Category: Alumni


Rick Kammen ’68 releases new book, is interviewed on NPR about prisoners at Guantanamo Bay

Richard Kammen ’68, of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, was interviewed March 30 on National Public Radio. The interview can be heard here and addresses the CIA’s torture program that continues to have huge implications at the U.S. military court and prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where 40 accused terrorists […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Ripon College foundation provides path to dentistry for Ross Oberschlake ’07

The path to dentistry for Dr. Ross Oberschlake ’07 was built on a foundation made at Ripon College. “Taking key courses through the biology and chemistry departments got me ready to enter into any career in the health field,” says Oberschlake of Hillcrest Family Dental in Waukesha, Wisconsin. “All the professors gave incredibly personalized attention […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Jeffrey Charles McAndrew ’81 named inaugural poet laureate in North Fond du Lac

Jeffrey Charles McAndrew ’81 of North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, has been named North Fond du Lac’s inaugural poet laureate by Spillman Public Library. He is involved with numerous artistic activities within the community. He started the podcast “Poets Have Something to Say” in October 2022, and it can be heard on the “Great Poets” […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Musical written by Ken Luber ’60 to have world premiere in California April 7

“Esperanza: A Musical of Love and Hope,” with book and lyrics by Ken Luber ’60 of Idyllwild, California, will have its world premiere April 7 at Mount San Jacinto College in California. “Esperanza” is a comedy/romance with “the grit of three fallen stars making their final comeback from darkness when that cheer is no longer […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Guy McHendry ’06 receives two major recognitions from Creighton University

George “Guy” McHendry ’06 of Omaha, Nebraska, associate professor of communication studies at Creighton University, received two major recognitions from his school in January. He received the Creighton University College of Arts and Sciences 2023 Dean’s Award for Tenure Track Teaching. This award is one of the highest honors the college bestows and is awarded […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Ronell Bradbeer Anderson ’59 celebrates Valentine’s Day all year

Ronell Bradbeer Anderson ’59 of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, likes valentines, particularly antique ones of bygone eras. She now has more than 500, which she organizes, photographs and displays on various websites, including Facebook and through the National Valentine Collectors Association. “I’ve always liked valentines,” she says. “They were a big part of my life in […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Adam Wronski ’20 publishes first research paper as a Ph.D. student

A paper co-written by Adam Wronski ’20 is published in the March 2023 issue of Environmental Pollution, an international peer-reviewed journal, and is available on Sciencedirect.com. “Global occurrence and aquatic hazards of antipsychotics in sewage influents, effluent discharges and surface waters” is Wronski’s first published paper in connection with his Ph.D. studies in the Department […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Research.


John Korbel ’60 spent years remembering the aftermath of Dec. 7, 1941

Dec. 7 is an especially poignant date for John R. Korbel ’60 of Naples, Florida. Sixteen times between 1991 and 2012, he made the trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, as a volunteer to help commemorate Dec. 7, 1941 — declared “a date which will live in infamy” by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the Empire […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Jeepers! Mike Missak ’01 excels at giving back to the community through Toys for Tots

It started off simply enough. Jeep lover Mike Missak ’01 didn’t see any Jeeps at a local car show and so started his own club, Jeeps on the Run. So many people joined that he thought they might as well accomplish something good with all those members. A yearly parade of Jeeps was organized to […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Kelly Millenbah ’90 becomes dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State

Kelly Millenbah ’90 of Mason, Michigan, has transitioned from being the interim dean to the dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University. She has been serving as interim dean since July 2021 and is a professor in the department of fisheries and wildlife. At Ripon, she majored in biology. […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


For Amy Fels ’17, love of archiving grew in Ripon, thrives in Oshkosh

Some students come to Ripon College uncertain which career they should enter after their four years at the school. Not Amy Fels ’17. “I came to Ripon wanting to study history and build a career in archives, but having the opportunity to work in the college archives confirmed my intuition that this career path was […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Mike Chamberlain ’78 works on massive photographic veterans’ project to honor his father

Mike Chamberlain ’78 of Auburn, New York, is continuing his herculean task of documenting more than 900 World War II photos taken by his late father, Carl Chamberlain. Throughout his deployment, Carl, a staff sergeant in the Army, took photographs in the field. Mike has donated the photos to the Veterans History Project (VHP) run […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Whitney Houston photos by Scott Strazzante ’86 featured in new exhibit

Scott Strazzante ’86 of Mill Valley, California, is featured in a recent interview for OnChain Magazine. “Scott Strazzante’s Whitney Houston,” a show and sale of his work, are part of the OnChain Media+Entertaiment “Women of Authenticity” series. Strazzante is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist for the San Francisco Chronicle and an author. The interview highlights Strazzante’s […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Kovack-Lesh, two alumnae contribute to article published in journal

Professor of Psychology Kristine A. Kovack-Lesh had an article published this summer with Ripon College alumnae and other collaborators. “Inconsistent flanker congruency effects across stimulus types and age groups: A cautionary tale” was published in the journal “Behavior Research Methods.” “The flanker task is a common measure of selective attention and response competition across populations, […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Faculty, Research.


Liberal arts taught Kevin Sheridan ’82 to pivot successfully

The flexibility a liberal arts education affords its graduates allowed Kevin Sheridan ’82 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to pivot successfully during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic, Sheridan, an internationally recognized keynote speaker on the topic of employee engagement, was a frequent keynote speaker at live international and national events. He worked with organizations […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Alaura Lemieux ’20 is research associate for COVID-19 testing for CDC studies

Alaura Lemieux of Luck, Wisconsin, is a research associate at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, the main lab contracted to do the bulk of testing for several studies for the CDC. Lemieux conducts scientific research for a few classified projects. “I get to do the actual science for projects versus the more labor-intensive tasks, though […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni.


Faculty, student have paper published on BioOne.org

Associate Professor of Biology Robin Forbes-Lorman and Miye Aoki-Kramer ’20 of Seattle, Washington, had a paper published on BioOne.org, a database of research in the biological, ecological and environmental sciences. Aoki-Kramer was a biology major with minors in educational studies and chemistry. She graduated magna cum laude with honors in biology. As a goal keeper […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Faculty, Research.


Patrick Willoughby, two alumni contribute to published paper

Associate Professor of Chemistry Patrick Willoughby has a paper published by ACS Publications. Two of the student co-authors are Ripon College alumnae: Sierra Thein ’22 of Oostburg, Wisconsin, a chemistry major; and Abbigail Grieger ’22 of Fargo, North Dakota, a chemistry-biology major. The paper describes a collaboration between Ripon College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Faculty, Research.


Changing the World: Candice North ’04 addresses critical needs at home and abroad

Candice North ’04 of Carmichael, California, is a first-generation student who grew up in rural Montana. At Ripon College, she majored in biology. At the University of Arizona, she received her doctor of medicine degree in the global health distinction track. She now is a hospitalist, an internal medicine or family medicine physician who performs […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Changing the World.


Changing the World: Christopher Reed-Waddell ’07 serves during crises

Christopher Reed-Waddell ’07 took an early interest in making the world a better place. At Ripon, he majored in communication and philosophy, and he later received a master’s degree in public administration from University of Colorado Denver. As a Ripon student, Christopher went to New Orleans with classmates several times to volunteer after Hurricane Katrina. […]

Posted by Dale Devries in Alumni, Changing the World.