Leigh Mlodzik

[email protected]

Corryn Siegel Greenwood  

[email protected]

 

Dear Class of 2002, Here is your class letter. It was great to hear from a few more people this time around! To keep the updates coming, send us an email or a Facebook message!

ERIK JOHNSON ’02 of Huntersville, North Carolina, is now principal at East Albemarle Elementary in Albemarle, North Carolina, for the 2019-20 school year. He previously had been principal at G.W. Carver Elementary School in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

KEVIN KITSLAAR ’02 has accepted a new position as high school principal of Waukesha South High School. “I am excited about the diversity in the high school and the new challenges it will bring, going to a bigger high school of about 1,300-1,400 students. Waukesha is a great district as well. One of the teachers there is a Ripon College grad as well, BILLY SWARTZ ’99.”

STEVE KOHL ’02 and his wife, Becky, welcomed their fourth child, Nelly Barbara Kohl, on 4/27/18.

ANNMARIE IBIS KREITZER ’02 lives in Delafield Wisconsin, with her husband, Greg. They have three daughters, Elsa, 8, Greta, 6 and Hanna, 3. AnnMarie has been with Kohl’s Corporate for 12 years and is the human resources HR Director for Technology, Digital and Strategy.

ZACHARY MORRIS ’02 of Madison, Wisconsin, received a prestigious scientific award of $200,000 to advance highly innovative research projects with implications for human health. The Greater Milwaukee Foundation presents the awards to early career faculty to advance highly innovative research projects with implications for human health.

NADIA STOYANOVA-HALL ’02 will be starting a Ph.D. in space policy through the University of North Dakota this fall.

DOUG WILEY ’02: “You can pretty much mark me down as ‘still a consultant’ until I die.”

EMMYLOU HOEFT WILSON ’02 celebrated nine years at her private practice in Verona, Wisconsin, this year. She has been appointed to the Optometry Examining Board for the State of Wisconsin (the regulatory board in the department of Safety and Professional Services for Optometrists and Opticians) and will be sworn in and confirmed by the Senate shortly. She continues to travel and enjoy time outside with her husband, Tim, and their dog.

We hope you are doing well and would love to see an update from you in the next newsletter!

Sincerely,

LEIGH MLODZIK ’02 and CORRYN SIEGEL GREENWOOD ’02

Submitted by: Leigh Mlodzik

Nicole Baumann-Blackmore

608-513-9078 / [email protected]

Dante A. C. Houston

414-378-4937 / [email protected]

 

Hi, Class of 2001. While the College gears up for students to return to campus, it is our time to start thinking about our 20-(!!!!) year reunion!  In less than two years, we hope to see many of you return to campus and reconnect with old friends. If you have ideas or would like to be a part of the planning, please let us know!

MARK BECKER ’01 of Delavan, Wisconsin, was honored by the Milwaukee Business Journal as one of this year’s 40 Under 40 Award recipients. He is co-founder of Geneva Supply Inc. 

DANTE HOUSTON ’01 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been promoted to manager of Predictive Index Services (PI) with his employer, Titus Talent Strategies. He also recently was appointed to serve as Alumni Trustee for Ripon College. 

KATIE BUFFUM VISSERS ’01 of Appleton, Wisconsin, is working on her master’s of nursing and going through the college application process with her son, Trent, whose first choice is Ripon.

CANDACE PLENCNER VONDRA ’01 of Chicago, Illinois, got married in 2014 in Maui, Hawaii. In 2016, she received her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and had a baby girl! She continues to work at William Blair & Company in Chicago as a senior portfolio associate, where she has been for the last 13 years. 

Keep in touch, and hope to see you soon!

DANTE and NICOLE

Submitted by: Dante Houston

Andre Miksha

[email protected]

 

Planning is underway for our 20th – has it really been that many? – Reunion. It was great to see so many folks during our 15th Reunion, and 20 years is significant enough to bring in an even bigger crowd!

KAREN FISCHER ’00 is enjoying her recent retirement and is splitting time between Wisconsin and northwestern Washington state to see her grandchildren, Peter and Liam.

Red Hawk forever,

ANDRE

Submitted by: Andre Miksha

Kristin Bazzoli Piotrowski ’97 

 414-841-8577 / [email protected] 

 

Hello, Class of 1997. I hope this newsletter finds all of you well and enjoying the summer. It started late in Wisconsin, but it has turned out to be a beautiful one.

For those of you who attended Alumni Weekend at the end of June, I hope you enjoyed your time back in Ripon and on campus. I heard it was a fun weekend! 

Great things continue to happen on the Ripon College campus, as you will read in this edition of R Connections. I encourage you to visit https://www.ripon.edu/news/ often to learn about what is happening at our alma mater. You can also go to class pages through https://www.ripon.edu/rconnections/ and see updates from alumni from around the world and from every class year. Another wonderful way to stay connected is through local alumni events. There are a lot of fun outings planned over the next few months. Check them out at https://www.ripon.edu/rally-hours-regional-events/. 

Don’t forget to send along any news or updates to your contact information to me anytime. You also can connect with our class on Facebook via the closed group “Ripon College Class of 1997.”

Wishing you a wonderful summer, fall and winter!

KRISTIN

GAVIN ZASTROW ’97 published a book, A Marshland of His Own, through Orange Hat Publishing, in November 2018. Summary: A Marshland of His Own is author Gavin Zastrow’s first experience with death. Twenty-six years ago, Gavin’s friend committed suicide. One year later, Gavin decided at the urging of his friends, family and teachers to turn that experience from a short to a book. This book was written from the point of view of a high school student. Outside of grammatical changes and minor edits, all the thoughts and events hold true to that high school voice. A Marshland of His Own is divided into three parts: mourning, mending and moving on, which follows the grief process Gavin went through and how through that process he learned to heal and move on with his life. This event marked a turning point between the end of the naivety of childhood and the complexity of adulthood.

Submitted by: Kristen Piotrowski

Jason Wood

[email protected]

 

Happy fall, Class of 1996! 2020 is right around the corner, can you believe it? Summer seems to just zoom by. I hope that everyone had a great past couple months enjoying the sun and warmth while we have it. Speaking of warmth, for work I had to attend a conference down in Los Angeles and was fortunate enough to make a leisurely trip up the California coast ending up in San Francisco. While in that city, I was able to spend some quality time with ELKE SPORSEEN BETONTE ’96 and KIM PHU ’96, catching up on everything old and new.

I am still making it out to Wisconsin a couple times a year to see my family, and it is always great to do a mini-reunion with fellow alumni while I am in the “motherland.” This past June, I was able to head down to Chicago to see KARI LEE ’96 and JOAN GRZESINSKI ’96, enjoying the offerings of the Parkway Bank Park Entertainment District. 

