Photographs and memories from a 40-year romance

C r E A T iVe 
Photographs and memories
from a 40-year romance
(still going strong)
with music, theatre and art
FEBRUARY 2009
Students Matt Walton and
Molly LeCaptain took the
leads in the fall musical
‘Little Shop of Horrors’
Photo by Mike Roemer
Notes from 2420 Nicolet…
It won’t be difficult to
offer a warm welcome
Greetings from the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where optimism and a sense of renewal are the order
of the day.
While it has been a difficult winter in many respects, Green Bay’s University of Wisconsin is continuing to move confidently
ahead. Just recently we were delighted to announce that Dr. Thomas K. Harden, president of Clayton State University in
FEATURES
Georgia, had been confirmed as our fifth chancellor.
It is a tribute to UW-Green Bay that an educator of Dr. Harden’s stature pursued this position. He shared with us that
he was attracted by our interdisciplinary academic program, focus on environmental sustainability, fine facilities and the
natural beauty of our campus, but he stressed one positive above all — the people.
I know what he means. Returning to campus myself last June, after years away, I was greatly impressed. I found
business and civic leaders committed to growing this University. I met students destined to be difference makers.
I was able to reconnect with alumni doing great things in their careers and communities.
As for faculty and staff, the best illustration I can offer involves a display at our newly remodeled, visitor-friendly
Student Services Building.
On the wall are a half dozen life-size posters spotlighting recent recipients of the
University Founders Association Awards for Excellence. It’s an impressive new tradition, almost like a “hall of fame” for this
year’s honored teachers, researchers, support staff and practitioners of public service.
The posters greet those arriving for admission tours. It’s my belief that that if and when these visitors enroll here they’re
going to find these exceptional faculty and staff members aren’t outliers, at all, but instead entirely representative of the
quality that is UW-Green Bay.
When Tom Harden arrives to begin work later this spring, he’ll be welcomed by an outstanding institution. My thanks to
each and every one of you for all you do for our University and its efforts to connect learning to life.
Inside UW-Green Bay
February 2009
Volume 36, No. 2
Editor
Chris Sampson
Editorial Staff
Chris Sampson
Sue Bodilly
Mike Heine
Designer
Yvonne Splan
Interim Chancellor
Creative alumni
Rising stars in music, theatre, art
16 New on campus
Dr. Thomas Harden
arrives June 1
17 Lens crafter
4
12
Roemer’s art is
making photos
Photographer
Eric Miller
Contributing
Photographers
Matt Robinson
Mike Heine
•
David J. Ward
2
6
Inside UW-Green Bay is
published by the Office of
University Advancement and
its Marketing and Communication unit. We welcome your
comments. Address them to:
Inside UW-Green Bay Editor,
Cofrin Library Suite 815,
fax (920) 465-2340, or
e-mail [email protected].
Mail change of address
notification to Inside UWGreen Bay, Cofrin Library
Suite 820, University of
Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420
Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI
54311-7001.
DEPARTMENTS
5
14 Campus news
17 Alumni notes
21
Visit Inside on the web at http://blog.uwgb.edu/inside/
Front cover: The oversize man-eating plant “Audrey II” wasn’t the only star of the fall musical,
“Little Shop of Horrors.” Romantic leads Matt Walton of Wisconsin Rapids and Molly LeCaptain
from New Franken get a skeptical look from “Mr. Mushnik,” Zach McLain, a senior from Fence,
Wis. Inside UW-Green Bay tapped Mike Roemer as guest photographer and the 1986 graduate
obliged with this shot and others that appear inside.
Alumni here
and there
In University Theatre,
comedy is king
Creative
energy
Remember Green Bay before
UWGB existed? Before the
College of Creative
Communication? Before the
Studio Arts cafeteria was a
between-class hangout for student
musicians, artists, actors, writers
and poets? Before the University
Theatre, Lawton Gallery and
Weidner Center became namebrand venues?
Warren Gerds, longtime arts and
entertainment critic for the Green
Bay Press-Gazette, remembers.
And while a cultural scene
certainly existed pre-UWGB, few
would say it flourished.
Gerds recalls a conversation
with Edward Weidner in which
the retired founding chancellor
listened intently as the reporter
critiqued the University’s historic
impact.
With the creative energy of faculty and students, and with new
alumni each year joining the ranks
of those who teach and perform,
Gerds said, “the graduates start
adding up, and things slowly
change, for the better. After a
while, you have momentum… that
enthuses people even more about
culture, entertainment and quality
of life in Northeastern Wisconsin.
“If we could time travel to the day
the decision was made (in the
mid-1960s) to build a university
in Green Bay, then compare that
to what’s around today, the differences would be profound.”
We agree. Enjoy this Inside
view of leading alumni, talented
students and notable moments
from UW-Green Bay theatre, art
and music history.
2
February 2009
Marilyn Kemm-Kurtz ’72
Elgin, Ill.
Drama/music teacher
M
Larry Gruber ’87
New York, N.Y.
Set designer
(Major Broadway shows and national
touring productions including last
year’s “Irving Berlin’s I Love a Piano”)
Sketch comedies, musical
comedies, witty Shakespeare,
comedy-drama, intelligent satire,
British farce, reality-skewed
absurdism — UW-Green Bay’s
award-winning Theatre program
does them all, earning laughs
and solid reviews for student
performers.
Maureen (Wilhelm) Christoffel ’89
Seattle, Wash.
Scenic artist, Seattle Repertory
Company
ore often than not, a
night at the theatre is a laughing
matter these days.
Erick Hoffman ’89
Eugene, Ore.
Director of Communications
University of Oregon’s
Schnitzer Museum of Art
Barb Alloy ’90
Green Bay, Wis.
Entertainer, photographer, director
(Founded three-woman cabaret
Glamarama, operates Alloy Photography with the motto “You tie the
knot, I’ll get the shot,” and will direct
“Black Patent Leather Shoes” in April
for Green Bay Community Theater)
The local newspaper’s take on the
latest show is representative:
“Lively leads, solid singing, snazzy
special effects and carloads of
camp-horror humor add up to
a strong version of ‘Little Shop
of Horrors’ at the University of
Wisconsin-Green Bay.”
Comedies have a long history on
campus, but faculty including Prof. Laura Riddle started
increasing their frequency more
than a decade ago when she
arrived with a background in
standup, improv and directing
stage comedy.
“Certainly, we’re still going to
do classic drama,” Riddle says.
Photo by Mike Roemer
Indeed, productions of Ibsen,
Thornton Wilder and Tennessee
Williams have appeared in recent
seasons. “Comedy is just another
part of that mix. And comedy can
be an important way to approach
serious issues.”
This year, the stark, ripped-fromthe-headlines drama “The Balkan
Women” opened the season
and won cast and crew a bid to
the college theatre regionals
(see page 4). Comedy returned
with “Little Shop” and its crazy
man-eating plant (photo above).
Due this semester are “Expecting
Isabel” about a New York couple’s
over-the-top baby obsession
(starting Feb. 26 in the Jean
Weidner Theatre), and Shakespeare’s romantic romp “Much
Ado About Nothing” (scheduled
to open April 24 in the University
Theatre).
First, Love: Student actress put campus on national stage
Lauren Love ’86, a theatre professor for the two-year
UW Colleges campus in Baraboo, speaks from experience when she tells students about acting competition.
Love was a UW-Green Bay theatre student in fall 1984
when she was chosen the female lead for the campus
production of “Children of a Lesser God.” The show,
and Love, received rave reviews. The production made
it to the regional college theatre festival, and Love was
nominated for an individual acting award. She advanced
to national auditions at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and went home with a $1,000 scholarship.
She was the first student performer to advance to
nationals from UW-Green Bay. A year earlier, Michael
Dempsey’s scenic design for “The Tempest” won top
regional honors en route to nationals.
BY DESIGN, UW-GREEN BAY GRAD
TAKES DIRECT PATH TO THEATRE SUCCESS
For a behind-the-scenes guy, Joel
Sass ’89 of Minneapolis has made
quite a name for himself in the theatre world, especially if awards, highly
regarded productions and national
connections are the measure.
Since 2007, Sass has served as
the full-time associate artistic director of the Jungle Theatre, a regional
gem many consider on par artistically with the Twin Cities’ prestigious
Guthrie Theatre, but with a more
intimate (150-seat) auditorium.
Sass recently assumed leadership of the Jungle while its founder,
Bain Boehlke, enjoys a sabbatical.
He leads an administrative staff of
eight, while selecting and directing a
season of six play titles in 2009.
UW-Green Bay theatre faculty
describe Sass as notable among
even a large number of distinguished
alumni. A top-flight scenic designer,
he transitioned to directing and
wowed professional colleagues with
a style called “edgy” and “bold.”
Fans are looking forward to
“Hitchcock Blonde,” a new drama
that proposes the mystery master
had a dark secret. It plays at the
Jungle through March 8.
Good reviews are expected.
Recent triumphs for Sass include:
• In 2008, directing three shows at
the Jungle and an award-winning
production of “Nine Parts of
Desire” at the Guthrie, he won
Twin Cities “Best Director” honor
for the second time in six years.
• Last summer he made his West
Coast directorial debut at the
California Shakespeare Theater in
Berkeley with a new production of
“Pericles.” The show ranked No. 2
of the Top Ten Bay Area productions of 2008.
