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l a c r o s s e t i e s Helping out By Sanja Dojcinovic Patty Krarup, ’75, has been a successful business owner for years. So successful that her business — PLK Insurance and Financial Services in Janesville — has been a 22-year member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). MDRT, a prestigious organization of less than 1 percent of the world’s top life insurance and financial services professionals, has more than 35,000 members (368 Wisconsin members) in 76 countries worldwide. These top performers have to reapply annually to renew their membership by meeting the organization’s strict standards, both in business performance and ethical conduct. The MDRT Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the organization, provides funds for eligible charitable organizations throughout the world, as well as an opportunity for members to get involved and give back to their communities. Krarup, who earned degrees in French and business administration, has been the foundation trustee since 2000 and its president since September 2007. “I’ve been in the business for many years and I decided it was time to give back,” Krarup explains. “My mother was always volunteering, always helping out.” Krarup also found inspiration while a UW-L student. “Robert Burns, a former English professor and an adviser for the 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 Patty Krarup, ’75 Alumna is president of Million Dollar Round Table Foundation Sigma Pi fraternity, where I was a little sister, had a young family, but devoted so much time to his volunteer work.” MDRT members benefit from the organization. “Members can apply for grants to be awarded to an organization of their own choice,” Krarup explains. Members get to help out non-profit organizations close to home and ones they are personally invested in. In the last 18 years, the MDRT Foundation has given more than $82,000 in grants to Wisconsin charities. Some of the credit goes to Krarup, an 11-year cancer survivor, who understands the importance of getting involved with groups that mean a lot to her. One MDRT Foundation grant made it to the Rock County’s YWCA cancer support group. Members are also encouraged to go directly where help is needed. They travel on their own dime, rolling up their sleeves to get the work done. One of those efforts was a house building project for Habitat for Humanity in post-Katrina New Orleans. A current project is construction of a children’s playground in Toronto through Kids Around the World organization. “MDRT members are committed to their charity,” notes Krarup. “A lot of our members become quite involved.” To learn more about MDRT and its foundation, go to www.mdrt.org. years in various positions: tax specialist, tax auditor and disclosure specialist. She earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Lakeland College in 2001. Walsh was an elementary education teacher from 1974-79 and has been on the Greenfield School Board since 1992, currently serving as treasurer. Also, she has been treasurer of CESA #1 Board of Control since 2006. Her husband Michael, who attended UW-L from 1970-73, retired as a Greenfield police officer in December 2005. ’75 Gayna (Schulz) Gaber, Presque Isle, retired from a 33-year teaching career in June and has moved to northern Wisconsin. She taught math in Wisconsin Rapids and Hartford before spending the last 27 years at Watertown High School. ’78 Vince Megna, Lake Worth, Fla., moved to south Florida in 1982. He is an area sales executive in the major accounts division for ADP. ’79 Diane (Thode) Turek, Bloomington, Ill., received the 2008 “Outstanding School Orchestra Teacher” award for Illinois from the American String Teacher’s Association. She has taught orchestra for the Unit 5 School District for 29 years. Along with being the director of orchestras at Normal Community West High School, Turek teaches beginning fifth grade string players at six elementary schools and assists at three middle schools. She continues to play violin in the faculty string quartet. She and her husband, Jeff, have been married for 25 years. They have a son, Alex, a high school senior. Laurie Littel Zdon, Naperville, Ill., went back to school to become a nurse following a successful career in journalism and public relations. After five years part-time school, she has completed a bachelor of science-nursing degree from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill. She was recently inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, the international nursing honor society, and has accepted an RN position at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill.
’82 Gary G. Bloesl, Pretoria, South Africa, is a commanding officer with the U.S. Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, Region 6, in the Sub-Sahara and Eastern Africa. David Rusch, Hartford, received the Positive Influence of Coaching Award from the Football Coaches Association. He is the inaugural recipient of the award which will be given to an active football coach in Wisconsin every year. Plaques of him will be displayed at Lambeau Field and at Camp Randall Stadium. Rusch’s two daughters attend UW-L, Natalie is a senior, Alexis, a freshman. He teaches and coaches at Waukesha South High. Mike Starling, Milwaukee, composed music selected as background music for the Biography Channel’s program on Bill Cosby. The network selected Starling’s “Funkee Monkee” from the album “Didjeriblue, Vol. 1” James Weisel, Lawrenceville, Ga., is a professor of accountancy in the School of Business at Georgia Gwinnett College, the first new state college in Georgia since 1965. ’83 Kathy Moen, (pictured), La Crosse, executive director of the United Fund for the Arts and Humanities in La Crosse, was named 2007 Outstanding Professional Fundraiser by the Upper Mississippi Valley Chapter of the international Association of Fundraising Professionals. John Klang, ’79 Klang honored for heroic act Kim Neal Nofsinger, Murfreesboro, Tenn., has been tenured and promoted to full professor at Middle Tennessee State University where he is director of the dance program. ’84 Kurt Evenson, Houston, Texas, has been promoted to director of business operations in the department of medicine at Baylor College. l a c r o s s e t i e s Fraternity sets reunion Golf is just one of the many activities held during the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity reunion. Members of the fraternity, mainly from the classes of ’68- ’80, hold their next reunion June 20-22, 2008. Events will include golf, fishing and biking, along with a Friday dinner and a Saturday banquet in downtown La Crosse. For more info about the group’s reunions, contact Peter Jansen, ’74, at pjansen19@sbcglobal.netor Bill Bilot, ’75, at billyb9090@aol.com. Sheri (Fickau) Watkins, Mukwonago, keeps in touch with her Danish family she met participating in a Danish international exchange program during college. She has kept in touch with her host parents and visited them. In April, they spent time in the U.S. visiting three students they had sponsored. With Watkins’ family, they spent time with her two daughters at school, visited Home Depot and learned about baseball. The alum who lost his life disarming a troubled student has received a Carnegie Medal recognizing his extraordinary heroism. John Klang, ’79, principal at Weston High School in Cazenovia was fatally shot by a student in September 2006. (See Winter 2007-08 Alumnus.) The medal is awarded to those in the U.S. and Canada who risk their lives trying to save others. The Klang family received $6,000. 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
Page 1 and 2: Alumnus u n i v e r s i t y o f w i
Page 3 and 4: f e a t u r e s 8 Distinguished alu
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Page 13 and 14: Explore Ireland or Greece with UW-L
Page 15 and 16: Celebrate UW-L! Family, Friends & A
Page 17 and 18: Super service Pat Stephens receives
Page 19 and 20: Happy raffle winner enjoys Packer g
Page 21 and 22: By the numbers Total Square Feet: 1
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Page 25 and 26: Individual national championships
Page 27 and 28: Classmates lead teams to boys state
Page 29: Service adds up Alums recognized fo
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Page 35 and 36: ’01 Casey Sambs, Milwaukee, has r
Page 37 and 38: ’06 Paul Bagniefski (pictured) La
Page 39 and 40: Aaron and Alicia (Singstock) Stratm
Page 41 and 42: Faculty/staff obituaries Merrill H.
Page 43 and 44: touched had class,” she said. And

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