Sandra Lee - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...

Alumnus 

u n i v e r s i t y o f w i s c o n s i n - l a c r o s s e 

Winter 2007-08, Vol. 34, No. 1 

Sandra Lee 

Serving up alumni spirit

t h e v i e w f r o m g r a n d a d b l u f f 

Terry Milfred 

Moving on 

Principal should not be forgotten 

This winter, the Alumnus is honoring the bravery and sacrifice of one of the 

university’s graduates, John Klang, ’79. John died on Sept. 29, 2006, protecting 

the students and staff of the Weston School District from an armed and 

emotionally distraught student. At that time I was serving my eighth and final year as 

the district administrator. I had been mentoring John, first as a principal and then as a 

superintendent. 

I was informed of the shooting by phone. Something of that nature happening 

seemed so unlikely and unanticipated that I felt as though I was dreaming as I 

attempted to manage the situation at Weston. Things became worse fast. When I 

arrived at Weston I was informed of the accidental death of junior student, Eric Fichtel, 

who died in a car crash a few minutes before his high school principal was shot. Eric’s 

death added to the trauma experienced by Weston’s students and staff. Later that day I 

was informed that John had died of his wounds following surgery. 

In the days that followed many decisions had to be made, daily news conferences 

were required, and two wakes and two funerals were experienced. As time passed we 

slowly began to attempt to return to a more normal routine as the focus of the state and 

nation moved on to other events. 

While John and Eric will not, and should not, be forgotten, we did have to move on 

and we have. I must say, however, that while the students, staff and community have 

continued an amazing recovery from the trauma we experienced, we could not have 

done so without the demonstration of strength and resolve of John and Eric’s families. 

Additionally, the tremendous outpouring of support from the community, region, 

state and nation was inspiring. For those of us who have benefited from that support, it 

has been a life-altering experience that will never be forgotten. 

Terry Milfred ’63 

Administrative Consultant

c o v e r s t o r y 

6 Serving up alumni spirit 

Find yourself looking for a quick, easy and reasonable way to make lunch 

or dinner? Alum Sandra Lee, who attended UW-L in the late ’80s, has 

been providing solutions for Food Network watchers for more than five 

years.This fall, she returned to La Crosse to dish up some collegiate and 

Coulee Region favorites.The four programs taped in La Crosse — one at 

UW-L — will air sometime in ’08. 

f e a t u r e s 

14 Celebrate UW-L success 

Members of the Class of ’57, fraternity brothers and ’92 national football 

champions were among the hundreds of alumni returning for the first 

“Celebrate UW-La Crosse.”The weeklong event combined traditional 

events from the Homecoming and FamilyWeekend of years past, along 

with some new activities. 

18 On track 

The men’s outdoor track and field team brought home another national 

championship this spring — a record 11th title.The team will be off and 

running with a new coach — but familiar face — when they head back into 

competition in ’08. 

d e p a r t m e n t s 

What’s happening on campus 5 

Athletics 15 

Especially for alumni 19 

Foundation update 25 

La Crosse ties 28 

Coulee Coda 42 

w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g o n c a m p u s 

No. 3 again 

UW-L was ranked among the Midwest’s 

best universities in U.S.News & World 

Report’s 2008 “America’s Best Colleges” 

publication. UW-L is listed No. 3 in the Midwest 

among public universities offering master’s degrees, and No. 22 among 

all public and private institutions that offer master’s programs. The 

university has appeared on the U.S.News list each of the past 10 years 

and has been among the top three since 2002. 

“It adds credibility to our message when the editors of respected 

publications like U.S.News & World Report do their homework and take 

a critical look at many of the important factors that must be considered 

when choosing a school,” says Chancellor Joe Gow. “This information 

makes it easier for parents and students to make an informed choice.” 

He says the university’s high ranking on the U.S.News & World Report 

list affirms what many students and their parents already know: UW-L 

offers a quality education for a reasonable cost. 

New vice chancellor 

Robert Hetzel 

Robert J. Hetzel has been named the 

university’s vice chancellor for 

administration and finance. Hetzel, who 

began Sept. 1, had been associate vice president 

for planning and chief of staff to the president at 

the University of Northern Colorado. He 

replaces Ron Lostetter who retired in 2006. 

William Colclough, currently the university’s 

interim provost, served as vice chancellor during 

the interim. 

A colorful campus procession 

Students, many of them carrying flags representing their home 

countries, helped lead the parade through campus on the way to 

the inauguration of Chancellor Joe Gow Oct. 19. 

u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • w i n t e r 2 0 0 7 - 0 8 • 3

f r o m What’s t h e happening e d i t o ron 

campus 

Brad Quarberg 

An alum to 

be proud of 

Obituaries and death notices arrive for the 

Alumnus weekly. Often, they’re 

accompanied by notes detailing the impact 

the person made during their lifetime. 

The notes explain the person’s fondness of 

UW-La Crosse. They talk about how the person 

made a great difference in people’s lives. Or, they 

share humorous moments. I often find myself 

wishing we had more space — and the staff — to 

follow up on so many interesting eulogies. 

An alum’s death in fall ’06 was different. 

Weston High School Principal John Klang, ’79, 

went to work one beautiful fall morning with the 

excitement of Homecoming in the air. Before the 

school bell rang, Klang was shot and killed by a 

troubled teen. In a separate incident about the 

same time, a well-liked, popular Weston student 

was killed in a car accident. 

I never met Klang, but I wish I had. In the 

many eulogies I’ve heard, he’s the type of person 

I wish I could be more like. He’s the educator I 

hope for my children to have. He’s a person who 

took pride in his work, never realizing the great 

impact he was having. He’s the alum who was so 

proud of his alma mater, he often brought his 

family back to La Crosse. His daughter would 

eventually graduate from UW-L and start married 

life in the area. 

Klang’s story is one that needs to be told — 

and heard. It’s tragic, yet hopeful. His wife, Sue, 

told the 250 people gathered at a memorial for 

him and his student this fall: “The world is 

diminished because they are gone, but it is still a 

better place because they were here.” 

That’s something for all of us to strive for to 

be said when we’ve completed our earthly 

journey. 

Brad Quarberg, ’85 

Alumnus editor 

4 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • w i n t e r 2 0 0 7 - 0 8 

Alumnus 

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 

Winter 2007-08, Vol. 34, No. 1 

U n i v e r s i t y o f W i s c o n s i n - L a C r o s s e 

Alumnus 

Winter 2007-2008, Vol. 34, No. 1 

Sandra Lee 

Serving up alumni spirit 

The Alumnus is published in June and December for alumni 

and friends of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. 

Deadline for copy is April 1 and Oct. 1. Readers may submit 

news items to the editor in the University Relations Office, 

UW-La Crosse, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601. 

608.785.8572 • quarberg.brad@uwlax.edu 

e d i t o r 


Associate Director of 

University Relations 

University Relations Office 

a r t d i r e c t o r 

Sanja Dojcinovic 

University Print Manager 

University Relations Office 

s t a f f w r i t e r s 

Cary Heyer 

Dave Johnson, ’92 

Sue (Sullivan) Lee, 

’82 & ’87 


Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86 

p h o t o g r a p h y 

Brad Quarberg ’85 

Sue (Sullivan) Lee, 

’82 & ’87 

e d i t o r i a l 

a s s i s t a n c e 

Al Trapp 

Interim President, 

UW-La Crosse Foundation 

Cary Heyer, APR 

Director of University 

Relations 

Beth Dummer 

Program Assistant 

Jeff Kerkman,’86 

Alumni Representative 

Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86 

Executive Director of Alumni 

Association 

Kelly Nowicki-Van Rooyan 

’98 & ’02 

Alumni Representative 

www.uwlax.edu 

View previous issues at 

http://murphylibrary.uwlax.edu/digital/uwl/Alumnus/index.html 

Production of the Alumnus is supported by grants from the UW-La Crosse Alumni 

Association and the UW-La Crosse Foundation.

Eddie Marino, La Crosse Fabricators, 

welds an ornamental handrail in the 

Frederick Theatre in Morris Hall, which 

has been completely renovated. 

Frederick Theatre 

facelift 

Frederick Theatre in Morris Hall has been updated. 

“Everything is brand new, including lighting and sound,” 

says Billy Clow, interim director of the School of Arts 

and Communication. The outdated, ill-equipped theatre was 

renovated as a “flexible thrust/black box theatre,” a theatre with 

black walls and a flat floor and permanent seating on three 

sides, allowing for more flexibility. It will be used for intimate 

theatre productions, as well as for classes. Another addition: a 

back stage. The theatre’s first production was "On the Verge" 

in November. 


Library’s extensive 

steamboat photo 

collection going 

online 

Soon you can view Murphy Library’s extensive steamboat 

photo collection from home. UW-L and the UW-Madison 

Digital Collection Center will digitize the library’s extensive 

collection of steamboat photography in the next three years. The 

collection includes steamboats from the 1850s to the present; 

images of steamboat captains, engineers, pilots, passengers and 

crews; city and town waterfronts; levees; locks and dams; and 

river-related activities such as fishing, swimming and clamming. 

It’s thought to be the largest inland steamboat photo collection 

worldwide. When digitization is complete, the collection will be 

instantly accessible via the Internet. 

This photo of Riverside Park taken Sept. 4, 

1916, is one of 50,000 black and white 

photographs of steamboats and related 

images in Murphy Library Special Collections, 

one of the world’s premier compilations of 

steamboat images. The boat on the left is the 

Sidney, the middle boat is unidentified and the 

boat on the right is the St. Paul. 



Lights, camera, (food) 

and action! 

Food Network’s Sandra Lee films episodes in La Crosse 

above and right: Bestselling author and 

internationally acclaimed life and style expert 

Sandra Lee returned to campus this fall to 

film a collegiate-themed cooking show, 

complete with UW-L cheerleaders, football 

players and marching band members. Lee, a 

physical therapy turned business major who 

attended UW-L from 1984-87, returned to 

La Crosse to tape four shows expected to air 

sometime in 2008. “This visit is long 

overdue,” noted Lee during the day-long 

taping on campus. “I have some great 

memories of this place.” 

6 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • w i n t e r 2 0 0 7 - 0 8 

By Cary Heyer 

UW-La Crosse was thrust into the spotlight when the 

crew of the Food Network’s Semi-Homemade 

Cooking with Sandra Lee program rolled into town 

to tape segments for several episodes to be aired next year. 

Lee, a physical therapy turned business major who 

attended UW-L from 1984-87, hosts the show that launched 

amidst rave reviews in 2003 and remains one of the Food 

Network’s top three highest rated programs. A bestselling 

author and internationally acclaimed life and style expert, 

Lee is CEO of Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade®, a multimedia 

corporation that focuses on quick and easy solutions 

for everyday living. Her 70/30 formula – 70 percent storebought 

ingredients accompanied by 30 percent fresh and 

creative touches – permits even those with modest culinary 

skills to take 100 percent of the credit for something that 

looks and tastes like it was made from scratch. 

Each of her Semi-Homemade shows revolves around a 

theme – Girls’ Cocktail Party, Midnight Musical, Indochine 

Brunch – you get the idea. Her trademark is creating a 

trendy tablescape with fanciful flowers, elegant 

arrangements and decorative desserts that transform any 

tabletop into a mood-making masterpiece. And each episode 

ends with a beverage that’s in keeping with the theme. 

Lee always wanted to do an episode that centered around 

“The Big Game.” So when the producers of the show 

called to explore whether UW-L would be amenable to 

serving as the backdrop for such a show, the answer came 

easy. The opportunity to share the beauty of the UW-L 

campus with a national TV audience is a rare opportunity. 

Sharing it on a TV show hosted by a successful alumna is 

even rarer. 

We leapt at the chance. 

continued on page 9




8 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • w i n t e r 2 0 0 7 - 0 8

continued from page 6 

This isn’t the first time UW-L has been noted on Semi- 

Homemade, however. Lee’s life story was revealed on an 

episode of the Food Network’s Chefography program that 

aired last spring, during which she discussed her experience 

at UW-L. She vowed to return. 

“I’ve been begging these guys for five years to do a 

show here,” Lee said during her October visit to 

right : Sandra Lee discusses the finer points of “tablescaping” — 

using decorations, glasswear and props to create a central theme 

around which to plan a party. 

above: Chancellor Joe Gow welcomes Sandra to campus while 

members of the Eagles football team, marching band and cheer 

squad look on. 

La Crosse. “This visit is long overdue. I have some great 

memories of this place.” 

