Summer 2006 - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...
Summer 2006 - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...
Summer 2006 - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...
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‘Take charge’<br />
Retiring Dean Mike Nelson challenges<br />
action among higher ed supporters<br />
T<br />
o many people in Wisconsin, higher education<br />
is confusing, and is out <strong>of</strong> touch with reality.<br />
Michael Cohen and James March, in their book<br />
on the College Presidency, described universities as<br />
organized anarchies: “We do not know what the<br />
American <strong>University</strong> is doing. Its goals are either<br />
vague or in dispute. Its technology is familiar, but not<br />
understood. Its major participants wander in and out.<br />
These factors do not make a university a bad<br />
organization or a disorganized one, but they do make it<br />
a problem to describe, understand and lead.”<br />
I certainly argue this belief over generalizes and<br />
trivializes higher education. However, numerous<br />
governmental leaders, individuals and organizations<br />
seem not to understand higher education in Wisconsin,<br />
and believe public universities have run amuck,<br />
especially in these times <strong>of</strong> economic belt tightening.<br />
Therefore, UW-L must respond in the very near future<br />
in a positive and proactive manner. To paraphrase the<br />
philosopher Socrates, I cannot advise that UW-L<br />
remain where it is. The opportunities are here and we<br />
must mobilize to take charge <strong>of</strong> the changes, and to<br />
manage our own accountability.<br />
“Broad changes sweeping through Wisconsin have<br />
created unprecedented opportunities for UW-L;<br />
the ‘rubber has hit the road.’ Faculty, staff,<br />
students and friends must step in, grab the bull<br />
by the horns, and meet these challenges head on.”<br />
— Michael E. Nelson<br />
UW-L has entered into an era <strong>of</strong> needed revision<br />
that is unprecedented in the history <strong>of</strong> the university as<br />
we simply cannot afford to cling to policies and<br />
methods because “that’s the way they’ve always been<br />
done.” The <strong>University</strong> must adapt to the challenges put<br />
forth by the governor and legislature, and the general<br />
public, or we will become passive bystanders to<br />
governmental and societal changes. We must<br />
reorganize ourselves into the university <strong>of</strong> the future.<br />
We must demonstrate a renewed commitment to<br />
students, progress, quality, accountability, innovation,<br />
and continual transformation.<br />
As for faculty and staff, we must become more<br />
politically active. This action can take a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
forms from letter writing and personal contacts to<br />
locating and backing political candidates supportive <strong>of</strong><br />
higher education. I have long suggested a linking <strong>of</strong><br />
arms as we march around the Wisconsin State House.<br />
Michael E. Nelson<br />
The <strong>University</strong> also must present a better case for<br />
higher education to the general public. A recent public<br />
opinion poll indicates that many Wisconsin citizens<br />
believe the university is over funded, over staffed and<br />
has too many administrators. This perception problem<br />
can only be addressed if all staff members, and friends<br />
<strong>of</strong> the university, better demonstrate the value <strong>of</strong> our<br />
work, and clearly communicate our mission and vision.<br />
As for our Wisconsin leaders, I ask that you have a<br />
positive vision for the future <strong>of</strong> higher education, and I<br />
challenge you to state, in a public forum, the following:<br />
The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin System is a tremendous<br />
asset to the state. The governor and the legislature are<br />
committed to working with the UW System to help<br />
overcome the budget difficulties and to make the<br />
System even stronger.<br />
Broad changes sweeping through Wisconsin have<br />
created unprecedented opportunities for UW-L; the<br />
“rubber has hit the road.” Faculty, staff, students and<br />
friends must step in, grab the bull by the horns, and<br />
meet these challenges head on. If we all work together,<br />
all work in a smart fashion, then we are going to win,<br />
and the UW-L community will be much richer for the<br />
experience.<br />
Michael E. Nelson<br />
Nelson is leaving UW-L in June after 36 years in higher<br />
education, including the last eight as dean <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Science and Health. He <strong>of</strong>fers this advice to the incoming<br />
dean and the faculty.
Band debuts uniforms at Lambeau<br />
The Screaming Eagles unveiled new uniforms during a pre-game<br />
performance Dec. 11, 2005, for the Packers/Lions game at Lambeau<br />
Field. The Eagles were supposed to play at a Monday night game in<br />
November, but the marketing <strong>of</strong>fice double booked the halftime<br />
performance. Packer <strong>of</strong>ficials <strong>of</strong>fered the Sunday gig, plus a halftime<br />
performance this fall. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Band<br />
Director Tammy Fisher about the band’s performance with new<br />
uniforms in front <strong>of</strong> 70,000.<br />
10 Healthy programs<br />
In 1994 when the UW Board <strong>of</strong> Regents met on campus, System President<br />
Katharine Lyall declared La Crosse “the western hub <strong>of</strong> allied health.” Just over a<br />
decade later, that prophetic plan has come to fruition.<br />
12 A lasting pride in UW-L<br />
When prospective student Ernie Hanson visited campus in 1934, he met<br />
La Crosse State Teachers College President George Snodgrass. With only $10 to<br />
his name, Hanson asked for Snodgrass’ assistance. The president helped Hanson<br />
enroll and find a way to financially plan for two years <strong>of</strong> college before he<br />
transferred to Madison to become an attorney. Hanson hasn’t forgotten<br />
Snodgrass and other campus faculty who helped him realize his dreams.<br />
16 Three alumni honored<br />
Alums from the ’90s joined one from ’69 as distinguished alumni for <strong>2006</strong>. Jay<br />
Hertel, ’93, a respected athletic trainer, and Michelle Schry, ’92, general manager<br />
<strong>of</strong> the People’s Food Co-op in La Crosse, received the Rada Distinguished<br />
Alumnus Award. Duncan Cameron, ’69, past chair and CEO <strong>of</strong> Vanguard<br />
Distributing in Bettendorf, Iowa, received the Maurice O. Graff Distinguished<br />
Alumnus Award.<br />
26 Grad makes a name in the long run<br />
Don Fritsch, ’80 & ’93, had a challenge when he took over a highly successful<br />
cross country program on campus. He’s answered the call — and the Eagles are<br />
still leading the pack. Fritsch has guided the Eagles to two National Collegiate<br />
Athletic Association Division III titles, including one last November.<br />
Departments<br />
2 What’s happening<br />
on campus<br />
16 Especially for<br />
alumni<br />
24 Foundation update<br />
26 Athletics<br />
22 La Crosse ties<br />
41 Coulee Coda<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
1<br />
Photo by Jim Jorstad, Instructional Technology
What’s happening on campus<br />
Chancellor Hastad leaving; Hitch is interim<br />
Chancellor Doug Hastad worked<br />
at UW-L through May and will<br />
begin a new position in July as<br />
president <strong>of</strong> Carroll College in<br />
Waukesha. UW System President<br />
Kevin Reilly has named Provost<br />
Elizabeth Hitch as interim<br />
chancellor.<br />
“Chancellor Hastad has<br />
positioned UW-La Crosse as a<br />
vibrant place to live and learn,”<br />
says Reilly. “Provost Hitch has the<br />
leadership, experience and<br />
devotion to UW-La Crosse<br />
necessary to provide excellent<br />
interim leadership for the<br />
campus.”<br />
Alumnus<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-La Crosse<br />
<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong>, Vol. 32, No. 2<br />
The Alumnus is published in June and December for alumni<br />
and friends <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-La Crosse.<br />
Deadline for copy is April 1 and Oct. 1. Readers may submit<br />
news items to the editor in the <strong>University</strong> Advancement<br />
Office, UW-La Crosse, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601,<br />
(608)785-8572, quarberg.brad@uwlax.edu<br />
Editor<br />
Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Associate Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>University</strong> Relations<br />
<strong>University</strong> Advancement Office<br />
Art Director<br />
Sue (Sullivan) Lee, ’82 & ’87<br />
Publications Editor/Agency Print Manager<br />
<strong>University</strong> Advancement Office<br />
Staff Writers<br />
Amy Hufford, ’06<br />
Dave Johnson, ’92<br />
Sue (Sullivan) Lee, ’82 & ’87<br />
Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Bob Seaquist, ’71 & ’78<br />
Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86<br />
Photography<br />
Sue (Sullivan) Lee, ’82 & ’87<br />
Bob Seaquist, ’71 & ’78<br />
Additional Editorial Assistance<br />
Florence Aliesch<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> Publications<br />
Kenna Christians<br />
Assistant Chancellor<br />
Cary Heyer, APR<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>University</strong> Relations<br />
Ginger Jentz<br />
Program Assistant <strong>University</strong> Advancement<br />
Jeff Kerkman, ’86<br />
Alumni Representative<br />
Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86<br />
Executive Director <strong>of</strong> UW-L Alumni Association<br />
www.uwlax.edu<br />
View previous issues at<br />
http://murphylibrary.uwlax.edu/digital/uwl/Alumnus/index.html<br />
2 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Doug Hastad Elizabeth Hitch<br />
Hastad arrived on campus in<br />
1989 as dean <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Health, Physical Education and<br />
Recreation. He served as dean<br />
until being named interim provost<br />
in 1998. He was appointed provost<br />
in June 1999. He became interim<br />
We all have them — people who make<br />
a difference in our lives.<br />
Most <strong>of</strong> us are fortunate enough to<br />
be blessed with good family members.<br />
When we headed to school, we not<br />
only made friends, but also had an<br />
opportunity to learn from teachers —<br />
some who became extra special to us.<br />
That held true throughout our Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
educational experience into college when<br />
we were lucky enough to be mentored by true pr<strong>of</strong>essionals<br />
who thoroughly love what they’re doing and<br />
helping others find their calling.<br />
In March, I had an opportunity to talk with Ernie<br />
Hanson, an alum from the ’30s, about his experience on<br />
campus. His story <strong>of</strong> caring educators and support staff<br />
on campus is one I’ve experienced myself as a student at<br />
UW-L, and one that I continue hearing as a staff member.<br />
Whether you attended UW-La Crosse in its early days<br />
or just a few years ago, that mentorship with faculty and<br />
staff has been the core <strong>of</strong> what makes this campus so<br />
special.<br />
Share that story with those around you — especially<br />
those considering attending college. It’s a special story<br />
you shouldn’t keep to yourself.<br />
Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Alumnus editor<br />
chancellor a year later, following<br />
the resignation <strong>of</strong> Chancellor<br />
Judith Kuipers. He was appointed<br />
to the position full time in March<br />
2001.<br />
Hitch came to UW-L in July<br />
2002 as provost and vice<br />
chancellor for academic affairs<br />
after seven years as dean <strong>of</strong><br />
education and pr<strong>of</strong>essional studies<br />
at Eastern Illinois <strong>University</strong>. Prior<br />
to that, she was director <strong>of</strong> teacher<br />
education at Central Michigan<br />
<strong>University</strong>.<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Emeritus Ron Rada<br />
has been named interim provost.<br />
Who were your favorites?
UW-L Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Emeritus Rob Wessler, center, with some <strong>of</strong> his Chinese teaching colleagues while teaching English at Guangxi<br />
Normal <strong>University</strong> in 2005. Wessler, who retired in 2000, continues to teach and travel.<br />
P<br />
r<strong>of</strong>essor Emeritus Rob<br />
Wessler didn’t put away<br />
his baton after retiring<br />
from teaching in the<br />
university’s music department for<br />
28 years. Since retiring in 2000,<br />
Wessler has directed music at an<br />
Illinois church, coordinated<br />
student internships for UW<br />
students studying in Scotland,<br />
directed a boy choir in Haiti, and<br />
taught English at a university in<br />
China.<br />
“Retirement hasn’t been the<br />
end <strong>of</strong> work for me,” notes<br />
Wessler, who calls his jobs since<br />
retirement simply “the continuation<br />
<strong>of</strong> a wonderful life as a<br />
teacher.”<br />
Wessler strongly advocates<br />
overseas studies and teaching,<br />
something he has embraced<br />
throughout his career. “One is<br />
never the same after spending a<br />
semester or two outside the<br />
country,” he notes. “These are<br />
life-changing experiences.<br />
Intellectual and social growth are<br />
enormous benefits that last a<br />
lifetime. I see it in my students<br />
and friends; and, I see it in<br />
myself.”<br />
His latest overseas trip<br />
included two semesters in Guilin,<br />
China, where he taught English at<br />
Guangxi Normal <strong>University</strong> in<br />
2005. The experience helped<br />
Wessler realize what living in a<br />
Communist country is like after it<br />
has just opened its doors to the<br />
West. “I could not have felt more<br />
welcome and loved than I did<br />
during my living in China,” he<br />
notes.<br />
In nearly all his teaching<br />
experiences, he has met up with<br />
UW-L administrators, students<br />
and alumni. Among those in<br />
China visiting were Sandra<br />
Blaney Sullivan Alderman, ’64 &<br />
’71, who created a scholarship in<br />
Wessler’s name years earlier.<br />
Wessler says it’s not all work<br />
and no play when teaching<br />
abroad. In China, he hiked the<br />
Great Wall and visited Hong<br />
Kong and other sites. He also<br />
took a two-week side trip to<br />
Vietnam, revisiting an area from<br />
the year he spent in the Air Force<br />
in Saigon.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
3
Nicki Robinson, ’05, completed her sports administration studies with an internship at the Olympic Training<br />
Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The experience quickly turned into her first full-time job.<br />
An Olympic opportunity<br />
Sports administration grad working at<br />
Olympic Training Center in Colorado<br />
by Amy Hufford, ’06<br />
Nicki Robinson knew she<br />
needed an internship to<br />
finish a master’s degree<br />
in sport administration. But she<br />
didn’t know what area <strong>of</strong> sport<br />
to try.<br />
And she didn’t expect an<br />
internship at the Olympic<br />
Training Center in Colorado<br />
Springs, Colo., would quickly<br />
turn into her first full-time job.<br />
While interning, Robinson<br />
began applying for jobs around<br />
the facility. “I still had maybe a<br />
month or two months left to<br />
intern, and I thought, ‘I don’t<br />
think I’m ready to go back to<br />
Wisconsin, yet,’ “ she says.<br />
After graduating in December<br />
2005, Robinson was hired as a<br />
center operations specialist.<br />
During her internship, she was<br />
involved in the nitty gritty <strong>of</strong><br />
running the facility, including<br />
organizing housing, transportation,<br />
meals and venue use<br />
4<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
While interning at the Olympic Training<br />
Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Nicki<br />
Robinson, left, worked with Olympic<br />
athletes such as eventual five-time<br />
medalist Apolo Anton Ohno.<br />
for short-term athletic programs.<br />
Now, as dorm supervisor for the<br />
Olympic women’s wrestling<br />
team, “I have a pretty unique<br />
setup here,” she says. “The job<br />
I’m currently in includes housing<br />
and meals. It’s similar to maybe a<br />
college setup. I’m sort <strong>of</strong> like an<br />
RA (resident assistant).”<br />
Robinson has made friends in<br />
Colorado, but misses those in the<br />
Midwest. She hopes to get a<br />
doctorate and teach at the<br />
university level. “In my head I’ve<br />
thought I’d end up back in the<br />
Midwest for that part,” she<br />
explains.<br />
But she loves her job. “Being<br />
given the opportunity to work<br />
with Olympic sport really is<br />
something that I never thought<br />
was even possible,” she says.<br />
Eventually, she hopes to reach<br />
an upper level <strong>of</strong> management in<br />
the facility and accompany<br />
athletes to the games. “Now I’ve<br />
just gotten my foot in the door<br />
and hopefully I’ll be able to<br />
continue to move up,” she says.<br />
She couldn’t have done it<br />
without UW-L. “The pr<strong>of</strong>essors in<br />
the grad program at UW-L were<br />
amazing,” she says. “They cared<br />
about the learning <strong>of</strong> the students,<br />
were willing to help in any way,<br />
and encouraged whatever<br />
direction you were choosing.”<br />
“I have a good thing here right<br />
now,” she says. “I think I’ll ride it<br />
out and see how long it lasts.”
On-campus living = high GPA<br />
There’s a good reason mom wanted you to live<br />
on campus. A Residence Life Office study<br />
found that students living in residence halls<br />
have much higher grades then those in houses and<br />
apartments around campus. On-campus students<br />
had high GPAs in all class categories, but the<br />
sophomore statistics appear to be the least skewed<br />
because nearly an equal number <strong>of</strong> the class lives on<br />
campus as those <strong>of</strong>f. On-campus sophomores<br />
compiled a 3.28225 GPA while <strong>of</strong>f-campus<br />
sophomores scored a 2.83845 GPA. Why? All halls<br />
What’s sport administration?<br />
As the sports industry grows in<br />
both the public and private<br />
sectors, so does the need for<br />
administrators with specialized<br />
sports training.<br />
A master’s in sport administration<br />
is <strong>of</strong>ten sought in the<br />
industry. “This degree is particularly<br />
attractive for young pr<strong>of</strong>essionals<br />
who are driven by<br />
aspirations <strong>of</strong> career success as<br />
well as personal interests in<br />
athletics,” says Associate<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor David Waters, program<br />
director. UW-L has one <strong>of</strong> only 27<br />
master’s degree programs in the<br />
country approved by the Sport<br />
Management Review Council.<br />
The program requires 36<br />
credits — six <strong>of</strong> internship, which<br />
can only be completed after the<br />
first 30. “This allows for the<br />
practical application <strong>of</strong> the<br />
knowledge gained throughout the<br />
program’s coursework,” notes<br />
Waters. Thesis and non-thesis<br />
options are available.<br />
UW-L also <strong>of</strong>fers a bachelor’s<br />
in sport management. Thirty<br />
students are granted admission<br />
have study rooms, some schedule educational<br />
programming and others maintain a “class<br />
connection,” which lists courses each resident is<br />
taking so those with the same courses can form<br />
study groups. Trang Dang (above), a sophomore<br />
from Hanoi, Vietnam, living in Drake Hall, credits<br />
hall programming, a sense <strong>of</strong> community, a “class<br />
connection” listing and attention paid to<br />
residents.The hall awards a party to the hall’s cube<br />
that does the best in grades.<br />
into the program each year. Along<br />
with general education, they take<br />
40 credits <strong>of</strong> coursework ranging<br />
from administrative areas <strong>of</strong><br />
expertise to physiology.<br />
Popular careers for graduates<br />
are management positions in<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional sports, intercollegiate<br />
athletics, facility management,<br />
campus recreation, sport<br />
marketing, health and fitness<br />
management, and public<br />
relations.<br />
Get more information at:<br />
www.uwlax.edu/sah/ess/sa/.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
5
Magazine lists UW-L<br />
among ‘100 Best Values’<br />
Top-flight academics and<br />
being affordable has placed<br />
UW-L on Kiplinger’s 100 Best<br />
Values in Public Colleges.<br />
UW-L ranked 36 on costs for<br />
in-state students. While the<br />
university doesn’t chase<br />
ratings, Interim Chancellor<br />
Elizabeth Hitch accepts the<br />
ranking as a tribute to the<br />
tremendous job done by<br />
faculty and students. “We<br />
have spectacular people working their tails <strong>of</strong>f,” she<br />
notes. The only other UWs on the list were Madison<br />
(15th) and Eau Claire (69th.)<br />
Student loan default rate is low<br />
The average UW-L graduate faces a debt <strong>of</strong> about<br />
$18,378 after a six month “grace” period following<br />
graduation. And, graduates take their student loans<br />
very seriously. The loan default rate for UW-L<br />
graduates is 0.4 percent, according to U.S.<br />
“I<br />
always tell students to speak from the<br />
heart,” says Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Kara<br />
Lindaman, political science and public<br />
administration. She has first-hand appreciation <strong>of</strong><br />
that advice. The Korea native wrote a scholarship<br />
essay on the constitutionality <strong>of</strong> why she could not<br />
6 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
New dean <strong>of</strong> student<br />
development named<br />
Paula M. Knudson has been named the dean <strong>of</strong><br />
student development and academic services.<br />
Knudson, currently director <strong>of</strong> student life at<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Minnesota-Duluth, begins July 1.<br />
The 17-year veteran <strong>of</strong> higher education looks<br />
forward to the opportunities her new role<br />
presents. “UW-L’s faculty, staff and students work<br />
hard to foster a diverse and accepting campus<br />
that promotes student learning and is open to<br />
new ideas and collaborative opportunities,” notes<br />
Knudson. “My first steps will be to gain a<br />
broader understanding <strong>of</strong> the programs and<br />
services <strong>of</strong>fered by UW-L and become familiar<br />
with the community. My hope is that my collaborative<br />
nature will help build on existing<br />
strengths.” She succeeds Petra Roter.<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Education figures. “Notice the<br />
decimal before the four,” says Diane Schumacher, ’74<br />
& ’83, executive director <strong>of</strong> the university’s<br />
Enrollment Services. The national average default<br />
rate is 4.5 percent.<br />
Lindaman named outstanding educator<br />
be president. That bold essay won her a provost’s<br />
scholarship that waived four years <strong>of</strong> tuition at the<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Northern Iowa.<br />
Lindaman’s candor, engaging and personal<br />
teaching style, and being a role model for students<br />
<strong>of</strong> color have resulted in her being named<br />
Outstanding<br />
Woman <strong>of</strong> Color in<br />
Education for<br />
UW-L by the UW<br />
System Women’s<br />
Studies<br />
Consortium and<br />
Office <strong>of</strong> Diversity<br />
and Development.<br />
The annual award<br />
recognizes the<br />
recipient's contributions<br />
to their<br />
campus, their<br />
community and<br />
women <strong>of</strong> color.