JERI BELONGIA LOEWE ’96 of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, is project manager in Performance Excellence with Agnesian Healthcare. “I hope to use my skills in process improvement and my passion for prevention along with a love and empathy for people to continue to make our healthcare systems better and our communities stronger.”

I know it seems far away BUT remember that 2021 is our 25th anniversary. Start planning now because I would love to see you all there! Meanwhile, please go out and support Ripon College in any way you can. Not only donating monetarily, but always promoting and recommending the College to friends and family.  

Have a great winter – hopefully it won’t be too cold out there this year. 

Regards,
JASON WOOD ’96

Submitted by: Jason Wood

Angela Keith

928-380-1880 / [email protected]

Vince Padilla

[email protected]

 Amy DeKeyser Padilla

 [email protected]

 

Dear Class of 1995: There are so many exciting things to report in this fall letter, so let’s jump right in!

First and perhaps the most exciting, next summer we celebrate our 25-year reunion! I’m a little in awe of that number. When I used to volunteer at Alumni Weekends, I’d look at those coming back for their 25th and think “Wow, they’re getting old!” Well, now I’m just hoping nobody thinks the same about us. This is a big one, so PLEASE consider planning your summer vacation around coming back to Ripon for Alumni Weekend 2020, which will be June 26-28.

Lodging already is available at Comfort Suites under the Alumni Weekend block, while other hotels are still in the works. If you want to really take a trip down memory lane, you also can reserve on-campus housing in the dorms. More detailed information will be available closer to the date, but again, we’d really love to see so many of you come back and reminisce with us! If anyone wants to help with reunion planning, let us know!

A new addition to the Ripon website has been created! Check out www.ripon.edu/rconnections. Here you will find news, alumni gatherings, obituaries, class letters and photos. You also can submit your own news and information.

On May 1, Ripon College held its second annual #OneDayRally, where alumni banded together on social media to support our alma mater. There were 1,446 alumni who made donations to the Ripon Fund, totaling $1,085,314. What a fantastic fundraising effort! Thanks to all of you who donated to the College in the last fiscal year, whether it was during the #OneDayRally or another time. The College and its current students truly appreciate our support.

In some personal news, Vince and I are taking life on the road!  For those of you who may not be Facebook friends with us and know this already, we have decided to take life in a non-traditional direction. Before another long Wisconsin winter sets in, we hope to purge most of our belongings, sell our house, move into our RV and travel the country. It is a concept called full-time RV’ing, and an estimated one million people are already doing it. We look forward to new adventures, and also plan to share our journey on social media under the brand “We Could Be Lost.” We hope you will follow us!

We’ll be in touch with more reunion information as soon as possible. We’re already looking forward to seeing everyone next summer!

AMY DEKEYSER PADILLA ’95

GREGORY “GREG” FLEGEL ’95 is a senior revenue analyst with Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. He also serves on the board of directors of Woodland Pattern Book Center. 

Submitted by: Amy DeKeyser Padilla

Kimberly Woolley

[email protected] / www.facebook.com/kimbo.woolley / www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-woolley-a903959

 

TODD JOHNSON ’94 of Powell, Wyoming, received the Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Citation during Alumni Weekend in June. He is retired as a lieutenant colonel after a 22-year career in the U.S. Army and now is a park ranger with the National Park Service.

KATRIN HERBOLSHEIMER LINDBERG ’94 of Hastings, Minnesota: “I am being recognized in the top 10% of Farmers Insurance agents for the eighth year in a row.”

MICHAEL BASILE ’94 retired as the coach for the Pewaukee High School boys’ basketball team after his twins graduated from Pewaukee and headed off to college.

MICHELLE BENEDICT ’94 of Honolulu Oahu, spends up to 20 hours a week teaching tricks to puffer fish at the Dolphin Quest in Hawaii. She has taught more than 15 species and more than 50 individual fish impressive cognitive games that can take between a few sessions and a few months. Her video of a trained puffer fish has gone viral with over 13 million views. Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/any-fin-is-possible-meet-the-reel-y-obedient-fish–who-can-perform-tricks-from-swimming-through-hoops-to-recognising-shapes-and-colours/vi-BBLU3Eb. 

TODD JOHNSON ’94 also was featured in a short documentary film about veterans working in the National Park Service. He works as a park ranger and social media coordinator for the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Lovell, Wyoming. Todd also wrote a blog, “President Trump Needs to make some Huuuge Changes, and Soon.”  My favorite line from the blog is: “The Trump decision-making matrix seems to have more in common with an Etch-A-Sketch than a deliberative process.” You can read the full blog at: https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/335317-president-trump-needs-to-make-some-huuuge-changes-and

DREW PETERSEN ’94 of Middleton, Wisconsin, was elected president of the University of Wisconsin System’s governing board June 7. He will determine committee memberships, sign contracts and represent the Regents in front of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the state Legislature during his one-year term.

Submitted by: Kimberly Woolley

Melinda Trainor Hutchinson

651-259-3459 / [email protected]

 

Hi, All. I hope you are all doing well and keeping busy. I know I have been! Busy enough to make this quite a short letter. Make sure that you’re checking in on ripon.edu and/or social media for the latest College updates. 

CHAD LOWERY ’93 was back on campus this spring since his son was selected to be a Badger Boy. Chad says, “It was wonderful to see the campus as well as stop by Roadhouse for my very favorite chicken sandwich with cheese puffs. The food tasted the same and brought back memories of some very good times.”

TERRI MORGAN ’93 earned her graduate certificate in real estate development from Portland State University (December 2018) and her Economic Development Finance Professional Certificate from National Development Council (spring 2019). 

Send your updates — we’d love to hear from you! Make sure you keep your contact information updated so you don’t miss any Ripon news. Contact the Alumni Office directly with changes at [email protected] or via U.S. mail to the Alumni Office, Ripon College, PO Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971.  

Thank you!

MELINDA

Submitted by: Melinda Trainor Hutchinson

JuDee Stojsavljevic Fischer

262-681-8509 / [email protected]

Bonni Dembroski Fredrick

262-796-1531 / [email protected]

Erin Marie McCormack

[email protected]

 

Greetings, Class of 1992. I am writing to you on this occasion from the hallowed halls of Ripon College, the nice lounge area in the lower level of Pickard Commons to be exact. It’s a beautiful space and very peaceful in the summer months. I can imagine that the energy of the students just brings it alive during the school year. And this fall, Ripon will welcome 253 new freshmen to campus bringing even more energy to the student body. Which is why I’m on campus right now. It is summer orientation for those incoming students and I have a new role in the Ripon family: as a parent of a student. Jonathan and I are thrilled that our daughter has chosen Ripon as the place that felt like home and where she will be spending the next four years.

