Sub-Sahara and Eastern Africa.<br />
David Rusch, Hartford, received the Positive<br />
Influence <strong>of</strong> Coaching Award from the Football<br />
Coaches Association. He is the inaugural<br />
recipient <strong>of</strong> the award which will be given to<br />
an active football coach in Wisconsin every<br />
year. Plaques <strong>of</strong> him will be displayed at<br />
Lambeau Field and at Camp Randall Stadium.<br />
Rusch’s two daughters attend UW-L, Natalie<br />
is a senior, Alexis, a freshman. He teaches<br />
and coaches at Waukesha South High.<br />
Mike Starling, Milwaukee, composed music<br />
selected as background music for the<br />
Biography Channel’s program on Bill Cosby.<br />
The network selected Starling’s “Funkee<br />
Monkee” from the album “Didjeriblue, Vol. 1”<br />
James Weisel, Lawrenceville, Ga., is a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> accountancy in the School <strong>of</strong><br />
Business at Georgia Gwinnett College, the<br />
first new state college in Georgia since 1965.<br />
’83<br />
Kathy Moen,<br />
(pictured), La Crosse,<br />
executive director <strong>of</strong> the<br />
United Fund for the<br />
Arts and Humanities in<br />
La Crosse, was named<br />
2007 Outstanding<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Fundraiser<br />
by the Upper<br />
Mississippi Valley<br />
Chapter <strong>of</strong> the international Association <strong>of</strong><br />
Fundraising Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals.<br />
John Klang, ’79<br />
Klang<br />
honored for<br />
heroic act<br />
Kim Neal N<strong>of</strong>singer, Murfreesboro, Tenn.,<br />
has been tenured and promoted to full<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor at Middle Tennessee State<br />
<strong>University</strong> where he is director <strong>of</strong> the dance<br />
program.<br />
’84<br />
Kurt Evenson, Houston, Texas, has been<br />
promoted to director <strong>of</strong> business operations in<br />
the department <strong>of</strong> medicine at Baylor College.<br />
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Fraternity sets reunion<br />
Golf is just one <strong>of</strong> the many activities held<br />
during the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity<br />
reunion. Members <strong>of</strong> the fraternity, mainly<br />
from the classes <strong>of</strong> ’68- ’80, hold their next<br />
reunion June 20-22, <strong>2008</strong>. Events will include<br />
golf, fishing and biking, along with a Friday<br />
dinner and a Saturday banquet in downtown<br />
La Crosse. For more info about the group’s<br />
reunions, contact Peter Jansen, ’74, at<br />
pjansen19@sbcglobal.netor Bill Bilot, ’75, at<br />
billyb9090@aol.com.<br />
Sheri (Fickau) Watkins, Mukwonago, keeps<br />
in touch with her Danish family she met<br />
participating in a Danish international<br />
exchange program during college. She has<br />
kept in touch with her host parents and<br />
visited them. In April, they spent time in the<br />
U.S. visiting three students they had<br />
sponsored. With Watkins’ family, they spent<br />
time with her two daughters at school, visited<br />
Home Depot and learned about baseball.<br />
The alum who lost his life disarming a troubled student has received a<br />
Carnegie Medal recognizing his extraordinary heroism. John Klang, ’79,<br />
principal at Weston High School in Cazenovia was fatally shot by a<br />
student in September 2006. (See Winter 2007-08 Alumnus.) The medal<br />
is awarded to those in the U.S. and Canada who risk their lives trying to<br />
save others. The Klang family received $6,000.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 3 1
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
More than breakfast<br />
Saturday morning middle school group led by alumni finding success<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Call them the “Breakfast Team.” Just<br />
don’t confuse them with the “Breakfast<br />
Club” — the five Shermer High<br />
School students in the 1985 movie who met<br />
for detention.<br />
Three alumni from three decades are<br />
heading up PIVOT, a unique Saturday<br />
morning group at Longfellow Middle School<br />
in La Crosse. They’re helping middle<br />
schoolers improve their grades while providing<br />
a path for a school-free summer.<br />
For three years, Longfellow students have<br />
voluntarily given up two hours on 10 Saturday<br />
mornings to catch up on schoolwork. The 8th<br />
graders — around 20 <strong>of</strong> them this spring —<br />
have one thing in common: a failing grade.<br />
And, if they don’t improve their scores by the<br />
end <strong>of</strong> the academic year, they’ll have to take<br />
summer school.<br />
Longfellow Principal Penny Reedy, ’84,<br />
says the program’s track record is good.<br />
Typically 75 percent <strong>of</strong> those taking part<br />
dramatically improve their grades — not to<br />
mention their academic habits and attitude –<br />
and don’t have to worry about spending<br />
summer at school.<br />
“It’s a win-win situation all around,” Reedy<br />
explains. “If they come and get their grades up,<br />
they don’t have to go to summer school. It’s a<br />
lot less costly to run this Saturday morning<br />
3 2 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
program than sending them to summer<br />
school.”<br />
Paul Holman, ’92, an elementary physical<br />
education instructor in the La Crosse School<br />
District, is the brainchild behind PIVOT,<br />
which gets its name from the quick turn<br />
around students make.<br />
“For me, it was an opportunity to meet kids<br />
I would otherwise never meet” says Holman.<br />
“As an elementary physical education teacher,<br />
I’m used to seeing students who are motivated<br />
and excited. It was a side <strong>of</strong> education I had<br />
never seen before.”<br />
Each 8 a.m. session opens with a group<br />
activity, which gives the students teambuilding<br />
experience and a chance to know one<br />
another better. There are high school mentors<br />
— alumni from earlier years — who assist<br />
with the program and give the middle<br />
schoolers firsthand examples <strong>of</strong> what it’s like in<br />
high school. Other Longfellow teachers help<br />
the students get their unfinished projects done<br />
and provide conduit to the regular school day.<br />
“By having teachers attend, the students<br />
get a relationship with them that they don’t get<br />
during the regular school day,” notes Holman.<br />
“We’re kind <strong>of</strong> making a smaller school inside a<br />
big school.”<br />
Randy Ketelhut, ’07, is the third alum<br />
involved in running the PIVOT program.<br />
Far left: Paul Holman, ’92, an elementary<br />
physical education instructor in the<br />
La Crosse School District, is the brainchild<br />
behind a middle school program that gets<br />
students to quickly change their study habits<br />
and prepares them for high school.<br />
Left: Randy Ketelhut, ’07, is one <strong>of</strong> three<br />
alums involved in “PIVOT,” a program for<br />
La Crosse middle school students who<br />
received a failing grade.<br />
Ketelhut did his student teaching at the school,<br />
and has been a coach and long-term sub there.<br />
He volunteered with PIVOT last year and<br />
quickly saw its impact.<br />
“Often you find out that a little<br />
organization is all they need,” Ketelhut says.<br />
“Sometimes it’s as simple as cleaning out their<br />
locker.”<br />
Ketelhut also likes the direct contact. “You<br />
get an opportunity to work one-on-one with<br />
students who really need that,” he explains.<br />
“They don’t thrive in a large classroom.”<br />
Holman is impressed by the commitment<br />
students make to the program — getting up<br />
early on Saturday and applying themselves.<br />
“None <strong>of</strong> these kids are forced to be here,” he<br />
notes. “Yet, they come each Saturday and are<br />
ready to get to work.”<br />
Holman admits he probably gets as much<br />
from the sessions as the students do. “These<br />
kids have taught me a lot,” he says. “If you<br />
personalize education, it works well.”<br />
Eighth grade teacher Marci Kline, ’99, is<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the Longfellow teachers who work with<br />
the students. “You build stronger relationships<br />
with them and they see that you care,” she says.<br />
“It’s another way to make a connection with a<br />
student.”