Chancellor Doug Hastad, left, joined by La Crosse Mayor Mark Johnsrud, ’86 & ’87, Veterans Representative Louis Ferris ,’68,<br />
and UW System Regent Brent Smith, announced the agreement on the naming <strong>of</strong> Memorial Field.<br />
Stadium naming agreement announced<br />
The <strong>of</strong>ficial name is Memorial Field. During a<br />
news conference in November, Chancellor<br />
Doug Hastad said he has <strong>of</strong>ficially named<br />
the football field and surrounding 13 acres <strong>of</strong><br />
practice area as Memorial Field.<br />
“When people come to campus, they will know<br />
the importance <strong>of</strong> the sacrifice veterans have made,”<br />
he said. “I do this with a great deal <strong>of</strong> pride.” The<br />
UW Board <strong>of</strong> Regents gave its approval to the<br />
naming in December.<br />
Hastad called the La Crosse City Council’s<br />
approval <strong>of</strong> the proposal that ended controversy<br />
surrounding the naming <strong>of</strong> the stadium an<br />
opportunity for the university, city and area veterans<br />
Students returning to<br />
campus in high numbers<br />
Students are staying with UW-L at high rates.<br />
Ninety percent <strong>of</strong> 2004 freshmen returned in fall<br />
2005 as sophomores. And, the six-year<br />
graduation rate is 64.7 percent.<br />
“That is phenomenal, going up every year<br />
for the cohort beginning in 1999,” notes<br />
Enrollment Services Executive Director Diane<br />
Schumacher, ’74 & ’83. She attributes high<br />
retention to “a lot <strong>of</strong> little things everyone on<br />
campus is doing,” ranging from more than 150<br />
student activities to a master’s program in<br />
college student development administration<br />
that helps student service providers see<br />
themselves as educators.<br />
to work together. Veterans Representative Louis<br />
Ferris, ’68, said the compromise is supported by all<br />
area veteran groups. He said it allows the groups<br />
and the university to move forward. “Now, we will<br />
work together as a team,” Ferris said, adding that<br />
veterans will be involved with planning <strong>of</strong> future<br />
stadium renovation or replacement.<br />
La Crosse Mayor Mark Johnsrud, ’86 & ’87, and<br />
Regent Brent Smith joined Hastad and Ferris to<br />
confirm the agreement. The pact also named the<br />
stadium Roger Harring Stadium, in honor <strong>of</strong> the<br />
long-time football coach who was recently inducted<br />
into the College Football Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame.<br />
Missouri educator to<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Education<br />
A distinguished educator from St.<br />
Louis will head the School <strong>of</strong><br />
Education. Margaret “Peg” Finders,<br />
a faculty member in the education<br />
department at Washington<br />
<strong>University</strong> in St. Louis, takes over<br />
for interim director Dick Swantz<br />
July 1. Finders has had an<br />
outstanding career in the field <strong>of</strong><br />
Margaret Finders<br />
education and in teacher<br />
preparation, says John Mason, Dean <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Liberal Studies. “We feel fortunate to have Peg join<br />
our School <strong>of</strong> Education,” says Mason. Finders says<br />
teacher education programs at UW-L <strong>of</strong>fer<br />
outstanding preparation for beginning teachers. “It is<br />
exciting to become a part <strong>of</strong> these programs,<br />
programs clearly connected to the local schools and<br />
greater La Crosse community,” she says.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 7
La Crosse area youth are<br />
learning to play stringed<br />
instruments while UW-L music<br />
students learn teaching skills. And<br />
the orchestral program 15 to 20<br />
years down the road will benefit.<br />
The university’s String<br />
Academy, which teaches the<br />
Suzuki approach, is a unique<br />
campus program that’s being<br />
heard favorably in the La Crosse<br />
area.<br />
“I love to watch the<br />
progression from beginner to real<br />
musician,” says UW-L Symphony<br />
Orchestra conductor Alden “Buz”<br />
Hoefer. “Quite a few <strong>of</strong> the<br />
students in the UW-L orchestra<br />
started this way and to see them<br />
play now as young adults gives<br />
you an appreciation <strong>of</strong> the<br />
importance <strong>of</strong> this early training.”<br />
Hoefer says college students<br />
are benefitting in other ways, too.<br />
“It also is great training for our<br />
university music students to get<br />
this opportunity to teach in this<br />
system,” explains Hoefer. “It’s<br />
probably the most popular string<br />
training pedagogy in the country<br />
today.”<br />
The Suzuki Method is based<br />
on an approach to learning called<br />
the “Mother-tongue” method.<br />
Schininchi Suzuki noticed babies<br />
were able to learn complex<br />
language patterns as they grew,<br />
simply by being exposed to that<br />
language as a background sound<br />
through their daily lives and by<br />
having the production <strong>of</strong> sounds<br />
modeled to them one-on-one by<br />
their parents and through the<br />
child’s efforts at imitation. Suzuki<br />
8 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
noted that the method was 100<br />
percent effective. So, he<br />
formulated a method <strong>of</strong> teaching<br />
how to play a violin based on<br />
three principles: listening to music<br />
you will play, modeling skills in<br />
lessons and at home, and<br />
imitating and repeating.<br />
Alexandra Sanders, director <strong>of</strong><br />
the UW-L String Academy since<br />
last fall, was raised as a Suzuki<br />
student, beginning when she was<br />
4. She attended Suzuki teacher<br />
training, served as the 2000<br />
Suzuki Association <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin<br />
president-elect, and has been<br />
teaching the method since 1996.<br />
UW-L students teaching in the<br />
program go through a training<br />
course <strong>of</strong>fered by the music<br />
department. They teach private<br />
and group lessons, along with<br />
helping the youngsters perform<br />
special concerts. “All UW-L<br />
students involved in the String<br />
Academy are paid for their<br />
teaching hours, learn valuable<br />
skills which will hold them in<br />
good stead after graduation, and<br />
have a unique addition to a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional portfolio,” adds<br />
Sanders.<br />
For some students, the<br />
program was the deciding factor<br />
for them to attend UW-L.<br />
“We are laying the foundation<br />
for String Academy students to<br />
graduate from our program and<br />
take the next step by becoming<br />
UW-L music majors,” says<br />
Sanders.<br />
For more information, contact<br />
stringacademy@centurytel.net<br />
or call (608)784-7196.<br />
These outstanding seniors were<br />
honored by the Alumni<br />
Association May 12.<br />
The <strong>Murphy</strong> Awards for<br />
Academic Excellence recognize<br />
the university’s top two<br />
graduating scholars, as chosen by<br />
the Scholarship and Awards<br />
Committee. Recipients receive<br />
$2,000 and $1,000, respectively.<br />
Daron Williams, Plymouth,<br />
biology, biomedical science<br />
emphasis, and Spanish/chemistry.<br />
My favorite class in college was:<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Hollenback’s “HIS101:<br />
Global Origins <strong>of</strong> the Modern<br />
World.” This<br />
course, more so<br />
than any other,<br />
reshaped the<br />
way that I see<br />
the world and<br />
instilled in me a<br />
sense <strong>of</strong><br />
compassion for<br />
those people<br />
Daron Williams<br />
who have historically been<br />
mistreated.<br />
When I arrived on campus, I was:<br />
excited because I was about to<br />
meet many new people.<br />
When I’m 40, I want to be:<br />
applying an integrative approach<br />
to the practice <strong>of</strong> medicine,<br />
possibly in the field <strong>of</strong> (pediatric)<br />
oncology.<br />
If I had the chance, I’d take the<br />
following class over: Jazz<br />
Ensemble II. Since I have studied<br />
jazz history after my departure<br />
from the band two years ago, I<br />
would now have a new approach<br />
to improvisation.<br />
Marisa Comstock, Humbird,<br />
microbiology/chemistry.<br />
My favorite class in college was: I<br />
was immediately fascinated with<br />
the human immune system’s<br />
ability to defend itself against such<br />
a vast array <strong>of</strong> foreign particles and
disease-causing organisms. I was<br />
also intrigued by how much is still<br />
unknown about<br />
the immune<br />
system and was<br />
inspired to<br />
become<br />
involved in<br />
immunology<br />
research.<br />
When I arrived<br />
on campus, I<br />
was: nervous and<br />
Marisa Comstock<br />
excited, but quickly reassured that<br />
I had made an excellent decision to<br />
attend UW-L when I saw all <strong>of</strong> the<br />
friendly returning residents <strong>of</strong> my<br />
hall ready to help me move in and<br />
feel comfortable.<br />
When I’m 40, I want to be: doing<br />
something I enjoy with great<br />
people around me.<br />
If I had the chance, I’d take the<br />
following class over: Advanced<br />
Immunology, because I feel I<br />
would get even more knowledge<br />
out <strong>of</strong> it a second time. I may also<br />
retake Honors 100, because as a<br />
freshman I really didn’t take full<br />
advantage <strong>of</strong> the unique<br />
experience the class <strong>of</strong>fered.<br />
The Jake and Janet Hoeschler<br />
Award for Excellence<br />
recognizes a College <strong>of</strong> Business<br />
Administration graduate for<br />
academic accomplishment and<br />
qualities <strong>of</strong> leadership<br />
demonstrated in campus and<br />
community activities. Recipients<br />
receive $1,500.<br />
Meagan Kempen, Bruce,<br />
marketing/pr<strong>of</strong>essional writing.<br />
My favorite class in college was:<br />
Buyer Behavior because it made<br />
marketing make sense. To this day,<br />
it is the one class in my college<br />
career that I refer to in everyday<br />
life.<br />
When I arrived on campus, I was:<br />
excited to make new friends and<br />
experience college life and also<br />
because<br />
La Crosse is<br />
about 50 times<br />
bigger than my<br />
home town.<br />
When I’m 40, I<br />
want to be: the<br />
CEO <strong>of</strong> a<br />
Fortune 500<br />
Meagan Kempen<br />
company, married<br />
and able to spend time with my<br />
family.<br />
If I had the chance, I’d take the<br />
following class over: “ESS100<br />
Golf” because I actually think I got<br />
worse, not better.<br />
The Strzelczyk Award in<br />
Science and Allied Health<br />
recognizes an outstanding senior<br />
in the universities College <strong>of</strong><br />
Science and Allied Health for<br />
academic achievement and service<br />
to the campus and community.<br />
Recipients receive $1,000.<br />
Bernadette O’Reilly, Donnelly,<br />
Minn., biology/chemistry.<br />
My favorite class in college was:<br />
mycology because I have always<br />
found mushrooms fascinating and<br />
learning all<br />
about them was<br />
very fulfilling. I<br />
also enjoyed<br />
going on class<br />
forays where<br />
we would go to<br />
Hixon Forrest to<br />
collect and<br />
identify<br />
Bernadette O’Reilly<br />
mushrooms.<br />
When I arrived on campus, I was:<br />
excited to be starting college, but a<br />
little overwhelmed with all the<br />
new people.<br />
When I’m 40, I want to be: a<br />
university pr<strong>of</strong>essor teaching<br />
mycology.<br />
If I had the chance, I’d take the<br />
following class over: Analytical<br />
chemistry because I didn’t<br />
understand a lot <strong>of</strong> the class<br />
because I hadn’t taken enough<br />
statistics yet. I think now I would<br />
get more out <strong>of</strong> it. I’ve also seen<br />
how important some <strong>of</strong> the<br />
laboratory techniques are in my<br />
own research and would like to<br />
understand them better.<br />
The John E. Magerus Award<br />
for the Outstanding<br />
Graduating Senior from the<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Liberal Studies<br />
recognizes an outstanding<br />
graduate for academic<br />
accomplishments, leadership, and<br />
involvement in the campus and<br />
community. Recipients receive<br />
$1,000.<br />
Patricia Zanski, Lac du Flambeau,<br />
philosophy and English/women’s<br />
studies.<br />
My favorite class in college was:<br />
Women & Agriculture and<br />
Language<br />
Studies because<br />
they both<br />
changed my<br />
perspective on<br />
life, were made<br />
up <strong>of</strong> a<br />
community <strong>of</strong><br />
learners that I<br />
will never forget<br />
and introduced<br />
me to an array <strong>of</strong> important<br />
Patricia Zanski<br />
writers that I will continue to read<br />
throughout my life.<br />
When I arrived on campus, I was:<br />
red in the face, terrified, sweaty<br />
and nervous because it had been<br />
so long since I was in school.<br />
When I’m 40, I want to be:<br />
organizing people to create a high<br />
school <strong>of</strong> philosophy.<br />
If I had the chance, I'd take the<br />
following class over: Spanish,<br />
because I didn’t try hard enough.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
9
UW-L’s reputation as being the campus to do undergraduate research<br />
in science is one <strong>of</strong> the reasons for the increase in students studying<br />
chemistry and other science courses.<br />
Wby Bob Seaquist, ’71 & ’78<br />
hat would Milford Cowley think<br />
<strong>of</strong> the building bearing his name<br />
and the activity within it? Cowley,<br />
who taught chemistry at the university from<br />
1933-74, enjoyed the building’s fine laboratories<br />
and comfortable <strong>of</strong>fices before his<br />
retirement. He commented on the spacious<br />
facilities even as the building was new in<br />
1965 and about half its present size.<br />
Now Cowley could prowl the hallways<br />
and find “his” building busy just about any<br />
time between dawn and dusk, and well into<br />
the night.<br />
“The good news is that we have a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
majors; the bad news is that we have a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
majors,” jokes Mark Sandheinrich, chair <strong>of</strong><br />
the biology department.<br />
The popularity <strong>of</strong> the sciences at UW-L<br />
means biology handles a crush <strong>of</strong> students as<br />
they find their way through the university’s<br />
general education requirements or biology<br />
and health sciences major requirements.<br />
The College <strong>of</strong> Science and Health timeline<br />
<strong>University</strong> opens as the<br />
Second campus<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Regents<br />
La Crosse Normal School.<br />
building — Wittich<br />
authorizes granting <strong>of</strong><br />
Among program <strong>of</strong>ferings:<br />
Hall — completed<br />
bachelor <strong>of</strong> arts and<br />
Undergraduate<br />
biology, chemistry, geography, to house physical<br />
bachelor <strong>of</strong> science<br />
majors in biology,<br />
mathematics and physics.<br />
education.<br />
degrees in the liberal arts.<br />
math established.<br />
1909 1920 1951 1958<br />
1913 1946 1956 1965<br />
Physical education<br />
teaching training<br />
program authorized.<br />
10 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
The right<br />
prescription<br />
Stellar science programs<br />
expand health initiatives<br />
Division <strong>of</strong> health, physical<br />
education and recreation<br />
established.<br />
Undergraduate majors in<br />
chemistry, geography,<br />
medical technology and<br />
physics established.<br />
Mitchell Hall<br />
and Cowley Hall<br />
construction<br />
completed.
For sure, there has been a shift from the<br />
biology department dealing with large<br />
numbers <strong>of</strong> its own majors to now also<br />
teaching students eagerly pursuing the health<br />
sciences. It is the prospective occupational<br />
therapy, physical therapy, radiation therapy,<br />
physician assistant and pre-med students<br />
exerting pressure on Cowley Hall facilities.<br />
“Our growth agenda concerns me because<br />
many programs in the sciences are full and<br />
overflowing,” says College <strong>of</strong> Science and<br />
Health Dean Mike Nelson. He quickly notes<br />
that it is a great problem to have: “UW-L is<br />
bucking a national trend in the basic sciences<br />
as our enrollment continues to spiral in an<br />
upward direction.”<br />
“The good news is that we have<br />
a lot <strong>of</strong> majors; the bad news is<br />
that we have a lot <strong>of</strong> majors.”<br />
—Biology Department Chair Mark Sandheinrich<br />
A stroll to room 112 Cowley Hall anatomy<br />
and physiology lab is evidence what science<br />
is doing at UW-L. “We’ve had a 100 percent<br />
increase in enrollment for BIO 310 since<br />
2000,” notes Sandheinrich as he opens the<br />
door to a lab full <strong>of</strong> students. “This lab runs<br />
from 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.,” he says. It is also<br />
open nights for study sessions.<br />
Chemists are also doing their best with the<br />
throngs <strong>of</strong> students working their way<br />
through chemistry’s basic and advanced<br />
<strong>of</strong>ferings. “General chemistry II is running<br />
What’s Happening on Campus<br />
Science classes continue to become more popular. The bio-chem minor<br />
has grown from no participants to 80 minors in three years.<br />
Undergraduate majors<br />
Graduate program in<br />
Mitchell Hall addition<br />
completed. <strong>University</strong><br />
Graduate<br />
in nuclear medical<br />
biology established.<br />
merger changes name<br />
program in<br />
technology, recreation<br />
Cowley Hall addition<br />
to <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
health education<br />
established.<br />
completed.<br />
Wisconsin-La Crosse.<br />
established.<br />
1966 1969 1971 1974<br />
1968 1970 1972 1976<br />
First classes <strong>of</strong>fered<br />
in computer science.<br />
Undergraduate major<br />
in health education<br />
established.<br />
Undergraduate<br />
majors in computer<br />
science, physical<br />
therapy established.<br />
Undergraduate major<br />
in community health<br />
education established.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
11
from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.,” says<br />
chemistry department Chair<br />
Aaron Monte. “We’re booked<br />
non-stop and at capacity.”<br />
Monte and Sandheinrich agree<br />
that very busy Cowley Hall<br />
laboratories are good news. “Part<br />
<strong>of</strong> UW-L’s success is its reputation<br />
as being the campus to do<br />
undergraduate studies in science<br />
and the health pr<strong>of</strong>essions,” notes<br />
Monte. “I would much rather be<br />
in the position <strong>of</strong> having very full<br />
classes and crowded labs than<br />
not.”<br />
Accompanying the apparent<br />
explosion <strong>of</strong> students in the<br />
sciences is a new faculty. They are<br />
stepping into the positions held<br />
by respected teachers who were<br />
hired when Milford Cowley was<br />
still working. “In the past 10-year<br />
period <strong>of</strong> replacing those who<br />
have retired we have hired the<br />
best and the brightest scientists<br />
from the best programs in the<br />
nation,” observes Monte. “We<br />
have a relatively young staff<br />
committed to working with<br />
undergraduates and delivering<br />
cutting-edge knowledge.”<br />
Cowley Hall scientists — those<br />
new to campus and those who are<br />
familiar faces — have found the<br />
abundance <strong>of</strong> students to be<br />
uniting. “You think in terms <strong>of</strong><br />
Graduate program in physical<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Science and Allied Health<br />
education-human performance<br />
created. UW System President<br />
established. School <strong>of</strong> Health,<br />
Council <strong>of</strong> Education for Katharine Lyall declares La Crosse<br />
Physical Education and Rec-<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Regents<br />
Public Health accredits “the western hub for allied health.”<br />
reation renamed College <strong>of</strong><br />
names microbiology<br />
the master’s <strong>of</strong> public Programs in nuclear medical<br />
Health, Physical Education and and physical education<br />
health in community technology, occupational therapy<br />
Recreation.<br />
Centers <strong>of</strong> Excellence.<br />
health education. and physician assistant planned.<br />
1981 1988 1992 1994<br />
Graduate programs in adult<br />
fitness/cardiac rehabilitation,<br />
recreation established.<br />
12 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Undergraduate major<br />
in microbiology<br />
established.<br />
Bucking a national trend<br />
Basic science popular at UW-L<br />
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005<br />
Biology<br />
Major 780 735 697 688 763 821<br />
Minor 56 52 52 56 62 93<br />
Graduate 38 47 44 44 46 54<br />
Total 874 834 793 788 871 968<br />
Chemistry<br />
Major 95 101 130 155 174 206<br />
Minor 307 318 307 325 353 344<br />
Total 402 419 437 480 527 550<br />
Source: Fall statistics, College <strong>of</strong> Science and Health<br />
“We have a relatively young staff committed to<br />
working with undergraduates and delivering<br />
cutting-edge knowledge.”<br />
‘science’ and not just ‘biology,’”<br />
comments Sandheinrich. He says<br />
faculty think beyond their own<br />
departments.<br />
The global thinking has<br />
resulted in collaborations that<br />
include the new bio-chem minor<br />
that closely affiliates faculty from<br />
biology and chemistry. “There’s<br />
synergy,” says Sandheinrich.<br />
Master’s degree in public<br />
health in community<br />
health approved.<br />
—Chemistry Department Chair Aaron Monte<br />
1978 1984 1990 1993<br />
Growing from no participants<br />
to 80 minors in three years, the<br />
bio-chem minor is proving very<br />
popular. “It’s a happy marriage <strong>of</strong><br />
chemistry and molecular<br />
biology,” notes Monte.<br />
“The huge demand for science<br />
at the university is something we<br />
all can be proud <strong>of</strong>,” concludes<br />
Monte.<br />
The La Crosse<br />
Medical Health<br />
Science Consortium formed. Members<br />
along with UW-L: Franciscan Health<br />
System, Gundersen Clinic, Lutheran<br />
Hospital, Skemp Clinic, Viterbo College<br />
and Western Technical College.
