R Connections

Dan McNaughton ’86

(612) 209-2996 / [email protected]

I do not know if everyone agrees with me, but I think it’s great that Ripon College started classes on August 17th. I am jealous of the new schedule, it would have been great to have two weeks in August to hang out at Green Lake and to be home from Thanksgiving through into January.

I feel extremely lucky that COVID-19 has not affected my life in any significant way, I believe I must be in the minority. DR. CHRIS LELAND ’86’s life was briefly put on hold due to the outbreak. Chris, currently living in Upland, California, writes: “For the last two years I have been battling end-stage kidney disease and was on track to have a living donor transplant (and the biggest gift was my living donor is my wife – married well!) 🙂 But the COVID-19 hit and UCLA shut down all elective surgeries – and that included ours. April 1 was our date, then “April Fools” – no transplant could be scheduled. Days later the doctors and surgeons decided that they might be able to sneak in a few folks into the schedule but only if several precautionary steps could be overcome. All fell into place and on April 22 they rolled my wife in, harvested a great kidney and then by the end of the day I had a new functioning kidney. COVID-19 reared its head in the heart of Los Angeles, but now three weeks later we are so grateful to the hard-working and sacrificial health care workers at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center. They risked their own health and safety to save a life. There are some silver linings. 

We all hope Chris’s recovery continues without drama. The silver linings I have found are more time with family and close friends. Also, lunch with some former Ripon track stars. 

Pictured here, left to right, me, JOHN CLAY ’83, GARY JUDSON ’84 and JOEY WATKINS ’83)

In other news from classmates, WILLIAM E. SOMMERS ’86 has a new position with Wilson College. William currently resides in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and started his new position on July 1 as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Wilson College. Previously, he served as the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Of note from this past fiscal year, we had seven individuals who contributed to the Emergency Assistance Fund, and our class had eight individuals who made a gift on Ripon’s #OneDayRally. Thank you to everyone who supported and continues to support the College.

Don’t forget, our 35th Class Reunion is coming up the last weekend of June (June 24-27, 2021). Please contact me if you want to be involved in planning or just reach out and talk about someone you think about from time to time so we can encourage them to meet you on campus.

Cheers. 

Dan

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Hello Class of 1987!

As always, we hope this note finds you and your families well as we navigate through these strange times. Despite the challenges of job security, working from home, dealing with our kids’ online learning, social distancing, etc, there have been many bright spots. For us, we’re reminded of the enduring friendships that we made many years ago with our classmates. We’ve hosted several Zoom happy hours and invited any of our classmates to join in – that’s the beauty of a small school – no matter how long it’s been, we’re happy to reconnect. Follow the Ripon College Class of 1987 Facebook page for future call info and join us! Pictured below from top left to bottom right: BILL TOURLAS ’87, CHRIS TEMPLETON ’87, DORRIE SMITH SCRANTON ’87, and ALICE LIGHTNER JOHNSON ’87.

Class News:

MICHELLE MARTIN ’87 of Madison, WI, is cleaning out her childhood home and continually discovering a trove of memories – her elementary school valentines, all her college papers, every summer letter received from college friends, and some really awesome original vinyl too. We hope she’s bringing those albums to our next reunion dance party!

ANDREW IRVING ’87 changed jobs earlier this year and was adjusting to the challenges of teaching 10 to 12 year-olds in French – a dramatically different experience from university students – even before classes went online. He’s also mastered 10,000 piece puzzles and has “adopted” a family of woodchucks that have taken up residence in his garden.

ALICE LIGHTNER JOHNSON ’87 of Saint Paul, MN, has put her estate sale business on hold and spent the summer teaching socially distanced stand up paddleboard lessons at her family cabin in the Northwoods of Minnesota.

KIA KJENSRUD ’87 is living in Oconomowoc, WI and working as the Executive Director of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

DORRIE SMITH SCRANTON ’87 just recently celebrated an amazing experience – piloting a hot air balloon over her hometown of Woodstock, CT. After apprenticing for months, she finally took the reins this August, calling it “both peaceful and exhilarating at the same time.”

We always look forward to hearing from you, and please keep sending us your news and updates. 

Your Class Agents,

Dorrie

Chris

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Co-Class Agents:

DAVID L. JONAS ’88

(202) 251-9640 / [email protected]

KATHY S. WADE ’88

(248) 470-4336 / [email protected]

Greetings Classmates from David,

I don’t know where to start. This is one of those years you never want to repeat. 

It is the middle of the summer and I have not stepped foot in the office since sometime in late March. I guess I can count myself as one of the lucky ones who still has a job that I can do from home. Working for a national nonprofit, our CEO told us within a week of locking us out that we may go through layoffs and furloughs. Two weeks later, on a town hall video chat, we were told that over 400 of the 1,500 people at our nonprofit were no longer employed, furloughed, or working part-time.

When we walked out of the office on March 13th, we just assumed it would be for a couple of weeks or maybe two months. I plan an annual event that was to take place the first weekend of May. We held out hope and waited until the beginning of April and rebooked the event until October and finally as the spike in the virus hit in June, we moved the event to May 2021.

In the midst of all this, my mother was hospitalized several times in February, March, and April having trouble breathing. Not sure if it was the flu or something else, but my father who is over 88 has had to deal with this alone in Chicago. After four and a half months they have diagnosed early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Also in the midst of the pandemic, my partner and his doctor conferred in June when elective surgeries were able to resume in late July that he would have open heart surgery to take care of a hereditary heart ailment to prevent a heart attack in the future. The surgery went well, and recovery will take us through the middle of September. 

I am sure that I have gained stress weight through this whole ordeal, so when our gym opened in July I was thrilled. The gym informed us the showers were not available and they would only allow 25% capacity. Then there was the mask/no mask during rigorous activity. You only had to wear the mask to the machine, then you had to wear it the whole time (talk about sucking wind) then you only had to wear the mask to the machines. Talk about trying to dodge a bullet.

Through all of this being socially distant, being unable to travel, Zoom meetings, and Zoom birthday parties, I am exhausted. It is really hard to take “vacation” when you really can’t/don’t want to go anywhere that might be considered a hot spot. One of our friends had planned a destination wedding that was scheduled for mid-May, then the end of August, and has now been completely canceled. We decided that our first trip after recovery will probably be via car to Chicago.

I know a lot of the news these days revolves around students going back to school via online learning vs being on campus. Students at several universities on the east coast have already returned to campus. One of my favorite parts of the school year was move-in day when we finally returned to campus. Getting back to “normal.” Meeting new people. Ripon was just one of those tight-knit worlds where I found the best part of the whole experience was actually interacting with my fellow classmates outside of the classroom. I hope the students who return to campus will be able to experience what I got.

Class Notes:

BETH LAUFENBURG BARTON ’88 shared: Beth and her husband celebrated their 25th anniversary by traveling to Ireland prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Prior to COVID-19, Beth honed a new skill via YouTube in masonry and created a whole new fire pit and patio in the back yard. On her way back from Ireland, while going through the airport in Philly, she saw some furniture made out of pallets. She went home and taught herself how to make chairs out of pallets to enjoy the firepit. Beth highly recommends YouTube for learning new hobbies. 

JAMIE HAWLEY ’88 shared: “KRIS DIEMER HAWLEY ’88 and I are doing well, working from home in Halifax. The mask project is still ongoing, and I have sent out hundreds and hundreds of kits to people. I still have kits available (free, but they need to be sewn, instructions included!). Stay healthy!”

