1988 – Spring ’21 Class Letter
1988 – Spring ’21 Class Letter
Greetings, Class of 1988!
From KATHY WADE ’88
I hope you, your family, and your loved ones are all well! This has definitely been a strange year for me and probably for you, too. I have not attended a Ripon event since 2019! In a typical year, I attend, at least, one event each quarter. I sure miss my Ripon family and friends!
I have been on campus once since 2019! MATT KITTELL ’88, his wife, Cathy, their daughters, and I met on campus in July for a walk down memory lane and an afternoon in Green Lake. If you are missing being on campus or have not visited the campus recently, check out this virtual campus tour at https://tour.ripon.edu/.
I have traveled once since 2019. Cathy Kittell, the Kittell daughters, and I road tripped in October of 2020. We stayed in a house on the South Bay of Little Saint Germain Lake! It was beautiful, relaxing, and most importantly, a change of scenery from our respective houses!! Cathy and I stopped at Prime Choice Meat Market and took this photo.
I am looking forward to being fully vaccinated in 17 days, as of the day I am writing this letter! Yes, I am counting down! I have several trips planned and hope to catch up with classmates and other alumni in those cities. Currently, I plan to be in Chicago and Carlsbad, California. I may be in Raleigh, North Carolina for a few days in July, or I may drive to Lake Lure, North Carolina with a few stops on the way. Let me know if you are near any of these locations and I will let you know when I will be there!
Upcoming Events
Alumni Weekend Returns with Two Offerings
There are several Ripon events to look forward to this summer. Alumni Weekend 2021 will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen with two distinct summer weekends of Ripon alumni programming for us. No matter how you’d like to connect, virtually or in person, the Office of Constituent Engagement is developing a variety of activities to continue to follow CDC, Fond du Lac County and College guidelines in both June and August. Full schedules, lodging, and programming details will be posted soon to www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend.
In June, In honor of our Alumni Weekend traditions, virtual alumni programming will be held Tuesday, June 22 through Saturday, June 26, and will include: an alumni town hall, R Connections webinars, affinity socials, a summer book club, and special recognition of the 2020 and 2021 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees. The only in-person event, the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble, will be held off-campus on Friday, June 25.
In August, a combination of virtual and in-person Alumni Weekend programming will be held the first week of August. We will continue to evaluate the state of COVID-19. If circumstances change at the local and national level and we need to cancel in-person programming, that decision will be made and communicated by July 1, 2021.
- Virtual programming will be held Tuesday, August 3 through Saturday, August 7 and will include: a reunion-focused alumni town hall that also previews the new academic year, additional R Connections webinars, the summer book club capstone, and the traditional “That Was Then” storytelling session.
- In-person, on-campus programming will be held Friday, August 6 through Sunday, August 8, and will focus on alumni awards recognition, 2020 and 2021 reunion celebrations, and other outdoor events such as Rally Run and prairie walk.
- Additionally, the Class of 2020 will officially be welcomed to our alumni community with a special commencement ceremony.
#OneDayRally
Ripon’s #OneDayRally event is on April 28, 2021. Please check out the #OneDayRally event link on Facebook.
Local Lodging Updates
A few years ago, the Heidel House closed. It is opening up, again, this July! I know I have a lot of memories there. My family and I dined there after our commencement ceremony. There is a new hotel in Ripon, the Mapes Hotel. If my memory is correct, it is where the Davis Hotel and Les and Bunny’s were.
Class Notes
STEVE FORDHAM ’88 of Waukesha, Wisconsin, is an adjustor at Erie Insurance.
CAROL SHAY HORNUNG ’88 of Madison, Wisconsin, shared “I wanted to pass along the tidbit that I have a new book out, the start of a series that I’m really excited about. I even put 30 years of experience in the advertising world to work and wrote up a press release. STEVEN BANASIEWICZ ’89 provided encouragement and a read-through to make sure I didn’t stray in areas where I didn’t have the expertise. This is the first of a series and each book is going to take place in a different city and state. This one is Madison, of course, dear to my heart, and the next one has our heroes traveling to Nashville, Tennessee.”
In Closing
DAVID JONAS ’88 and I appreciate all of your support of the College over the years and in particular this last year! We hope to see you all soon! Please watch for the #OneDayRally updates! It is a fun day of giving and hearing from fellow alumni! Believe it or not, our next reunion, our 35th, is in two years! Wow!! Please start making plans to attend!
KATHY WADE ’88
(248) 470-4336
DAVID JONAS ’88
(202) 251-9640
Your 1988 Class Agents