1976 – Fall ’21 Class Letter
1976 – Fall 2021 Class Letter
Co-Class Agents:
MICHELE BARAN WITTLER ’76
PETER TUZ ’76
Hello, Members of the Class of 1976,
Our 45th Reunion has come and gone. Alumni and guests from 29 states were on campus August 6-8 representing classes from 1961 to 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first Alumni Weekend held in August and probably the last. Plans are to hold next year’s Alumni Weekend at the traditional end of June period which falls June 23-26 in 2022. Members of our class who participated included STEVE BINKLEY ’76, JULIE CARLSON ’76, ALLEN MCCUE ’76, TOM BROMAN ’76, MARK TESLIK ’76 and MICHELE BARAN WITTLER ’76. STEVE and MICHELE were presented to the school with a check for $100,000 raised from members of our Class of 1976. Our contributions matter, and we are grateful to all who participated.
There is a lot of other good news from Ripon you might be interested in.
On April 28, 2021 donors from around the world participated in Ripon’s fourth annual day of giving, known as #OneDayRally. In total, more than 3,600 donors supported Ripon this past fiscal year through the Ripon Fund and other fund-raising initiatives.
The campus continues to get some much-needed face-lifting.
In Farr Hall of Science, the McCullough Family Lounge 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.
A new Data Visualization Lab was installed in Todd Wehr Hall, which will be a great asset for our Department of Mathematical Sciences, as well as other departments.
In addition, thanks to generous donors, strong markets and great leadership, Ripon’s endowment recently hit an all-time high and was at $112 million as of as of Thursday, August 19, 2021.
Like many educational institutions around the country, Ripon started full in person classes on Monday, August 30th. The College is continuing to follow CDC and Fond du Lac County Health Department guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety protocols. There is a comprehensive program to help the campus community with vaccinations if needed.
We have some sad news to share of our classmate:
JEFFREY P. CLARK ’76 of Poynette, Wisconsin, died May 9, 2021. At Ripon, he majored in economics and participated in baseball, Phi Kappa Pi, Phi Beta Kappa, Partners in the Legacy and other Ripon memberships. He received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He worked for his entire 42-year career at Lathrop (later Boardman) & Clark. He served as president of the State Bar of the Wisconsin Elder Law & Special Needs Section, and of the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He loved sports, especially the UW Badgers football and basketball, and played curling and golf. He enjoyed landscaping, history and travelling. Survivors include his wife, Susan; son ADAM CLARK ’07; daughter LAURA CLARK CULLINANE ’02; and brothers JAMES CLARK ’68 and JOHN CLARK ’71.
Lastly, we are happy to correct a grievous error that was published in the Ripon Magazine a few months ago — GEORGE ANASTOS ’76 is still with us! In an almost unbelievable series of unfortunate coincidences, we were given information that a George C. Anastos of Cottage Grove, Minnesota had passed away in February 2021. However, he was not the GEORGE C. ANASTOS ’76 who attended Ripon and graduated with us in 1976. All of us look forward to seeing GEORGE at a future Class Reunion. Sincere apologies to GEORGE!
Speaking of reunions, are you involved in gatherings with members of class? Let us know about your news and about these gatherings. There is something precious about being in touch and being together. STEVE PUGH ’76 and BABS JANSSEN PUGH ’78 were recently on campus as a stop on their months-long holiday trip from New Hampshire to Wisconsin. They loved touring the Willmore Center and STEVE PUGH ’76 reminisced about a PE swim class with CANDI HUTCHISON ’76 and SARA REDMAN JUMP ’76 helping a classmate who broke his ankle jumping off the diving board. DAN SHERMAN ’76 was also on campus in August; he was on a motorcycle trip from New England to points west and back. In a couple of weeks a group of Alpha Delta Pi sisters, including JUDY REISINGER DAVIS ’76/P’10, CAROL WARREN SACHEN ’76, and PEGGY ZAREK ODDO ’76 will be gathering in Door County. In October, JULIE CARLSON ’76, SHANE MCCAMEY ’76, GLENN PINCUS ’76, FRED THEISEN ’76, JEFF GILLIS ’76/P’09, BETH GALLER GILLIS ’78/P’09, and SHARON GRIGGINS ’76 will gather in Green Lake and spend some time on campus. This summer, GAIL DOBISH ’76, spoke at a Green Lake Festival of Music event honoring the founder of the Festival, Ripon College Professor of Music Doug Morris.
It would be wonderful to gather on campus during each Alumni Weekend. And, it is not too early to think ahead to our 50th Class Reunion, a very special occasion in 2026!
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you.
All good wishes,
PETER TUZ ’76
MICHELE BARAN WITTLER ’76