Kerrie Hoar, left, a lecturer in the biology department, leads an<br />
anatomy and physiology lab in Cowley Hall. Labs have<br />
become very busy due to an increase in enrollment in sciencerelated<br />
classes.<br />
The physical therapy<br />
The state-<strong>of</strong>-the-art<br />
program changes from<br />
$29 million Health<br />
a bachelor’s degree<br />
Master’s <strong>of</strong><br />
Science Center<br />
program to a master’s<br />
occupational therapy<br />
opens its doors.<br />
degree program.<br />
program approved.<br />
1996 2000 2004<br />
1995 1997 2003 2005<br />
The university joins<br />
with Gundersen and<br />
Mayo clinics to<br />
establish a physician<br />
assistant baccalaureate<br />
degree program.<br />
Occupational therapy<br />
program established.<br />
Interested in what’s happening in<br />
the College <strong>of</strong> Science and Health?<br />
Be sure<br />
you’re signed<br />
up for the<br />
college’s new<br />
e-newsletter!<br />
The college is<br />
creating a<br />
periodic<br />
electronic<br />
newsletter to<br />
keep alumni<br />
updated<br />
about what’s<br />
happening on campus. Access the newsletter<br />
and make sure you receive a copy by signing up<br />
at www.uwlax.edu/sah/alumni.<br />
Master’s <strong>of</strong> physician<br />
assistant program<br />
approved.<br />
College is <strong>of</strong>ficially renamed the<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Science and Health; doctor<br />
<strong>of</strong> physical therapy program approved.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 13
A proud alum<br />
’30s-era alum recalls university’s early past<br />
by Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Ernie Hanson fondly recalls walking into<br />
La Crosse State Teachers College President<br />
George Snodgrass’ <strong>of</strong>fice in 1934. The young<br />
Viroqua man had spent the first 13 years <strong>of</strong> his life<br />
with his Norwegian pioneering parents on the plains<br />
<strong>of</strong> Montana. Eager to begin college, Hanson had only<br />
$10 in his pocket to put toward tuition.<br />
Hanson had already received his teaching<br />
certificate from Vernon County Normal School, but<br />
couldn’t find work when rural superintendents were<br />
looking for women teachers. The Normal School<br />
superintendent encouraged Hanson to go to college.<br />
When Hanson told him he had no money, the<br />
superintendent replied, “Well, work your way<br />
through college.“<br />
“When he said that, it just opened the door that I<br />
could actually pursue a college education,” recalls<br />
Hanson. He had dreamed <strong>of</strong> becoming an attorney<br />
since his childhood days in Montana.<br />
So in President Snodgrass’ <strong>of</strong>fice, Hanson detailed<br />
his idea to attend school in La Crosse for two years,<br />
finishing his degree in Madison where he could<br />
study law. “I wanted to put my small amount <strong>of</strong><br />
money down,” explains Hanson. “And he said ‘Why<br />
<strong>of</strong> course we can work this out.’”<br />
Snodgrass sent him down the hall to visit Dean <strong>of</strong><br />
Women and School Physician Sarah Bangsberg. With<br />
no money and no ties to La Crosse, Hanson walked<br />
with Bangsberg as she helped him find a room to<br />
stay. She let him wash windows and do odd jobs<br />
around her house for extra cash, and helped him find<br />
other jobs.<br />
Seven decades later sitting in his La Crosse law<br />
<strong>of</strong>fice remembering that visit, Hanson vividly recalls<br />
Snodgrass’ kindness and willingness to help a poor<br />
He remembers them fondly<br />
E<br />
rnie Hanson praised the teachers<br />
he had while on campus from<br />
1934-36. “They were thoughtful<br />
people and they were just good<br />
teachers,” he recalls. Among those<br />
he had:<br />
O.O. White, English — “He<br />
was a very interesting and precise<br />
man.”<br />
14 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Clayton Whitney, geography —<br />
“When you were talking to him,<br />
you got the impression you were<br />
talking to a very important<br />
person.”<br />
William Laux, civil government —<br />
“He was very intelligent and<br />
inspiring. He did a wonderful job<br />
Ernie Hanson, who attended UW-L in the 30s, fondly recalls<br />
his time on campus.<br />
kid from Viroqua who didn’t even plan on<br />
graduating from his college. “He took me for my<br />
benefit, even though I was only going to be here for<br />
two years,” recalls Hanson. It was just the beginning<br />
<strong>of</strong> the dedication and thoughtfulness he would find<br />
among faculty and staff <strong>of</strong> the small teacher’s<br />
college.<br />
“The teachers were all inspirational. They were<br />
organized,” notes Hanson. “They were thoughtful<br />
people, and they were just good teachers. They all<br />
knew what they were there to do, and they were<br />
doing it well.”<br />
teaching the basics <strong>of</strong> civil<br />
government.”<br />
Myrtle Trowbridge, history —<br />
“She made her students work hard,<br />
and she made the boys wear<br />
neckties in class.”
Attend UW-L?<br />
Then, you’re part<br />
<strong>of</strong> the UW-L family<br />
You don’t have to graduate<br />
from UW-L to be an alumnus.<br />
If you attended classes on<br />
campus, you’re an alum and part <strong>of</strong><br />
the UW-L family!<br />
Often, those who attended — but<br />
didn’t graduate — don’t give<br />
themselves the alumnus title, says<br />
Al Trapp, vice president <strong>of</strong> administration<br />
for the UW-L Foundation.<br />
“They don’t think they belong to our<br />
family, but they do,” he explains.<br />
Trapp says the university<br />
impacts all who attend it. “You talk<br />
to these alumni and they typically<br />
say they were so well prepared for<br />
completing their degree somewhere<br />
else — and eventually their<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession — all because <strong>of</strong> their<br />
experiences at UW-L,” notes Trapp.<br />
We would like to hear from<br />
those who attended UW-L, even<br />
though they didn’t graduate. Drop<br />
us a line at alumni@uwlax.edu.<br />
After two years, Hanson left<br />
La Crosse for Madison in 1936. All<br />
60 credits he earned transferred to<br />
UW-Madison. By 1940, he<br />
returned to La Crosse with a law<br />
degree for a required six-month<br />
apprenticeship at the law firm <strong>of</strong><br />
Quincy Hale and Tom Skemp.<br />
Hanson became their partner.<br />
This is where he’s been<br />
practicing law the last 65 years —<br />
minus four in the military during<br />
World War II. And now the firm is<br />
called Hale, Skemp, Hanson,<br />
Skemp and Sleik. The Hanson in<br />
the firm’s name is his.<br />
Now 90, Hanson still looks<br />
fondly at UW-La Crosse, which<br />
opened the door for his dream to<br />
become an attorney. “I’ve always<br />
been very proud <strong>of</strong> the college<br />
because <strong>of</strong> the nice teachers and<br />
students I encountered there,”<br />
says Hanson.<br />
UW-L Chemistry Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Aaron Monte discussed at an April news conference<br />
the collaborative process used to discover the anti-infective agents in a plant used by<br />
the Ojibwa. The research team included Monte and former student Leah DeFoe,<br />
UW-L Microbiology Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Marc Rott, and UW-L Microbiology Associate<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor William Schwan.<br />
UW-L’s first patent:<br />
anti-infective agents in Native American plant<br />
Aplant Native Americans<br />
have used for years<br />
was the cure for the<br />
university’s first-ever patent. A<br />
team <strong>of</strong> two faculty and an<br />
Ojibwa Indian undergraduate<br />
student discovered antiinfective<br />
agents from the Native<br />
American plant, Comptonia<br />
peregrina.<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Aaron Monte,<br />
chemistry; Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Marc Rott, microbiology; and<br />
former student Leah Defoe were<br />
recognized for the discovery, a<br />
product <strong>of</strong> 10 years <strong>of</strong> research<br />
sparked by a desire to look for<br />
drugs in plants that were used<br />
by generations <strong>of</strong> Native<br />
American ancestors.<br />
Defoe, an Ojibwa, was one <strong>of</strong><br />
the co-authors on the patent and<br />
shares rights to the discovery.<br />
“This is a landmark<br />
achievement for UW-L, our<br />
faculty and students who were<br />
involved,” says Vijendra (V.J.)<br />
Agarwal, associate chancellor<br />
for academic affairs. “Like the<br />
research itself, the award <strong>of</strong> a<br />
patent has far-reaching<br />
potential. It is an enthusiastic<br />
endorsement <strong>of</strong> our<br />
commitment to teaching and<br />
learning, as well as continued<br />
scientific discovery.”<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 15
Rada Distinguished Alumnus Award<br />
Jay Hertel, ’93, left, is<br />
known and respected for<br />
his research on the<br />
prevention, assessment and<br />
treatment <strong>of</strong> ankle injuries.<br />
‘The’ athletic trainer<br />
Jay Hertel known for ankle research, working with students<br />
by Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Jay Hertel remembers sitting<br />
in Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Ron Rada’s class<br />
his first semester on campus.<br />
“I remember his ability to<br />
break down complex biological<br />
processes into logical steps that<br />
were easy to understand,” Hertel<br />
recalls. “He taught a large class<br />
but was very approachable. That<br />
was great to experience my first<br />
semester on campus.”<br />
Less than two decades later,<br />
Hertel, ’93, will receive an honor<br />
named for that caring pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
who helped shape Hertel’s<br />
teaching style.<br />
Hertel is known and<br />
respected for his research on the<br />
prevention, assessment and<br />
treatment <strong>of</strong> ankle injuries. His<br />
research has focused on<br />
relationships between ankle<br />
injuries and neuromuscular<br />
control <strong>of</strong> an athlete’s lower<br />
extremity. “I would like to think<br />
that my research has led to<br />
changes in clinical practice that<br />
have ultimately helped athletes<br />
with ankle instability,” he notes.<br />
Yet, he refers to working with<br />
students as the most satisfying<br />
part <strong>of</strong> his job. “For me, there is<br />
no greater accomplishment than<br />
seeing students mature and<br />
develop their critical thinking<br />
16 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
“For me, there is no greater accomplishment<br />
than seeing students mature and develop their<br />
critical thinking skills over time.” —Jay Hertel<br />
skills over time,” Hertel notes.<br />
“My goal in the classroom and<br />
the lab is to get students to think<br />
critically so they will be prepared<br />
to solve real-life clinical<br />
problems. It’s very satisfying to<br />
see the level <strong>of</strong> inquiry develop<br />
in students as they mature<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essionally.”<br />
Hertel became interested in<br />
athletic training while in high<br />
school. On campus, he found<br />
mentors who took interest in his<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional development. One<br />
was pr<strong>of</strong>essor Karen Toburen.<br />
“She opened up the world for me<br />
in terms <strong>of</strong> research and<br />
The Jay Hertel file<br />
• Assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor in the<br />
human services department,<br />
athletic training/sports<br />
medicine specialization,<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Virginia since<br />
2004<br />
• Doctor <strong>of</strong> philosophy, Penn<br />
State <strong>University</strong>, 1999; master<br />
<strong>of</strong> education, <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Virginia, 1994<br />
pursuing an academic career,”<br />
explains Hertel. “I’m forever<br />
indebted to her for setting me on<br />
my career path.”<br />
Another was Patrick Sexton,<br />
an instructor and athletic trainer.<br />
“He was a master at helping<br />
students to bridge the gap<br />
between the classroom and<br />
clinical practice,” Hertel notes.<br />
Others were Mark Gibson and<br />
Jane Shimon. “I could not have<br />
asked for better mentorship than<br />
what I received from those four<br />
individuals,” Hertel concludes.<br />
Along with stellar faculty and<br />
staff, Hertel says an “amazing<br />
cohort <strong>of</strong> students” in the<br />
program provided a unique<br />
learning opportunity. “We were<br />
always challenging each other to<br />
understand as much as we could<br />
about athletic training, but we<br />
had a great time socially outside<br />
<strong>of</strong> school as well,” he recalls.<br />
Hertel met his wife, Tammy<br />
(Jandrey) Hertel, ’93, at UW-L.<br />
She is a lecturer in the <strong>University</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> Virginia’s Spanish department.<br />
They have a son, Reese (4),<br />
and a daughter, Sonia (1).
The right recipe<br />
Psychology major is store’s general manager<br />
by Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Michelle Schry watched<br />
her grandparents close<br />
their Wisconsin dairy<br />
farm in the ’70s. Since, she’s seen<br />
the continued demise <strong>of</strong> family<br />
farms. Now as general manager<br />
for the People’s Food Co-op in<br />
La Crosse, she’s doing something<br />
about it.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the downtown<br />
La Crosse store’s many specialties<br />
is selling locally-grown products.<br />
It not only promotes local<br />
business, but also connects<br />
shoppers with farmers growing<br />
the products. “We’re playing a<br />
part to keep the region’s family<br />
farms going,” notes Schry. “It’s<br />
nice to put the rubber to the<br />
road.”<br />
Schry, ’92, has done much to<br />
connect people to help them<br />
discover more about themselves,<br />
what’s around them, and what<br />
they want in a job — and in life.<br />
It’s easy to see that this<br />
psychology major is using what<br />
she learned in the classroom as a<br />
successful business person.<br />
A first-generation college<br />
student and farm girl, Schry<br />
wasn’t afraid to get to work when<br />
she arrived on campus in the late<br />
’80s from rural Berlin. She<br />
worked through college, doing<br />
restaurant work and clerking at<br />
People’s Food Co-op when it was<br />
a small, house-sized store on<br />
Adams Street.<br />
After graduating, her biggest<br />
concern became paying her<br />
student loans. Schry turned to the<br />
service industry, where she had<br />
experience. She landed jobs as<br />
store manager for Kwik Trips in<br />
Stoughton and Oregon, Wis.<br />
But the work quickly became<br />
more than just a source to pay <strong>of</strong>f<br />
student loans. With a district<br />
manager who continuously<br />
“We’re playing a part to<br />
keep the region’s family<br />
farms going.”<br />
—Michelle Schry<br />
challenged Schry, she learned a<br />
lot about business and running a<br />
retail operation. “Having jobs in<br />
businesses where people tend to<br />
look down at you teaches you<br />
quickly to have a sense <strong>of</strong> self and<br />
humility,” she notes.<br />
Schry remembers an epiphany<br />
one day while outside cleaning<br />
trash cans and wondering about<br />
her career. She realized those who<br />
lined up outside her store at<br />
5 a.m. were there for more than<br />
just c<strong>of</strong>fee. “Some came looking<br />
for a friendly smile and someone<br />
to talk to,” she recalls. “It meant<br />
something to them that I cared<br />
enough to learn their names and<br />
what was happening in their<br />
lives.”<br />
Schry put her psychology<br />
studies to use. She thrived among<br />
customers and staff. She helped<br />
solve staffing and business<br />
problems, and quickly became a<br />
turnaround specialist. With the<br />
success, she was hired by Magic<br />
Mill Natural Foods Market in<br />
Madison in 1998.<br />
The Michelle Schry file<br />
• National Cooperative Grocers<br />
Association Board <strong>of</strong><br />
Directors, since 2002<br />
• National Cooperate Business<br />
Association Board <strong>of</strong><br />
Directors, beginning <strong>2006</strong><br />
• Pride Along the Mississippi<br />
Organizing Committee<br />
Member, 2003<br />
Rada Distinguished Alumnus recipient<br />
Michelle Schry, ’92, is known for her<br />
work in and dedication to the cooperative<br />
grocery industry.<br />
After improving pr<strong>of</strong>its and<br />
personnel issues there, she was<br />
recruited by Concord Food Co-op<br />
in New Hampshire in 1999. She<br />
returned to the Midwest and the<br />
La Crosse food co-op in 2001.<br />
Upon becoming general manager,<br />
Schry tackled a 87 percent staff<br />
turnover rate. Within three years,<br />
it dropped to 27 percent.<br />
Schry also began an extensive<br />
expansion plan. Since remodeling,<br />
sales grew $2 million to $8.3<br />
million annually. Transactions<br />
have increased 35 percent. Staff<br />
has grown from 64 to 117. And,<br />
co-op membership has increased<br />
to nearly 3,000 members, up from<br />
1,500 in 2001.<br />
Schry’s success hasn’t gone<br />
unnoticed. She assists other<br />
cooperatives worldwide and<br />
serves on national co-op boards.<br />
Yet, she hasn’t lost touch <strong>of</strong> her<br />
roots. She takes pride in<br />
supporting students who work at<br />
the co-op — just like she did.<br />
See more about People’s Food<br />
Co-op at: www.pfc.coop.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 17
Maurice O. Graff Distinguished Alumnus Award<br />
Brewed success<br />
Duncan Cameron earns<br />
distinguished alum honor<br />
by Brad Quarberg, ’85<br />
Been there; done that.<br />
That’s what Duncan<br />
Cameron could say about<br />
working up through a company’s<br />
ranks, taking over ownership <strong>of</strong><br />
the business, making it extremely<br />
successful, and then selling it to<br />
take an early retirement.<br />
Cameron, a<br />
1969 graduate<br />
with a major in<br />
economics and a<br />
minor in<br />
geography, has<br />
done it all — but<br />
he’s not planning to stay retired<br />
for very long. He may do it all<br />
over again.<br />
The La Crosse native worked<br />
his way through college,<br />
planning his classes around his<br />
work schedule at the city’s<br />
brewery and doing other jobs.<br />
Two years out <strong>of</strong> college, he was<br />
selling cars when Roy Kumm,<br />
owner <strong>of</strong> G. Heileman Brewing<br />
Co., asked Cameron to create a<br />
marketing plan for the company’s<br />
product in college towns. It was<br />
Cameron’s introduction into the<br />
business side <strong>of</strong> brewing, and a<br />
start to a more than three-decade<br />
career in the field.<br />
Cameron headed downriver in<br />
1982 to work at Jack’s<br />
Distributing Co. in Davenport,<br />
Iowa, agreeing to purchase the<br />
business in 15 years. But,<br />
Cameron was so successful, he<br />
was asked to buy the business<br />
after just 15 months.<br />
With a “character loan” from a<br />
Davenport banker, Cameron took<br />
over the business April 1, 1984,<br />
and changed the name to<br />
Vanguard Distributing Corp.<br />
Vanguard means the leading<br />
18 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
position in a field <strong>of</strong> endeavor,<br />
notes Cameron. “That’s what I<br />
wanted to be.”<br />
And Cameron was that.<br />
Despite taking over the business<br />
with a recession in rural America<br />
and high interest rates, Cameron<br />
helped the company’s sales<br />
increase each year. “It was my<br />
“I’m motivated by an opportunity<br />
to put a business together, put a<br />
management team together, and help<br />
people along the way.” —Duncan Cameron<br />
strong customer service,” he<br />
explains. “I let them know that I<br />
genuinely appreciated their<br />
business.”<br />
Cameron attributes much <strong>of</strong><br />
that way <strong>of</strong> doing business to his<br />
perseverance, a value he learned<br />
from his Lutheran upbringing<br />
and his years in Boy Scouts.<br />
College was also important to<br />
his success, he says, exposing him<br />
to people <strong>of</strong> different cultures<br />
and backgrounds. “It made me<br />
open my eyes a lot more to the<br />
fact that we’re all individuals in<br />
this life and we need to be more<br />
tolerant <strong>of</strong> one another.”<br />
The Duncan Cameron file<br />
• Prominent businessman,<br />
active community citizen,<br />
philanthropist<br />
• Past chair and chief executive<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficer <strong>of</strong> Vanguard<br />
Distributing in Bettendorf,<br />
Iowa. Past president <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Iowa Wholesale Beer<br />
Distributors Association<br />
• Leader in community<br />
organizations<br />
Dubuque businessman Duncan<br />
Cameron, ’69, says college was an<br />
important ingredient in his success.<br />
Now a successful<br />
businessman, Cameron knows<br />
the importance <strong>of</strong> giving back to<br />
those who helped him. Through<br />
gifts to the Health Science Center<br />
and, most recently $1 million for<br />
a new academic building,<br />
Cameron has impacted student<br />
learning for decades. “I am big<br />
on bricks and mortar,” he<br />
explains. “These projects provide<br />
job opportunities during<br />
construction and the buildings<br />
themselves provide educational<br />
opportunities for students for<br />
hundreds <strong>of</strong> years to come.”<br />
Cameron has also given back<br />
to the Quad Cities community<br />
where he has lived for nearly 30<br />
years. When he sold his business<br />
in 2004, he donated $1 million to<br />
the Community Foundation <strong>of</strong><br />
the Great River Bend.<br />
Even though he has sold his<br />
business, Cameron is anything<br />
but retired. He’s evaluating<br />
business opportunities in the<br />
Quad Cities. He plans to build a<br />
company the same as he did<br />
Vanguard. “It’s the chase that is<br />
fun,” he notes. “I’m motivated by<br />
an opportunity to put a business<br />
together, put a management team<br />
together, and help people along<br />
the way.”