Six days of filming at several of La Crosse’s famous 

landmarks included Grandad Bluff, Riverside Park and 

Rudy’s Drive-In. The crew also captured footage at 

Oktoberfest and the Maple Leaf parade. But the 

centerpiece of Lee’s visit was “The Big Game” – the 

UW-La Crosse/UW-Whitewater football contest. 

The production included an opening segment with the 

Screaming Eagles marching band, the UW-L cheerleading 

squad, and the Eagles football team. A rousing musical 

prelude featuring the UW-L fight song was followed by the 

words, “Hi, I’m Sandra Lee. Welcome to my alma mater, 

the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse!” Predictably, the 

crowd erupted with cheers. 

“The experience was amazing,” said Kelly Galvan, 

UW-L cheer and stunt coach. “Sandra’s enthusiasm is 

contagious, and she can cheer with the best of them. If she 

were a student, I’d put her on the team!” 

Tammy Fisher, director of the Screaming Eagles, says 

she and her band members have a newfound appreciation of 

the hard work and minute details involved in producing a 

TV program. “It was a good learning experience for the 

students … to see how a shoot goes and what happens 

behind the scenes,” explains Fisher. “Any time you can 

provide them with a new experience you have been 

successful. It’s something they can tell their kids someday!” 

For two days, the tape rolled at UW-L while Lee 

prepared party goodies including buffalo wing pizza, grilled 

romaine salad and chocolate cake. Lee’s skills in the 

outdoor kitchen were matched only by her deftness in 

creating a tablescape that was perfectly suited to hosting a 

pre-game tailgate celebration. Football-shaped cups and 

saucers, personalized placeholders made of miniature 

pennants, and maroon and gray linens were a fitting 

centerpiece for a pre-game rally. 

When she wasn’t sharing cooking or decorating tips, she 

often related her experiences at UW-L. “I have some very 

special memories here,” she reflects. 

Her beverage of choice to close the show? What else: 

Swamp water. 

“Swamp water is another La Crosse favorite,” Lee said. 

“I found somebody kind enough to give me the recipe.” 

We didn’t know there was one. 

TV time 

“Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee” programs filmed in La Crosse are expected to begin airing in spring 2008; 

the episode featuring UW-L will likely be broadcast in fall 2008. Tune into The Food Network or visit 

www.foodnetwork.com for program details. 



i n m e m o r i a m 

A respected alum 

Principal left a lasting impact 

Kerri (Klang) Johnson, ’06, says her father, 

John Klang, ’79, brought the family back to 

La Crosse often. The visits helped her to 

decide to attend UW-L. Johnson says her 

dad, killed by a student one morning in fall 

’06, was proud she was graduating from his 

alma mater. 

1 0 • u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • w i n t e r 2 0 0 7 - 0 8 

By Brad Quarberg, ’85 

It’s been more than a year since a dedicated educator and 

principal — and UW-L alumnus — was gunned down by 

a student in a rural Wisconsin town. That same morning, 

another student from Weston High School in Cazenovia was 

killed in a car accident on his way to school. 

Since then, countless tears have been shed for John 

Klang, ’79, and 16-year-old Erik Fichtel. Memorial services 

were held. Counselors have spent hours at the school. An 

experienced counselor-administrator, Tom Andres, ’70, was 

hired to direct recovery. And, 16-year-old Eric Hainstock 

has been found guilty of fatally shooting Klang. 

This fall, a memorial was dedicated to Klang and the 

school is moving on under Terry Milfred’s leadership. 

Milfred, ’63, superintendent of the Weston School District, 

was grooming Klang to take over more administrative duties 

before Klang was killed. Now, Milfred and Andres are 

helping the small, rural school district move on. Andres 

became superintendent in February 2007; Milfred remains a 

consultant to the district. 

Milfred has much respect for his former colleague. “I 

can only try by saying that he was unselfish, caring, 

unassuming, dedicated, hard-working and brave,” he 

explains. “I was fortunate to know him.” 

Milfred says the school has undergone “an amazing 

recovery” from the trauma of losing a very popular principal 

and respected student leader. He attributes some of that 

recovery to the Klang and Fichtel families. “The families’ 

unselfish focus while grieving for their loved ones was a 

moving example to us all,” he notes. “They did whatever 

they could to help the school and community recover and 

move forward.” 

Klang’s daughter, Kerri (Klang) Johnson, ’06, was in her 

senior year at UW-L when she found out her dad had been 

shot. A few days earlier, her boyfriend, Justin Johnson, had 

proposed. They had decided to wait until the weekend to tell 

the family in person. 

continued on next page

continued from previous page 

Kerri told her mom about the proposal in the waiting room at the 

hospital. “I wasn’t able to tell my dad until we were allowed to see him 

after he had already passed away,” she told a local reporter following 

the guilty verdict of her dad’s killer. “I sobbed as I told him. Everyone 

says he knows and he will be there with me, but it’s not the same.” 

She graduated from UW-L in December 2006, less than three 

months following her dad’s death. “He was so proud that I was 

graduating from the same university he had graduated from,” she says. 

Kerri says her dad was proud of La Crosse and brought the whole 

family back to the area often. They visited Grandad Bluff, the campus 

and the river. “He really liked La Crosse a lot,” she explains. “He 

loved to bring us here and walk on campus. And, he loved the bluffs.” 

The visits had an impact. Following graduation, Kerri stayed in the 

area with her husband, Justin. She currently works as an accountant at 

the La Crosse Center. 

Kerri says the memorial service, just a week before the anniversary 

of the shooting and car crash, continued the healing process, for her, 

her family and the community. “It was a beautiful ceremony and a 

beautiful day,” she says. 

The ceremony was positive and looked forward. Klang’s wife, Sue, 

told the 250 people who gathered “The world is diminished because 

they are gone, but it is still a better place because they were here.” 

The John Klang Memorial is a “Teaching and Gathering” area near 

the elementary-middle school entrance. 

In September, the 

Cazenovia community 

dedicated a “Teaching 

and Gathering” area 

near the entrance to 

Weston elementarymiddle 

school in honor 

of John Klang, ’79, who 

was murdered at the 

school a year earlier. 

Global 

growth 

International enrollment, 

overseas study up 

Around 300 students from 46 countries 

were on campus when classes started 

this fall. That’s up from about 178 

students last year and 100 a decade ago. 

“The increase is due to long-term 

international recruiting efforts,” says Jay 

Lokken, director of International Studies. 

“We’ve been very successful implementing a 

multi-faceted approach to recruiting. We have 

a recruiter based in China and a strategic plan 

for international recruiting.” 

Lokken says high U.S.News and World 

Report and Kiplinger’s rankings have 

increased UW-L’s reputation worldwide. The 

ranks, along with a more smaller campus 

atmosphere often gives UW-L an edge over 

larger, Big Ten-sized schools. “We’re able to 

personalize the relationship here at UW- 

La Crosse,” notes Lokken. “We offer a 

chance to interact in the daily life of a typical 

Wisconsin family.” 

Lokken says the number of American 

students heading overseas for study has 

increased too. The Institute of International 

Education ranks UW-L 17th in the U.S. for 

participation in study abroad. Around 425 

students plan to study abroad this academic 

year, compared to 75 students a decade ago. 

u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • w i n t e r 2 0 0 7 - 0 8 • 1 1


The way of stone 

Reuter rocks flow through phases of life 

Anew campus sculpture signifies the journey people 

take during their lifetime. Mequon artist Susan 

Falkman designed “The Way of Stone,” which winds 

its way through Reuter Hall. 

The sculpture, a metaphoric path of Wausau Red Granite 

blocks, moves from the west entrance to Reuter, through the 

hall foyer, to a triangular-shaped meeting space centered 

between the building’s east walkways. A cutout symbolic river 

“flows” through each stone, tracing a line of passage. Words 

are engraved into each stone just above or below the cut river. 

“The ‘river’ represents the flow of life, segmented by the 


Left: The view from the 

upper floors of Reuter 

Hall offers a look at the 

question mark formed by 

the sculpture. 

Below, opposite page: 

“Character” is one of the 

words carved into 

one of the rocks in the 

new sculpture near 

Reuter Hall. 

space between the blocks, which represent the stages of our 

lives,” explains Falkman. “The period of time at the university 

is one of exploration. The words represent important concepts 

to be examined. 

The rocks serve as benches, Falkman says. The eight 

stones in the triangular area east of the building form a 

question mark and create meeting and observational areas for 

enjoying the bluffs to the east. “While waiting for friends or 

taking a break, the words on the stones are a part of the 

experience,” she notes. 

Falkman cautions observers to take time to grasp meaning 



in the work. “This sculpture is meant to be explored slowly over time — 

the color, and the textures of the stones, the spatial relationships between 

the stones, and the lines and patterns they form.” she says. “Like the 

stone from which the sculpture was created, this sculpture needs to be 

lived with. It can’t be understood with one cursory look because then all 

you would see would be ‘some big stones.’” 

Falkman sees the granite educating. “Stone has been my teacher for 

the 30-plus years I have carved it,” she continues. “Having just 

completed a 23,000 pound, 12 ton, sculpture in this same Ruby Red 

Granite, I learned about granite time, with its four-billion-year-old 

perspective. It has much to teach.” 

Eighteen artists applied to be considered for the commissioned work. 

A local committee narrowed that group to three semi-finalists before it 

selected Falkman’s sculpture. The $42,000 project is nearing 

completion, with only landscaping left to complete. The work was 

acquired through the Wisconsin Art Board’s Percent for Art Program 

with funds from the state of Wisconsin. Learn more about the program 

at http://arts.state.wi.us/static/percent/percent.htm. 

Words of Wisdom 

Among the words Artist Susan Falkman has carved into her 

stone sculpture around Reuter Hall are: 

QUESTION • MEMORY • EXPERIENCE • CHARACTER • FREEDOM • 

DREAMS • KNOWLEDGE • REALITY • BELIEF • IDEAS • 

TRUTH • PERCEPTIONS 


Steam plant 

renewed 

UW-L received state funding and recently 

completed a large pollution control addition to 

the steam plant. The renovation assists the 

university with improving emissions. 

did know? 

You can view the first decade 

of The Racquet — and issues 

since 2000 — online? Click on 

http://murphylibrary.uwlax.edu/ 

digital/uwl/Racquet/index.html 

and you’ll find issues of the 

campus newspaper from 

1910 to 1920 and from 

2000 to 2006. 



Mind and body 

And a little bit of soul 


Mens Corpusque, the Latin words for “Mind and Body” found on the 

university’s seal, was the prominent theme for Chancellor Joe Gow’s 

inauguration Oct. 19. (From top left, clockwise.) The day started early at 6:30 

a.m with the traditional “Hanging of the Lantern” and a Run with the 

Chancellor at Hoeschler Tower. A processional parade wound through 

campus. Chancellor Gow was warmly welcomed by a crowd in the 

Recreational Eagle Center. He topped off the ceremony by singing “Luck Be 

A Lady,” backed up by the UW-L Jazz Ensemble I. Gow received statewide 

attention for funding costs personally for the inauguration — around $8,000 

— in a time of tight state funding. Faculty, staff and students donated $3,950 

to fund the planting of 10 trees in honor of the university’s 10th leader, an 

area near the REC dubbed “Gow’s Grove.” Not all of that was needed for the 

trees, so just over $1,000 will fund student scholarships in Gow’s name.

Among the inductees 

into the Wall of Fame 

in 2007 were, from left, 

Richard Heller, ’59; 

Barbara Gibson, ’78; 

James Ingold, ’79; 

William Patza, ’82; 

Ann Heaslett, ’86, and 

Mike Kearns. 

Six engraved into 

Wall of Fame 

Coach, athletes and supporter recognized 

a t h l e t i c s 

UW-L Gymnastics Coach Barb Gibson joined four former student-athletes and a 

La Crosse sports broadcaster in the university’s Wall of Fame. The Wall pays 

tribute to former athletes and coaches for their exceptional ability and 

enhancement of school tradition. It also recognizes long-time supporters of UW-L 

athletics with the Donald Gordon Merit Award. 

This year’s inductees — honored during Family, Friends and Alumni Weekend in 

October — included: 

continued on next page 




Barbara Gibson, ’78 

Gibson has impacted UW-L women’s 

gymnastics for more than three decades 

— first as a student, then a coach. 

Gibson was the 1975 conference 

champion on the balance beam and the 

1978 conference floor champion. When 

she returned as coach in 1985, she 

began an extremely successful career. 

Through her first 22 years at the helm, Gibson has led the 

Eagles to 11 national championships and 15 conference titles. 

