Class of 1917: OshKosh B’Gosh Through a friendship forged at Ripon College, Earl W. Wyman became a business executive with OshKosh B’Gosh and gave back to his Oshkosh and Ripon communities. He was born Aug. 2, 1894, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. At Ripon, he studied chemistry. He was an all-conference center in basketball for four years, […]
Class of 1958: Wisconsin Supreme Court justice The Honorable Jon P. Wilcox was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1992-2007, appointed by Gov. Tommy G. Thompson in 1992 and elected to a 10-year term in 1997. He was born Sept. 5, 1936, in Berlin, Wisconsin, and raised in nearby Wild Rose. At Ripon […]
When Natasha Torry became a municipal court judge for the City of Sheboygan/Village of Kohler (Wisconsin) in 2015, she was the first Black woman judge outside of Milwaukee and only the third elected in the state. In 2023, she was elected and sworn in as Sheboygan County Circuit Court Judge (Branch 2) and advocates for […]
Class of 1921: Lawyer Born May 16, 1899, on a farm in Newton Township, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, Paul Gerhard Rodewald went on to become a distinguished lawyer and earn nearly every honor that Ripon College bestows. As a fellow Ripon College Trustee would later recount, Rodewald “left his Manitowoc farmhouse, went to a local banker […]
Class of 1951: Extraordinary commitment Robert Van Abendroth has given a lifetime of service and commitment to Ripon College, sparked by a familial investment in the College that spans four generations. Abendroth is one of the longest-serving member of Ripon’s Board of Trustees, spanning 31 years from 1965-1996. For 19 of those years, he was […]
Class of 2017: Artist Ally Wilber is a Wisconsin artist, writer, and curator who specializes in the surrealist technique of fumage, or fire painting, and she is having an impact in all areas of presenting art to the public in the state. She was born in February 1995 in Appleton, Wisconsin. At Ripon, she majored […]
With a song in his heart For more than 30 years during his tenure at Ripon College, Doug Morris known to break out into impromptu, joyous song and sought to bring music into the lives of everyone around him in the greater Ripon community — as a professor and educator, as a church musician and […]
Class of 1957: Opera singing and boat repair At a very early age, Robert Edward McPherson developed two loves: sailing and singing. He was born Jan. 29, 1935, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From the age of 15, he sailed his beloved Snipe in area lakes, and crewed for other boat owners in regattas. He was a […]
Class of 1978: Grammy-winning mix engineer Three-time Grammy Award winner Justin Wrigley Niebank is one of the top mixers, engineers and producers in country music. His honors include two Country Music Awards, including a 2012 CMA as Engineer of the Year and a 2016 CMA as mix engineer for Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man,” […]
Class of 1959: The Man behind the Golden Stars After decades as a Hollywood press agent, David Mirisch published his autobiography “The Man with the Gold Rolox — PR to the Stars” in 2017. He was born July 24, 1935, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and was close to the entertainment business since birth. His father, Irving […]
Class of 1966: Everybody’s movie mom With more than 80 film credits over a five-decade career, Frances Lee McCain has sustained a prolific and versatile performing career on stage, television and film. She was born in July 1944 in York, Pennsylvania. At Ripon, she majored in philosophy, was a member of Alpha Chi Omega/Alpha Gamma […]
Class of 1924: Star of Hollywood’s Golden Age One of the mostly widely respected movie actors of all time first walked the boards at Ripon College. Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was a theatrical and Academy Award-winning film actor. He appeared in 75 feature films and numerous short films from 1930 to 1967 and received two Academy […]
Class of 1973: Artist From a 33-year career as a professor at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, to a prolific and varied exhibition schedule, James Blair Thompson established a formidable artistic reputation as one of the most innovative and intriguing artists and educators from the Pacific Northwest. He was born in July 1951 in Chicago, […]
Class of 1945: Voice of Mr. Slate John Winfield Stephenson, who lent his distinctive voice to dozens of animated and on-screen characters over a 60-year acting career, was best-known as the voice of Mr. Slate, Fred Flintstone’s boss at the rock quarry, on the classic 1960s television program “The Flintstones.” He also voiced the ladies’ […]
Faculty Artist The Department of Art at Ripon College was founded by Lester O. Schwartz, artist-in-residence from 1944 until his retirement in 1977. He was allowed to renovate a fraternity house into a studio and was given free rein to paint, as long as he also taught for four hours each day. A 1937 graduate […]
Class of 1981: Artist, writer, curator, cultural historian Throughout his career, Charlie Scheips has explored the ways art and fashion reflect — and preserve — the culture of their time. He has spent decades examining history through its visual artifacts, believing that while fortunes rise and fall, what endures are the objects that bear witness […]
Class of 1964: From “M*A*S*H*” to therapy From a recurring role on the television series “M*A*S*H*” to appearances on numerous television series and movies, to nurturing the empowerment of women and children who have endured domestic violence, Jan Jorden, Class of 1964, parlayed interests grounded at Ripon College into a varied and fulfilling career. She […]
Class of 1962: Jazz legend, seven-time Grammy winner Wisconsin-born singer and songwriter Alwin “Al” Jarreau is the only person in history to win Grammy Awards in three different categories: jazz, pop and R&B. He was born March 12, 1940, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the son of a minister, Jarreau began singing in the church choir […]
Class of 1927: A ‘happychrondriac’ Humorist and businessman Arnold H. Glasow kept the nation laughing with his insightful and quirky views of the world. His knack for creating snappy observations began in high school inn Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and was honed at Ripon College. He was born July 2, 1905, in Fond du Lac, […]
Class of 1964: Film superstar A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away … Harrison Ford discovered a love of acting on the Ripon College campus. He was born July 13, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois. At Ripon, he majored in philosophy and participated in Sigma Nu/Theta Sigma Tau. He gave memorable theatre performances […]
Class of 1925: Broadcasting pioneer Expanding educational and political discourse opportunities across the state of Wisconsin was a mission embraced by Harold Engel, Class of 1925, a broadcasting pioneer during the formative years of radio and television. He promoted the concept of using radio for social good. Born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, June 25, 1903, […]