The UW-L Alumni Association is one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
first groups committing support to the UW-L<br />
Foundation’s Centennial Campaign.<br />
Association President Jim Warren handed a $50,000<br />
commitment check to Foundation President Kenna<br />
Christians Feb. 8 during an alumni gathering in<br />
Madison.<br />
“Facilitating partnerships, is one <strong>of</strong> our core<br />
values,” explains Warren. “We believe it’s important<br />
to partner with students, alumni and friends <strong>of</strong><br />
UW-L.”<br />
The Alumni Association board voted<br />
unanimously to support the Centennial Campaign<br />
by pledging $50,000. The campaign is in its<br />
beginning phases to support teaching and learning<br />
at the university in conjunction with the university’s<br />
100th anniversary in 2009.<br />
“UW-L means so much to the Alumni Association<br />
Board, it seems only fitting that they are one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
first groups to pledge their support for the comprehensive<br />
campaign,” says association Executive<br />
Director Janie Spencer. “This committed group <strong>of</strong><br />
alumni builds and maintains relationships with<br />
students, alumni and friends <strong>of</strong> the university. I am<br />
proud to work with such a great group <strong>of</strong><br />
volunteers.”<br />
Kenna Christians, assistant chancellor for<br />
advancement and president <strong>of</strong> the the UW-L<br />
Foundation, says the purpose <strong>of</strong> the campaign is to<br />
provide resources for UW-L to continue to attract<br />
and retain bright students and talented faculty.<br />
Especially for Alumni<br />
Alumni Association pledges $50,000<br />
to university’s Centennial Campaign<br />
Interested in nominating<br />
a distinguished alum?<br />
K<br />
now a classmate or another alum who should be honored<br />
by the university? Then nominate the person for one <strong>of</strong><br />
the Alumni Association’s distinguished alumni awards.<br />
The Maurice O. Graff Distinguished Alumnus Award honors<br />
alumni who attended UW-L more than 20 years ago and have<br />
brought honor and distinction to the university.<br />
The Rada Distinguished Alumnus Award honors living alumni<br />
who have graduated within the last 20 years from UW-La Crosse<br />
and have met at least one <strong>of</strong> four criteria <strong>of</strong> the award.<br />
Get complete details about the awards at:<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/awards.htm<br />
To nominate an alum, contact Janie Spencer at<br />
spencer.jane@uwlax.edu or (608)785-8495. Simply forward the alum’s<br />
name; the Alumni Association contacts nominees.<br />
UW-L Alumni Association Executive Director Janie Spencer,<br />
left, association Vice President Ron Stadler, middle, and<br />
Chancellor Doug Hastad display a “check” showing the Alumni<br />
Association’s $50,000 pledge to the UW-La Crosse Foundation’s<br />
Centennial Campaign. The capital campaign will raise funds for<br />
a variety <strong>of</strong> campus projects in conjunction with the university’s<br />
100th anniversary.<br />
“Clearly the funds are important, but the<br />
commitment <strong>of</strong> the Association Board this early in<br />
the campaign sends a strong message to our alumni,<br />
friends, parents and the La Crosse community about<br />
the importance <strong>of</strong> raising private contributions to<br />
enhance teaching and learning at UW-L,” notes<br />
Christians. “I am thrilled that the Alumni<br />
Association is a partner in our pledge to make a<br />
world <strong>of</strong> difference for our students.”<br />
Alumnus receives award<br />
The Alumnus has been<br />
recognized as a top<br />
alumni magazine among<br />
Great Lakes colleges and<br />
universities. The Alumnus<br />
earned a Bronze Medal in the Council<br />
for Advancement and Support <strong>of</strong><br />
Education (CASE) District V “Pride <strong>of</strong><br />
CASE V” competition.<br />
“The award recognizes the hard<br />
work and dedication <strong>of</strong> the entire<br />
<strong>University</strong> Relations and Alumni<br />
Office staff,” says Brad Quarberg, ’85,<br />
Alumnus editor. “We’ll continue to<br />
look for creative ways to help our<br />
alumni keep in touch with this great<br />
university.”<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 19
Rep. Jennifer (Ehlenfeldt) Shilling, ’92,<br />
La Crosse, attended the annual reception<br />
for political science alumni and others<br />
in Madison.<br />
Alumni honored<br />
at Madison event<br />
Ask most working in<br />
Wisconsin government at<br />
the state capitol about<br />
UW-L and you’ll find they’re<br />
graduates — or they probably<br />
know someone who graduated<br />
from La Crosse.<br />
Each February, a Madison<br />
reception salutes the university’s<br />
many friends and alumni involved<br />
in state government and<br />
recognizes UW-L’s role in<br />
political science and public<br />
administration.<br />
Elected alumni honored this<br />
year included: Assembly Speaker,<br />
Rep. John Gard, ’86; Rep. Jennifer<br />
(Ehlenfeldt) Shilling, ’92; Rep.<br />
Suzanne (Youle) Jeskewitz, ’62;<br />
Sen. Dan Kapanke, ’75 & ’87; Rep.<br />
Terry Musse; Sen. Joe Leibham;<br />
Rep. Marlin Schneider, ’65; Rep.<br />
Gregg Underheim, ’72; and<br />
honorary alum, Assembly<br />
Majority Leader Rep. Mike<br />
Huebsch.<br />
20 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Tentative Schedule<br />
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, <strong>2006</strong><br />
Open Recreation All day Recreational Eagle Center<br />
Silver Eagles<br />
Annual Meeting<br />
10 a.m. Cleary Alumni & Friends Center<br />
Silver Eagles<br />
Take an Eagle to lunch<br />
11 a.m. Cleary Alumni & Friends Center<br />
Campus tour 4 p.m. Campus<br />
Family Weekend registration 4-6 p.m. Cartwright Center<br />
Fish Fry 5-7:30 p.m. Forest Hills<br />
Pep Fest 7 p.m. Hoeschler Clock Tower<br />
All alumni social/<br />
happy hour/dessert bar<br />
7:30 p.m. Cleary Alumni & Friends Center<br />
Theatre production<br />
“Marisol”<br />
7:30 p.m. Center for the Arts<br />
Casino Night/Bingo 8:30 p.m. Cartwright Center<br />
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, <strong>2006</strong><br />
Open Recreation All day Recreational Eagle Center<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> ‘56 8 a.m. Courtyard by Marriott<br />
“Remember When” breakfast<br />
Beta Sigma Chi breakfast 8:30 a.m. Cartwright Center<br />
Captains’ breakfast 9 a.m. Cartwright Center<br />
Legacy breakfast 9 a.m. Cleary Alumni & Friends Center<br />
Pre-game festivities 10 a.m. L-Club tent<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> ‘56 brat fry 10 a.m. L-Club tent<br />
Campus tour 11 a.m. Cleary Alumni & Friends Center<br />
Football game vs. 11:30 a.m. Roger Harring Stadium<br />
UW-Eau Claire at Memorial Field<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 1956 reunion 5 p.m. Cleary Alumni & Friends Center<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 1976 reunion 5 p.m. Cartwright Center<br />
Multicultural Alumni<br />
Awards reception<br />
6 p.m. Cartwright Center<br />
Residence Life staff<br />
alumni club reception<br />
6 p.m. Cartwright Center<br />
Theatre production<br />
“Marisol”<br />
7:30 p.m. Center for the Arts<br />
Reuter Hall open house TBD Reuter Hall<br />
Women’s volleyball TBD Mitchell Hall<br />
Women’s soccer TBD Soccer Field<br />
Gamma Sigma Sigma<br />
reunion<br />
TBD<br />
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, <strong>2006</strong><br />
Open Recreation All day Recreational Eagle Center<br />
Athletic Wall <strong>of</strong><br />
Fame brunch<br />
10:30 a.m. Cleary Alumni & Friends Center<br />
Family brunch 10:30 a.m. Whitney Center<br />
Residence Life<br />
Staff brunch<br />
10:30 a.m. Cartwright Center<br />
Theatre production<br />
“Marisol”<br />
2 p.m. Center for the Arts<br />
For more information,<br />
alumni@uwlax.edu<br />
toll free (877)UWL-ALUM
As alumni, we share an important<br />
bond. Other universities may have<br />
something similar, but being part <strong>of</strong><br />
the “La Crosse Experience” is truly something<br />
special.<br />
Do you remember ...<br />
• Hiking up Grandad Bluff?<br />
• Stopping at Mr. D’s for a late night<br />
donut?<br />
• Hanging out at The Cellar in<br />
Cartwright Center?<br />
• Watching the Oktoberfest parade on a<br />
cool, fall afternoon?<br />
• Participating in intramural sports?<br />
• Learning to dance in Bernadine<br />
Kunkel’s class?<br />
• Living in the residence halls?<br />
• Cramming for a test at <strong>Murphy</strong><br />
<strong>Library</strong>?<br />
These and other memories are an<br />
important part <strong>of</strong> the La Crosse Experience.<br />
The Alumni Association works to keep these<br />
memories alive and to create new ones.<br />
Each summer, alumni are asked to join or<br />
renew their Alumni Association membership<br />
to maintain the La Crosse Experience. You can<br />
join for as little as $35. Benefits include access<br />
to the online directory, discounts on insurance<br />
products and special events, invitations to<br />
programs throughout the world, and<br />
subscriptions to the Lantern, e-Alumnus and<br />
the Alumnus. Membership helps provide<br />
programs and services to current alums and<br />
also <strong>of</strong>fers opportunities for future alums.<br />
Those joining through June 29, <strong>2006</strong>, have<br />
an opportunity to win a trip to Lake Como<br />
and Lake Lucerne (details below).<br />
A lakeside sojourn on Como and Lucerne<br />
Breathtaking scenery with snow-capped<br />
mountains, green meadows, picturepostcard<br />
villages, ornate villas, colorful<br />
gardens and boats sailing on clear blue lakes are<br />
featured in a trip to Italy and Switzerland. The<br />
Alumni Association tour includes Lake Como,<br />
Lake Maggiore and Lake Lucerne, along with<br />
European cities and mountains. The Sept. 21-29<br />
trip <strong>of</strong>fers additional tours or travel time for<br />
yourself. Make reservations early; space is<br />
limited. Cost is $2,138 for double occupancy.<br />
For details contact Go Next at (800)842-9023.<br />
Want to win the trip to Switzerland<br />
and Italy? Join today!<br />
Especially for Alumni<br />
Membership vital in keeping campus memories alive<br />
Alumni Association is key to the “La Crosse Experience”<br />
Join the UW-L Alumni Association at<br />
www.uwlax.uwlalumni.org/join.php.<br />
“Graduating from UW-La Crosse<br />
was one <strong>of</strong> the highlights <strong>of</strong> my life.<br />
Why wouldn’t I stay connected?”<br />
If you join or renew Alumni Association<br />
membership by June 29, you’ll have<br />
the chance to win this exciting trip.<br />
Memberships for the <strong>2006</strong>-07 fiscal<br />
year received through June 29,<br />
<strong>2006</strong>, will be entered into the<br />
drawing. Get contest rules,<br />
join or renew at<br />
www.uwlalumni.org or call<br />
toll free (877)895-2586.<br />
—Christina Trombley, ’95<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
21
UW-L representatives visited with alumni in<br />
Tampa and Ft. Myers, Fla., as well as Denver<br />
and Colorado Springs, Colo., this spring.<br />
“These events were planned to provide an<br />
opportunity for us to share campus news and for<br />
alumni to reconnect with each other,” notes Janie<br />
Spencer, executive director <strong>of</strong> the Alumni<br />
Association. Evening receptions brought together<br />
alumni from seven decades and various majors.<br />
“It’s so much fun to hear their stories,” says<br />
Spencer. “Alums have fond memories <strong>of</strong> their time<br />
on campus and are willing to share these with each<br />
other. Many comment on a favorite class or<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor, some about their involvement on an<br />
athletic team or club, and some share recollections <strong>of</strong><br />
the La Crosse community. The one common theme is<br />
that UW-L is a special place.”<br />
22 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
1<br />
2<br />
Catching up in Florida, Colorado<br />
Have a great time golfing while<br />
helping the university. Mark your<br />
calendars for Wednesday, Aug. 16,<br />
for golf at Cedar Creek Country Club in<br />
Onalaska. Proceeds from the event will<br />
benefit student scholarships, special<br />
learning opportunities, alumni<br />
programming and other important<br />
1<br />
Tampa alumni gathered at Buca Di Beppo for happy hour<br />
Feb. 25. From left, Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86; Terry Pohlers,<br />
Mike Pohlers, ’77; Margaret Ewert, ’70; Angie Lee, UW-L<br />
admissions counselor; Christine Hanjian, ’83; and Jay Hanjian.<br />
2<br />
Margaret Toennies, Florence Malizola, ’61; and Carol<br />
Dobrunz, ’57; were among the 20-plus Florida alumni and<br />
friends gathering in Ft. Myers.<br />
3<br />
Members <strong>of</strong> the Jones family gathered in Denver for a small<br />
family reunion as well as the UW-L reunion. From left,<br />
Dana Jones Hornecker, '85; Mary Jo Jones, '84; Bob Jones, '83;<br />
and Barb Jones, ’88; celebrated with other alums at Rock Bottom<br />
Brewery.<br />
4Six friends on the UW-L ski team left La Crosse after<br />
graduation and moved to Colorado. They joined alumni at<br />
the Rock Bottom Brewery to make new friends from UW-L.<br />
From left, Kristi Lautenschlager, ’02; Tristen Rogers, ’02; Aaron<br />
Eliason, ’00; Nick Svoma, ’02; Shaun Smith, ’02; and Heather<br />
Woodward, ’02.<br />
Chancellor’s Golf Classic set for Aug. 16<br />
educational endeavors on campus.<br />
Cost is $125 per person, with a fiveperson<br />
shot gun format. Sponsorship<br />
opportunities are also available.<br />
For more information, contact Chris<br />
Oganowski, oganowsk.chri@uwlax.edu, or<br />
Janie Spencer, spencer.jane@uwlax.edu.<br />
3<br />
4
Members <strong>of</strong> the Paris Alumni & Friends tour gathered in front <strong>of</strong> Notre Dame for a group photo.<br />
Row 1: Sandy Melbye. Row 2, from left: David Roberts, Barb Jacobs, Cheryl Bradley, Jenny Vondrashek, Cathy<br />
Markwiese. Row 3: Darrel Jacobs, Julie Schwingel, Janie Spencer, Rose Vondrashek, Betty Roskos, Steve Tietz, Amy<br />
Melbye. Row 4: Frank Vondrashek, Nick Vondrashek and Roland Roskos. Missing from photo: Kathy Gresens, Lynn<br />
Drecktrah, Carol Gundersen and Jean Helliesen.<br />
Twenty travelers enjoyed the spring excursion<br />
sponsored by the UW-L Alumni Association. Julie<br />
Schwingel, 85, shared some diary entries.<br />
Saturday, April 1 — Arrived at our hotel after a<br />
seven-hour flight in time to freshen up, get our<br />
bearings and attend an evening reception to get to<br />
know one another. We’re a diverse group, but we<br />
quickly bonded. Our knowledge <strong>of</strong> the French<br />
language varied. Many <strong>of</strong> us were happy to learn<br />
and pronounce “bon jour” (hello), pardon, and<br />
merci’ (thank you).<br />
Sunday, April 2 — Selected an optional tour, a<br />
city sightseeing adventure. Stops included the Eiffel<br />
Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Invalides, Montmartre and<br />
Notre Dame. After viewing the sites, we all felt like<br />
we were really in Paris! The monuments were big as<br />
life, well maintained, quite old (relatively speaking),<br />
and made for some great photos.<br />
Monday, April 3 — Visited the Paris Opera House<br />
(home to the Phantom <strong>of</strong> the Opera story), the<br />
Louvre (home to such famous pieces as the Mona<br />
Lisa and the site <strong>of</strong> a part <strong>of</strong> “The DaVinci Code).”<br />
Tuesday, April 4 — Boarded a bus and traveled<br />
to Normandy. The stories, artifacts, and monuments<br />
made for a tremendous experience for history buffs.<br />
The rest <strong>of</strong> us became history buffs! I will never<br />
forget the beauty and peacefulness <strong>of</strong><br />
the American cemetery.<br />
Wednesday, April 5 — Another optional trip,<br />
these tours to Versailles Palace (a hunting area for<br />
Louis XIV and others) and Giverny (Monet’s home).<br />
It was a real treat to see the gardens and pond at<br />
Monet’s home, the subjects <strong>of</strong> many <strong>of</strong> his famous<br />
paintings.<br />
Thursday, April 6 — Many <strong>of</strong> us experienced the<br />
TGV, high speed train to Chateau country. The high<br />
speed train was quite an adventure!<br />
Friday, April 7 — Our last day <strong>of</strong> sightseeing<br />
included a trip to champagne country. We made a<br />
stop in the town <strong>of</strong> Rheims and viewed the Notre<br />
Dame cathedral, also known for its smiling angel<br />
statues. Champagne country included a visit to<br />
Mercier and a tour <strong>of</strong> its champagne cellars. No<br />
champagne tour would be complete without a<br />
tasting; it was wonderful!<br />
Saturday, April 8 — After a week <strong>of</strong><br />
unforgettable adventures and experiences, we<br />
boarded a plane for the nine-hour flight back to<br />
Detroit. The memories <strong>of</strong> the trip and the new<br />
friends made will be held in our hearts for a very<br />
long time. To experience Paris in spring is truly a<br />
dream come true. I can’t wait for a return trip to this<br />
magical city.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
23
Foundation Update<br />
Campus site<br />
named for chancellor<br />
The large, green area on campus has<br />
been <strong>of</strong>ficially named for the<br />
chancellor who initiated the idea <strong>of</strong><br />
planting trees to make the area forest-like.<br />
Kennneth Lindner, chancellor from 1970-79,<br />
started the tree-planting project in the grassy<br />
area between Graff Main Hall and Morris Hall.<br />
In his Graff Main Hall <strong>of</strong>fice, Lindner grew tired<br />
<strong>of</strong> trying to conduct business with the Marching<br />
Chiefs blasting nearby outside. So, he had trees<br />
planted in the green area where the band<br />
practiced. The band moved practices to Coate<br />
Hall Field.<br />
Over the years, the trees have grown and a<br />
gazebo has been added. Last summer, friends<br />
Funds created will make a difference<br />
The following funds have been established with the<br />
UW-La Crosse Foundation since Oct. 30, 2005:<br />
• UW-L Alumni Association Building The Future<br />
Custodial Fund, created by the association to<br />
provide continued support for programming.<br />
• UW-L Alumni Association Life Membership<br />
Custodial Fund, created by the association to<br />
provide continued support for programming.<br />
• Burton and Norma Altman Learning in<br />
Retirement Fund, established by Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Emeritus Burt Altman and his wife to support a<br />
distinguished service recognition wall and provide<br />
supplemental funding for field trips and speakers<br />
or programs for the university’s Learning in<br />
Retirement Program.<br />
• Gayle A. Anderson Scholarship Fund, an<br />
endowment established through this 1964<br />
graduate’s estate plan to fund scholarships for<br />
undergraduate students with majors in liberal arts.<br />
• Christians Family Scholarship Fund in Radiation<br />
Therapy, established by Kenna Christians,<br />
assistant chancellor <strong>of</strong> <strong>University</strong> Advancement<br />
and UW-L Foundation president, and her family to<br />
support students studying radiation therapy.<br />
• Carol A. Dobrunz Endowment Fund, supports<br />
non-tenured teaching faculty and staff participation<br />
at national conferences within their<br />
discipline.<br />
• Enrollment Services Scholarship Fund, supports<br />
the recruitment <strong>of</strong> entering freshmen.<br />
24 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
and colleagues <strong>of</strong> Lindner donated money to<br />
revitalize and maintain the area. And, with a<br />
plaque, the area has been <strong>of</strong>ficially designated<br />
as “Lindner Forest,” a name given the area after<br />
the tree-planting began.<br />
Lindner resigned as chancellor in 1979 to<br />
become the Secretary <strong>of</strong> the Department <strong>of</strong><br />
Administration under Gov. Lee Dreyfus, a<br />
longtime friend and fellow chancellor at UW-<br />
Stevens Point. Completing his service with the<br />
Dreyfus administration in 1982, he returned to<br />
campus until retiring in 1988. He lives in Black<br />
River Falls.<br />
• Enrollment Services Restricted Fund, supports<br />
the programs and mission <strong>of</strong> the university’s<br />
Enrollment Services Unit.<br />
• Federated Insurance Scholarship Fund, provides<br />
scholarships for students majoring in the College<br />
<strong>of</strong> Business Administration.<br />
• Joseph and Linda Kastantin Accountancy<br />
Scholarship Fund, provides scholarships for<br />
students majoring in accountancy.<br />
• Learning in Retirement Restricted Fund, supports<br />
the programs and mission <strong>of</strong> the university’s<br />
Learning in Retirement Program.<br />
• Esther and Sam Levy Memorial Scholarship<br />
Fund, established by James Lewis in memory <strong>of</strong><br />
his mother and step-father, the fund supports<br />
scholarships for students majoring in the health<br />
sciences.<br />
• Department <strong>of</strong> Philosophy Fund at UW-<br />
La Crosse, provides support for the mission,<br />
purposes and programs <strong>of</strong> the university<br />
philosophy department.<br />
•UW-L Strength Center Fund, provides support for<br />
the programs and mission <strong>of</strong> the UW-L Strength<br />
Center.<br />
To contribute to a fund, or for information about<br />
establishing a fund, contact Al Trapp, director <strong>of</strong><br />
planned giving, at trapp.alle@uwlax.edu, visit<br />
www.foundation.uwlax.edu, or call the UW-L<br />
Foundation at (608)785-8489.