LINNEA HEMPEL DE VALDEZ ’88/P’17 shared: “I finished year 29 in Minneapolis Public Schools, and I am adding another license, English Language Arts. Over the summer Ripon professors supported me in adding the teaching license by sending me lots of old syllabi and course descriptions. Our 15-year-old son just started high school where I teach. That’s fun going to school together. Our older son, BEN VALDEZ-HEMPEL ’17, started working for the American Councils of International Education in D.C., managing social media. He loves communications now and is re-designing our website for Brushabilities, his father’s painting company of 23 years. Having Ben off living his dream in D.C. largely in part why Ripon means so much to us. Life is good on the home front. A COVID-19 silver lining is our younger son joined my husband and painted with Brushabilities. So fun and proud of him!”

TANYA SCHWARTZ ROEPER ’88 shared: “After working 20 years as a health care executive, RANDY ROEPER ’88 was ready for a career change. He is now the new Associate VP of Development and Operations at Ripon College! He’s enjoying his job immensely. Our oldest son JONAH ROEPER ’24 graduated from high school in the spring. He was torn between being a Lawrence Viking or a Ripon Red Hawk. He chose to be a Red Hawk! Our youngest son Oliver is a sophomore. Ripon College Alums are always welcome to visit us at our Green Lake home. Look us up if you’re in the area, we’d love to see you.”

In closing

KATHY WADE ’88 and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who gave to the #OneDayRally, to the Ripon Fund (formerly, the Annual Fund), and to the Emergency Fund. Twenty-three of you gave to the #OneDayRally and 11 of our classmates gave to the Emergency Fund! We had the second-highest number of #OneDayRally donors when comparing Classes from 1983-1992! That is awesome!!! Thank you!!!!

The admissions office is always looking for referrals of potential students. If you know parents who are looking at colleges for 2021 or beyond, please let the admissions office know and maybe help them get the application packets.

Please update your contact information, especially your email address, with the College at https://www.ripon.edu/update-contact-info/. We are going to send out this Class Letter through regular mail and through e-mail. The next Class Letter will be sent out via email only. All of the Fall Class Letters will be posted at R Connections, https://www.ripon.edu/rconnections/. 

Again, KATHY WADE ’88 and I want to extend a very big THANK YOU for everyone who has sent us class notes and donated to Ripon during the pandemic.

David

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Co-Class Agents:

MITCH ROSIN ’89

 [email protected] 

NIKKI ZENS LINDBERG ’89

[email protected] 

Dear Class of ’89 and riff raff,

To say that 2020 is a year to remember may be an understatement. Having just helped move our oldest into her first apartment for her senior year of college, I know she is handling this with way more maturity than I might have if faced with a pandemic in our college days. I am glad we have our Facebook group to keep some of the memories alive, remind us of the crazy kids we were, and catch glimpses of the crazy grown-ups we’ve become.

Cheers,

Nikki

Mitch 

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

ROBERT E. CORKERY, JR. ’90

283 Sylvan Court, Saunderstown, RI 02874

(508) 930-9027 / [email protected]

CHRISTINA L. MAGGIO-KELLERSTRASS ’90

24 Windsor Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126

(708) 764-1881 / [email protected]

Greetings Classmates!

As we pen this letter it’s hard to believe the surreal time we are all facing. We hope that you and your families are safe, healthy and doing as best as possible under these extraordinary and overwhelming circumstances. 

Despite the cancellation of our 30th Reunion, a big ‘hats off’ to our class for the 30th Reunion gift of $32,995! This was a wonderful and generous contribution in these challenging times. Grateful thanks to everyone who made donations in honor of our class and for all who helped solicit gifts!

We are fast-forwarding to a hopeful next year! Our reunion has been rescheduled to late June 2021 so mark your calendars for Alumni Weekend 2021 (June 24-27). With much hope (and a vaccine) we will be able to gather together in Ripon in the summer of 2021. Until then … be well!

Here are a few notes from our classmates:

RICHARD T. ELROD ’90 Attorney of Herrling Clark Law Firm Ltd. was appointed in early 2020 to serve as a member of the Paralegal Advisory Committee for Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. Richard focuses his practice on personal injury cases, including those who have been injured in the workplace. In addition to personal injury, he also handles labor law matters.

SUSAN FRIKKEN ’90 of Madison, Wisconsin, writes, “It feels like after 30 years, my Ripon education and experiences and friendships, and subsequent life have come together in a really wonderful way. 

I feel that Ripon, along with my family, was my foundation and springboard for a rich life, one measured by experiences and relationships. My work as a physical therapist in private practice (yaharatherapy.com) feels like a culmination of these experiences and people. I get to help people get better, but I also get to focus on prevention, wellness, and trying to be part of a reimagined system of health care. 

Dance Company was at the core of my Ripon experience; affecting every realm of my life (physical, organizational, emotional, social, environmental). After a winding journey, I finally landed on a certification in massage therapy and then a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in my 40s. Along the way, one of the experiences I had was as a ballroom dance instructor. Non-profit work (Whitman-Walker Health in metro DC) gave me crucial experience with administration, fund-raising, support-group facilitation, and coordinating volunteer programs. 

One of my projects, Ballroom Basics for Balance(TM) [ballroombasicsforbalance.org], started as a whim and has grown. It’s a class that helps improve balance and prevent falls in a fun way, using dance. We collaborate with students, educational institutions, government and private agencies, community members, and more. Recently, UW-Madison created a video about it. Please enjoy and share! https://news.wisc.edu/ballroom-balance/ 

This video feels like a representation of my good fortune to have a loving and valuable community, which includes Ripon College. What I get to do every day is not work, but a culmination and continuation of the education and experiences and people. I want to share with my classmates and alma mater and future grads as a proud one, myself!

My life includes a happy home in Madison with my wife and many critters.” 

If you have news that you want to be included in the class letter, please send it our way so we can make sure it’s shared!

Cheers to 30 years classmates! Please be well!

Fondly,

Bob 

Christina 

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91

(612) 978-4124 / [email protected]

Greetings, Class of 1991!

Hope everyone is managing in this unprecedented year. Ripon has welcomed students back to campus where classes have resumed since Aug 17. If you’d like to learn more about their coronavirus safety strategies refer to: https://www.ripon.edu/coronavirus-information/

Don’t forget, 2021 is a reunion year for us: THIRTY! No idea whether we’ll be able to gather in person or will be Zooming (maybe some of both?), but TRACY MAHER ’91 would still love to have help with the planning committee—so reach out to her at: [email protected].

New Class Notes:

DIONNE GREENE CAMPBELL ’91 of Arlington, MA, writes “DEVON ’88 and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! We have four children, two college graduates, and two more to go! 🙂 Our second son, Daytawn, graduated in May 2020 from college, and our daughter, D’ara, graduated from high school (also class of 2020) and will begin college at the end of the month. All the best to the class of 1991! Continue to stay safe and be well!”

SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91 of Minneapolis, MN, writes “Our house is less than a mile from the 3rd precinct police station on East Lake St in Minneapolis, so the George Floyd tragedy and aftermath remains very much on our minds. I just passed the two-year mark in my role at Optum (United Health Group). I am fortunate to be able to work from home, but miss the camaraderie of the office and find it much harder to have a good work-life balance without the clear divide between the two worlds. Casper (the friendly dog) joined our family in May, reminding us of all the things we have missed (and a few of the things we haven’t) since saying goodbye to my beloved Lucy dog last year. My kiddo starts 6th grade next month, but Minneapolis public schools will be remote for the foreseeable future, so it will be interesting to see how the transition from elementary school goes.”

