1973 – Fall ’21 Class Letter
1973 – Fall 2021 Class Letter
Class Agent:
JEAN KIRKPATRICK LEDERER ’73
(630) 987-9388 / [email protected]
Dear 1973 Ripon Classmates,
Happy 70th Birthday to all of you, who, like me, are turning or turned 70 this year! COVID’s ugly head certainly caused havoc last year and now this. So sad to hear of the many cases appearing now when it seemed we were doing so well. Florida seems particularly hard hit.
I am hoping things will come back under control so there can be a “normal” Alumni Weekend next June 23rd to the 26th. GARY LEDERER ’72 and I hope to attend, as he is part of the class of 1972, and this will be their 50th Class Reunion. I hope we will be able to connect in person with lots of our friends, but especially with SUE MIJANOVICH KEY ’72, KAREN TESCHNER DORN ’72, LYNNE HORNE GASIOREK ’72, LINDA BRASSINGTON DANIELS ’72, and ELENITA JACKSON PARKER ’72 who I have been Zooming with each Sunday through COVID. It would be wonderful to see them in person after months of flat screen visits! GARY and AL GASIOREK ’73 put in cameo appearances in some of the calls which added to the fun.
Alumni Weekend 2021 was postponed until August 6-8 on campus, with some virtual events leading up to the event. The August schedule included both 2020 and 2021 Class Reunions, and options for campus tours, socials, activities, reminiscences and plenty of time to explore campus and connect with each other. Alumni and guests from 29 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, were on campus. Save the date for Alumni Weekend 2022, which will go back to our traditional end of June date: June 23-26, 2022. Some of the school’s finest scholars and student-athletes were honored with a Distinguished Alumni Citation, Outstanding Young Alumni Award or induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame. On August 8th, a commencement ceremony was held in the Great Hall of Harwood Memorial Union for the Class of 2020, which had not been able to have normal graduation in May 2020, due to COVID.
In-person classes started on Monday, August 30 and the academic year is in full swing. The College is following CDC guidelines in regard to COVID. Students began moving onto campus in late August. Seeing some pictures on Facebook of students, brought back memories of my first few days on campus. Hard to believe it was 50+ years ago. Some of those memories are so vivid. Who else remembers “Sweet Caroline” blasting from the Union as we were out on Tri-dorms lawn?
I want to thank all of you who participated in the #OneDayRally for Ripon and for each of you that has contributed to the Annual Fund. Ripon College relies on our continued support, and I want each of you to know how much your gifts are appreciated. Thank you!!! The Ripon College endowment fund is now at $112 million. Let’s keep it growing! Please continue to support Ripon College in the future.
Updates from the campus include: 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.
I was pleased to hear from the following classmates:
MARTY MORRIS ’73 of Portland, Oregon, writes, “Under current conditions, I think my spouse, feline, and I made the most of the summer. We scheduled six camping trips throughout the high deserts of Central Oregon. This involved dodging wildfires, smoke, and COVID-19. Of course, it was one hot summer, too. For those that want to ask if Portland is as bad as it looks on the news, yes, probably worse. We let matters get out of hand, but our leaders are waking up to reality and I am confident PDX will be back to its fun, weird, and glorious self. Take care of yourselves out there!”
STEVE ILLICH ’73 of Georgetown, Texas, writes, “Please put out a plea for photos to go into the slideshow for our 50th Class Reunion. I am particularly interested in two things: first, photos of classmates who dated one another while in College and subsequently married. I’d like to have the “then” images. The other photos I’d like are those showing what classmates do for fun or in their free time. Those can include photos of classmates taking part in various activities or pictures of arts, crafts, and even photos taken by classmates.”
Digital images can be sent as email attachments to [email protected]. Hard copy images should be mailed to my NEW address: 116 Stephen Ln., Georgetown, TX 78626.
JOE SANDRIN ’73 of Bayside, Wisconsin, writes, “I have many things to share. After working full-time in Saudi Arabia since 2009, I returned to the U.S. on April 23. I will remain engaged in the project until at least the end of 2021, then phase into something resembling retirement.
“On a more challenging note, in August 2019 I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a neuromuscular autoimmune disease, and was undergoing treatment. Shortly after my return to the U.S. as we were trying to move around the various medications, I had a severe flare-up which put me in the ICU on a ventilator and a feeding tube for several days in early August. I have been informed I was a surly, confrontational, and a pain of a patient for the first couple of days. With the truly exceptional care provided by the Froedtert Medical Center here in Milwaukee, I mellowed out and recognized all they had done for me and that I would not be here now without their care.
“Home now, working with a new neuro-muscular specialist and a bunch of others to rebuild my strength and find the right treatment regimen. The initial recovery is going well and we will see where the coming appointments take us. Otherwise, I’ve been focusing on time with Janice as we near Anniversary 49 on December 23, our adult children and five grandchildren including Tristin, age 18, twins Gwen and Cheyne, age 17, along with Lorelei, age three, and her new brother, Joseph Brian, born 28 May 2021. At least I am home with all of them now. Our youngest daughter’s wedding is set for October 2 and I will ensure I am able to walk her down the aisle and dance with her on her special day.
“We have added a RoadTrek Agile SS Class B motorhome for future explorations and relaxation time. We are trying local day trips and short excursions now with the intent for longer trips starting in 2022. It has been a year of massive changes in our lives, but Janice and I and the rest of the family are still hanging in there and looking forward to the future.”
MIKE MIZEN JR. ’73 of Lakewood, Ohio, writes, “We scrambled in February to fetch a COVID vaccination (Moderna for us) so by the end of March we were in that “fully vaccinated” category. This was important since we were expecting a third grandchild by our younger daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Joe, in mid-April.