While on campus, I had the opportunity to speak to our classmate TARA LACHAPELL ’92, executive director of information technology services, following her presentation to incoming students and their parents. I learned then that Tara’s son also had attended Ripon. I am also aware that JASON ZANCK ’92 and STACY SEEFELDT ZANCK ’93 are the parents of a current student at Ripon, and it got me wondering how many of us have sent legacy students on to Ripon as well. So if you have a child who has either graduated from Ripon already or is a current student, reach out and share that news. We’d all love to hear from you.

There is actually an amazing new alumni website portal, www.ripon.edu/rconnections, that allows us to each individually post our updates and you can even post pictures. You can search the portal by class year and other criteria and see all the latest happening with your classmates. It’s a great tool for staying in touch with Ripon and connect to the vast alumni network we have. Check it out today, and while you are there catching up on what is going on with your old Ripon friends, be sure to make your own post by clicking on the “Add My Story” button and let us all know what is new in your world or share some pictures from your latest gathering with Ripon friends.

On the subject of class updates, congratulations to AMIE DOUGHTY ’92 on her promotion to full professor of English at SUNY Oneonta. You can read more about what is going on with Amy and her involvement with the Popular Culture Association. Thank you to Amie for using the new R Connections site!

TARA LACHAPELL ’92, executive director of informational technology at Ripon College, was part of the panel “Women in Leadership: Driving a Culture of Inclusivity” June 25, 2019, at the ACUHO-I 2019 Conference & Expo in Toronto, Canada.

LISA MAHNKE ’92 of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, has joined Bicycle Therapeutics as senior vice president and head of clinical. Bicycle Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pioneering a new class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide product platform.

Warm Regards,

BONNI DEMBROSKI FREDRICK ’92

 

Submitted by: Bonni Fredrick Dembroski

Tracy Maher

401-225-9189 / [email protected]

Samantha Bailey

612-978-4124 / [email protected]

 

Greetings, Class of 1991! Welcome to the fall 2019 class letter. I think we may be in a fallow period — fewer exciting weddings/births/job changes but not yet time for announcing retirements or updates about children moving into the weddings-and-births phase. Updates are a bit sparse — not sure if the switch to the electronic in the spring/paper in the fall has thrown us off our rhythm, but I opted to duplicate the updates from spring so the messages below are a mix of a few you may have seen online in the spring with a couple new. Please take this as a cue to do some sharing even if you’re experiencing mid-life stasis. 

SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91: “Marking a year at Optum. Grateful for challenging work and a steady paycheck; less so for a nasty commute fighting the Minneapolis traffic. Spouse and kiddo will leave soon for their annual road trip to Canada, giving me several weeks of solitude that I look forward to more than I actually enjoy. We’re deep in the season where I neglect housework in favor of yard work and I have the mosquito bites to prove it. By the time this letter is published, the vegetable garden will have been harvested and put to bed but at the moment the plants are still spindly and it’s hard to imagine that lush end of summer bonanza.”

KARL FELD ’91: “It’s summer in the Carolinas. I’m planning a weekend getaway with all three daughters to the Carolina beach for Father’s Day and a big trip out to LA for the Fourth with my kids still living at home. Moved into a new home last month but still in North Carolina and working for Ipsos Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. The move put my studies for Ph.D. exams on hold, but planning to get back to that in the fall. Best to everyone!”

BECKY HUSTAD FREY ’91 and BRIAN FREY ’91: “We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Arizona in October, including Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona and many points in between. It was unseasonably cold and rainy, but we managed to have a great time anyway, hiking and seeing the sights.”  

CHARLIE MERWIN ’91: “Ellen and I are doing great in Barrington, Illinois, where I am still overseeing the Chicago northwest suburbs for a national financial services firm. We had a lot of travel this year with trips to Italy, France and England. Our son, JOHN MERWIN ’16, was in Mozambique with the U.S. Army but is back at Fort Drum, New York, now with his wife REBECCA MCLAIN ’16. Our youngest, Katherine, has graduated from college and lives in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Our latest Ripon “reunion” was at ESA KIRRIKKI’S ’91 wedding last fall in Massachusetts.”

MAURA MURPHY ’91: “I am doing well; still living in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, with my husband, Steve, kids Truman and Claire, and dog Benji – and still working at General Mills. I am looking forward to taking a trip to the Azores this summer with JULIE ARMATOSKI ’91, HEATHER THIEME ’91, RONA HENDERSON PARSONS ’91, KRISTEN GRAY ’91 and VICKI HAAS SYMONDS ’92.”

LORI STITCH ’91: “No earth-shattering news here, since I’ve been staying closer to home lately to dote on our nearly 19-year-old kitty. With being around more, we decided to undertake some fairly significant home-improvement projects (adding several guest suites at our place in Park City … come visit!). We’ve taken a little time off here and there: managed to catch a few of the Sundance Festival films and some skiing in between (15 minutes from sitting in our living room to sitting on the lift!), and we took a four-day mini-break to relax on St. Maarten for Bernie’s 55th birthday. Christmas week in Amsterdam (airline trip), and yesterday I caught a flight to Paris last night to spend a day with him during an airline layover there before returning to the construction. But the most exciting thing lately was petting this moose when she strolled up to me as I was returning with a load of 2×4’s from Home Depot yesterday morning!”

Don’t Forget About Our Facebook Group

If you’re on Facebook, please ask to join our Class of ’91 group for updates and Ripon news. Alternatively, send your email address to [email protected] or text me at 612-978-4124 and I can add you to the group that way. 

Warmly,        

SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91

Submitted by: Samantha Bailey

Robert E. Corkery Jr.

[email protected]

Christina L. Maggio-Kellerstrass

[email protected]

 

Hello Classmates! As always, we hope this greeting finds you doing well!  

As we pen this letter, Alumni Weekend 2019 is now a past happening. It’s our turn next summer, and we certainly hope to have a great turnout for our 30th reunion weekend! Hard to believe that 30 years have gone by … oh where did the time go? Stay tuned for more information via social media, email and snail mail. 

JESSICA THOMAS HANNES ’90 of Kenosha, Wisconsin, is a senior director of global advocacy for Zendesk, a Madison, Wisconsin-based customer service software and support ticket system firm.

SUSAN MORGAN-LAPPE ’90 of Riverwoods, Illinois, is the senior director, Oncology Research and Anti-Cancer Drug Development, for AbbVie Inc. 

If you have news that you want included in the class letter, please send it our way so we can make sure it’s shared with all of you.

Fondly, 

BOB and CHRISTINA 

Submitted by: Robert Corkery

Nikki Zens Lindberg

[email protected]

Mitch Rosin

[email protected]

 

Dear Class of 1989 and Riff-Raff, by the time you read this, we should all have recovered from our 30th Reunion. It was hard to imagine Bovay Terrace as the former Beta Sig basement (and that’s a good thing, a very good thing). Thanks to all who made the trek! Our attendance was an all-time high, with more than 50 of our classmates in attendance — plus lots of Riff Raff!

