Winter 2008
C
urrents winona state university magazine
Enchanted Forest Alum Forrest Musselman updates favorite tales for fortieth Children’s Theatre
Winter 2008 Winona Currents is published by Winona State University’s Division of University Advancement and is distributed to more than 40,000 alumni and friends of Winona State University. Currents is copyrighted material. Articles may be reprinted with permission. Comments on this publication should be directed by mail to WSU-University Advancement, PO Box 5838, Winona MN 55987; by email: currents@winona.edu; online: www.alumni.winona. edu. Address changes and Class Notes should be directed by mail to the Alumni Relations Office, PO Box 5838, Winona MN 55987-5838; by email: alumni@winona.edu. POSTMASTER: If undeliverable as addressed, please send Form 3579 to Alumni Relations, PO Box 5838, Winona MN 55987-5838. Winona State University is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This document can be made available in an alternative format to individuals with disabilities by contacting the magazine staff at the address above. Winona State University is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
6 10 14
C O N T E N T S Children’s Theatre Alumn’s original play helps theatre celebrate fourtieth
Changing Times Two decades of social and political upheaval
Life Lessons
John Guenther’s life is linked with the outdoors
News & Highlights........................................................ 4 My Favorite Professor.................................................. 17 Distinguished Alumni.................................................. 18 Alumni Connections.................................................... 20
Class Notes.................................................................. 21 Current People............................................................. 30
Warriors Reign
Winona State cheerleaders ignite a spark along the Huff Street parade route during a wet and windy Homecoming 2007.
On the Cover
Ethan Jensen (Jackal), Alex Gillett (Partridge), and Jake Larson and Caitlin Puckett (Players) perform in the Children’s Theatre production Tales Told ‘Round the World.
&HIGHLIGHTS
NEWS
Commemorative Stamp Unveiled at WSU
Opening Stanza
Winona State University and
Minnesota are sharing a sesquicentennial celebration, so why not a stamp commemorating the state’s 150th year?
The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its
design for a new stamp to commemorate Minnesota’s 150th year of statehood at a special ceremony at the Science Laboratory Center on October 6. Appropriately, the design features a sunset view of the Mississippi River from Winona with the Highway 43 Bridge in the foreground and the bluffs on the horizon.
“[Winona] is one of the places where
Jim Armstrong named Winona’s first poet laureate
The Winona Fine Arts Commission
the state started, so there’s a lot of
has selected Jim Armstrong, a professor
issued sometime in 2008, according to
historical significance there,” said Pete
of English at Winona State, as the city’s
postal service officials.
Nowacki, postal service spokesman.
inaugural Poet Laureate.
The commemorative stamp will be
University Joins Climate Agreement
Winona State is taking a lead role along with other colleges and universities
to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and provide knowledge to achieve climate neutrality. In May Dr. Judith Ramaley, WSU president, signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an effort to address global warming issues by institutions of higher education.
While the initiative is in its early stages, Winona State has taken three significant
steps towards creating and implementing a sustainability and climate agenda. Cal Winbush, who retired in 2006 as vice president for student affairs and facilities, will serve as sustainability coordinator at Winona State. In addition, the Climate Commitment Task Force has convened and is creating a work plan. Finally, the university is collaborating with community partners, including the City of Winona, Winona County, and the Winona Area Public Schools, to seek certification in Environment Management Systems. You can learn more about the Presidents Climate Commitment at www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.
As he donned the symbolic laurel
crown at a reception on October 22, Armstrong remarked on poetry as “a powerful expression of our common humanity.” A professor at WSU since 1999, he grew up reading, writing, and listening to poetry in his home of Kalamazoo, Mich. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, MFA at Western Michigan University, and PhD at Boston University.
Armstrong has published many
poems and essays. He received the PEN-New England Discovery Award for Poetry in 1996 and an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in 1999. He has two published books of poetry, Monument in Summer Hat (New Issues Press, 1999) and Blue Lash (Milkweed Editions, 2006).
“A good poem is like your own
feelings brought back to you with greater force and excellence,” said Armstrong.
4 l Winter 2008
&HIGHLIGHTS
NEWS
Flood Response Great Expectations Men’s Basketball Team Enters Season Ranked On Top Ongoing
The preseason rankings are out, and the Winona State men’s basketball team is
picked for the top spot in one NCAA Division II and second in another.
Division II Bulletin has the Warriors ranked number one, while The Sporting News
ranks WSU just behind the University of South Dakota. The Warriors finished with a 35-1 record last year and lost to Barton College in the final seconds of the NCAA Tournament. Winona State won the national title in 2006.
In our last issue of Currents we
reported on Winona State’s response to the flooding that devastated several communities in southeast Minnesota in August. For many flood victims, the recovery process goes on. And the Winona State Recovery Assistance
John Smith (Johnsburg, Ill.) is the unanimous choice for Division II Preseason Player
of the Year. The senior was the division’s player of the year last season after averaging 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
For the first time, Winona State will offer season tickets for its men’s and women’s
basketball games. For more information or to order tickets, go to the WSU athletics Website: www.winona.edu/athletics.
Healthy Science
Planning Team (RAPT) continues to help neighbors in the community clean up and rebuild.
Winona State students and employees
worked in the Stockton, Minnesota City, Goodview, and Rushford areas throughout September and October helping to rebuild homes, parks, and local businesses. Many students planned to spend Homecoming weekend in Rushford, one of the hardest hit communities. Driving wind and rains postponed the cleanup for a week, but 80 students turned out on October 7 to assist
New Health Sciences Center opened in Rochester
In a move to increase capacity to educate students in healthcare professions, Winona
homeowners with the physical labor of
State and Rochester Community and Technical College opened the Health Sciences
cleaning up. Dr. Judith Ramaley, Winona
Center in Rochester in August. The phased project began in May 2006 and is funded
State president, worked alongside the
through a $12.75 million bonding fund and $1.5 million in Rochester city sales tax
students and helped serve lunches.
proceeds. While many communities in southeast The Health Sciences Center is located at the University Center Rochester campus, Minnesota are on the road back, there is a facility shared by WSU-Rochester and RCTC. The three components of the project
still much to be done. WSU’s Southeast
include renovation of the former Rockenbach Gymnasium to house classrooms, labs,
Minnesota Analytical Service continues
and office space; construction of a surgical technology lab suite; and establishment of
to offer water testing at no charge for
the Migrant Health Clinic at the Heintz Center, which was previously the United Way
flood victims with private wells. RAPT
building.
is organizing further volunteer weekends
and tool donations. For more information
the WSU and RCTC Learning Alliance’s capacity to educate healthcare professionals
on how you can help, or if you need
and serve a growing number of students in more than 20 health programs at the two
assistance, visit the RAPT Website at
institutions. Approximately one-third of WSU-Rochester students are enrolled in nursing
cs.winona/edu/flood07.
The new Health Sciences Center and upgraded space at the Heintz Center strengthens
and health sciences-related programs.
Winona Currents l 5
6 l Winter 2008
Full Circle Former actor in children’s plays returns to pen fortieth production By Julie Johnson ’05
T
he dark quiet of the Performing Arts Center became festive as 400 school children were ushered into their seats for a play. The kids boogied to the pre-show music, looked and pointed at the set, waved to the production crew, and made exaggerated faces for each other. The commotion grew until curtain time. The theatre reverberated with the energy of decades of student audiences.
The October 2007 performance of Tales Told ‘Round the World marked 40 years of children’s theatre at Winona State, played to audiences of nearly 200,000. There to direct all of them has been award-winning theatre professor Vivian Fusillo. “I consider the children’s theatre audience to be our most important audience,” she said. “We are possibly the only theatre that plays to thousands of children every season free of charge. It’s the only live theatre many students ever see.” The inaugural children’s production, in 1968-69, was Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Jacque Reidelberger, a professor emeritus of theatre, recalled his work in the children’s shows, “I designed the scenery for the first children’s theatre production and many that followed. While for some it might be deemed ‘collaboration,’ for me it was ‘coloveration.’ What a joy those children had!” The children’s productions have come full circle in many ways. Fusillo said, “After 40 years, I’m still closely connected with people who came to see our shows as a child, then came back, got cast in a show, and now return with their children.” Krista Carson Elhai ’83, now California state thespian director, said, “The legacy at WSU instilled a wonderful appreciation for contributing to the world of theatre. I currently run a high school program with 500 students who produce ten shows a year, and they love to hear about those productions.”
At your service: Amanda Koprowski (Computer Terminal) awaits input from Kaitlin McCarthy (Queen). Winona Currents l 7
Left: Forrest Musselman called on his memories of past Children’s Theatre performances to write Tales Told ‘Round the World. Right: The cast and crew take a bow.
8 l Winter 2008
Yet, each year Fusillo considers what to perform
some point, five-six years ago, I stopped writing
as an encore. “It’s always a problem. What to play
poetry and focused on plays.”
next?” Over the years, she has chosen favorite such
After their café meeting, Musselman had to
as Peter Pan and A Christmas Carol.
produce a first draft in a month. “It was frantic,
For the fortieth production she decided that the play
psychotic writing,” said Musselman. He then had
should center on tales told around the world. But
only a few weeks for other drafts before the cast went
which tales should she include?
through its first reading. Musselman’s challenge was
Fusillo thought of Forrest Musselman ’94 / ’99, an
not in dramatizing stories that had already been told,
alumnus with five published plays. She asked him
but in creating the overriding story that would tie
to write an original piece. “I felt honored that she
them together.
asked,” said Musselman.
Although Musselman said the process was
Over the summer Fusillo met Musselman in a
“terrorizing,” he wrote a contemporary play rich with
café in Rushford, where Musselman teaches high
relevancy for our technological culture and alive
school English. When they sat down with paper and
with folk tales from Africa, Japan, India, Germany,
pen, Fusillo was thinking he might write about just
Mexico, and the United States.
one of the world tales. By the end of the meeting,
Tales involves a boy named Jack, played by student
Musselman was writing the whole play.
