1998 – Fall ’21 Class Letter
1998 – Fall 2021 Class Letter
Class Agent:
SARAH ENG ’98
(312) 404-6732 / [email protected]
Dear Class of ’98,
Thanks as always for responding to my call for updates! It’s good to hear from you, especially when photos are involved.
Alumni Weekend
Alumni and guests from 29 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, were on campus, representing the classes of 1961 to 2023, for the first-ever August Alumni Weekend after COVID-19 put a pause on campus events over the past 18 months. Save the date for Alumni Weekend 2022, which will go back to our traditional end of June date: June 23-26, 2022.
Which means… our TWENTY-FIFTH Class Reunion will be the last weekend in June 2023. Mark that on your calendars, as well!
Red Hawk Donors are Red Hot
A record-breaking 2,087 donors from all around the world supported Ripon’s fourth annual giving day on April 28, known as #OneDayRally, reminding us all that regardless of the circumstances, Red Hawks come together.
Big thanks to those of you who responded to my deluge of social media posts that day, and came through to represent our class. Thanks as well to the over 3,600 donors who supported the College this past fiscal year through the Ripon Fund and other initiatives.
On Campus
Classes started on Monday, August 30 and the academic year is in full swing with in-person classes. The College is continuing to follow CDC and Fond du Lac County Health Department guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety protocols. For information on what steps Ripon College is taking to make sure students attending the fall semester are protected from the COVID-19 virus, visit ripon.edu/coronavirus-information.
The McCullough Family Lounge in Farr Hall of Science — a favorite location of students for studying and collaborative work — recently received an extreme makeover with the intent of making the space more contemporary and technologically friendly. The renovations were made possible by a lead gift from Trustee PHILIP MCCULLOUGH ’69/P’04, and his wife, Pat.
Also, a new Data Visualization Lab was installed in Todd Wehr Hall, which will be a great asset for the math and computer science departments.
Class Notes:
DAVID JAMES ’97 and KIMBERLY CHRISTOFFERSON-JAMES ’98 of East Wenatchee, Washington, recently saw their son, Cyrus Fremont James, graduate from Western Washington University with a Major in “Filmmaking: Production, Theory, and Indigenous Storytelling.” He will be attending the Seattle Film Institute for his Masters this fall.
SARAH ENG ’98 of Chicago, Illinois, feels weird writing about herself in the third person, so: “I happily returned to the water with the Chicago Rowing Foundation’s Masters Recreational team in April, after over a year on dry land. I was also overjoyed to reunite with my family on Memorial Day weekend, seeing them for the first time in person since Christmas 2019.” Here’s a picture of the Eng family in Texas.
BRAD KOZACZUK ’98 of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, is starting a new job as Special Education Teacher and Head Girls Golf Coach at Luxemburg-Casco High School.
CARRIE MOORE SHEPEARD ’98 of Hubertus, Wisconsin, launched a photography business, Women in Bloom (www.womeninbloomllc.com), and JEN ANSTEE CHAVEZ ’98 was one of her recent clients (and a happy one, as the photo to the below proves!) The photo, taken by CARRIE MOORE SHEPEARD ’98, is of JEN ANSTEE CHAVEZ ’98 and her daughters.
Lastly, STEVE “BEAKER” WIECHMANN ’98 of Bozeman, Montana, writes: “I have no real news! Still in Bozeman Montana. Still working winters at Bridger Bowl Ski Area. Still have awesome twin girls (almost 12 years old). Still married. Still biking and hiking and skiing whenever possible. I even still look the same!”
And he truly does, as evidenced by the photo of STEVE “BEAKER” WIECHMANN ’98 with his two daughters. Beaker is the Paul Rudd of our class.
Until next time,
SARAH ENG ’98