H<br />
e only attended UW-L six months before<br />
leaving to fight in World War II. But, that<br />
brief stay was enough for La Crosse native<br />
James Lewis to understand what kind <strong>of</strong> an<br />
outstanding education the university <strong>of</strong>fers.<br />
The La Crosse Experience left such an impression<br />
that more than 60 years later, Lewis endowed a<br />
scholarship through the UW-La Crosse Foundation<br />
as a memorial to his mother and step-father. The<br />
Esther and Sam Levy Memorial Scholarship is<br />
awarded to an upperclassman student majoring in a<br />
health-science related major.<br />
Lewis knows the reputation <strong>of</strong> La Crosse’s two<br />
medical facilities and has read about the university’s<br />
expanding allied health programs.<br />
Being that both his mother and<br />
step-father died <strong>of</strong> heart complications,<br />
Lewis made the<br />
endowment in hopes <strong>of</strong> improving<br />
health care.<br />
“I always felt that kids today<br />
deserve help with the cost <strong>of</strong><br />
tuition and I’d like to help those<br />
planning to go into the health<br />
field,” explains Lewis, who turns<br />
80 in July. “With all the new things<br />
happening in the area <strong>of</strong> health, I’m hoping<br />
recipients will be able spend more time discovering<br />
advances in health rather than worrying about<br />
paying for college.”<br />
The Levy’s, long-time residents <strong>of</strong> La Crosse,<br />
owned the Levy News Agency from the 1930s-50s.<br />
The wholesale distributorship for magazines,<br />
paperback novels and books, comic books and out<strong>of</strong>-town<br />
newspapers serviced area newsstands, drug<br />
stores and other businesses. When Nearby Fort<br />
McCoy surged in population because <strong>of</strong> WWII, the<br />
agency distributed around 12,000 newspapers daily.<br />
The Levys sold the business in 1952. Both were<br />
involved in service organizations and were major<br />
contributors to the Congregation Sons <strong>of</strong> Abraham<br />
Synagogue construction. Sam died in 1956; Esther in<br />
1977.<br />
Lewis, who attended classes on campus after<br />
graduating from La Crosse Central High School in<br />
January 1944, enlisted in the navy that August.<br />
When he returned in August 1946, he attended<br />
UW-Madison, graduating with a bachelor’s degree<br />
in journalism and advertising in 1949. Lewis moved<br />
to Texas in 1953 where he worked for the Houston<br />
Post until 1959 and the Chronicle from 1960 until<br />
retiring in 1989.<br />
Foundation Update<br />
Campus experience inspires endowment<br />
Esther Levy in<br />
December 1975<br />
“With all the new things<br />
happening in the area <strong>of</strong><br />
health, I’m hoping<br />
recipients will be able<br />
spend more time<br />
discovering advances in<br />
health rather than<br />
worrying about paying for college.”<br />
—James Lewis<br />
“I knew La Crosse State Teachers College had a<br />
wonderful reputation and I loved my time there,”<br />
Lewis says. “It was a wonderful school and the<br />
teachers were outstanding.”<br />
Al Trapp, vice president <strong>of</strong> administration and<br />
planned giving for the UW-L Foundation, says<br />
Lewis exemplifies those who have had the La Crosse<br />
Experience, whether graduating or not. “We’re very<br />
appreciative <strong>of</strong> Jim Lewis and his generous<br />
endowment <strong>of</strong> the scholarship honoring his mother<br />
and step-father,” says Trapp. “Jim sets an example <strong>of</strong><br />
the love for this campus by those who attended<br />
UW-L and didn’t graduate for one reason or another.<br />
Anyone who has attended here has been positively<br />
impacted and thanks to Jim, students for years to<br />
come will be impacted, too.”<br />
Sam Levy, left, dropped <strong>of</strong>f James Lewis at the train depot in<br />
La Crosse July 23, 1956, so Lewis could visit relatives in<br />
Chicago. Levy died three days later <strong>of</strong> a heart attack.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 25
26<br />
Athletics<br />
In the long run<br />
Fritsch making a name for himself<br />
by Dave Johnson, ’92<br />
When head men’s cross country coach Don<br />
Fritsch took over for long-time head coach<br />
Phil Esten, ’65, in 1999, he looked forward<br />
to the challenge <strong>of</strong> keeping the Eagles ahead <strong>of</strong> the<br />
national pack. Fritsch still has the harriers there.<br />
“Following a revered legend like Phil Esten was<br />
not easy,” admits Fritsch, an assistant coach for the<br />
Eagles’ cross country and track and field teams for<br />
six years before becoming head coach. “I felt like I<br />
had to get the job done in terms <strong>of</strong> maintaining the<br />
integrity <strong>of</strong> the program.”<br />
Fritsch, ’80 & ’93, completed his eighth season as<br />
head coach in 2005. He has guided the Eagles to two<br />
National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III<br />
titles, including one in November. His harriers also<br />
captured the national crown in 2001.<br />
“I had a lot to prove to the people who had hired<br />
me, that they had chosen the right person,” says<br />
Fritsch. “And, I had a lot to prove to the cynics who<br />
doubted I could maintain our program’s competitive<br />
level as a conference, regional and national power.”<br />
Fritsch defines UW-L’s success as a wonderful<br />
tradition <strong>of</strong> excellence and great students willing to<br />
work hard and sacrifice. It’s something he calls the<br />
“La Crosse Secret.”<br />
“I’m simply the captain <strong>of</strong> a great ship that was<br />
built and sailed by men like cross country coach Phil<br />
Esten and track coach Buck Jones over 30 years ago,”<br />
explains Fritsch. “The student-athletes are the ones<br />
providing the energy and power to keep UW-L’s<br />
ship at full steam.” He’s continued the trend <strong>of</strong><br />
leading the team to a top-seven finish at nationals,<br />
now a feat for 32 consecutive years.<br />
Fritsch says the team goals are the same every<br />
year: win the conference title, qualify for the<br />
nationals and bring a trophy home from nationals.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
The Fritsch numbers<br />
2 NCAA III championships<br />
5 Wisconsin Intercollegiate<br />
Athletic Conference titles<br />
5 WIAC Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year<br />
honors<br />
2 NCAA III Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year honors<br />
8 Top-seven national finishes in eight years <strong>of</strong><br />
coaching<br />
11 All-American cross country runners he’s<br />
coached (also several on the track and field<br />
team)<br />
1 Inducted into the Wisconsin Cross Country<br />
Coaches Association Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame, January<br />
2004<br />
He went out for cross country as a high school<br />
freshman and immediately started running varsity.<br />
At UW-L Fritsch ran to All-WIAC and NAIA district<br />
honors.<br />
Fritsch began coaching in 1980 while student<br />
teaching in La Crosse. After relocating to Stevens<br />
Point, he created a 10-year cross country dynasty at<br />
Pacelli High School. He was named Wisconsin<br />
Independent Schools Athletic Association Coach <strong>of</strong><br />
the Year four times and coached the boy’s and girl’s<br />
programs to 15 championships. He also guided the<br />
girl’s track and field team to two state times and<br />
coached 15 individual state champions.<br />
Along with his coaching at UW-L, Fritsch teaches<br />
health and physical education at Longfellow Middle<br />
School in La Crosse, a position he has held since<br />
1994. He says UW-L’s graduate school has provided<br />
a ready source <strong>of</strong> graduate students who are willing<br />
to volunteer their time to help out with the program.<br />
Don Fritsch, ’80 & ’93, has guided the Eagles to two<br />
National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III<br />
titles. Fritsch is proud to carry on the “La Crosse Secret.”
1 st<br />
in more ways than one<br />
Grads recall winning the university’s<br />
first women’s national championship<br />
They didn’t break any glass<br />
ceilings, but they came<br />
close to breaking some<br />
glass backboards.<br />
The 1980-81 women’s<br />
basketball blazed its way down<br />
the court and into history when it<br />
won a national championship. It<br />
was the first <strong>of</strong> what has become<br />
many national titles earned by the<br />
university’s female athletes.<br />
That was 25 years ago. Four<br />
members <strong>of</strong> the title team — Ann<br />
Mahnke, ’86; Mary (Stusek)<br />
Miller, ’84; Darcia (Davies) Torres,<br />
’81; and Lorraine (Tetzlaff) Torrey,<br />
’81 — were on hand for the<br />
celebration Jan. 21 when the<br />
Eagles hosted UW-Eau Claire.<br />
UW-L captured the 1980-81<br />
Association for Intercollegiate<br />
Athletics for Women (AIAW)<br />
Division III national championship<br />
with a 79-71 victory over<br />
Mount Mercy College March 28,<br />
1981, in Mitchell Hall.The Roonies<br />
(as women’s teams were called<br />
then) had defeated Pittsburgh-<br />
Johnstown 70-62 in the national<br />
semifinals.<br />
The team finished the season<br />
with an 11-game winning streak<br />
and went 25-6 overall, including<br />
17-2 on the road. “I’m sure our<br />
reputation had a great deal to do<br />
with our success,” says Torres<br />
about the road record. “If we<br />
didn’t win, it was a long ride<br />
home. Plus our coaches would<br />
bribe us with extra good food if<br />
we did well. For example, every<br />
30 second shot clock violation the<br />
other team recorded meant fudge<br />
cake for dessert.”<br />
Torrey says the team was so<br />
balanced opponents couldn’t<br />
focus on stopping one or two<br />
players to shut the team down.<br />
“We were an unselfish team,” she<br />
recalls. “We passed well and<br />
found the open player.”<br />
The Roonies had finished<br />
second in the nation in 1979-80<br />
and were ready for a drive to the<br />
national title. “Most <strong>of</strong> us played<br />
together the previous year,” said<br />
Mahnke. “Not a single person<br />
thought that losing was an option.<br />
We had very competitive<br />
individuals that understood the<br />
word ‘team.’”<br />
Torres recalls the team effort,<br />
too. “We were successful because<br />
Members <strong>of</strong> the 1980-81 women’s basketball<br />
team that won the national title<br />
Cheri Brooks<br />
Paula Dodge, ’84<br />
Kris Jansen<br />
Ann Mahnke, ’86<br />
Donna (Freese) Miller, ’84<br />
Mary (Stusek) Miller, ’84<br />
Members <strong>of</strong> the 1981 AIAW National Championship were honored this winter during<br />
halftime <strong>of</strong> a basketball game.<br />
Amy (Nickel) Miller, ’85<br />
Kim (Greene) Redman, ’84<br />
Darcia (Davies) Torres, ’81*<br />
Lorraine (Tetzlaff) Torrey, ’81*<br />
Coach: Mary Hansen, ’79<br />
*Team captains<br />
we believed in each other, we had<br />
‘Roonie’ pride, and we were not<br />
afraid <strong>of</strong> working extra-hard,”<br />
says Torres. “We actually were<br />
great friends and some <strong>of</strong> us were<br />
roommates. We were close on and<br />
<strong>of</strong>f the court and had great<br />
chemistry. There was no doubt<br />
our team was in the best physical<br />
condition <strong>of</strong> any Division III team<br />
that we met. We worked hard at<br />
practice and we were dedicated<br />
year round.”<br />
An upstart network, ESPN,<br />
broadcast the championship<br />
game. “I guess I didn’t even<br />
realize we were on national<br />
television,” notes Torrey. “To play<br />
at home in front <strong>of</strong> your own fans<br />
is a definite advantage. It was<br />
unbelievable how many people<br />
were there and it really got the<br />
team fired up and ready to go.”<br />
Torrey says the group was<br />
happy to be back on campus 25<br />
years later. “It was exciting, to be<br />
recognized for something<br />
accomplished 25 years ago and to<br />
meet up again with teammates<br />
that I hadn’t seen for many<br />
years,” she says. She also enjoyed<br />
seeing the 2005-06 version <strong>of</strong> the<br />
UW-L women’s basketball team<br />
which eventually finished at 19-8,<br />
its most successful season since<br />
going 22-7 in 1987-88.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 27
Athletics<br />
Men’s<br />
Basketball<br />
The men cagers<br />
finished 20-8<br />
overall and 10-6 in<br />
the WIAC. The 20 overall wins<br />
were the most since 1982-83 (20-7)<br />
while the 10 conference victories<br />
were the most since 2001-02 (10-<br />
6). The Eagles made their first<br />
ever appearance in the NCAA III<br />
tournament, falling 79-71 to<br />
Calvin College.<br />
Women’s<br />
Basketball<br />
The women cagers<br />
had a breakthrough<br />
season,<br />
finishing 19-8 overall and 9-7 in<br />
the WIAC. The 19 overall and<br />
nine conference wins were the<br />
most since 1987-88. The Eagles<br />
finished fourth in the WIAC —<br />
their best conference finish since<br />
1987-88. The team received its<br />
first ranking on D3hoops.com.<br />
Eagles third<br />
in national<br />
cup<br />
standings<br />
Near completion <strong>of</strong> the winter<br />
sports season, UW-L ranks<br />
third place in the U.S. Sports<br />
Academy Directors’ Cup<br />
Division III standings. The<br />
Eagles have 479.0 points. The<br />
College <strong>of</strong> New Jersey leads<br />
with 626.25. UW-L holds seven<br />
top-10 finishes in the 10 years<br />
<strong>of</strong> the competition.<br />
28 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Women’s Indoor<br />
Track and Field<br />
The Eagles finished<br />
seventh at the NCAA<br />
III championships in<br />
March, earning 22.0 team points.<br />
UW-Oshkosh was first with 44.0<br />
points. The Eagles were second at<br />
the WIAC.<br />
Men’s Swimming<br />
and Diving<br />
The Eagles finished<br />
second at the WIAC<br />
Championships. Karl<br />
Richters (500, 1650 freestyle) and<br />
Anthony Schmidt (200<br />
backstroke, 400 I.M.) both won<br />
two events for the Eagles.<br />
Women’s<br />
Swimming and<br />
Diving<br />
The Eagles finished<br />
17th at the NCAA III<br />
championships in<br />
March. The Eagles finished with<br />
62.0 team points, marking the<br />
school’s eighth top-20 finish .<br />
UW-L placed second at the<br />
WIAC championships.<br />
Wrestling<br />
The Eagles finished<br />
second at the NCAA<br />
III championships in<br />
March. Seven studentathletes<br />
earned All-America<br />
honors. The second-place team<br />
finish and seven individual All-<br />
America honors each tied school<br />
record. The grapplers captured<br />
their ninth consecutive WIAC<br />
title. Head coach Nate Skaar was<br />
named the WIAC Coach <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Year for the second straight<br />
season.<br />
National championships ...<br />
earned by UW-L athletic teams<br />
in the 2005-06 academic year:<br />
• Men’s Cross Country — p. 26<br />
• Men’s Indoor Track and Field<br />
— p. 31<br />
• Women’s Gymnastics — p. 31<br />
Get complete season info<br />
www.uwlax.edu/athletics3.<br />
(as <strong>of</strong> April 30, <strong>2006</strong>)<br />
2 The men’s wrestling team’s finish at<br />
the NCAA III championships in March.<br />
6 Consecutive national championships earned<br />
by both the men’s track and field indoor team (NCAA)<br />
and women’s gymnastics team (NCGA).<br />
19 Overall wins the women’s basketball team posted for 2005-06,<br />
the most since 1987-88.<br />
20 Overall wins the men’s basketball team posted for 2005-06, the<br />
most since 1982-83.<br />
479 Points UW-L has collected in the U.S. Sports Academy<br />
Directors’ Cup Division III competition.
Football field is tops<br />
The UW-L football team is known statewide for conference — and national — championships. Now the<br />
field they play on has earned recognition, too. The Wisconsin SportsTurf Managers Association-<br />
Wisconsin Chapter has named Memorial Field the state’s 2005 Football Field <strong>of</strong> the Year. Pete Bemis, ’77<br />
& ’82, assistant director <strong>of</strong> facilities management and landscape architect, says the annual award<br />
recognizes exceptional maintenance and management <strong>of</strong> one natural turfgrass field in the state. Along<br />
with the UW-L games, the field has football games for La Crosse Central and Aquinas high schools,<br />
along with other events such as the university’s convocation.<br />
Grad in Super Bowl<br />
Sam Ramsden, ’92, didn’t play<br />
in Super Bowl XL, but he’s part<br />
<strong>of</strong> the reason the Seattle<br />
Seahawks did Feb. 5, <strong>2006</strong>.<br />
Ramsden is the Seahawks’ head<br />
athletic trainer, a job he’s held<br />
since the 2004 season. Ramsden<br />
served six seasons with the<br />
Green Bay Packers as an<br />
assistant athletic trainer and<br />
was a member <strong>of</strong> the Super<br />
Bowl XXI championship team.<br />
He joined the Seahawks staff as<br />
an associate athletic trainer in<br />
February 1999. The Seahawks<br />
fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers,<br />
21-10.<br />
L-Club has successful first year<br />
The newly-formed L-Club, which combined all athletic fund-raising<br />
efforts, is finding success just like the athletic teams it’s supporting.<br />
The goal during its first year was to increase fund raising by at<br />
least 25 percent, says Mike Desmond, ’76 & ’87, L-Club executive<br />
director. By spring, the club had raised $138,000 — up 84 percent<br />
over all the individual team fund raising from the previous year.<br />
“The goal seemed realistic because the greater La Crosse<br />
community was in full support <strong>of</strong> this new structure,” notes<br />
Desmond.<br />
The increase will help the athletic teams maintain their<br />
excellence, says Desmond. L-Club membership is still available. For<br />
details, contact Desmond at desmond.mich@uwlax.edu.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 29
30 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
The beauties meet<br />
the beasts ...<br />
The gymnastics and wrestling teams hosted a<br />
unique event Jan. 27 in Mitchell Hall. Both hosted<br />
a meet at the same time. In front <strong>of</strong> a crowd <strong>of</strong> 824,<br />
the gymnastics team defeated UW-Eau Claire and<br />
the wrestlers outscored UW-Oshkosh. “The night<br />
was a smash hit from the wrestling team’s<br />
perspective,” says UW-L head coach Nate Skaar.<br />
”There was so much energy in the gym and our<br />
wrestlers were feeding <strong>of</strong>f it all. I would like to see<br />
this as an annual event. We can’t wait to do it all<br />
again next year.”