• In 2007, he received a national
honor, the Alan Schneider Director Award, given to a freelance
director of exceptional merit. It
allowed him to visit theatres in
Budapest and London and to network at regional theatres around
the country.
• His work was profiled in October
2007 in a national publication,
American Theater Magazine.
• In 2006, he was awarded a highly
competitive McKnight Theater
Artists Fellowship in directing,
and an Ameriprise IVEY award in
scenic design.
“My artistic career definitely has its
roots in my time at UWGB and the
excellent instructors I enjoyed there.
We had an informal theatre reunion
a year ago and it was a powerful
reconnection to some of my early
teachers and collaborators…
and a reminder of how quickly twenty
years can go by!”
Mary (Gallagher) Damiani ’90
Los Angeles, Calif.
Actress
(Role in Jodie Foster film “Flight
Plan,” episodes of “Friends” and
“Mad About You,” host for PAX and
Game Show Network shows, and
national TV spots including last year’s
Lean Cuisine office-lunch series)
— Joel Sass ’89, Minneapolis,
award-winning director
and scenic designer
Emmy winner ‘Monk’ once
acted for UW-Green Bay
Emmy and Golden Globe winner Tony
Shalhoub of “Monk,” “Wings” and “Spy Kids” had a brief star
turn with UW-Green Bay.
Shalhoub never attended the University (he went off to the
Yale School of Drama) but got a start here nonetheless. In
February 1973, then a senior at Green Bay East High School,
he played the lead role in the new University’s production of
“Captain Jack’s Revenge.” The director, Prof. Emeritus Jack Frisch,
recalls him as “very good” in a “tour de force” role.
Says Frisch of the teen who stepped up to join a college and
community cast, “I don’t recall whether I tried to convince him to
stay around. I might have, should have. But I sure knew I felt it.”
February 2009
3
First plays were absurd,
provocative… and standard fare
UW-Green Bay has had
nine productions receive
ACTF regional invitations
since 1980. They are:
of a toilet flushing greeted arriving theatergoers, with costumed
actors doubling as ushers or milling about, hurling rolls of toilet
paper at one another.
The Balkan Women, 2009
Red Herring, 2006
The Christmas Schooner, 2004
It’s what founding chancellor
Edward Weidner didn’t do after
seeing his first student show that
convinced director Jack Frisch he
was on the right track.
Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, 2002
On the Verge, 1998
“I didn’t hear a thing from him,”
remembers Frisch (above). “No
reaction at all.”
Camp Meeting, 1993
Weidner dropped in at the UW
Center on Deckner Avenue one
evening in May 1968 — a few
months before his new four-year
university was to open — to
sample the existing theatre program at the two-year campus.
In Circles, 1991
Children of a Lesser God, 1985
Trojan Women, 1981
‘BALKAN WOMEN’ ANOTHER WINNER
FOR MUCH-HONORED PROGRAM
When the contemporary wartime drama “The
Balkan Women” played the Jean Weidner Theater
in October, cast and crew might have suspected
they would be asked to perform the play again.
The UW-Green Bay Theatre program, after all,
has a history of earning invitations to the college
theatre “play-offs.”
Tech awards are golden
for theatre team
Four trips to the Great Lakes region’s college
theatre festival this decade, four “Golden
Handtruck” awards. The latest came last month
for behind-the-scenes staging of the entry
“The Balkan Women.” UW-Green Bay won
previously in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
The Golden Handtruck is coveted as the
festival’s team honor. It recognizes the
entire company for technical work and
professionalism in getting set, lighting,
sound system, costumes and props ready
for the performance, and then taken down
afterward. (It’s a unique challenge in that
most college programs rarely leave their
home theatres to take a show on the road.)
A crew of local technicians and union professionals evaluates
each of the visiting companies and declares the winner.
4
February 2009
Sure enough, “Balkan Women” (above) was invited
to the regional gathering of the prestigious American College Theater Festival. This year’s conference
took place in January at Saginaw Valley State (Mich.)
University. It became the fifth production since
1998 and “On the Verge” (below) to earn a bid for
UW-Green Bay.
Bids are awarded after independent judges travel to
dozens of plays entered for consideration throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio,
at small private and major state universities alike. A
half dozen shows qualify for regionals. The festival
doubles as a conference with workshops for students and faculty, as well as individual competition
in acting, design, playwriting and technical fields.
The show was the bawdy farce
“King Ubu,” a free-form “happening” overflowing with chaos and
broad humor. The recorded sound
No one from the Center Players
cast recognized the distinguished
visitor, but from the rear control
room, Frisch did. He watched
with interest as Susan Sloan,
the actress playing the padded,
outrageously-bosomed Mother
Ubu (below, right) escorted the
new chancellor to his seat… and
promptly jumped into his lap.
“From where I was, I couldn’t see
Ed’s reaction,” Frisch recalls.
“Me, I was laughing my head off.”
Hearing nothing afterward,
Frisch took it as a green light and
never looked back. Over the next
two decades, the new University
would make standard fare of provocative, unconventional theatre.
“It was a time of protest, and
there was a school of thought that
college theatre should be stretch-
ing limits, pushing the envelope,”
says Frisch. “I thought we should
do provocative works here, too.”
The University’s very first play,
in fall 1968, was the challenging black comedy “The Empire
Builders.” A year later, the
playhouse shifted from Deckner
to the Shorewood campus when
“The Balcony,” a surrealist drama
(below, left), was performed in
the auditorium (ES 114) of the
University’s new Environmental
Sciences Building.
As the program grew, UW-Green
Bay offered its share of the classics, Eugene O’Neill, Shakespeare
and others, but Frisch always
gravitated to Beckett and other
Theatre of the Absurd masters.
He was also a proponent of such
then-innovative techniques as
using videotape as a teaching tool
(photo below).
For an expanded version of this
story, with more photos, visit
www.uwgb.edu/inside/0902/frisch/
Bill Berry ’94
Seattle, Wash.
Director, associate artistic director,
The 5th Avenue Theatre
(Directing “Cabaret” this spring for
the theatre’s 2,000-seat hall)
April Struebing ’96
Universal City, Calif.
Production manager,
DreamWorks studios
(Key involvement in
animated hits “Kung
Fu Panda” and
“Over the Hedge,”
for which she also
received a Screen Actors Guild card
for voice work)
Lori (Piechock) and Shane Denil ’97
Burbank, Calif.
TV production; acting
(Field and segment production —
“Flip This House” — and extras work
for her; commercial, industrial and TV
work for him)
Erin Hunsader ’98
Appleton, Wis.
Education and community programs,
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
Corey Pinchart ’98
Green Bay, Wis.
Scene shop supervisor,
UW-Green Bay
(Shares credit for
recent successes including “Little Shop”
and regional award
for “Balkan Women”)
Briana Fahey ’01
Milwaukee, Wis.
Stage manager, Milwaukee Repertory
Theatre
Christopher Hibbard ’01
Chicago, Ill.
Actor, director
Ryan Winn ’02
Keshena, Wis.
Theatre/English faculty,
College of Menominee Nation
Steven Marzolf ’03
San Diego, Calif.
Stage actor, Old Globe theatre
Johnny Yoder ’05
New York, N.Y.
Director of
marketing, Stella
Adler Studio of
Acting
(A Stella Adler
grad, also does
some acting,
with recent credits for the Manhattan
Repertory Theatre and StrikeTV, the
internet network launched during last
year’s writers guild walkout)
February 2009
5
Designs on fashion: Young artist
a brand name beyond Seattle
Brent Cox ’71
Waterloo, Wis.
Artist, owner
Lost Marble Factory
(Has developed a
national clientele for
his unique blownglass creations.
Photo courtesy of
Josh Smith, Waterloo Courier)
Daniel Keegan ’72
Milwaukee, Wis.
Executive director,
Milwaukee Art Museum
Thomas Davis ’75
Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Art Center director,
Lake Superior State University
Earl Madden ’75
Madison, Wis.
Art director,
University
Communications,
UW-Madison
(In the late 1980s,
updated a 1920sera architectural flourish from the
UW Field House to create the
University’s now-familiar shield logo)
A
Photos by Michal Daniel
s a UW-Green Bay art major,
Michael Cepress ’04 made a name
for himself by petitioning the city
of Wausau for a festival permit
in hopes of improving his hometown’s arts scene. He succeeded.
Five years later, the forward thinker
is still making his name known,
and still succeeding. Cepress has
his own fashion label, MC, as well
as a shop and showroom in Seattle’s fashionable, creative and historic Capitol Hill neighborhood.
(That’s Cepress, above in purple
shirt, working with a model.)
Fashion may seem a bit of a detour
for those who knew Cepress as
an undergraduate. His work was
displayed in galleries and homes,
not in museums and on runways.
But his studies in fiber arts at the
University of Washington, and tailoring techniques acquired while
working for the Seattle Opera and
the acclaimed 5th Avenue Theatre, were perfect preparation for
the turn to fashion.
“I knew that fibers and textiles
were undeniably central to my
creative interests,” he recalls of his
6
David Van Galen ’78
Seattle, Wash.
Lead designer, Integrus Architecture
February 2009
grad school days. “I experimented
with photography, collages, paintings and sculptures about men’s
fashion. The time came to openly
acknowledge that it wasn’t necessarily artwork for a gallery that
I wanted to be making, but instead
designs for the body that can
be worn by people and enjoyed in
that context.”