She has coached 26 individual national champions and 128 

All-Americans. Gibson was named National Collegiate 

Gymnastics Association Coach of the Year three times and 

conference Coach of the Year seven times. She has compiled a 

607-158 career record (575-154 at UW-L) in her first 25 years 

of coaching. Gibson earned a master’s from Southern Illinois 

University-Carbondale in 1981. She and her husband, Mark, 

UW-L’s head athletic trainer, live in La Crosse. They have 

three children. 

Ann M. Heaslett, ’86 

Heaslett ran to success during the mid 

’80s. Heaslett earned letters in cross 

country and track all four years. She 

helped the 1982 cross country team 

bring home a national championship, 

along with national track titles in 1983 

and 1984. She set a school record in 

the 10K at 36:53 in 1983. She was 

selected by teammates to serve as captain of the cross country 

team in 1986. Heaslett earned a medical degree from UW- 

Madison in 1991. She continues to run and has participated in 

numerous high-mile races worldwide. She works at Mendota 

Mental Health Institute in Madison, where she and her 

husband, Tim, live. 


Richard D. Heller, ’59 

Heller set school and conference 

records as a swimmer in the late ’50s. 

A football, basketball and track athlete 

at Elroy High School, Heller took to 

the pool when he arrived on campus in 

1955. He set school records in the 

220-yard and 440-yard freestyle, 

earning the most points in a season. He 

captured all-conference titles and scored conference records in 

both, taking those with the team to its first-ever national meet. 

After teaching and coaching at two high schools in Michigan, 

Heller went to the State University of New York-Buffalo in 

1965. He retired in 2001. In 12 years of coaching swimming 

at Buffalo, he compiled 116 wins and 38 losses, seven 

conference titles, and 31 All-Americans. He was the state’s 

1978 Swim Coach of the Year and served on the U.S. Men’s 

Olympics Swimming Committee from 1971-76. Heller earned 

a master’s from Wayne State University in 1964. He has five 

grown children from his first marriage. He and his wife, 

Lynn, have two children. They live in Bristol, Tenn. 

James R. Ingold, ’80 & ’88 

Ingold has finished all 300 races he has 

started. He gained speed for that 

accomplishment in cross country and 

track during college, following four 

years as a harrier at Monroe High 

School. At UW-L, Ingold ran to three 

All-American honors and three 

conference championships, including 

two conference records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 

5,000-meter run. He came within 12 seconds of qualifying for 

the Olympic Trials Marathon. Ingold, an assistant UW-L 

men’s cross country and track coach in 1987-88, taught in 

Monticello and Fox Point-Bayside schools before becoming an 

elementary physical education teacher and coach for Monroe 

Public Schools in 1991. Ingold and his wife, Nancy, live in 

Monroe with their two sons. 

Think someone deserves recognition? 

You can nominate alumni with outstanding athletic accomplishments at UW-L for the Wall of Fame. Athletes must have 

completed competition 10 years or more before consideration. Past UW-L coaches and athletic administrators may also 

be nominated; deceased nominees will be considered. Get details at www.uwlax.edu/athletics/traditions/wallfame/


William Patza, ’82 

Patza set numerous records in 

football and track in the late ’70s 

and early ’80s. The Seymour High 

School football and track standout 

continued those sports at La 

Crosse. Patza was a five-time 

All-American in track and field, 

setting long and triple jump 

records, along with being the first from La Crosse to 

reach 50 feet in a jump. He captured three indoor and 

outdoor triple jump conference championships. In 

football, Patza caught three touchdown passes in one 

game —UW-Whitewater in 1980 —a record that 

remained tied for third in school history going into the 

’07 football season. He caught 11 touchdown passes and 

brought down 62 receptions during his collegiate career. 

Patza, who also holds a fire science degree from Western 

Technical College, is a La Crosse Fire Department 

captain. He and his wife, Cindy, live in La Crosse with 

their daughter. 

Mike Kearns 

He’s called more UW-L football 

and basketball games than anyone 

else. Mike Kearns has been the 

voice of the Eagles on La Crosse’s 

WKTY radio for more than two 

decades. It’s a good reason for him 

to receive the Donald Gordon 

Merit Award. Kearns, sports 

director at the station since 1972, says his most 

memorable broadcasts were the football national 

championships in 1992 and 1995. The 1970 graduate of 

La Crescent (Minn.) High School lives in La Crosse with 

his wife, Dawn. They have two children. 


Werner watch 

From Mitchell Hall to Lambeau Field 

Former UW-L cager Joe Werner had a chance of a lifetime 

last summer. He signed as a free agent with the Green Bay 

Packers. Werner saw action in three of the Packers’ four 

exhibition games, playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle 

Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars. He recorded two tackles 

against the Steelers before being released Aug. 24. 

“The experience was amazing,” notes Werner. “I can 

remember when I was a kid 

going out in the yard at halftime 

of the Packers game and throwing 

the football around with my dad 

or brother, always pretending I 

was catching a pass from Brett 

Favre. During preseason I had the 

chance to actually live out this 

dream, to put the jersey on, run 

out of the tunnel at Lambeau and 

get in a couple of games and 

catch passes from Favre. It was a 

dream come true.” 

The 2006-07 Wisconsin 

Intercollegiate Athletic 

Conference Basketball Player of 

the Year hadn’t played football for six years since high school at 

Chippewa Falls McDonell. Werner was worried he would just be 

somebody walking around and really not get noticed. That 

wasn’t the case. “The guys were great,” he says. “It would have 

been exciting to just go be on the team, but the people on the 

team made it that much greater.” 

His most memorable moments included signing to a contract 

after trying out, running on the field with the tight ends for 

Family Night and catching a touchdown pass from Favre in 

practice. 

He would love to give football another try, but it’s not up to 

him. “I’m staying in shape so if they give me a call back I will 

be ready,” Werner says. “I know I still have a lot to learn and am 

more than willing to put the required time in.” 

Werner, who hopes to complete an MBA in spring 2008, was 

married to former UW-L basketball player Katy Searing July 21, 

2007. He plans to go to Australia in January to play hoops. “My 

wife and I are trying to get her an opportunity to do her student 

teaching there,” he says. 



On track 

Men’s track and field team 

captures a record 11th 

national outdoor title 

The men’s 

track and 

field team 

is on course to 

make its 

dominance of 

the National 

Collegiate 

Athletic 

Association 

Division III last 

even longer. Last 

spring, the team 

used a balanced 

attack with 23 

athletes to capture its 11th NCAA Division III 

Outdoor Championship. The Eagles won the 

crown with 99.0 points at UW-Oshkosh’s J.J. 

Keller Field at Titan Stadium. With the 11 

national titles — the most in NCAA III history 

— UW-L has won six of the last seven outdoor 

championships. 

In the 2007 meet, UW-L captured the 4 x 

400-meter relay title with the team of David 

Kolbe, John Doble, Jeremy Deterville and Tony 

Marcinek. They set a stadium record with a 

winning time of 3:11.01. It’s UW-L’s fourth 

national crown in the last five years in the 4 x 

400-meter relay, also winning in 2003, 2004 and 

2005. The Eagles placed second in 2006. 

UW-L's Kevin Becker captured his second 

national title in the hammer throw with a facility 

record toss of 198-10. He also won the event in 

2005 and placed second in 2004. It’s Becker’s 

third national championship. He also took the 

weight throw at the 2006 indoor championships. 

Brent Ericksen was head coach in 2007. 


Baker enters 

N.J. Hall of Fame 

Eagles Athletic Director Joe Baker has been inducted 

into the Newark, N.J., Athletic Hall of Fame. Baker 

lettered in football, basketball and baseball at 

Newark’s Weequahic High School, making all-state, allconference 

and all-city teams in baseball and all-conference 

in football. After high school, he was offered a professional 

baseball contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but continued 

his athletic career at Montclair State University (N.J.) 

playing baseball, football and basketball. He earned a 

bachelor’s in physical education in 1970. Baker was named UW-L’s athletic 

director in 1998. He oversees 19 teams that have won 21 national championships 

and 68 conference titles. 

A familiar face 

Interim Coach Don Fritsch to head 

track team in ’08 

An alum with an excellent track record will serve as 

interim head coach of the men’s track and field 

team. Don Fritsch, ’80 & ’93, who serves as the 

Eagles’ head men’s cross country coach, replaces Brent 

Ericksen who resigned in July to become an assistant coach 

at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. 

As a long-time alum of the program and a 16-year 

veteran as a volunteer coach for track, Fritsch wanted to see 

a smooth transition. “Our goal will be to prepare and coach 

a highly-competitive team once again this year, but I want to do more than tread 

water for one year,” explains Fritsch. “I want to turn over a program and team to 

the future coach that is highly motivated, confident and very positive about the 

future of the program. The past success of this program has always hinged on the 

incredible attitudes and great work ethics of our student-athletes and that will not 

change.” 

Fritsch’s cross country teams have captured two NCAA III titles and six 

conference championships going into his 10th year as their coach. He was 

inducted into the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 

January 2004. 

Fritsch, a health and physical education teacher at La Crosse's Longfellow 

Middle School since 1994, has also taught at UW-L and Viterbo University.

did know? 

The new UW-La Crosse license 

plates are available. Click on: 

www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/vehi 

cles/personal/special/universi.htm 

for details on how Wisconsin 

residents can sport — and support 

— UW-L! 

After spring commencement, 

UW-L has 63,836 recorded alumni. 

The UW-L Army ROTC program 

was one of the top ROTC programs 

nationwide in spring 2007. It 

received an Order of Merit ranking, 

given only to programs in the top 15 

percent of the nation’s 273 

programs. 

Physics student Gustave Borstad 

was one of just eight Wisconsin 

students to be awarded the 

prestigious Goldwater Scholarship 

for 2007-08, the premier award given 

to only 317 science-related majors 

nationwide. Two UW-L students 

received the prestigious award in 

2006-07. 

e s p e c i a l l y f o r a l u m n i 

Golf 

Outing 

Chancellor’s 

Chancellor’s golf 

fund-raiser draws 

supporters 

One hundred and thirty-three signed up for this year’s 

Chancellor’s Golf Outing Aug. 15 at Cedar Creek Country 

Club in Onalaska. Waterlogged conditions kept most off the 

course, but donors shared camaraderie and a luncheon. The annual 

fundraiser supports alumni programming. Among those attending 

were, from left, clockwise, Larry Lebiecki, ’62, retired assistant 

chancellor; Kenneth Lindner, UW-L chancellor from 1971 to 1979; 

Chancellor Joe Gow; Ted Knudson, ’60; Carl Wimberly, retired vice 

chancellor; Robert Burns, retired, microbiology; Paul Taylor, retired, 

chemistry. 



It’s a generational thing 

Alums join Alumni Association to stay connected 

Recent grads join to stay connected and volunteer. Some join to 

continue the “La Crosse tradition.” Others, because their degree has 

more value than the day they walked across the stage. “No matter 

what the reason, we need you to join!” says Janie Spencer, executive 

director of the Alumni Association. 

“When I think of UW-L, it always brings a smile to my face,” explains 

Anne Grayson, ’86, Onalaska. “Changes over the past several years have 

elevated the university to a top-rated educational institution. So, the 

undergraduate degree I hold has even greater value than it did the day I 

received it.” 

Grayson says the past and present have brought her wonderful things as 

an alum. “Staying connected through the Alumni Association is easy and I 

can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.” 

Association membership is filled with benefits to stay connected to 

friends and the university. “The reason I became a member of the UW-L 

Alumni Association was because as a student I experienced the support that 

alums offered and I wanted to continue that tradition,” notes Greg 

Natyshak, ’00, Savage, Minn. “As an alum I have had the opportunity to 

reconnect with old friends to reminisce, meet new friends and keep 

connected to what is happening on campus and in the La Crosse area.” 

Along with benefits, the Alumni Association plans events throughout the 

country. The association continues to look for volunteers to help with these 

events and support the university. 

“The UW-L Alumni Association allows me to stay connected to the 

campus,” notes Cheryl Behnke, ’07, La Crosse. “As a member, I am able 

to volunteer at many events on campus including the Etiquette Dinner, 

Move-In Day Ice Cream social and ‘Celebrate UW-La Crosse!’ These 

opportunities allow me to share in the positive and memorable experiences 

with students as they begin to build their relationship with the university.” 

Join today at www.uwlalumni.org/join.php and keep the “La Crosse 

Experience” alive for alumni and current students. 


