1996 – Fall ’20 Class Letter
JASON L. WOOD ’96
(201)747-7719 / [email protected]
Happy Fall Class of 1996!
First off, I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy after everything that has and is happening since the beginning of the year. Being in the travel industry and living across the river from one of the worst affected areas, I know what it means to take a massive impact on your life in every which way. But one of the critical lessons I learned at Ripon College is to look at things from all different directions even if it is a bad situation. And that is exactly what I did. In business in the past, I dealt with mostly group leisure travelers. But you can imagine that those people are not really traveling now, so we have re-focused on people that have to travel such as nurses, electric crews, and other first responders. It wasn’t something our business thought we ever would be doing, but to survive we had to change course. In life during quarantine where nothing was open I decided to focus on myself; running ten half marathons, learning to cook all my mother’s old recipes (and some of my favorite foods from closed restaurants), hiking empty state parks, and now biking around my state. The saying “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade” really is true. And I hope that everyone else is taking that to heart as well.
Alumni Weekend 2021 will be held June 24-27, 2021, and next summer is our Class of 1996 Reunion, and because of the closure this summer of the campus, we will be combining our reunion with the Class of 1995. I am so excited about this fact since so many of their class were our good friends for the three years we overlapped. We hope to bring you a very memorable reunion with the two classes together. This is our 25th reunion, a milestone, so I hope to see you all there. (I might have to hunt you down if we don’t hear from you!). The weekend will be filled with lots to do not only for you but for everyone – bring your partner, your family, or anyone else you want to. Thank you again to everyone that keeps us posted on Facebook, Instagram, and all the other social media platforms. It is amazing to see you and your families as well as the fun adventures and those major life-changing statuses.
Please keep posting, I know I love it.
Class Note:
CHARLES E. AMELOTTE ’67 of Kenosha, Wisconsin, died Jan. 23, 2020. At Ripon, he majored in history. He played football and was a member of the 1963 undefeated team, and also participated in ROTC and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He served in the U.S. Army and earned three bronze stars while serving in Vietnam. He owned and operated Kenosha Leatherette & Display Co. until his retirement. He was a former member of Rotary Club and Kiwanis Club of Western Kenosha; was involved in youth sports; was a member of Kenosha Country Club and enjoyed reading, golfing and fishing in Door County. Survivors include his wife, PENNY OVER AMELOTTE ’67; two sons, including DAVID AMELOTTE ’96; and one daughter.
Here is to 2021!
Regards,
Jason