Other notable changes around campus: two of the former Bovay lounges and several rooms now make up a large game space on the first floor called The Nest. It wasn’t open, but there was a familiar smell of recreational behavior nearby. Some buildings have new names, like Middle Hall is now Smith Hall and Smith is now Anderson. The gym formerly known as Storzer is amazing (and I think called Willmore).

There is a hole downtown where Bender’s once stood, but across the street was a great new brew pub. Roadhouse is very clean and well lit, but the cheese puffs and mozz sticks are still the best, especially since they come with BBQ sauce, and not ranch or marinara!

Thirty years of changes didn’t stop us from lots of reminiscing, reconnecting and memory-making. Be sure to keep in touch with us via the ’89 and Riff Raff Facebook page! Hope to see you all again in five years if not sooner!

NIKKI LINDBERG ’89

MITCH ROSIN ’89

KATHRYN SCHULTZ ’89 received the Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Citation during Alumni Weekend. She has spent 22 years in government service, first in the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and then in the U.S. Department of State where she currently is senior advisor on South Asia, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State.

JAMES CZARNIK ’89 received the Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Citation during Alumni Weekend in June. He is a colonel in the U.S. Army and for more than 30 years has served as a soldier, officer, physician and commander in special operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

SARAH ALMQUIST ’89: “Thank you to everyone who brought their needles and balls to the ‘Happy Hooking’ event! What a great turnout, and a great big thank-you to Gigi who helped us all to yarn bomb that darn tree in the quads. I swear, I was just waiting for Hiroshi to come running out of Beta Sig and light that darn yarn ablaze!”

ALICE GALLAGHER ARCHIBAL ’89: “Thank you to everyone who contributed to Ripon College this spring. It has been a great honor raising money for the College and every penny counts toward something …  even if it doesn’t go to buying new furniture for the dorms or carpeting or paint or anything else we saw at Alumni Weekend. We raised more than $40K!”

TRICIA POTTER BAUER ’89: “Well, I won again. Yes, I won the cheese curd-eating contest at Roadhouse on Friday night of Alumni Weekend for the 53rd Annual Cheese Curd-Eating Contest. I am proud to say that I successfully defended my title as Miss Ripon Curd, having eaten 112 cheese curds in five minutes at our 30th reunion! Burn, baby, burn! (the next morning, of course).”

CAL BERGMAN ’89: “I wish everyone would take college life more seriously. Topics such as ‘Rubbers or Galoshes: How to Choose,’ ‘Fraternity Life: A Brief History of the Naked Beer Slide’ and ‘Rugby: How to Pop Pass Your Balls’ are important topics facing the youths of today. Be serious, people. Great reunion!”

ROXANNE OVERSHINER BOWENS ’89: “It was such a joy to host a Sunday morning walk through the trees on the Ripon College campus during Alumni Weekend. Those of you who joined me, I’m sure, had a wonderful time as we hugged trees, took selfies with trees, and, of course, posed for the best glam shots while looking around trees. I hope to do this for our next big reunion, too! Nothing like wood on a Sunday morning!”

AMY WALDER CARRINGTON ’89: “Screw the White Sox. I’m a G-D CUBS FAN!” 

CRAIG CASPER ’89: “Having recently moved to Mount Juliet, Tennessee, I realized that my dream of moving to another nowhere place isn’t all that. Maybe I should have looked at San Luis Obispo or Boston? Oh, what am I saying?? No place will ever compare to Mount Juliet!”

TOBI CAWTHRA ’89: “What a great Alumni Weekend and 30th Reunion! I had a wonderful time and hope to see everyone again soon.” 

SCOTT CHAMBERS ’89: “It was a true honor to share my family slides from our trip to Washington, D.C., in the Shaler Lounge at Alumni Weekend. Thank you, DONNA DRAKE MUNSCH ’89, for watching the entire show! I didn’t expect it to take 5.5 hours, but your enthusiasm for the bland pushed me to show every single slide from our trip. Thank you also for offering to share your family’s vacation to Tipton, Kansas, on Dropbox. … I can’t wait to see your pics! With a population of only 200, I’m sure you captured everyone in town!”

CAROLYN CLARK ’89: “As the local Marco Island chapter president of the Barbara Bush Foundation, sponsoring a tea during Alumni Weekend (June 28-30) in MLK Lounge to discuss pearl clutching was a highlight of my weekend on campus.” 

GIGI HICKS DECKER ’89: “Wow! As a lifelong ‘Happy Hooker,’ I could not be happier with how our yarn bombing went at Alumni Weekend! I loved throwing open the kimono and sharing my swatches, tassels and that sultry garter stitches! See the pics on the ’89 Facebook page! Including the yarn bombing of Mitch’s head!”

LINDA GLAUBITZ DECRAMER ’89 and LAIRD DECRAMER ’77 of Princeton, Wisconsin, report that both of their children are currently Ripon students. “The Ripon tradition continues. Although our kids are polar opposites, CALLISTA DECRAMER ’20 (suave, sophisticated and likes to tango) and SULLIVAN DECRAMER ’21 (overzealous, long-haired and always looking for cash) both work tirelessly towards their goals.”

PAUL DONALDSON ’89: “Well, I wanted to attend Alumni Weekend, but if I have any chance of beating Mitch on the number of nights in hotels and flights for the year, I need to keep traveling. My stallion, however, was indeed ridden hard and put up wet. Also, my belt buckle is larger than described. Yippie Ki-Yay!”

OUSSAMA EL-HILALI ’89: “I smiled. AND I went to the reunion!”

PAT FLORENCE ’89 didn’t attend Alumni Weekend. He also has no cell phone, avoids social media, and lives the life of a hermit in the mountains outside Albuquerque, where he grows Hatch Green Chilies and mumbles incoherently about how New Mexico chilies are better than anything Marc A. Healy or Craig Casper could ever grow. Way to go, Pat, we will all waive on our way to the balloon festival!

GREG FRASIER ’89 cooked up a storm at Alumni Weekend bringing P.J. Clarke’s famous Crispy Haystack Onions at our 30th Reunion! Greg’s expert use of herbs and spices made mouths drool and eyes pop as we sidled up to the cooker with our Black Label Lights!

DARLENE HONIE-LOYER GERICK ’89: “Wow! What a WONDERFUL 30th Reunion! I loved seeing everyone and the event on Saturday night at Bovay Terrace was fantastic. Of course, with the 18 pounds of coke I brought, we were guaranteed to have a special night. Keep on breaking bad!”

SCOTTIE NICHOLS GIROUARD ’89: “Performing for Doc Woolley at the Alumni Weekend was wonderful. My interpretive dance  ‘A Tribute to Doc Woolley: A Short History of Everything,’ was well-received. I look forward to our next reunion!”

