1996 – Spring ’21 Class Letter
Greetings, Class of 1996!
After one very unique year, I am hoping that 2021 will shape up to be a better one, with things getting back to a new normal. One of the best reasons is that 2021 is the year that we are celebrating our 25-year anniversary of graduating from Ripon College! (It did hurt me a little stating that it has been THAT many years). It is crazy to think it has been 25 years since we walked through the quads on a daily basis, shared our tables at the commons, or made the weekly trip down to Benders.
This summer we will be celebrating our Class of 1996 25th Class Reunion. Due to having to cancel last year’s Alumni Weekend, we will be combining our Reunion celebration with the Class of 1995. This will be a great opportunity for all of us to reconnect, and I hope that you can join the celebration. 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.
JUNE 2021
- In honor of our June 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.
AUGUST 2021
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.
Thanks to all of you who have supported Ripon College this past year, especially those who have supported the Ripon Fund and #OneDayRally. For those that have not donated yet this year, I am asking you to please consider since we are trying to beat our past years! Just go to www.ripon.edu/give/ and select the “GIVE” page. I know we are a small class but I would love to have a record for us on our 25th anniversary.
Class Notes:
STEVE MARTIN ’96 of Ripon, Wisconsin, professor of communication at Ripon College, participated in a Zoom guest lecture in a political communication class at Fontebonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. The focus was on Martin’s current book, “Game Changers; How Dark Money and Super PACs are Transforming U.S. Campaigns,” co-written with Henrik Schatzinger, associate professor of politics and government and co-director of the Center for Politics and the People at Ripon College. The announcement can be accessed here.
CAREY MOLINSKI ’96 of Arvada, Colorado, recently moved to Arvada, Colorado and is beginning working as a therapist with Alpine Lakes Counseling and Wellness Center in Arvada and also as an Independent Contractor with the Center for Valued Living in October of 2020.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who keeps us posted on Facebook, Instagram, or even taking those Zoom calls. It is always great to see you. Also, I know I have been bad at updating our “Ripon College: Class of 1996” Facebook page, but I promise as we get closer to our reunion over the summer I will be going through even more old photos to see how amazing we looked back then.
Here is to a great summer of 2021, and I really hope to see you in a few months.
Regards,
JASON WOOD ’96
(201) 747-7719
Your 1996 Class Agent