1973 Spring ’23 Class Letter
Dear Classmates,
As I write this letter, the first month of 2023 has already flown by. That means our 50th Reunion is now only five months away. Your Reunion Committee has been working hard on putting together a busy and fun weekend. Detailed information will be coming out in the next few months. There is a golf outing on Friday, and we are putting together some sort of cocktail gathering that night. Our “Golden R” Ceremony is going to be on Saturday morning. That means the dinner on Saturday night will be more of a party than a ceremony.
I am hoping many of you will be in attendance. I have heard from a number of you like BRUCE CLAUTER ‘73, MICHAEL MIZEN JR ‘73, MARTY MORRIS ‘73, KATHY GRAUNKE ‘73, BRONNA WOLLMAN ‘73, KEITH KNESER ‘73, and others that they plan on being there. DEBBIE WILLIAMS ‘73, who was in a car accident where she was rear ended by a truck, has told me if she is out of her wheelchair by June she will be with us. We all need to be rooting for DEBBIE’s speedy recovery!!
As you know, on reunion years the Class tries to give the College a significant gift. For our 50th, we are hoping for at least 50% participation. If you have never given, or have not given for a long time, this is the perfect time to donate. “Participation number” is what we are going for, so please try and contribute something! All gifts need to be into the College by June 30th and any gift given this year will go towards our Class Gift. Thank you, for whatever donation you can make. Honorary Life Trustees DOREEN CONFORTI CHEMEROW ‘73 and BILL MACLEOD ‘73, our gift chairs, will be sending you a letter soon. Ripon has made a significant difference in many of our lives and continues to do the same for students who attend today.
If you have not made reservations in the Ripon area for the weekend, I suggest you do so sooner than later. There is some sort of regatta on Green Lake Reunion weekend so hotel rooms are going fast. The College also has room in the dorms and information regarding staying there will be in the packet about the weekend.
I have put a notice on the Class of 1974 Facebook page and written a note to JAN PETROVSKI MACLEOD ‘74 (Class Agent 1974) inviting them to attend any or all of our reunion events. I am hoping some from that Class will show up!
Even if you, a member of the Class of 1973, are not going to attend the reunion, I hope you will fill out the questionnaire for the Memory Book if you have not already done so. A copy of the survey is included with this letter. Please submit your responses by March 31st. Also, if you wish to submit any photos for inclusion in the memory book, whether from your time at Ripon or any time since, please mail them to [email protected].
Here is what I have heard from our classmates:
MARTY MARRIS ‘73: “New Year’s greetings to all my classmates. I’m looking forward to the reunion this Summer. In the meantime, I started a new hobby and got an amateur radio license. Something to do during the rainy Pacific Northwest Winter.”
MICHAEL MIZEN ‘73: “Looking forward to June. Younger daughter, Jennifer, works for the USGS out of Laurel MD. She applied and was accepted for full remote work and they are relocating to Lakewood. Closed on a home in late December. Sense of timing is important as they are expecting their second child in May 2023… We will ski in February. RV adventure towards western Canada next summer is the grand idea. Details still to be worked out.”
DAVID GROSSMAN ‘73: Bailey Marie Grossman was born on January 22, 2023, exactly 72 years after his grandfather, DAVID GROSSMAN was born. “Boy, what a present!, “ exclaimed DAVID. “No cards, no wrapped gifts. Those things can’t replace the gift of life.” Bailey Marie resides with her father, Benjamin (DAVID’s youngest son) and her mother, Brittany Ward, in Yarmouthport, MA.
JOE SANDRIN ‘73: “Good Day – Planning to attend the reunion with my wife, at least for the dinner, pending a look at the full itinerary for the weekend. On the personal front, I am retiring from full-time work on January 27. I may still take on small focused assignments. I have been with CH2M Hill, now part of Jacobs Solutions since May 2, 1988. Janice and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on December 23. Yes, we got married on winter break senior year. It has been an amazing adventure! We are planning our retirement now with trips planned this year to Kearney, NE in March for the Sandhill Crane Migration, Washington, D.C. in April for Cherry Blossoms, Madeline Island, WI in June where Janice will be in a quilting class and we will be staying in our RoadTrek Sprinter RV. Hopefully, Hawaii in September/October and a trip or two to visit our daughter in Colorado. All of that plus a lot of uncompleted tasks around the house after spending 12 years in Saudi Arabia and one year of health recovery. Looking forward to seeing a few people in June!”
I received this from MARK CONRAD ‘73 last September: “I offer a simple, but heartfelt, thank you for the hundreds (thousands?) of hours you’ve devoted to Ripon College, its students and graduates. I’m sort of a ‘72 and ’73 class individual, perhaps one reason why I haven’t been that active, nor well associated with other ’73 folks. Residing in Minneapolis with Jane. Forty-three years together. Had two oral surgeries during the summer. I’m left with a speech impediment, although if I speak slowly I can typically be understood. I’m fortunate that my position teaching political science courses online for UW-Eau Claire continues. Life events can be very humbling.”
CHRISTINE WOLK ‘73 provided a new email address: [email protected]
For other news check out www.ripon.edu/news.
GARY LEDERER ‘72 and I look forward to hosting a reception for College President Vickie Folse on February 16th in our home. If this letter arrives before then and you are in the area, we would be delighted to see you.
I was listening to Glen Campbell on the radio earlier today singing: “You can’t make old friends.” I am looking forward to seeing many old friends on campus June 22-25!
Cheers,
Jean ’73
P.S. There will be a special giving event in conjunction with inauguration weekend, Apr. 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!