Two alums<br />
appointed<br />
to technical<br />
college<br />
board<br />
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has<br />
appointed two alums to the Wisconsin<br />
Technical College System Board. Stan<br />
Davis, ’94, and Terry Erickson, ’72, will<br />
serve on the board that oversees the 16<br />
technical college districts in the state.<br />
Davis is a partner at Axley<br />
Brynelson, LLP, and has worked as the<br />
Governor’s Deputy Chief <strong>of</strong> Staff and<br />
Chief Legal Counsel. He and his wife,<br />
Jessica, live in Sun Prairie with their two<br />
daughters. His term expires May 1,<br />
2009.<br />
Terry Erickson was executive<br />
director <strong>of</strong> the Boys and Girls Club <strong>of</strong><br />
Greater La Crosse for 35 years before<br />
retiring in 2007. He is currently<br />
pursuing a master’s in education at<br />
Winona State <strong>University</strong>. Erickson and<br />
his wife, Sue, live in La Crosse. His term<br />
expires May 1, 2011.<br />
They tailgated before a Brewers game where<br />
the American hosts explained the rules.<br />
Watkins says her Danish family now includes<br />
her host parents, two brothers, their wives and<br />
five nieces and nephews. “Hopefully we will be<br />
able to visit them again soon to see the new<br />
house they are building,” says Watkins.<br />
’86<br />
John Prue, Kenosha, has been promoted to<br />
installation program director responsible for<br />
the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR)<br />
Department at Naval Station Great Lakes,<br />
home to approximately 22,000 active duty,<br />
dependents and civilian employees. MWR<br />
employs more than 325 people and operates<br />
on a $18 million budget to <strong>of</strong>fer recreational<br />
facilities and programs. Prue has a master’s in<br />
management from Webster <strong>University</strong> in St.<br />
Louis. From his internship to his new position,<br />
Prue has spent his 22-year career at the<br />
station.<br />
’87<br />
James L. Reaves, Indian Head, Md., moved<br />
to Washington, D.C., in June 2007 and works<br />
with the Department <strong>of</strong> Homeland Security as<br />
chief <strong>of</strong> intake and problem resolution with the<br />
Office <strong>of</strong> Citizenship and Immigration Services<br />
Ombudsman. He had been a supervisory<br />
adjudication <strong>of</strong>ficer with U.S. Citizenship &<br />
Immigration Services in Detroit from October<br />
2001 to June 2007.<br />
’88<br />
Rodney Gabriel, Fredonia, is the senior<br />
systems administrator and infrastructure<br />
architect at United Financial Services where<br />
he began working in September 2002.<br />
Lauren J. Lieberman, Brockport, N.Y., is a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> adapted physical education at<br />
SUNY Brockport where she has worked for 13<br />
years. The 2007 Rada Distinguished Alumnus<br />
recipient runs Camp Abilities, a developmental<br />
sports camp for children who are visually<br />
impaired, blind or deafblind.<br />
’90<br />
Lt. Col. Randall Kastberg has been awarded<br />
the Bronze Star Medal for his service in<br />
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Also, he was<br />
awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge for<br />
work with an improvised explosive device.<br />
Tom Mitchell, De Forest, remains the caddie<br />
for pro golfer Steve Stricker. Mitchell first<br />
carried Stricker’s bag when he won the 2001<br />
Match Play Championship in Australia.<br />
’92<br />
Lee H<strong>of</strong>fman, Clovelly Park, South Australia,<br />
is completing a doctorate in chemistry at<br />
Flinders <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> South Australia.<br />
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Eagle flag<br />
flies in<br />
Kuwait<br />
An eagle has landed in Kuwait. An Eagle<br />
flag, that is. Lt. Col. Lynn San Nicolas,<br />
’86, received a Christmas present <strong>of</strong> a<br />
UW-L flag and pennant to hang in the<br />
huge warehouse where she works. Maj.<br />
Kurt A. Mueller worked with the UW-L<br />
Alumni Association to arrange for<br />
maroon and gray to fly in Kuwait.<br />
“I didn’t want to do this since I am a<br />
UW-Oshkosh graduate, but it is only fair<br />
since she outranks me,” admits Mueller.<br />
He says many schools are represented in<br />
the warehouse, but many jealous troops<br />
remain because “their schools are<br />
holding out on them.”<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 3 3
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Annique (Gilbert) London, Minneapolis, has<br />
opened a marketing consultancy practice,<br />
called “London Marketing Group.”<br />
Kerri (Anderson) Thompson, Austin, Texas,<br />
has been working for the city <strong>of</strong> Austin Parks<br />
and Recreation’s Aquatic Division for almost<br />
14 years. She was a member <strong>of</strong> a team that<br />
won the NRPA “Excellence in Aquatics” twice.<br />
The department has also won top NRPA<br />
honors and recently became nationally<br />
accredited. She is the only staff member who<br />
graduated from a nationally-accredited<br />
university program. Thompson has two sons,<br />
ages 3 and 5.<br />
’93<br />
Anne Heck, Elkhorn, associate principal at<br />
3 4 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Elkhorn Area Middle School, was named <strong>2008</strong><br />
Wisconsin Associate Principal <strong>of</strong> the Year.<br />
Keri (Kreinbrink) Lawson, Dubuque, Iowa,<br />
teaches physical education and health at<br />
Cuba City High School. In her 11th year as<br />
head volleyball coach, her team won the 2007<br />
WIAA Division III State Volleyball<br />
Championship.<br />
’94<br />
Vanessa (Glewen) Griffin, Hawthorn Woods,<br />
Ill., has started a documentary photography<br />
business specializing in children and families.<br />
(See www.vanessagriffin.com) She thanks<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Gary McDonald and his<br />
photography classes for the venture. “In every<br />
single communications job I’ve ever held, I<br />
’68 grad rests his case as<br />
Washington jurist<br />
William G. Knebes started his career as a high<br />
school history and social studies teacher in<br />
Onalaska after graduating in 1968. He ended<br />
it in March as one <strong>of</strong> Washington state’s most<br />
respected family court commissioners.<br />
Drafted by the military, the La Crosse<br />
native left Wisconsin shortly after marrying<br />
Carol (Johnson), ’70, eight credits short <strong>of</strong> a<br />
master’s in education administration. After<br />