Some of his creations are touring internationally — Greece,
Luxembourg, Belgium and England — with “RRRIPPP Paper
Fashion Show.” It showcases the
world’s largest collection of pop
art paper dresses from the 1960s,
and includes works from every
major fashion house in the world.
Cepress’s work is titled “Collars for
the Modern Gentleman.”
An invitation to the show’s opening in Greece was the first of many
recent thrills for the young (27)
artist. He is currently featured
in a prominent photography and
fashion magazine, Idomenee (www.
idomenee-magazine.com/), alongside works by noted artists and
fashion designers Thierry Mugler
and Dries Van Noten. “It’s those international opportunities as a result of my studio
practice that I’m most proud of,”
Cepress says. “Having now created a solid ‘home-base’ in Seattle
where all of the work happens, it
is really a great thrill to be able to
then share that
work all over the
world.”
and along with it, the most personal growth.
“I realized that if I ever wanted to
make a living doing what I love, I
needed to find a way to become
financially successful with my
work,” he says. “The challenge has
been immense,
and now working full time as
a self-employed
He
describes
artist, I face a
his MC designs
learning curve
as offering an
larger than any
obvious nod to
other. Thankhistory and the
fully, progress
powerful, lastcontinues, and
ing traditions of
I’m
steadily
menswear, while
Photos by Michal Daniel forging my own
still
offering
path.”
something new,
fresh and modern for contemporary eyes. “I find that people
gravitate toward the very classic
“Right in line with the cliché of ‘the
feel my designs have,” he says, “but
American dream’… I started the
then become especially excited
when they realize that they can
shop with my own savings… no big
also have a very forward thinking,
loans, no corporate endorsements,
progressive sense of design.”
no independent patrons.”
Cepress will admit that while
artistic ability has come somewhat
— Mike Cepress ’04, Seattle,
naturally, the business of art has
provided his biggest challenges,
artist and fashion designer
Terri Warpinski ’79
Eugene, Ore.
Art professor, landscape
photographer, academic
administrator, University of Oregon
Yipes! Jewelry so lifelike,
it’s almost scary
Joyce Fritz ’84, communication and
the arts, started making jewelry and
related items resembling insects for a
Neville Public Museum garden show
in 1993. Now she sells the little buggers across the United States and
even in Canada and England.
“The Neville was having a garden
show, and they (the bug creations)
were so well received a distributor
took them to a New York gift show
and called back with $10,000 in
orders that had to be filled in three
months,” remembers Fritz.
Working independently, and with a
small child at home, she had her work
cut out for her. Using an ancient
technique called millefiori, she could
essentially mass produce her colorful
creations with very distinctive patterns, and then add the detail work.
The result was anything
but scary.
Fritz named the business “Yipes!” In
her Green Bay studio, she creates
pins and earrings in the form of bugs,
beetles, dragonflies and butterflies,
and frogs, lizards and turtles, as
well. She comes up with a new line
of species every year, while some of
her creations “go extinct.” Her new
line in 2009 will include the elusive
walking stick. Also popular is a line
of larger, frameable (not wearable)
insects, which resemble scientific
specimens.
Some of her designs are whimsical,
others are true to form, and others
are hybrids. “I really enjoy working
with color and patterns and I like
getting the essence of the insect,
and making my own interpretation,”
she says.
For more on Fritz and her bugs, see
www.uwgb.edu/inside/0902/fritz/
Students
Show their Best
It’s an unbroken, 36-year tradition at
UW-Green Bay: students submitting work for
possible inclusion in the Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition. The entries come from
art majors and non-majors alike. The artists
offer painting, drawing and print making, photography, graphic design and sculpture, ceramics,
jewelry, textiles and handmade paper. This winter’s
show, typically strong, was juried by nationally
prominent arts administrator Daniel Keegan of the
Milwaukee Art Museum, a UW-Green Bay alumnus,
class of 1972. Students exhibiting included photographer Matt Robinson and mixed-media artist
Andrew Linskens (left). For more images, search
Inside online for “The Best of 2008 Student Art.”
February 2009
7
Creativity urns an ‘A’ at
college’s birth
Gisela Moyer ’81
Fish Creek, Wis.
Handmade-paper artist
Owner, Moyer Art Studio
Candace Gerbers-Brey ’82
Green Bay, Wis.
Jewelry program instructor,
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Toni Damkoehler ’92
Green Bay, Wis.
Art professor,
UW-Green Bay
(Two illustrations
selected for inclusion
in the prestigious
American Illustration 27 book,
recently released)
She keeps
Artstreet humming
Tina Quigley ’90 was a psychology and
Human Development major at UW-Green
Bay. Arts events are her life now.
Quigley is executive director of Arts
Events Inc., a subsidiary of the Northeastern Wisconsin Arts Council, an organization she directed from 1996 to 2004.
She and Arts Events are responsible for
downtown Green Bay’s popular Artstreet
festival, an outdoor celebration of the
visual and performing arts each August.
They also run the winter Arti Gras festival
and Bayfest in the summer. With one
full-time staffer, empowered committee
members and more than 500 volunteers,
the events generate thousands of visitors
and millions in economic impact. Just as
important, they enrich the cultural scene.
“There is something truly amazing about
being involved in coordinating events
that tens of thousands of people enjoy,”
says Quigley, who learned the business
young from her father, Tim, who originated
Bayfest for UW-Green Bay. “Knowing that
people are having fun and creating lasting
memories is such an incredible reward.”
An original’s
retrospective
Travis Cain ’93
New York, N.Y.
Senior art director,
Kiehl’s Global Branding
Timothy Kussow ’93
Manchester, Conn.
Art professor,
Manchester Community College
When ground was broken in
1971 for the College of Creative
Communication complex, the
only faces that didn’t break a
smile were on the urn.
Grads put ARTgarage on
growth track
The ARTgarage started with a simple idea by
a couple of UW-Green Bay art majors to use
part of an empty cannery building as studio
space and a gallery for local artists. It has
evolved into much more.
The beautiful and expanded space (4,000
square feet) is located on Cedar Street, just
off Main Street in Green Bay. It now serves
The Lawton Gallery on campus is billing it
as a “mini-retrospective,” but anything
featuring the work of founding UW-Green Bay
art faculty member David Damkoehler will
have maximum visual impact. Damkoehler’s
work in industrial materials and art metals —
primarily stainless steel — has gained national
attention. Newly retired (see page 15), he
started his University career in 1969 and
played a leading role in building the environmental design program. The Lawton Gallery
show runs through Feb. 25. Gallery hours are
Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
as a creative home for up to 12 artists and
as a venue for exhibits, musicians, receptions,
forums, tours, classes, workshops and art
trips, including one to Canada in fall of 2009.
Its mission has expanded as well: to encourage an appreciation for, and participation
in, the visual, performing and literary arts.
(See www.theartgarage.com.)
There is a long list of UW-Green Bay graduates
who have found an artistic home at the building in the Olde Main Street redevelopment
district. Among them are Sandi Van Sistine
’78, communication and the arts; Jo Watson
’05, art; Emjay Scanlan ’73, humanism and
cultural change; Tina Bechtel ’02, art; Natalie
Vann ’02, art; Kim Pigeon Metzner ’92, communication and the arts; and Deb Zich Parins
’94, art and communication and the arts.
Pictured above in the gallery, from left, are
Metzner, Van Sistine, Watson and Parins.
Assistant dean Coryl Crandall
(center, with beard) commissioned the piece as a symbolic
memento to forever hold the
first shovelful of earth. Faculty
ceramicist Bruce Grimes,
influenced by tribal ceremonial
masks, was the artist.
Helping with the shovel work
on groundbreaking day were
then-mayor Don Tilleman and
various local dignitaries.
Accounts differ, but it wasn’t
long before a “face pot” provenance — no doubt concocted
over lunch at the Shorewood
Club — began circulating. It
attributed mythic properties
to the urn, faces and soil and
their capacity to ensure eternal
creativity for the occupants of
the buildings.
When the Studio Arts Building
and the Creative Communica-
tion Building (now Theatre Hall)
opened in 1973-74, the faces
looked out from a place of honor
in the fine arts administrative
offices. In later years the pot
was displayed elsewhere including the Chancellor’s Office. It
now resides in the Lawton Gallery’s permanent collection.
As for the lucky spell, it appears
to be holding. Creativity on
campus remains abundant
to this day, despite the wellintentioned employee who,
years ago, noticed dirt in the
vase and emptied it.
Lawton Gallery lands Warhol collection
Black-and-white prints and color Polaroids. A young
Dolly Parton and a younger Mel Gibson. Socialites and
street people, celebrities and hangers-on.
Pop art legend Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a relentless shutterbug. When he wasn’t painting iconic images
of American culture or philosophizing on “fifteen
minutes of fame,” he was snapping countless images
of those drawn near to his wildly diverse social circle.
Now, the UW-Green Bay Lawton Gallery has a piece
of that history.
Addie (Johnson) Sorbo ’98
Green Bay, Wis.
Graphic arts instructor,
UW-Green Bay
Erika Beaumont ’04
Howard, Wis.
Art teacher,
Howard-Suamico School District
Elizabeth Meissner ’04
Ephraim, Wis.
Executive director,
Francis Hardy Center for the Arts
Betsy Bostwick ’05
Oregon City, Ore.