KARL FELD ’91 of Clayton, NC, is currently working as a strategic public affairs research consultant for the Defense Media Activity (www.dma.mil). While the job is based at Fort Meade, MD, COVID-19 has cemented his ability to continue working remotely from home outside Raleigh, North Carolina. Karl still has two teenagers (and one adult child) at home and is deep in keeping them busy so they don’t go crazy with cabin fever. In other big news he is now engaged to be married to Lindsay Gardner, which was supposed to happen in Raleigh in October, but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the pandemic. Even though he’s stuck at home, Karl continues to work on his violin, piano and vocal skills and work out in the home gym and on the heavy bag while trying to stay motivated to finish his PhD. He has successfully used the downtime to complete genealogical research for his application for the Sons of the American Revolution, which was accepted July 4th weekend appropriately enough, and is working in parallel on chapters of a long-term book project on physical places and artefacts left across the US, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands by his ancestors. Karl recently connected with RANDALL WICKMAN ’91 and ROB RUFFOLO ’89 in the D.C. area before the lockdown. Both are well, have now retired from the Army, and are doing the next thing. Drop him at note at [email protected]!

CLARENCE SEARLES ’91 and KATHERINE GATCHELL SEARLES ’92 of Babcock, WI, write, “Our eldest daughter MAGGIE is now a member of Ripon College, Class of 2024.”

In case you missed them in the spring update:

BRIAN FREY ’91 and 16-year-old son, Spencer Frey, competed in a Generation Gap Tennis Tournament in February 2020. After giving tennis a pass a few years ago in favor of baseball by saying ”Dad, tennis will be my old man sport”, Spencer hit the courts again in Spring 2019 to make the varsity team at Memorial High School. Brian is having lots of fun sharing this interest with his son. BECKY HUSTAD ’91 says “There is quite a bit of talk about racquet string choices and other vital aspects of tennis. It’s fun to watch them sharing this interest.” Also, Brian enjoys playing tennis regularly with another Ripon alum, BRUCE BARTELT ’83.

TRACY MAHER ’91 – I’m on the move again and by the time you receive these updates I will be settled in my new home in Tampa, FL. I’m still with the same company, HDR, and in the same role, Area Human Resources Manager. My new territory is Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. I’m excited to be working with a new leadership team and bringing my ideas around coach as manager to the southeast. Last summer I took my family (mom, dad, sister, niece) to Ireland. While I was in Ireland my Shih Tzu, Bear was in NJ visiting his buddy Rusty who is a senior dog.

MAURA MURPHY ’91 – I am still working at General Mills and living in St. Louis Park – a suburb of Minneapolis. My kids Truman (15) and Claire (13) are keeping busy with all things school including Quiz Bowl and gymnastics, respectively. My husband, Steve, has a wonderful Rolfing practice. I am looking forward to a great spring break in Mexico with JULIE ARMATOSKI ’91 and KRISTEN GRAY ’90 in March, and a long weekend at KAREN MILWESKI DYMOND ’91 and ABE DYMOND II’s ’90 cabin in the mountains of West Virginia this summer, along with JULIE, KRISTEN, RONA HENDERSON PARSONS ’91, BECKY HUSTAD ’91, HEATHER THIEME ’91, ELIZABETH LAKE ’91, and VICKI HAAS SYMONDS ’92. And to top off the year’s travel, my family and I will take a trip to Seattle and Olympic National Park at the end of summer. And of course – I am trying to keep hold of my sanity in these crazy political times.

BART O’CONNELL ’91 has recently returned to the U.S. from Cuba. Now that he’s back he has moved from Chicago to Austin, TX and will be looking for a new job locally (probably as an account manager at a software company).

Help us reconnect with other ’91 Alums

The College has been moving toward increasingly digital communications and in non-reunion years, class letters will be exclusively published digitally (online and email), unless you specifically request a hard copy by mail. Print copies of the class letter will be mailed to classes celebrating reunions—so we’ll receive a hard copy of this letter this fall and next spring, but then won’t get another class letter in the mail until 2025. This is a great opportunity for us to request updated email addresses so we ensure you’ll get class letter communications over the next five years!

Don’t Forget About Our Facebook Group

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

Warmly,

Samantha

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

ERIN M. MCCORMACK ’92

[email protected]

BONNIE DEMBROSKI FREDRICK ’92/P’23

262-796-1531 / [email protected]

JUDEE STOJSAVLJEVIC FISCHER ’92 

262-681-8509 / [email protected] 

Hello, Class of 1992,

BONNIE DEMBROSKI FREDRICK ’92/P’23, JUDEE STOJSAVLJEVIC FISCHER ’92, and I (ERIN M. MCCORMACK ’92) are reaching out to you to update you on what’s been happening in Ripon during this most unexpected and challenging of years. We hope that this letter finds you, your family, friends, and loved ones doing as well as possible in these truly unprecedented times. Instead of focusing on everything that’s been going on in the news, which I’m sure everyone is more than well versed upon at this point in time, we’d like to share updates from Ripon, which, like the rest of the world, continues to be impacted. However, if you have a great new recipe or life hack that you have developed or refined during the pandemic, don’t hesitate to share it with the folks at the College and we’ll include it in the next letter. Personally, I have finally perfected my banana bread recipe – since we live at about 6500 feet above sea level, it took some tweaks, some patience, and some time.

Like other colleges, universities, and schools in the United States, Ripon closed early in the spring and sent students home to avoid virus outbreaks and to maintain the safety of students, faculty, and staff. Classes went online and all the dedicated people who supported that change so rapidly should be commended. Over the subsequent months, many long-held traditions and events were canceled or modified to be virtual, rather than in-person, including Commencement and Alumni Weekend.

Most recently, the decision was made to cancel the 2020 Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble scheduled for the end of September. It was originally hoped that moving it from the canceled Alumni Weekend 2020 would allow it to be held, but as we all now know, that’s simply not the case. Additionally, this decision is in alignment with the College’s decision to suspend campus events and the Midwest Conference’s suspension of athletic competition, both through December 31, 2020. While these were difficult decisions, the spirit of the Ripon College community remains undaunted.

The College leadership, faculty, and athletic coaches continue to be inspired by the Ripon College community’s leadership and engagement throughout this challenging period. There will be an exciting announcement later this fall regarding plans to celebrate the tradition of Ripon College Athletics and opportunities to support the Red Hawks Club.

In the midst of everything, Ripon College continues to move forward with positivity, hope, and detailed planning and preparation. At the end of July, President Messitte announced “Reunite Ripon: Our Plan to Return to In-Person Learning.” He detailed a very carefully constructed course of events to return students to campus as safely as possible, while providing transparent communication to students and their parents and families. On-campus classes resumed Monday, August 17, 2020, as Ripon welcomed the Class of 2024 and welcomed back the classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023. As we all remember fondly, the heart of Ripon College has always been, and always will be, the people.

Ripon is providing detailed updates through social media and its website in order to ensure clear and ongoing up-to-the-minute communication. Currently, as/of August 22nd, the College’s COVID-19 Campus Scenario status is “Green,” with 0 positive cases and 0% current isolation/quarantine beds being used. The college has developed three scenarios: Green, Yellow, and Red. Green is “The New Normal” with students on campus and limited in-person operations. Classes are offering a hybrid of online and in-person instruction. More details are readily available on the college’s website.

