1987 – Fall ’21 Class Letter

 1987 – Fall 2021 Class Letter

Co-Class Agents:

DORRIE SMITH SCRANTON ’87

(860) 455-6108 / [email protected]

CHRIS TEMPLETON ’87

(312) 402-6207 / [email protected]

Hello, Classmates!

We hope this newsletter finds you doing well. Here are a couple quick updates about our classmates, but the big news is that our 35th (no idea how that’s even possible) College Reunion is coming up next year, June 23-26, 2022! It would be so wonderful to see as many of you as possible, so please save the date! Also, if you’d like to help plan the event, please reach out to us (CHRIS TEMPLETON ’87 and DORRIE SMITH SCRANTON ’87) – we’d love the help making this Class Reunion our best one yet!

Some updates from your classmates: 

JOHN SWALLEN ’87 of Saint Paul, Minnesota, was named to Ripon’s 100 for 100 in a Midwest Conference’s Centennial Celebration. Ripon selected 100 student-athletes from the last 100 years in the MWC. Such a great honor for a well-deserving guy. Congrats, John! Read the article here: https://riponredhawks.com/news/2021/7/13/mens-soccer-ripons-100-for-100-john-swallen-87.aspx

BILL TOURLAS ’87 of Elmhurst, Illinois, seems to be enjoying early fall weekends in Wisconsin (our favorite time to be there too) visiting old haunts like the Heidel House and Norton’s and meeting up with friends TANYA SCHWARTZ-ROEPER ’88/P’24 and RANDY ROEPER ’88/P’24. 

ALICE LIGHTNER JOHNSON ’87 of Saint Paul, Minnesota, writes that she’s just returned from a beautiful road trip to drop off her youngest at college in Oregon. 

BARRY GOTHARD ’87 of Burlington, Ontario, in Canada, has been on a personal quest to kayak all the lakes of Ontario this year and invites classmates to join him if ever in the Great White North. 

Alumni Weekend:

Alumni and guests from 29 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, were on campus, Aug. 6-8, representing the classes of 1961 to 2023, for the first-ever August Alumni Weekend after COVID-19 put a pause on campus events over the past 18 months. Save the date for Alumni Weekend 2022, which will go back to our traditional end of June date: June 23-26, 2022. All class years ending in the numbers two or seven will be celebrating their Class Reunion this next summer at Alumni Weekend, which includes us!

Previous fiscal year update:

A record-breaking 2,087 donors from all around the world supported Ripon’s fourth annual giving day on April 28, known as #OneDayRally, reminding us all that regardless of the circumstances, Red Hawks come together. Thank you to the over 3,600 donors who supported the College this past fiscal year through the Ripon Fund and other initiatives.

Campus upgrades:

The McCullough Family Lounge in Farr Hall of Science — a favorite location of students for studying and collaborative work — recently received an extreme makeover with the intent of making the space more contemporary and technologically friendly. The renovations were made possible by a lead gift from Trustee PHILIP MCCULLOUGH ’69/P’04, and his wife, Pat. Also, a new Data Visualization Lab was installed in Todd Wehr Hall, which will be a great asset for the math and computer science departments. 

Endowment: 

Ripon’s endowment recently hit an all-time high and as of Thursday, August 19, 2021, it was at $112 million.

Start of the academic year:

Classes started on Monday, August 30 and the academic year is in full swing with in-person classes. The College is continuing to follow CDC and Fond du Lac County Health Department guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety protocols.

Questions related to what steps Ripon College is taking to make sure students attending the Fall semester are protected from the COVID-19 virus:

If you think your classmates are interested, you can provide this link for information on our COVID-19 response and current procedures: ripon.edu/coronavirus-information/.

Helpful links to be aware of:

Looking forward to seeing you at our 35th Class Reunion in June!

Your Class Agents,

DORRIE SMITH SCRANTON ’87

CHRIS TEMPLETON ’87

 

Posted November 15, 2021 in .