Membership 

has advantages 

When you join the UW-L Alumni 

Association you help preserve the “La 

Crosse Experience.” And, you can take 

advantage of these benefits: 

• A Downtown Mainstreet Inc. discount 

card for many La Crosse area 

businesses. (NEW) 

• Discounts on merchandise at Games 

People Play in La Crosse and 

Onalaska. (NEW) 

• Discounts on select continuing 

education courses at UW-L. 

• Access to the Recreational Eagle 

Center and Murphy Library on 

campus. 

• Access to the online alumni directory 

to find friends and former classmates. 

• Special invitations for travel 

programs, with great destinations — 

Spain in spring ’08 and Ireland, 

Greece in fall. 

• Discounts on insurance products and 

special events. 

• Subscriptions to the Lantern, e- 

Alumnus and the Alumnus magazine. 

• And more! Visit our Web site for a 

comprehensive benefit list. 

Join today at 

www.uwlalumni.org/join.php.

Delta Sigs 

celebrate 40 years 

Retired professor Bob 

Wingate, who continues to 

serve as faculty adviser to 

Delta Sigma Phi, 

participated in the 

fraternity’s reunion during 

this fall’s “Celebrate 

La Crosse!” event. 

It wasn’t a traditional homecoming bonfire. It was better. 

For the Delta Sigma Phi 40th anniversary celebration in October, 

fraternity brothers held the formal burning of the mortgage of their 

fraternity house just blocks from campus at 1429 Main St. More than 500 

brothers have lived in the house since it was purchased in 1968. Alumni 

have made certain that the nearly 100-year-old home maintains the charm 

and character it had when built in 1909. 

That historic setting is fitting for the Epsilon Iota Chapter of the 

National Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, the longest continuously-run social 

fraternity in UW-L history. Just over 200 brothers gathered as part of 

“Celebrate UW-La Crosse!” Oct. 19-21. The chapter boasts more than 

700 alumni scattered throughout the states and a few foreign countries. 

In 1965 the Delta Sigs began from scratch as a colony. In 1967 they 

successfully applied for chapter status. They gather every five years to 

celebrate the beginning of the brotherhood. The 45th reunion will be in 

2012. Brothers are already talking about a major celebration for the 50th 

in 2017. 

Current undergraduate brothers achieved a 3.32 GPA last spring and 

continuously compete at or above the male average on campus. Along 

with an active social calendar, the chapter is involved in numerous 

campus and area philanthropic causes. 

The Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity is the longest continuouslyrun 

social fraternity on campus. For more information on 

the Epsilon Iota Chapter visit www.dsp-ei.org. 


Residence Life 

staffers return 

More than 170 UW-L residence life alumni and 

friends attended the Residence Life Alumni 

Club all-class reunion Oct. 27-28. The weekend 

of entertainment and reconnecting with campus and 

friends included campus tours, a fundraising lunch for 

Thomas Harris, a home football game, updates from 

current Director of Residence Life Nick Nicklaus, and a 

special guest appearance by Neil Diamond (aka: past 

Director of Residence Life Dick Kohler). 

Future residence life get-togethers being planned include: 

• a reunion within the next year or so to commemorate 

Baird, Trowbridge, and Wilder halls which are 

scheduled to be replaced by a new academic 

building. 

• a NACURH reunion within the next three years. 

• another all-class reunion in five years. 

The alumni club plans to continue supporting 

Residence Life and the Alumni Association through 

training, presentations and support of current residence life 

staff members. The club hopes to maintain and update 

both the residence life alumni contact list and Web site. 

The Residence Life Alumni Club continues to look for 

volunteers and new ideas. Contact the club at 

rlac@uwlax.edu. 



Family, friends and alumni 


Fraternity brothers, former football players and 

Class of ’57 grads were just some of the many 

alumni groups returning to “Celebrate UW- 

La Crosse!” Oct. 19-21. One special highlight was the 

inauguration of the university’s 10th leader, Chancellor 

Joe Gow. In addition to the pomp and circumstance of 

the formal inaugural ceremony, Gow wowed the 

audience with his rendition of “Luck be a Lady 

Tonight,” backed up the the UW-L Jazz Ensemble I. 

Students, their families and alumni enjoyed Bingo, a 

live eagle demonstration, a hypnotist, the Eagles football 

win over UW-Oshkosh (24-0) and a family brunch at 

Whitney Center. Mark your calendars for Oct. 17-19, 

2008! For more photos, visit the UW-L Alumni 

Association Web site, ww.uwlalumni.org.


‘Celebrate UW-La Crosse!’ 

Clockwise, from top left previous page: 1. Members of ’92 

national championship football team catch up with one 

another. 2. A future UW-L alum shows support. 3. A bald 

eagle graced the campus before the football game. 4. Head 

Football Coach Larry Terry shares a laugh during the reunion. 

5. The class of ’57 poses for a class picture. 6. UW-L 

students cheer on the Eagles football team. 7. The Eagles 

showed their strength defeating UW-Oshkosh, 24-0. 



Flamenco dancers 

swirl, bullfighters 

whirl 

Join UW-L alumni, friends 

on a trip to Spain 

Picture yourself in the Prado taking in one masterpiece after another, or 

sipping sangria on a café-lined promenade on the sandy beaches of the Costa 

del Sol. Enjoy watching a flamenco dancer swirling in a red dress, and a 

bullfighter twirling his red cape. These and other sights and sounds are awaiting 

alumni April 18-27, 2008. 

Go Next, UW-L Alumni Association’s travel partner, has taken care of 

the details. All you need to do is relax and decide what you want to do 

each day! 

The $2,699 base cost includes: 

• Round-trip transportation to Madrid, Spain 

• First-class hotel accommodations: three nights in 

Torremolinos/Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol 

• Buffet breakfast daily 

• Sightseeing of Madrid, Seville and 

Cordoba 

• All transfers as specified in 

itinerary 

• Transportation from Madrid to 

Cordoba and Malaga to Madrid 

via a high speed “Talgo” train 

• Luggage handling and related 

tipping 

• Local government and hotel 

taxes 

• Services of a professional 

travel director 

• Complete pre-flight information 


Other optional excursions will be available 

to purchase 45 days prior to departure. 

Get complete details at 

www.gonext.com/uwla/spain08.html. 

Membership 

adds up 

Accountancy alum wins 

Spain trip 

Christa Baldridge, ’99, never expected a 

call at work one Friday afternoon last 

summer. “The noise I made attracted a 

crowd,” recalls Baldridge. “An intern came 

running and asked ‘What happened?’” The noise 

Baldridge made was because she had won the trip 

to Spain offered by the Alumni Association as an 

incentive during its June membership drive. 

“If I hadn’t known better I would have thought 

it was a joke,” says Baldridge. “I had totally 

forgotten about the contest.” 

Baldridge, a CPA with Virchow Krause in 

Milwaukee, is looking forward to the trip not only 

because she and her husband have never been to 

Europe —it falls three days after tax season. 

“I really like the fact that it is a guided tour,” 

notes Baldridge. “I don’t have to plan anything or 

worry about remembering my high school 

Spanish.”

‘In the red zone’ 

f o u n d a t i o n u p d a t e 

Fundraising for Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex nears goal 

By Cary Heyer 

The two-minute warning has sounded. The home team is 

on offense and we’re in four-down territory. The 

backfield is in motion and the ball has been snapped … 

What happens next depends on the ability of the 

quarterback – in this case, UW-L Foundation Development 

Officer Mike Desmond – and his star backs to punch the 

ball into the end zone. In this case, however, the goal line 

isn’t marked by foam-padded pylons. But it’s no less 

evident. 

To proceed with the construction of a new Veterans 

Memorial Field Sports Complex, Desmond and his team 

must raise about $18 million. That’s about $3 million more 

than the original target for the project. But during a recent 

news conference, Desmond was joined on the dais by 

Chancellor Joe Gow and Vice Chancellor for Finance and 

Administration Bob Hetzel who shared that the scope of the 

project – and costs associated with it, particularly fuel and 

materials – has changed since the project was announced 

18 months ago. 

Raising an additional $3 million over the original goal 

is a daunting proposition, to be sure. But with the steely 

confidence that the New York Jets’ Joe Namath showed 

when he guaranteed a victory over the heavily favored 

Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, Desmond says it 

will happen. 

There’s good reason to believe him. 

continued on next page 

Artist’s rendering of the new Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex 

Contact 

For more information or to contribute to the Veterans Memorial 

Field Sports Complex, contact Mike Desmond at 608.785.5322 or 

desmond.mich@uwlax.edu 

Artist’s rendering of Veterans Hall of Honor interior. 




As of Jan. 7, over $13 million in private gifts has been raised for the 

campaign. Four $1 million contributions and support from La Crosse County and 

the cities of Onalaska and La Crosse, thanks to a proposed one percent room tax 

earmarked for the project, have moved the ball into the red zone. In the past six 

months alone, the UW-L Foundation has received $4 million in pledges toward 

the project. 

“That places us in the fortunate position to proceed with the project in two 

phases,” Desmond says. Pending the approval of the UW-L Foundation board of 

directors on Feb. 1, construction of the first phase of the project will begin as 

scheduled in June 2008. Phase One will include all the essential elements of the 

complex, including the track, football field, west-side bleachers and concourse. 

Phase Two, which would include the east side bleachers, strength training center 

and home team locker room, would begin when the overall goal of $18.6 million 

has been reached. 

Desmond, who earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in ’76 and 

a master’s in education in ’87, has spent much of his career — 27 years, to be 

precise — as a basketball coach. But he’s quick to use a football analogy when 

describing the status of the fundraising campaign for the Veterans Memorial Field 

project. “We’re in four-down territory and the clock is running. It’s time to 

complete the drive.” 

The UW-L Foundation has launched an aggressive effort to build support for 

the project with a series of informational, full-page ads that are being published 

courtesy of the La Crosse Tribune. An editorial penned over the signatures of 

campaign co-chairs Dyanne Brudos, Duane Ring Jr. and Dave Skogen detailed in 

specificity the benefits of the campaign for the community. And, of course, 

members of the development team at the UW-L Foundation are meeting with 

potential donors to state the case for the dollars needed to move forward. 

“We’ve been encouraged by the support this project has received,” Desmond 

says. “Each day’s mail brings checks that are tagged for the stadium.” But with 

fundraising as in athletics, the final two minutes are often the most challenging. 

So he’s calling on the motivational skills he’s learned as a coach to secure a 

victory. His plea is passionate, sincere and direct. 

“We have no Plan B,” Desmond says. “Repairing and retrofitting the current 

facility would exceed its value and is not a practical or financially responsible 

option. We must get this done.” 

“This” includes a multi-use facility that would continue to host events for 

Special Olympics, the YMCA, the American Cancer Society, area elementary 

schools, and the National Youth Sports Program, and high school football games 

and other recreational, cultural and civic events. The new facility could host high 

school and collegiate sports tournaments, concerts, home and garden shows, 

outdoor exhibitions, graduation ceremonies for area schools, art fairs and more. It 

will also include an enhanced Veterans Hall of Honor and barrier-free access to 

persons with disabilities. 

“It would complement the wonderful facilities that already exist in the 

La Crosse Center, Onalaska OmniCenter, Logger’s Field at Copeland Park, and 

Riverside Park. It’s intriguing to consider all the possibilities,” Desmond says. 

The prize is in sight. You have the ball. 


Foundation 

welcomes 

new board 

members 

Three alumni and one faculty member 

were approved by the UW-La Crosse 

Foundation Board to begin four-year 

terms starting in September 2007. They include: 

Jerry Augustine, ’74 — Owner of a Milwaukee 

insurance company. He majored in teacher 

education. Augustine was a pitcher for the 

Milwaukee Brewers. 

Randy Erickson, ’81 — Senior Vice President, 

Chief Administrative Officer and General 

Counsel for Marshall & Ilsley Corp., 

Milwaukee. He majored in computer science. 

Mike Hayford, ’81 — Chief Operating Officer and 

Chief Financial Officer for Metavante Corp., 

Milwaukee. He majored in accounting. 

Michele Thorman — Physical Therapy Program 

Director, UW-La Crosse. She holds a 

bachelor’s from the University of Nebraska and 

an MBA from Cardinal Strich College. 

Randy Erickson Mike Hayford 

Michele Thorman

Established 

funds support 

scholarships, 

programs 

The Jean and William Gilles Scholarship for Physical Therapy 

Third Year Internships Fund, supports scholarships for 

physical therapy, third-year internship students. 

Thomas J. Hill Memorial Scholarship, supports students 

from the Tomah, Colby or Wisconsin Dells school 

districts pursuing a career in education. 