During these times, Ripon needs your support more than ever. We realize that so many people have been negatively impacted by the ongoing pandemic, but if your personal financial circumstances permit, now would be a highly meaningful and impactful time to donate to Ripon.

A donation to the Ripon Fund will involve the College directing funds to where they are most needed, or a directed donation or ongoing pledge allows you to support selected areas of the college. I’m personally getting ready to send my annual pledged donation to support the Track and Field/Cross-Country Coach’s Office in the Willmore Center that is named in honor of Coach Dick Hendricks, who coached me in Cross-Country and Track and Field while I attended Ripon. Another way to give to Ripon which won’t impact your current budget is to add Ripon College into your estate gift planning. The Office of Advancement stands by to answer any questions or share information with you in regards to this option. We were all able to get a great education at Ripon through the assistance of generous donors and Ripon supporters. As a point of pride, our class had 15 individuals who made a gift for a total of $8,246 on the College’s giving day known as #OneDayRally. We also had two individuals who stepped up to give to the Emergency Assistance Fund from the Class of 1992.

Wishing you all the best in the days to come, and don’t hesitate to reach out to the College and share any personal news and updates to be included in future class communications. Don’t forget to vote in November!

News notes:

KATHERINE GATCHELL SEARLES ’92 and CLARENCE SEARLES ’91 of Babcock, Wisconsin, write, “Our eldest daughter MAGGIE SEARLES ’24 is now a member of Ripon College, Class of 2024.” 

AMY ECKER REISDORF ’92 of Waunakee, Wisconsin, died Aug. 22, 2019. At Ripon, she majored in economics and French, participated in student government and athletics and was a member of Alpha Chi Omega. She had a successful career in financial services and enjoyed midget auto racing, UW athletics and travel. Survivors include one son; and her father, Bill Ecker.

Kind Regards,

Erin M. McCormack

Bonnie Fredrick

JuDee Fischer 

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

MELINDA TRAINOR HUTCHINSON ’93

(651) 259-3459 / (215) 704-6478 / [email protected]

Hi All,

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy! Make sure that you’re checking in on www.ripon.edu and/or social media for the latest College updates.

Here’s some news from our classmates:   

LAURA SCHULTZ ’93 of Pitman, NJ, writes that August 13 was her one-year anniversary of working as a data scientist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Congratulations, Laura!

ANDREA CECCHI YOUNG ’93 of Irvine, CA, says “My eldest son, Alex, graduated from Yale in May with a degree in neuroscience and just started medical school at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. My other son, Chris, will be a sophomore at University of California-Riverside.”

Andrea said she loves kid updates, so I promised her that I would include an update on mine: my son, Ian, will be in 8th grade this year and my daughter Melia will be in 5th. Their school district decided to start the year with a hybrid learning plan, so they will be going to school two days/week and distance learning 3 days/week. I am working from home, so this is not a huge issue for us—but yet it is a pretty huge issue. This year has put strains on every single one of us, everywhere! My kids are glad to be able to go to school, see their friends, and have a somewhat normal classroom experience, although they wish it would be ‘back to normal.’ (Don’t we all!) I keep reminding them that this is something none of us has experienced before, and we’re going to have to meet each new challenge knowing that the information we have might change and our schedules might change, and we have to be willing to be flexible.

I know that there’s amazing stuff going on out there among all of you, so send your updates—we’d love to hear from you! Make sure you keep your contact information updated so you don’t miss any Ripon news. Contact the Alumni Office directly with changes at [email protected] or via U.S. mail to Alumni Office, Ripon College, P.O. Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971. Or, contact me and I’ll get your info to Ripon for you.

Be safe, be well–

Melinda

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

LISA SPROSTON SUTTER ’94

(608) 347-6543 / [email protected]

Greetings, Class of 1994!

I hope this letter finds you all well. Since this is my first letter to you as a Class Agent, I’ll update you on my last 26 years…I have been teaching at the elementary level. This school year, I will begin my 27th year of teaching. My experience has all been at grades Kindergarten through second grade, with the majority of those years at first grade. I love it! Although, this is definitely a stressful time to be a teacher. None of us went into education to do it virtually. I teach in the Monona Grove School District. My husband, Paul, and I have two sons, Calvin (15) and Henry (12). We aren’t quite at the point of visiting college campuses, but I do dream that one of them will end up at Ripon College one day soon.

Since I only live slightly over an hour from Ripon, I return to campus fairly often. Sometimes it’s just for a visit to Roadhouse, or to shop the many cute shops that you can now find on Watson Street, and often it’s to watch a sporting event. If you haven’t been for a while, I highly recommend a visit! In fact, one day this summer I brought two friends with me for an entire day in Ripon. We are all teachers and needed an escape. So, one sweltering day, we toured the campus. They loved the intimate campus, the beautiful athletic facilities, and hearing my stroll down memory lane. They’re well into their fifties, but they jokingly inquired about enrolling.

One of the bright spots in this pandemic has been weekly Zoom meetings with many 1994 Alpha Chi Omega sisters. Sometimes there are just a small handful of friends and other times we’ve been in the teens, but it has been great catching up with friends. If you haven’t started this yet, I highly recommend connecting/reconnecting in this manner! You’ll probably find, as we did, whether it’s been a short period of time or more than twenty years, you’ll be able to pick up right where you left off with these friendships.

With “back to school” being front and center for me right now, I thought you’d like to read about Ripon’s plan for this fall. Here is the Reunite Ripon plan for the 2020-21 academic year.

CLASS NOTES:

TRACY RISCH ’94 of Frisco, Texas, became the Senior Vice President and Chief Information & Technology Officer in May for American Electric Power (AEP) based in Columbus, Ohio. She will lead technology initiatives across AEP including information technology, innovation, digital initiatives, and telecommunications.

LTC (RET) TODD J. JOHNSON ’94 and AMY CRAIG JOHNSON ’96 of Powell, Wyoming, write, “Amy is employed by Park County School District #1 as the Community Outreach Specialist and Technology Division Administrative Assistant.”

DENISE SHADRICK-OLSTINSKE ’94 was honored with the 2020 UW System Board of Regents Academic Staff Excellence Award. She is the Administrative Program Manager III in the College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies at UW-Parkside. These awards recognize exceptional service to the university and are the UW System’s highest recognition bestowed on members of its academic staff.

ERIC ATKISSON ’94 of Alexandra, VA, had two more essays published this year, “Point of Origin” in Entropy Magazine and “Noxious Animals” in The Hopper Magazine. Both can be found online. Eric still works at the Patent and Trademark Office, where he supervises all of the agency’s public and internal communications, and he recently agreed to serve on the Ripon College Alumni Association Board of Directors with CARRIE ROCA-DAWSON ’94 and JOY BORTZ SCHLEUSNER ’94 (also a new member).

I’d love to hear from you! Please send me an update for our next class letter. Your classmates and I are curious what you’ve been up to. Whether it’s job-related, family news, where you’re living, recent travel adventures, new pets, or alumni sightings. We’d love to catch up with you!

All the best,

Lisa

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visitingte-co ripon.edu/updantact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

JASON L. WOOD ’96

(201)747-7719 / [email protected]

Happy Fall Class of 1996!