relocating to Seattle and serving for two years,<br />
he went to Puget Sound Law School. He<br />
began his law career in Port Angeles as deputy<br />
prosecutor for Clallam County in 1975.<br />
Three years later Knebes started his<br />
private practice, doing family law until being<br />
appointed Superior Court Commissioner in<br />
1990. Since, he has set the standard for the<br />
Unified Family Courts in the state. He<br />
established one <strong>of</strong> the model family law courts<br />
and helped write the bench book on domestic<br />
violence and the law.<br />
“I really like this job,” Knebes told the<br />
Peninsula Daily News after announcing his<br />
retirement in<br />
January. “It really<br />
was tailor-made for<br />
me. There’s not a<br />
day I don’t enjoy<br />
going to work.”<br />
Knebes became<br />
a legend for his<br />
many contributions<br />
to families and<br />
William G.<br />
juveniles in the legal<br />
Knebes, ’68<br />
system. Often he<br />
helped juveniles in<br />
court with their<br />
educational needs by buying books and<br />
supplies without the children knowing the<br />
benefactor.<br />
“He would be the first to say his strong<br />
work ethic and sound values came from his<br />
upbringing and excellent education in his<br />
hometown <strong>of</strong> La Crosse,” says his wife, Carol.<br />
have put to use the skills he taught; he<br />
inspired a love for photography that has really<br />
stayed with me,” Griffin explains. She and her<br />
husband, Christopher, have two children,<br />
Maeve Catherine (5) and Owen Vance (1).<br />
Griffin is working part-time so she can spend<br />
time with the kids while building a business to<br />
expand when they’re in school.<br />
’96<br />
Eric A. Hagen, Las Vegas, earned the<br />
Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He is<br />
an investment manager at Wells Fargo Bank<br />
in Las Vegas.<br />
Tony Jennison, Farmington, Minn., was<br />
named head football coach at Macalester<br />
College in St. Paul, Minn. He had been<br />
defensive coordinator for the Scots the last<br />
two seasons.<br />
’97<br />
Vincent Purpero, ’97, and Betsy Maloney,<br />
’01, were married May 31, <strong>2008</strong>. They live in<br />
Minneapolis. Vincent is a postdoctoral<br />
researcher in biochemistry at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Minnesota; Betsy is an academic adviser at<br />
Capella <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Tony Soika has sold his business, “Sports<br />
Performance Advancement,” to return to active<br />
duty with the Army. He reported to Iraq May<br />
12 and will be promoted to 1st Lieutenant<br />
Aug. 4.<br />
Jennifer Sullivan-Hadsall, Cedar Rapids,<br />
Iowa, became an academic adviser for Upper<br />
Iowa <strong>University</strong> in November. She had been<br />
Admissions director at Mount Mercy College<br />
in Cedar Rapids.<br />
’98<br />
Brooke Croshier married Joe Sidebotham<br />
Aug. 11, 2007. They live in Akron, Ohio.<br />
Brooke is the athletics facilities and operations<br />
manager for The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Akron athletics<br />
department.<br />
Matthew Lehmann, Holmen, has been<br />
named National Senior Marketing Associate<br />
for Great Lakes Higher Education Corp.,<br />
Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Inc.<br />
and affiliates.
’01<br />
Casey Sambs, Milwaukee, has received CFA<br />
Charterholder status. He was recognized by<br />
the CFA Institute in a Wall Street Journal ad.<br />
’02<br />
Sara Lynn Lassig, St. Paul, Minn., graduated<br />
with a master’s in social work and a doctorate<br />
in family social science from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Minnesota in May <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Wendy Biese, ’02, and Marc McVay, ’03,<br />
were married Oct. 27, 2007. They live in<br />
Appleton. Wendy is a clinical pharmacist for<br />
Theda Care, Marc is a claims representative<br />
for SECURA Insurance.<br />
Justin D. Ross, ’02, and Nicole A. Austin,<br />
’04, are engaged and plan to marry in May<br />
2009. Both live in Denver. Justin graduated<br />
from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Denver in August 2007<br />
with a doctorate in psychology. He works for<br />
The Children’s Hospital in Denver and recently<br />
opened his own practice, MindBodyHealth,<br />
LLC. Nicole is an account manager for<br />
IQNavigator.<br />
Tracy (Ginsbach) and Greg Weber, both ’02,<br />
live in Oregon. Tracy, a medical device<br />
representative for Johnson & Johnson, was<br />
named National Sales Rep <strong>of</strong> the Year.<br />
’03<br />
Kelly Berens, Washington, D.C., is an<br />
advance staffer for Speaker <strong>of</strong> the House<br />
Nancy Pelosi.<br />
Jennifer Cerutti, Sioux City, Iowa, graduated<br />
from Creighton <strong>University</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Law in<br />
2006. She was admitted to the bar in<br />
Nebraska and Iowa. In October 2007, Cerutti<br />
became a staff attorney with Iowa Legal Aid in<br />
its Northwest Regional Office in Sioux City.<br />
Nicholas Ziarek, Oak Creek, has received<br />
CFA Charterholder status. He was recognized<br />
by the CFA Institute in a Wall Street Journal<br />
ad.<br />
’04<br />
Judson Beeskau, Saint Louis Park, Minn.,<br />
began working as a financial adviser at New<br />
England Financial in Minnetonka in December<br />
2007.<br />
A new NASA<br />
Five years after launching NASA,<br />
alum is still its biggest booster<br />
By Cary Heyer<br />
We’re not talking about that<br />
NASA, <strong>of</strong> course, though one<br />
could rightfully argue the<br />
mission <strong>of</strong> the other organization that shares<br />
those initials is equally l<strong>of</strong>ty.<br />
The NASA founded by Tony<br />
Christnovich, ’73 and ’81, is the North<br />
American Squirrel Association. Sure, the<br />
name is go<strong>of</strong>y. But the good work this<br />
organization does is anything but.<br />
Christnovich, who earned a bachelor’s in<br />
exercise and sports science/physical<br />
education and a master’s in elementary<br />
physical education had dedicated his life to<br />
sports and recreation. When the former<br />
defensive line coach for the UW-L football<br />
team and head coach for La Crosse Central<br />
High School wasn’t teaching, he was doing.<br />
After retiring in 2003, the avid sportsman<br />
purchased Schafer’s Boat Livery, a popular<br />
bait and tackle shop on Lake Onalaska’s<br />
Brice Prairie.<br />
That’s when it became clear there was a<br />
need to provide outdoor opportunities for<br />