Ryan Hawkins. Jack is obsessed with his computer
As a child, Musselman remembered traveling
and would never willingly turn it off, play outside,
to Winona State to see The Lion, the Witch and
or open a book. He tells his mother he could find
the Wardrobe with his school. He first met Fusillo
every story on the Internet and tries to prove it by
as a WSU student in 1989 when he auditioned
looking up the stories online. But a villain steps in,
for Treasure Island and was cast as Jim Hawkins.
a computer virus dressed in green with a conniving
He performed in every children’s show and other
voice, portrayed by senior Brian Rice.
productions while he earned his degree in English
The virus asks the audience, “Do you know what a
and theatre arts performance.
computer is?”
Musselman said about writing, “It was always
He receives a huge “Yes!” in response. “Do you
there.” While growing up he would write plays and
know what the Internet is?” “Yes!” again. The virus
make his brothers perform them for their family. He
had Jack, and them, where he wanted them.
wrote class skits. And he wrote a lot of poetry. “At
So the Internet and its attractions and woes become
the wider story. Musselman also experimented with
Musselman was writing the play, Moeller was anxious
wordplay in the tales. “Mirror, mirror …” becomes
for the script, which she received a week before she
“Monitor, monitor on the wall, who’s the fairest of
resumed classes this fall. She began drawing costume
them all?”
designs immediately because the play has fifty
After the virus destroys Jack’s attempts to read
costume changes, ranging from an iguana, a wicked
different world tales—stories acted out by the
stepmother, a bird, a Japanese emperor, and a few of
cast— Jack turns off his computer, goes outside, and
the Seven Dwarves.
discovers the wonders of the real world again.
The young audiences’ responses told a tale of
“This was the first time I could write a play and
success. When the play began, the children became
let my imagination go wild and know that it could be
quiet and engaged. But they roared with laughter
done,” said Musselman. Usually Musselman writes
when characters wrestled or spoke with strange
for high school markets and keeps the production as
voices. While an adult audience can be slow to rise,
marginal as possible. “This time I went crazy and they
these children gave a jumping, screaming ovation.
did everything.”
When Tales ended, one small boy jumped to his
Doing everything was what performers liked
feet and threw both arms high, his fists clenched in
best. Under the creative direction of Fusillo and the
a victory pose more often seen on an athletic field.
experienced talent of the theatre and dance department
As the children filed back out to the lobby, actors in
technical staff, Winona State students made the
costume joined them and gave high-fives all around.
complicated production magical.
Musselman attended a performance of Tales Told
Everything from fireflies, a large climbable tree, a
‘Round the World with his wife and two young
campfire, the huge computer screen framing the stage,
children. He was pleased with the production. “Vivian
to the lighting of a gorgeous full moon evening came
and I have always been on the same page, but to see
together to set the stage for Musselman’s play.
something imagined come to life under her direction
Eileen Moeller, a junior in theatre and history major,
was surreal.” He plans to rewrite a few sections and
said, “It was unique and special to produce an original
submit the play for publication.
work. It gave the designers and actors more freedom.”
Fusillo was also pleased. “I get to work with the
Moeller, who usually works as stage manager, had
most creative and exciting people,” said Fusillo.
a hand in nearly every part of Tales. She designed the
“That’s what makes my world go ‘round.” g
costumes, make-up and assisted with the props. While
Winona Currents l 9
“The Times They
In this fourth in a series of stories following the history of Winona State, Melanie Horner looks at a time of political and social upheaval: the sixties and seventies. Student protests and the antiwar movement; bra-burning and the push for women’s rights; Freedom Riders and civil rights. The sixties and seventies were a time of great political and social upheaval that touched almost every part of American life. Nowhere was the drive for change greater than on the nation’s campuses, including a former normal school called Winona State. Throughout the “Swinging Sixties” and the “Me Decade” of the seventies, Winona State re-examined and reconsidered what it was doing and where it was going. The
10 l Winter 2008
curriculum, faculty, student body, campus
white, international students from Asia,
architecture, and even long-held traditions
Iran, the Philippines, Germany, Lebanon
group that found a voice in the sixties and
were transformed as the institution grew
and Norway, added a new dimension of
seventies. Changes in the institution –
from a teachers college into a liberal arts
diversity to the campus. Reflecting the
enrollment increases, the rise of the liberal
university.
national civil rights movement, the Black
arts, a questioning of the old hierarchies
Times were changing, and members of
Student Union (today known as the Black
– prompted the need for WSU’s Faculty
the Winona State community wanted a
Cultural Awareness Association) raised
Senate to take on a larger role in the
greater voice in determining the conditions
issues through a weekly column in the
governance of the university. For years,
that governed their lives. As might
Winonan, rap sessions, talent shows and
the Faculty Senate had been peripheral
be expected, a changing student body
Black History Week.
to most decisions made by university
provided the most visible evidence of this
The Winonan was a lively forum for
Students weren’t the only campus
administrators.
new attitude.
competing viewpoints from all members
Students enrolled in record numbers
of the WSU community. Editorials
social science department from 1963 to
during the sixties and seventies. In the
and letters to the editor in the campus
1991, and was a president of the Faculty
1950s, enrollment was roughly 500
newspaper illuminate the struggle between
Senate. He felt a more active role for
students. By 1970, an estimated 4,000 students attended Winona State. No longer were all students fresh-faced 18-year-olds. War veterans and married adults supporting families made up an increasingly “non-traditional” student body. Joe Emmanuel,
Growing awareness of the world around them and a loosening of social mores left many students uninterested in traditions and customs favored by earlier Winona State students.
Rod Henry served Winona State’s
society’s
faculty led to a better university. If
traditional and
the faculty is involved, they reasoned,
developing
programs would improve and students
liberal values.
would come.
According to
Emmanuel, the veteran biology
Dick Davis, an
professor, was Faculty Senate president
alumnus and
for five years. During the sixties and
recent retiree
seventies, he saw an institution growing
from his position
in size and complexity that could benefit
who taught in Winona State’s biology
as WSU’s director of publications, the
from the participation and ideas provided
department for more than 30 years,
paper’s student editors generally fell on the
by faculty. One of the senate’s first calls
said these students deserved a different
liberal side of most issues, but not without
to action was to seek pay increases for
level of respect from faculty. Although
lively debate from the more conservative
experienced female faculty members,
the student body was overwhelmingly
faction on campus.
bringing their salaries closer to those of
Are a-Changin’“ Winona Currents l 11
their male colleagues. Perhaps more than any other generation, the campus community of the sixties and seventies challenged American ideals and strove to create a better society. World events had a great impact on the campus community. World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam had made society tired of armed conflict, according to both Emmanuel and Henry. As casualties mounted in Vietnam and rumors of increased draft quotas circulated, many students feared that their deferred status under the Selective Service Act would end. The atmosphere in the late sixties was politically charged, said Davis. Students held peaceful protests across campus, wrote editorials in the Winonan, and
Day, Locks Pioneered Women’s Sports at WSU In the sixties and seventies Winona State’s faculty took an active role as the university underwent an academic and social makeover. No one was more active than Susan J. Day. Day worked at Winona State from 1957 to 1987. During that time she served as chair of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and later as assistant vice president for academic affairs. She was on the front lines of change and growth at Winona State, particularly when it came to women’s athletics. Day and colleague Joyce O. Locks, who served as WSU’s first women’s athletic
debated the pros and cons of engaging in a war that seemed endless. At one point, about 200 Winona State students held an overnight sit-in on the corner of Huff and King Streets to protest the conflict in Vietnam. Growing awareness of the world around them and a loosening of social
director, agreed that, during the sixties, women had more opportunities to participate in
mores left many students uninterested in
athletics than at many other universities. Throughout the 1960s Winona State boasted
traditions and customs favored by earlier
“a girl for every sport and a sport for every girl.” But while females were active in
Winona State students. Annual dances
intramurals, they were not allowed to travel off campus to compete against other
and balls waned, and with them went the
universities.
multitude of queens-for-a-day so popular
As the decade turned to the seventies, Day and other university faculty and
in the 1950s. In some cases, they were
administrators urged women to organize intercollegiate teams. A supportive
replaced by more overtly sexual feminine
administration ensured that dollars were allotted to women’s athletics at Winona State.
ideals. Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity
In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments changed everything, prohibiting exclusion or discrimination in any education program receiving federal financial assistance. Subsequent court rulings confirmed that Title IX applied to intercollegiate athletic programs, leading to an eventual explosion in women’s sports. Day said that, in general, male faculty members supported Title IX and initiatives to increase opportunities for women. Day and Locks led the charge at Winona State, advocating for improvements to Memorial Hall to accommodate rapidly expanding intramural programs and much needed classroom space. The upgrades to Memorial also provided practice and game space as more women’s sports were added at Winona State. Today, partially to comply with Title IX and as a result of the work of Day and Locks, nine of Winona State’s fifteen intercollegiate sports are women’s teams.
12 l Winter 2008
began an annual Playboy Bunny candidate contest, organized with guidance from Playboy headquarters in Chicago. Women dressed in Bunny costumes—complete with trademark ears, tails, short skirts, and tights—served drinks and acted as hostesses. They were later judged on appearance in personality. Again, the Winonan provided an outlet for public discourse. A flurry of editorials and letters led to the contest’s demise in the mid1970s.
Casino Night was also popular in the late 1970s. Students indulged in blackjack, roulette, and a massage parlor, fueled
of marijuana mingled with the clouds of
social, and architectural changes.
cigarette smoke.