First off, I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy after everything that has and is happening since the beginning of the year. Being in the travel industry and living across the river from one of the worst affected areas, I know what it means to take a massive impact on your life in every which way. But one of the critical lessons I learned at Ripon College is to look at things from all different directions even if it is a bad situation. And that is exactly what I did. In business in the past, I dealt with mostly group leisure travelers. But you can imagine that those people are not really traveling now, so we have re-focused on people that have to travel such as nurses, electric crews, and other first responders. It wasn’t something our business thought we ever would be doing, but to survive we had to change course. In life during quarantine where nothing was open I decided to focus on myself; running ten half marathons, learning to cook all my mother’s old recipes (and some of my favorite foods from closed restaurants), hiking empty state parks, and now biking around my state. The saying “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade” really is true. And I hope that everyone else is taking that to heart as well.

Alumni Weekend 2021 will be held June 24-27, 2021, and next summer is our Class of 1996 Reunion, and because of the closure this summer of the campus, we will be combining our reunion with the Class of 1995. I am so excited about this fact since so many of their class were our good friends for the three years we overlapped. We hope to bring you a very memorable reunion with the two classes together. This is our 25th reunion, a milestone, so I hope to see you all there. (I might have to hunt you down if we don’t hear from you!). The weekend will be filled with lots to do not only for you but for everyone – bring your partner, your family, or anyone else you want to. Thank you again to everyone that keeps us posted on Facebook, Instagram, and all the other social media platforms. It is amazing to see you and your families as well as the fun adventures and those major life-changing statuses. 

Please keep posting, I know I love it.

Class Note:

CHARLES E. AMELOTTE ’67 of Kenosha, Wisconsin, died Jan. 23, 2020. At Ripon, he majored in history. He played football and was a member of the 1963 undefeated team, and also participated in ROTC and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He served in the U.S. Army and earned three bronze stars while serving in Vietnam. He owned and operated Kenosha Leatherette & Display Co. until his retirement. He was a former member of Rotary Club and Kiwanis Club of Western Kenosha; was involved in youth sports; was a member of Kenosha Country Club and enjoyed reading, golfing and fishing in Door County. Survivors include his wife, PENNY OVER AMELOTTE ’67; two sons, including DAVID AMELOTTE ’96; and one daughter.

Here is to 2021!

Regards,

Jason

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

KRISTIN BAZZOLI PIOTROWSKI ’97 

(414) 841-8577 / [email protected]

Hello Class of 1997,

I hope this newsletter finds all of you well during these unprecedented times. As you may have seen, Ripon College started classes in person the week of August 17. We hope all of the students have a wonderful, healthy, and safe year. 

I encourage you to visit https://www.ripon.edu/news/ often to learn about what is happening at our Alma Mater. You can also go to class pages through https://www.ripon.edu/rconnections/ and see updates from alumni from around the world and from every class year. Another wonderful way to stay connected is by subscribing to Ripon’s monthly eNewsletter. You may subscribe here: https://www.ripon.edu/alumni/monthly-newsletter/. 

Mark your calendars and save the date! The 2021 Alumni Weekend will be held June 24-27, 2021. While it is not a reunion year for our class, I encourage you to visit Ripon and see the changes on campus and in town. It is a great opportunity to connect with alumni, faculty, and staff. For more information, go to https://www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend/. 

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

CHRIS CORSTEN ’97 of Menominee, Michigan, published a book “3,000 Days in Afghanistan” detailing his experience in Afghanistan over a ten-year period. The book was released on Amazon.com on May 6, 2020, and on May 8, 2020, it became a #1 New Release in two categories and a Top 10 Best Seller in one category.

Wishing you and your families a happy and healthy rest of the year!

Kristin

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

SARAH ENG ’98

[email protected]

Dear Class of 1998,

I hope this letter finds you and your families well. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in ways I couldn’t have imagined six months ago. In the face of all of this uncertainty, I have been impressed with Ripon’s handling of the pandemic and their commitment to safeguarding the health and safety of the entire Ripon community. The details of the fall return can be found at Reunite Ripon: Our Plan To Return To In-Person Learning. 

Despite the challenging circumstances, the #OneDayRally proceeded as planned this spring, exceeding this year’s goal of 1,851 donors – and for a brief moment, our class topped the participation leaderboard! Evidence was posted in our class Facebook group. If you aren’t a member and would like to be, please email me. 

Thanks to all of you who sent in updates for the letter, I always appreciate hearing from you, and being able to share your news with our classmates. The updates below include those that were submitted for the spring, as well as an obituary for our classmate and friend, Lisa Kraus. 

Class Notes:

JEN ANSTEE CHAVEZ ’98 is still happily teaching Spanish in Glen Ellyn, IL to grades 1-5. She ran her first half-marathon last spring and hopes everyone is doing well.

KRISTIN DODDS ’98 married her long-time partner, Tony Meucci, in Pewaukee, WI on December 20, 2019. There was a great group of Ripon College alums on-hand to celebrate with them and TONY SIBLEY ’98 got to make a special wish with Santa Claus! Pictured in the group photo are, from left: SAMIR PATEL ’98, TONY SIBLEY ’98, KRISTIN DODDS ’98, KELLY JOHNSON BECKER ’99, MATT BECKER ’99, ANDREA WEPNER ’96, NICOLE GORSKE SUTTER ’01, JERI BELONGIA LOEWE ’96, JASON LOEWE ’94, and HEIDI MARKS ’96.

BETSY GARDNER ’98 was promoted to Store Manager in October of the Sunglass Hut Open Air store at Southdale Mall in Edina, MN.

LISA M. KRAUS ’98 of Fond du Lac, WI, died Dec. 3, 2019. At Ripon, she majored in global studies and Spanish and played volleyball. She was a billing specialist with Spectrum. She loved water, the ocean and being on the lake. She enjoyed music and going to concerts, dancing, Salvador Dali, watching movies and watching sports, especially the Packers, Brewers, Lakers and Bucks. Survivors include her father, Robert Kraus.

LEILANI KUPO ’98 serves as the Associate Dean of Students at University of California, Merced. She has been selected as a member of ACPA- College Student Educators International’s 2020 Diamond Honoree Class.

TIFFANY PATNODE MICHALAK ’98 graduated from National Louis University with her Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling in June 2020 and passed the Illinois state licensing exam becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Mental Health Counselor.

IAN STEPLETON ’98 recently started a new position as the public relations coordinator for the Fond du Lac Public Library. The new career comes after 20 years at the Ripon Commonwealth Press newspaper, most of which were spent as its editor. He continues to work as an adjunct instructor of journalism at Ripon College, where he is the advisor to the College Days.

Until next time,

Sarah

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

ANDRE MIKSHA ’00

(317) 219-9275 / [email protected]

Here’s to hoping that our rescheduled Twentieth Reunion in June 2021won’t be scrapped for [insert terrible worldwide crisis here]! Alumni Weekend 2021 is scheduled for June 24-27, and we will celebrate a joint 20th Reunion with the Class of 2001. Technology makes it so much easier for us all to connect these days; try to reach out!

Class notes:

KATIE VOIGT ’00 is now the pastor at the United Methodist Church of Antioch in Antioch, Illinois.

JENNY POOL RADWAY ’00 is now the executive director of the Lower Columbia Hispanic Council in Astoria, Oregon. The council, recently rebranded as Consejo Hispano, is a culturally focused non-profit working toward the equitable integration of resident Hispanics into the broader social and economic fabric of the Oregon and Washington communities.

TIM BARBER ’00 is an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Unit at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, having spent all of 2018 and half of 2019 in the Civil Litigation Unit within the DOJ.