Sixth straight<br />
national titles for ...<br />
Men’s Indoor Track and Field wins<br />
with record points<br />
The men’s track and field<br />
team captured its sixth<br />
straight NCAA Division<br />
III Indoor Championship March<br />
11. UW-L finished with 78.0 team<br />
points. Lincoln <strong>University</strong> was<br />
second with 31.0. The 78.0 team<br />
points is a championship meet<br />
record, as is the Eagles’ 47-point<br />
winning margin.<br />
“If there is a perfect meet to<br />
have, this may have been it,” says<br />
UW-L head coach Mark Guthrie.<br />
“The athletes were outstanding<br />
all weekend.”<br />
This was the Eagles’ 13th<br />
indoor national title in school<br />
history, the most in NCAA III<br />
history. With nine outdoor track<br />
and field national titles, UW-L has<br />
now won a NCAA III record 22<br />
track and field championships.<br />
Get a complete recap <strong>of</strong> the<br />
season at<br />
www.uwlax.edu/athletics/mtrack.<br />
“If there is a perfect meet to have,<br />
this may have been it.”<br />
Women’s gymnastics vaults in record fashion<br />
Women’s gymnastics<br />
captured its sixth<br />
straight National<br />
Collegiate Gymnastics Association<br />
(NCGA) Championship March 24.<br />
UW-L finished at 186.250, ahead <strong>of</strong><br />
second-place finisher Ithaca<br />
College (N.Y.) at 183.800. The<br />
Eagles have now won a record 11<br />
NCGA titles.<br />
Barb (Derouin) Gibson, ’78,<br />
completed her 21st season as head<br />
coach. She has led the Eagles to all<br />
11, as well as 14 Wisconsin<br />
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference<br />
titles.<br />
Individually, seniors Nina<br />
Schubert and Jenna Houle<br />
captured individual national titles.<br />
Schubert became the second<br />
gymnast in NCGA history to win<br />
three uneven parallel bars titles.<br />
See the season recap at:<br />
www.uwlax.edu/athletics/wgymnastics.<br />
—UW-L head coach Mark Guthrie<br />
National Champion<br />
Nina Schubert<br />
National champion distance medley<br />
relay team member Mike Herlihy<br />
DZs plan<br />
reunion<br />
Athletics<br />
Delta Zeta-Zeta<br />
Omicron, on<br />
campus from 1961<br />
through the mid<br />
’80s, will hold its<br />
second reunion Aug. 4-6,<br />
<strong>2006</strong>, in La Crosse. Activities<br />
include: a La Crosse Queen<br />
Riverboat ride, golf<br />
tournament, hike, ceremony<br />
and banquet/karaoke party,<br />
and Sunday luncheon. The<br />
first reunion in August 2003<br />
drew 78 sisters. Former DZs<br />
wanting more information<br />
should contact Heidi<br />
(Mierendorf) Ludkey at<br />
hludkey@yahoo.com or Beckey<br />
(Robinson) Romenesko at<br />
baromo@juno.com.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 31<br />
Mark Foos photo
La Crosse Ties<br />
Class notes<br />
’32<br />
Doris (Wolf) Ravnum, ’32 & ’42, and her husband, Norm, have<br />
moved to Lyndon Station to live with their daughter.<br />
’44<br />
Eunice (Dibley) Burns, Ann Arbor, Mich., is “sort <strong>of</strong> retired”<br />
while still selling real estate and serving on six area committees.<br />
She would like to hear from any other ’44 grads at<br />
elburns@mac.com.<br />
’50<br />
Allegra Silberstein Jostad, Davis, Calif., says retirement is<br />
wonderful. She has been designing dances and performing with a<br />
world music group. Her new poetry chapbook, “In the Folds,”<br />
was published by Rattlesnake Press in November 2005.<br />
’51<br />
Karen (Sorensen) Jensen, River Falls, has published her second<br />
Native American historical novel, “Return <strong>of</strong> the Navajo.” Having<br />
lived in Gallup, N.M., Jensen emphasized Navajo history in the<br />
book. To order a copy, contact Jensen at karenleejensen@aol.com.<br />
John Schumann, Sheboygan, will have a gym at Sheboygan<br />
South High School named for him. Richard and Kristin Bemis <strong>of</strong><br />
Bemis Manufacturing donated $300,000 to the Sheboygan Area<br />
School District for the right to name community gyms at the<br />
North and South high school field houses. Schumann retired from<br />
coaching in 1981.<br />
’52<br />
Richard Thiel, Sr., Kenosha, continues to teach for UW Extension<br />
and Gateway Technical Institute. He has been a copywriter for a<br />
U.S. government study plan.<br />
’53<br />
Carolyn B. Anderson, Madison, was featured in a “Know Your<br />
Madisonian” column in the Wisconsin State Journal. She is a retired<br />
school teacher who taught for 45 years in the Madison School<br />
District. Anderson lists the day she could live over as: “The first<br />
day <strong>of</strong> every school year, which were filled with excitement.”<br />
’56<br />
Harold Biebel, Sheboygan, retired from teaching 38 years in the<br />
Sheboygan Public School System in 1996. He took a part-time<br />
appointment at UW College-Sheboygan as a mathematics<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor in 1998 and planned to retire again in December 2005.<br />
Did<br />
32 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
know?<br />
... two UW-L students received the<br />
prestigious <strong>2006</strong>-07 Goldwater<br />
Scholarship, the premier award given<br />
to only 323 science-related majors<br />
nationwide.<br />
Did<br />
know?<br />
... Amber Juris <strong>of</strong> Amherst, cadet<br />
battalion commander <strong>of</strong> the UW-L<br />
ROTC program, was recognized as<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the best future Army <strong>of</strong>ficers<br />
in the country. Juris, ranked 19 out <strong>of</strong><br />
3,838 cadets, was named to the <strong>2006</strong><br />
National Order <strong>of</strong> Merit List for<br />
Future U.S. Army Second Lieutenants.<br />
Virginia (Gittens) Dockweiler, ’56 & ’76, La Crescent, Minn.,<br />
is retired. She and her husband, Eugene, moved into a new condo<br />
in August.<br />
John A. and Barbara A. (Fisler) Thomas, both ’56, have<br />
moved back to the Midwest, re-settling in Fishers, Ind. John<br />
retired as vice president and pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> pharmacology and<br />
toxicology from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Texas Health Science Center-<br />
San Antonio, but remains pr<strong>of</strong>essionally active on governmental<br />
panels and corporate boards. Since relocating, he has been<br />
appointed adjunct pr<strong>of</strong>essor at the Indiana School <strong>of</strong> Medicine<br />
and to the FDA’s newly-formed Committee on Drug Safety. He<br />
currently is a member <strong>of</strong> the FDA’s Science Advisory Board.<br />
’59<br />
Arlen A. Evenson married Marsha Hanson Sept. 10, 2005. They<br />
live in Burnsville, Minn. Arlen is retired.<br />
Joseph Putsch, Janesville, owns Putsch Arms, a firearm retail<br />
business, and the Anti2-Tradr, an antique store. Putsch travels for<br />
big game and fly fishes throughout the country. He enjoys<br />
making bamboo fly rods, as well as maple syrup each spring. He<br />
and his wife, Mary have been married for 43 years.<br />
’60<br />
Michael J. Hennessy, North Riverside, Ill., has been practicing<br />
law in the Chicago area for 41 years. His law firm, Hennessy and<br />
Cihak, recently purchased the former North Riverside <strong>Library</strong><br />
and has remodeled it into a law center. Despite a busy work<br />
schedule, he finds time to golf with former UW-L classmates.<br />
“Never did I anticipate or realize the life journey UW-L was<br />
preparing me for, and I will also be eternally grateful,” he says.<br />
’62<br />
Sandra “Vassar” Braun, Fall River, married William Braun in May<br />
2005. She teaches swim classes for the Beaver Dam YMCA.<br />
’66<br />
Nancy B. Weber, Dallas, retired after 17-plus years as a forensic<br />
drug chemist, including analyzing the evidence in the “fake drug<br />
scandal” in Dallas, where innocent immigrants were set up by<br />
confidential informants. She now volunteers for several organizations<br />
and finds time to travel.<br />
’68<br />
Gale (Huse) Tanger, Wauwatosa, was a ladies figure skating<br />
judge at the <strong>2006</strong> Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. She is<br />
first vice president <strong>of</strong> U.S. Figure Skating and oversees the<br />
country’s athletes and international programs in the sport. She
serves with the International Skating<br />
Union as world and olympic judge and<br />
referee, technical controller, and <strong>of</strong>ficials<br />
assessment commission.<br />
’69<br />
Daniel W. Diener, Austin, Texas, has been<br />
selected by the Small Business<br />
Administration as the <strong>2006</strong> San Antonio<br />
District and five state Regional Financial<br />
Services Champion. He will be considered<br />
for a national award. He is the chief<br />
financial <strong>of</strong>ficer <strong>of</strong> the Business Success<br />
Center, a virtual incubator for owners <strong>of</strong><br />
existing businesses.<br />
Mary (Tornowske) Lubner, Grafton,<br />
received her fourth degree Black Belt in<br />
Taekwon Do, July 16, 2005. She is<br />
spending retirement volunteering for 4-H,<br />
teaching Taekwon Do and coaching a<br />
destination imagination team.<br />
Mary O’Brien, Elgin, Ill., has been<br />
inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall <strong>of</strong><br />
Fame. O’Brien was Larkin High School’s<br />
girl’s volleyball coach for 28 years and as<br />
<strong>of</strong> September 2005 had 529 career<br />
victories, ranking her 18th in Illinois high<br />
school history. She retired from teaching in<br />
2004, but will continue to coach through<br />
<strong>2006</strong>.<br />
’70<br />
David K. Roberts, ’70 & ’78, Indianapolis,<br />
was promoted to full-time men’s and<br />
women’s head coach in cross country and<br />
track at Marian College effective July 1,<br />
2005. He had been assistant dean and<br />
director <strong>of</strong> Career Services for 27 years as<br />
well as part-time coach.<br />
’71<br />
Patricia “Trish” Weyenberg, Tarrytown,<br />
N.Y., has been promoted to vice president<br />
<strong>of</strong> Paperback Sales at Penguin Group<br />
USA.<br />
’72<br />
John R., ’72 & ’73, and Janet (Lorentz),<br />
’73, Schultz live in Manitowoc. John has<br />
joined the Holy Family Memorial Wellness<br />
Center as an exercise physiologist. His<br />
primary responsibility is to perform health<br />
assessments and provide exercise<br />
prescriptions for new members. Janet is<br />
currently the aquatic coordinator at the<br />
Manitowoc-Two Rivers YMCA.<br />
’74<br />
Bruce Rawlins, Normal, Ill., is an<br />
advanced planning consultant for State<br />
Farm Insurance in the Agency department<br />
which provides advanced investment and<br />
estate planning assistance to State Farm<br />
agents.<br />
’75<br />
Sue (Lawless) Budisch, Hartland,<br />
received a master’s <strong>of</strong> instructional<br />
leadership from Marquette <strong>University</strong> in<br />
May 2004. She’s married to Mike Budisch<br />
who works for Merton Community<br />
School. Their daughter, Kelly Budisch,<br />
’04, was expected to receive a master’s in<br />
child development from the Chicago<br />
Erickson Institute in May <strong>2006</strong>.<br />
William J. Kraemer, Willington,<br />
Conn., received the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Connecticut’s highest research award,<br />
“The Provost’s Research Excellence<br />
Award” and medal. Kraemer, a pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
<strong>of</strong> kinesiology, has been at UConn since<br />
2001 after 10 years at Penn State.<br />
Frederick G. Lautz,’75 & ’80,<br />
Waukesha, has been selected a Wisconsin<br />
Super Lawyer by Law & Politics. He is a<br />
mergers and acquisitions attorney for<br />
Quarles & Brady LL in Milwaukee.<br />
Keep in touch with us, and we’ll keep in touch with you! It’s easy:<br />
• Alumni Association phone: (608)785-8489 1(877)-UWL-ALUM<br />
• Mailing address: UW-La Crosse Alumni Association; Cleary<br />
Alumni & Friends Center; 615 East Ave. N.; La Crosse, WI 54601<br />
• Submit news to the Alumnus: www.uwlalumni.org/whatsnew.htm<br />
• Online alumni directory: http://directory.uwlalumni.org<br />
• Design your own UW-L clothing: www.mygarb.com/UWLaCrosse<br />
• Nominations for alumni awards:<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/awards.htm<br />
• Join the UW-L Alumni Association: www.uwlalumni.org/join.php<br />
• Fax: (608)785-6868 • E-mail: alumni@uwlax.edu<br />
• Web: www.uwlalumni.org<br />
He likes the Minnesota Vikings so<br />
much, he’s made it into the NFL’s<br />
Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame. John Velek, who attend<br />
classes on campus from 1979-80, is<br />
featured in the fan exhibit as the<br />
“Ultimate Vikings Fan” in Canton,<br />
Ohio. A stock broker in the Twin<br />
Cities, “Vman” has followed the team<br />
all his life. “I have every Vikings<br />
football card ever made and almost all<br />
<strong>of</strong> them are signed,” he notes. Skol,<br />
Vikings!<br />
’76<br />
Barbara (Smith) Anderson, La Crosse, has<br />
worked as a medical social worker for 30<br />
years. She is serving her third term on the<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Directors for Catholic Residential<br />
Services.<br />
Thomas S., Jr., ’76 , and Sandy (Reis),<br />
’78, Horne, live in Valparaiso, Ind. Tom<br />
recently retired from football coaching and<br />
is now a sales rep for Gilman Gear and<br />
enjoying time with the family. Sandy was<br />
recently promoted to vice president <strong>of</strong><br />
Human Resource/Community Relations<br />
with WiseWay Foods. She has worked for<br />
this seven-store independent retailer in<br />
Northwest Indiana for the past seven<br />
years. They have three grown children and<br />
are planning their oldest daughter’s<br />
wedding in October.<br />
’77<br />
Nancy Lowe Banach, Naperville, began<br />
teaching adapted physical education in the<br />
Naperville School District 203 in<br />
November 2005.<br />
Thomas G. Enwright, Sauk City, has<br />
been named business editor <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 33
Bob Metcalf, ‘87, displayed about 50 photos <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Auschwitz concentration camp during a Viterbo<br />
<strong>University</strong> Fine Arts Center exhibit.<br />
34<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Alum<br />
displays<br />
Auschwitz<br />
photos<br />
In late October 2003,<br />
Bob Metcalf became<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the over 25<br />
million people to have<br />
visited the Auschwitz-<br />
Birkenau Museum and<br />
Memorial near Oswiecim,<br />
Poland.<br />
He spent two weeks<br />
there photographing the<br />
camp grounds. Although<br />
he wasn’t commissioned<br />
to do the work, he did<br />
the project because <strong>of</strong> the<br />
importance <strong>of</strong> the subject<br />
matter and his deep<br />
interest in the Holocaust.<br />
This past February he<br />
displayed over 50 <strong>of</strong> his<br />
images at Viterbo<br />
<strong>University</strong>’s Fine Arts<br />
Center, in conjunction<br />
with the D.B. Reinhart<br />
Institute for Ethics in<br />
Leadership sponsored<br />
symposium on the<br />
Holocaust. Metcalf hopes<br />
to double the number <strong>of</strong><br />
photos in the display and<br />
put them up again later<br />
in the year.<br />
Since graduating in<br />
1987 with a mass<br />
communications major<br />
and a minor in<br />
photography, Metcalf has<br />
made a career in<br />
photography and opened<br />
his own shop, Bob<br />
Metcalf Commercial<br />
Photography, in 1993.<br />
You can contact him<br />
by phone at (608)796-0220<br />
or by e-mail at<br />
bmetcalf@adlmail.com.<br />
’79<br />
Gregory L. Holley, Woodbridge, Va., has<br />
been promoted to a senior executive<br />
position with the Treasury Inspector<br />
General for Tax Administration. As<br />
Deputy Inspector General for<br />
Investigations, he oversees all criminal<br />
and administrative investigations<br />
throughout the country. He provides<br />
oversight for eight field divisions, 72<br />
<strong>of</strong>fices and more than 300 special agents.<br />
’80<br />
Mark Barosko, Novato, Calif., recently<br />
accepted a position with Washington<br />
Mutual in San Francisco. He works in the<br />
credit card marketing group and leads a<br />
team responsible for new customer<br />
acquisitions. After a job-related move from<br />
Minneapolis to Austin, Texas, and then to<br />
Las Vegas his wife, Liz, and kids Will (14)<br />
and Elanor (12) hope dad doesn’t get the<br />
moving bug any time soon.<br />
Bill Moran, Chatham, Ill., has left the<br />
pharmaceutical business to start a<br />
consulting business dealing with vaccines<br />
and vaccine issues. His Web site is:<br />
www.vaccineconsulting.com.<br />
’81<br />
Nelson H. Hassell, Florence, has been a<br />
private-practicing optometrist for 20 years<br />
since graduating from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Missouri School <strong>of</strong> Optometry in 1986. He<br />
is president <strong>of</strong> NHH Vision Group, with<br />
practice locations in Florence and<br />
Shawano, and Kingsford, Mich. He was<br />
recently elected to a second term as a<br />
member <strong>of</strong> board <strong>of</strong> directors <strong>of</strong> State Bank<br />
<strong>of</strong> Florence. He enjoys skiing — summer<br />
and winter — and boating with wife,<br />
Jenny, <strong>of</strong> 16 years, and daughters, Shelby<br />
(10) and Emily (3).<br />
Nancy Vittone Paddison, Pearland,<br />
Texas, decided to pursue a mid-life career<br />
change after nearly 20 years in marketing<br />
and public relations. She is now in the<br />
physical therapist assistant program at San<br />
Jacinto College South in Houston, Texas,<br />
where she received the 2005 PTA Program<br />
Peer Award. She also received the 2005<br />
Kevin McIntire PTA Scholarship from the<br />
Southeastern District <strong>of</strong> the Texas Physical<br />
Therapy Association.<br />
’82<br />
Kathryn “Kathy” O’Neill Topel, Fort<br />
Atkinson, has worked at Highsmith Inc.<br />
for 16 years where she is currently a buyer.<br />
She and her husband, Mike, have a<br />
daughter, Mariah (13), and a son, Sean,<br />
(10).<br />
’83<br />
Mark, ’83, and Debra Lee (Wantock), ’84,<br />
Johnson moved to Atlanta in June 2005.<br />
The family loves the warm weather,<br />
fantastic jobs, and great people <strong>of</strong> the<br />
South! But, they are desperately missing<br />
the Packers, Badgers and, obviously,
Oktoberfest. Mark would appreciate if<br />
someone watches over his brother, Leo<br />
Johnson,’82 & ’84, who could get Leo to<br />
campus to visit “Uncle Howie.” EIEIEIO!<br />
David Roth has been named general<br />
director <strong>of</strong> the Kentucky Opera. Roth will<br />
work with the board <strong>of</strong> trustees to oversee<br />
the artistic and administrative well-being<br />
<strong>of</strong> the opera. He had been director <strong>of</strong><br />
finance with the Fort Worth (Texas) Opera.<br />
’84<br />
Rex K. Mehlberg, Green Bay, was named<br />
the director <strong>of</strong> parks, recreation and<br />
forestry for the Village <strong>of</strong> Ashwaubenon in<br />
June 2005. He and his wife, Kelly, have a<br />
toddler son, Rhett.<br />
Cheryl A. Nitz, Aurora, has been<br />
teaching special education for students<br />
with significant needs at Barrett<br />
Elementary School in Denver since August<br />
2001. She received a master’s in special<br />
education from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Northern<br />
Colorado in May 2003. She has lived in<br />