The institution won accreditation as a
As the institution freed itself from the
university in 1975. At the rechristened
by copious amounts of beer. Because the
constraints of the 1940s and 1950s, the
Winona State University, graduate
legal drinking age was 18 at the time,
campus and the curriculum expanded. To
programs expanded and the liberal arts
alcohol was the drug of choice for many
accommodate the needs of an expanding
and science programs grew to include
college students, and Winona State coeds
student body, academic buildings such
programs such as nursing, medical
were no exception. Henry remembers
as Pasteur and Gildemeister Halls and
technology, and business.
cigarettes were another popular vice. The
Maxwell Library were constructed.
student union, was called “The Smog”
Kryzsko Commons housed new
due to heavy clouds of cigarette smoke that hung in the air. In October 1970, the Winonan published an article
No longer were all students fresh-faced 18-year-olds. War veterans and married adults supporting families made up an increasingly “nontraditional” student body.
by a Winona State chemistry graduate that answered students’
Long before the upheaval of the sixties and seventies, Winona State Teachers
recreational and
College presented a closing statement to
dining facilities, and
the Interim Committee of the 1944 State
Lucas, Prentiss, and
Legislature regarding the future of the
Sheehan residence
institution:
halls provided
“Winona has never been satisfied to
sleeping quarters for
depend on its past for its prestige and
students.
usefulness. Today, as always, studies are
In 1971, the fourth floor of Prentiss
being conducted to shape the work of the
questions about marijuana. He wrote a
Hall allowed male and female students
College to serve a changing nation in a
second story with research and advice on
to live together on the same floors. Soon
world seeking for light. Its valuable plant,
the hallucinogenic drug, LSD. The articles
after, Richards Hall went coed. Winona
grounds and equipment, its traditions and
heralded an era when experimenting
State’s other residence halls soon followed
high ideals of service, its devoted faculty
with drugs was in vogue. Davis recalled
suit, with the exception of Sheehan Hall.
and sympathetic citizenry, all operate
walking through the student union, where he occasionally detected a distinctive scent
Winona State underwent an academic makeover that matched its governance,
together to make the future greater than the past.” Throughout the volatile sixties and seventies, as Winona State University came of age, these sentiments held fast. They still ring true today as the university celebrates its 150th anniversary. g
Winona Currents l 13
Lifetime
Lessons for a
Jim Wagner ’66, former director of publications at
T
he time was just more than a half century ago, the early 1950s. To some that qualifies as ancient history. To others, it’s closer to yesterday.
The place was Hokah, the smallest of small southeastern Minnesota towns, hardly bigger than the dot representing it on a map. It was then, and remains, a river town, the Mississippi flowing silent but conspicuous on its way to the Gulf. The hills and valleys of Houston County surround the town in all other directions. It takes little imagination to picture the serenity of a place like this, sun rising over the river, stippling the bluffs and valleys with misty morning light.
John Guenther didn’t have to imagine.
Creek and its sparkling waters, John was
He grew up here and experienced those
about to wade into the roiled depths of
mornings. He would awake early, anxious
environmental management and public
for the day ahead. When you’re eight years
sentiment. Fifty years after grandpa’s simple
old and surrounded by the finest hunting and
lessons on Thompson Creek, John Guenther
fishing the state has to offer, what matters is
faced his first morning as director of fish and
that grandpa would soon be there, some days
wildlife for the Minnesota Department of
to take you to the river, some to a nearby
Natural Resources.
woods or field, still others to Thompson
Winona State, evokes an
Creek.
There are nearly 6,000 miles of river and
earlier time in his profile of
streams. Its borders contain some five million
fellow alumnus John Guenther,
Creek is a scratch running through it. John
acres of prairie and woodland. Each year the
former director of fish and
learned a lot on that stream. He vividly
state issues hundreds of thousands of hunting
recalls a fishing pole slung over one shoulder,
and fishing licenses. Minnesota is a mecca
a creel strapped to the other, wading into
to tourists wanting to partake of its natural
its cool, clear-running waters in pursuit of
resources. Belying this abundance, there
brown trout. Grandpa taught him the ways
are numerous threats to its existence: zebra
of the woods, rules of the water, tactics of
mussels, milfoil, erosion, water quality, and
the catch. Mother Nature embellished the
yes, rule violations by a few who abuse those
lessons. Life was good in John’s corner of
resources. One doesn’t venture unprepared
the state. Little did he know – how could he
into the realm of resource management.
know? – his future was being cast at the same
time.
University with his bachelor’s degree in 1967
and his master’s in 1969. He owes much of
wildlife for the Minnesota DNR and current advocate for the outdoors
14 l Winter 2008
If Hokah is a dot on the map, Thompson
One morning in 2003, John would awake
Minnesota claims more than 10,000 lakes.
John graduated from Winona State
with a different view of the memories of
his love of the outdoors and outlook on life
childhood. Still surrounded by nature, still a
to his grandfather. Winona State gets the
stone’s throw from the Mississippi, though
credit for his organization, communication,
now 200 miles north in Grand Rapids, the
and negotiating skills. The two influences,
expectations of youth were about to shift to
combined with others along the way, to led
critical evaluations. Rather than Thompson
John to experiences and opportunities that
John Guenther's life and work has been shaped by the water and forests of Minnesota. would one day open the door to the DNR.
more. Claudia was enrolled at Winona
reach that point in our lives. We were
State, and John remembers a college
married and both had to work in order to
when he completed high school, John
night at Houston High School and a
meet expenses. By the time I graduated
recalls. “Join the Navy and see the
recruiter, Jacque Reidelberger.
we were proud, but hassled parents of two
World” struck a chord, so he enlisted
children.”
and spent two years aboard an aircraft
and theater professor, and Claudia were
carrier. His tour of duty took him to the
persuasive and selecting a college was
market, but Winona State was not finished
Caribbean and the Mediterranean Seas.
matter of fact for John. Choosing a course
with John. Now a university, WSU
The Cuban Missile Crisis was more than
of study was not quite as easy.
was offering its first master’s program
morning newspaper fodder. “Those were
in psychology. John’s undergraduate
eye-opening experiences for me,” John
Winona State,” explains John. For
mentors, Hank Van Kirk, John Lewis,
says.
reasons he’s still not certain, sociology
Everett Eiken, and Paul Rost had
and psychology caught his attention.
impressed on him the appeals of teaching
home. After his stint in the Navy John
Rather than choose one, he pursued both
at the college level.
returned to Hokah and a certain young
and after four years held a double major
lady, Claudia Redding, who had won
and his degree.
Claudia. She was more than ready for
John’s affections in high school. While
us to begin a life away from academics,
they had agreed to go their separate ways
accomplishment that day,” John says.
but conceded to my desire to pursue an
after graduation, time away from each
“Claudia and I have often reflected about
advanced degree.” John enrolled in the
other revealed that there was something
the energy and commitment it took to
graduate program, and thinks that his
College wasn’t foremost in his mind
Small towns always seem to call you
Reidelberger, a longtime speech
“I knew Claudia. I didn’t know
“I remember the feeling of
He couldn’t wait to enter the job
“I remember posing the situation to
Winona Currents l 15
decision determined the course his life
“We decided to do something about
to tailor programs for state parks, local
has taken.
it,” remembers John. “I was surrounded
conservation officers, various divisions
by people accomplished in academics
– every activity within the DNR was
a solid platform and we were their first
and natural resources. The possibilities
addressed. John’s vision set a new
students,” John says of his professors,
were too obvious to ignore.” John and
precedent within the organization.
especially Van Kirk, with whom he
his colleagues orchestrated the project.
reminisced recently. “There were only
Schara was appointed moderator. Mother
creativity and dedication, and the trust
four of us enrolled and we received very
Nature and academia were about to meet.
he had gained from his colleagues, was
close and personal attention.”
The program was an unqualified success.
recognized with his appointment as
Director of Fish and Wildlife. He held
“They wanted the program to start on
On receiving his master’s the time
for the “real job” finally arrived. John interviewed both in and outside of academics around the country. Once again, the experiences of his youth entered the picture. “I was driving along the Mississippi River on my way to interview at Anoka-Ramsey
People involved with the Department
of Natural Resources caught wind of the
Mother Nature and academia were about to meet. The program was an unqualified success.
Community College. I found
On a morning in 2003, John’s
this highly visible post and managed its
project. Word spread
$160 million budget for three years until
and John assisted the
he retired in 2006.
DNR with advanced
education programs
a single individual can have on an
offered to aspiring young
operation as large and dynamic as the
outdoorsmen through
DNR. It is perhaps even harder to gauge
community conservation
a one person’s impact on our state’s fish
clubs. A new door was
and wildlife and the habitat in which
It is difficult to quantify the effect
myself recollecting on my early days, sort
opening – director of training for the
they live. The resource is a continuum,
of day dreaming, when suddenly a flock
DNR – and John walked through it.
dating back beyond any of our memories
of pheasants burst from the side of the
and going forward with the purpose of
road and crossed just in front of my car. I
that of his classroom at Anoka-Ramsey.
providing recreation and pleasure, and
decided then and there, if Anoka-Ramsey
“It was a monumental task calling upon
a way of life, for many generations to
would have me, I would have them.”
every bit of experience I had, and some I
come.
didn’t have,” John says.
Ramsey in 1970. Inevitably, the
continuum; his organizational skills,
influences of Hokah and his childhood
thousands scattered throughout all four
commitment, and creative thinking are
rose to the surface.
corners of the state? How do you design
his legacy to the DNR. It’s just like those
John accepted a position at Anoka-
But the door was much wider than
“How do you instruct a class of
John’s tenure will be part of that
a curriculum to suit the needs of an
days back in Hokah with his grandfather,
Ramsey, I had acquired a hunting dog.
organization as diverse as the DNR?”
times that are firmly woven into the fabric
Lacking time, and frankly the disposable
of John’s life and work.
income in those days to use the dog as
challenge. He jumped in with both
intended, I had to settle for a nearby
feet, drawing on his formal education
the annual DNR Roundtable, a gathering
pond where I could toss decoys. I met
at Winona State and the lifetime of
of individuals and organizations whose
a fellow there who had recently moved
experience at the side of his grandfather
purpose is to maintain, protect, and
to Minnesota from South Dakota, an
on Thompson Creek.
further the cause of fish and wildlife in
aspiring young journalist,” says John.
Minnesota. As John is introduced, more
organization. As manager of the state’s
than 300 of the state’s most committed
a well-regarded outdoors writer at the
natural resources, it has a budget of
citizens rise to their feet in a standing
Minneapolis Star Tribune and creator
more than $600 million and offices and
ovation. No better acknowledgement of
and host of local and national television
facilities in every county in Minnesota.
lifetime of accomplishment could have
programs. Between tosses and retrievals,
The agency’s policies, regulations, and
John and Schara would wonder why
decisions affect every resident and most
hunting and fishing classes were not
businesses in the state.
offered by academic institutions. After
all, these were activities, just like their
traverse the state conducting training
court and playing field counterparts, that
seminars, focusing on the needs of the
offered lessons to last a lifetime.
