1978-Spring ’19 Class Letter
Gregg Petersen
(410)-884-0407 /[email protected]
Spring 2019
Dear Classmates:
Happy New Year to you all! This will be a short note for us but with some great classmate updates. Back on campus, “Doctor Bob” Wallace and Professor Paul Schoofs are retiring this semester, Ripon enrolled its largest freshman class in some time, and another One Day Rally is coming up on May 1. Also, I know LOUISA GEBELEIN JONES ’78 and others of you will be pleased that the lady Red Hawks won the Midwest Conference basketball championship this past February. Look for details in the overall campus news.
HEADLINES FOR THIS LETTER:
- ’78 Classmate Updates
- Ripon #OneDayRally May 1st
’78 Classmate Updates:
BARB DOERRER-PEACOCK ’78 of Tempe, Arizona says, “I am now the Associate Conference Minister of the Southwest Conference-United Church of Christ…and loving it. Enjoying life in Tempe, Arizona, three adult kids still live near us, plus our 8-yr old granddaughter- joy of our lives!”
DOUG KINGS ’78 of Ellenton, Florida joined a Facebook chat on our Ripon Class of ’78 page between BARB DOERRER-PEACOCK ’78 and LOIS VAN LEER ’78 to add: “Alright, I’ll get into this, as well. I am now Pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Holmes Beach, Florida on Anna Maria Island.”
LOIS VAN LEER ’78 of Eugene, Oregon writes: “I am now the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, Oregon. I hope to retire in 3-4 years. My early jockdom has resulted in becoming the Bionic woman with 4 joint replacements: 2 shoulders and 2 knees. I hope is to continue with less body abusive sports such as pickleball, kayaking, and hiking. I have come full circle in my ministry as I began in campus ministry in Eugene in 1981. May all beings be well!”
“The Pirate Poet of the Palouse, ROB “TEX” MEYER ’78, is still in the Kremlin of the Inland Northwest, Moscow Idaho. He writes: “The Cowboy and The Coonhound are still surviving, despite dental surgery for both of us in early Winter. Winter? We got nothing to complain about compared to Wisconsin, Minnesota, New England…or most places. Still regretting the fact that we missed June 2018 Reunion, we hope to travel in 2019…if Meyer sells some more bad poetry, or a 20-year-old screenplay, or his fourth novel. Ya nevah know. Go, Mariners! [Fat Chance.]”
GREGG PETERSEN ’78 of Columbia, Maryland was elected to the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) Board of Directors in October. ANS is the oldest independent environmental organization in the Washington, D.C. region and it is a leading organization linking conservation activities with environmental education in the area. In addition, in connection with his watershed education related volunteer efforts with area environmental organizations; Gregg exhibited illustrated benthic macroinvertebrate scoring charts that he developed for local ponds and streams at the annual Maryland Water Monitoring Conference in Linthicum, Maryland in December. More recently, Gregg taught a Lunch and Learn class about macroinvertebrates to the staff and some members of the Center for Watershed Protection in Ellicott City, Maryland. Of the seven measures of health listed by the Environmental Protection Agency, “the biological condition (of which benthic macroinvertebrates are a part) of a waterbody is the ultimate indicator of watershed health.”
JIM SWENSEN ’78 of Valdese, North Carolina, writes, “Back at Baker Furniture, Kohler no longer owns us! Have a new grandson to make a brother to his older sister. My son is in the Army and looks like a E-5 (Sergeant) promotion is happening soon. My daughter is still an O.T. in Arizona. Gardening and wine making/prepping are in full swing.”
LISA WOLLAN ’78, of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (just for a very short time longer) sends: “I officially retired from Wawa on January 4, 2019 – yay!!! I’m so grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have come my way since our Ripon graduation, and I am so excited to start this new chapter. I just returned from a spectacular month-long trip to New Zealand with my sister and brother-in-law – truly the trip of a lifetime. Highlights included: exploring the Hauraki Gulf on a friend’s sailboat; enjoying the spectacular wineries on the north and south islands; coastal hikes in beautiful Abel Tasman National Park; a 1:30 a.m. stargazing experience on Mount John; visiting seal colonies in the Fiordland National Park during our 3-day Hollyford Track hike; gazing at the forest below from the Redwood Treewalk bridges; experiencing the world’s newest geothermal area in Waimangu Volcanic Valley; and feeling Kiwi warmth and friendliness throughout our trip. Now I’m busy getting my house ready to put on the market in spring and I’ll be moving back to Minneapolis to be closer to family. I’m sad to leave this wonderful area but excited to be coming back to the Midwest and reconnecting with my MN/WI friends!”
Photo Caption: Lisa Wollan ’78 visiting Waimangu Volcanic Valley where the world’s youngest geothermal system is
located in New Zealand.
Ripon’s #OneDayRally May 1:
As you may recall, in the first ever Giving Day #OneDayRally last year, our class topped all other class year groups in participation by nearly 10% with 48 donations. This year’s #OneDayRally will be for the 24-hour period on May 1. If you have not made your Ripon Fund (formerly Annual Fund) or other donation to Ripon this year, May 1 would be a great day to do that and represent our Class of ’78. This is exactly what I will be doing while I participate in one of our quarterly D.C. area Rally Hours in Crystal City, Virginia (If Crystal City sounds familiar, it will be the new home of Amazon’s HQ2 location which will change the city name to National Landing).
Class Letter Updates: That’s it for this letter! Please keep sending me your updates and have a healthy, happy 2019!
Best wishes and warmest regards,