Clackamas County
public art coordinator
Johanna Winters ’07
Minneapolis, Minn.
U.S. Olympic cross-country ski team
training program
Erin Rose ’08
Green Bay, Wis.
Assistant curator,
UW-Green Bay
Lawton Gallery
(Graduate of
University’s new
major in arts
management, she
and classmate Anni Lampert were first
to receive the first bachelor’s degrees
awarded in that major)
The Lawton recently obtained a gift of about 150
original Warhol photographs from the late artist’s
foundation. UW-Green Bay joins Beloit College and
UW-Madison as the only Wisconsin institutions with
significant Warhol holdings.
Stephen Perkins, academic curator of art, says a future
Lawton exhibition is likely, but time and resources will
be required to properly catalog and mount the images
for public viewing. For more information on the Warhol
collection, contact Perkins at (920) 465-2916.
February 2009
9
Grads band together,
and Pulaski shines
David Kliss ’74
Germantown, Wis.
Middle school band director
John Salerno ’73
and ’76
Green Bay, Wis.
Music professor,
UW-Green Bay
(Heads the jazz
studies program
formerly directed
by mentor Lovell
Ives; assembled an alumni tribute
band for January 2009 Jazz Fest.
For coverage, visit www.uwgb.edu/
inside/0902/fest/)
U
W-Green Bay alumni
records show that more than
100 graduates are serving as
music and band directors and
teachers, with the vast majority
living and working in Wisconsin.
Linda Halloin ’76
De Pere, Wis.
Pianist, instructor
(Tours nationally as recitalist with
Duo Pegasus)
You don’t have to travel too far,
in fact, to appreciate the impact.
The village of Pulaski, about
twenty minutes west of campus,
is a prime example.
Lynn Seidl ’77
Casco, Wis.
Music teacher,
Luxemburg-Casco schools
UW-Green Bay grads (from left)
Tom Busch ’90, Jean Fontaine ’78
and Tim Kozlovsky ’89 have combined to build an award-winning
program.
Micki Carlson ’85
Suring, Wis.
Music teacher, Suring schools
A national music organization
named Pulaski one of its “Best
Communities for Music Education” in 2008. It was one of three
Wisconsin school districts to
make the list of 100.
The Pulaski High School
Band program has long been
recognized as one of the best in
the region. The school’s young
musicians are often selected to
represent Wisconsin and the Midwest at prestigious events such as
the National Independence Day
Charles Dotas ’85
Harrisonburg, Va.
Music professor, James Madison
University
celebration in Washington D.C.,
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in
New York and the Tournament
of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The
program received invitations to
play at the 2008 Olympics in
Beijing, the 2008 New Year’s Day
Parade in Rome, and the 2010
New Year’s Day Parade in London,
England.
Busch is in his tenth year as
director of bands and fifteenth
overall at the high school. He
chairs the music department,
teaches and conducts the Red
Raider Concert Band and Red
Raider Wind Ensemble, and
teaches and directs the Red
Raider Marching Band and the
Red Raider Pep Band.
Fontaine is the veteran of the
group, having served the Pulaski
district for 30 years as a teacher
of instrumental music.
Kozlovsky has been the middle
school band director at Pulaski
since fall of 2000. He also directs
the community band for the
village of Pulaski.
Music, war and peace
Counting recitals, concerts, musicals, opera scenes, pep band,
commencement and more, the 200 or students from across campus
who contribute to the UW-Green Bay Music program offer about 100
performances per year.
This year, some of those performances carry additional meaning
with music chosen to reflect a common theme: “Waging War, Waging
Peace.”
Percussion Prof. Cheryl Grosso ’78 penned an original composition,
“Finding Peace,” for her students to perform in concert in December.
Grosso (standing, in file photo, left) described the work as a musical
interpretation of coming to peace in many ways.
Earlier in fall, the Wind Symphony directed by Prof. Kevin Collins studied and performed “A Hymn for the Lost and the Living.”
The musical tribute was created by a faculty member at the Julliard
School in Manhattan who witnessed the attacks and aftermath of
September 11.
The Common Theme initiative provides a yearlong focus for
selected public events at UW-Green Bay in the liberal arts tradition.
10
February 2009
Musical influences: ashwaubenon
has uw-green bay connections
In local scholastic music circles, the question
isn’t “Who are those young people posing
(above) with country music star Keith Urban?”
2004, 2003, 1997), along with competition
titles from UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse and
the Meadows Festival in Chicago.
It’s “Who’s the guy with the Ashwaubenon High
School drum line?”
Jimos (at far right in photo above) was often
a featured soloist during his days with Lovell
Ives and his UW-Green Bay ensembles. He has
played backup to touring stars including Aretha
Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Frankie Valli and the
Four Seasons and Aaron Neville, and in the pit
orchestras for visiting Broadway musicals.
Well, OK, that’s an exaggeration, but you get
the idea. The school’s music program is widely
known for top-notch work under the direction
of a team of UW-Green Bay alumni.
Marching band director Greg Sauve ’71 was one
of the University’s first graduates to pursue a
career in music education. Assistant director
Marc Jimos ’91 and ’02, Ashwaubenon’s teacher
of the year in 2007-08, also directs the awardwinning jazz band. Scott Konop ’90 is another
director with UW-Green Bay ties, as is Nancy
Reichmann.
The Jaguar drum line played with Urban at a
Resch Center stop a year ago. The marching
band has appeared in New York’s St. Patrick’s
Day Parade and at the Tournament of Roses
Parade. It will travel to Hawaii this April for a
performance at Pearl Harbor.
Jimos’s Ashwaubenon High School Jazz Ensemble
has numerous first-place finishes to its credit
at the annual UW-Green Bay Jazz Fest (2007,
Lori Hetzel ’86
Lexington, Ky.
Music professor,
University of Kentucky
(Associate director of choirs and
director of the Women’s Choir, she
is a recipient of Kentucky’s “Great
Teacher of the Year” award)
A big boost for scholarships
The size of the ceremonial check matched the size of the
gift: a $1 million contribution last fall from the estate
of the late Captain Craig A. Mueller, a 1971 graduate in creative communications. His gift was the largest ever by a UW-Green Bay alumnus and the largest
ever for the scholarship fund. The proceeds will make
scholarships available annually to students enrolled
in the Arts and Visual Design and Communication
academic units. “This is going to have a tremendous
impact in terms of increasing opportunities for students in those areas,” said Shane Kohl ’96, development director. Arts and Visual Design (formerly
Communication and the Arts) has more than 550 students pursuing majors in art, arts management, design
art, music and theatre.
February 2009
11
At big Phoenix games then and now,
Pep Band rocks
Woody Mankowski ’89
De Pere, Wis.
Freelance jazz musician
and vocalist, recording artist,
commercial musician
(Founded the band Big Mouth)
Bill Dennee ’91
Denmark, Wis.
Denmark Middle School band
instructor
Mary Brendemuehl ‘92
Tomahawk, Wis.
Choir Director
Alumni vocalists
show varied range
Records identify more than 450 alumni
who majored in music (or communication
and the arts) at UW-Green Bay who now
make careers as professionals, or play side
gigs, give lessons, own music shops and studios, or perform with local ensembles.
Three relatively recent graduates in vocal
music help illustrate these contributions.
Kari Moskal ’04 was similar to many
music education majors in that she received
her introduction to UW-Green Bay at a summer music camp. Years later, college degree
fresh in hand, she jumped at the chance to
return to her home in northwest Wisconsin
and teach K-12 choral and general music
(above) in the Turtle Lake School District,
just five miles from where she grew up. She
fondly recalls her UW-Green Bay days,
especially the opportunity to participate in
an opera written by Prof. Terence O’Grady,
and traveling to Italy her senior year with
Phoenix Chorale.
For David Robertson, a music education
graduate who now teaches at Sturgeon Bay
High School, strong alumni ties recently
paid off for his students. The Concert Choir
he directs had the opportunity to perform
at the Weidner Center in November. The
UW-Green Bay Music program frequently
invites local high school groups to share
the stage.
The next scheduled performance for
Andrea Wiltzius-Pierce is singing the Verdi
requiem in Vienna in March of 2009. Teaching and studying in Madison while her composer husband completes his doctorate,
the former UW-Green Bay opera standout
continues to build on her promising young
career. Shortly after leaving the University
she advanced to the finals of the Montreal
International Czech and Slovak Music Competition, and was chosen for young artist
work with the Metropolitan Opera in New
York and with Chicago’s Lyric Opera. She
has performed supporting roles with the
Canadian Opera Company.
12
February 2009
Randy Knaflic ’95
Zurich, Switzerland
Staffing manager,
Google Europe
(Landed his prestigious position,
in part, because
interview team was
impressed by his
jazz experience as an indicator of
creative abilities)
The UW-Green Bay Pep Band
performs for men’s and women’s
basketball games, pep rallies and
the occasional all-campus function such as Phuture Phoenix Day.
marks of success: they tour
the world for jazz and country
Mark Burditt ’81 and Mark Israel ’82 were college
roommates. The music majors also shared the same
practice rooms and performance venues. More than
25 years later they’re playing side-by-side again,
now in the Air Force Academy Band’s jazz ensemble,
the Falconaires.
Last month, they made their second trip back to
campus. (They played with the Air Force Band at
the Weidner Center in the early 2000s.) This time
they helped celebrate the 80th birthday of their
mentor, Ives, and played in a special alumni band at
Jazz Fest XXXIX.