DNR’s diverse constituents. He worked
been offered. John Guenther’s experiences cannot suddenly be sloughed off in favor of the ol’ rocking chair. His life’s work has kept him young; his experience has kept him focused. He has witnessed firsthand many of the elements that can so easily destroy what nature has pieced together. n
“During my earliest days at Anoka
The journalist was Ron Schara, now
16 l Winter 2008
John is not one to run from a
The DNR is a large, complex
For the next 30 years John would
It’s a winter morning in St. Cloud at
MY FAVORITE PROFESSOR
Kristi Lane
“My Favorite Professor”: Kristi Lane Years on WSU faculty: 1980-present
Kathy Carson ’91, now a school psychologist in Bangor, Wis., remembers: While attending Winona State, Kristi Lane, was the professor who made a difference in my life both as a college student and
Degrees:
now in my career as a school psychologist.
Vanderbilt University
a knowledgeable and dynamic instructor who not only provided
Her field:
“real world” applications and experiences. She didn’t stop when
University of North Carolina and George Peabody College of
Dr. Lane, who has been licensed as a psychologist and school psychologist, is interested in children experiencing pathology
and women with mental illnesses. In addition, she has pursued research interests in children and poverty and at risk. Other interests include the prevention of cancer through smoking cessation.
What she enjoys about teaching:
“I enjoy students who strive to reach their potential and who
work hard to receive an excellent education. My philosophy is to provide framework and structure within my discipline that will allow students to independently evaluate further information. I have enjoyed WSU because I have been able to see real
differences that education makes in a student’s life. I especially enjoy working with first-generation college students who are
working to find a new way to achieve and for whom the changes
that accompany education are inspiring and help fulfill a dream.”
What I recall the most vividly about Kristi, was that she was students with theoretical foundations in her courses, but also
a class period ended; she made herself available to assist students throughout the Winona State community.
The word adviser doesn’t adequately describe Kristi’s role
with her advisees. I viewed her as a mentor who provided me
with academic and career guidance. When I informed her of my
plans to pursue graduate study in school psychology, she helped
me chart a path to achieve my ambitions. Kristi introduced me to a school psychologist who I interviewed to learn more about the
field. In addition, she assisted me in locating an independent study opportunity where I worked in a in a special education classroom during summer school.
I still rely on the knowledge and skills I learned through Kristi
in my career and as I strive to mentor students to become lifelong learners.
To nominate your favorite professor, go to www.alumni.winona. edu and click on the “Tell Us about your Favorite Professor” button. We would love to publish your story of a professor who made a difference.
Winona Currents l 17
Distinguished
Winona State inducts Awards of Distinction and Athletic Hall of Fame members
Two of the biggest events during Winona State’s Homecoming are the naming of the Awards of Distinction recipients and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. Following are the distinguished honorees for 2007.
Distinguished Alumni Award Jane Estes ’76 was the first woman to graduate from Winona State’s industrial education program. Estes parlayed her degree into a career in the automotive industry, where she has worked for General Motors for more than 30 years. She is now manages the parts and service operations for GM in the south central region of the U.S. Harry Schoen ’54 earned his bachelor’s in education at Winona State, where he was involved in a number of student organizations while a student. After teaching for several years, Schoen earned his law degree and is currently employed at the Law Office of Harry Schoen in Hastings, Minn. A past president of the WSU Alumni Society, Schoen has been generous with his time and expertise over the years.
Distinguished Young Alumni Award Known for his award-winning television ads for clients such as Anheuser-Busch and McDonald’s, Patrick Knoll ’86 is one of the most recognized names in advertising. Knoll, who graduated with a degree in mass communications, is vice president and creative director at DDB Worldwide in Chicago. He has been nominated for two Emmy Awards and was USA Today’s Super Bowl Ad Meter winner in 2006. (Read more about Patrick Knoll in the Fall 2007 edition of Currents).
Distinguished Service Award Michael Speltz ’80 currently serves as the chair of the WSU Foundation Board of Trustees and has been generous with his time as a member of numerous committees, boards, and searches. Speltz has worked for Merchants Financial Group for 26 years and is currently senior vice president and CFO. In addition to his work at Winona State, Speltz volunteers for several organizations in the Winona community.
Distinguished Faculty-Staff Award One of Winona State’s most popular and noteworthy faculty members, Cal Fremling has taught, performed research, and published extensively on the ecology of the upper Mississippi River. Fremling was a professor of biology until his retirement from WSU in 1991. An author on more than 47 publications, Fremling published his book, Immortal River: The Upper Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times, in 2005. He and his wife, Arlayne, are major benefactors of
18 l Winter 2008
Company the Cal Fremling Scholarship, which awards scholarships to two biology majors each year.
Athletic Hall of Fame Nathan D. Gruber ’95 still holds the WSU football record of 25 career interceptions, a mark that ranks him in the top-ten in NCAA Division II. Gruber won Academic All-America honors in 1993 and 1994 and performance based All-America mention the same two years. He was selected for the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award, and the National Football Foundation Postgraduate Fellowship Award. David R. Ludy ’96 was also a standout football player at WSU. He is the Warriors record holder with 324 career points and the NCAA record holder with eight kickoff returns for touchdowns. Ludy was named All-America in 1992, 1993, and 1994 and was conference most valuable player in 1993 and 1994. In 1994 the Winona Daily News named Ludy its Sportsman of the Year. Laura (Robillard) Tripicchio ’89 led the Warriors to the NAIA national championships in gymnastics in 1984-85 and 1986-87. Despite a careerthreatening knee injury Tripicchio’s performances were a key in helping Winona State win its first national team gymnastics title. She was also outstanding in the classroom, winning Academic All-America honors in 1985-86 and 1987-88. Steve “Chucker” Speer ’85 set many Winona State school passing records, including marks for attempts, and completions. He threw 39 TD passes in three years on the varsity and he led the 1983 Warriors team to a conference championship. Speer currently works as a real estate broker and lives in Farmington, Minn. Francis “Fran” McCann guided the Warriors’ standout wrestling teams in the sixties and seventies. In 1968-69, WSU finished third at the NAIA national championships. In his eight years as head coach, McCann’s grapplers won 16 conference championships. He went on to win NAIA Coach of the Year in 1970 and is in several wrestling halls of fame. After McCann left WSU he coached at Indiana State University and the University of Notre Dame.
To recommend someone for one of our alumni awards, visit our Website at www.alumni. winona.edu and go to the “Distinguished Awards” page for a nomination form.
Winona Currents l 19
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
The Alumni Society – Enjoy the Benefits! As Winona State University celebrates its sesquicentennial, we here at the Alumni Office feel that it’s appropriate to reflect on our origins and where we’re headed in the future. The Society of the Alumni of the State Normal School at Winona was organized in 1875 under the leadership of William F. Phelps, second principal of the institution. The society’s original objective was to strengthen the relationship between the school and its graduates. That mission continues to guide the Winona State Alumni Society. Today, all graduates become members, without charge, and are invited to enjoy the advantages that come with membership in the society. Special alumni travel programs Reunions and spirit events Regional alumni networks and interest groups Currents magazine WSU Online Community – online profiles, online directory and search,
email forwarding address, and event registration
Continue the Legacy: WSU Alumni Society Scholarships
ake me out to the ballgame ake me out to the ballgame ake me out to the ballgame ake me out to the ballgame ake me out to the ballgame You could throw out the first ake me out tovs.the ballgame pitch at the Twins Tigers baseball game! ake me out to the ballgame ake me out to the ballgame Alumni ake me out to the ballgame
Twins sainTs July 18, 2007
August 11, 2007
When the Alumni Society was officially incorporated in 1930, a $14,000 scholarship fund was established through the gifts of 450 alumni and friends. Today, that original endowment provides WSU Alumni Scholarships of $1,000 each to six deserving students. Alumni Scholarships are one of the great benefits available to members of the WSU Alumni Society. Candidates may be nominated if they have been accepted for admission to Winona State, and if they are directly related to a WSU alumnus (child, grandchild, or sibling of an alumnus). Scholarships recipients are
Continue the legacy, and give your child, grandchild, brother, or sister the opportunity of a Winona State degree.
selected by the scholarship committee of the Alumni Society Board of Directors. Continue the legacy, and give your child, grandchild, brother, or sister the opportunity of a Winona State degree. The deadline for applications for the 2008-09 academic year is February 29, 2008. For more information and applications, go to www.alumni.winona.edu and click on “Alumni Society” and then “Scholarships.” Or, you can call the Alumni Relations Office at 800.242.8978 extension 5027. To email for information, contact alumni@winona.edu.
Class Notes 1980s
Julie (Thompson) Lynch ‘83 (St. Cloud, Minn.) just released a book, Cherishing Sophia (www.cherishingsophia. com). She is currently a full-time communications studies instructor at St. Cloud State University and an adjunct instructor at St. John’s University. Katherine (Jerowski) Fitzgerald ’89 (Winona) and husband Tony welcomed daughter Jillian Grace on July 3, 2007.