Colorado since 1986 and has a son, Devyn<br />
(9), who keeps her “very busy.”<br />
Gail Stenstad, Telford, Tenn., had a<br />
book published, “Transformations:<br />
Thinking After Heidegger.” She is a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor and chair <strong>of</strong> the department <strong>of</strong><br />
philosophy and humanities at East<br />
Tennessee State <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Todd Vande Hei, St. Louis, is the<br />
regional manager for Spicers Paper Inc. in<br />
St. Louis. Since graduation, Vande Hei has<br />
worked in the paper industry, living and<br />
traveling on the East Coast and in the<br />
Midwest.<br />
’85.<br />
Kurt E. Hitzemann, Spring Hill, Fla., was<br />
appointed county judge in Hernando<br />
County, Fla., by Gov. Jeb Bush Oct. 7, 2005.<br />
Amy (Bernhardt) King, Prairieville,<br />
La., resigned her position with Ryder<br />
Transportation Services in May after 20<br />
years in the corporate world. She entered<br />
the Teach Louisiana Consortium, an<br />
alternative teaching certification program,<br />
and is currently teaching first grade at an<br />
inner-city school in Baton Rouge. Amy<br />
and her husband, Christopher, have two<br />
daughters, Hayley (9) and Mallory (5).<br />
“The girls are being raised as proper<br />
Packer fans!” she reports.<br />
Michael Stevenson, Las Vegas, has<br />
been named 2005 National Alliance Youth<br />
Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year by the National Alliance<br />
for Youth Sports.<br />
Adrian Thomas, Sidney, Ohio,<br />
recently completed the year as CEO <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Sidney-Shelby County YMCA located in<br />
Sidney. Major facility renovations and<br />
membership improvements highlighted<br />
the year. It marked Thomas’ 20th year as a<br />
YMCA pr<strong>of</strong>essional.<br />
’86<br />
Carolyn “Kelly” (Lawrence) Ottman, Van<br />
Dyne, has been awarded UW-Milwaukee’s<br />
Teaching Excellence Award for 2005. She<br />
teaches in the School <strong>of</strong> Business<br />
Administration.<br />
’87<br />
Todd Lager, Holmen, has been named<br />
branch manager <strong>of</strong> the newly-opened<br />
Advantage Credit Union branch in<br />
Holmen. He has worked for Advantage<br />
since 2000.<br />
Steve Lepse, Virginia Beach, Va., has<br />
joined UBS Financial Services Inc. as a<br />
financial adviser after earning an MBA<br />
and spending 15 years as a financial<br />
manager and consultant with<br />
PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM. He has<br />
developed a successful financial advisory<br />
practice out <strong>of</strong> UBS’s Norfolk <strong>of</strong>fice and<br />
works primarily with wealthy individuals,<br />
business owners and those in transition.<br />
Jean (Pelegrin) Van Den Brandt,<br />
Appleton, has been named director <strong>of</strong><br />
marketing for SECURA Insurance.<br />
Did<br />
know?<br />
... around half <strong>of</strong> the<br />
nearly 500 volunteers for<br />
the community-wide<br />
“Neighbors-helping-<br />
Neighbors” Day in April<br />
were UW-L students.<br />
’88<br />
Robert C. Kenneth, Portland, Ore., earned<br />
a master’s in history at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Oregon in 1990. As a student activist,<br />
Kenneth has served as art director for<br />
Willamette Week, a Portland alternative<br />
newsweekly, and as publisher <strong>of</strong><br />
Metropolis Monthly, an acclaimed journal<br />
for under-represented writers, artists,<br />
designers and architects. He was art<br />
director and production manager for Pry<br />
Publishing, which produced six<br />
community newspapers in Portland. He<br />
was a senior marketing-communications<br />
specialist for Standard Insurance Co. from<br />
1995 to 2004. He is currently the communication<br />
and education manager for the<br />
Death with Dignity National Center.<br />
David B. Stockwell, Maple Valley,<br />
Wash., is the manager <strong>of</strong> REI’s Computer<br />
Service Desk, even though he admits that<br />
he dropped out <strong>of</strong> computer science. He is<br />
on the board <strong>of</strong> directors for Help Desk<br />
Northwest, a local tech support managing<br />
group, and the board <strong>of</strong> Help Desk<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essions. He works with horses helping<br />
to recover an endangered breed <strong>of</strong><br />
German draft horse. He plays bass and is<br />
practicing his blacksmithing and denting<br />
La Crosse Ties<br />
terra firma as he masters the finer points<br />
<strong>of</strong> mountain biking. He encourages those<br />
in the Pacific Northwest to look him up.<br />
“I’ll buy ya dinner at one <strong>of</strong> the best<br />
seafood eateries in the nation,” he says.<br />
’89<br />
Renae Bauer married Joshua Diedrich,<br />
Oct. 7, 2005. They live in Green Bay. Renae<br />
is employed by the Catholic Diocese <strong>of</strong><br />
Green Bay.<br />
Wendy Kerner, Fairplay, Colo., has<br />
written a book for children, “The Last<br />
Wild Elephant.”<br />
A teacher in<br />
Fairplay, Kerner’s<br />
inspiration for<br />
the book came in<br />
2003 after she<br />
volunteered at<br />
the Elephant<br />
Nature Park in<br />
Thailand. Find<br />
out more about<br />
the book at<br />
www.thelastwildelephant.com.<br />
Jodi Ruhland<br />
and Michael Reisinger were married May<br />
14, 2005. They live in New Berlin.<br />
’91<br />
Diana Elena Moran, El Paso, Texas, is a<br />
senior lecturer at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Texas at<br />
El Paso in teacher education and<br />
Chicano/a studies. After graduating from<br />
UW-L, she did graduate and doctoral<br />
work at UW-Madison. She enjoys working<br />
with pre-service and master teachers,<br />
families, and the diverse communities<br />
along the U.S./Mexican border. Moran has<br />
five children, Nicholas (20); Alejandro,<br />
(12); Ismael (10); Olivia Elena (5); and<br />
Cuauhtemoc (4).<br />
’92<br />
Angie (Hamm), ’92 and Dan Kellogg, ’01,<br />
have moved to Plover. Dan became<br />
registrar for UW-Stevens Point in June<br />
2005. Angie plans to finish her dissertation<br />
later this summer and is looking at<br />
positions available at UWSP. Their sons,<br />
Jordan and Ryan, are in elementary<br />
school.<br />
Kerry Sherman, Milwaukee, has been<br />
named director, assistant controller, <strong>of</strong> U.S.<br />
Operations at Manpower Inc.<br />
’93<br />
Mark G. Wahlstrom, Centennial, Colo.,<br />
has been named principal <strong>of</strong> Laredo<br />
Middle School in the Cherry Creek School<br />
District. Laredo Middle is in Aurora and is<br />
one <strong>of</strong> nine middle schools in the district.<br />
’94<br />
Daniel L. Ritzke, Wenatchee, Wash., has<br />
taken a position with Wenatchee<br />
Orthopedics as a physician assistant. He<br />
reports he and his family love all the<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 35
La Crosse Ties<br />
outdoors activities Wenatchee has to <strong>of</strong>fer<br />
and it’s a short drive over the mountains<br />
to Seattle. They are building a new house<br />
that was scheduled to be ready in spring<br />
<strong>2006</strong>. He and his wife, Billie, have two<br />
boys, Jake (4) and Zach (6).<br />
’95<br />
John and Susan (Cozad) Amann, both<br />
’95, live in Hammond. John teaches<br />
history at Hudson High School; Susan<br />
works part time as director <strong>of</strong> children’s<br />
ministry at Hudson United Methodist<br />
Church. They have two children, Kirsten<br />
(6) and Nathan (2).<br />
Samantha J. Cairo married James<br />
Toby Oct. 22, 2005. They live in San<br />
Francisco. Now Samantha Cairo-Toby, she<br />
currently is a part-time consultant for<br />
Special Collections at the Western<br />
Michigan <strong>University</strong> Libraries in<br />
Kalamazoo.<br />
Amber (Lundskow) Engle, Kenosha,<br />
has been named alumni and development<br />
activities coordinator at UW-Parkside.<br />
Debra (Arnold), ’95, and Gabriel, ’05,<br />
Leis, have relocated to De Pere. Upon<br />
earning a master’s in anesthesia, Gabe<br />
accepted a position at Bellin Health and<br />
moved with their three children, Zavier<br />
(9), Arianna (6) and Gabriella (3), to a<br />
suburb <strong>of</strong> Green Bay. Debra has retired<br />
from teaching after 10 years and is a stayat-home<br />
mom.<br />
Ryan C. Olson married Jennifer<br />
Mikunda, July 9, 2005. They live in<br />
Holmen. Ryan works for Re/Max First<br />
Choice.<br />
’96<br />
Matt Lawrence<br />
(see photo),<br />
Baraboo, has been<br />
promoted to<br />
assistant general<br />
manager <strong>of</strong> Great<br />
Wolf Lodge in<br />
Wisconsin Dells.<br />
’97<br />
Matt Lawrence, ’96<br />
Scot Eber, ’97, married Nicole Carpiaux,<br />
’02, Sept.10, 2005. They live in Avon, Ind.,<br />
a suburb <strong>of</strong> Indianapolis. They both work<br />
for Fastenal Co.— Scot is a training<br />
manager; Nicole, a regional marketing<br />
specialist.<br />
Rebecca (Robinson) Korzyniewski,<br />
Wadsworth, Ill., was recently named the<br />
2005 Illinois Park and Recreation<br />
Association Young Pr<strong>of</strong>essional <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Year. She is currently the cultural arts<br />
supervisor for the Gurnee (Ill.) Park<br />
District.<br />
Samuele Marcora, Bangor, United<br />
Kingdom, studied for a doctorate<br />
following earning a graduate degree in<br />
1997. He is currently a lecturer (equivalent<br />
to an associate pr<strong>of</strong>essor) in exercise<br />
physiology at the School <strong>of</strong> Sport, Health<br />
and Exercise Sciences <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Wales-Bangor in the United Kingdom. He<br />
36 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
has fond memories <strong>of</strong> La Crosse, other<br />
international students, his American<br />
friends and host family. “They are<br />
wonderful people! Ciao, a tutti (hi,<br />
everybody)!”<br />
Damian Olson married Stephanie<br />
Shumway Oct. 28, 2005. They live in<br />
Onalaska with their two children, Michael<br />
(7) and Luke (5) Shumway.<br />
Erik Rudrud, married Stephanie<br />
Delyea, Oct 21, 2005. They live in North<br />
Tustin, Calif. Erik is employed by<br />
California Expanded Metal Co.<br />
’98<br />
Rita (Vitale) Gibson, Oshkosh, has<br />
enjoyed a career at Blended Waxes Inc. as<br />
sales and marketing manager since 2000.<br />
She and her husband, Jay, have a son, Jack<br />
Tyler, born in July 2004.<br />
Ryan Kotowski married Amanda<br />
Scheider Oct. 22, 2005. They live in<br />
Franklin. Ryan works for Superior Die Set<br />
Corp.<br />
Matt Lehmann, Holmen, has been<br />
promoted to assistant vice president <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Midwest Region for Citibank’s Student<br />
Loan Corp.<br />
’99<br />
AnnMarie E. Brehmer married Eric Dahl<br />
Sept. 24, 2005. They live in Onalaska.<br />
AnnMarie is employed by the School<br />
District <strong>of</strong> Holmen.<br />
Matt Greenberg, Madison, is a<br />
graduate student at UW-Madison in<br />
educational leadership and policy<br />
analysis.<br />
Kristin Ponto, married Daniel Wilkins<br />
Aug. 6, 2005. They live in Aurora, Colo.<br />
Kristin works in the traffic department <strong>of</strong><br />
the city <strong>of</strong> Aurora.<br />
Nathan J. Voigtschild married Sarah<br />
A. Maloney, July 30, 2005. They live in<br />
Monterey, Calif. Nathan works at Alisal<br />
High School in Salinas, Calif., as a health<br />
teacher and varsity tennis coach.<br />
’00<br />
Amy L. Flume, ’00 & ’02, La Crosse,<br />
completed a master’s in fine art, studying<br />
painting and photography, from the<br />
Florida State <strong>University</strong>, Tallahassee, in<br />
April <strong>2006</strong>.<br />
Derek Hillestad, Litchfield Park, Ariz.,<br />
recently took a position with Global<br />
Spectrum as operations manager <strong>of</strong> the<br />
new Arizona Cardinals Stadium in<br />
Glendale, Ariz. The facility will host all<br />
home games for the NFL’s Arizona<br />
Cardinals, the 2007 BCS National<br />
Championship Game and the 2008 NFL<br />
Super Bowl. He is engaged to Kelli<br />
Reihsen <strong>of</strong> Clio, Calif., and plans to marry<br />
in June 2007.<br />
Kelley P. Miller, Aberdeen, Scotland,<br />
works for Scottish Natural Heritage, a<br />
division <strong>of</strong> the Scottish executive<br />
government. Miller oversees all <strong>of</strong> the<br />
recreation and access (paths and<br />
waterways) in northeast Scotland, called<br />
Did<br />
know?<br />
... it’s easy to get a copy<br />
<strong>of</strong> your transcript? Call<br />
the Records and<br />
Registration Office at<br />
(608)785-8576. Copies<br />
are $5.<br />
Grampian. When not working, Miller<br />
enjoys traveling. Miller is working on a<br />
master’s at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Aberdeen.<br />
Heather (Roets) Skinner, St. Paul,<br />
Minn., had been working as a Spanish<br />
publicist at a St. Paul book publisher for<br />
three and a half years until September<br />
2005 when she made a career switch to<br />
television. She is currently working for<br />
Edelman Productions in Minneapolis as<br />
the post production coordinator for the<br />
HGTV program “Decorating Cents.”<br />
’01<br />
Joel and Katie (Culp)Crane, both ’01, live<br />
in Dane. Joel recently graduated from the<br />
Indiana <strong>University</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Dentistry<br />
with a doctor <strong>of</strong> dental surgery. He is<br />
practicing in Lodi. Katie teaches Spanish<br />
at Monona Grove High School.<br />
Tricia (Oldenburg) Sendelbach,<br />
Racine, works for M&I Trust Co.<br />
Joseph L. Shermak, ’01, married Erin<br />
E. Merkel, ’02, Oct. 1, 2005. They live in<br />
Albany, Minn. Joe is an admissions<br />
representative at Rasmussen College; Erin<br />
is a junior high school counselor.<br />
Jesse R. Smith, Philadelphia, is a<br />
financial specialist at Wachovia Bank.<br />
Smith had been a branch manager at<br />
Enterprise Rent-A-Car.<br />
’02<br />
Aaron T. Armbrust, ’02, and Kirsten<br />
A.Geerdts, ’03, were married July 9, 2005.<br />
Aaron is in his final year <strong>of</strong> law school at<br />
Hamline <strong>University</strong> in St. Paul, Minn.;<br />
Kirsten is a 7th grade health teacher with<br />
the Inver Grove Heights (Minn.)<br />
Community Schools. They live in Eagan,<br />
Minn.<br />
Scott K. Swanson, Black River Falls, is<br />
an attorney with the Sherman Law Offices<br />
in Black River Falls.<br />
’03<br />
Kristin (Miller) Blint, Muskego, has been<br />
promoted to human resources manager at<br />
the Wisconsin Athletic Club. She has<br />
received national company recognition for<br />
implementing new job descriptions.
Alum makes 93-day trek through the<br />
Arctic Circle<br />
by Amy Hufford, ’06<br />
Karen Stanley, ’04, thinks living in<br />
the real world is hard. Having to<br />
worry about careers, bills, taxes<br />
and such is nuts, she says.<br />
So after graduating, she<br />
embarked on a 93-day<br />
(May 28-Sept. 1,<br />
2005),1,200-mile canoe trip<br />
through Canada and into<br />
the Arctic Circle. “Being in<br />
real life is much more difficult<br />
than being out there,” she says.<br />
The trip was a fund raiser for<br />
Camp Manito-wish YMCA in<br />
Boulder Junction, Wis. Stanley<br />
and four friends had attended<br />
Manito-wish as children and were<br />
touched by the experiences and<br />
the friends they made there. They<br />
wanted to give something back.<br />
But as recent college graduates,<br />
they weren’t exactly able to<br />
donate large amounts <strong>of</strong> money.<br />
Stanley and her co-canoeists<br />
are giving presentations about<br />
their trip throughout Wisconsin<br />
and the country. “The way we<br />
could give back was by inspiring<br />
others to give,” Stanley explains.<br />
Stanley and her friends<br />
prepared for the trip by spending<br />
hours mapping out a route and<br />
canoeing on whitewater rapids.<br />
They also learned how to use<br />
equipment like a GPS tracker, a<br />
locator beacon, a 12-gauge<br />
shotgun and a bear banger, a pensized<br />
instrument that, when fired,<br />
works like a flare gun and is used<br />
to scare away bears.<br />
“If there was a herd <strong>of</strong> 10 bears<br />
standing in the middle <strong>of</strong> the river,<br />
we’d wait them out.” — Karen Stanley<br />
Stanley’s bear banger was put<br />
to use early in the trip when a<br />
black bear wandered into the<br />
campsite. “We were setting up for<br />
dinner and he decided he was<br />
going to join us,” she recalls. The<br />
girls clapped, banged pots to<br />
scare the bear away, but that<br />
didn’t stop it from destroying one<br />
<strong>of</strong> their tents first.<br />
“We’re fairly calm people, but<br />
in hindsight we probably should<br />
have been a little more scared,”<br />
she says.<br />
But Stanley and the others<br />
weren’t prepared for the ice they<br />
encountered. The first half <strong>of</strong> the<br />
trip was only about half canoeing.<br />
The other half was chopping<br />
through a frozen lake or dragging<br />
the canoes on top <strong>of</strong> the ice, dog<br />
sled style.<br />
The group wasn’t discouraged<br />
by unforeseen difficulties. “We<br />
La Crosse Ties<br />
Karen Stanley, ’04, was one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
five young women who ventured<br />
through the Arctic Circle on a 93day<br />
canoe trip to support a<br />
northern Wisconsin camp.<br />
just did whatever we had to do to<br />
get from point A to B,” Stanley<br />
notes. “I think most groups<br />
would (give up), but not with this<br />
group <strong>of</strong> women. If there was a<br />
herd <strong>of</strong> 10 bears standing in<br />
the middle <strong>of</strong> the river, we’d<br />
wait them out.”<br />
That attitude landed the<br />
girls in Gjoa Haven,<br />
Canada, on the Arctic<br />
Ocean, their final<br />
destination point, 93 days later.<br />
There they waited, slightly<br />
nervously, for five days before<br />
they were picked up by aircraft<br />
and brought home.<br />
Stanley was happy to be able<br />
to reconnect with family and<br />
friends, even though now she has<br />
to live in the real world again. She<br />
recently moved to North Carolina<br />
to work seasonally at a YMCA<br />
camp while she continues to look<br />
for a full-time job.<br />
She’s also happy to be able to<br />
shower with warm water again.<br />
On the trip, the best the girls<br />
could do was bathe in the frigid<br />
river. Or, as Stanley puts it,“You<br />
run in, you scream, and you run<br />
out.”<br />
Learn more about the expedition<br />
and view a log <strong>of</strong> their experience<br />
at www.borealispaddlingexpedition.com.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 37
La Crosse Ties<br />
Josh Doll, Fitchburg, works for NSI, a<br />
branch <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> West Bend Mutual<br />
Insurance Co. in Middleton. He supports<br />
the telephone, security, computer and<br />
network systems.<br />
Natalie (Babler) Jacobson, Shakopee,<br />
Minn., is a marketing specialist for<br />
Conklin Co. in Shakopee.<br />
Diana Kuykendall and Matthew<br />
Crysler were married Sept. 17, 2005. They<br />
live in Columbia, Md. Diana is employed<br />
by Johns Hopkins Clinical Exercise Center<br />
in Lutherville, Md.<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 20??<br />
Katherine Hartline-McMahon, ’86, and<br />
Terry McMahon, Lodi, a daughter, Gianna<br />
Grace, Sept. 26, 2005. She joins siblings<br />
Benjamin, Elizabeth, Nicholas, Molly, and<br />
Michelle. Katherine is a full-time mom and<br />