PATRICK CASEY ’00 has been nominated for Minnesota Attorney of the Year for 2020 and appeared on KEYC in Mankato in January to discuss the nomination.

Red Hawk forever, 

Andre

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Co-Class Agents:

DANTE A. C. HOUSTON ’01

(414) 378-4937 / [email protected]

NICOLE BAUMANN-BLACKMORE ’01

(608) 513-9078 / [email protected]

Hello Class of 2001,

Tubthumping, Barbie Girl, MMMBop, Quit Playing Games, Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Jock Jams!

Do we now have your attention? It has been over 20 years since we blasted these tunes through lounge speakers, but they still are in our memories and hearts. I’m confident the same is true of all the experiences you shared at Ripon College; from “Energy Ovations” during freshman orientation in the fall of 1997 to looking out on our family and friends as we crossed into the alumni ranks on the Harwood Memorial Union stage at Commencement 2001.

While critical matters like COVID-19, political contests, and social justice reform have engulfed many of our efforts these days, we also want to acknowledge what is personally happening with some of our classmates, who have shared their family updates.

• CHRIS CURRAN ’01 recently switched career paths to enjoy a change from industrial design to real estate. He is now working in the Chicagoland area with the #1 brokerage @properties. 
• CANDY PLENCNER VONDRA ’01 and her husband welcomed twin boys, Cooper and Cody, on January 6, 2020.

During these unprecedented times, this is a critical time for our Alma Mater. While you are likely used to receiving an annual “ask” from us, this year likely feels different. Your contribution will provide flexible resources that can make an immediate impact. We encourage all of you to contribute to our Class Gift through the Ripon Fund. For those of you who want to get an early start on it, please log on to https://www.ripon.edu/make-a-gift/.

We hope to see all of you on campus for our 20th Reunion Weekend, June 24-27, 2021, for what is anticipated to be the LARGEST ever alumni gathering! If you have ideas or would like to be a part of the planning, please let us know.

Always a Red Hawk!

Your 2001 Co-Class Agents:

Nicole                       

Dante

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Co-Class Agents:

CORRYN SIEGEL GREENWOOD ’02

(502) 269-5577 / [email protected]

LEIGH MLODZIK ’02

(920) 420-0964 / [email protected]

Dear Ripon College Class of 2002-

We hope you are doing well during these challenging times! Here are a few updates from your classmates. We would love to hear from more of you. Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. Email us at [email protected]

JESSICA BRAUN ’02 shares “In late July, I returned to the US after traveling around the world for the last year and eight months. The trip started in November 2018 in South Africa after a rush of quitting my job, packing up my apartment, and generally dismantling my normal life. The trip took me to South Africa, India, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan. When COVID-19 really hit in March, I was in Taiwan for two weeks and ended up staying there for four months because the rest of my trip back to the U.S. was canceled. Now, I’m living in Wisconsin while looking for freelance and full-time work so I can start saving to travel again. I also bought a car for the first time in about 15 years.”

MAGGIE LEE ’02 shares “I started a new job at Strategy& in July doing financial services advisory. I adopted Jonathan in May 2019 and Imogen in June 2020. I live in San Francisco I recently tested negative for COVID-19.”

BECCA DARNICK ZOLPER ’02 and her husband welcomed their second baby in July!

Keep in touch! 

Sincerely, 

Leigh

Corryn

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Co-Class Agents:

LIZ MATELSKI ’03

(920) 475-7415 / [email protected]

ELAYNE MONNENS NORWEB ’03

(917) 509-4826 / [email protected]

Happy Fall, Class of 2003!

Students returned to campus this fall to a very different feel: masks, socially distanced classrooms, and some larger enrollments are taught in hybrid-learning or completely online formats. The College experience looks very different than when we first arrived at school, but the important things have stayed the same. Students will still receive a first-rate liberal arts education from a dedicated staff and faculty invested in their success and wellness in and out of the classroom.

EMILY HANSON BROOKS ’03 had her third baby on May 13, 2020—Odin Benjamin Brooks. Odin joins siblings Liam (4) and Hadley (2).

BRITT STEIGER FRANK ’03 and her husband, Dave, welcomed a baby girl on July 22, 2020. Grace joins her sister, Addy, and brother, David, at home.

MICHAEL FRITZ ’03 of Yuma, AZ was named Principal at Yuma High School in early August. He had been an Assistant Principal at Cibola High School for the last five years and was a teacher and coach at Cibola for 11 years prior to becoming an Assistant Principal.

BRIE TERRELL HADFIELD ’03 writes, “We’re still living in St. Louis and I’m a PA in Ortho Trauma. We’ve been working through COVID-19. Maya just turned 6 and Gracyn will be 3 ½ next week. Maya will be starting kindergarten in the kitchen in a couple weeks.”

ROB LENNOX ’03 writes, “My wife, Amy, and I had our first kid, Archer, at the end of January. Last month we purchased a house in Indianapolis and will be remodeling that. We’re not sure as to when we’ll actually be able to move out of Chicago as the house and its 10 acres needs extensive work. My wife has accepted a position at a local hospital, and I have started remotely as Manager of Operations at enVista, a logistics and consulting company in Indianapolis. We are excited to start this new adventure in Indy and attend future Ripon events there!”

ELIZABETH MATELSKI ’03 was promoted to Associate Professor of American History at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, where she has taught for the past four years.

ANNE NEGRI ’03 writes, “I completed my 10th year of teaching drama in the Evanston public schools as a K-8 educator. Despite the COVID-19 shutdown of the school in the spring, I still directed a full-length play written by one of my 8th-grade students as a radio drama that we recorded and released episodically through Google. Also, despite the pandemic, I got hitched this summer in a backyard wedding in a home I purchased in Skokie. It was movie-themed, of course, and the Zoom wedding opened with a half-hour movie/slideshow that my now-husband, Mark Lewinthal, and I created together.”

BRIDGET WHITEHOUSE THOMAS ’03 and her husband Matt welcomed their first baby, Griffin Martin Thomas, on August 11, 2019.

TONY VENEZIANO ’03 writes, “My wife, Kelly, and I moved into a new home this past weekend in Brownsburg, Indiana. While we have a bigger yard and an extra garage/workshop, the most important thing is, the house has a big garden window and 3-season room for Trinity, our cat.”

JENNIFER WHITE ’03 is a Flight Dynamics Engineer on an Earth-orbiting satellite called Landsat 8. It is operated by USGS, but it is based at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Goddard has been shut down to all but essential personnel, so Jen has been working from home. In addition to maintaining the current satellite, Jen is also busy developing a new operations center and ground system to get ready for the Landsat 9 launch sometime next year. Last year she became certified as a Collision Avoidance Operations Engineer which is also based out of Goddard. They monitor potential collisions between NASA satellites and other satellites and space debris. Jen notes that she’s been very fortunate to continue doing both of these jobs exclusively from home.

Thank you again to everyone who continues to send updates. Remember that you don’t have to wait for the twice-a-year call for updates in order to share your latest news. Be sure to check out the online version of R Connections (www.ripon.edu/rconnections) where you can upload updates, photos, and more!

Liz 

Elayne

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Nick Spaeth ’04

(262) 227-6097 / [email protected]

Greetings Class of ’04, 

There’s nothing I could put here that would in any way do justice to what you each have been experiencing since mid-March when our world got turned upside down. So instead of hollow platitudes, I want to focus on the positives. This isn’t meant to belittle the negatives so commonly and understandably associated with much of our lives over the past few months. Your classmates shared the following positives that have happened to them during the pandemic, and I can’t think of a better thing to share.