1990s
Deanne (Rehse) Becker ’94 (Fountain City, Wis.) and husband Jason welcomed son Logan Riley on July 10, 2007. Marcia Campbell ’95 and Richard Lehtinen ’95 (Wooster, Ohio) welcomed daughter Lily Evelyn Campbell-Lahtinen on March 23, 2007. Marcy and Rick are both professors at the College of Wooster. Krista (Roemer) Cavanaugh ’95 (Victoria, Minn.) and husband William welcomed Teddy on July 27, 2007. Teddy joins sisters Veronica, 4, and Serena, 2. Kerry (Cannon) Eisner ’95 (Skokie, Ill.) and husband Lee welcomed son Carson on September 8, 2007. Carson joins big brother Jonah, 21 months. Amy (Sowaske) Maurer ’95 (Madison, Wis.) and husband Scott welcomed son Henry Scott on August 1, 2006. Henry joins big brother Jack, 4. Steven ’95 and Nicole (Wing) Myers ’97 (Winona) welcomed their daughter Makayla Marie on August 24, 2007. Lisa (Myran) Schutte ’95 and Matthew Schutte ’03 (Houston, Minn.) welcomed a daughter on July 18, 2007. Jennifer (Guinea) Weaverling ’95 (Minneapolis) and husband Andy welcomed son Jack
Finnegan on April 16, 2007. Jack joins his sister Ava Katherine, age 3. Susan (Watrach) White ’95 (Genoa City, Wis.) and husband Tom welcomed their second child, son Hayden Quinn, on December 12, 2006. Hayden joins sister Madison, age 6. Susan recently completed her master’s degree in educational leadership. She currently is a fifth grade teacher in Woodstock, Ill. Martha (Demuth) Miller ’96 (Winnebago, Ill.) and husband Shawn welcomed their daughter Emily Lynn on May 26, 2007. Jodi (Broitzman) Doeden ’97 (Forest Lake, Minn.) and husband Jamison welcomed daughter Addison Eva Kay on March 23, 2007. Jodi is the field services manager for the Great Lakes region of Pomeroy IT Solutions. Angel (Baldassano) Fournier ’97 (Antioch, Ill.) and Paul Fournier were married on June 5, 2007. Angel is senior manager of campus admissions at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Jennifer (Stokke) ’97 and Travis Nordby ’98 (Minneapolis) welcomed son Evan Tyler on September 25, 2007. Jennifer works for Lawson Software as a technology support consultant. Travis works for Alerus Retirement Solutions as a retirement plan administrator. Kelli (Roepke) Palmquist ‘97 (Lakeville, Minn.) and husband Tad welcomed their son, Jack William, on Halloween in 2006. Jack is their first child. Kelli is an agency field consultant at State Farm Insurance in Mendota Heights. David ’96 and Laurie (Baack) Stay ’97 (Springdale, Ark.) welcomed son Matthew Thomas on September 21, 2006. Heather (Hogenson) ’97 and Jeffrey Prondzinski ’00
We want to know what you’re doing! Submit class notes, baby photos, and keep up with your friends and fellow alums at www. alumni.winona.edu. Or, you can submit information via email at alumni@winona.edu. Send us class notes through the mail at Alumni Office, WSU, P.O. Box 5838, Winona, MN 55987.
Illustration by Richard Davis, ‘76
CLASS NOTES
A Guiding Hand
For more than three decades, Dick Davis ’71 made publications his passion. Davis, the longtime publications director at Winona State, wrapped up his last project on October 12 before heading into retirement. Following his graduation from Winona State, Davis immediately turned an internship into a position as a designer and illustrator in his alma mater’s publications department. It was a two-man shop then, comprised of Davis doing design and pasting-up and then-director Jim Wagner overseeing the office’s operations. In 1972 Davis took over as director, providing leadership for Winona State’s publications for the next 35 years. Over that span Davis said he has seen tremendous changes in the publications industry, particularly in the use of computers and the growing importance of the Web in communications. Nowhere can Davis’ vision and guiding hand be seen more clearly than in Currents, the Winona State magazine. He took the publication from a two-color, tabloid-style newsletter to its current format as a full-color, 32-page magazine with professional photography and a variety of stories. “Dick envisioned a high quality magazine that reflected the mission and traditions of the university, while always keeping the interests of the readers in mind,” said Jim Schmidt, vice president for university advancement. “Dick was the guiding force in building Currents, and all of our print materials, into publications that are among the best in the country.” Now that he no longer has brochures, flyers, magazine, and Websites to manage, Davis said that he will have more time for the interests that got him started in the business: illustrating and painting scenes from his native Minnesota.
Winona Currents l 21
CLASS NOTES (Excelsior, Minn.) welcomed daughter Ava Rose on July 11, 2007. Julie Witt-Vanorny ’97 and Scott Vanorny ’97 (Elmhurst, Ill.) welcomed twins on July 6, 2007; daughter Winona (that’s right …Winona!) and son Dashiell. Julie graduated in May with a master’s degree in elementary education. Jeri (Olson) Eddicus ’98 (St. Paul) and husband Steve welcomed twin daughters, Elaine Sandra and Bailey Emma, on April 13, 2007. Grandparents are Fred and Sandy Olson, both Winona State professors emeritus. Matthew ’98 and Heidi (Siemers) Howe ’99 (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) welcomed son Quinten Matthew on December 27, 2006. John ’98 and Michelle (Beighton) Mason ’99
PA, as an associate attorney. Cyndi graduated cum laude from Winona State and joined the firm as a paralegal the same year. With the support of her firm she began law studies at William Mitchell College of Law in 2003 while continuing to work fulltime as a paralegal and law clerk.
2000s
Gina (Stokes) Johnson ’00 (St. Michael, Minn.) and husband Jeremy welcomed their second child, Brady Robert, on May 6, 2007. Gina and her family just moved back to Minnesota, her first time back since graduation. She received her OD degree in 2004 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry. Gina is an optometrist at Eye West Vision Clinic and Optical in Rogers. Jennifer (Von Boeckman) ’00 and Timothy Koclanis
Dawn (Bachmann) Tye ’01 (Minnesota City, Minn.) and husband Jim welcomed daughter Morgan on August 17, 2007. Keturah (Bremer) Evanson ’02 (New Providence, Iowa) and Jason Jessie were married on June 23, 2007. Keturah works at Collins-Maxwell High School. Gregg works at Sherwin Williams in Marshalltown. Crystal (Pearson) Lanning ’02 (Hastings, Minn.) and husband Shane welcomed daughter Addison Lea on September 11, 2007. Melissa (Thompson) Schneider ’03 (Rushford, Minn.) and husband Todd welcomed their daughter, Torryn Skye, on September 12, 2007. Seth ’05 and Tricia (Shugart) Brantner ’06 (Winona) were married on June 16, 2007 at Windom Park in Winona. Nicholas ’06 and Stacey ’07
(Rochester, Minn.) welcomed (Woodstock, Ill.) welcomed ’01 (Arlington Heights, Ill.) daughter Chloe on August 25, twins Zachary and Natalie on welcomed twin sons, Brandon 2007. June 4, 2007. Nicholas and Jacob Steven, on Amber (Leiran) McElroy ’07 Lisa (Thrune) Walters ’98 March 30, 2006. (St. Paul) and Gregg McElroy (Minnesota City, Minn.) and Brian ’00 and Amy (Auer) were married on September husband Mark welcomed a ’00 Matthys (Kewaunee, Wis.) 22, 2007. Amber works at the daughter on June 29, 2007. welcomed daughter Lindsey University of Minnesota. Gregg Brad Groth ’99 (Spring Grace on February 28, 2007. works at Fairview Hospital. Grove, Minn.) and wife Laura Lindsey joins brother Caleb and Julie Witt-Vanorny ’97 and Stuart Vanorny ’97 show off their son Dashiell twins, Jill (Miller) Cichosz ’01 welcomed a son on July 7, 2007. sister Abigail. and daughter Winona (that’s right … Winona!) in a Halloween setting. (La Crosse, Wis.) and Douglas Cynthia (McMahan) ’99 and Carisa (Spofford) Cichosz were married on May Mark Harris ’00 (Maple Grove, Vermeersch ’00 (White Bear 12, 2007. Jill works for Target Continue daughter submitting your baby to space, we select one image for Minn.) welcomed Lake,photos! Minn.) Due and husband Steven Corp. and Douglas works for the Caitlyn Lucille on April 12, issue ofwelcomed Olivia publication in each Currents.daughter The others areMae published on our Website: Winona Police Department. 2007. www.alumni.winona.edu. We oncontinue October 28, 2006.your baby a gift courtesy of the Office to send Jeremy ’01 and Shana Chad ’01 and Heidi of Alumni Relations. (Williams) Johnson ’06 (La (Wencl) Blumers ’03 (Winona) 2000s Crosse, Wis.) were married on welcomed daughter Emily Cynthia (Nelson) Blume ’00 Email your baby photos to: alumni@winona.edu October 6, 2007. Jeremy is the Elizabeth on September 6, 2007. (Roseville, Minn.) has joined Mail your photos to: Alumni Relations; WSU; P.O. Box 5838; Winona,direct MN 55987 national import services Emily joins 3-½-year-old sister the law firm of Hauer, Fargione, sales manage at Fastenal; Olivia. Love, Landy & McEllistrem,
22 l Winter 2008
Shana is a first grade teacher at Goodview Elementary School. Jeremy is also studying at Capella University. Lori (Ludewig) Lillmars ’01 (Lansing, Mich.) and Steve Lillmars were married on August 4, 2007. Lori is an elementary school teacher in the Lansing School District. Natalie (Schoen) Thyren ’01 (Stewartville, Minn.) and John Thyren were married on May 26, 2007. Natalie works for Stewartville Public Schools. John works at Wabasha-Kellogg High School. Kara (Schoh) Tarrence ’01 (Libertyville, Iowa) and husband Josh welcomed daughter Addison Lynn on March 12, 2007. Kara is the executive assistant-credit administrator for Dexter Apache Holdings, Inc. Shelley (Krusko) Hexom ’02 (Lyle, Minn.) won her second Emmy Award for her role as anchor on ABC-6 News Good Morning on KAAL-TV in Austin, in the category Newscast Daytime (DMAs 140+). The award is given out by the National Television Academy, Upper Midwest Chapter. Derrick ’02 and Kimberly (Wacek) Mathot ’02 (Minnetonka, Minn.) were married on July 14, 2007. Ryan ’02 and Kate (Selck) Skappel ’02 (Inver Grove, Minn.) welcomed daughter Ashleigh on March 12, 2005. Emily (Colbenson) Ties ’02 (Rushford, Minn.) and Joseph Ties were married on September 1, 2007. Emily works at Mayo Clinic and Colby Communications; Joseph is selfemployed. Erika Nelsen ’03 (Arlington, Va.) is the new legislative assistant to Rep. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) in Washington, D.C. Jamie ’04 and Jenny (Johnson) Carrier ’04 (Rushford, Minn.) welcomed daughter Makenzie Marie on March 7, 2007. Both Jamie
CLASS NOTES and Jenny are former Warrior basketball team members: Jamie played from 1998 to 2002, and Jenny played from 2000 to 2004. Jamie works for the Social Security Administration in Winona. Jenny works as a childcare director at Good Shepherd Lutheran Services in Rushford. Karastin (Berg) Cox ’04 (Missoula, Mont.) married Jeremy Cox on July 7, 2007. Karastin is a guidance counselor at Alberton School. Jeremy is manager at GNC while he works toward his pharmacy degree. Ryan Fravel ’04 (Bangor, Wis.) and wife Hannah welcomed son Riley Peter on January 8, 2007. Ryan works at Walz Buick Pontiac GMC in Winona. Angela Hoppe ’04 (St. Paul) graduated from the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Angela passed the Minnesota State Bar in May and will be sworn in as an attorney in October. Sarah (Keeling) Mathis ’04 (St. Paul) and Jared Mathis were married on May 12, 2007, at the Cathedral of Sacred Heart in Winona. A reception followed at the Riverport Inn with 300 guests. Winona State alumni Kelly (Monnens) Schroeder ’04 and Krista Meyer ’05 were part of the wedding party. William III ’04 and Shannon (McRae) Prate ’05 (Endeavor, Wis.) were married on September 29, 2007. William works for Target Corp. in Minneapolis and Shannon works for McGladrey & Pullen, also in Minneapolis. Elizabeth (Black) ’04 and William Sabel ’05 (Toledo, Ohio) married after graduation. William is visitor programs manager at COSI Toledo, a hands-on science museum. He manages a team that interacts with visitors, oversees development of team members, and aids in the implementation of new programs. Elizabeth attends
graduate school at the University of Toledo. After graduation she plans to seek employment at a university as an admissions counselor or another similar position. Aaron ’05 and Angela (Chase) Budensiek ’05 (Pine Island, Minn.) were married on August 13, 2005. They welcomed son Carter on January 27, 2006. Aaron is a detention deputy with the Olmstead County Sheriff’s Department. Angela is a volunteer coordinator for Living at Home/Nurse Block Program. Adam ’05 and Katie (Barrett) Goehner ’05 (Minneapolis) welcomed daughter Paige on July 16, 2007. Kelly (Pfister) Siler ’05 (Chicago) and husband Ray welcomed a son, Hadley Quinn, on August 10, 2007. Riley ’05 and Jolie (Krause) Stejskal ’06 (Winona) were married on June 23, 2007. Riley works for Stejskal Lawn Mowing Service and Chartwells Dining Services. Jolie works for the Rochester Public Schools. Holly (Marin) Bergler ’06 (Winona) and Lucas Bergler were married on September 8, 2007. Holly works at RTP Company while Lucas works for Express-A-Button. Lisa Eggebrecht ’06 (St. Louis Park, Minn.) is employed as a sixth grade math and science teacher at Richfield Middle School. Andrew Hagen ’06 (St. Louis Park, Minn.) is employed as a communications specialist for the Eden Prairie Schools. Jennifer (Markegard) ’06 and Marcus Krings ’06 (Houston, Minn.) were married on June 20, 2007. Greggory Olcott ’06 (Winona) and wife Sarah welcomed daughter Yvonne Danee on August 27, 2007. Yvonne joins siblings Makarah and Ian. Sarah is the residential college program coordinator at Winona State.