part-time piano instructor.<br />
Kristine (Kuen), ’88, and Chuck<br />
Mangold, Mary Esther, Fla., a daughter,<br />
Emily VictoriaAnn, Aug. 25, 2005. She<br />
joins a sister, Grace (2).<br />
Sandra (Mauer), ’90, and John<br />
Finnegan, Burlington, a son, Brogan John,<br />
Nov. 13, 2005. He joins sisters Maille (9)<br />
and Maisie (8). Sandy is a reading<br />
teacher/reading recovery teacher in the<br />
Waterford Graded School District.<br />
Brian, ’90, and Krista Granger, Dacula,<br />
Ga., a son, Shea Camden, March 16, 2005.<br />
Brian is employed by Dekalb Public<br />
Schools.<br />
Elizabeth Faulkner Bock, ’92, and<br />
Paul Bock, Portland, Ore., a daughter, Jane<br />
Olivia Bock, Aug. 5, 2005. Elizabeth is a<br />
voice talent for Internetjock.com and<br />
represented by In Both Ears Talent Agency<br />
voicing regional and national TV and<br />
radio commercials, Web presentations and<br />
industrial films.<br />
Jennifer (Miller), ’92, and Steven<br />
Burks, Gilbert, Ariz., a daughter, Avery<br />
Annabelle, June 13, 2005. She joins a<br />
brother, Cade, (7.) Jennifer is employed by<br />
Higley Unified School District.<br />
David, ’92, and Christina Johnson,<br />
La Crosse, a daughter, Hannah Christina,<br />
Nov. 30, 2005. She joins sister Meghan (2).<br />
Roger J. Pflieger, ’92, and Terera<br />
Galvin, Sparks, Nev., a son, Aidan<br />
Matthew, June 19, 2004. Roger and Terera<br />
will celebrate their 10th wedding<br />
anniversary in July.<br />
Vicki (Mullikin), ’92, and Bruce<br />
Waller, Prairie du Chien, a son, Ryan<br />
Michael, June 10, 2005. He joins a brother,<br />
Andrew (7), and sister, Kaitlyn (5). Vicki is<br />
the district accountant for the Wauzeka-<br />
Steuben School District.<br />
38 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Shawna Lusk, Lafayette, Ind., has<br />
been promoted to senior associate director<br />
<strong>of</strong> student access, transition and success<br />
programs at Purdue <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Tyler Zunker, Appleton, is a<br />
firefighter with the city <strong>of</strong> Appleton.<br />
’04<br />
Kelly Courtney and Brian Wallace, both<br />
’04, were married Oct. 21, 2005. They live<br />
in Holmen. Both are pursuing master’s<br />
degrees in exercise and sport science at<br />
UW-L.<br />
Dee (Shepherd), ’93, and David<br />
Bainbridge, ’94, Franklin, twin sons,<br />
Alexander John and Sean Gavin, March 11,<br />
2005. They join a brother, Jacob (4).<br />
Annette (Chadwick), ’93, and<br />
Thomas, ’95, Fechner, La Crosse, twin<br />
daughters, Kate Tommie and Emily Dee,<br />
Oct. 19, 2005. They join sister Mikayla, (5).<br />
Annette is a claim representative at State<br />
Auto Insurance in Onalaska; Thomas is a<br />
nuclear medicine technologist at<br />
Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse.<br />
Jennifer L. (Mehlberg), ’93, and Owen<br />
Warr, East Troy, a son, Liam Hunter,<br />
April 21, 2005. He joins a sister, Emma<br />
Marie, (4). The family is building a new<br />
home in Muskego, closer to where Jennifer<br />
works as a fifth grade teacher.<br />
Sandra (Breunig), ’94, and Joseph<br />
Glotfelty, Fairfax, Va., a son, Thomas<br />
William, Sept. 5, 2005.<br />
Karen (Walker), ’94 & ’00, and<br />
Dwayne “Dewey” Wunschel, ’98,<br />
Menomonee Falls, a daughter, Kelci Lynn,<br />
Oct. 16, 2005. She joins a sister, Kylee (5).<br />
Karen is a middle school physical<br />
education teacher in Germantown;<br />
Dwayne is a recreation specialist at the<br />
Jewish Community Center in Whitefish<br />
Bay.<br />
Dean, ’95, and Kristine (Wickersham),<br />
’96, Geier, Milwaukee, a son, Erik Blake,<br />
Feb. 8, <strong>2006</strong>. Dean works for the Elmbrook<br />
School District in Brookfield; Kristine for<br />
Milwaukee Public Schools.<br />
Amy R. (Holmes), ’95, and Chris<br />
Goray, Aurora, Ill., a daughter, Katherine<br />
Veronica, June 21, 2005. She joins a sister,<br />
Sophie (4). Amy is a social worker at<br />
Edward Hospital in Naperville.<br />
Brenda (Ebben), ’95, and Gregory<br />
Kohl, Appleton, a daughter, Anna Rose,<br />
Sept. 2, 2005. She joins a sister, Jenna.<br />
Paul Bremel and Amy Miller-Bremel,<br />
both ’96, Fish Creek, a daughter, Meridian<br />
Eve, Nov. 11, 2005. She joins brother<br />
McKinley (3) and sister London (4). Paul is<br />
a math teacher at Gibraltar High School;<br />
Brett Mack, Eau Claire, works for<br />
Menard’s.<br />
Christo Nielsen, Racine, is a<br />
marketing consultant for Mazda in<br />
Milwaukee.<br />
Jessica M. Roberts, Aberdeen, N.C., is<br />
engaged to Mark Hanson, a graduate <strong>of</strong><br />
the Air Force Academy.<br />
’05<br />
Beth A. Buege, Holmen, is an account<br />
manager at Main Street Ingredients in<br />
La Crosse.<br />
Did<br />
know?<br />
... in fall 2005 the<br />
American Association <strong>of</strong><br />
State Colleges and<br />
Universities named<br />
UW-L as one <strong>of</strong> 12<br />
colleges nationwide<br />
that excels at student<br />
success.<br />
Amy is development director at HELP <strong>of</strong><br />
Door County.<br />
Kathryn (Kastelic), ’96, and Marcus<br />
Davies, Hubertus, a son, Charles Eugene,<br />
Nov. 2, 2005. He joins sister Allie, (2).<br />
Kathy is a dentist at the Hartford Dental<br />
Group.<br />
Season (Bolton), ’96, and Jason<br />
Rosinski, Janesville, adopted a son, Paul<br />
Jason, born March 14, 2005, in South<br />
Korea. He arrived in the United States<br />
Sept. 14, 2005.<br />
Lisa, A. (Ehret), ’97, and Preston<br />
Ames, Milton, a son, Levi Edward, Aug.<br />
10, 2005. He joins a sister, Ella, (2).<br />
Julie (Perlberg), ’97, and Jim<br />
Kazmierkoski, Eden Prairie, Minn., a<br />
daughter, Mikayla Annette, Jan. 14, <strong>2006</strong>.<br />
Mindy R. Kriefski, ’97 and Matt<br />
Goudy, Frankfort, Ill., a daughter, Caelen<br />
Rae, Aug. 17, 2005. She joins a sister, Riley,<br />
and brother, Nolan.<br />
Stacey (Anderson), ’97, and Ryan<br />
Westrum, Hudson, a daughter, Greta<br />
Lynn, April 11, 2005.<br />
Brenda (Peters), ’98, and Ryan Grass,<br />
West Bend, a son, Brendyn Michael, April<br />
18, 2005. He joins a sister, Makenzie, (2).<br />
Brenda is a Spanish teacher with the<br />
Hartford Joint 1 School District. She has
taken a one-year child rearing leave to be at home with her two<br />
children.<br />
Sandra J. (Slatter), ’98, and Dave Helfrich, La Crosse, a<br />
daughter, Isabella Rose, Oct. 31, 2005. She joins sister, MacKenzie,<br />
(4) and brother, Jarryd, (2). Sandra is employed by Mary Kay Inc.<br />
Christine (Dolesy), ’99, and Gordon Gargulak, Black River<br />
Falls, a son, Travis John, Nov. 1, 2005. Christine teaches adult<br />
basic education and vocational classes at the Black River<br />
Correctional Center.<br />
Cordia (Storrs), ’99, and Chuck Gillette, ’00, Onalaska, a son,<br />
Noah Storrs, Oct. 27, 2005. Cordial is an assistant athletic trainer<br />
and lecturer at UW-L; Chuck is a UW-L athletic trainer and is<br />
going to school to become a surgical technician.<br />
1927 — Christine (Johnson) Van Tassel, Sheboygan.<br />
1929 — Juanita (Wehnke) Webb, Cincinnati.<br />
1930 — Harold W. Corrigan, Sun City Center, Fla.<br />
1930 — Dorothy (Runge) Nelson, Stoddard.<br />
1931 — Anna (Matson) Hanson, Chaseburg.<br />
1932 — John D. McConaughey, La Crosse.<br />
1934 — Frieda Kitak, Beach Park, Ill.<br />
1936 — Vida H. Adam, La Farge.<br />
1938 — Edna (Spellmeyer) Hill, Tampa, Fla.<br />
1939 — Jean Lechnir, Prairie du Chien.<br />
1942 — Arnold W. Wilhelm, Ithaca.<br />
1944 — Edna P. Schenzel, Merrill.<br />
1945 — Arnold “Arnie” W. Wilhelm, Ithaca, N.Y.<br />
1949 — Norman Espe, Green Bay.<br />
1949 & 65 — Lovell “Mac” McCulloch, Markesan.<br />
1950 — Richard R. Linnell, Orangeville, Ill.<br />
1952 — Andy Popa, Jr., Yucaipa, Calif.<br />
1952 — Mary J. Weinard, Hartford.<br />
1953 — Robert Sumner Pickering, Oshkosh.<br />
1953 — Joann (Aberg) Turner, Middleton.<br />
1955 — Erwin “Buss” Henschel, Clinton, Iowa.<br />
1956 — Roger Barstad, Eau Claire.<br />
Former university leader remembered<br />
The leader <strong>of</strong><br />
UW-L from<br />
1965-1970 has<br />
died. Samuel<br />
G. Gates,<br />
president <strong>of</strong><br />
then<br />
Wisconsin<br />
Samuel G. Gates<br />
State<br />
<strong>University</strong>-<br />
La Crosse, died Jan. 24, <strong>2006</strong>, in<br />
Estes Park, Colo. Gates took<br />
pride in his efforts to improve<br />
campus and community<br />
relations during his administration<br />
which saw enrollments,<br />
faculty numbers and tempers<br />
soar. He refused to allow<br />
Students for a Democratic<br />
Society to organize and hold<br />
speeches because <strong>of</strong> the group’s<br />
communistic beliefs. His actions<br />
were backed by faculty and the<br />
board <strong>of</strong> regents. The American<br />
Civil Liberties Union took the<br />
issue to court and lost. Gates<br />
resigned to become director <strong>of</strong><br />
the Wisconsin State <strong>University</strong><br />
System, which he held for more<br />
than a year before being enticed<br />
back to his home state <strong>of</strong><br />
Colorado to serve as executive<br />
director <strong>of</strong> the Trustees <strong>of</strong><br />
Colorado State Colleges, a<br />
position he held until he retired<br />
to Estes Park in 1976.<br />
La Crosse Ties<br />
Melissa (Taylor) and Eric Mayfield, both ’99, Minneapolis, a<br />
daughter, Madeline Taylor, March 10, 2005. She joins a brother,<br />
Noah Jonathan (4). Melissa works at the Best Buy headquarters;<br />
Eric owns Lyn Lake Chiropractic.<br />
Joel, ’00, and Kelly (Christensen), ’01, Gregozeski, Green<br />
Bay, a son, Kade, Aug.11, 2005.<br />
Angel J.A. (Miller), ’02, and Cameron O. Olson, ’03, Eau<br />
Claire, a son, Cameron Douglas “CJ,” Sept. 6, 2005. He was<br />
welcomed home by sister Madison. Angel is a stay-at-home mom;<br />
Cameron works for Eau Claire Anesthesiologists.<br />
Sarah (Stratz), ’02, and Joshua Raml, Sheboygan, a daughter,<br />
Hannah Lynn, Sept. 25, 2005. Sarah works at Aurora Memorial<br />
Sheboygan Hospital.<br />
1956 — Kathryn Hamilton, Greendale.<br />
1957 — Janice Mae (Roseland) Breitenbach, Nekoosa.<br />
1958 — Patrick Condon, Sussex.<br />
1959 — Joseph Michalke, Macomb, Ill.<br />
1960 — Frederick Miller, Kirkwood, Mo.<br />
1961 — Ray E. Jostad, Green Bay.<br />
1964 — Marguerite Griffin, Tomah.<br />
1964 — Warren Selck, Lake Mills.<br />
1970 — Pamela (George) Hueslien, La Crescent, Minn.<br />
1972 — Sallie M. Henry, Blacksburg, Va.<br />
1972 — Darrel R. Lulling, Monona.<br />
1974 — Timothy Kruschek, Puyallup, Wash.<br />
1974 — Craig M. Lindsley, Perryville, Mo.<br />
1976 — Paul Schlies, Denmark.<br />
1983 — Daniel Gillespie, Genoa.<br />
1986 — Kyle L. Schultz, Hartland.<br />
1988 — Paul Pederson, Janesville.<br />
1992 & ’01 — Steve Wiltinger, La Crosse.<br />
1994 — Derek Horn, Evansville.<br />
1998 — Andrea (Hunziker) Bashaw, La Crosse.<br />
2002 — Erin Melin, Madison.<br />
Helen (Markos) Buschmann, a<br />
long-time housemother on<br />
campus, died Oct. 27, 2005 in<br />
La Crosse. She was 93 years old.<br />
Buschmann, a 1934 graduate <strong>of</strong><br />
then La Crosse Normal School,<br />
returned to campus in 1963 to<br />
become a housemother in Reuter<br />
Hall. She also served as<br />
housemother in Wilder and<br />
Trowbridge halls until retiring in<br />
1977. She is survived by a son,<br />
John, and daughter, Mary.<br />
Laura Schuh, La Crosse, a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor emeritus <strong>of</strong> biology, died<br />
Jan. 16, <strong>2006</strong>, in La Crosse. She<br />
was 90 years old. Schuh taught on<br />
campus from 1957-1983. She is<br />
survived by three sisters and two<br />
brothers.<br />
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 39
JUNE<br />
2 Membership Committee meeting, campus<br />
9 College <strong>of</strong> Business Administration golf<br />
outing, Wisconsin Dells (Contact Pat Stephens,<br />
(608)785-8153)<br />
9 Geography reunion, campus<br />
9-10 Alpha Kappa Lamba reunion, La Crosse (David<br />
Turner, limgoon@charter.net)<br />
13 Communications Committee meeting, campus<br />
17 UW System Big Reunion II - Milwaukee Brewers<br />
game, Milwaukee<br />
19 L-Club golf outing, Fox Hollow, La Crosse<br />
22 Iowa Cubs game, Des Moines, Iowa<br />
22 Twin Cities Alumni Club event at Canterbury Park,<br />
Shakopee (Greg Natyshak, (952)938-0501)<br />
29 Drawing for Switzerland and Northern Italy trip<br />
JULY<br />
7 Membership Committee meeting, campus<br />
11 Communications Committee meeting, campus<br />
12 Milwaukee Alumni Club River Walk Boat tour,<br />
Milwaukee<br />
13 Milwaukee Alumni Club meeting, Bastille Days,<br />
Milwaukee<br />
AUGUST<br />
4-6 Delta Zeta-Zeta Omicron Chapter reunion,<br />
La Crosse (Contact Heidi Ludkey,<br />
hludkey@yahoo.com, or Becky Romenesko,<br />
baromo@juno.com)<br />
8 Freshmen Send-Off, Twin Cities<br />
9 Freshmen Send-Off, Milwaukee<br />
10 Freshmen Send-Off, Madison<br />
16 Chancellor’s golf outing, Cedar Creek, Onalaska<br />
40 UW-La Crosse Alumnus/<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2006</strong><br />
Alumni Calendar<br />
Get involved<br />
Alumni Association has a variety <strong>of</strong> events planned<br />
SEPTEMBER<br />
1 Student Alumni Ambassador’s l<strong>of</strong>t delivery, campus<br />
2 Move-in Day Ice Cream social, campus<br />
2 Football at South Dakota State <strong>University</strong>,<br />
Brookings, S.D.<br />
5 First day <strong>of</strong> fall semester classes<br />
12 Communications Committee meeting, campus<br />
21-29 Switzerland and Northern Italy alumni and friends<br />
tour<br />
23 Football at Azusa Pacific <strong>University</strong>, Azusa, Calif.<br />
29 Alumni Band practice for Oktoberfest parade,<br />
campus<br />
30 Football at UW-Stevens Point<br />
30-7 Oktoberfest<br />
OCTOBER<br />
7 Football vs. UW-Platteville, campus<br />
14 Football at UW-Whitewater<br />
20-22 Homecoming & Family weekend (See tentative<br />
schedule, page 20)<br />
21 Football vs. UW-Eau Claire, campus<br />
28 Football at UW-Stout<br />
NOVEMBER<br />
4 Football vs. UW-River Falls, campus<br />
11 Football at UW-Oshkosh<br />
14 Communications Committee meeting,<br />
campus<br />
For more info, call the Alumni Association<br />
at 877-UWL-ALUM.<br />
Help us stay in touch!<br />
We’d love to keep in touch with you. Today, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
the easiest and most economical way to do that is<br />
via e-mail. Give us your e-mail address and we’ll<br />
send you only the info you need to know. (No<br />
spam here!) Update your information at:<br />
www.uwlalumni.org/whatsnew.htm.
It makes brown eyes turn<br />
Alum discovers the 52 most depressing songs<br />
by Amy Hufford, ’06<br />
When Tom Reynolds, ’83, got his second book deal,<br />
he was excited. That makes sense, after all. Book<br />
deals are a big thing.<br />
But after the experience, Reynolds is lucky to be alive.<br />
It all began when Reynolds was contacted by an editor in<br />
England. He said, “Tom, we have this challenge for you. We<br />
want you to spend a year, minimum, and listen to as much<br />
depressing music as you possibly can and find 50 <strong>of</strong> the most<br />
depressing songs, the ones that really make you want to kill<br />
yourself.”<br />
Reynolds replied: “OK, sounds like fun.”<br />
“I was working on a reality show at the time, so I was<br />
pretty much depressed anyway,” he recalls. The result was his<br />
book “I Hate Myself And Want To Die: The 52 Most<br />
Depressing Songs You’ve Ever Heard.” It was first released in<br />
Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland in 2005.<br />
It was set to be released in the United States in May <strong>2006</strong>.<br />
Reynolds locked himself in his study every night listening<br />
to music, averaging 60 to 70 songs a day. He took notes and<br />
judged his internal level <strong>of</strong> depression. “I’m somewhat<br />
lachrymose right now,” he’d scribble.<br />
But Reynolds needed a barometer to decide if a song was<br />
actually depressing or merely sad. “There’s a difference,” he<br />
The Book<br />
Reynolds’ book, “I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most<br />
Depressing Songs You’ve Ever Heard,” is divided into several<br />
different sections. A few:<br />
• “I Was a Teenage Car Crash,” (popular in the ’60s, says Reynolds)<br />
• “I Had No Idea That Song Was So Morbid”<br />
• “I'm Trying To Be Pr<strong>of</strong>ound and Touching But Really Suck At It.”<br />
Reynolds expects backlash from artists featured in the book. “I would<br />
actually be honored if they were upset,” he says.<br />
notes. “In sad songs you have to<br />
bring something to it. People<br />
listen to sad songs when they’re<br />
feeling sad.”<br />
A depressing song is different.<br />
“A depressing song is you won the<br />
lottery, bought yourself a<br />
Lamborghini, you’re driving down<br />
the freeway feeling really great,<br />
and “Seasons in the Sun” (by<br />
Terry Jacks) comes on and you say,<br />
‘I’m going to go crash the car and<br />
die right now,’” he explains.<br />
He jokes about it now, but at<br />
the time, listening to all that<br />
depressing music really got him,<br />
well, depressed. “I was walking<br />
around with circles under my eyes<br />
and mumbling a lot,” he recalls.<br />
Fortunately, in addition to his<br />
English major, Reynolds had a<br />
music minor. “I thought, ‘If I’m<br />
Coulee Coda<br />
Tom Reynolds, ’83, has<br />
written a book about<br />
depressing songs. It<br />
was set to be released<br />
in the United States<br />
in May.<br />
Workin’ with the stars<br />
Reynolds worked briefly<br />
in Texas before moving<br />
to Los Angeles. His first<br />
big break came as<br />
technical director for a<br />
comedy studio,<br />
Groundlings. There, he<br />
worked with “Saturday<br />
Night Live” cast<br />
members (Phil Hartman<br />
and Will Ferrell to name<br />
just two). Reynolds says<br />
Will Ferrell is every bit<br />
as funny as you’d expect<br />
him to be and Paris<br />
Hilton is, well, “a piece<br />
<strong>of</strong> work.”<br />
going to get through this, I can’t get emotionally involved,”<br />
he recalls. To distance himself, he began dissecting songs from<br />
a musical theory perspective, such as analyzing based on key<br />
changes and bridges.<br />
It wasn’t all bad. “Some <strong>of</strong> (the songs) I sort <strong>of</strong> enjoyed.<br />
They grew on me, even though they were depressing songs,”<br />
he says.<br />
Reynolds has found success with well-known shows like<br />
“elimiDATE” and “Arrest and Trial,” and his first book, “Wild<br />
Ride,” about motorcycle subculture and based on his A&E<br />
special, “The Wild Ride <strong>of</strong> Outlaw Bikers.”<br />
He hopes to continue writing, perhaps with bigger projects<br />
such as film and television.<br />
And he’s hoping he'll land another book deal — with a<br />
cheerier topic.
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-La Crosse<br />
1725 State St.<br />
La Crosse, WI 54601<br />
The view looking north at Pearl and Fourth streets in a revitalized<br />
downtown La Crosse <strong>of</strong>fers nostalgia and modernism.<br />
Attention Recipient —<br />
If the address label lists someone who no longer lives here,<br />
please send the UW-L Alumni Office the correct address. Send to:<br />
UW-L Alumni Office, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601 or alumni@uwlax.edu.<br />
This publication was funded by the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-La Crosse Foundation.<br />
This publication was not produced at taxpayer expense.<br />
Non-pr<strong>of</strong>it Org.<br />
U.S. Postage<br />
PAID<br />
La Crosse, Wis.<br />
Permit No. 545