Just as they did under the direction of now retired
UW-Green Bay faculty members Lovell Ives and
Jerome Abraham, the pair commands an audience:
Burditt on the trombone and Israel on the trumpet.
“Even though UW-Green Bay was a smaller school,
and perhaps not recognized nationally, my teachers
prepared me very well,” says Burditt. “I am deeply
grateful for the mentorship of all the UWGB faculty,
especially Jerry Abraham and Lovell Ives.”
As one of the Air Force’s two premier jazz ensembles, the Falconaires have a half-century tradition of
delivering the sounds of Big Band jazz to national
audiences. Their assignments are typically high-level
functions, national tours and public concerts. The
Falconaires are often deployed to cheer troops, as
well. Name a place United States forces have been
stationed in the past two decades — Iraq, Somalia,
Saudi Arabia — and Burditt and Israel have likely
been there.
Having gone their separate ways after college, the
two Marks reacquainted at Disneyland in Florida in
1990, where Burditt was employed as a lead trombonist, and Israel was visiting as a member of the
Falconaires. Not long after, Burditt aced an audition
for the prestigious ensemble, and the Green Bay
alumni were reunited.
Israel, who as a collegian won the International
Trumpet Guild jazz solo competition, and took
Downbeat Magazine’s annual vocal jazz award,
gives credit to UW-Green Bay, as well.
“The music education I received at UWGB
continues to be the primary foundation for
all my musical endeavors. I appreciate the
dedication and sincerity of my professors.
They cared not only about musical excellence
but also for each and every student.”
—Trumpeter Mark Israel ’82
The most memorable gigs over
the years, however, have been
NCAA Tournament trips. Los
Angeles. Dallas. Austin, Texas,
twice. Virginia Beach. Santa
Barbara. Eugene, Ore. Hartford,
Conn. And, of course, Ogden,
Utah, back in March 1994.
“If you played in that 1994
band,” says its leader, Prof. Kevin
Collins, now director of bands at
UW-Green Bay, “you know you
were part of something really
special, one of the truly great
moments in NCAA basketball
and in our University’s history.
It’s kind of a special club, all the
people you remember from that
tournament. Kind of like UWGB’s
version of the ‘Ice Bowl.’ ”
It was in Ogden that Coach Dick
Bennett’s team shocked Cal and
nearly upset Syracuse on the
basketball floor. In the stands,
the charged-up Pep Band led the
party as fans went wild for the
underdog Phoenix.
Adding to the slightly surreal
scene was the band’s unconven-
tional headgear. They became
the first band to go cheesehead
on national TV — the foam
wedges were a relatively new
product at the time — and CBS,
ESPN and major newspapers
(left) couldn’t get enough.
Fifteen years later, the fun rolls
on (above), under new direction,
Assistant Prof. Eric Hansen.
Collins notes that up to 75
percent of Pep Band members
are non-music majors, and that
players and student directors
gain valuable experience. For
more, visit Inside online at
www.uwgb.edu/inside/0902/pep/
Promoting Native culture through music
John Teller Jr. is using his UW-Green Bay Information
Science degree to preserve Native American music and
culture.
Teller, a 2006 grad, started Bear Traks Digital Media
Company in Green Bay with his father to record Native
American music, including music made live at traditional
Powwows held throughout the state and region.
“They’ve taught me how to manage information,” Teller
said of his University classes. When you manage a
recording business, “It’s managing people. It’s managing
problems. It’s managing technologies.”
To include the energy of a Powwow, Teller records primarily on location, picking up the sounds of people enjoying
themselves along with the singing, bells and drumbeats.
Ryan Frane ’96
Duluth, Minn.
Director of Jazz Studies, University of
Minnesota-Duluth
Laurie Seely ’96
Astoria, N.Y.
Opera singer
Jon Delany ’98
Freedom, Wis.
Band instructor,
Freedom schools
(“Music is the
perfect combination of discipline,
hard work,
and the ‘artsy’
creative side we strive to pull out of
our teen-agers.” For more on Delany
and one grad’s experiences as a
music educator, visit www.uwgb.edu/
inside/0902/Delany/)
Jennifer (Scovell) Parker ’99
Pullman, Wash.
Music professor, Washington State
University
(Directs the award-winning vocal jazz
ensemble and the Crimson Revue pop
ensemble)
Kristin (Masarik) Harris ’01
Green Bay, Wis.
Education and outreach coordinator,
Green Bay Symphony Orchestra
Tim Patterson ’02
Madison, Wis.
Percussionist, doctoral degree
candidate
Terry Brennan ’06
Green Bay, Wis.
Sales, assistant store manager,
Henri’s Music
“We’re trying to capture the historical, as well as the cultural element of the music,” he said. “We try to bring an
‘If you were there,’ feel to the music.”
February 2009
13
CAMPUS NEWS
CAMPUS NEWS
A Salute for University’s
Work with Military Vets
David
Damkoehler,
Arts and Visual
Design, was
granted professor emeritus
status at winter
commenceDamkoehler ment. He
joined the faculty in 1969, earned a Founders
Association Award for Excellence
and won national recognition as
an artist specializing in industrial materials and art metals. He
designed the ceremonial mace
for UW-Green Bay in 2001.
New at ‘Eco U’ — EMBI
What’s an “EMBI” and what
does it have to do with you?
The Environmental Management
and Business Institute will be a
UW-Green Bay-based resource
that public- and private-sector
You’re invited to
2009
Green Innovations eve
nt for the
partners can turn to for help in
solving environmental problems in
a sustainable manner.
strengthen the University’s
national leadership position in
environmental awareness.
Organizers say they welcome
alumni involvement in the launch
of EMBI in 2009. Those connections are a natural given the
historic mission of UW-Green Bay,
which carried the nickname “Eco
U” in the 1970s.
The first public event, with a
green business trade show,
guest experts on sustainable
commerce, and networking
opportunities, is scheduled for
April 22. See your invitation at
left. Planning is already under
way for a follow-up event in
2010 to coincide with the
40th anniversary of Earth Day.
Headed by faculty co-directors,
economist John Stoll and earth
scientist Kevin Fermanich, the
initiative is seen as helping
09 is the kick-off
Green Innovations 20
activities will take
Business Institute. Most
d
an
ent
gem
ons.
na
Ma
al
ent
Environm
rs of Earth Day celebrati
pus, recognizing 40 yea
n
tio
ova
inn
s
tie
t
tha
place April 22 on cam
m
showcase and symposiu
d
Green Innovations is a
erts, business leaders an
exp
ide
tew
Sta
es.
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pital
Ca
n
ma
Hu
to green business pra
ing
evelop
te on topics such as “D
y of
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“Pr
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researchers will collabora
an
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ansition to Sustainabil
for Sustainability,” “Tr
version, energy-saving
es tied to biomass con
ess
sin
ctices are expected
Sustainability.” Bu
and green business pra
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ab
devices, renew
repreneurs showcase.
to participate in an ent
/embi/workshop.
ww
o, go to w.uwgb.edu
For registration and inf
Election 2008
turned out
big crowds
UW-Green Bay students showed up in
record numbers on Election Day 2008.
More than 1,300 residents of campus
housing voted at the University Union’s
Alumni Room. Lines snaked through
Cloud Commons (the former Nicolet
Room). Afterward, students proudly
sported “I Voted” stickers (right).
An energetic registration drive even
gained national mention. At one point,
UW-Green Bay cracked the top 10 of
one coast-to-coast campus competition.
14
February 2009
FACULTY and STAFF
When UW-Green Bay invited
Army Nurse Alison Lighthall to
campus as a consultant last year,
seeking strategies to improve
reintegration for returning veterans, she offered strong affirmation for veterans programs
already in place.
“I can say without reservation that UW-Green Bay
is ahead of the curve in
efforts to assist your ‘warrior students,’” Lighthall
said. “Very few U.S. colleges
and universities have made
this unique group a priority
the way your school has.”
UW-Green Bay had 275 soldiers
and veterans enrolled in classes
for fall semester 2008, with a
number awaiting activation
orders for 2009.
The consultant noted the value of
veterans receptions and appreciation events (above), counseling
and assistance service, the designation of a specific staff member
trained to attend to unique issues
of veterans, a growing Vets 4 Vets
Club, and more.
For photos and more, see
www.uwgb.edu/inside/0902/vets/
Photo, please!
It’s Commencement Day
Laura (Busby) Hollingsworth, a
1989 UW-Green Bay graduate
who is now president and publisher of one of America’s most
influential newspapers, The Des
Moines Register, was among the
honored guests at mid-year ceremonies Dec. 20 at the Weidner
Center. Hollingsworth (above,
left) delivered the commencement address. Also honored was
former Green Bay Packers President Bob Harlan (above), who was
called to the stage to receive the
Chancellor’s Award for service to
campus and community. In the
mid-1980s he was instrumental
in rallying community
support for Division I athletics at UW-Green Bay.
It’s traditional for veterans and newcomers alike
to march in the faculty
processional. At right is
Al Loomer, who at age 95
still doesn’t miss a ceremony. (Loomer began
teaching math at the old
UW Center in Green
Bay in 1955 and retired
as a professor in 1983.)
Among those marching in their
first Commencement was Mussie
Teclezion, a new assistant professor of Business Administration.
