1987 – Spring ’23 Class Letter
Hey Ripon ‘87 Alums,
If you happened to be with your ‘87 friends at Norton’s last summer in between Alumni Weekend events, then you know how SCOTT MULLIN ‘87 and I (ANDREW IRVING ’87) became your new Class Agents. Since 2015, DORRIE SMITH SCRANTON ’87 and CHRIS TEMPLETON ’87 have graciously done their time, pleading with you all for your latest news and lifetime events, and then sharing that with you. Seven years was enough and so, by an officially non-official vote, Scott and I were chosen to grab the baton. We are all very grateful for Dorrie’s and Chris’s work and thank them for taking on the challenge these past seven years.
And what a challenge it is! Despite very fond memories of our time at Ripon, we are all a bit too humble when it comes to sharing our successes with our classmates. Scott and I did some begging on Facebook and even offered up a $100 gift card or charity donation to the alum who had the most exciting news. Here are – not the top three – the only three contributions we received:
- BILL TOURLAS ’87 “took a vacation”.
- JANNAN ROESCH ’87 was back on campus in early February to officiate a swim meet.
- LINDA DORMAN FREI ’87 (pictured at right) has been teaching math in Sparta, WI, for 35 years and counting. On February 3rd, the school celebrated the culmination of a successful charity drive with Linda getting a pie in the face along with two other teachers. She’s our $100 winner!
Hey, three bits of news are better than none! Poor Dorrie and Chris had to make up news from time to time just to fill a few lines in their letters. Perhaps Scott and I should have led by example. If that’s the case, here are two more updates for you:
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After teaching French, advising, and running the French House at UW-Madison for 24 years, I left the university and took a position with an independent K-8 school for gifted, talented, and advanced students. I also moved from downtown Madison, WI, to a house nestled in the UW-Madison Arboretum. It was always a dream of mine to live in the city, but still in nature and I couldn’t have asked for a better location. Oh, and I got married in 2019.
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SCOTT has been with Regenesis (environmental remediation) pretty much since he graduated from Ripon and is now Vice President of their Remediation Services Division. Scott, his wife Kathy, and their twin sons (now heading into their late 20s, so hard to believe!) seem to keep busy, but always find time to travel together.
In more news, if you happen to scroll through the latest news articles at ripon.edu, you may have seen an article about MARIO FRIEDEL ‘88 and SHERRY THOMPSON FRIEDEL ’87’s latest musical endeavors. They came very close to a Grammy nomination in 2022. To find out more about Sherry and Mario’s musical journey, click here.
I wish I had more news for you. Maybe this Class Letter will inspire you to share more. If you’re not a Facebook person, please reach out to us directly so we can feature your life updates, latest endeavors, your favorite recipes, or even your take on the latest TV shows.
Alumni Weekend is scheduled for June 22-25! More information about the event and activities occurring during Alumni Weekend will be available at alumni.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend. There are room blocks at Heidel House in Green Lake (Book here) and at Cobblestone Suites in Ripon (Call 920.748.5500). There will also be rooms available on campus starting in April.
Please also think about our next milestone: Alumni Weekend 2027. Faster than you know it, we’ll be celebrating our 40th! When I attended our 35th, I was amazed to see how much the College and the city of Ripon had evolved over the years.
Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Scott and I accepted this new role so eagerly. OK, eagerly may not be the word… let’s just say that we are both honored to help bring you some class news and keep you in touch with Ripon.
On behalf of Scott and myself, thank you for reading and please stay in touch!
Andrew Irving ’87
Scott Mullin ’87
P.S. There will be a special giving event in conjunction with inauguration weekend, April 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!