1969–Spring ’18 Class Letter
Class Agent:
Scott A. Nyquist ‘69
Home: (239) 732-0523 / Cell: (630) 632-1619
Spring 2018
Hello Class of ’69!
I’m writing this in mid-February and for most of you it was a pretty cold and snowy winter. You’re probably reading this in May and glad the weather is warm now. I hope you have made plans to visit Ripon in 2018. Alumni Weekend, on June 21-24, would be a great time, but come whenever you can. If you haven’t been to campus in a while, you will notice some changes. Make sure you take time to tour the new Willmore Center, Ripon’s state-of-the art athletic, health and fitness center. It is truly spectacular. There have been improvements in other buildings too, so walk around and think about those days back in the 60s when we were students. Take time also to walk through downtown. Some of the places there when we were students are still there. (Alas, the Rippin’ Good Cookie factory is closed down.) For some of Ripon it seems time has stood still. Find your way to Lane Library and spend some time in the Archives looking through old Crimson yearbooks or issues of the College Days newspaper. Visit your old dorm rooms and think about your college roommates. Do you keep in touch with them? If you were a science nerd, poke around Farr Hall. Visit the Pub (now known as “The Spot”) and The Great Hall in Harwood Union. Tour the remodeled S.N. Pickard Commons. (Remember the food fights there?)
OK, now to the news from the class. Here are the updates you guys sent me:
MARK BAUER ’69 of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, tells me, “I retired about 3-4 years ago. I am keeping busy while my wife Cindy is still working in Urgent Care. We have two sons living in the area, one a pediatrician, the other a dentist. Another son and daughter live in New York City. He is a sound engineer and works with a major podcast in California. My fourth son is a radiation oncologist in the Phoenix area. As such we spend a lot of time traveling with family between and on both coasts. I remain busy with some ‘babysitting,’ watching grandsons playing basketball, taking a German language class, having carnivorous plants, and I occasionally visit to my 100 year-old mother. I am looking forward to this next June for the Beta Sig get-together. We were in Bavaria last fall and are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon this spring. I am involved in my medical school class reunion this year.”
FRED KIEKHAEFER ’69 of Castle Rock, Colorado, says, “I’m building my second prototype of a new marine drive system here in Colorado. (It’s an odd place to design propulsion, but the view is great!) The first one is being rigged into a new test boat in Florida. I’m 5 years post-Mercury Racing presidency and 4 ½ years into this project. A U.S. Patent was issued to me on December 26 for this variable pitch surfaced drive – so I’m pumped! I can’t wait to get wet in February. Recently, I hosted a tour of my humble operation for a dozen current Ripon students and staff who were interested in hearing from alumni about “what it takes” to succeed in education, career and life. I think I was more impressed with them than they of me. It was fun. Life is good.”
NANCY OLIVER LEIFHEIT ’69 of Elmhurst, Illinois, writes, “Most of our traveling this year was in the U.S. We spent time in Seattle with our kids and grandson, in Nashville for a family wedding, in Charlotte, North Carolina, for another family wedding, and in Wisconsin at our cabin. To top it off, my husband DAVE LEIFHEIT ’67 and I went to Costa Rica this January and enjoyed the 94 degree weather before coming back to more than 8 inches of snow! The next few months we are volunteering with AARP Tax Aide doing taxes for those who appreciate the help. At the family wedding in October, we were with all 8 Oliver siblings in North Carolina, including my brother SCOTT OLIVER ’69! Such a fun reunion!”
TOM MACE ’69 of Menasha, Wisconsin, writes, “Not much personally to report, but some sad news. Last week, I attended the celebration of life service for REV. PETER BIRD ’66. He was a senior when we were freshmen. Pete died from complications of cancer just before Christmas. Through several years of therapy, remission, and resurgence, he maintained the same cheerful attitude he had when we were in Phi Delta Theta together. Pete and I met again at St Thomas Episcopal Church in Menasha when I retired from NASA and returned to Wisconsin at the end of 2012. We instantly became friends. I am richer for our re-acquired friendship and poorer for his loss.”
PHIL MCCULLOUGH ’69 of Woodstock, Illinois, sent this update: “I am still teaching and seeing patients at the medical school at Northwestern. Pat and I are enjoying our grandchildren (we have 3). In November, my daughter, KRISTEN MCCULLOUGH GRANCHALEK ’04, CHRIS OGLE ’80 (Dean of Students at Ripon), and I released a little book: Mental Health and the Adaptation to College. It’s available on Amazon.”