A team of staff volunteers won
honors at the American Cancer
Society’s Wisconsin Leadership
Summit for success with the
annual Daffodil Days fundraiser.
Members include Carol
Brabant, Twila Marquardt,
Karla Miller, Jan Snyder, Marie
Stephenson, Tina Tackmier
and Teri Ternes. The 2009
campaign kicks off in February.
Faculty members awarded named
professorships for 2009-2013 are:
• Prof. John Stoll, Public and
Environmental Affairs, awarded
the Austin E. Cofrin Professorship in Management, recently
established by Dr. David Cofrin,
his wife Mary Ann, and the Cofrin children in honor of David
Cofrin’s father, the founder of
Fort Howard Paper Co.;
• Prof. Denise Scheberle, Public
and Environmental Affairs, the
Herbert Fisk Johnson Professorship in Environmental Studies;
• Prof. Meir Russ, Business
Administration, the new Frederick E. Baer Professorship in
Business, created by and named
for the former CEO of Paper
Converting Machine Corporation, who passed away in 2006;
• Prof. Clifford Abbott, Information and Computing Science, the
Patricia Wood Baer Professorship
in Education, newly established
by Mrs. Baer (see page 16) related
to her work as a teacher; and
• Prof. Phillip Clampitt, Information Sciences and Communication, the Philip J. and Elizabeth
B. Hendrickson Professorship for
Business.
Nursing Prof. Derryl Block
was a member of an American
Association of Colleges of Nursing task force that developed new
recommendations and essential
curricular elements for baccalaureate nursing curriculum.
Prof. E. Nicole Meyer, Humanistic Studies,
French and
Women’s
Studies, was
honored as
the 2008
Outstanding Higher
Meyer Education
Representative
by the Wisconsin Association for
Talented and Gifted.
Music Prof. Sarah Meredith
Livingston, Arts and Visual
Design, has been approved as
a candidate on the Fulbright
Specialists Roster through
2013, available with other distinguished scholars for participation in international academic
exchanges.
Prof. Denise Sweet, Humanistic
Studies, English and First
Nations Studies, concluded
her four-year appointment as
Wisconsin Poet Laureate with
an address in November to the
Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets fall
conference.
Red is ‘out’ at Green Bay
Notice we don’t often use the acronym “UWGB” in this publication? (We prefer the full name, or UW-Green Bay.) Notice use
of the color red, once a design mainstay when the institution
was a fledgling offshoot of the Madison campus, has gradually
faded in favor of a proud UW-Green Bay forest green? If so, you
just might be interested in publication of the University’s newly
updated style guide. It contains do’s and don’ts for campus
editors and designers, and just a dash of institutional history.
Search for “style guide” at www.uwgb.edu.
February 2009
15
CAMPUS NEWS
ALUMNI NOTES
UW-Green Bay’s New Leader has Executive Experience
Thomas K. Harden will begin
his tenure as UW-Green Bay’s
new chancellor June 1.
Harden is finishing the
current semester at Clayton
State University, where he has
served as president since 2000.
Located outside Atlanta and at
6,200 students the same size as
UW-Green Bay, Clayton State
has won attention for diversity
and enrollment gains.
Harden and his wife, Cathy,
toured Green Bay in December
when he interviewed for the job.
“I knew then there was something special about UW-Green
Bay — its people,” Harden
says. “A gifted faculty, warm
and dedicated staff, capable
and inquiring students, and a
supportive community… Add
to these a curriculum rooted
in interdisciplinarity, a com-
Capital Campaign update:
Baer essentials include generosity
in contributions from former
students, colleagues, friends
and local business leaders.
Appropriately, organizers
are shooting to finalize the
campaign by April 1, just
about tax time.
UW-Green Bay acknowledged the philanthropic
Baer Family of Green Bay
at mid-year commencement.
Patricia Wood Baer and
son Rick (right), were
present as the University
paused, before issuing
diplomas, to ceremoniously mark the inaugural
awarding of three named
professorships including
two created by the Baers.
Professorships — donorfunded endowments which provide
stipends on top of salary to top faculty members — support advanced
research and service.
The Baers have given generously
since 1970 to UW-Green Bay
student scholarships, the Weidner
Center, the center’s 3,702-pipe
Wood Family Organ and various
initiatives. (For more on the Baer
16
February 2009
awards and others, see “Faculty and
Staff” on page 15.)
The additional professorships,
achieved through the institution’s
$25 million Campaign for UWGreen Bay, give the institution a
total of eight. Additional news from
the Campaign:
• The Karl Zehms Accounting
Scholarship Endowment is
nearing an impressive $40,000
• There’s an inspiring story
behind the scholarship fund
created by Ceil Hintz ’87, a
retired UW-Green Bay academic adviser. It involves her
late mother, Alvina Breske,
who because of hearing
impairment received no formal schooling but learned three
languages nonetheless, lived to
102 and instilled in her children a
lifelong love of education. Search
Inside online for the full story.
• UW-Green Bay expects to realize
about $12,000 from a matchinggifts scholarship drive organized
by the UW Credit Union, which
has a branch on campus.
mitment to environmental
sustainability, and a beautiful
campus, and great outcomes
are possible.”
The move represents a return
north for Harden, a former
dean at Eastern Michigan
University. He earned his
bachelor’s degree at Miami
University in Ohio, his master’s
degree from the University
of Dayton and a doctorate in
education from the University
of Cincinnati.
Word A ssociation with Mike Roemer ’86
Whether he’s harnessed and hanging out of a helicopter, chasing
the NFL action from the sidelines, lighting his studio for a star, or
capturing the theatre scene on the cover of this magazine, photographer Mike Roemer ’86 is always passionate about getting the
perfect shot. His sports photography has won numerous national
honors. Here he gives Inside readers some insight to his many
adventures.
Harden succeeds Bruce
Shepard, who left after seven
years to accept the presidency
at Western Washington
University. Look for a full
profile of Chancellor-designate
Harden in our May issue of the
Inside UW-Green Bay alumni
magazine.
Former staff member
gave at the office,
left gift for students
The late Irene
Shewalter
first
joined the staff of
Green Bay’s twoyear UW Extension in 1953. She
served with disShewalter tinction in various secretarial
and administrative assistant positions over the years as the school
transitioned to a full four-year
university.
“Irene knew virtually everyone on the campus and everyone
knew her,” recalls William Laatsch,
interim provost.
After her retirement in 1978,
Shewalter kept close to UW-Green
Bay and its fine arts offerings, and
later served as a Weidner Center
volunteer. When she passed away
last February at age 90, a $25,000
estate gift created the Irene Shewalter Scholarship in Theatre. It
will be awarded for the first time
in 2009-2010.
1970s
Margaret (Maes) Axtmann ’73
humanism and cultural change,
is executive director for the Legal
Information Preservation Alliance
in Bloomington, Ind.
Al Schuettpelz ’73 modernization processes,
received the
Person of the Year
Award at a recent
Wisconsin Association of Mutual
Insurance Companies annual
convention in
Schuettpelz La Crosse. He is
president of Maple Valley Mutual
Insurance Company, Lena.
Colin Michaud ’74 urban analysis,
owns Columbia Design in Spring
Branch, Texas.
Linda Kennedy ’76 managerial
systems, was recently named CEO of
Business Lending Group, Appleton,
a collaboration of Prospera Credit
Union, Fox Communities Credit
Union, Citizens First Credit Union
and Pioneer Credit Union.
Mike Dallas ’77 master’s in environmental arts and sciences, is in charge
of marketing and human resources
for Royal Cleaners, Green Bay.
Bill Golembeski ’79 humanistic
studies, has a book published by
Cold Tree Press, The English Setter
Dance: A Tale of Rock Music and Dogs.
Said one reviewer,
“Well, when you
don’t want a book
to ever end and you
grow fond of all its
characters, even the
‘bad guys,’ that’s a
pretty darn good
book…” Golembeski
teaches high school English
in Manitowoc.
Cool factor: “Having a view and
access to those things that most
people don’t. My week can go from
shooting commercial work for companies like Marriott International in
California, to Con-way Trucking in
the Arizona desert, to environmental
portraits for a healthcare client in
the Midwest, followed by a Packers
game or UWGB sporting event on
the weekend.”
Most difficult: “Tragedy. I worked
for newspaper for 10 years after
graduation covering tragedy: car
accidents, fires, those type of things.
That I don’t miss.”
Excitement: “As I was shooting
aerials for a local real estate client,
the helicopter pilot asked if I could
shoot a photo of his home. He got
so low that I was looking eye-level
with the roof of his two-story home,
and so close that I couldn’t keep
the entire side of the home in frame
with a wide-angle lens. That’s when
I heard in my headset the words you
never want to hear from your pilot,
“Oh #$%^!” After a couple of hard
bounces in his front yard, we came
skidding to a stop, just missing a
basketball hoop and flagpole. After
digging the sod out of the landing
gear we continued the shoot. But as
I kept asking the pilot “Is that noise
normal?” we decided to cut the
shoot short that day.”
1980s
Chris Groh ’81 human adaptability
and ’84 master’s of science in environmental science and policy, is a
wastewater training specialist at the
Wisconsin Rural Water Association
in Plover.