Warta Krueger Hall Scholarship Fund, supports students in 

teacher education. 

Wayne P. Krumel Multipurpose Endowment Fund, supports 

the departments of communication studies and theatre 

arts. 

Markel-Joyce Guest Artist Fund in Theatre Arts, provides 

support for visiting guest artists. 

Medical Dosimetry Fund, supports the Medical Dosimetry 

Program. 

Pride Center Fund, supports the programs and mission of 

the Pride Center. 

Promising Future Psychologist First-Year Scholarship Fund, 

supports scholarships for entering freshmen majoring in 

pre-psychology. 

The Risk Watch Safe Communities Fund, supports youth 

injury prevention activities of the Risk Watch Safe 

Communities of the La Crosse Area. 

The River Watch Fund, provides assistance during the 

academic year for security around the Mississippi River. 

For information on these funds, or to find out 

how to establish a fund, contact the UW-L 

Foundation at 608.785.8489. 


Free tuition comes 

at a prime time 

Free tuition is always good — especially when one of your parents 

became unemployed. Ryan Farwell, a sophomore from Plattsburg, 

Mo., majoring in sports management, found out in May that his 

raffle ticket was drawn and he would receive in-state tuition for the 

fall ’07 semester. That was especially good news for an out-of-state 

student whose dad had just lost his job. The bi-annual raffles, which pay 

in-state tuition for each semester, raise around $30,000 for UW-L 

Foundation scholarships, emergency student loans, research, and 

on-going and new projects. 

Desmond earns 

state fame 

Ryan Farwell 

won tuition in 

the UW-L 

Foundation’s 

bi-annual 

raffle. 

UW-L Foundation Development 

Specialist Mike Desmond, 

’76 & ’87, was inducted into the 

Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association 

Hall of Fame in September. Desmond, 

head boys basketball coach at La Crosse 

Aquinas High School from 1988-2004, 

was an assistant for the UW-L men’s 

basketball team from 2005-06. 

His high school team won the Wisconsin 

Interscholastic Athletic Association 

(WIAA) Division II State Championship 

in 2003. 


l a c r o s s e t i e s 

Classnotes 

To learn how you can keep in touch with us, go to page 37. 

’47 

Tim Nugent, Champaign, Ill., received 

the Chancellor’s Medallion from 

Richard Herman, chancellor of the 

University of Illinois at Urbana- 

Champaign. During a 37-year career 

at the school he was instrumental in 

improving the lives of those with 

disabilities through rehabilitation 

education. 

’52 

C. Ashley Ellefson, Cortland, N.Y., 

had a book-length manuscript, 

“William Bladen of Annapolis, 1673?- 

1718: ‘the most capable in all 

Cheaper by the dozen 


Respects‚’ or ‘Blockhead Booby‚’“ 

placed on the Web site of the 

Maryland State Archives. It’s the first 

thorough study of Bladen, a lawyer 

who came to Maryland in 1692 and 

quickly became a political favorite. 

Ellefson’s commentary about Bladen 

provides an alternative to flattering 

comments historians have made 

about him. Ellefson is retired from the 

State University of New York in 

Cortland. 

’54 

Thomas Rosandich, Daphne, Ala., 

recently celebrated the 35th 

Thomas 

Rosandich 

anniversary of the 

U.S. Sports 

Academy, which he 

founded. 

Rosandich says the 

academy is “the 

only accredited, 

free-standing 

sports university in 

America and the largest graduate 

sports program in the country.” 

’55 

Holly and Donna (Mucha) Jansen, 

’56, celebrated their 50th wedding 

anniversary Aug. 17, 2007. 

When the Bassueners get together, it’s not 

only a family reunion, it’s a UW-La Crosse 

reunion. A dozen family members boast 

alumni status. Those posing to show their 

La Crosse pride include, from left, Mike 

Bassuener, ’08; Kristy (Boland) Bassuener, 

’01; A.J. Bassuener, ’99, holding future 

alum Kendell Bassuener; Jill (Bassuener) 

Fletcher, ’97; Lee Fletcher, ’93; Kay 

(Hegge) Bassuener, ’89; Craig Bassuener, 

’88; Paula (Steebs) Bassuener, ’76; Robert 

Bassuener, ’76; Dawn (Kolstad) Bassuener, 

’72; Alan Bassuener, ’65 & ’71; and Carol 

(Hettinga) Bassuener, ’64 & ’72.

Still the Best (House) 

’62 

George W. Schubert and his wife, 

Arline, have returned to Grand Forks, 

N.D., where Schubert will be an 

adjunct professor at the University of 

North Dakota Law School. He served 

27 years as the faculty representative 

at the University of North Dakota, has 

authored many articles in sports law 

and is co-author of the textbook, 

Sports Law. Arline Short-Schubert, 

who attended La Crosse State, is a 

retired attorney and spends much of 

her time playing Bridge and traveling. 

’63 

Lonnie C. Smith, Burnsville, Minn., 

retired Aug. 31, 2007, from the 

Lakeville (Minn.) Public School District 

after serving 10 years as director of 

business services. Since 1966, Smith 

served as a teacher, coach, principal, 

superintendent and business manager 

working in two school districts in 

Wisconsin and five in Minnesota, 

completing 41 years in public 

education. 

’66 

Larry Weinberg, Coconut Creek, Fla., 

has retired to southern Florida to golf 

and fish year ’round. 


Graduates from the ’60s who lived in Best 

House continue to meet annually. Attending the 

2007 event in La Crosse were, from left, Sue 

Hickey ’67, Green Bay; Gayl (Gutknecht) 

Christensen, ’67, Browntown; Darryle (Damon) 

Clott ’66 & ’71, La Crosse; Sonja (Pfaff) Haske, 

’66; and Shirley (Walsvik) Merill, ’67. (Missing 

from the photo is Andi (Elstad) Sosalla, ’67, 

Bella Vista, Ark.) The group used to meet every 

five years, but several years ago members 

realized they needed to “seize the moment” and 

gather annually. “As always with true friends, we 

seem to pick up immediately where we left off 

the previous visit, and the years vanish as we 

share the past year’s adventures, joys and 

sorrows,” explains Clott. “The most noticeable 

thing about us is that the seeds of everything we have become were there back on campus all those years ago.” 

Clott says the roommates haven’t changed much. “Shirley still inspires us with her positive outlook, Sonja continues her life-long quest for 

education, Sue cares for everyone who crosses her path, Gayl’s value system is one all strive for, Andi’s humor is unsurpassed,” says 

Clott, adding while in semi-retirement, she “still goes 24/7.” 

’67 

Ronald J. Cook, Custer, retired from 

Sentry insurance in May where he 

was director of corporate wellness for 

30 years. After retiring, Cook began 

helping a friend develop and market 

golf products to help golfers improve 

balance, flexibility, stretching and 

strength, www.golfstretcher.com. He 

and his wife, Katharine, enjoy seeing 

their family, particularly their two 

grandsons. 



’71 

Elizabeth “Betty” (Brown) Freeman, 

Marco Island, Fla., was named 

Caregiver of the Year by the Sunrise 

Rotary Club in Marco Island. She was 

honored for her work with community 

members on and off the island. 

’75 

Mike, ’75, and Sandi (Bracey), ’78, 

Nitka, Waukesha, have three children 

— all attending UW-L. Cal is a senior 

Royal members 

Two members of this fall’s Oktoberfest 

royalty have UW-L ties. Steve Hole, 

’76, was the 2007 Oktoberfest Torchlight 

Parade Marshal. Hole is a teacher 

and activities director at La Crosse’s 

Logan High School. Mandy Nogle, a 

senior majoring in communications 

from Mondovi, was crowned 2007 

Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest. Nogle 

will compete in the Miss Wisconsin 

scholarship pageant, part of the Miss 

America organization, in June. 

Both will continue to represent 

La Crosse throughout the Midwest 

until next year’s fest. 


Part of the family for 40 years 

in accountancy; Matt, a senior in 

finance; and Megan, a freshman in 

the physician assistant program. They 

also have a niece and cousin 

attending UW-L. “I guess you could 

say attending the university runs in 

the family,” says Sandi. “Mike and I 

really enjoyed our time at La Crosse 

and it must have made an impression 

on our children.” 

Pete A. Wysocki, Muskego, will be 

starting his 32nd year at Brookfield 

Central as a student supervisor. He is 

involved with videotaping and 

technology work with the football 

program, taping for boys basketball, 

and coaching his 33rd year in boys 

track, coaching the jumps. Pete and 

his wife, Mary, have been married for 

11 years. 

A second generation of the Sherrens has 

graduated from UW-L. Ann Sherren, center, 

earned a degree in sociology and business 

in May 2007. She’s the daughter of two 

other La Crosse alums — Margo Ann 

(Gardner) Sherren, ’71, and Brian Sherren, 

’73, of St. Germain. “Our family returns 

regularly [to La Crosse] to enjoy the area 

and visit the university,” says Brian. “We’re 

proud to support the UW-L Foundation.” The 

Sherrens have owned and operated Lofty 

Pines R.V. Park since 1971. Their son, Ian, 

attends UW-Whitewater. 

’76 

Julianne Justmann Born, Ripon, is a 

high school social studies teacher and 

K-12 coordinator for gifted education 

with the Rosendale-Brandon School 

District. She was the recipient of a 

Japanese Fulbright Memorial 

Scholarship. From Nov. 12-30, 2006, 

she learned about Japanese 

education, government and culture in 

Japan. The scholarship, available 

through the Japanese government, is 

a way of saying thank you in response 

to the William J. Fulbright program that 

hosts foreign teachers. Born returned 

to assist the school district with an 

Asian thematic year. She is a past 

president of the Wisconsin Association 

for Talented & Gifted. She and her 

husband, Gary, have three children, all 

college grads.

Better than a reunion 

For 30 years, a group of alums and friends has come together for golf and dinner. 

The semi-formal reunion offers a chance for them to catch up, see what’s happening 

in La Crosse, and simply have a good time. “The group has a great sense of humor,” 

says Jeff Kessler, ’81, an assistant in coordinating the annual event that draws up to 

50. Winners in the golf tournament in June 2007 posed with Chancellor Joe Gow. 

They included, from left, Mike Gerardy; Steve Ward, ’88; Paul Beitlich, ’79; Chancellor 

Gow; Jeff Bloxdorf, acting commissioner, ’80; and Peter Dailey. 

Karen Malmquist recently married 

Steven-Paul Walker. Karen is 

associate director of University Career 

Services at Georgia State University 

in Atlanta. She enjoys European and 

South American travel. 

’82 

Robert Rausch Jr., West Springfield, 

Mass., enters his 14th year at Westfield 

State College in the department of 

movement science, sport and leisure 

studies. He is the head mens (13th 

season) and womens (12th season) 

cross country coach at the NCAA III 

school. Last year he received Conference 

Coach of the Year honors after both 

teams claimed conference titles. 

Additionally, he served as president of 

the Massachusetts Association for 

Health, Physical Education, Recreation 

and Dance for 2006-07. 

Kennan Timm, Oshkosh, was 

honored for 25 years of service in the 

sports information profession at the 

2007 College Sports Information 

Directors of America Convention in 

July. He has served as the host media 

relations director for 15 NCAA 

Division III championship events in six 

different sports, as well as over 50 

NCAA Division III regional 

tournaments. He began as UW-L’s 


sports information director in 1982 

until moving to UW-Oshkosh in 1985. 

’84 

Mike Bunch, Lake St. Louis, a 

national retail accounts manager for 

Motorola, led a 

team that was 

awarded “Supplier 

of the Year” for the 

wireless category 

at Wal-Mart. Bunch 

also received 

Retail Account 

Mike Bunch 

Manager of the 

year at Motorola for his achievements 

and earned an all expense paid trip to 

Hawaii, along with his wife, Patti 

(Suhm), ’84. They have two sons, 

Conner (13) and Parker (10). 

Oktoberfest serves 

as reunion 

La Crosse’s fall festival serves as the 

annual backdrop for five college 

roommates from the class of ’89. 

Those returning for Oktoberfest ’06 

included, from left, Michele (Christians) 

Fraser, Stacey (Baker) Smith, Annette 

(Vogel) Ashton, Martha (Suehs) 

Althaus, and Polly (Bonk) Pendergrass. 



