1997-Spring ’19 Class Letter
Class Agent: Kristin Bazzoli Piotrowski ’97
414.841.8577/[email protected]
Spring 2019
Hello Class of 1997,
I hope this newsletter finds all of you well and enjoying the start to 2019.
Great things continue to happen on the Ripon College. I tried to narrow it down to a few highlights for this letter, but I really couldn’t choose! I encourage you to visit https://www.ripon.edu/news/ often to learn about what is happening on campus and in our alumni community.
Mark your calendars and save the date! The 2019 Alumni Weekend will be held June 27-30. 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 https://www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend/.
Don’t forget to send along any news or updates to your contact information to me anytime. 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:
SUZIE SOELDNER BARROCK ’97 is working as an Admissions Assistant at Lakeland University. She also joined a cover band called Hub City Mojo. She is on vocals and guitar. Congratulations, Suzie!
RACHEL BERK BATA ’97 was promoted to Patrol Sergeant with the Roselle Police Department in August. Her new position has many responsibilities, including supervising a shift of officers and running their Field Training Program. Congratulations, Rachel!
JOE BLOCK ’97 is the editor of the Star News, a weekly newspaper covering the villages of Sauk City, Prairie du Sac, Mazomanie, and Black Earth, in northwestern Dane County, Wisconsin.
CHRIS CORSTEN ’97 and his wife, Laura, welcomed their first child, son Ryan Mattias, on March 19, 2018. Congratulations, Chris and Laura!
BRYAN DOW ’97 had his first book, “Please Leave A Light On,” published in April 2018. Congratulations, Bryan!
TANYA HENNES NORTH ’97 and her husband, BRIAN NORTH ’96, of Middleton, Wisconsin, provided the following update: Brian and Tanya are currently in Middleton where Brian is a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison History Department as a U.S. Army Fellow. Brian was promoted to Colonel (O6) in May and will command the 11th Signal Brigade at Fort Hood, TX in the summer of 2019.
JESSIE LOBERG ’97 married Dr. Jairo Paucart on July 16, 2016, in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Jessie and Jairo, who is from Bogota, Colombia, met while working together at Littleton Equine Medical Center in Colorado, where she was a veterinary technician and he was a veterinarian. They have two 4-legged children, Reina and Rojo who are Australian cattle dogs. They recently moved to Green Lake, and Jessie just started a new job as an Equine Specialist for Zoetis, a global animal health company. She covers Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan. Congratulations, Jessie!
WENDY DAVIS LONG ’97 and her husband, DOUG ’94, sold their farmette and bought Wendy’s grandparents’ resort on Green Lake. They have completely remodeled and updated three of the cottages and are ready to rent them for their first full season starting in mid-May. Their website is www.terracebeachretreat.com for anyone interested. Wendy and Doug are grateful for the help and patience of their kids during this process. Their son is a freshman at Iowa State University, and their daughters are in 10th and 5th grades.
ANGELA FLEEGAL MIETZEL ’97 married Casey Mietzel on June 16, 2018. The bride and groom honored the groom’s parents’ memory by marrying on their 56th wedding anniversary. Congratulations, Angie!
RYAN PATNODE ’97 will retire from the U.S. Army on August 31, 2019, after 22 years of Active Federal Service. Thank you, Ryan, for your service to our country!
WILL RITCHER ’97 married ANDREA WILLE ’96 on July 1, 2018. Congratulations, Will and Andrea!
CATHY GLOVER THRASHER ’97 and her husband, Craig, became grandparents for the first time! Granddaughter Hadley Jean Thrasher was born on June 1, 2018. Congratulations to the Thrasher family!
BRIAN WALSH ’97 and his wife, AUTUMN PIONTEK-WALSH ’93 live on the Olympic peninsula in Washington. Autumn is a psychotherapist and owner of Five Acre School, an independent preschool and elementary school. After working for the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges directing the state’s prison education program, Brian now works for the Vera Institute of Justice on expanding post-secondary education in prisons across the U.S. Brian is working with Wisconsin colleges and the Department of Corrections on expanding their programs in prisons and loves coming back to the Midwest. Brian and Autumn have three sons, Cole (17), Jack (15), and Henry (12). Any Ripon alumni passing through Port Angeles should look the Walsh family up!