MELISSA BAUR ’04 – The positive thing for me is that as a result of the pandemic I have been able to reduce the amount of travel I do for work, having only traveled the first couple months of the year vs years past where I traveled 3-5 days a month on average.

KARI WHEATON ’04 – A positive that has happened for me is that I have been working from home since March and get to see my little girl all the time now. Also, she and I (mostly her) made cards for the elderly who live in the assisted living homes near our house. She drew them pictures and we handed out fresh flowers from our garden, as well as vegetables and strawberries. For the residents who couldn’t get out to go to the grocery store we took their shopping lists and did their grocery shopping for them.

SCOTT BUCHHOLZ ’04 – Besides getting much healthier from a lack of social eating and drinking due to shelter in place, our family made it to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite on Saturday, July 4th – including our 7-year-old daughter Alyssa. While JESS WALTERS BUCHHOLZ ’05 made it to the sub-dome, but not up the cables. The park was practically empty with so much wildlife wondering where all the humans went. To make things even better we  (accidentally) stayed in the same cottage that President Obama camped in almost four years ago in June 2016. We made a fire every night and it was something so special that just wouldn’t have happened if not for this global pandemic of COVID-19. We’ll never forget the 4th of July in 2020!  Reminded us of our old Ripon Outdoor Club (ROC) days, getting back out in nature and even a little rock climbing. Still not quite Devil’s Lake… 🙂

NICK GEORGE ’04 – We have come to better know our new neighbors and spent more time as a family – activities, games, and being outside together playing and working on projects more than we would have otherwise. My travel was significantly reduced from being gone 2-3 weeks a month to some day trips or shorter 2-3 days at a time. My kids now have a greater appreciation for diversity than they did previously – solely based on geographic demographics, and we are much closer to family than we have been for the last eight years or so.

SARA WICHLACZ HANEY ’04 – We have more time for gardening, hiking in the mountains with our two sons, and to connect with neighbors who we would otherwise rarely see.

DIANE KEELING ’04 – A positive from COVID-19 is the time people have spent drawing attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. It gave me a chance to wake up to my racism. As a liberal progressive and educator, I was under the false impression that I was not racist. Recognizing the ways I have harmed black, indigenous, and people of color without realizing it has been painful, but also enriched my relationships and provided a meaningful new life direction.

LINDSAY GORSKE MICHELS ’04 – Although I started my degree path at Ripon for early childhood/special education, never did I think I’d be a full time at-home teacher. However, something positive from the pandemic, is that it allowed me to spend more time with our children, which is a blessing to me! Time that our oldest would have otherwise been in school,  although challenging at times, I cherished every moment!

ANDY MIELKE ’04 – During the pandemic we have taken the time as a family to focus more on health. As a couple, the Mielke’s have dropped some significant weight. It has also given us the opportunity to focus on health and healthy habits with our boys. They have learned a lot about everything from hand washing to how germs can be transferred.

REBECCA PERKINS ’04 started a new job as Advancement Manager at Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, IA in April. It was certainly an unusual time to switch employers in the middle of a pandemic.

KRISTY PLATO BLOCK ’04 – Can my one positive be that I had a baby the day after the country was shut down??? 🙂  I also got married on March 10, 2020 to Kevin Block.

JILL SUNDERLAND POHLMEIER ’04 – Honestly, this whole COVID-19 time has been pretty much just business as usual for me.  Fortunately, my company kept going, we just got moved to a full-time work from home set up, and my husband was able to continue to work throughout as well. We consider ourselves very lucky.

TYLER SCHWIRTZ ’04 and ETTA HILLIGOSS SCHWIRTZ ’04 both continue to be in the special education field. Tyler is a behavior specialist and Etta works for the early intervention program in Fort Collins CO. We have three kids: a 9-year-old son, 6-year-old daughter, and 4-year-old son. One positive of COVID-19 life is all the extra time we have together. We have been enjoying the outdoors and our family hiked a total of 55 miles in May.

BETH HUNTER SMITH ’04 of West Bend, WI, married NICHOLAS SMITH ’05 in September of 2018.

MICHAEL TIMM ’04 – I’ve been doing some sketching in the parks by Lake Michigan when I get out for my daily walk or bike ride. It’s a small way to relax and put my mind and body on something less stressful. I enjoy the ritual of drawing what I choose to observe and not caring if it’s “good” or not. The sketching practice predates the pandemic but I’ve devoted more time to being present and creating these quick sketches over the past few months.

Stay safe, stay well, and go Brewers.

Nick

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

Co-Class Agents:

AMANDA ZAHN PRZYBYL ’05

(920) 299-1081 / [email protected]

DAPHNE MEYERS LEIGH ’05

(414) 841-7210 / [email protected]

Hello Class! 

I hope this letter finds you all well – and this time I mean that in the most specific way possible. The past five months or so have brought us all to new challenges. There have been lots of exciting updates from classmates to share – only some are pandemic related. 

First a little news from campus: 

REUNITING RIPON: We look forward to welcoming everyone back to the College when on-campus classes resume Monday, August 17.

Mark Kainz, Professor of Biology, was profiled on July 22, on WLUK-TV, Fox 11 News. Kainz has been working over the summer as a contact investigator for COVID-19 for Winnebago County Public Health.

Now from classmates across the country: 

JESSICA REED BOCCIA ’05 of Mokena, Illinois moved to a new home in early June. It’s only a half mile from where they were living before, so it keeps their kids at the same school, but offers more space and a huge backyard. They spent a lot of quarantine awaiting this move as it was delayed by others involved four times. 

REBECCA SNITILY ELMENDORF ’05 of El Segundo, California has been working full time and taking care of her son, born in September during this “safer at home” time. As he gets older, it gets more difficult!

JUANITA BAATZ GUTBROD ’05 of Sussex, Wisconsin has been teaching Pre-K classes for St. Bruno school in the Milwaukee suburbs and also has been creating hundreds of masks during the pandemic.

CASEY BECKER HARRISON ’05, TERI SOLARZ HATFIELD ’05 and JUANITA BAATZ GUTBROD ’05 reconnected along with their former Bovay floor from 2004-2005 on Marco Polo, a video-based messaging app, and have helped each other through this pandemic situation.

EMILY HECK ’05 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a K4 teacher at the Milwaukee German Immersion School.PAUL LARSON ’05 of Green Bay, Wisconsin, started a new career on March 9 as an actuary at Humana in Green Bay. In mid-July, he passed his fourth exam towards an actuarial credential.

DAPHNE MEYERS LEIGH ’05 of New Berlin, Wisconsin, learned how to teach high school algebra and a Transition to College Math course virtually this spring, got a crash course in all things 4th and 1st grade, and started a math education blog (https://demystifyingmath.blogspot.com/). Once summer break hit, she filled her time with home improvement projects – including removing wallpaper and painting multiple rooms.

LORYN OHLAUG MERRILL ’05 of Woodland Hills, California, her household is chaotic which is the norm with four boys. In late June she started a new job as principal systems engineer with another aerospace company; a big change after 13 years with Boeing. She is settling in and looking forward to getting started in her new role. Not much has changed with COVID-19. The biggest change is no sports for their four boys. Other than that she and her husband are considered essential and have to go into work everyday. This makes homeschooling their kids impossible. She’s looking forward to all the sports opening up so their boys can regain normalcy and see friends again.