JIM GLADE ’89: “I’ll learn to work the saxophone. I play just what I feel. Drink Scotch whiskey all night long and die behind the wheel.” 

JULIE TAYLOR GONDAR ’89: “I hope everyone had a wonderful time at the reunion. Sorry I couldn’t attend but can’t start early enough on the work needed to get T-Rump out of office!” 

KRIS PEHLE GRASSE ’89: “What an amazing weekend we had at the reunion! I loved seeing everyone and getting my fingers in everyone’s hair! Thanks to everyone who let me fluff, streak and Brazilian!”

BEN GUZMAN ’89 and RAMON GUZMAN ’89: “OK, so fine. We are really the same person. What of it, Healy??”

CHRIS HANNES ’89: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me. Oh, and I did attend the reunion with Jess!”

TED HARWOOD ’89: “Yes, beluga whales. Do you really have to ask? #belugachip Come on, people. This is 2019!”

KATHY HAYEVSKY ’89: “I was totally thrilled to join the festivities at our 30th Reunion. As someone who has spent my entire life in Oak Park, Illinois, getting away for a weekend represented a departure from Ernest Hemingway reading circles and Frank Lloyd Wright house tours that consume my time and attention. Granted, living in the same town that gave us Betty White and Kathy Griffin has produced a little bit of a wild side, but I loved my fancy-free time in Ripon! Ooohh, I still have goose bumps from driving through Fond du Lac!”

KURT HEUSER ’89: “Wow. Alumni Weekend was AMAZING! What a great experience. Of course, it would have been better if someone hadn’t bumped my car, but then again, my pals at Dean Sellers Ford fixed the ding and repainted it! “

DON KOCH JR. ’89: “I am NOT Donald Trump Jr.” 

DAVID LUONGO ’89 reports that he had an amazing Alumni Weekend! He read his favorite selections from “Musings: The Ruminations of Doogie Howser” on Sunday morning at Alumni Weekend. This special event took place in Evans Lounge. Milk was served and a great time was had by all.

JOHN MATHEWSON ’89: “The Alumni Weekend Annual LAX game on Upper Sadoff Field was great! This year we served beef and Guinness hand pies! I also had haggis, but I didn’t share that with anyone. It was just for me.”

DON MCCREATH ’89 attended Alumni Weekend. Yup. He was there all right … photobombing pics, streaking through the quads, and handing out those damn forsythia blooms.

ANNE BURCHMORE MIES ’89: “I can’t thank my photo therapist enough for preparing me for Alumni Weekend. I look fabulous in all the pics and was ready with totally flattering poses.  Thank you all for making our 30th Reunion so much fun!”

KRISTIN ADOMEIT MOORE ’89: “I am so sad that I couldn’t attend our 30th Reunion. But I continue to troll airports for old people in Ripon sweatshirts. It is amazing how many old people wear these things. Of course, none of them actually attended Ripon, but it seems that the sweatshirts are very popular at Goodwill stores.”

DONNA DRAKE MUNSCH ’89: “I attended Alumni Weekend. Got a problem with that?”

BARB THOMPSON PAMPERIN ’89: “Now that I have won BOTH the bean bag tourney at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church AND the Frisbee golf tourney at Alumni Weekend, I plan to focus on tatting doilies! I love those intricate designs, and they look so wonderful on my window sill.” 

PHILIP ROBINSON ’89: “What a great 30th Reunion and Alumni Weekend! While I had planned to have my hair join me for the festivities, it turns out that my hair booked a separate trip to the Maldives and had a great time on its own.” 

AMY ROSNER ’89: “A Lattice Theory Approach to the Structure of Mental Models is selling so good, I was able to take a cruise to Alaska! It was also great to see everyone at Alumni Weekend. Please buy my book!”

PATRICK SCHMIDT ’89 writes that he is still Wally. This was confirmed by his behavior at Alumni Weekend. 

KATHRYN SCHULTZ ’89: “I cannot confirm if I was at Alumni Weekend.” But, she did present the class check, sign the College song, and represented ’89 amazingly well! She also cannot verify that she actually wrote this update for the ’89 newsletter.

DAVE STAPELFELDT ’89: “It was great seeing everyone at our 30th Reunion! Sorry about the smell, but you know I just can’t help myself sometimes. Farting is in my blood, and ya gotta follow your passion. Hope to see all of you at the next World Fart Championships which will be held in January 2020 in the beautiful city of Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä, Finland.”

TIM TOPOREK ’89: “As a lifelong pin-pusher, had an amazing time at Alumni Weekend.” He shared his bowling passion by hosting the internationally acclaimed league team, The Bowling Stones, in a rousing game of lawn bowling on the Tri-Dorms lawn. He also showed off his huge trophy and tournament-winning balls.

RACHEL WALSTAD ’89: “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.”

HEATHER JONES WELLS ’89: “There’s nothing so tragic as seeing a family pulled apart by something as simple as a pack of wolves.”

DAVID WEMETT ’89: “I am so proud of my ‘Pumpkins Painted with Seahorses’ art exhibition! As you all know (because I can see how many of you follow the show online), the show officially opened at the Caestecker Art Gallery during Alumni Weekend. Thank you all for your wonderful comments about the octopi and starfish, also painted on pumpkins. The pumpkins were my favorite. I am excited to announce that the inspiration for my next show came from Alumni Weekend and will be titled, ‘Clamato! Squirt Clams and the Roma Tomato.’”

BARB WHITSTONE ’89: “I love my blue flannel shirt. I wore it at Alumni Weekend. Every day. Even slept in it!”

TIM WIEDMEYER ’89: “Thank you all for supporting the launch of my HGTV show, ‘Tim’s Tools: How to Screw, Grind, and Butt-Weld Like an Expert.’ I am sad to report that the show was short-lived, but will now appear as reruns on TLC (Sundays at 3:30 a.m.). Please watch, I’m hoping to get a new show soon!”

Submitted by: Nicole Lindberg

David Jonas 

202-251- 9640 / [email protected]

 

Kathy Wade 

248-470-4336 / [email protected]

 

Greetings classmates from David! I was just reminded that 35 years ago we were just celebrating our proms and graduation from high school. Several of my classmates from high school have posted a Facebook page and posed the question of getting together, but when I asked on the page what was already planned it was like “radio silence.” Having gone to a school with 400 students in my class, you would think there would be someone out there with some ideas (besides me). Of course, who doesn’t want to visit Chicago in the middle of the summer (HEAT WAVE). I don’t think I have been back to a high school class reunion ever!  

Social media has made the connection of classmates from Ripon and high school seem like we just saw each other yesterday. I feel more connected and am able to follow professors, classmates and the school itself. But Ripon with its small class sizes and location made the friendships formed while in school more lasting and the draw to stay connected easier.  

