1997–Spring ’18 Class Letter
Class Agent:
Kristin Bazzoli Piotrowski
414.841.8577 / [email protected]
Spring 2018
Hello Class of 1997,
I hope this newsletter finds all of you well and enjoying the start to 2018.
Great things are happening on the Ripon College campus since our last class letter. Of note, the Willmore Center opened in August 2017 after a $22 million renovation and expansion. Willmore Center is the main health and wellness facility on campus and houses the athletics and exercise science departments and is named for alumna and Honorary Life Trustee DENA G. WILLMORE ’67.
Mark your calendars and save the date! The 2018 Alumni Weekend will be held June 21-24. While it is not a reunion year for our class, I encourage you to visit and see the changes on campus and in town. It is a great opportunity to connect with alumni, faculty, and staff. For more information, go to http://www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend/.
Don’t forget to send along any news or updates to your contact information. You can also connect with our class on Facebook via the closed group “Ripon College Class of 1997.”
Wishing you a wonderful spring and summer!
Kristin
Class Notes:
KRISTIN BAZZOLI PIOTROWSKI ’97 changed roles and organizations at Ascension in July 2017. She is a Senior Business Analyst in Clinical Informatics for the Ascension Clinical Research Institute.
LISA BUDGELL RITCHER ’97 graduated from Kansas State University in May 2017 with a Masters in Adult, Continuing and Occupational Education – and a 4.0 GPA. She works for General Dynamics on multiple government contracts. Congratulations on a job well done, Lisa!
ANNA CHAPMAN MCGINTY ’97 is the HR Officer at RedMane Technology LLC. Congratulations, Anna!
CHRIS CORSTEN ’97 and his wife, Laura, are expecting their first child any day now. Congratulations, Chris and Laura!
JASON CORSTEN ’97 and his wife, Jill, welcomed their third grandchild to the family, baby Harlow, on July 19, 2017. Harlow’s big brother, Thad, is two years old. Jason and Jill’s other grandson, Tandon, is also two years old. Congratulations, Jason and Jill!
JEFFREY EHREN ’97 of Eugene, Oregon, earned his Master in Liberal Studies from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He entered the Conflict and Dispute Resolutions Master Program at the University of Oregon School of Law. In recent months, he has worked as a student worker in Oregon Law’s Communication Department. He recently attended a conference in Japan at which he and a colleague presented a paper. You may find it here:
https://law.uoregon.edu/news/brazil-japan-seminar
KRISTEN YOST MATUSZAK ’97 and her family just moved to a new home in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Congratulations, Kristen, Mike, Ethan, and Dylan!
In Memoriam:
I am so sad to report that our classmate, DAVID ADAM JAMES ’97, passed away on December 23, 2017. His obituary may be found below.
July 22, 1973 -December 23, 2017 DAVID ADAM JAMES, 44 of Tulalip, WA passed away December 23, 2017. He was born July 22, 1973 in Seattle, WA to Kermit James and Janice Salzmann. He graduated from Glidden High School in Glidden, WI. He attended Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and Ripon College. David was a master carver for the Tulalip Tribes as well as a commercial fisherman and crabber. He is survived by the love of his life, Crystal Gobin; two children, Cyrus Fremont James, and Tyler Whiting; step-children, Dustin Henry, Taylor Henry, Marlee Paul, and Carter Paul II; his mother, Janice (David) Harris; siblings, Lexi (Mike) Witt, Susan (Brian) Justice and Andrew (Audrey) Harris; mother-in-law, Rhonda Gobin; aunts, Clarissa Johnny, Mary Ann Espinoza, and Ada Power; uncle, Andy (Sharon) James; and other relatives. He was preceded in death by father, Kermit James. A visitation was held Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. at Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home with an Interfaith Service following at 6:00 p.m. at the Tulalip Gym. Funeral Services were held Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the Tulalip Gym with burial following at Mission Beach Cemetery.