1992 – Spring ’23 Class Letter
Class of 1992,
Spring is getting ready to emerge after the Wisconsin winter in Ripon, so it’s time to reach back out and provide updates. Wherever this letter may find you, I hope the snow is melting, the flowers are starting to bloom, and the birds are chirping. We are going to gain an extra hour of daylight soon after the winter darkness!
There are many exciting events on deck for the College. Before the end of the semester, Ripon College will be celebrating the inauguration of its 14th President, Dr. Victoria N. Folse. In conjunction with the inauguration, there will be presidential welcome receptions hosted across the country.
On campus, ground will be broken on the newly remodeled science center and on-campus stadium, a new strategic plan will be communicated, and the College will be welcoming the latest additions to the alumni family when the Class of 2023 has their May commencement.
In other news, Ripon College received a $150,000 Humanities Initiatives for Colleges and Universities grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This grant is intended to fund a three-year effort to reimagine humanistic study for the 21st century and will support a plan to bolster humanities education by connecting College faculty and students with cultural institutions across the southern Fox Valley region.
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 soon. There are room blocks at Heidel House in Green Lake (Book here) and at Cobblestone Suites in Ripon (Call 920.748.5500).
Don’t forget that our financial support helps the College continue to excel and make huge strides forward in driving educational excellence. Your donations and continued support mean a great deal. Remember, our education helped support and create our future – let’s continue that legacy on for our younger alumni and future College students. Thank you for all your past and future contributions. They make a huge difference.
We would like to remember some people who made a huge difference to the college during our time at Ripon. Thomas E. Caestecher of Green Lake, WI, peacefully passed away at age 90. He was a Ripon College Trustee from 1985 – 2002, and I’m sure many of you remember his tremendous contributions to the College during our tenure and beyond. Many of you may have fond memories of Mary E. Williams-Norton, who served as a professor and department chair in the Ripon College Physics department for 37 years, and retired in 2012, passed away at 76. She was a trailblazer and role model for women in science. Additionally, Evelyn M. Kain, emerita of Art, who taught at Ripon for 28 years from 1983 – 2011, also recently passed away.
Class News:
LISA MAHNKE ’92 of Jamaica Plain, MA, is CEO/President NMS-US at Nerviano Medical Sciences, Inc. in Boston, MA.
JEFF HASSEMER ’92 has joined Adaptigent, a leader in digital transformation and mainframe modernization, as their new Chief Marketing Officer. He’ll lead the marketing and product management teams.
If you have news and life updates to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ripon so we can share it with our classmates in our seasonal class letters. BONNI, JUDEE and I (ERIN) would like to wish you a wonderful Spring and hope that this letter finds you well.
Erin ‘92
Bonni ‘92
JuDee ‘92
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!