1984-Spring ’19 Class Letter
Class Agents:
Connie Herbon Moser
(847) 548-2732
Vicki Vicha Erickson
(847) 546-2775
Spring 2019
Happy Spring Everyone,
Looking forward to seeing many of you at our 35th reunion on June 27 – 30, 2019. We will have a Blues and BBQ dinner on Saturday night celebrating life and sharing stories. Thanks in advance go out to DAVE SHOGREN ‘84 and his blues band who will delight us with music as we enjoy a BBQ dinner. The location for Saturday night is at 220 Elm Street, two houses from the Commons. During Alumni Weekend, other opportunities exist for fun such as the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble where I know VICKI VICHA ERICKSON ‘84, DONNA REARDON GOLDBERG ‘84, LINDA GIUFFRE ANDERSON ‘84, SUE SHEPHERD ‘84 and I will enjoy sun, laughter and golf. At this point, we have heard from SHELLEY ANDERSON BYRNES ‘84 and DESIREE SWENSON STROM ‘84 who will also attend the reunion, with RUTH FEIERABEND ‘84 and ANN WILLIAMS LUNDBERG ‘84 as tentative. Hopefully we will see many others there.
With the opening of the Willmore Center and many upgrade activities across the college campus, I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the positive changes that have taken place. These changes must continue and absolutely rely on your gifts to the college. As it is our 35th, please take a moment to consider increasing your donation to the Ripon Fund as a shout out for our reunion.
Again, we hope you will join us in celebrating life and our 35th reunion. As always, I have asked one of our classmates to write about themselves so here is MIKE GALVAN ‘84 and his update:
MIKE GALVAN ‘84: Well, I can’t believe our 20th anniversary is finally coming up. We’ve done a lot in these few years….wait. I guess it is a bit longer than that. I don’t think in all these years, I’ve contributed to this grand publication, so here is my story:
After graduation, (yes, I had to take a few classes at UW-Milwaukee the summer of ’84 to graduate), I went off to the Army as an ROTC graduate. I did the Military Police Officer Basic at the former Fort McClellan, Alabama. After completion, I went to my first duty station, 16th MP Brigade (Airborne), at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, I did the typical Army officer stuff: platoon leader, executive officer, etc. Then, I moved into staff positions as the assistant operations officer for the Provost Marshal (base police chief) and logistical officer in a transportation unit coordinating worldwide troop and equipment movements.
Once I was promoted to captain, I went back to MP Officer Advance Course at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. After completion, off to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) where I was the operations officer for the Provost Marshal of the 2nd Infantry Division, just south of the Demilitarized Zone. I took command of the 2nd Military Police Company and was in command during Desert Storm. The normally one year assignment stretched into nearly 2 years in Korea. I was given two options after that: go back to school for a Master’s and teach at West Point or train and work in a secondary specialty. Since my undergraduate time was not so stellar, I trained to work in psychological operations, which included lots of cultural stuff and language training. I got out of the Army when they enticed me with a bunch of money as they needed to downsize the military.
After returning back to Wisconsin in 1992 after the military, I decided to continue in law enforcement. In 1993, I was hired as a patrol officer in Appleton, Wisconsin. There, I ran into many classmates and fellow alumni. By 1996, I began training as a state trooper. For 15 years, I patrolled the highways of Northeast Wisconsin….in a Ford Crown Victoria, a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, or in a Dodge Charger. It was fun. Right after Governor Walker signed Act 10 and all the unrest at the capitol, I was selected for promotion to the Dignitary Protection Unit. Our mission was to protect the Governor and other officials we were assigned to. We accompanied him and transported him everywhere. I was on the detail while he ran for President. I had a front row seat to history. I saw things and went places that “regular” people do not have access to. It was amazing: oversea trips, White House, NYC, many states in the Union, and just about every city, village and town in Wisconsin…probably every county fair or breakfast on the farm….I think my most favorite place to go was Ripon College. Every June, Badger Boys State is held at Ripon. The Governor, a Supreme Court Justice, and the Adjutant General of the Wisconsin National Guard would land in a US Army Blackhawk helicopter on Upper Sadoff. I would either be on board or as the arrival agent when it landed. Then I’d transport the Governor around to the dining hall, then down to the gym for ceremonies. I was on the detail for nearly 5 years and met more Ripon alumni.
For my last two years in the State Patrol, I supervised operations in 5 NE Wisconsin counties. I retired in July 2018. I did a lot of cruises and other traveling…then I got bored. I got back into transportation and drove motorcoach (and traveled), school bus routes and charter trips, part-time.
Now, I just started my new part-time job. After some training in Fort Lauderdale, I am now the chief security officer on the Norwegian Sun. Right now, I am on a South American itinerary sailing off the coast of Chile, down around Cape Horn. Later next month, we will head up the west coast of South America, traverse through the Panama Canal, and go to Colombia before heading back to Miami. Then off to Havana and the Bahamas…not bad for a part-time job…6 months a year.
Well, that is my life. If my itinerary supports it, I will be at our “20th” reunion in June. Until then, hasta luego.
Thanks to Mike for the update!
Take Care,
Connie