Thostenson makes impact on composite materials Erik Thostenson ’95 has been recognized as a young researcher who has made a substantial impact on the science and technology of composite materials. Thostenson, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Delaware, recently received the Elsevier Young Composites Researcher Award from the American Society for Composites. According to Tsu-Wei Chou, chair of the engineering department at Delaware, Thostenson’s diverse experience in composites includes synthesis and processing of materials, advanced characterization techniques, and development of models to predict behavior. Thostenson and Chou were recently cited for their discovery of a means to detect and identify damage within advanced composite materials by using a network of carbon nanotubes. Thostenson has received a number of awards in his young career, including the Allan P. Colburn Award for outstanding dissertation at the University of Delaware, the SAMPE Outstanding Phd Student Award, and the Hayashi Memorial International Award recognizing outstanding young researchers in composites. As an undergraduate at Winona State, Thostenson received a Society of Plastics Engineers Scholarship and graduated summa cum laude. Megan Amsden ’07 (Red Wing, Minn.) is communication coordinator for the City of Red Wing. Luke Baumgartner ’07 (Lake Elmo, Minn.) is the owner of Dean’s List LLC. Brandon Bennett ’07 (Slinger, Wis.) is employed as a tank inspector at Armor Shield in Hartford. Cora Boucher ’07 (Suamico, Wis.) is a kindergarten teacher at
Crème de la Crème. David Broadwater ’07 (Preston, Minn.) is a longterm substitute teacher for the Fillmore Central Schools. Erika Brunkow ’07 (Eau Claire, Wis.) is a manager in training at Hollister Co. Anne Cassens ’07 (Bloomington, Minn.) is a member of the Normandale Community College nursing staff.
Winona Currents l 23
CLASS NOTES
Alum gets a kick out of cover photo
For Robert Miller ’69/’76, the “Kitchen Krazies” cover photo from the last edition of Currents brought back memories of his days at Winona State. “It was a hoot seeing my picture in Currents,” said Miller. “It started a bunch of flashbacks about my experiences at Winona State College.” Then a freshman arriving in 1963 from Pennsylvania, Miller said, “When I stepped off the Hiawatha Special after a 30-hour train ride to Winona, I thought I had stepped into a land that time forgot. I believe our freshman class almost doubled the school population.” “The fun we had was priceless. The Smog (aptly named) in Somsen was THE place to see beanies, grab some coffee, and socialize. Wages at Richards Cafeteria were 75 cents an hour. Many of my eastern compadres first thought the town and school were backward, but later we would grow to love the place.” Erin Crooks ’07 (Maplewood, Minn.) is the front house manager for the Blue Heron Coffeehouse in Winona, Minn. Kristi Dargiewicz ’07 (Muskeg, Wis.) is an auditor for Virchav, Krause, & Co. Abby Dean ’07 (La Crosse, Wis.) is a program manager at Creative Community Living Services. Cathleen Decker ’07 (Coon Rapids, Minn.) works in accounts payable and payroll at Reliakor Services in Bloomington. Jacqueline Ford ’07 (Excelsior, Minn.) is a registered nurse at Hennepin County Medical Center. Kevin Gavin ’07 (Mankato, Minn.) is an account manager for Coca-Cola. Kelly Groves ’07 (Winona) is a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic. Alyssa Gullickson ’07 (Coon Rapids, Minn.) is employed as a pre-K teacher at Creative Kids in Anoka. Danyel Helgeson ’07 (Austin, Minn.) is employed as a nursing instructor at Riverland Community College. Jodi Henriksen ’07 (Niles, Ill.) is a K-1 looping teacher at Holmen School District. Jessica Hinkley-Reese ’07 (Lake City, Minn.) is a family
24 l Winter 2008
nurse practitioner at Fairview Red Wing Medical Center. Lindsey Holl ’07 (Minnetonka, Minn.) is a copywriter at Wolfmotell in Minneapolis. Susan Horne ’07 (La Crosse,
Wis.) is vice president of human resources at State Bank Financial. Claire Hughes ’07 (Inver Grover Heights, Minn.) is a teacher at Children’s Country Day Preschool.
Emily Huppert ’07 (Ellsworth, Wis.) is a media planner at Regis Corporation. Andrea Ifft ’07 (Lewisville, Texas) is employed as a regional recruiter at Fastenal in Carrolton.
Pelowski inducted into Red Wing hall
Pelowski is joined at the ceremony by (left to right) wife, Deb, father Gene Pelowski Sr., Red Wing High School student Kendall Mark, and Fran Smith, who nominated Pelowski for the award. Rep. Gene Pelowski Jr. ’75 / ’98 was added to the Red Wing High School Wall of Honor on
September 28 for his high level of achievement as a teacher and legislator. Students selected
Pelowski for the honor. He is a 1970 graduate of Red Wing. Pelowski is a 1992 recipient of the Winona State Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.
CLASS NOTES Casey Ihrke ’07 (Dover, Minn.) is a registered nurse for Mayo Clinic. Daniel Inglett ’07 (Mabel, Minn.) is employed as an inside/ outside sales representative for Fastenal Company. Joe Ingvalson ’07 (Caledonia, Minn.) is employed as a systems analyst at Target Corp. Arif Islam (Kanata, Ontario) is a product validation specialist at March Networks. Jocelyn Jack ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) is a director of social services at Samaritan Bethany Heights. Brad Jech ’07 (Elgin, Minn.) is the owner and manager of Premier Hardscapes. Kayla Jenness ’07 (Dallas, Wis.) is a certified nursing assistant at St. Anne’s Hospice in Winona. Amanda Johnson ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) is a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic-Memorial Hospital. Brianna Johnson ’07 (Vespen, Wis. is a registered nurse at Ministry Health. Mychal Johnson ’07 (Fairmont, Minn.) is an assistant general manager at Perkins Restaurant. Michael Karsky ’07 (Wichita, Kansas) is a manufacturing engineer for PCI Newco. Lindsey Keinert ’07 (Brookfield, Wis.) is an account coordinator for Anicom Marketing Communication. Courtney Kish ’07 (Woodbury, Minn.) is a publicist at Llewllyn Worldwide. Bret Klaehn ’07 (Stewartville, Minn.) is an elementary teacher at Rochester Public Schools. Tiffany Klendworth ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) is employed at the Mayo Clinic. Ryan Kronebusch ’07 (Glendale, Ariz.) is employed as an inside sales representative for the Phoenix Coyotes hockey club. Ashley Lanigan ’07 (Buffalo, Minn.) is a supported
Leader of the parade
Longtime teacher and Winona State alumnae Pearl (Berge) Lawstuen ’37 / ’68 served as
grand marshal of the Standstill Parade in Whalen, Minn. on May 19. After earning a two-year certificate from WSU, she taught in the O’Hara, Whalen, and Lanesboro schools for many
years. She later returned to Winona State and graduated together with her daughter, Wanita. Read an account of Pearl Lawstuen and the Standstill Parade in the Preston RepublicanLeader at the newspaper’s Website: www.bluffcountrynews.com employment instructor at Choice, Inc. in Plymouth. Anna Lamon ’07 (Marshfield, Wis.) is a registered nurse at Saint Joseph’s Hospital. Kristen Leuer ’07 (St. Michael, Minn.) is a claims analyst at Northland Insurance in St. Paul. Emily Lorenz ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) is an admissions coordinator for Beverly Living. Roberta Losure ’07 (Mazeppa, Minn.) is a social services coordinator for Mayo Clinic/Charter House. Mallery Luker ’07 (Eden Prairie, Minn.) studying for her
master’s in public health at Saint Mary’s University. Emily Lynch ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) is a teacher for Rochester Public Schools. Michelle Maslowski ’07 (Ettrick, Wis.) is a deposit services assistant at Winona National Bank. Katrina Michaels ’07 (Anoka, Minn.) is a teacher for AnokaHennepin School District #11. Susanna Miller ’07 (Fountain, Minn.) is a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Vanessa Myran ’07 (Mazeppa, Minn.) is a school counselor at Lake City High
School. Katherine Nurmela ’07 (Bloomington, Minn.) is a human resources specialist for Buffets, Inc. Alicia Olson ’07 (Winona) is a registered nurse at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wis. Sarah Odell ’07 (St. Paul) is employed at Kelly Law Services. Daniel O’Reilly ’07 (Livonia, Mich.) is a composite materials engineer at Roush Industries. Amanda Peterson ’07 (Eyota, Minn.) is a registered nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. Melanie Riedeman ’07
Winona Currents l 25
CLASS NOTES
Enge Establishes ULTIMATE Scholarship Fund
Winona State University alumnus and
believes. Initially, one student will be
Ultimate Frisbee captain Eric Enge ’89 has
awarded $500 per academic year. Because the
formed the Suzanne M. Enge WSU Ultimate
fund also includes an endowment provision,
Club Scholarship Fund. He announced the
the amount or number of awards may increase
new scholarship at the WSU Ultimate 30-year
over time.