I would like to share an invitation to the first-ever (or at least since I have lived in 

D.C./Baltimore, 19 years) Ripon Rally Hour at my house Nov. 21 in Baltimore. The D.C. region was looking for locations and if you are in Philly, New York, D.C., Delaware or visiting from out of town, please stop by it really is just a short Uber/drive (or train ride to Penn Station). Really! Email me if you would like to rsvp at [email protected].

MARCIA LIBBY NACHREINER ’88: “I have been teaching elementary music to grades 1-5 for the past three years in Poynette, Wisconsin. Next year it will be grades K-4 in preparation for the move to our new school in 2020. I have two children in college now. Randy is at UW-Parkside and Libby is at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. My youngest, Linnea, will be a junior in high school this fall.”

CARL TOMPKINS ’88: “I quit my job last year and used my GI Bill to get a paramedic license. I am almost done. If you want to reach me, my email address is [email protected].”

WADE WICKUS ’88:“We live in Cincinnati Ohio. Almaluna is 5 and Mateo is 7. Maryliana and I are having a blast in Ohio with the kids. We go to Wisconsin every Fourth of July. My email is: [email protected] should anyone want to be old-fashioned and email me vs Facebook. 

“I created a Brockway Bash page on Facebook to keep those memories alive. There are some great nuggets out there. If anyone has other pictures or other things to post, please let me know. I am happy to do so.”

MICHELLE EBERT WITT ’88: “I’m still keeping in regular contact with MARIE MATTIA ’88, PHIL TROBAUGH ’88 and PAT GONYO ’88. Coming back for Alumni Weekend was special this year to see KATHRYN SCHULTZ ’89 receive a Distinguished Alumni Award. Being invited to sing the Alma Mater at the Saturday luncheon with her and other folks from ’89/’90 was a real treat! It was my first time back not on a class reunion year and it was just as interesting to see people I spent at least three years with at Ripon. I highly recommend coming back for a visit if it has been a while.”

In closing, we want to thank everyone who contributed to the 2018-2019 Ripon Fund.  

Submitted by: David Jones

Dorrie Smith Scranton

860-455-6108 / [email protected]

Chris Templeton

312-402-6207 / [email protected]

 

Hello, Class of 1987! As always, we hope this note finds you well. As we write this letter, other classes are celebrating their reunions, so let the countdown begin: three years until our 35th Ripon College reunion. Or is it our 25th? 40th? Save the date!

We’ve seen a lot of you celebrating anniversaries and graduations. Takes us back to our graduation so many years ago on that hot spring day.

DORRIE and CHRIS

GEOFF BLANCO ’87 is president of Riggs Outdoor Power Equipment, an established retailer in northwestern Indiana. Check it out if you’re need for tractor supply equipment. 

MICHAEL J. BROSE ’87 of New Richmond, Wisconsin, was appointed to Gov. Tony Evers’ Governor’s Judicial Selection Advisory Committee, responsible for interviewing and recommending candidates to the governor for consideration when he fills judicial vacancies. Brose practices civil litigation with an emphasis on plaintiff’s personal injury at Doar, Drill & Skow, S.C. in New Richmond. Brose is a contributing author to The Wisconsin Rules of Evidence: A Courtroom Handbook.

JENNIFER BROWN FRY ’87 celebrates her daughter’s graduation from medical school – what an amazing accomplishment!  

BETSY MEYERS KNIGHT ’87 shares a proud Mom moment as her son, David, is off to Minneapolis for a summer internship at Collins Aerospace. How exciting!

SCOTT MULLIN ’87 is enjoying his summer and looking to lead a group of local classmates on a spring 2020 hiking and canoeing trip in the Wisconsin north woods. Contact him if you’re interested.

 

Submitted by: Dorrie Smith Scranton

Dan McNaughton

612-209-2996 / [email protected]

 

HENRY ALAN LEONARD ’86 of Cape May, New Jersey, is the new rector of Church of the Advent. He began officiating at services Feb. 3, 2019. He previously served in Boiling Springs, South Carolina.

DOUGLAS COLE ’86 was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He is a partner at Organ Cole LLP in Columbus, Ohio, representing clients in complex litigation and intellectual property matters.

JOE CULLEN ’86 has been named chief investment officer at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, with his duties beginning Sept. 16, 2019. Cullen will be responsible for managing the investment portfolios of Penn State’s more than $4 billion long-term investment pool. He previously was the chief investment officer for the Montana Board of Investments and head of institutional portfolio management at Fidelity Investments in Boston.

CONNIE REDMANN JARVIS ’86 of Caryville, Florida: “Retired from the city of Cape Coral, Florida, in January 2018. Moved to north Florida to be in the country.”

PAUL WITT ’86 of Eagle, Colorado: “Living in Eagle, Colorado, for 22 years now and still loving it. I’m finishing up my fourth year of teaching fifth grade (career #4!) and I think I’ve finally found what I want to do when I grow up. I do still work part time for Vail Resorts as well, and just hit my 25th anniversary with them which means a lifetime ski pass! My oldest son, Ben, graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy this May and is commissioning into the Marines as a 2nd lieutenant, heading to flight school in Pensacola. My middle son, David, is finishing his second year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and will be playing with tanks and armored vehicles this summer. Youngest son Sebastian (currently a sophomore in high school) has been named to the AAU National Karate team and will be heading to Budapest and Slovakia to compete in June before heading off on a service trip to Nepal in July. If anyone ever gets up to the Vail/Beaver Creek area, let me know!”

Submitted by: Dan McNaughton

Heather McFadden Barrie

262-628-1377 /  [email protected]

 

The Powerful Impact College Has on Our Life Beyond Graduation

While we may reminisce about our high school years – sporting achievements, academic successes, first dates, first break-ups, homecoming, prom, graduation, etc. – those memories represent a chunk of time in our life that is finite. It’s four years, surrounded by four walls, that left a stamp on our lives forever between the ages of 14 and 18.

Reminiscing about our college experience, however, has no border. Our college experience resonates within our daily lives from the moment we graduate to the day we die. Our college experience shapes our lives forever.

Ripon College has … in some shape or form …

• Developed our independence
• Made us our own best self-advocate
• Sharpened our risk-taking skills
• Tested our ability to negotiate
• Mastered our problem-solving abilities
• Forced us to be excellent communicators
• Armed us to persevere during any headwind

And most importantly …

• Set the stage for us to become lifelong learners

Our college years tug at our heart strings, too, as classmates respond to “The thing I miss most about college life is … ”

• Seeing all my best friends from Ripon every day! – JULI WELK JENSEN ’85
• Playing cribbage with friends. – JOHN SHORT ’85
• Hanging out with RUTH ANNE GERO ADAMS ’85 every day. Talking to Dr. Schang. – KATHIE BRINKMAN ’85
• … feeling I was actually in control of my schedule! – JIM ESTEN ’85

Ahhhh, to go back to our college days … not necessary. We live those days every day by the person we’ve become because of our college experience.

