Category: Alumni
Celebrating ‘National Puppy Day’ with Danielle Gunter ’06
Danielle Paiz Gunter ’06 is helping feed dogs and cats in no-kill shelters. As executive director of Puppy Food Bank, she spearheads efforts to collect donations that fuel the work of rescue organizations across the country. Since its founding in October 2022, Gunter has helped Puppy Food Bank distribute more than 500,000 pounds of dog […]
Posted by Ric Damm in Alumni.
Frank Smoll ’63 publishes e-book for youth sport parents
Frank Smoll ’63, Ph.D., recently published an e-book for youth sport parents after enjoying a career as a developmental sport psychologist and professor emeritus of the University of Washington. Titled “Sports and Your Young Athlete: Developing Champions in Sports and Life,” the e-book provides comprehensive information that assists parents in enhancing the well-being of their […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Athletics News, Homepage Featured.
Ripon alumna believed to be first to pledge
In 1964, the Ripon College chapter of Alpha Chi Omega made history by pledging Lezlie Heard Bishop ’66. It is historic because Bishop is believed to be the first black woman to pledge a National Panhellenic sorority. According to Bishop, Ripon’s Alpha Phi chapter also was interested in pledging her, but the national office of […]
Posted by Ric Damm in Alumni.
Ripon anthropology major has lead to success for Frost ’89
Jeffrey Frost ’89 is a specialist in Central and South American archaeology. Since graduating with his major in anthropology from Ripon, Frost has conducted archaeological research in Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Mexico and throughout the Midwest and eastern United States. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is currently an […]
Posted by Ric Damm in Alumni.
Doss ’57 achieved two firsts for African Americans
Ulysses S. Doss Jr. ’57 was the first African American to become an ordained minister in Wisconsin and first to become a full professor at University of Montana-Missoula. It was at Missoula where, in 1968, he worked with students to found what was just the second African-American Studies program in the nation. He served as […]
Posted by Ric Damm in Alumni.
Cornick ’52: Ripon’s first black student council president
In 1951, Delroy L. Cornick ’52 became the first black student to be elected president of the Ripon College Student Senate (referred to as Student Council at the time). It was not without controversy, however, as his opponent dropped out of the race, “refusing to compete against a black” (Ripon Magazine Winter 2000). Later, the […]
Posted by Ric Damm in Alumni, Diversity.
Who was Ripon’s first black student?
Who was the first black student at Ripon College? It is a challenging question. Over the years, it has been thought to be answered and then corrected. Turner Jones, class of 1939, of Piney Woods, Mississippi, was incorrectly identified in the Spring 2001 issue of Ripon Magazine as the first African American to attend Ripon. […]
Posted by Ric Damm in Alumni.
Edward Fruth, Class of 1912, elected to basketball coach Hall of Fame
E. D. (Edward Daniel) Fruth, Ripon College Class of 1912, has been elected to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Fruth was at Fond du Lac (Wisconsin) High School for 26 years, from 1914 until his death in 1941. He had served as the coach of the basketball, football and golf teams and […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.
Struggles early shaped Brad Balof ’00 into activist, advocate
“I came to Ripon knowing that I’m gay,” says Brad Balof ’00. “While many would think moving to a small town would be a step backwards, I really found a group of friends and allies that supported me and, in some ways, protected me.” “I come from a generation where larger high schools usually had […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Social Responsibility.
A student leader at Ripon, Reynolds ’14 remains active in LGTBQ+ advocacy
Frankie Reynolds ’14, more commonly known as Rosette Reynolds during her time as a student at Ripon College, “came out” as a high school freshman at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago. “By the time I got to Ripon, I was a fairly confident, established gay who had a community back at home to fall […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.
“I was terrified” — Van Leer ’78 describes being gay in the 1970s
The Rev. Lois Van Leer attended Ripon at a time when gay students had very few outlets to discuss their sexuality. She realized as a sophomore that she is a lesbian, but she also knew she wanted to be a minister. At the time, those were considered conflicting interests by many. “I was at Ripon […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.
Zachary Morris ’02 named chair of the UW Department of Human Oncology
Zachary Morris ’02 has been named chair of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Human Oncology. A leading expert on innovative approaches to cancer therapy, Morris is a radiation oncologist at UW Health and an associate professor of human oncology. He joined the faculty in 2016 and two years […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.
Rally Days 2024 supports Forever Ripon campaign
Rally Days 2024 is LIVE! Our goal is to secure 1,000 gifts to support the Forever Ripon campaign between Wednesday, April 3, and Friday, April 5. Celebrate the future of Ripon College and the Forever Ripon campaign today! Make your gift! Visit RALLYDAYS.RIPON.EDU to learn more about matching gift challenges and special campaign priorities: Ripon Fund, Franzen Science Center and Residence […]
Posted by Dale Devries in #OneDayRally, Alumni, Funding and gifts, Special Event.
James P. Danky ’70 curates political cartoon exhibit to run in Milwaukee, Ripon
James P. Danky ’70 is the guest curator for the exhibit “Pow-litical Comics: From Ripon to the RNC,” to run April 12 to July 22 at St. Kate — The Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. An opening reception will be held from 6-8 p.m. April 19. The exhibit is scheduled to coincide with the Republican […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Fine Arts.
Mark Franzen ’83 to begin term as chair of the Ripon College Board of Trustees
Mark Franzen ’83 of Paradise Valley, Arizona, and Green Lake, Wisconsin, will begin his term as the new chair of the Ripon College Board of Trustees at the February board meeting. Since joining the board in 2010, Franzen has held numerous leadership positions including chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs, Board secretary and membership […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Administration, Alumni.
Julie Streich ’92 appointed to board of directors for Schneider National Inc.
Julie Streich ’92 of Farmington, Connecticut, recently was appointed to the board of directors and its audit committee by Schneider National Inc. of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services. She states that as a member of Schneider’s board of directors, she will provide governance, oversight and guidance on major decision-making […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.
Momentum students visit Jodi Gibson ’89 of the Milwaukee Zoological Society
Students participating in the summer Momentum Leadership Fellows Program took a field trip to the Milwaukee Zoo Aug. 11 and met with Jodi Gibson ’89, CEO of the Milwaukee Zoological Society. Gibson talked about how her time at Ripon College changed her life. Momentum, now in its third year, is a summer bridge for highly […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Academics, Alumni, Student.
Collaborative faculty-student research brings real-world skills into graduate work of Brianna Bembenek ’22
Collaborative research work between Ripon College professors and a student has resulted in a conference presentation and publication in the journal Behavioural Brain Research. “Decrease in ER within the BNST of sexually naïve male rats following an encounter with a novel female” is available to read online for free for a limited time. The senior […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Faculty, Research.
Starling Shakespeare Company returns Aug. 31 for free performance of ‘As You Like It’
Starling Shakespeare Company, which held a summer residency at Ripon College, returns to campus Aug. 31 for a performance of William Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It.” The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Benstead Theatre, C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts. It will be free and open to the public. The company was […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Fine Arts.
Laboratory work at Ripon leads to career position for Zachary Wieland ’13
The laboratory work Zachary Wieland ’13 did at Ripon College influenced his career path. Wieland, of Appleton, Wisconsin, says, “The projects that the professors in Farr Hall allowed us to work on always gave us some freedom to explore a topic that interested us. Having that freedom to explore our curiosity helped provide real-life experience […]
Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.