reunion in September.
To date, three benefactors have given
“I created this in my mom’s memory who
$1,000 each to start the Enge scholarship.
supported me in sports all of my life,” said
They have committed to $30,000 over the first
Enge. He also hopes to encourage students
ten years, with a goal of raising a $100,000
to enjoy what he considers a lifelong
endowment.
passion, and to maintain a balance between
Enge encourages other “Ultimate alums” to
extracurricular activities and academics.
make a gift to the Suzanne M. Enge Fund. To
Enge emphasized this with a quote from the
contribute online, visit www.winona.edu and
Ultimate official rules, “Through this balance,
select “Make a Gift.” In the drop-down menu
Ultimate players are free to demonstrate the
select “Other” and type in “Suzanne M. Enge
most honorable and the most joyous sides of
WSU Ultimate Scholarship Fund” in the field.
human nature.”
You may also contact Cathy Sieracki, WSU
This is the first university administered
scholarship administrator, at 507.457.5198 or
Ultimate scholarship in the nation, Enge
csieracki@winona.edu to make a gift.
26 l Winter 2008
(Brandon, Wis.) is employed at Mercury Marine as an employee relations representative. Rebecca Rogers ’07 (Winona) is a registered nurse at Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wis. Lindsey Roenfanz ’07 (Hudson, Wis.) is employed as a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic. Denise Rollman ’07 (Winona) is a staff nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare in La Crosse, Wis. Michael Rust ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) is a clinical technologist at Mayo Clinic. Kyle Savelkoul ’07 (Andover, Minn.) is an assistant manager at Walgreens. Malorie Scharpe ’07 (Bloomington, Minn.) is a paralegal at Mack Santana Law Offices. Joshua Schneider ’07 (New Holstein, Wis.) is working on his doctorate in physical therapy at Northwestern University. Blake Schulz ’07 (Waconia, Minn.) is an executive team lead in assets protection for Target, Corp. Jennifer Schwartz ’07 (Winona) is a preschool/early childhood family education coordinator at Rushford-Peterson Schools. Heidi Sklenar ’07 (Prairie du Chien, Wis.) is a primary counselor at Home & Community Options in Winona. Reggie Stevens ’07 (St. Charles, Minn.) is employed as an inside sales representativetransportation for C.H. Robinson in Rochester. Michael Stith ’07 (McKinney, Tex.) is employed as a process engineer at Raytheon. Douglas Sundin ’07 (Platteville, Wis.) is staff photographer for the Ottumwa Courier in Ottumwa, Iowa.
CLASS NOTES Bishop longest serving superintendent Dr. Dennis M. Bishop ’70 / ’76, superintendent for nine years at Murray Community Schools in Iowa, is now in his fortieth year in education. A superintendent of schools for 34 years, Bishop is now the longest serving active K-12 superintendent in Iowa. He was also the youngest superintendent in the state when he began at 28 years old. Bishop was the 2004 Superintendent of the Year for Area Education Agency 14 in Creston, Iowa and received the Iowa Community Betterment Leadership Award. Bishop earned MS and EdS degrees from Winona State.
Laura Tell ’07 (Indian Creek, Ill.) is a program assistant at Rotary International in Evanston. Anna Thorie ’07 (Snellville, Ga.) is a first grade teacher at Hopkins Elementary School in Lilburn. Ashley Vogds ’07 (San Jose, Calif.) is a graduate assistant at San Jose State University. Frank Wagner ’07 (Cambridge, Minn.) is College Access Now coordinator for the Sound Youth Vista. Randi Weiland ’07 (Aurora, Ill.) is a project coordinator for Rhea & Kauser in Naperville. Christopher Zakoshefski ’07 (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) is head of sales for CVJ Composites.
A highlight of our 150th Festivities!
Sesquicentennial Gala Week Join us in celebrations that recognize our past … while inspiring our future. Music, dancing, and the world premier of an original orchestral composition by Libby Larson.
Sesquicentennial Gala Week Celebration Tuesday, April 15
An American Concert Harry Mechell conducts the WSU Choir Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18 Celebrating WSU’s 150th and the Winona Symphony Orchestra’s 100th A recreation of the WSO first concert, plus the world premier of a work by Libby Larson Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 19 Make memories with a Gala Dinner and Dance to support student scholarships McCown Gymnasium, 7 p.m.
For more information on these and other WSU Sesquicentennial events, visit our Website at www.winona.edu/150years
If you would like to be included on our WSU Sesquicentennial mailing list, contact Beth Halleck at bhalleck@winona.edu.
Winona Currents l 27
IN MEMORIAM Stuart Miller
Stuart Miller ’65 / ’07 (Winona) passed away on October 15, 2007 from complications following a stroke. A true scholar, Stuart graduated from Winona Senior High School and earned a degree in biological sciences at WSU. He later earned a master’s degree in plant pathology from the University of Arizona. He graduated from Winona State University in 2007 with a nursing degree and was scheduled to take his boards prior to his death. An active member in the Winona community, Stuart’s actions often spoke much louder than his words. He was instrumental in getting the first charter school opened in his community. Stuart served on a variety of local boards, including the Winona School Board, Human Rights Commission, Planning Commission of Winona, Winona Workforce Center and the Morrie Miller Athletic Foundation. He was part owner of William Miller Scrap Iron and Metal Co. During Stuart’s youthful days at Winona State University, he was an accomplished swimmer. An avid reader, He loved to debate his friends and voice his strong views. Stuart was a deeply religious man and an active member of the Congregation Sons of Abraham Synagogue in La Crosse, Wis. A scholarship fund has been set up to honor the memory of Stuart Miller. To contribute online, go to www.winona.edu and click “Make a Gift.” When you click the “Give online now” link, designate your gift for the Stuart Miller Nursing Scholarship.
1920s Katharine Eustis ’26 (Bloomington, Minn.) passed away on her 101st birthday, January 16, 2007. Pearl (Vollum) Winters ’29 (Whitewater, Wis.) passed away in October 2006.
1930s Lucille (Stevens) Maus ’30 (Moline, Ill.) passed away on April 17, 2007. Ella (Yungen) Hansen ’31 (Pine Island, Minn.) passed away. Pearl (Steenberg) Vitelli ’31 (St. Paul) passed away this year after 72 wonderful years of marriage to Nicholas Vitelli. Beatrice (Hoesley) Tacke ’32 (Janesville, Wis.) passed away in May 2007. Harold Grudem ’39 (Burnsville, Minn.) passed away on September 5, 2006. Many of the students Harold taught went on to become teachers themselves.
1940s John Kunelius ’41 (Waterville, Minn.) passed away on July 7, 2007. He was born and attended school in Embarrass, Minn. before entering the U.S. Air Force during
28 l Winter 2008
World War II. Upon his return home, John married Donitza “Dee” Lumovich. John attended junior college in Virginia, Minn., then WSU, and finally the University of Minnesota. He worked as an educator and administrator and retired from his final position as superintendent of Waterville Schools in 1976. John enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing and mowing, but above all, spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Charles Balcer ’42 (Sioux Falls, S.D.) passed away on July 26, 2007. Charles received a bachelor of science degree from Winona State College and a master’s degree and PhD from the University of Iowa. He married Elizabeth Belgum in 1944. Charles served in WW II and as a reserve officer until 1981. He spent his career as an educator, serving as president of Augustana College (S.D.) from 196580. He returned to teaching after retiring. Charles was active in his church and community. He received the Knights Cross First Class of the Royal Order of Saint Olav from His Majesty King Olav of Norway. In 2003 he was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in Education and Cultural Affairs.
Irene (Sackett) Dalcher ’42 (Stamford, Conn.) passed away on June 30, 2007. John Blondell ’46 (Rochester, Minn.) passed away on May 29, 2007. Jean (Morcomb) Schellhas ’46 (Minneapolis) passed away.