“Unfortunately, when PEGGI SEELBACH MIZEN ’75 and her brother were skiing in March and she did a number on her left ACL. She had a successful ACL replacement at the end of April with therapy to follow. We got to see Fletcher Michael Malpass in early June. Therapy is now almost done with plans on skiing in February 2022.
“We will do two smaller RV adventures this year. The first just completed had us seeing friends and family in Michigan and Indiana with a brief but pleasant drive along the Ohio River Scenic Byway from Carrollton, Kentucky to Marietta, Ohio. The second trip will be to Richmond, Virginia, for a wedding. We are planning on taking a meandering direction with scenery and seeing some long-time friends along the way in both directions. Seeing the fall colors in Virginia, Pennsylvania, etc. is one objective.
“We remain flexible on the COVID issues but hope to connect in California with PETE ’73 and CAROL PARKHURST TULLIO ’73, ROB ’72 and JANET BEAN GADDIS ’71, and Gail and GARY SHARPE ’73 in November. Spending June 2022 in Ripon is a thought. PEGGI’s 45th was delayed a year, and 2023 for me is a desire. Whether we bring the RV is still a thought. I saw a fifth wheel parked by the athletic center in early August… just saying… this year!!!!”
JOANN SELLECK ’73 of San Diego, California, writes, “I attended a JANE SCHORE ’73 party in Los Angeles in August at one of her newly constructed real estate listings. Great time. (See our picture below.) We are both crazy enough to keep working instead of retiring! The not-so-spring-chickens (yikes, we both celebrated a decade change) JANE SCHORE ’73 and JOANN SELLECK ’73 who get together every couple of months.”
DAVID GROSSMAN ’73 of Centerville, Massachusetts, writes, “My eldest son Daniel Lee (32) got engaged to Jazmyne Pollard (26) in July of this year. Daniel proposed to her at the Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine. The couple presently resides in San Leandro, California. Daniel is a distribution manager for Budweiser and Jazzy is an elementary school teacher. The wedding of Daniel Lee Grossman and Jazmyne Pollard is planned for October 22, 2022.”
KATHY GRAUNKE ’73 of Seattle, Washington, writes, “Monty and I are fine here in Seattle. We had a nice visit from JOHN ’73 and JANE RUNKEL FREDERICK ’74 this summer- great to hear Wisconsin and some Ripon news. My twin sister, Kris, and I celebrated our 70th birthday here in Seattle with other family members present. It was so great to have them here.
“Monty and I, along with friends from our hiking group will travel to the Wallowa Mountains area of northeastern Oregon for four days after Labor Day. So far, the air quality there is pretty good. Greetings from the great Northwest to all my classmates! I look forward to hearing your news.”
KATHARINE PARISH MILLER ’73 of Richland, Michigan, writes, “All of my family is healthy. Both of my children now have three children – I am very, very blessed! I am currently building a Passive House Net-Zero. A Passive House is all electric using mini-split, CERV (circulation, energy, recovery ventilation), and it is a very tight (14” wall insulation, 24” ceiling) and therefore so is the ventilation. The house uses about 85% LESS energy than my regular house. It is Net Zero because I have solar panels and could be off the grid. There is also a bank of batteries if the power goes out for a while. Very exciting.
“My passion to be an advocate for the environment is still very strong. I’m trying to encourage people to not idle when they stop to shop, get coffee, or mail a package. It is a no-brainer. Here, so many cars idle with nobody inside while the owners’ shop, get coffee…chat, etc. I have been working with various groups to stop Enbridge from compromising the Great Lakes! I hope everyone is doing well despite the pandemic!”
MICHAEL ZIEGENHAGEN ’73 of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, writes, “48 years since Ripon. 43 years of marriage to my wife, Darlene. Three daughters. Four grandchildren. Two businesses, but now happily retired. 26 years in our home in Moreland Hills, Ohio. I have been actively pursuing the interests I never had enough time for – golf, gardening, grandchildren, and bridge. There is so much to look forward to and I hope to see many classmates in 2023.”
CHRISTINE WOLK ’73 of Green Lake, Wisconsin, writes, “At my advanced age (70 on 8/28) I just joined a new law firm ‘of counsel,’ Krekeler Strother. My focus will still be bankruptcy and consumer law just in case your families could need me. I am also venturing soon (9/4/2021) on a river cruise in France – vaccinated and masked – with my sister, pandemic pending, of course. Je vais a’ Paris! I need an adventure!”
BILL MacLEOD ’73 of Washington, D.C., writes, “If you’re looking for silly stuff, here’s a shot of BOB KIRKLAND ’81, ANDY MacLEOD ’76, Dan Ault (in long black pants, a friend of Trustee MIKE MILBURN ’97’s), and me a couple of days ago. We were golfing in the ALS benefit tournament Wednesday at Cog Hill in Lisle, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. MIKE is one of the leaders and team captains. This is the biggest event for ALS in the country. We had a blast and helped a cause. SHAWN KARSTEN ’09 showed up with Ripon ringers – young alums from the athletic teams.”
JEAN KIRKPATRICK LEDERER ’73 of Estero, Florida, writes, “GARY LEDERER ’72 and I just completed a western adventure driving through parts of smoky Northern California, Oregon, and Idaho, and then a week at a dude ranch with family in Montana (highly recommended family vacation). We then headed down through Utah and stayed with friends in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Home for a few days now before we head out to help our son and his family move into a new home in Sacramento.
I would love to hear from all classmates either by email: [email protected] or snail mail to my home address: 22001 Sycamore Grove, Bonita Springs, Florida 34135. If you would like to share your email address with me and the rest of our class, I am planning on including a list of email addresses for those who want them shared in our next Class Letter.
Stay well,
JEAN KIRKPATRICK LEDERER ’73