those with physical limitations.“There was<br />
an obvious void that many physically<br />
challenged and elderly people had when<br />
trying to enjoy the outdoors,” Christnovich<br />
says. “Many people would love to go golfing,<br />
hunting or skiing but are unable because<br />
they don’t have the adaptive equipment that<br />
allows them to do so. NASA exists to help<br />
them enjoy the opportunities that enhance<br />
the quality <strong>of</strong> their lives.”<br />
NASA started five years ago with a<br />
buddy system to take elderly people and<br />
those with physical challenges squirrel<br />
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Tony Christnovich,<br />
’73 & ’81<br />
hunting. “We started with a wheelchair and<br />
a handful <strong>of</strong> dedicated volunteers who were<br />
willing to <strong>of</strong>fer a little help,” Christnovich<br />
explains.<br />
Today, thanks to the generosity <strong>of</strong><br />
corporate and private donations, NASA has<br />
purchased a pontoon boat, an ice shanty, an<br />
ATV equipped for hunting, and an adaptive<br />
golf cart. The organization also works in<br />
partnership with Mt. La Crosse, the YMCA<br />
and the YWCA to <strong>of</strong>fer specialized ski<br />
equipment and recumbent bicycles.<br />
“NASA has brought the elderly and<br />
physically challenged back in touch with the<br />
wonders <strong>of</strong> the outdoors,” Christnovich<br />
shares. “Some <strong>of</strong> them thought they<br />
wouldn’t be able to participate again, and<br />
others are enjoying new experiences they<br />
never thought possible.”<br />
While Christnovich’s name has become<br />
synonymous with NASA, he recoils when<br />
others give him credit for starting it. “NASA<br />
is successful because many volunteers have<br />
stepped forward to make dreams come<br />
true,” he says. “With the help <strong>of</strong> local and<br />
state organizations such as the Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Natural <strong>Resources</strong>, Fish and Wildlife<br />
Service, local government agencies and<br />
countless, big-hearted people who have<br />
been able to <strong>of</strong>fer many outdoor activities<br />
free <strong>of</strong> charge to those who deserve to enjoy<br />
them.”<br />
Learn more about NASA at<br />
www.nasasquirrel.org or contact<br />
Christnovich at schafers@charter.net.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 3 5
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Alum to<br />
head<br />
Chippewa<br />
campus<br />
Tim Shepardson,<br />
’79 & ’83<br />
Tim Shepardson, ’79 & ’83, has been<br />
selected to head the Chippewa Valley<br />
Technical College’s Chippewa Falls<br />
campus. Admissions and financial aid<br />
manager at CVTC since 1998,<br />
Shepardson will now lead CVTC<br />
efforts in Chippewa Falls and<br />
Neillsville.<br />
“What we <strong>of</strong>fer now can be just the<br />
start,” says Shepardson. “There’s<br />
tremendous potential for ongoing<br />
learning, service to business and<br />
economic development. I’m looking<br />
forward to working on new<br />
partnerships.”<br />
Shepardson began working at<br />
Western Technical College in La<br />
Crosse in 1984. He left in 1988 to<br />
become assistant director <strong>of</strong> Career<br />
Planning and Placement at UW-<br />
Green Bay, leaving there in 1998 for<br />
CVTC.<br />
3 6 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Matthew Gottfredson married Sarah Hutjens<br />
Aug. 4, 2007. They live in Kenosha. He is<br />
employed by the Kenosha Unified School<br />
District.<br />
Felicia Daul and David Petr<strong>of</strong>f, both ’04,<br />
were married Aug. 24, 2007. They live in<br />
Greenfield. Felicia earned a jurist degree in<br />
May 2007 from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Minnesota<br />
Law School and was admitted to practice law<br />
in the state <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin in October 2007.<br />
Dave is a fund accountant at US Bank.<br />
Dan Sutton, West Bend, finished 34th at the<br />
<strong>2008</strong> U.S. Olympic Team Trials Men’s<br />
Marathon. His time was 2:18.59; 104 runners<br />
finished the race. He is a medical student at<br />
UW-Madison.<br />
Sara Weisenbeck married Patrick Cotter<br />
Sept. 29, 2007. They live in St. Paul. Sara<br />
works at the College <strong>of</strong> St. Catherine.<br />
Bridesmaids in the wedding included Erin<br />
Bong and Lisa (Evenson) Bloomer, both<br />
’04.<br />
’05<br />
Dustin Ammerman, Holmen, is a staff<br />
accountant with Hawkins, Ash, Baptie and Co.<br />
in La Crosse.<br />
Emily Geyer (pictured),<br />
Minnetonka, Minn.,<br />
participated in the<br />
Rotary International<br />
District 5960 Group<br />
Study Exchange to<br />
Brazil in May. She is a<br />
marketing project<br />
manager with U.S.<br />
Bank.<br />
Amy Turkowski, Madison, is a kindergartenfirst<br />
grader teacher at Franklin Elementary<br />
School in the Madison Metropolitan School<br />
District.<br />
Alum duo<br />
leading<br />
Rotary<br />
district<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the three Rotary districts in<br />
Wisconsin will get a double dose <strong>of</strong><br />
UW-L alum leadership. Dean<br />
Dickinson, ’68, left, and Tom Marshall,<br />
’64 & ’68, will serve as Rotary District<br />
#6250 governor — Dickinson in<br />
2009-10 and Marshall in <strong>2008</strong>-09.<br />
The international service organization<br />
has nearly 3,405 members in District<br />
#6250, which stretches from the Illinois<br />
border to northern Wisconsin in the<br />
western and central part <strong>of</strong> the state,<br />
along with part <strong>of</strong> southeastern<br />
Minnesota.
’06<br />
Paul Bagniefski<br />
(pictured) La Crosse,<br />
has earned his<br />
Certified Public<br />
Accountant<br />
designation. He is a<br />
tax accountant with<br />
Hawkins, Ash, Baptie<br />
& Co.<br />
Melissa (Keough) and Timothy Ruder, both<br />
’06, live in Memphis, Tenn. Tim has finished<br />
his first semester <strong>of</strong> optometry school at the<br />
Southern College <strong>of</strong> Optometry. Melissa is<br />
teaching Spanish at Kirby High School in<br />
Memphis.<br />
Rachel Schaeffer married Brian Marcouiller<br />
Aug. 18, 2007. They live in South Saint Paul,<br />
Minn. Rachel has been a language arts<br />
teacher at Wayzata East Middle School in<br />
Plymouth, Minn., for the past nine years.<br />
Vanessa (Hedquist) Sedlmayr, Durand, is a<br />
first grade teacher in the Wabasha-Kellogg<br />
(Minn.) School District.<br />
’07<br />
Megan Stroinski, Milwaukee, has joined the<br />
