1963 Spring ’23 Class Letter

Class of 1963,

The Class of 1963 Class Agent, WAYNE WOLFGRAM ’63, has decided to step down as Class Agent following ten years of service. The Ripon College Advancement Office is incredibly thankful for Wayne’s volunteerism in writing bi-annual Class Letters and organizing past reunion celebrations.

If you have any interest in taking the reins from Wayne as Class of 1963 Class Agent, which involves staying in touch with classmates and the College, please contact the Office of Constituent Engagement, [email protected] or 920.748-8126, for more information.

We received a few note of gratitude for Wayne from classmates:

BARBARA SIVER JONES ‘63: “Congratulations to WAYNE WOLFGRAM ‘63. It means a lot to have someone as loyal as Wayne to provide this important service to the Class of 1963 and to Ripon.”

ELLIE ALCOCK ‘63: “First a THANK YOU to WAYNE for being our Class Agent in recent years. Derrick and I do enjoy the news of my classmates.”

We are preparing to welcome all alumni to campus this summer for Alumni Weekend and especially the Class of 1963 for your 60th Reunion celebration (June 22-25). The full weekend schedule is currently being finalized, but here are the 60th Reunion details:

GOLDEN R REUNION – Saturday, June 24
9:15 a.m. // Golden R Club Breakfast and Induction – Great Hall, Harwood Memorial Union
All members of the Golden R Club (all years prior to 1973) are invited to join the Class of 1973 for breakfast as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary and induction into the Golden R Club.

5 p.m. // Golden R Reunion, Class of 1963 60th Reunion, and Class of 1968 55th Reunion – Pickard Commons
Celebrating all class years prior to 1973, this reunion includes beer and wine. Cash bar available.

  • 5:00 p.m. Class of 1963 and 1968 Photos (Lower Level, Pickard Commons)
  • 5:15 p.m. Golden R Cocktail Hour (Upper Lobby, Pickard Commons)
  • 6:15 p.m. Plated Dinner and Dessert (Pickard Dining Room, Pickard Commons)

If you plan on attending, we recommend making your lodging reservations now. The College has set up the following room blocks:

The College is three hours north of Chicago, and served by airports in Milwaukee (a two-hour drive from Ripon), Madison (a 1.5 hour drive), and Appleton (a 45 minute drive). Milwaukee offers the most frequent service. From the Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago and Appleton airports guests may choose to rent a car. Ripon is served by taxi to and from the Appleton airport.

CLASSMATE NEWS:

ELLIE ALCOCK ‘63: “Our lives changed rather dramatically this past April when we moved from Bloomington, MN, to Orange City, IA. We bought the last of a new group of townhouses to be in the town where our daughter and son-in-law and their family live. The change from a big city to a small Dutch community has been interesting and we certainly enjoy more family time (grandkids are freshmen in the local college and high school). We still travel some and enjoyed a river cruise in France, Germany and Switzerland in the fall. Last summer we flew to CO to spend some time with our son (single) before driving with him to the Black Hills to join the family from Iowa as a celebration of our 55th wedding anniversary. We have a Mediterranean cruise on the agenda for April. We miss our friends and activities in the Twin Cities and make frequent visits as weather permits. We proudly display our British collection (Derrick grew up there) and symbols of our Twins, Vikings and Wild teams. The Ripon reunion is penciled in on our calendar, we shall see???”

OBITUARIES:

CHARLES “CHOOKIE” KILANDER III ‘63 of Oconomowoc, WI, died Jan. 15, 2023. He also attended the University of Wisconsin. He owned and ran a food brokerage business with his father and later was an investment broker with AG Edwards. He was a member of the Lake Area Club and snowmobile clubs. His passion was sailboat racing on Lac LaBelle from the 1950s-1980s. He transitioned to race management, serving on race committees for the Lac LaBelle Yacht Club, Inland Lakes Yachting Association throughout the Midwest, and international regattas in Key West, Florida, and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Savannah, Georgia. He enjoyed traveling and cruising the Caribbean. Survivors include his wife, Ann; three sons and one daughter.

PETER BERGLUND ‘63 of Albert Lea, MN, died Jan. 24, 2023. He attended Ripon, before joining the Army National Guard. He ran multiple businesses over the years, such as a sporting goods store, car dealership and a medical supply company. He enjoyed spending time at his cabin in Isabella, Minnesota, during the fall and summer months, where fishing and hunting grouse were among some of his favorite outdoor activities. He also was an avid reader and cooking. Survivors include two sons.

OTHER NEWS:

Jack Powers of Brevard, NC, a professor of chemistry at Ripon College from 1957 through 1969, died Oct. 28, 2022. He also served as a Scoutmaster for Troup 40 while in Ripon. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Purdue University in 1957 and completed post-graduate work at the University of Utah and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. He later worked for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and Davidson and St. Andrews Presbyterian Colleges in North Carolina. He also ran a consulting firm, was active in arts and historical societies and church activities, and enjoyed golfing, camping, fishing and creating artwork. Survivors include his wife, Ruth Ollhoff Powers; two sons and two daughters.

JoAnn Wickstrom of Newton, Kansas, died on November 17, 2022 at age 89. After earning her BA in English, she received a Masters in Communications from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. She taught speech both at Wichita State University and in high schools before having children. Jo married Ralph Wickstrom in 1957. They moved to Ripon in 1961 when Ralph accepted a position as a full professor at Ripon College. Several years later she began using her extensive skills to edit his books. Jo had a passion for teaching and art which led her to create the “Art Presenter Program” for children in 1st through 5th grade. She raised funds for framed replicas of famous paintings and found willing volunteers to present a new piece to each class every month. The program introduced art to many students who would not otherwise have been exposed to the masters.

We look forward to celebrating your 60th Reunion together June 22-25, 2023, and hope to see you on campus then!

Sincerely,


Amy Gabriel Gerretsen ‘04
Director of Constituent Engagement
Ripon College

P.S. There will be a special giving event in conjunction with inauguration weekend, April 20-23, to celebrate Ripon’s 14th President, Victoria N. Folse, and the exciting momentum happening within our campus community. This event will be an extension of the #OneDayRally brand and experience. Stay tuned for more information. We look forward to your participation!

Posted April 10, 2023 in .