BRANDON MUMM ’05 of Ripon, Wisconsin, has used 2020 to make some career changes. This year he has completed schooling to become an EMT. In addition to being a Firefighter in Ripon, he is now a Firefighter/EMT in North Fond du Lac and Menomonee Falls. 

PAUL NEUBERGER ’05 of Colgate, Wisconsin, published his first book, The Secrets to Cold Call Success. About the book: ”Using a process that transcends typical sales roles, this book is a useful tool for any situation where you need to influence people and win them over. From start to finish, you will learn strategies to transform the way you approach selling.”

JESSICA OWENS ’05 of Dumfries, Virginia, moved to a new bigger home a few months before everything shut down. Thank goodness! There’s no way they could have stayed sane with her and her husband teleworking and their daughter doing her school work virtually in their older, smaller townhouse. Jessica still works at the National Archives building in downtown D.C. but their building has been shut down since March and still no word as to when they’ll be able to go back to working in person full time. Her daughter’s school district has announced 100% virtual learning for the fall, so she’s blessed to be able to work from home to be with her as they wait for the schools to safely reopen. Most importantly though they added a puppy to their family in May!

NICHOLAS SMITH ’05 of West Bend, Wisconsin, married BETH HUNTER SMITH ’04 in September of 2018.

As a reminder, our belated 15th Reunion will be held during Alumni Weekend 2021in conjunction with the Class of 2006, June 24-27! Mark your calendar NOW with something fun to look forward to next summer. With an extra year to plan and prepare, I expect to see so many of you there celebrating like it’s 2005! 

Wishing you all a safe and healthy autumn!

Daphne

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

NICOLE KLAAS HANDS ’06

[email protected]

ED HANSEN ’06

[email protected]

ANDY KITSLAAR ’06

[email protected]

Dear Class of 2006,

So much has changed since our spring class letter. Since that time, the COVID-19 pandemic stretched out throughout our spring and summer and a spotlight has been directed on racial injustice and inequality throughout the country. Wisconsin, and Ripon, are not immune to either. Today’s environment can harness us all to focus on the negativity of our world. However, we hope this letter provides you a short reprieve, reading some good news from a few of our classmates.

There are many ways to get through this “pandemic life.” We recently asked on our Facebook page (Ripon College – Class of 2006) what is something you’ve started during the pandemic you hope to continue afterward? Some of you shared how you have worked through the pandemic by creating stronger connections with fellow classmates or finding new hobbies. ED HANSEN ’06 mentioned having a weekly virtual card game with myself, JONNY GAUSEWITZ ’06, BRIAN MACAK ’06, and SHANE EBEL ’07 along with other virtual chat sessions along with MICHELE BERGMAN ’06 and other Ripon graduates spanning the years. Michele also mentioned cooking, working on her wildflower garden and not taking hugs for granted. EVELYN BRUNT GREGORY ’06 has taken up weaving, while KHAATIM BOYD ’06 is doing some online gaming with friends. NICOLE KAPLAN SCHOLES ’06 mentioned something many of us might have wanted in the past, “not having to make excuses for why I don’t want to leave the house.” Whatever it is you are doing to pass the time – entertaining kids, house projects, etc. – we hope you are finding time to enjoy the little things.

Ripon College was and continues to be a special place for us. We hope you continue to be connected with each other and the college. Check out the latest happenings at www.ripon.edu.

ERIC EGUINA ’06 is living in Japan with his wife and baby girl. He is working in Health & Safety for AWS.

JESSICA FORMAN GOLDBERG ’06 of Clarksville, Tennessee, has been selected as the Director of Communications and Marketing for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. She also serves as the president of Clarksville Young Professionals and was a graduate of the Leadership Clarksville Class of 2019.

NICOLE KLAAS HANDS ’06 of Weehawken, New Jersey, was hired as Director of Marketing for Blueprint Investment Partners.

ANDREW KITSLAAR ’06 of Monona, Wisconsin, and his wife, Laura, welcomed a baby boy, Jack Brooks Kitslaar, on 5/24/2020.

GUY MCHENDRY ’06 of Omaha, Nebraska, has been busy recently. Guy and his wife, AMANDA HOEFNER MCHENDRY ’09 welcomed their first child, Nora Marie in March 2019. Recently, Guy was awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Creighton University. In the last year, he has published several works including The Rhetoric of Western Thought (11th Edition), an undergraduate textbook on the history of rhetoric. 

Please mark your calendars for Alumni Weekend 2021 (June 24-27) for our 15th Reunion. We will celebrate jointly with the Class of 2005 whose 15th had to be canceled this summer. We look forward to seeing you all there. 

Cheers to better times ahead,

Nicole

Ed 

Andy

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement

ADAM KRUEGER ’07 

(857) 389-8617 / [email protected] 

LINDSEY KREYE HEIL ’07 

(952) 944-7528 / [email protected] 

STACY KRUSA TEACHOUT ’07 

(920) 345-1048 / [email protected]

LIZ LEACH MORRELL ’07 

(920) 279-0779 / [email protected]

Hello Class of 2007, 

We hope this letter finds you healthy and safe. 2020 has been quite the year thus far and we hope you are finding ways to adjust to our new “normal” and also taking some time for yourselves to stay emotionally fit.  

Ripon College opened its campus in the fall for in-person learning – click here to see details regarding their reopening plan: Reunion Ripon. 

All Midwest Conference athletic events have been canceled through 2020. In other big campus news, Sage Dining Services will be taking over the responsibility of feeding students at Ripon.  Also, see the link below regarding our own BEN REUTTEN ’07, featured in a news article about teaching during the pandemic: 

A point of pride for our class is that 37 individuals from the Class of 2007 gave on Ripon’s #OneDayRally this year contributing a total of $3,881. It was great seeing many of you sharing your Ripon spirit on social media that day, too. Additionally, 18 individuals from our class stepped up to contribute to the Emergency Assistance Fund. These are impressive numbers, especially given what everyone is going through with COVID-19.

Below you will find some updates from our classmates. Enjoy!    

AMANDA PICCIRILLO NOVAK ’07 writes, “I got married on November 23, 2019 to Joseph Novak in Kirtland, Ohio. MAGGIE HALL ’08 and KALI JANKOVICH ’07 were in attendance. Joe and I were then sealed in the Columbus Temple of the Church of Latter-day Saints on December 21, 2019. We are living in University Heights, Ohio. I am currently working as a Branch Services Assistant with the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Joe works as a Processing Engineer with TECT Power in Euclid, Ohio.”  

MARA EVANS SHAW ’07 of Madison, Wisconsin, and her husband, Jordan Shaw, welcomed twin boys, Jimmy and Sal, to their family. Jimmy is named after Jordy’s beloved uncle and Sal is named in honor of Mara’s mom, Sally. Big sister Marion at 1.5 years old is generally a fan!

JOLENE RUEDEN SCHATZINGER ’07 of Ripon, Wisconsin, continues to be grateful to work at our alma mater, Ripon College. In April, she was elected to Ripon’s City Council and will serve a four-year term. She also serves on the board for Freeland.org, a global non-profit headquartered in Green Lake, Wisconsin, that advocates against human slavery and wildlife trafficking. 

Remember, don’t be shy!  We always love to hear and share updates about your life. Thanks for continuing to support our Alma Mater. 

Best Regards,

Adam

Lindsey

Stacy

Liz

A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement:  Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].

Submitted by: Associate Director of Engagement