Milwaukee-based accounting firm <strong>of</strong> Ritz,<br />
Holman, Butala, Fine LLP.<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 20??<br />
Alumni announce new arrivals to their families.<br />
Don Lounsbury, ’82, Murray, Utah, a<br />
daughter, Lena, June 20, 2007.<br />
Joan (Farber), ’88, and Patrick Griffiths,<br />
Bartlett, Ill., a son, Colton Patrick, April 16,<br />
2007. He joins sister Lucy Cosette (8.)<br />
Kirstin (Hansen), ’89, and William Dolwick,<br />
Lake Mills, a son, Griffin Walker, Aug. 1, 2007.<br />
He joins brother Brennan (8) and sister<br />
Kailey (3).<br />
Gregory, ’89, and Laura Pfaff, Milwaukee, a<br />
daughter, Scarlett, Dec. 14, 2007. She joins<br />
sister Sophia (3). Gregory is a senior vice<br />
president <strong>of</strong> UBS Financial.<br />
Michael S., ’94, and Virginia Doherty,<br />
Greendale, a son, Sean Michael, Sept. 20,<br />
2007. He joins brother Harrison.<br />
Sandy (Breunig), ’94, and Joseph Glotfelty,<br />
Fairfax, Va., a daughter, Sarah Marie, Sept.<br />
26, 2007. She joins a brother, Thomas.<br />
Julie (Marsh), ’94, and Eric Lemon,<br />
Onalaska, a son, Zachary Ronald, Sept. 17,<br />
2007.<br />
Nikki (Ferguson), ’94, and Nathan<br />
Pederson, Avondale, Ariz., a son, Kyle, March<br />
17, 2007. Nikki is a physical education teacher<br />
in Glendale.<br />
Jason and Shannon (Johnson) Gonnion,<br />
both ’95, Stillwater, Minn., a daughter, Anabel<br />
Mary, April 19, 2007. She joins brother Max<br />
(7) and sister Macy (3).<br />
Tricia (Schindler), ’95, and Chad Van Lanen,<br />
New London, a daughter, Abigail, Nov. 15,<br />
2007. Tricia is a human resources specialist<br />
for the Transportation Security Administration<br />
in Green Bay.<br />
Jon D. ’96 & ’07, and Tammy L. (Powell), ’97<br />
& ’03, Larson, La Crosse, a son, Jacob Jon,<br />
Feb. 24, <strong>2008</strong>. He joins sister Emily (2.)<br />
Season (Bolton), ’96, and Jason Rosinski,<br />
Janesville, a daughter, Ivy Therese, born Nov.<br />
30, 2006, and adopted from Vietnam May 28,<br />
2007. She joins brother Paul Jason, born<br />
March 14, 2005, and adopted from South<br />
Korea Sept. 14, 2005.<br />
Jessica (Edwards), ’97, and David Hermsen,<br />
Lancaster, a son, Zachary, March 24, <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
He joins sister Ava (2).<br />
Poppie (Bergere), ’97, and Christian<br />
McNierney, Ashburn, Va., a son, Liam Orion,<br />
Aug. 24, 2007. He joins sister Keira Lane (2).<br />
Damian, ’97, and Stephanie Olson,<br />
Onalaska, a daughter, Lauren, Aug. 4. 2007.<br />
Jennifer (Streit), ’97, and Scott Rekdal,<br />
Andover, Minn., a son, Edward Scott, May 15,<br />
2007. He joins a sister, Sophia (4).<br />
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Keep up your<br />
La Crosse pride!<br />
Keep in touch with us, and we’ll keep in<br />
touch with you! It’s easy:<br />
Phone 608.785.8490<br />
1.877.UWL.ALUM<br />
Fax 608.785.6868<br />
E-mail alumni@uwlax.edu<br />
Web www.uwlalumni.org<br />
Mailing address<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumni Association;<br />
Cleary Alumni & Friends Center;<br />
615 East Ave. N.; La Crosse, WI 54601<br />
Submit news to the Alumnus<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/whatsnew.htm<br />
Online alumni directory<br />
http://directory.uwlalumni.org<br />
Design your own UW-L clothing<br />
www.mygarb.com/UWLaCrosse<br />
Nominations for alumni awards<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/awards.htm<br />
Join the UW-L Alumni Association<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/join.php<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 3 7
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Above: Liz Gray, Jen Connors, ’08 and Ashley Connors cheering on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.<br />
Above right: Jen, Liz and Ashley tailgaiting before a Packers game.<br />
Red hot at the ‘Frozen Tundra’<br />
Packers Bikini Girls have UW-L ties<br />
By Sanja Dojcinovic<br />
been a family tradition for six<br />
years,” says Jen Connors. Each year<br />
“It’s<br />
Connors, her sister, Ashley, and<br />
cousin, Liz, throw on bikini tops under heavyduty<br />
parkas and brave painfully freezing<br />
temperatures <strong>of</strong> a Wisconsin winter during<br />
game breaks at Lambeau Field. The Green<br />
Bay Packers Bikini Girls — their un<strong>of</strong>ficial<br />
name — strip <strong>of</strong>f their winter coats while<br />
holding up a homemade sign cheering on their<br />
team — in particular, Brett Favre.<br />
Two years ago they got their first taste <strong>of</strong><br />
fame when ESPN featured them in a highlight<br />
video. Their photo also made it into an issue <strong>of</strong><br />
Sports Illustrated.<br />
This year, however, things really took <strong>of</strong>f.<br />
“I’m not sure why it’s been crazy this year, but<br />
all <strong>of</strong> a sudden everyone wanted to talk to us,”<br />
explains Connors.<br />
A media blitz ensued in January following<br />
the Packers’ loss to the eventual Super Bowl<br />
champion New York Giants. The women<br />
3 8 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
took as many as eight interviews a day the first<br />
week. Things slowed during the next two<br />
weeks when they averaged a “mere” five<br />
interviews per day from various radio and TV<br />
stations, magazines, newspapers, and others.<br />
Connors says the UW-L campus<br />
community’s response was overwhelmingly<br />
positive. “Students would recognize me<br />
sometimes,” she says. “Most thought it was<br />
cool.”<br />
The experience has been more than that.<br />
“This has been a great learning experience,”<br />
adds Connor. “It’s taught me a lot about<br />
dealing with different people, making contacts<br />
and being under pressure. I definitely feel more<br />
confident.”<br />
And it has taught that with good comes<br />
bad. Bloggers and Web site readers posted<br />
<strong>of</strong>fensive comments about the trio. “I had to<br />
stop reading the comments on the different<br />
sites and blogs,” says Connors. “Some people<br />
got really vicious. I guess it’s taught me how to<br />
handle the negative stuff too.”<br />
Connors, who graduated in May in<br />
marketing and communications with an<br />
emphasis in public relations, is working on<br />
post-graduation plans. “I am considering<br />
anything that could come as a result <strong>of</strong> this<br />
experience,” she explains.<br />
The three women are even considering<br />
developing their own brand. “We got so much<br />
positive feedback on our swimsuits,” she<br />
explains. “We’d like to work on developing that<br />
further.”