’90s grads remain connected 

Four members of a college household of six 

were able to gather for a Labor Day reunion in 

September. They included, from left, top row 

Carrissa (Murphy) Brayer ’94; Heidi (Olson) 

Kemper, ’94; Erika (Damschen) Schneider, ’93; 

Julie (Wirtz) Lee, ’94; and, Gavin Lee. Bottom 

row, from left, Anabel Brayer, Kelsey Kemper, 

Ava Schneider, Mila Schneider, Christian 

Brayer, Justin Brayer, Kendra Lee, Courtney 

Lee, Adelyn Kemper. All live in Wisconsin 

except Lee, who moved to Illinois, and 

Schneider, who lives in Colorado. “I consider 

myself privileged to have met these wonderful 

women during college and am so fortunate to 

be able to still have them as my friends,” says 

Schneider. 

Jeffrey Harrington continues to serve 

in the U.S. Army, while his wife, 

Margaret (Raymond), ’85, is 

employed by Overseas Service Corp. 

Their son, Andrew, has graduated and 

is enrolled at Baker University in 

Baldwin City, Kan. 

Janene Perkins, Montello, has 

headed back to the classroom. She 

became certified in biology, chemistry, 

environmental science, and broadfield 

science and is teaching chemistry, 

advanced chemistry, physical science 

and forensic science in Montello. 

’85 

Brad Toll, Green Bay, became 

president/CEO of the Greater Green 

Bay Visitor & Convention Bureau 


“Packer Country” in December 2006. 

’86 

Laura (DeNell), ’86, and Mark 

McClurg, ’87, have relocated to 

Lancaster, Ohio, with their two 

children, Nick and Dana. Mark 

recently accepted a job with Kitchen 

Collection of Chillicothe, Ohio. 

’87 

John Knoble, Goose Lake, Iowa, has 

been promoted to program manager 

for the Mississippi River Project, Rock 

Island District in Illinois. He oversees 

recreation, safety and land 

management programs for a 314-mile 

stretch of the river in Illinois, Iowa, 

Missouri and Wisconsin. 

The next in line 

When Katie Jo Du Mez graduated in 

May 2007, she was the second of the 

third generation in her family to earn a 

degree from La Crosse. Getting 

together for the photo op showing the 

legacy family were, from left, Justin 

Jehn, ’04; Heather (Du Mez) Jehn, ’04; 

Jill (Cross) Du Mez, ’79; Katie Jo Du 

Mez, ’07; Danielle Du Mez, currently a 

sophomore at UW- L, and William 

Cross, ’49.

’89 

Jerry Champer, ’89 & ’94, 

Watkinsville, Ga., is a teacher and 

assistant swimming coach at the 

University of Georgia. He and his wife, 

Lu, recently celebratred their sixth 

wedding anniversary. They have three 

daughters, twins Emma and Jenna, 

and Mya. 

John Weinzierl and Julie A. (Zieher) 

Weinzierl, both ’89, live in Batesville, 

Ark. John, an adjunct in the UW-L 

history department from 1997-2002, 

was named 2007 “Professor of the 

Year” at Lyon College where he has 

been an assistant professor of history 

since 2002. Julie is employed by 

Batesville Montessori School. 

’91 

Lisa (Harmon) Harmann, Denmark, 

has been named a human resource 

consultant with Simon Insurance & 

Investments Inc. in Green Bay. 

’93 

Laura Sonsalla, La Crosse, is serving 

as the 2007 Wisconsin Jaycee state 

president. 

’94 

Samantha McGill, Fond du Lac, is 

principal of Horace Mann High School 

in North Fond du Lac. 

’95 

Kate Squire Kobinsy, ’95 & ’00, Sun 

Prairie, has been named the 

Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line 

coordinator for the UW Center for 

Tobacco Research and Intervention. 

’96 

Craig Acker married Ingrid Gouge 

July 7, 2007; they live in Jackonsville. 

Acker is executive director of 

operations for Titus Sports Academy. 

Chris Finn, San Leandro, Calif., is 

head coach of the USA National 

Power Soccer Team that won the first 

ever Power Soccer World Cup in 

Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 13. 

Book Nook 

I Don’t Mean to Smash Your 

Tomatoes, Honey!: A Glimpse at 

Life’s Perspectives from A-Z 

Co-author: BerNadette Lawson-Williams ’97 


’97 

Brian Yahn, Madison, is the owner of 

Square Toast Technologies, which 

provides technology consulting to 

restaurants, retailers and small 

businesses. The company recently 

partnered with Radiant Systems to 

provide Aloha software and service to 

southern Wisconsin. 

’98 

Bradley Binsfeld, Alma, Mich., 

completed a residency in orthopedic 

surgery from Genesys Regional 

Medical Center in Grand Blanc, Mich., 

A conversation led to writing a book. And a conversational tone 

about real lives is what the book is about. 

BerNadette Lawson-Williams, ’97, says she and friend Tracie 

Thomas were discussing the lack of non-fictional literature about 

young women professionals and experiences they encounter in 

their professional and personal lives. So they decided to do 

something about it: write a book. 

The book features essays from 13 co-authors. The essays are 

based upon a variety of life topics from A-Z and provide savvy 

solutions to many of the dilemmas encountered daily by 

professionals of all ages and genders. “Many of the essays that I composed deal 

with my experiences at UW-L either directly or indirectly,” says Lawson-Williams. 

“I acquired so many profound experiences while attending UW-L that have had an 

immense positive impact on my development into the self-confident and selfassured 

woman that I am today.” 

The book is available through amazon.com and IUniverse.com. 



in June. He received a medical degree 

from the University of Bio Science in 

Kansas City, Mo. He has taken a 

position in general orthopedics at Mid 

Michigan Bone and Joint in Alma. 

Binsfeld comes from a family with UW- 

L ties. His dad, Jerome Binsfeld, 

Kenosha, graduated in ’66, as did his 

brother Brian, ’92, and sisters Tara ’94 

and Joanna, ’01. 

Erin Skalecki and Steven Stacey 

were married April 28, 2007. They live 

in Janesville. Erin is the office 

manager for Daniels Sentry Foods. 

Kim Van Antwerpen, Albuquerque, 

N.M., is a microbiology laboratory 

supervisor with Cardinal Health. Van 

Antwerpen recently earned an MBA 

from the University of Phoenix and a 

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt 

certification. 

’99 

Matt Greenberg, Schofield, is student 

activities coordinator and academic 

adviser at UW-Marathon County. 

Jason Karls 

Jason Karls (see 

photo), Chilton, has 

been promoted to 

assistant controller 

for Menasha 

Corp.’s Neenah 

complex. He has 

been with the 

company since 

2005. 


Kristina (Kozlovsky) and 

Christopher C. Kolinski, both ’99, 

live in Eau Claire. Kristina works at 

Chippewa Falls High School; 

Christopher, at Ameriprise Financial 

Advisors. They have a son, Caden (2). 

’00 

Derek Hillestad married Kelli Reihsen 

June 23, 2007. They live in rural 

Surprise, Ariz. Derek works for Global 

Spectrum, a facility management 

company that operates the University 

of Phoenix Stadium, home to the 

NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and Super 

Bowl XXII. 

Revved up for UW-L 

Elena B. Kabet married Aaron J. 

Popowitch April 28, 2007. They live in 

McLeansville, N.C. Elena is a research 

specialist at the University of North 

Carolina. 

Krist Poppe and Kate A Schulz, 

both, ’00, were married April 14, 

2007. They live in Sun Prairie. Kate is 

the student leadership program 

manager at Magna Publications; Krist 

is a senior territory representative with 

Ecolab. 

Don’t be surprised to see UW-L’s Web address racing around Wisconsin. Scott 

Erickson, ’04, likes to brag about UW-La Crosse to his high school students. “Being 

an educator in the public school system is not the most lucrative job in the world, so I 

cannot send a lot of money back to the university,” says Erickson who left his 

teaching job in Phoenix this spring to return to teach in the Midwest this fall. “To show 

my appreciation, I put www.uwlax.edu as a sponsor on my car that I own and race 

each summer.” He says other racers are curious as to what UW-L gave him for the 

ad. His response: “Four great years!”

Wedding spurs UW-L reunion 

When Abigail Foth, ’04, was married Jan. 6, 2007, it was a mini UW-L reunion. 

Among the bridal party and friends were these alumni, from left, Nathan Schultz (current 

student), Sarah Turner, ’04; Katie Cashman, ’04; Andrea Holdorf, ’03; Ralph Holcomb 

(adopted alum through marriage); Abigail (Foth) Holcomb, ’04; Joshua Rybaski, ’04; 

Heather (Du Mez) Jehn, ’04; Shannon Jones, ’07; and Justin Jehn, ’04. Abigail and 

Ralph live in Chicago where she’s a residence hall director at the School of the Art 

Institute of Chicago. She graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a 

master’s in May 2007. 

’01 

Andrew McLeod, Boston, graduated 

in 2006 from the New England College 

of Optometry, Boston, with a master’s 

in vision science and a doctorate in 

optometry. He completed a residency 

in cornea/contact lenses in 2007. 

Recently, McLeod began a faculty 

position at Boston University Eye 

Associates/Boston University School 

Medicine. 

Britta (Grieshaber) Osborne, has 

moved from Greensboro, N.C., to 

Lincoln, Neb., because of her 

husband’s new job. Britta is assistant 

director of graduate recruitment for the 

University of Nebraska, focusing on 

life sciences. 

Angela Swenson, Plover, began as 

the social norms coordinator at the 

Stevens Point Area Senior High 

School in July 2007. 

’02 

SGT Brian Armstrong returned in 

July from his third tour to Iraq with the 

175th Rangers. He is stationed at 

Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. 


Robin Linn Brett and Benjamin J. 

Chambers, II, both ’06, were married 

May 5, 2007. They live in Rochester, 

Minn., where they both work for the 

Rochester Area Family Y. 

Maria Stadler married Jim 

McEachran June 24, 2007. They live 

in Cudahy. Maria is a teacher at the 

KinderCare in Greenfield. She is 

attending UW-Milwaukee for early 

childhood education teacher 

certification and plans to graduate in 

May 2008. 

’03 

Alison (Frei) Baker, Maple Grove, 

Minn., is a recruiting specialist in the 

Twin Cities with Thrivent Financial for 

Lutherans. 

Phoebe Connolly, Amherst, Maine, is 

a master’s student at the School for 

International Training studying conflict 

transformation. She recently 

completed coursework and began 

working at the Karuna Center for 

Peacebuilding in Amherst. 

Amanda Converse, Kimberly, was 

recently promoted from flight training 

records and travel specialist to 

corporate hotel travel manager with 

Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp. 

Anna Haus, ’03 & ’06, married Erick 

Lehman, ’04. They live in Menomonie. 

Erick is manager of Wells Fargo 

Financial in Woodbury, Minn.; Anna is 

a physician’s assistant at the Red 

Cedar Medical Center, Menomonie. 



Jessica Irlbeck and Jay Smith, both 

’03, are engaged and plan to marry in 

August 2008. Jay graduated from 

Marquette Law School in May 2007. 

He works for Neuberger, Wakeman & 

Associates. Jessica works for 

Travelers Insurance. They live in Lake 

Mills. 

Kristin L. Kalpinski, Madison, is a 

juvenile court counselor at the Dane 

County Juvenile Reception Center. 

Book Nook 

The Battle Within 

Author: Travis Klingman ’04 

Todd, ’03, and Jennifer (Crawford), 

’04, Lynch live in Oregon. Todd 

earned a doctorate from the Illinois 

College of Optometry in May 2007 

and works independently as an 

optometrist. While Todd was going to 

optometry school, Jennifer worked at 

Chicago Public Schools. She now 

teaches third grade at Brooklyn 

Elementary in Oregon. 


’04 

Brent D. Allen, ’04, married Lynnea 

Shober, ’05, June 24, 2006. They live 

in Minnetonka, Minn. 

Paige C. Brown and Nick E. 

Patenaude, both ’04, celebrated their 

two-year wedding anniversary in July. 

Paige completed a master’s in 

educational psychology from UW- 

Milwaukee and was hired as a 

guidance counselor at Mukwonago 

High School. Nick is a physical 

What to do after college? That’s the question for many graduates. 

And it’s the basis for a book by ’04 graduate Travis Klingman. 

“The Battle Within” is a psychological thriller/mystery about the trials and 

tribulations of trying to find oneself after college. 

“The novel has experienced some online success, jumping in and out — mostly in 

— of Amazon Hot 100 Psychological Thriller/Suspense New Release,” notes Klingman. 

He has held readings and signings in the La Crosse area. 

education teacher at a middle school 

in downtown Milwaukee. He coaches 

wrestling at Menomonee Falls High 

School. 