BARRY MORTON ’69 of Laguna Hills, California, writes, “Last October, The Other Half (BOB FERNBACH ’69, JEFF SCHEFERMAN ’69, DAVE RICHARDSON ’69 and I), gave a concert in Southern California for a great crowd of about 100 of my neighbors and friends at our community in Laguna Hills. This was our 6th annual performance there. We even got paid this year, and were comped apartments during the 4-day stay. Jane and I are completing the expansion and redecoration of our mountain cabin on the shore of Big Bear Lake in Southern California. There will be more room for the kids and grandkids when we’re done. Last summer Jane and I went to Wool, in Dorset in the U.K., to celebrate the first wedding anniversary of our daughter Emily to a wonderful Brit named Simon Parsons. We partied with his British family and friends who weren’t able to attend the 2016 wedding in Long Beach, California on the HMS Queen Mary. Then, as long as we were in the neighborhood, we spent a few days in Paris before the flight back to Southern California.”
SCOTT NYQUIST ’69 and CYNTHIA SANBORN NYQUIST ’69 of Naples, Florida, write “The biggest news is that we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on March 9. We’ve been in Naples for more than 5 years now and love it. Cynthia volunteers at the Naples Botanic Garden, and I volunteer at St. Matthews House (soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless shelter, substance abuse program) as well as at WINK TV in Ft. Myers, answering the consumer hotline and helping people solve problems. Our house survived Hurricane Irma back in September without a scratch. We were in Germany when the storm hit, watching the radar on our iPhones. We almost didn’t get back because the airline we flew over (Air Berlin) went bankrupt so we had to scramble to get a Delta flight home. In October, Scott spent a long weekend on Longboat Key with three fraternity brothers: ART SCARLETT ’69, ROB HANDEYSIDE ’69, and STEVE LEITSCHUH ’69. We enjoyed a visit from BILL NEILL ’67 and JUDY WILKINSON NEILL ’68 in January and a visit from ART SCARLETT ’69 and his wife, SHERRY SWENNES SCARLETT ’70 in March. We’re excited about the 50th Reunion for the Class of 1969 next year.”
JOHN RICCIARDI ’69 of Tampa, Florida, writes, “My wife and I are in the process of moving from Tampa to Raleigh, where our son lives. We are excited about the next chapter in our lives as well as our March trip back to Saudi Arabia to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids.”
DAVE SINISH ’69 of Collinsville, Connecticut, wrote me “The extreme cold this winter has reminded me of the squeaky snow when walking back to the dorms after dinner at the Commons. It was a big deal when it got below 10 degrees and the women could wear slacks to dinner. Those woolen socks purchased at the Ripon knitting factory were great. Life is full with real estate, yoga, Farmington River steward activities, and elected Town positions. For the numbers, married 48 years, two children (one a concrete carpenter, the other an air quality compliance officer) and four grandchildren. Last count was 19 canoes and kayaks. Still afloat.”
BOB ‘OTTO’ WACHHOLTZ ’69 of Papillion, Nebraska, says, “I finally retired on January 31. My bride retired in November, so now we have to figure out what comes next. I’ve been the Air Force liaison to an organization called Civil Air Patrol since 1987, so I have completed the paperwork to join them. I also plan to return to the links and donate golf balls to the various hazards as I used to. I like to get my money’s worth by not staying on the fairway. My bride has hinted that she may join me. Plus, I still have softball and nearly year-round ice hockey to keep me active, thus confirming my motto of “never too old to be stupid.” Sadly I never learned a useful trade around the house or in the garage. And if all else fails then I can feed my addiction to watching TV (ask some of the DUs from our era).”
As always, I want to urge all of you to make a gift to the Ripon College Annual Fund in 2018 if you have not already done so. Don’t forget to include the College in your estate plan. It’s easy to do. For more information, contact the Advancement Office at (920)-748-8351 or [email protected].
50 Year Reunion Plans:
Remember, our 50th Class Reunion will take place on Saturday, June 29, 2019. I hope all of you will try to attend. Please put this date on your calendar right now. Also, it’s recommended you make reservations at a Ripon area hotel well in advance, as the number of nearby hotel rooms is limited. Please try to arrive on Thursday, as the College has many events – some exclusively for the 50th Reunion Class – planned for the entire weekend.
I am looking for volunteers to serve on the Reunion Committee. The work involves participating in quarterly conference calls to plan reunion events, as well as contacting classmates to personally invite them to attend the reunion. The committee begins working on the reunion starting in July, giving us a year to create the best reunion ever! Please volunteer! Some decisions to make regarding the reunion are: where to have it, what type of food to serve decorations, music, etc. I’d like to find a way to livestream the reunion so those who couldn’t make it can see it in real time. Also, each year, the 50th Reunion Class is responsible for the non-denominational Service of Remembrance from 8:30-9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning of Alumni Weekend. We can choose the music and also the readings and ask whomever we want to speak. Last year’s special guest speaker at the service was English Professor Emeritus Doug Northrop.
Remember to send Ripon College your new address if you move and to notify them of a new email address if you create one. Keep in touch. I love hearing from you guys.
Always for Ripon,
SCOTT A. NYQUIST