Aaron and Alicia (Singstock) Stratman,<br />
both ’97, Franklin, a daughter, Alexa Rae,<br />
June 8, 2007. She joins sister Avaree (3).<br />
Tamara N. (Bishop), ’98, and Chad W.<br />
Johnson, Burnsville. Minn., twin daughters,<br />
Erica Rose and Morgan Lynn, Feb. 27, <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Rebecca (Schicker), ’98, and Nicholas<br />
Kerkenbush, Jefferson, a son, Jacob Daniel,<br />
Jan. 14, <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Jennifer (Bonlender), ’98, and Gregory<br />
Reilley, Waupun, a son, Patrick, March 11,<br />
<strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Nicole (Boyer) and Donald Lang, both ’00,<br />
Marshfield, a daughter, Taiya Katherine, May<br />
30, 2007. She joins sister Tessah (2). Nikki<br />
works part-time as a clinical lab scientist in<br />
microbiology at Marshfield Laboratories.<br />
Donald teaches math at Marshfield Middle<br />
School and is head varsity wrestling coach at<br />
Marshfield High School.<br />
Joel, ’00, and Kelly (Christensen), ’01,<br />
Gregozeski, Green Bay, a daughter, Emma,<br />
February <strong>2008</strong>. Joel has a new job as leisure<br />
services director with the Village <strong>of</strong> Bellevue.<br />
Thomas J., ’00, and Nicole M. (Joas)<br />
Hooper, ’03, Eau Claire, a daughter, Lillia<br />
Claire, June 4, 2007. Thomas works for<br />
Marshfield Clinic in Eau Claire; Nicole for St.<br />
Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls.<br />
Amy DuPont, ’01, and Erich Zwicker,<br />
Onalaska, a son, Bryce Erich Zwicker, Nov.<br />
20, 2007. It’s their first child. DuPont is anchor<br />
<strong>of</strong> La Crosse TV station WXOW’s “Daybreak”<br />
which received the “Best Morning Newscast”<br />
award from the Wisconsin Broadcasters<br />
Association in April.<br />
Ryan (Plier), ’01, and Michael J. Smith,<br />
Waterford, a son, Grayden Robert, Sept. 20,<br />
2007. He joins brother Thatcher.<br />
Robin (Brett), ’00, and Benjamin J.<br />
Chambers II, ’06, Rochester, Minn., a son,<br />
Benjamin James III, Jan. 28, <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Josh, ’02, and Misty (Kratt), ’03, Bindl,<br />
Marshall, a son, Drew Frederick, Oct. 24,<br />
2007.<br />
Great Google-y<br />
moogly<br />
Alum’s propensity for facts and<br />
figures continues to draw<br />
attention<br />
By Cary Heyer<br />
Remember Brad Williams? H e’s the<br />
“Human Google” whose penchant for<br />
tucking mostly useless bits <strong>of</strong><br />
information deep into his limbic system for<br />
years and summoning it at the will <strong>of</strong> an<br />
inquisition was first reported in the Alumnus<br />
last summer. Not long after the feature was<br />
published, the 1977 UW-L alum and reporter<br />
for Mid-West Family Broadcasting in La<br />
Crosse and subject <strong>of</strong> a closely watched UC-<br />
Berkeley memory study has found himself on<br />
the other side <strong>of</strong> the microphone.<br />
A La Crosse Tribune article was picked up<br />
by the nationwide Associated Press newswire.<br />
Then a Swedish TV station called, followed<br />
by a story on “NBC Nightly News.” Williams<br />
has also appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning<br />
America” and CNN. Next month, Williams<br />
will speak at the annual meeting <strong>of</strong> Mensa<br />
Dustin and Mandy (Bachmann) Checkai,<br />
both ’02, Sun Prairie, a son, Lincoln Paul, Nov.<br />
4, 2007. Dustin works for Virchow Krause &<br />
Co.; Mandy at the Wisconsin Alumni Research<br />
Foundation.<br />
Alison “Ali” (Frei), ’03, and Dan O. Baker,<br />
Maple Grove, Minn., a daughter, Keira Elaine,<br />
April 2, <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Libbe (Stankowski), ’03, and Mark Slavin,<br />
Mosinee, a daughter, Ella Ruth, April 2, 2007.<br />
Libbe is a health educator for the Children’s<br />
Hospital <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin.<br />
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
Brad Williams, ’77<br />
International, and Esquire magazine plans to<br />
feature a story about Williams’ über-ability to<br />
recall peculiar facts, like the three dates on<br />
which thoroughbred Seattle Slew won the<br />
Triple Crown or which celebrity guests<br />
witnessed Tiny Tim’s wedding to Miss Vicky<br />
on the “Tonight Show.”<br />
The frequency with which he can cough<br />
up this stuff makes him only one <strong>of</strong> three<br />
people in the world who have been diagnosed<br />
with hyperthymesia, or “superior memory.”<br />
He isn’t always right. But, neither is<br />
Google.<br />
Williams is scheduled to return to<br />
California in August for more research. To<br />
follow his journey and witness his unique skill<br />
first-hand (“Brad Versus the Internet is<br />
particularly impressive), visit<br />
www.unforgettabledoc.com.<br />
Michael, ’04, and Sarah (Jaworek), ’05,<br />
Cummings, Waterloo, a daughter, Kaia<br />
Sophia, April 22, <strong>2008</strong>. She joins a sister,<br />
Karis. Michael is employed by Zenith Tech.<br />
Inc.; Sarah, the Lake Mills School District.<br />
Kelly (Corcoran), ’06, and Charles<br />
Raymond, ’07, Fitchburg, a son, Ian Sayre,<br />
Nov. 9, 2007. Charles works at Covance Inc.<br />
in Madison. Kelly is a busy a stay-at-home<br />
mom.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 3 9
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
booknook<br />
A true story,<br />
a love story<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor emeritus Ken Becker pens<br />
book about wife’s battle to live<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Aretired health education<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor gets liver cancer. To<br />
live, she needs a new liver. A<br />
former student hears about it and<br />
donates part <strong>of</strong> her liver to her former<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor. With the new organ the<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor — and those close to her —<br />
experience the many ups and downs <strong>of</strong><br />
living with a transplanted organ and<br />
caring for someone struggling to live.<br />
It’s a story that’s been real for UW-L<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor emeritus Ken Becker, who<br />
taught in the health education<br />
department for more than 27 years. He’s<br />
sharing the story about his wife, Peg<br />
Dosch, ’64 & ’75, and their former<br />
student, Gretchen Beckstrom, in a 183page<br />
book, Transplanted: A Love Story.<br />
Dosch, who taught in the health<br />
education department from 1975 until<br />
retiring in 1998, was diagnosed with<br />
cancer in 2001. ree years later, she was<br />
given two months to live unless she<br />
received a transplant. at’s when<br />
Beckstrom, a ’79 and ’94 UW-L<br />
graduate, stepped in.<br />
Dosch was one <strong>of</strong> Beckstrom’s<br />
health pr<strong>of</strong>essors in the late ’70s. ey<br />
became friends. Without Dosch<br />
knowing, the Eau Claire teacher started<br />
the process to see if she could be a<br />
candidate for the liver donation. Aer<br />
four months <strong>of</strong> tests, Beckstrom was<br />
4 0 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
accepted. “It was overwhelming for her<br />
to come forward,” notes Becker.<br />