Christine M. Halverson, Menands, 

N.Y., earned a jurist’s degree in May 

2007. She was named Barry Gold ’70 

Clinical Fellow at Albany (N.Y.) Law 

School. 

Travis L. Klingaman, Onalaska, has 

released his first novel, “The Battle 

Within.” He is working on a second 

novel. He plans to enroll in film school 

to expand his horizons in the 

entertainment industry and pursue a 

dream as a filmmaker. 

Josh Ruston ’04 & ’05, and Lindsey 

Schroeder, ’04, plan to marry in fall 

2008. They both live in the greater 

Milwaukee area. 

’05 

Kristine Van Handel married Ben 

Robarge Sept. 15, 2007. They live in 

Nashotah. Kristine is the aquatics 

coordinator at the YMCA at Pabst 

Farms in Oconomowoc. 

Justin Running, Burlington, N.C., is 

teaching physical education and 

coaching basketball at Alamance 

County Schools. 

Josh Schaub, St. Paul, Minn, is 

director of player personnel and 

procurement for the Edmonton 

Cracker Cats of the Northern League. 

Sarah Wittrock, ’05 & ’07, New 

Berlin, has been named an academic 

adviser at UW-Whitewater.

Class of 20?? 

Alumni announce new arrivals to 

their families. 

Martin R., ’88, and Cristina Welles, 

Washington, D.C., a son, Robert William, 

May 16, 2007. He joins twins, Marty and 

Laura, born May 4, 2006. For those 

keeping score, that’s 600 diapers a 

month! Martin received an LL.M. with 

highest honors in litigation and ADR from 

George Washington Law School. He is 

enrolled at Georgetown Law School 

pursuing a second LL.M. in taxation with 

a focus on employee pensions and 

benefits. He is a labor and employment 

attorney with the U.S. Postal Service in 

Washington, D.C. 

Roberta (Cornwell), ’92, and Murray 

Lear, Prairie du Chien, a son, Garrett 

Scott, June 4, 2007. He joins sisters Rylie 

(3) and Reaghan (2). Roberta is 

admissions director at Wyalusing 

Academy in Prairie du Chien. 

Paul, ’92, and Kaye L. (Peterson), ’96, 

Michael, La Crosse, a daughter, 

Charlotte Esther, Dec. 16, 2006. Paul is 

employed by Big Brothers Big Sisters of 

the Coulee Region; Kaye, by Marine 

Credit Union. 

Jennifer (Ford), ’93, and David 

Labadie, Chanhassen, Minn., a son, 

Nicholas Gordon, Dec. 5, 2006. He joins 

sister Sophia (3). 

David, ’94, and Beth (Smith), ’95, 

Morrell, Onalaska, a daughter, Devin 

Ava, May 2, 2007. She joins sister Svea 

Anna (2). 

Carol “CJ” (Mehring), ’95, and Mike 

Neal, Baileys Harbor, a son, Sean 

Michael, Aug. 17, 2007. He joins brother 

Aiden (3). 

Melissa (Franke), ’95, and Tim Shirk, 

Prospect, Va., a daughter, Alana 

Catherine, Feb. 26, 2007. She joins a 

sister, Kiley (2). Melissa is a busy stay-athome 

mom, but finds time to use her 

degree in math education to do tutoring. 

They have been in Virginia for six years 

where Tim is employed in house 

construction. He recently finished building 

their own home. 

Stephanie (Beirne), ’96, and Peter, ’99, 

Leuer, Verona, a daughter, Kathryn 

Maeve, July 21, 2007. She joins brother 

William. Stephanie is a stay-at-home 

mom; Peter works for the Wisconsin Milk 

Marketing Board. 

Deanna (Johnson), ’96, and Tom Plant, 

St. Louis Park, Minn., a son, Matthew 

Dean, Aug. 11, 2007. 

Susan (Flynn), ’97, and Michael Walsh, 

Chicago, a daughter, Moira Charlotte, 

June 18, 2007. She joins sister Lileigh 

Victoria (2). Susan has been teaching 

second grade in Glenview, Ill., for nine 

years. 

Matt, ’98, and Nicole (Swayzee), ’95- 

’98 attendee, Lehmann, Holmen, a 

daughter, Avery Jeannette, April 6, 

2007. Matt is the assistant vice 


Keep up your 

La Crosse 

Pride! 

Keep in touch with us, and we’ll 

keep in touch with you! It’s easy: 

Alumni Association phone 

608.785.8490 

1.877.UWL.ALUM 

Fax 608.785.6868 

E-mail alumni@uwlax.edu 

Web www.uwlalumni.org 

Mailing address 

UW-La Crosse Alumni Association; 

Cleary Alumni & Friends Center; 

615 East Ave. N.; La Crosse, 

WI 54601 

Submit news to the Alumnus 

www.uwlalumni.org/whatsnew.htm 

Online alumni directory 

http://directory.uwlalumni.org 

Design your own UW-L clothing 

www.mygarb.com/UWLaCrosse 

Nominations for alumni awards 

www.uwlalumni.org/awards.htm 

Join the UW-L Alumni 

Association 

www.uwlalumni.org/join.php 



president of Citibank’s Student Loan 

Corp.-Midwest Region; Nicole teaches 

special education at Harry Spence 

Elementary in La Crosse. 

Brooke (Blomquist) and Bradford 

Saron, both ’98, Cashton, a son, Leo 

Hartford, May 8, 2007. He joins brother 

Maxwell (4) and sister Kazzie, (2). Brad 

was recently promoted to district school 

administrator at Cashton Public Schools. 

Brooke stays home with the kids and 

does freelance copyediting and 

proofreading. 

Sarah (Wasmundt), ’98, and Tim 

Sonsalla, Woodbury, Minn., a son, 

Book Nook 

The Pawn 

Author: Steven James Huhn, ’91 


Gabriel Carl, July 9, 2007. 

Caryn (Ziemer), ’99, and William 

Ihlenfeld, III, Waukesha, a daughter, 

Brooke Nichole, March 20, 2007. She 

joins brothers Wil (6) and Grant (3). Caryn 

is a stay-at-home mom. 

Teri Retzak, ’99 & ’03, and John 

Thomas, Wisconsin Rapids, a daughter, 

Emma Lynn, July 7, 2007. Teri teaches 

first and second grade in Wisconsin 

Rapids. 

Jared and Kelli (Ferrier) Arn, 

both ’00, Kewaskum, a daughter, Stella 

Elizabeth, Sept. 11, 2006. 

He’s written more than 20 books, but this fall Steven James Huhn, ’91, 

released his first novel. Huhn, who writes and gives presentations with the 

name Steven James, has written short fiction, scripts and inspirational 

books. He also is a professional storyteller throughout the country. 

His first novel, “The Pawn,” features an investigator who combines 21st 

century investigative techniques with the deduction of Sherlock Holmes to 

track serial killers and arsonists. 

James got the idea for the book after wondering what made him 

different from those who are serials killers or an occult member. He spent 

time talking with one of three survivors of the 1978 Jonestown Massacre. 

“Those questions as well as nearly a year of research on criminal profiling helped me to 

shape a story about a killer in the mountains of North Carolina with a strong subplot that 

deals with occult that has connections to Jonestown,” he explains. 

James’ outdoor recreation studies at UW-L that included an internship as a wilderness 

guide shaped the book’s main character who is a wilderness guide leading 28-day wilderness 

trips when he was in college. “Sad to say, he’s a better rock climber than I am but I still try to 

get out and hit the crags when I get the chance,” he notes. 

“The Pawn” is the first in a series of thrillers featuring FBI agent Patrick Bowers. The 

second, “The Rook,” should be out in June 2008. Find out more about James visit 

www.stevenjames.net 

Jared works for the Kohler Co.; 

Kelli works for Pfizer Inc. 

Amanda L. Bergel, ’01, and Lucas 

Gerrits, Green Bay, a son, Jacob James 

Gerrits, April 26, 2007. 

Wendy (Whitney), ’01 & ’03, and Wayne 

Scherer, Eastman, a daughter, Alexis 

June, May 22, 2007. Wendy is a middle 

school special education teacher for River 

Ridge School District in Bloomington. 

Lisa (Strike), ’02, and Luke Engel, Green 

Bay, a son, Tyson James, June 4, 2007. 

Justin, ’02, and Hollie (Small) ’99-’03 

attendee, Mader, Marathon, a daughter, 

Kiley, Sept. 22, 2006. She joins sister 

Ella (3). 

Angel Jay Ann (Miller), ’02, and 

Cameron Olson, ’03, Eau Claire, a son, 

Micah Harry, June 13, 2007. He was 

welcomed by sister, Madison (3) and 

Cameron “CJ” (2). 

Joy (Parker), ’02, and Dan Schwarz, 

Andover, Minn., a daughter, Anika Grace, 

May 26, 2007. 

Michael, ’04, and Melissa Hintz, 

Stoughton, a son, Lakyn James, Dec. 8, 

2006. Michael is director of ISEA 

Operations with the Sport Enhancement 

Academy in Stoughton. 

Jill (Larsen) and Brad Mathwich, 

both ’05, Wausau, a daughter, Alyssa 

Marie, April 22, 2007.

Faculty/staff 

obituaries 

Dyar Reis, 73, died May 24, 2007, in La Crosse. Reis was born in Rio de 

Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec. 29, 1933. He obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree 

in aeronautical engineering. After working for 10-plus years, Reis returned to 

education. He received his MBA at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, 

Brazil, where he began his formal university teaching career. He taught master 

and doctoral level courses there prior to obtaining a prestigious scholarship 

sponsored by John F. Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress in collaboration with the 

Brazilian Government. The scholarship fully financed his Ph.D. program in 

management science, production management and organizational behavior at 

Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. Reis taught on campus for more 

than 26 years, serving as chair of the management department for approximately 

10 years. He is survived by his wife and colleague, Leticia Pena; five daughters, 

three sons, and four grandchildren. Funeral services were May 31 in La Crosse. 

Memorials may be sent to the International Education Project, UW-La Crosse 

Foundation, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601. 

Stanley R. Rolnick, 82, professor of history from 1957-1988, died June 2, 

2007, in La Crosse. He was born in Frederick, Md., on Nov. 2, 1924. Rolnick 

received an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland. He received 

a master’s and doctorate from UW-Madison. He came to UW-L in 1957, where he 

taught until retiring in 1988. Rolnick is survived by a daughter, son, four 

grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Funeral services were June 5. 

Karl A. Ruebel, 77, who taught German in the foreign languages 

department from 1967-1992, died in Charlotte, N.C., June 17, 2007. Ruebel also 

taught English and French as an exchange professor at Guangxi University. He 

was born in Saarbruecken, Germany. He earned a translator’s certification at 

Ruprecht-Karls-Universitaet Heidelberg and a doctorate in economics at Karl- 

Franzens Universitaet, Austria. Funeral servcies were held June June 22. 

Ray Schoen, professor of English from 1978-2005, died Aug. 2, 2007, in La 

Crescent. Schoen was born on Staten Island, N.Y., on March 2, 1942. He 

received a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y., 

completed a master’s from Purdue University and a Ph.D. from UW-Madison. 

Schoen taught English at the University of Notre Dame from 1968-1978 before 

joining the UW-L English department, where he served as chair for the last six 

years before his retirement in August 2005. Funeral services were held Aug. 6. 

He is survived by his wife, Joan Callahan; two sons and three grandchildren. 

Memorials may be given to the UW-L English Department Fund, UW-L 

Foundation, 1725 State St. La Crosse WI 54601. 

For complete obituaries of most faculty members, visit 

www.lacrossetribune.com and click on “Obituaries” under “News.” 

In memory 


1928 — Mary (Nagel) Stark, Flint, Mich. 

1938 — Vienna Lewis James, Golden Valley, Minn. 

1938, ’59 and ’64 — Alta Mackey Johnson, Holmen. 

1938 — William K. Ogilvie, DeKalb, Ill. 

1939 — Dorothy (Adler) Lindner, Oneida. 

1940 — “Mr. Wizard” Don Herbert, 

Bell Canyon, Calif. 

1940 — Montross “Monte” Pelton, Bellavista, Ark., 

Neenah and La Crosse. 

1941 — Margaret H. Schmidley, Sheboygan. 

1941 — Maxine Packman Schwartz, Peoria, Ariz. 

1945 — Margaret Tollin, Olathe, Kan. 

1950 — Catherine “Kay” (Porter) Brown, 

Bozeman, Mont. 

1950 — Earl M. Holm, Weston. 

1950 — Gerald “Jerry” C. Miller, Rock Island, Ill. 