1950s Lois (Cronin) Magee ’50 (Saddle Brooke, Ariz.) passed away on August 23, 2007. Born in Mapleton, Minn., she earned a B.A. in music education. She played trombone throughout the U.S. with the Hormel Caravan, an all-women’s orchestra. Lois worked as a freelance trombonist in Los Angeles, performing in shows with Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Johnny Carson, Tallulah Bankhead, and Carol Channing. She later worked for the L.A. Unified School System as an educational psychologist. After retirement she returned to her passion, playing with the Civic Orchestra of Tucson and other groups. LaDonna (Christensen) Strand ’50 (St. Louis Park, Minn.) passed away on April 26, 2007. Hugh Duffy ’50 (Winona) passed away on August 23, 2007. He was in born in Fountain City, Wis., and married Shirley Baertsch in 1941. He served for three years, during World War II in the U.S. Naval Air Corps. After graduating from Winona State, Hugh earned his master’s at the Colorado College of Education in Greeley. He spent his entire career teaching, serving for 31 years teaching science at Winona Junior High School. Arthur O’Neil ’51 (Rochester, Minn.) passed away on August 3, 2007 following a lengthy illness with cancer. Arthur was born and raised in Rochester. He served in the Navy during World War II and was deployed to Japan on the battleship Iowa. He was a teacher and high school principal, serving later as superintendent of schools in Lester Prairie, Minn. He married Rosemary Vaux ’49 in 1954. Mabel (Johnson) Thompson ’51 / ’65 (Peterson, Minn.) passed away on September 18, 2007. Mabel was born in Fillmore County and attended Preston Normal School and then Winona State
IN MEMORIAM Teacher’s College. She taught in rural schools and continued at Winona State University until she earned her bachelor’s degree. She and her husband, Walter, farmed near Peterson, and she continued to teach elementary school, first in Peterson and later in Rochester. Mabel enjoyed working with flowers and being with her family. Kathleen Majerus ’53 (Austin, Minn.) passed away on May 21, 2007. Richard McKeeth ’57 (Galesville, Wis.) passed away on February 3, 2007.
5838, Winona, Minn. 55987-5838.
graduated from Wabasha-Kellogg High School and received her bachelor’s degree from WSU. Barbara was employed as a chef and was head chef and co-manager at Westfield Golf Club. Barbara found joy in putting personal touches in the food she prepared for her special people. Stephen June ’77 (Charlotte, N.C.) passed away on June 15, 2004.
Judy Dorn ’71 (Lewiston, Minn.) passed away on October18, 2007. Judy was born and raised in Winona. After graduating from Winona State, Judy worked as a parole officer at Stillwater State Prison. Illness ended her career at a young age. Donald Johnson ’74 (LeRoy, Minn.) passed away on March 31, 2007. Daniel Chick ’75 (Ridgeway, Minn.) 1990s passed away on September 26, 2007. Jason Naber ’96 (Parker, Colo.) Daniel Raymond was born in Winona passed away on November 13, 2006, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps from complications of non-Hodgkin’s 1960s after graduating from high school. He lymphoma. James Danielson ’62 (Iron Mountain, earned his master’s in education at WSU Mich.) passed away on July 11, 2007. and taught at Lewiston High School, 2000s Thomas Braun ’65 (Oconomowoc, Minnesota State College-Southeast Daniel Wagner ’05 (Lewiston, Minn.) Wis.) passed away on September 18, Technical, and University Center passed away on September 27, 2007. 2007. Thomas and Suzanne Petersen Rochester. He also owned Chick Electric Daniel was born in Carroll, Iowa and ’66 were married for 38 years. He was an Motor Repair in Goodview. As a truly earned his bachelor’s in accounting at Oconomowoc elementary school teacher gifted Renaissance man, he enjoyed many Winona State. He was employed at Bay and coached high school swimming for things, including diving and his farm. He State Milling in Winona. Dan had a 25 years. He was an avid hunter and touched countless peoples’ lives and will passion for fireworks and operated his own fisherman and devoted husband and father. be very much missed by all. store and tent for several summers during William Canfield ’65 (Rochester, Minn.) Barbara (Tentis) Hansen ’75 (Winona) college. He was generous with his friends passed away on April 29, 2007. and loved the outdoors and traveling. passed away on August 13, 2007. She Frederick Perkins ’65 (Burnsville, Minn.) passed away on July 16, 2007. Sylvia (Behrens) Meyer ’67 (Boulder, Colo.) passed away. Pat Holmes ’94 was among those tragically killed when the Interstate 35W bridge Hubert Helland ’67 (Surprise, Ariz.) collapsed on August 1. Holmes, who was 36, worked as an exercise therapist at Northpassed away on August 8, 2007. western Health Science University in Bloomington, Minn. While at Winona State he Roger Borchert ’69 (Bismarck, N.D.) was a pitcher on the baseball team and was named to the NSIC all-conference team passed away October 1, 2007.Roger was in 1994. Holmes played amateur baseball in St. Paul for many years and coached his born in Faribault, Minn. He graduated son’s baseball and soccer teams. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and two chilWinona State with a bachelor’s in dren. geology. Roger married Nancy Kotlarz of The Winona State University Baseball Alumni have established a fund in memory Winona in 1969. Together they raised two of Pat Holmes. To date, over 50 contributors have donated nearly $3,000. Funds will daughters, Heather and Shelley. go to assist the Holmes family. If you would like to contribute, contact Chris Lavold Roger began his career as a teacher ’95 or the Alumni Office. and in 1973 he began working as an engineer and later as an oil inspector. In 1980 he became a consulting geologist for Harris, Brown, and Klemer, Inc., where John and Shirley Micheel lost their lives as a result of floods that swept through he eventually became a partner. He was the Stockton, Minn. Area on the evening of August 18. considered an excellent well site geologist John graduated from Lewiston High School and attended Winona State. He served and will be dearly missed by his friends in the U.S. Navy from 1960-62 and worked for the Winona County Soil Conservation in the field. His favorite pastimes were Service for 37 years until his retirement. Shirley graduated from Trempeleau (Wis.) fishing, golfing, reading, hunting and fossil High School and attended La Crosse Vocational School. She worked at Winona State hunting. and later as secretary to the Lewiston-Altura School District superintendent until her Memorials may be sent to the Geology retirement. Department at Winona State, P.O. Box
Pat Holmes
John and Shirley Micheel
Winona Currents l 29
CURRENT PEOPLE: ALICIA REED
Alicia Reed and the Teachers of Argentina “Mary O. Graham.”
Many other Winona State educators and alumni taught in Argentina throughout
the late 1800s and into the next century.
John William Stearns directed the normal
school in Tucumán, while Clara Armstrong followed Graham as director of the San Juan school.
Reed returned to Argentina in May
2007, visiting schools and museums and collecting memorabilia. She discovered that the early Winona teachers faced
many obstacles, including opposition to women leading schools, political
instability, and religious discrimination in the predominately Catholic country. They
persevered, however, and a book published
Alicia Reed visits the Mary O. Graham School in Argentina As an Argentine living in the United
Graham, Class of 1868, was one of the
with family and friends, the food and
In the 1880s one of Argentina’s greatest
States, Alicia Reed missed the interaction cosmopolitan culture of the South
American country. She didn’t realize that
her arrival at Winona State would rekindle
the connection with her home, and uncover a chapter from the university’s legacy as a pioneer in teacher education.
Reed, who first began working as an
adjunct professor of Spanish in 2002, is
now an admissions counselor at Winona State. Growing up, she was aware that
American educators had helped establish Argentina’s national education system.
In fact, she remembered seeing schools named for Mary O. Graham, including Normal School No. 1 in La Plata.
While reading Winona State University: A History of 125 Years by former
university president R.A. DuFresne, Reed was surprised to see that 15 graduates
and educators from Winona had traveled
to Argentina to establish and teach in the country’s elementary schools. Mary O.
30 l Winter 2008
first, and among the most notable.
presidents, Domingo F. Sarmiento,
was intent on creating universal public
education throughout the country. His aim was to establish normal schools in every
province. To accomplish his task, he sent
out a call for the best teachers from around the world. No institution responded with greater numbers than Winona State.
Graham arrived in 1877 as sub-director
of the normal school in San Juan. Located
across the Pampas from Buenos Aires, the school was a key to fulfilling Sarmiento’s
vision of bringing education to the interior. While many American educators were afraid to travel outside of the capital,
Graham gladly took the position and made
the school a success. Sarmiento later asked Graham to establish a new normal school
in 1959 christened them the “Valiant
Ones.” A number of schools, and even
city streets, still honor the Winona State
educators, including several for Graham
and a school for Armstrong in Catamarca. Plans are underway to renew ties
between Winona State and schools in
Argentina. Reed presented plaques to the Sarmiento Museum and Library in San Juan and the Mary O. Graham School
in La Plata. She hopes to continue her
research tracing the accomplishments of the Winona teachers.
To continue the university’s mission as “a community of learners improving our
world,” Reed and Gabe Manrique, director of Outreach and Continuing Education,
are organizing a travel-study seminar in
Argentina. The trip, from May 30 to June 10, will trace the footsteps of the Winona
teachers, beginning in Buenos Aires and on to San Juan and Mendoza. n
in La Plata, a city just south of Buenos
To participate in the travel-study seminar
her birthday, on August 13, 1888, and was
www.winona.edu/oced
Aires. The school’s opening was timed for later rededicated Normal School No. 1
in Argentina, visit
or email travelstudy@winona.edu
A Prairie Home Companion With GARRISON KEILLOR
Something “pretty good” is coming to WSU …
Garrison Keillor and the cast of A
Prairie Home Companion will help Winona State celebrate its sesquicentennial with a live international broadcast at McCown Gymnasium on Saturday, February 23.
Enjoy a slice of Minnesota life,
including music, comedy, sketches, and the News from Lake Wobegon … all brought to you by the American Duct Tape Society, the Catchup Advisory Board, Powdermilk Biscuits, and, of course, Winona State University.
Saturday, February 23, 2008 McCown Gymnasium Tickets on sale now: $35 and $45 floor seating $20 bleacher seating To reserve your tickets: PHC Box Office 507.457.2655 Online: www.alumni.winona.edu
Winona Currents l 31
ALUMNI RELATIONS
Non-Profit Org.
P.O. Box 5838
U.S. Postage PAID
Winona, Minnesota 55987-5838
Winona, MN 55987 Permit 192
www.alumni.winona.edu 800-DIAL-WSU
The oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
Her Star Shall Not Dim
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Winona State University Scrapbook 1858-2008 (Hardcover, 144 pages) A scrapbook of 150 years at WSU. Regular price $34.95.
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Price if purchased separately after January 15, 2008
$59.90
Discount (10%) for Pre-ordering before 1/15/08
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Available online and at the WSU Bookstore: www.winona.edu/sesqubooks
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