e successful transplant took place<br />
Dec. 22, 2004, at Mayo Clinic in<br />
Rochester, Minn., giving Dosch another<br />
chance at life. ree years later, Dosch’s<br />
cancer returned. She died March 18,<br />
<strong>2008</strong>, in Green Valley, Ariz., where she<br />
and Becker lived.<br />
roughout the transplant, Becker<br />
updated friends and family on the Web<br />
site CaringBridge. “It’s really wonderful<br />
because you can update your site at any<br />
time,” Becker explains. “And because it’s<br />
on a Web site, you don’t have to respond<br />
to 50 different people, you only have to<br />
write once.” Friends, family and others<br />
can leave messages on the site too.<br />
Becker wrote on the site almost daily.<br />
Many complimented him on his writing,<br />
so he decided to put the story in a book.<br />
e book was published in August 2007.<br />
Becker says most buying the book<br />
aer its release were friends and relatives.<br />
Since, word about it has spread and its<br />
audience is growing. “I’m geing very<br />
positive feedback about the book,” he<br />
says.<br />
Find out more about the book and<br />
how to order it at Transplanted-<br />
ALoveStory.com.<br />
“A liver transplant was the furthest<br />
thing from our minds when this all<br />
began. At every step <strong>of</strong> the way, we<br />
optimistically expected a cure. Surely<br />
some treatment would be available.<br />
Not a single one was, and three-anda-half<br />
years later we found ourselves<br />
in the Transplant Center at Mayo<br />
Clinic.<br />
This is the story <strong>of</strong> that journey. It is a<br />
story that I recorded daily on the<br />
Web site CaringBridge. It is our<br />
story. It is a love story. It is a true<br />
story. It only feels like a dream.”<br />
— excerpt from Transplanted: A Love Story<br />
by UW-L Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Emeritus<br />
Ken Becker
Faculty/staff<br />
obituaries<br />
Merrill H. Barnebey | Merrill H. Barnebey, died Dec. 28, 2007 in Ashland, Ore. He taught in<br />
the mathematics department from 1965 until retiring in 1983. He was known for distributing free<br />
Christmas trees from his Holmen farm to friends and co-workers. He is survived by two sons.<br />
Kurt Billmeyer | Kurt Conrad Billmeyer, 52, died at his home in Pocatello, Idaho, April 18,<br />
<strong>2008</strong>. He was an assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor in communication studies since 2004 before resigning in<br />
2007 to battle prostate cancer. Upon progression <strong>of</strong> his illness, he and his wife, Cynthia, and<br />
daughter, Allison Marie, returned to Pocatello.<br />
Clifton ‘Cliff’ DeVoll, ’46 | Clifton ‘Cliff’ H. DeVoll, 87, died March 17, <strong>2008</strong> in La Crosse.<br />
DeVoll earned a bachelor’s in biology, with a minor in physical education, from UW-L in 1946<br />
before earning master’s and doctorate degrees from Indiana <strong>University</strong>. In 1952, her returned to<br />
La Crosse to teach anatomy and physical education and coach basketball and tennis. In 1967,<br />
DeVoll became associate dean <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong> Physical Education, Health and Recreation; he<br />
later returned to teaching and directed the adult physical fitness program. DeVoll is survived by<br />
his wife, Diana, and two children. Memorials may be given to the Cliff and Diana DeVoll<br />
Scholarship for Teaching in Physical Education or the La Crosse Exercise and Health Program<br />
through the UW-L Foundation, 615 East Ave. N., La Crosse, WI 54601.<br />
Margaret “Peg” Fuller Dosch, ’64 & ’75 | Peg Dosch died March 18, <strong>2008</strong> in Green<br />
Valley, Ariz. Dosch received two degrees from UW-L — a bachelor’s in physical education (1964)<br />
and a master’s in health education (1975). She taught in the health education and health<br />
promotion department from 1975 until retiring in 1998. She is survived by her husband Kenneth<br />
Becker, who taught on campus from 1971-1998. (See article on previous page.)<br />
Margaret L. Hocker | Margaret L. Hocker, 94, died Friday, Feb. 8, <strong>2008</strong>, in La Crosse. She<br />
was a campus librarian from 1950 until retiring in 1978, serving as chair <strong>of</strong> library science from<br />
1967-1976. She is survived by nieces and nephews.<br />
John ‘Jack’ Mitchem | John ‘Jack’ Mitchem, 85, died Sept. 1, 2007 in Humble Texas. Mitchem<br />
was dean <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong> Health, Physical Education and Recreation from 1981-88. He is<br />
survived by his wife, Anna Maria, and two children.<br />
Herman L. Nelson | Herman L. Nelson, 92, died in Rochester, March 27, 2007. Nelson taught<br />
in the geography earth science department from 1968-1979. He is survived by his wife,<br />
Margaret.<br />
Howard Rose | Howard Coburn Rose died Jan. 25, <strong>2008</strong>, in Rochester, Minn. Rose served as<br />
dean <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong> Education and Graduate Studies from 1974 until retiring in 1987. He is<br />
survived by his wife, Clarice, a daughter and two sons.<br />
Norman Schein | Norman John Schein, 83, Galesville, died May 2, <strong>2008</strong>. He taught in the<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Education from 1962 until retiring in 1987. He is survived by his wife, Cynthia Schein;<br />
and eight children.<br />
E. Keith Swanson | E. Keith Swanson, 82, <strong>of</strong> La Crosse died Nov. 28, 2007. Swanson was a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> mathematics from 1957 until retiring in 1990. He had been a farmer in southern<br />
Minnesota since retiring. In addition to his wife, Joyce, he is survived by three children. Memorials<br />
may be sent to the UW-L Foundation, 615 East Ave. N., La Crosse, WI 54601.<br />
Ronald Weinkauf | Ronald A. Weinkauf, 71, died Oct. 23, 2007, at Mulder Health Care Center<br />
in West Salem. He taught in the UW-L geography/earth science department from 1979-99.<br />
Weinkauf is survived by his wife, Gayle, and two children.<br />
For complete obituaries <strong>of</strong> most faculty members, visit www.lacrossetribune.com and click on<br />
“Obituaries” under “News.”<br />
In memory<br />
l a c r o s s e t i e s<br />
1931 — Loretta (Panke) Walling, Pinehurst, N.C.<br />
1932 — Esther (Flugstad) Bakke, Westby.<br />
1932 — Doris (Wolf) Ravnum, Lyndon Station.<br />
1934 — Philip Dyer, La Crosse.<br />
1934 — Ruth (Vanakkeren) Holtan, Saint Paul, Minn.<br />
1935 — Esther (Christensen) Poehling, Clearwater Fla.<br />
1935 — Florence Woods Howarth, Beloit.<br />
1936 — Elizabeth J. McGinness, Sheboygan.<br />
1936 — Geraldine Marie (Grove) Pralle, Ashland.<br />
1939 — Gwen Cobleigh, Wisconsin Rapids.<br />
1940 — Virginia “Ginny” L. (Holmlund) Erickson, La Crosse.<br />
1942 — Donald “Don” T. Gardner, Platteville.<br />
1942 — Margery (Hughes) Rittmann, Warwick, RI.<br />
1945 — Gladys (Hougstad) Iverson, Tucson, Ariz.<br />
1947 — Doris (Beedy) Golz, Bremerton, Wash.<br />
1949 — Ludwig F. Kroner, La Crosse.<br />
1949 — Raymond “Ray” Sauer, La Crosse.<br />
1949 — Alice M. Shoman, Manhattan Beach, Calif.<br />
1950 — Ray D. Griepentrog, Milwaukee.<br />
1951 — Clarice (Grindle) Pfaff, Mindoro.<br />
1955 — James Robert Burns, La Crosse.<br />
1957 — Robert L. Erickson, Westby.<br />