1950 — Robert Quackenbush, Sparta. 

1952 — June M. Koplin, Lake Mills. 

1952 — Bill Mayo, Reno, Nev. 

1952 — Charles H. Odegaard, Seattle. 

1953 — Richard George Larson, Waterford. 

1955 — Nora (Byers) Richardson, Atlanta. 

1956 — Alan Richard Siff, Richmond, Va. 

1957 — Mary Martha “Marti” (Swanson) Sandvik, 

La Crescent, Minn. 

1958 — Gene Rand, Brookfield. 

1960 — Wayne Jurgensen, Gays Mills. 

1960 — Dorothy Krause, Viroqua. 

1964 — Beverly (Virak) Opperud, Viroqua. 

1964 — David A. Pedersen, Hamden, Conn. 

1967 — Peter Fink, Green Bay. 

1969 — David Oscar Pfaff, Baraboo. 

1974 — James W. Stark, Mauston. 

1975 — James “Jim” La Fleur, West Salem. 

1977 — Joan (Kuivinen) Haberlie, Lancaster. 

1977 — John Henricks, West Salem. 

1977 — Kerry McDonald, Apache Junction, Ariz. 

1977 — Alice (Rounds) Thompson, Seatonville, Ill. 

1982 — Pamela Olson, Strum. 

1986 — Michael McGlynn, Reedsburg. 

1992 — Paul R. “Butter” Arneson, 

La Crescent, Minn. 



Alumni advocate 

Janie Spencer, ’85 & ’86, is a key to growth of, 

maintaining school spirit 

Janie Spencer 

If you’re a UW-L alum who’s kept ties to the university, you more than likely 

know Janie Spencer. Spencer, executive director of the UW-L Alumni Association 

since 1998, has done much to foster lifelong relationships between the university 

and its more than 60,000 alumni. Among her accomplishments: a more than 400 

percent increase in association memberships since she returned to her alma mater. 

Spencer, ’85 & ’86, was working at Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse when the 

association was looking for a new executive director. She liked the challenge. “I 

applied, interviewed and got the job,” explains Spencer. “And here I am 10 years 

later and still loving it.” 

Over that decade, Spencer has strived to get more departments involved with 

alumni programming. And, she’s implemented programs to create awareness about 

alumni among current students. 

“We want them to know what the Alumni Association is and that it’s a lifetime 

connection to the university,” explains Spencer. “These students are our future 

alums and our future leaders.” 

Among the new programs Spencer has initiated for students: Freshmen Send- 

Offs in numerous Midwestern cities; the Move-In Day Ice Cream Social, and the 

Etiquette Dinners. She’s helped expand alumni clubs in Tokyo and Taipei, along 

with campus organizations such as ROTC, Silver Eagles, theater and Residence 

Life. And, she re-energized a membership committee that brought in the record 

number of memberships. “I’m very proud we’ve grown our membership to where 

it is — but, we’ve got a lot more to do,” she says. 

Spencer is deeply humbled by receiving the 2007 Academic Staff Excellence 

Award from her peers. She’s quick to give credit for the association’s growth in the 

past decade to colleagues and the alumni with whom she gets a chance to work. 

“I don’t view any of my work success as simply my accomplishments,” she 

says. “Instead, I attribute them to a great team of coworkers and alumni.” 

She says a group of committed alumni who serve on the association’s board of 

directors, along with its strong committees, is key. “This group is by far the best 

volunteer board I have ever worked with,” she explains. “They are such a 

committed, passionate group. They’re committed and dedicated to the university 

and want to see its continued success as we move ahead.” 

The association plans to move forward. The association conducted an attitude 

survey and recently approved a new strategic plan. “We’ve positioned our 

organization for future success,” notes Spencer. 

That fast-pace atmosphere is what drives her. “Having the opportunity to work 

with alumni all over the world, students while they are here and caring faculty and 

staff is very rewarding,” she says. “I love what I do.” 


The Janie 

Spencer 

File 

• Executive director of the 

UW-L Alumni 

Association since 1998. 

• Campus service: 

Homecoming, Joint 

Minority Affairs 

Committee, L-Club, 

various search and 

screen committees. 

• Community service: 

Valley View Rotary, Big 

Brothers/Big Sisters, 

Gundersen Lutheran 

Partners, PEO Chapter 

D.C., Association of 

Fundraising 

Professionals. 

• Two UW-L degrees: 

bachelor’s in 

psychology, 1985; 

master’s of professional 

development, 1986.


UW-L Alumni Association events 

January 

4 Membership committee, Cleary 

Alumni & Friends Center 

8 Communication committee, 

Cleary Alumni & Friends Center 

8-10 Washington, D.C., 

alumni event, TBA 

11 Executive committee, Cleary 


23 Madison alumni event, Capitol 

Brewery, Middleton 

28 Classes resume 

31 Finance committee, Cleary 


April 



5 L-Club Final 4 Party, Cedar 

Creek, Onalaska 

15-17 Milwaukee/Fox Valley alumni 

event, TBA 

17 Finance committee, Cleary 


18-27 Alumni and friends trip to Spain 

23 Outback lunch, Onalaska 

25 Executive committee, Cleary 


28 UW-L Foundation scholarship 

reception, Cleary Alumni & 

Friends Center 

February 



1 UW-L Foundation board meeting, 


6 Alumni Association Board 

meeting, Inn on the Park, Madison 

6 UW-L Foundation Development 

committee meeting, Inn on the 

Park, Madison 

6 Political Science & Public 

Administration event, Inn on the 

Park, Madison 

27 Spring Career Expo, Valhalla, 

Cartwright Center-Gunning 

Addition 

27 Etiquette Dinner, Cleary Alumni & 



29 Theatre – “Oklahoma”, Toland 

Theatre, UW-L Center for the Arts 

For more information, visit 

www.uwlalumni.org or call 

1.877.UWL.ALUM. 

March 



8 Dinner Theatre – “Oklahoma,” 




17-21 Spring Break 

18-20 Arizona Alumni event, TBA 


31 Teacher Employment Seminar, 

Valhalla, Cartwright Center- 

Gunning Addition 

31 Countdown to Commencement, 


May 



3 Alumni Association Board 

meeting, Cleary Alumni & 



9 UW-L Foundation Board meeting, 




16 Alumni awards reception and 

ceremony, Cleary Alumni & 


17 Commencement, Mitchell Hall 

17 Student Alumni Ambassadors 

Flower Sale, Mitchell Hall 


c o u l e e c o d a 

Top of the world 

Alum likes the view teaching in Alaska 

Ben Dolgner enjoys fishing in the surrounding 

Alaska area during his summer break 

from teaching. 


By Sue (Sullivan) Lee, ’82 & ’87 

Growing up in Dalton, a rural Wisconsin community of 

approximately 100, Ben Dolgner, ’04, is no stranger to life in a 

small town. However, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 

education, his first teaching job took him 4,000 miles away from home to 

one of the most isolated places in North America: Little Diomede Island, 

Alaska. This fall, Dolgner moved to Stebbins, a larger village in the 80,000 

square-mile school district. 

Although beautiful, Little Diomede Island, an island of 120 people, 

has no roads and is isolated by its location, rough seas and, during the 

warmer months, fog. The school is one of 15 in the Bering Strait School 

District in Alaska, which serves around 1,800 students. About 40 of them 

go to Diomede. Nearly all are Alaskan Native Inupiat, Y u’pik or Siberian 

Y u’pik Eskimo. Most schools are accessible only by bush aircraft. 

A 1,000-foot trek to the top of Little Diomede Island is always worth 

the trip, Dolgner says. On a clear day, he can see mainland Russia. Big 

Diomede Island, Russia, is just over two miles away. Siberia is about 26. 

The school district office is in Unalakleet, the first checkpoint on the 

Norton Sound for the Iditarod Dog Sled Race, 851 miles from the start in 

Anchorage. “Unalakleet is like going to the big city for any of us,” 

Dolgner explains. “They have two decent-sized stores, a pizza delivery 

place and many roads leading out into the surrounding countryside.” 

Planning is essential. Anything Dolgner can’t get in “The Bush,” he 

gets via mail. Life revolves around helicopters. If the weather is good, they 

get mail once a week by helicopter. During a bout of bad weather, he went 

2-1/2 weeks with no mail. Dolgner was waiting for groceries he’d ordered 

and his cabinets were close to empty. 

In spite of its physical isolation, the school is on the cutting edge of 

technology. Dolgner had eight computers in his classroom and used 

videoconferenced Webcasts, and Skype, as well as other digital media. 

Skype allows users to make telephone calls from their computer to other 

Skype users free of charge and includes instant messaging, file transfer, 

short message service and video conferencing. 

Dolgner and another teacher taught sixth through 12th graders. They 

split the students up by age and academic level. Classes ranged from four 

to 11 students, fluctuating throughout the day and when one or the other 

teacher was out of the classroom. Dolgner taught reading, math, social 

studies, science and projects to meet state standards. “Sometimes it looks 



like chaos in motion and other times it looks really smooth,” he 

notes. 

For the most part, western and local native cultures have 

meshed. “Kids come to school with iPods and do the same things 

kids in the lower 48 and the rest of the digital world are doing: 

chatting, blogging and e-mailing,” he says. They wear jeans and 

T-shirts, but when the weather gets 

cold, they’re also wearing seal skin 

mittens and fur hats. Temperatures 

can range from +65 to -68 degrees 

fahrenheit, not accounting for wind 

chill. Days range from no darkness 

in summer to only four hours of 

light in winter. 

The fundamentals of being a 

good teacher are the same wherever 

he might teach, he says. “It is all 

about knowing the students you 

teach and meeting them at the level 

they are ready for, then adding 

challenges as you go.” In Diomede, 

kids hang out in school at the end of 

the day and on weekends, stop by 

his house wanting to visit or talk — 

not something he’d anticipate 

happening in Wisconsin. 

There are other differences too. 

Almost every Sunday night, kids, 

adults, and elders gather at the 

village rec hall to dance to music 

played on traditional stomach-made 

drums, as well as those made with 

newer, synthetic materials. It’s a treat 

to see and to be invited, he says. 

He’s assimilated into their culture 

in other ways as well. His diet now includes whale, greens that 

grow on the mountain, walrus and seal — both unique tastes but 

good, nonetheless, he says. His favorite, though, is the crab they 

catch along the island in the winter, followed by the polar bear meal 

he was invited to when one of his students shot his first bear. 

Along with a two-week Christmas break, Dolgner has 10 weeks 

off from teaching each summer. Weekend travel isn’t an option 

because of the risk of being stuck off the island with no way to get 

back and no substitute teachers. Going home to Wisconsin takes 30 

hours on planes and helicopters along with an over three-hour drive. 

During bad weather, it can take days. 

He misses hunting and hanging out with family and friends in 

Wisconsin, but he’s enjoyed every minute he’s been in Alaska. 

c o u l e e c o d a 

“I love the things I get to do,” he says. “Not many people can say 

I got to my job this year in a helicopter. Or, I saw a polar bear out 

my window today.” 

From his classroom, he saw animals he’d only seen in zoos 

before, including a walrus and several kinds of whales and seals. He 

enjoyed climbing to the top of the island in the fall, going out on the 

Little Diomede Island, Alaska, is where Ben Dolgner, ’04, taught school after graduating. The 

chopper pad — the main way to get on and off the island — is at the top center of the photo. The 

blue-roofed building on the right side is part of the school where Dolgner taught. 

ice in the winter, and crabbing with the kids. Overall, he could not 

have asked for a better first teaching job, he says. 

As for the move to Stebbins, Dolgner was looking for a new 

challenge and adventure. Stebbins has roads and daily flights, and is 

connected to neighboring Saint Michael. Since moving, he has 

been duck hunting and is looking forward to his first moose hunt. 

“I have worked with some amazing people in our district, all 

dedicated to the students we teach and making sure they receive the 

best every day,” he says. “I want to continue down that road as long 

as I can. If not, I have heard great things about other places in 

Alaska. Beyond that, the world is the limit.”

‘In the red zone’ 

The fundraising for the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex is nearing its goal. Read more on page 25. 

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 

1725 State St. 

La Crosse, WI 54601 

Attention Recipient: If the address label lists someone who no longer lives here, 

please send the UW-L Alumni Office the correct address. Send to: UW-L Alumni 

Office, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601. 

Production of the Alumnus is supported by grants from the UW-La Crosse Alumni 

Association and the UW-La Crosse Foundation. 

Non-profit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

La Crosse, WI 

Permit No. 545

Sandra Lee - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?