Bill Lindmark ’81 human adaptability, will again manage the
clubhouse, pro shop and restaurant
for Shorewood Golf Course on the
UW-Green Bay campus. He is a
PGA professional and coach of the
Phoenix men’s golf team. He managed the course from 1996 to 2001,
as well.
David Diedrich ’82 business
administration, has been promoted
to president of Bank First National,
Manitowoc.
Favorite shoot: “Climbing to the
top of the Mt. Rushmore “heads”
for a story on the maintenance of
the monument.”
Celebrity ‘awe’?: “Not much. In
a studio shot for Mountain Dew,
Brett Favre had to simulate spraying
a two-liter bottle of soda much like
you would for a champagne celebration. Brett got into it and had fun…
much different then the Brett I shot
on the football field for 12 years.”
More than sports: “People know
me from Packers and Phoenix games.
Many are surprised when they go to
RoemerPhoto.com and they see the
other types of work that I do.”
UW-Green Bay memories: “My
favorite class and best memories are
from my sailing class and my time
down at the old outing center sailing
the FJ collegiate racing boats. This
past summer I got back into one
of those boats — it brought back
memories. (Either the FJs were a lot
smaller back then or I’ve become less
flexible). As for photography, Jerry
Dell’s classes and my internships at
newspapers like the Appleton Post
Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal
gave me a wide range of knowledge
and experience that have made me
successful today.”
Joseph L. Hoffmeyer ’82 business
administration, is the new president
and chief operating officer of
Baylake Bank, a $1.1 billion asset
community bank in Northeast
Wisconsin. He’ll also have hands-on
responsibility for directing and
managing the bank’s Wealth Services Division.
Robert Van Abel, ’82 human
adaptablity, is vice president and
chief information officer at
CoVantage Credit Union in Antigo.
Linda Parker ’85 science and
environmental change, works as an
ecologist for the ChequamegonNicolet National Forest.
Faith (Harjala) Hensrud ’86
human adaptability, is the associate
chancellor for academic affairs and
outreach at UW-Superior.
February 2009
17
ALUMNI NOTES
ALUMNI NOTES
Karla Keegan-Smith ’96 human
development, resides in Omaha and
is a staffing manager at Hemphill
Staffing Solutions, Inc.
His Jordanian connections benefit
UW-Green Bay
In Amman, Jordan, on the credenza in the office
of technology executive Daoud Abboud ’87, sits
a prized memento, a framed photograph of him
(above, at right) with the leader of the nation of
Jordan, King Abdullah II.
Next to the framed photo, also in a place of
honor, is a certificate of appreciation from UWGreen Bay for helping expand its Mideast
connections.
Abboud is CEO of United Technology Solutions, an Oracle partner with
branches in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
He also owns three related companies,
and serves on the board of his country’s
Information Technology Association.
He’s a believer in international education. He attended UW-Green Bay as
Jo (Bates) Norman ’89 business
administration and psychology,
recently earned her Project Management Professional Certificate and
began working with the international
software consulting firm, Ciber.
1990s
Scott Huguet ’90 earth science, is
a project manager with Beneficial
Reuse Management, Green Bay. Lisa
(Fritsch) Huguet ’90 economics, is
assistant vice president of finance for
Pioneer Credit Union, Green Bay.
Tad Isaacson ’90 business administration, is an outside sales representative for JP Graphics Inc., Appleton.
Dennis Lorrig ’90 economics, is
president of BirdRock Media Group,
Carlsbad, Calif.
Dean Haen ’91 environmental planning, is port manager
for Brown County.
He is married to
Mary (Van Enkenvort) ’92 human
development. For
more on Haen and
port expansion plans,
Haen visit www.uwgb.edu/
inside/0902/haen/
18
February 2009
Richard Meyers ’91 political
science, earned Chairman’s Circle
honors for August in the Green Bay
office of Coldwell Banker, The Real
Estate Group.
Noel Halvorsen ’92 urban and
regional studies, continues as
executive director of NeighborWorks in Green Bay, a non-profit
organization that helped him find
a home. He became a volunteer and
later the agency’s administrator.
Walter Melcher ’92 business
administration and German, is the
senior vice president for Denver
Investments LLC in Denver.
Ellen Mommaerts ’92 human
development, is the director of the
Norbertine Volunteer Community
through St. Norbert Abbey,
De Pere. The program focuses on
post-college-age, single, young
adults serving the poor. She is
enrolled in the master of theological
studies program at St. Norbert
College.
Patti (Bourassa) Bemowski ’93
communication processes, earned
Chairman’s Circle honors recently
in the Green Bay office of Coldwell
Banker, The Real Estate Group.
Jason Derby ’97 environmental
science, is vice president of maintenance operations at Advanced
Waste Services, Inc, and the owner
of Stillwater Properties, LLC, both
based out of Milwaukee.
an international student — “The only way to be
closely in touch with other cultures and people is
to blend with another society for a period of time”
— and earned his bachelor’s in Computing and
Information Sciences before returning home.
Since 2006 his high-level connections have
helped facilitate UW-Green Bay’s Journey to
Jordan program. Funded by the U.S. State Department, it takes American high school students (left)
to Jordan for summer programs in Arabic language
and culture, and home visits with Jordanian families.
Each summer Abboud hosts a lavish, traditional
Jordanian dinner for the entire delegation.
He has fond memories of Wisconsin.
“The people of Green Bay were friendly and
receptive, very welcoming, and, living off campus,
I made some good friends who showed great interest in my culture,” he recalls. The decidedly nondesert climate was no problem. “I made the best of
it with activities like sailing in the hot humid summer
and cross country skiing in the freezing winter.”
For an expanded version of this story,
see www.uwgb.edu/inside/0902/abboud/
Marie LeCloux ’93 managerial
accounting, is a staff accountant for
the Einstein Project, Green Bay.
Evelio Oliva ’93 social change and
development, is president of Tekcom
Dominicana, S.A., a licensed telecommunications service provider of
Wireless Internet and IP Telephony
Services in the Dominican Republic.
Andrew Steger ’93 English, is a
special education teacher at
De Pere High School.
Wery
Chris Wery ’93 history and human
development, is a four-term Green
Bay alderman, recently elected City
Council president. He sits on the
Larsen Redevelopment Board and is
the founder of Friends of Fisk Pool,
which raised $500,000 to restore
and repair the outdated structure.
He is married to Renee A. Lefebvre
’92 and ’94 and has two children,
Hannah and Calvin. Renee works
for KAS Investments and sits on the
Sustainable Green Bay Task Force.
Tim Bahn ’94 music, is the middle
school band director for Luxemburg
Casco Schools. He married Tracy
Bahn in 2005 and they have one
son, Levi.
Lisa Ann (DuPont) Nero ’94
business administration, is a
recruiter for Associated Bank in
Green Bay.
Cassie (Rihm) Schuh ’95
social work, is owner of Zeptastic
Personal/Professional Development
Services in Seymour. Her business
promotes “positive change” in the
lives of her clients.
Brenda Sedmak ’95 social change
and development, is currently working in the Division of Merit Recruitment and Selection in the Office
of State Employment Relations in
Madison. Last spring she earned her
master’s degree at UW-Milwaukee in
human resources and labor relations.
Mike Vander Sanden ’96
geography, is a geographic information systems analyst for Washington
County, West Bend. He and wife, Missy,
have two children, Maggie Joy and Jack
Michael.
Molly Schreiber ’96 communication
and the arts, is an operations programs
associate for the State Department of
Health Services in Milwaukee.
Andrea Feucht ’97 urban and
regional studies and geography,
was recently promoted to product
(software) management at Sevence,
LLC in Albuquerque. She refers to
her title as “Product Development
Instigator.”
Romi Herron ’97 English, recently
completed a
cultural insights
program in Lima,
Peru. She worked
with children in
Villa El Salvador,
a community
initiative once
nominated for a
Herron
Nobel Peace Prize.
As a freelancer, she recently wrote
an international business story published in China Daily, the national
English newspaper of China. She
is working on her master’s thesis at
Northwestern University.
Matt Johnson physics, was
appointed the new head coach of the
Detroit Ignition
indoor soccer
team of the Xtreme
Soccer League
after working as
an assistant coach
since 2006. He
played soccer for
the Phoenix from
Johnson
1994 to 1997.
Holly (Pearson) Selwitschka ’97
English, has been appointed the
director of the Winneconne Public
Library. She earned her master’s
degree in library science from
UW-Milwaukee.
Peter Geisheker ’98 psychology,
is the CEO of The Geisheker Group,
Inc., headquartered in Green Bay. His
views on marketing and business have
been quoted by, among many others,
Entrepreneur Magazine, FORTUNE,
Small Business Magazine, Money Magazine and numerous business blogs.
Kelle (Wygralak) Hartman ’99
biology and environmental science,
is an educator at the Green Bay
Botanical Garden.
Scott Sonnabend ’99 business
administration, earned Chairman’s
Circle honors recently in the Green
Bay office of Coldwell Banker, The
Real Estate Group.
Susan Zellner ’99 communication
and the arts, is director of development at the Delaware Art Museum
in Wilmington, Delaware. She heads
all fundraising efforts with a donorcentered focus.
2000s
Amy Beiersdorf ’00 psychology
and human development, is the new
K-4 guidance counselor at Lincoln
Elementary School in the Shawano
School District. She earned a
master’s of education from DePaul
University, Chicago.