However, if those heartstring memories of your college experience are tugging at you more and more, then it’s time, my fellow classmates, to mark your calendar for our 35th Ripon College Reunion – June 25-28, 2020!  

Stay tuned for more information! And, if you’re interested in serving on the 35th Ripon College Reunion planning committee, let me know! I know I’m looking forward to next year’s reunion.

Here’s to memories – living them every day!

HEATHER MCFADDEN BARRIE ’85

Submitted by: Heather McFadden Barrie

Virginia Vicha Erickson

847-546-2775 / [email protected] 

 

Connie Herbon Moser

847-372-5410/ [email protected]

Wow, our 35th college reunion has come and gone. What a weekend! So many highlights to mention. Many started the weekend playing in the Doc Weiske Charity Golf Scramble.  Highlights of the golf scramble: a) JAYNE RASMUSSEN EMORY ’84, KEVIN KING ’82 and their golf partners won first place. b) KEVIN and LORI JONES KING ’84 hosted the after-party. THANKS Kevin and Lori. c) CONNIE HERBON MOSER ’84 won the Yeti cooler. And d) all of us mortal golfers came in somewhere south of Jayne and Kevin but had an awesome time!  Other golfers included SUE SHEPHERD ’84, LINDA ANDERSON ’84, CINDY BEHNKE ’85, DONNA REARDON GOLDBERG ’84, VICKI VICHA ERICKSON ’84, MIKE FRANCOLUCCI ’84, GREG HALVORSON ’84, MARK SPRAGUE ’84, SCOTT MILLER ’85, MIKE ALBERTSON ’84, JAY HYUCK ’84, and GEORGE POULETTE ’84. The golf tournament raised more than $40,000 and including more than 250 golfers!

Between the golf tournament and the Blues & BBQ party on Saturday night, many groups caught up, talked about college memories and enjoyed each other’s company; most frequented old haunts like the Goose Blind (sorry we missed you BRIAN BAXTER ’84), Norton’s and new restaurants like Thunderboss in Green Lake; many were in awe of the new Willmore health and wellness facility; some ran/walked in the 5k (alright 2.6 miles, but who’s counting … ); some attended the awards ceremony where the class of 1984 were represented well with more than $67k in donations for the reunion year and more than $300k in the last five years (THANK YOU for supporting Ripon College); some boated and thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Green Lake with Todd Anderson ’84; some took in the lacrosse game; some saw the amazing renovations of first floor of Lane Library that is being transformed into  collaborative space); and some joined us at the many festivities the College had to offer.

We capped off the reunion Saturday night at the Blues & BBQ dinner where Dave Shogren ’84 and his band entertained us and invited Kurt Dietrich, Ripon’s big band jazz director, Greg Halvorsen ’84 and Mike Kennedy to join them. THANK YOU to Dave and the band for wonderful music and camaraderie. Also, Paul Schoofs, recently retired economics professor, stopped by to catch up and relax with the Class of 1984. Paul, thank you for all that you have done and given to the College over the years, and we wish you the best in retirement. 

Finally, while at the BBQ, we asked the attendees to write down their favorite memories or most fun part of the 35th reunion. Here are their responses:

• Gooseblind in Green Lake
• Golfing at Lawsonia
• 35 years of catching up with friends
• Reconnecting with all
• I don’t remember (of course we had to put this comment in there MIKE GALVAN ’84)
• Touring Willmore
• Tray ball behind the Phi Delta lounge
• Ripon fans rolling half barrels down the hill at the baseball field during the game with Lawrence
• Experiencing a perfect Wisconsin weekend
• Old “war stories” 
• Playing music with my former big band jazz director – DAVE SHOGREN ’84

The most frequent comment/question of all was “how do we motivate more people to attend the reunion weekends”? Now, some reached out but could not attend for various family reasons; TOM HORVATH ’84, MIKE SCHULTZ ’84, ANNE WILLIAMS LUNDBERG ’84, MIKE ’84 and KI ’83 MULFORD, ERIC LUSTY ’84 and BRIDGET ROWLEY SARNO ’84. We would like to hear what would bring you back to Ripon for a reunion. We already are planning for our 40th, so we encourage you to go online and update your info. We will reach out in the coming years to hear your thoughts around our 40th reunion. In the meantime, be well.

DAVE SHOGREN ’84 of Maplewood, Missouri, a Trustee of Ripon College, has been appointed to a two-year term on the U.S. Trade Finance Advisory Council by the U.S.  Commerce Department. The council is the principal advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on finance options for U.S. exporters. Shogren is president of U.S. International Foods LLC.

KAREN JOHNSON WILKEN ’84 and DIRK WILKIN ’81 moved from Brookfield to Delafield last year, “so we’ve been spending a lot of our spare time figuring out which household project to tackle next! Dirk celebrated 26 years at Harley-Davidson this summer with plans to hang on for a few more years before retiring. Seems like we have a culling of senior employees on an annual basis, so nothing is guaranteed.” Karen is still working at a charitable foundation, a job she’s had since 2002. Both their girls are out of school and out of state. Their older daughter lives in Indianapolis and their younger one lives in Durham, North Carolina. Both are gainfully employed and mostly liking their jobs. No news of romantic entanglements yet. 

Submitted by: Connie Herbon Moser

Barb Williams Clay

612-749-5010 / [email protected]

 

Greetings, Class of 1983. We have reached the end of an era with the last of our professors, “Doctor Bob” Wallace and Professor Paul Schoofs, retiring. It is with a sad heart that Ripon had to say good-bye to Julie Johnson, coach and athletic director, who lost her battle to cancer. A court in Weiske Gymnasium in the new Willmore Center recently was renamed the Johnson/Gillespie Court in her honor.

Spring in Paris was a highlight and I was able to meet up with PAUL EVENSEN ’83 for dinner (which happened to be the day that Notre Dame caught fire). My travel mates and I were thankful that we had the opportunity to see Notre Dame on the Saturday before it burned. Paul sends a big hello to his Ripon friends.

PATRICK YARBROUGH ’83 of Rockford, Illinois, will retire as associate circuit judge of the 17th Circuit Court on Aug. 31, 2019.

Thank you, Class of 1983, for an excellent demonstration of support for the May 1 #OneDayRally. Our class topped the chart with a donation of $129,259 and provided 12% of the total $1,085,314. Increasing our participation rate to be in the top 10 will be our next goal.

It’s fun to read class notes, so please contact me with updates to share.

 

Thanks,

BARB

Submitted by: Barb Williams Clay

Catherine Lothrop Hager   
925-984-6713 / [email protected]

 

Peter Hintz
920-229-4399 / [email protected]

 

Kristen Rasmussen Olson 

507-279-1091 / [email protected]  

 

Hello classmates: Your Class Agents send you greetings as we enjoy these warm days of summer! 