1957 — Diane (Wikum) Weinstock, Racine.<br />
1963 — Vivian (Scherz) Barney, Rochester.<br />
1963 — Brig Konecke, Waupaca.<br />
1963 — Joy (Varo) Sullivan, Morton, Ill.<br />
1964 — Donald R. Atkinson, Santa Barbara, Calif.<br />
1964 — Barbara (Rabuck) Kraiss, Madison.<br />
1965 — Dorothy Lind Erickson, Coon Valley.<br />
1967 & ’68 — Dorothy Althaus, Onalaska.<br />
1967 — Audrey (Knox) Cline, Richmond, Ind.<br />
1968 — Thomas W. Adams, La Crosse.<br />
1969 — Verna M. Chambers, Tomah.<br />
1970 — Michael S. Poja, Milwaukee.<br />
1970 — Rhoda Sarah White, Madison.<br />
1971 — Lillian (Cosgrove) Daines, La Farge.<br />
1972 — Norma (Mueller) Appold, White Marsh, Md.<br />
1972 — Margaret Ann (Johnson) Grelle, La Crosse.<br />
1972 — Bruce Novey, Prairie du Chien.<br />
1973 — Steven “Jud” N. Justinger, Tomah.<br />
1975 — Ronald W. Neuman, Mequon.<br />
1981 — Kerstin Anke-Marino, Raleigh, N.C.<br />
1981 — Rodney Cooper, Leawood, Kan.<br />
1982 — Mark Phillip Dawson, Prior Lake, Minn.<br />
1982 — David K. Hotaling, Palm Coast, Fla.<br />
1984 — Judith K. (Bangart) Slagle, Greenville.<br />
1989 — Stefanie Ann (Williams) Levesque, Cheshire, Maine.<br />
1991 — Daniel Babcock, Appleton.<br />
2005 — Tim Forsyth, Racine.<br />
2006 — Tammy St. Peter, Fredonia.<br />
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 4 1
c o u l e e c o d a<br />
4 2 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8<br />
Alumni<br />
‘matriarch’<br />
honored<br />
Eleanor Kennedy recognized for<br />
association’s beginning<br />
By Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
In 1964, campus President Rexford Mitchell handed Eleanor Kennedy a box<br />
<strong>of</strong> 3” x 5” cards with 5,000 names. His charge to her to start an alumni<br />
association was simple: “Go for it!” Kennedy did.<br />
Lile did the non-traditional student and mother <strong>of</strong> four who had just<br />
graduated from Wisconsin State College La Crosse know the impact she would<br />
leave. From that humble beginning with a “beat- up typewriter” (Kennedy’s<br />
description) and a box <strong>of</strong> index cards, the Alumni Association has grown to a<br />
computer database with 64,721 names.<br />
In April family, friends, colleagues and fellow alums returned to campus to<br />
honor the woman who humbly referred to herself as a “friend-raiser.” It’s clear —<br />
that is what she was.<br />
“When I count my blessings, I count Eleanor,” said Darryle Clo, ’66 & ’71,<br />
former Alumni Association Board president and organizer <strong>of</strong> the event. Shortly<br />
aer joining the board Clo and Kennedy became friends.<br />
Clo says three words describe Kennedy. e rst: lady. “At all times she is a<br />
lady,” noted Clo. e second: class. “Every alumni event and everything she
touched had class,” she said. And the third: grace. “Eleanor Kennedy is<br />
pure grace,” explained Clo.<br />
“ank you for all that you did for UW-L,” Clo told Kennedy. “And,<br />
thank you for being my friend.”<br />
Others who worked with Kennedy on alumni projects agreed.<br />
Among them:<br />
• Ernie Gershon, ’37, recalled approaching Kennedy about involving<br />
Beta Sigma Chi, which had held Homecoming breakfasts since the<br />
’30s, in the new Alumni Association. “She said, ‘Well, it’s simple; just<br />
call it the Beta Sigma Chi Alumni Club,’” Gershon recalled.<br />
• Karen (Currie) Hoel, ’66, was one <strong>of</strong> the rst students to work for<br />
Kennedy in the small, Graff Main Hall Office. Aer Hoel graduated,<br />
she joined the Peace Corps and traveled to Nigeria. Aer four months<br />
<strong>of</strong> living in the bush, she was becoming homesick until the mail<br />
arrived with an alumni newsleer. “How you found me, I don’t<br />
know,” Hoel said. “But, the homesickness went away.”<br />
• Howard Mills, ’68, recalled going on one <strong>of</strong> the Alumni Association’s<br />
rst tours, a trip to Hawaii. e group <strong>of</strong> nine had so much fun that<br />
they stayed in touch with one another since. “at group still gets<br />
together today,” he said, aributing the friendships to Kennedy.<br />
Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86, current executive director <strong>of</strong> the Alumni<br />
Association, said while Kennedy didn’t have the advantage <strong>of</strong> modern<br />
technology — e-mail, voice mail, the Web and online directory — there is<br />
one constant in their work: alumni.<br />
“You and I have met alums young and old, in our own backyard and<br />
continents away. We have met famous and not so famous alums,”<br />
explained Spencer. “e one thing that we all have in common is this place,<br />
this campus. As alumni and friends <strong>of</strong> UW-L we share an important bond.<br />
Other universities may have something similar, but being part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
‘La Crosse Experience’ is truly something special.”<br />
Kennedy, who turns 92 in June, said she was given “the ultimate in<br />
retirement parties” when she retired 20 years ago. “But this is certainly the<br />
frosting on the cake,” she noted.<br />
Kennedy, who also earned a master’s from UW-L in 1976, thanked<br />
those aending for helping her achieve her goals. “I have this opportunity<br />
to thank UW-L,” she said. “It gave me a challenge and a purpose.<br />
I’m privileged to live to continue to see the progress and growth here<br />
at UW-L.”<br />
Deep<br />
roots, a<br />
branch<br />
c o u l e e c o d a<br />
Alumni Association President Jennifer<br />
(Ehlenfeldt) Shilling, ’92, called April 8, <strong>2008</strong><br />
“un<strong>of</strong>ficially Eleanor Kennedy Day” on campus.<br />
“You by no doubt are the matriarch <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Alumni Association,” said Shilling. “You’ve got<br />
deep roots and you’ve branched out to touch<br />
many.” The association will honor Kennedy by<br />
planting a tree near the Cleary Alumni &<br />
Friends Center.
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-La Crosse<br />
1725 State St.<br />
La Crosse, WI 54601 USA<br />
Attention Recipient: If the address label lists someone who no longer lives here,<br />
please send the UW-L Alumni Office the correct address. Send to: UW-L Alumni<br />
Office, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601.<br />
Production <strong>of</strong> the Alumnus is supported by grants from the UW-La Crosse Alumni Association and the UW-La Crosse Foundation.<br />
For the<br />
birds<br />
The hunt for one <strong>of</strong> the La Crosse<br />
herons ends on campus. The large,<br />
fiberglass bird on the corner 16th and<br />
State streets is one <strong>of</strong> 35 in the city’s<br />
“Herons <strong>of</strong> La Crosse.” Students Erin<br />
Woida, Nichol Schoen, Patty Bindley,<br />
Beth Crook, Carly Dilworth and Megan<br />
Rhodes worked on the “Found Object<br />
Heron.” They got their inspiration for<br />
the six-foot tall heron from Spanish<br />
architect Antoni Gaudi, known for his<br />
trencadis structures throughout Spain.<br />
The UW-L Foundation funded the<br />
university’s sponsorship in the heron<br />
project, which like Chicago’s “Cows on<br />
Parade” aims to promote art and<br />
tourism through late October.<br />
Non-pr<strong>of</strong>it Org.<br />
U.S. Postage<br />
PAID<br />
La Crosse, WI<br />
Permit No. 545