1956 – Spring ’22 Class Letter
Greetings, Class of 1956!
Hi to all fellow Classmates!
Greetings from sunny Florida, though sometimes it seems it’s not very warm.
Here are some Class Notes to share, and please contact me to share more at any time:
GERRY JENSEN JAMES ’56 of Dunwoody, Georgia, is still using the e-mail [email protected]. She reports her activities are curtailed because of Omicron. (I think all of us can relate to that!) She broke her foot a couple of months ago but was able to maintain contact with friends and family through the internet. A lot of her family is in Atlanta.
HARRIET BRUCKMAN ROOP ’56 is still in Costa Mesa, California, and has been a widow since 2011. She raised two children and has volunteered for many years. For 40 years she has enjoyed traveling and assisting others with their quests to enrich their lives. She has been back for several reunions.
EDWIN CROMEY ’56 of Tuxedo Park, New York, writes, “Life because of and after Ripon College: In 1934, I was born in Brooklyn, New York. For the first 18 years of my life, I never travelled beyond the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Ripon, Wisconsin, was a culture shock. In September of 1952, I arrived at the College and moved into a brand new dorm called Scott Hall. The student population was about 500 – two of which were from New York City and were minor celebrities. My academic aim was in the area of the ‘Gentleman C.’ To my surprise, I was enjoying classes and received my first A in second-year French. Philosophy became my major with Dr. Tyree. I played freshman football, wrestled, appeared in musicals and dramatic productions, worked in the kitchen, joined the Lambda Delta Alpha fraternity. There was a warmth and friendliness I remember whenever I think about Ripon. I left because of distance and a partial swimming scholarship at a college closer to home. I have donated to Ripon for many years not so much for development but as thanks for my experience there.”
ROGER GERTENRICH ’56 of Portland, Oregon, was highlighted in the November issue of the Portland Tribune in advance of Veterans Day. “Korean vet continues to give back” highlights ROGER’s efforts to preserve Portland’s maritime history, including its wartime shipbuilding history and other links to naval history. Here is the link to the article: https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/527671-420838-korean-vet-working-to-memorialize-uss-oregon-in-portland
It is with regret that I tell you the ROXANNA GRISWOLD FORMAN ’56 died April 2020 from COVID-19. She was preceded in death by her husband George H. Forman and her parents. She is survived by a daughter, Kimberly, and a son, George, and by five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She loved playing tennis, singing in the choir, and reading. She loved her cat. But most of all she enjoyed her children and grandchildren.
College News:
The recent big campus news involved bidding farewell to President Dr. Zach Messitte, Ripon’s 13th President. The search is on for a new President of Ripon College. The interim president is Dr. Andrea Young. She keeps up with the times and can be found on Twitter (twitter.com/RiponPrez) and Instagram (instagram.com/riponprez).
Thank you to all who are able to donate at any time during the year, as well as to the special giving day known as #OneDayRally, which will be held on April 27, 2022. This is a one-day fundraising rally that began several years ago and has become popular. It has been an effective fundraiser, but it has also proven to be a bit of fun and a way to competitively rally alumni classes. Consider checking in to the Ripon.edu website or on the College’s social media sites that day and join in!
Would you believe that Ripon College is 171 years old? The picture below, I assume, is what it looked like 171 years ago. Impressive, huh?
All of us are invited to Alumni Weekend which will be June 23-26, 2022. There will be a Golden R Reunion that our class is invited to attend every year at Alumni Weekend. So we can go to a Reunion every year! Neat!
More information regarding Alumni Weekend will be available at alumni.ripon.edu/special-events/alumni-weekend/.
Our Class Letters can be viewed at any time at this link: alumni.ripon.edu/rconnections
Our yearbook can also be accessed online. Here is the link: https://issuu.com/ripon_college/docs/crimson1956
If you want to look at other years, I suggest trying just changing the year in that string (substitute the year you want).
Now is the time to end this letter. I am looking forward to hearing from each of you with your thoughts, and your news.
Sincerely,
GLORIA BERTSCHIE LUDDECKE ’56
(813) 468-0997
Your 1956 Class Agent