 

The last weekend of June is a special time every year, as Ripon College puts together a bash that is enjoyed by 500 or more alumni. For those of you who were able to attend Alumni Weekend at the end of June, we thank you for your efforts to stay connected. For those who could not attend, we hope to see you another time. Enjoying the reunion this year from the class of 1982 were PETRA JONES-TRUJILLO ’82, LISA MURPHY STAMOS ’82, LAUREL STEWART ’82, KRISTEN RASMUSSEN OLSON ’82, PETER HINTZ ’82, NANCY BUCK HINTZ ’82, LINDA JENSEN HALL ’82, WILLIAM FIEDLER ’82, TOBY STORZER ’82, ASHLEY COOPER ’82, DAVID WOOLF ’82 and KEVIN KING ’82. I apologize if I have missed the names of others who were there.

Over the weekend, various classmates from our graduating class enjoyed the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble on Thursday, the 12th Annual All-Alumni Reception at The Spot (formerly The Pub) on Friday evening, the Rally Run on Saturday morning, and other events throughout the weekend, including the “That Was Then” memory sharing, the Class March and All-Campus Lunch, the Alumni Lacrosse Game, the State of the College address, the Saturday evening All-Alumni Party and the Farewell Brunch. Other great activities offered included the Farr Hall Seminar, tennis, Frisbee golf, cycling, Greek socials and a Walk on the Prairie with Professor of Biology Emeritus Skip Wittler. There were more events than a single person could attend, but there was something for nearly everyone! One of our classmates, BILL FIEDLER ’82, was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday evening! Classmates from 1982 (and a couple of extras) gathered at Christianos in Green Lake for dinner on Saturday evening, and many stories were shared!

SIOBHAN CHAMP-BLACKWELL ’82: “STEVE SHEA ’82 and I have been working together, virtually, to assist in a workshop that will be offered in Madison, Wisconsin, in October 2019. The Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association is holding a full-day workshop so that librarians in Wisconsin, Illinois and surrounding states can learn more about being part of the disaster response and preparedness efforts in their communities. It’s been great fun to reach out to Steve for assistance in locating local speakers. His position on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors provides him insight into the emergency response workforce in the Madison area.  You never know when a fellow alum will have the exact answers that you need!”

Class Financial Update

June 30 was the end of the fiscal year, and our class held strong with 33% participation and a total of $55,464 in giving. This is just down from our reunion year of $62,000, but well over the trend of previous years (30K-45K range). Thank you all for stepping up and remembering Ripon College in your annual giving.

#OneDayRally (May 1) brought in more than $2 million dollars to the Ripon Fund, overall. Alumni support for this event was overwhelming. As a matter of fact, the College said that they saw more Ripon Fund donors this year than in the past five years!

Additional opportunities to participate in giving include the 1851 Club, which includes members who are philanthropic leaders at Ripon, committing to a gift of at least $1,000 a year. Members are honored with special 1851 Club ribbons at events and receive exclusive invites to presidential receptions. Ripon relies on the foundation these lead donors provide as their generosity helps plan for current and future needs of the College. 

Alumni who commit to including Ripon in their will or estate plans are named “Partners.” They also are noted as such by a ribbon at events. Ripon College honors the reunion class with the most new Partners each year during the Big Check presentation during the Alumni Weekend Saturday picnic. Lisa Ellis, associate vice president for advancement, is the staff point of contact for planned giving. She can be reached at [email protected] or 920-748-8349. See more about planned giving here: http://ripongiftplanning.org/?pageID=1003.

One final note: for those of you who have college-age children (or grandchildren, not too far in the future), please remember that Ripon’s curriculum and liberal arts education are as strong as ever! It is wonderful to see the legacy of two or more generations of a family attending Ripon. I (Kristen) am proud to see the legacy sticker on my nametag at each reunion! When looking at colleges for our daughter, we found Ripon’s cost to be very comparable to the state schools that were under consideration. Legacy funding is available, as well. Please see [email protected] for more information, or contact EMILY SHEEKS INGEMANN ’12, assistant director of admission, [email protected], or call 920-748-8744.

Thank you all for your support this year in giving, attending events and promoting Ripon College to your respective networks. So many of us feel fortunate to have made lifelong connections with classmates and remember our years at Ripon College very fondly.

We gratefully accept any class news you’d like to provide for our next newsletter. Please contact Kristen at [email protected], Peter at [email protected] or Cathy at [email protected].

Respectfully submitted,

Your Class Agents,

KRISTEN RASMUSSEN OLSON ’82

PETER HINTZ ’82

CATHY LOTHROP HAGER ’82

Submitted by: Kristen Rasmussen Olson

Larry Nikolaus

[email protected]

 

Class of ’81, belated or early happy 60th. From the pictures I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard, we are doing OK. Each time I have the chance to meet with one or our classmates it seems like only yesterday that we were in Ripon.

My wife, KATHERINE HARBUT NIKOLAUS ’81, and I had two Ripon visitors this summer. TOM ABENDROTH ’81 and his wife, Terri, visited Colorado Springs and joined us for dinner in June. Tom and Terri are living near Chicago and working as partners for their respective law firms.

In July, DONNA LESLIE ’81 was touring Colorado and we had the chance to take her to the top of America’s mountain (Pikes Peak) and enjoy some kayaking in local reservoir. Donna has retired from the Army as is currently living in Greensboro, North Carolina, with plans to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, when her house is completed.

MICHELE JAROSZ BATTLE ’81 is working in regulatory affairs at a plasma collection company, Octapharma Plasma Inc., at the corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. She deals with FDA, Europe, State and local regulatory agencies on all aspects of the business. Her husband, Tom, is working as an extractive metallurgy consultant so they do a lot of traveling to meetings all over the USA. Their son, Daniel, is working at Amazon as a programmer, and their daughter, Sarah, is getting ready to graduate from North Carolina, Chapel Hill with a degree is sports medicine. Michele is keeping busy and likes to stay in touch via email or messaging.

DIRK WILKIN ’81 and KAREN JOHNSON WILKEN ’84 moved from Brookfield to Delafield last year, “so we’ve been spending a lot of our spare time figuring out which household project to tackle next! Dirk celebrated 26 years at Harley-Davidson this summer with plans to hang on for a few more years before retiring. Seems like we have a culling of senior employees on an annual basis, so nothing is guaranteed.” Karen is still working at a charitable foundation, a job she’s had since 2002. Both their girls are out of school and out of state. Their older daughter lives in Indianapolis and their younger one lives in Durham, North Carolina. Both are gainfully employed and mostly liking their jobs. No news of romantic entanglements yet. 

LARRY

Submitted by: Larry Nikolaus