Danielle (Bell) Potokar ’00
psychology and human development,
received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State
University in December 2008. She
completed a predoctoral internship
at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center in 2007. She works as a graduate
psychologist in clinical research on
schizophrenia in addition to providing direct patient care to veterans
with serious mental illness.
Chad Dean ’00 human biology,
is a senior scientist at PPD Inc.
in Middleton. PPD is a contract
research organization with clients
and partners in areas such as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical
device, academic and government
organizations.
Bevan Dobberpuhl ’00 business
administration, is a sales representative at Atlantic Importing in
Framingham, Mass. He recently
married Anne Conry.
Russ Japunitch ’00 environmental
sciences and ’02 environmental
science and policy, is working with
Bureau of Land Management in
Colorado.
Shari Hilding-Kronforst ’00 biology and earth science, is a geophysicist at Texas A & M University.
Jennifer (Brazee) Mastey ’00
elementary education, is the new
K-3 teacher at Chilton Area Catholic
School.
Erin (Miller) Robinson ’00 music,
is an elementary music teacher for
the Holmen School District. She
and her husband welcomed a twin
son and daughter in January 2007.
Susan (Caprez) Bressler ’01
master’s in administrative science,
is a freelance writer for Kaplan
Publishing in Seattle. She recently
published Kaplan Human Resource
Certification, a training guide.
Steven Daniels ’01 social change
and development, is a claims
adjuster with Ameriprise Auto and
Home Insurance in Green Bay.
Patti (Poels) Heisel ’01 nursing,
received “Living her Values” recognition at Community Memorial
Hospital in Oconto Falls, where she
is a nurse and outpatient oncology
clinic coordinator.
Steve Jandt ’01 communication
processes, is director of operations
for The Salvation Army in Green Bay.
Penny (Hille) Kuhn ’01 business
administration, is an accountant
assistant at Employment Options,
Inc., in Shawano.
Andrew Meyer ’01 mathematics, is
working as an admissions adviser
for UW-Green Bay.
Sharin (Landry) Tebo ’01 Spanish, is an instructional technology
support teacher for the Green Bay
public schools.
Vincent Panzarella ’01 business
administration, is manager of the
Neenah branch of Wells Fargo.
Bob Proudfit ’01 master of science in environmental science and
policy, is an information systems
project manager for Marshfield
Clinic in Marshfield.
Kyle Bille ’02 history, is a middle
school social studies teacher for the
Mineral Point School District.
Erica Hundertmark ’02 psychology, is currently a residence life
coordinator for Oxford College of
Emory University in Oxford, Ga.
Dennis McCormick ’02 communication processes, is engaged to Andi
Mattke. He works at The Finish Line
in Fond du Lac.
Theresa Bauer ’03 nursing, joined
Aurora Medical Center in Two Rivers
as manager of outpatient services.
Julie (Zirbel) Casals ’03 chemistry
and human biology, married
Robert Casals Jr. in October, and
is a criminalist at the Miami-Dade
Police Department crime lab.
Jolene Garvey ’03 human biology,
graduated from
Palmer College
of Chiropractic
in Davenport,
Iowa in 2007 and
opened Garvey
Chiropractic
L.L.C., Green Bay.
Garvey She is pursuing
further studies
in chiropractic pediatrics and
pregnancy. She is the official chiropractor of the Green Bay Bullfrogs
minor league baseball team.
Brandon Gerlikowski ’03 accounting and business administration,
is a planning analyst for Wisconsin
Public Service in Green Bay.
Joshua Gretzinger ’03 business
administration, is currently the
corporate senior financial analyst
for The Manitowoc Company.
He earned his MBA from UWOshkosh in 2004 and his CPA in
December 2007.
Sara Haley ’03 human development and psychology, is the events
coordinator in the Office of Alumni
Relations at Portland (Ore.) State
University. She graduated from UWOshkosh in the spring of 2007 with
dual master’s in school counseling
and higher ed administration.
Brad Herrick ’03 master of science in environmental science and
policy, is currently the head ecologist for UW-Madison‘s arboretum.
Jeff Jaworski ’03 music, returned to
campus in November of 2008 for
a classical guitar
recital in the Jean
Weidner Theatre
of the Weidner
Center. He
performs widely
Jaworski in the Chippewa
Valley area and
maintains a private studio at the
Music Lesson Center in downtown
Eau Claire.
Stacy (Scott) Kemps ’03 history,
is manager of enrollment services
at the Illinois Institute of ArtSchaumburg. She has been with the
college since 2005.
Robin Kuklinski ’03 social work, is
a housing case manager at Forward
Service Corporation in Green Bay.
Valerie Mann ’03 environmental
science, is a naturalist educator
at River Bend Nature Center in
Racine. She reaches out to K-12
students in the Racine/Kenosha
area through the Naturalist-inResidence program and also offers
programs for the general public.
Luke Miller ’03 business administration, is a sales representative
for Pitney Bowes in Green Bay. His
spouse Amy (VanHoogen) Miller
’04 business administration, is a
stay-at-home mom.
Ron Nelson ’03 business administration, is the business manager
at Chrysler World, Inc., Abrams.
Previously, he worked at Gandrud
Chevrolet, Green Bay. Nelson and his
wife Cynthia reside in Green Bay.
Joshua Rees ’03 history, is a staff
attorney for the Ho-Chunk Nation,
Black River Falls.
Marcus Reitz ’03 communication
processes, is operations and
facilities manager at FulfillNet, Inc.,
Green Bay.
February 2009
19
ALUMNI NOTES
Brianna Bruvold ’04 biology
and environmental science, is a
technical support and marketing
scientist for Applied Biochemists in
Germantown.
Todd Danen ’04 English, has
been named the director of alumni
and parent relations at St. Norbert
College in De Pere.
Burton Ford ’04 human biology,
is currently a physical therapist at
Delta Flex Travelers in Milwaukee.
Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead ’04
art, is the executive director of
the Francis Hardy
Center for the
Arts, a nonprofit
arts organization
in Ephraim. She
previously served
as the organizaMeissner
tion’s exhibitions
and community relations director
and prior to that as the artistic
director at the Fairfield Art Center
in Sturgeon Bay.
Sarah Harding ’04 art, is a realtor
for Place Perfect Realty in Marinette.
Carrie (Richter) Helke ’04
elementary education, is working as
a K-5 individualized instructor for
the Wausau school district.
Brandon Kelly ’04 communication
and the arts, is an account representative at Nahan Printing in St.
Cloud, Minn.
Sara (Enz) Kipp ’04 English,
is currently working as a registered
sales assistant with Associated Bank
in Green Bay.
Amanda (Dworak) Pribek ’04
elementary education, is a learning
disabilities teacher for the Two Rivers public school district.
Julia Aggen ’05 social change and
development, is a client benefits
specialist at Ventura County Human
Services Agency in Simi Valley, Calif.
Michelle Bailey ’05 social work,
received a master’s degree in social
work from UW-Madison.
Jillian (Schofield) Banser ’05
psychology and human development, is an elementary guidance
counselor in the Rhinelander
school district.
William Beaumier ’05 history, is
a full-time operations specialist at
UPS in Lexington, Ky.
Kim Biedermann ’05 environmental planning and environmental
science, is working for the League of
Conservation Voters.
20
February 2009
ALUMNI NOTES
Daniel Brzozowski ’05 business
administration, is
an associate attorney at Brennan,
Steil &
Basting, S.C. in
Janesville. He
earned his JD from
Valparaiso University in 2008, and
Brzozowski
practices in areas
of business law, corporate law, commercial law and real estate.
Hope (Heck) Conover ’05
mathematics, is a high school
math teacher for Poplar Bluff (Mo.)
School District.
Adam Fett ’05 history and social
change and development, is a grants
specialist for the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.
Robin (Becker) Hansen ’05
elementary education, is a fourthgrade teacher at Spencer Elementary
School in Lake Zurich, Ill.
Ami Irmen ’05 English and human
development, is currently working
on pre-production for two independent films that will be on location
in Green Bay and on a set of articles
that will appear within a scrapbook
in one of the movies. She is writing
a spinoff comic book series called
“Mercy and Justice.” She has a MFA
from Minnesota State University.
Kristina (Miller) Klemens ’05
human development, and
Mike Klemens ’05 urban studies,
recently married in MAC Hall here
at UW-Green Bay. “We figured the
most appropriate place to get married would be where we met, became
friends, fell in love and eventually
where he proposed,” she said.
Karen Kolasa ’05 communication processes, is a client history
interviewer at Northwestern Mutual
in Milwaukee.
LouAnn (Dahl) Murray ’05
accounting, is a regulatory fuel
cost recovery analyst with Integrys
Energy (WPS) in Green Bay.
Daniel Schulz, ’05 accounting, and
Cassie (Rindfleisch) Schulz ’06
human development and psychology,
call the Lakeshore home. Cassie is a
school psychologist/counselor in
the Port Washington/Saukville
School District
and Danny is
senior accountant
with Schenk Business Solutions in
Schulz
Sheboygan.
Jarrod Schumacher ’05 information science, is a system analyst at
Thrivent Financial in Appleton.
Sara Weeden ’05 elementary
education, is a teacher in four-yearold kindergarten for the Kiel area
school district.
Kerstin Westcott ’05 elementary
education, teaches sixth grade math,
reading and writing at Washington
Middle School in Green Bay.
Angela (Zebro) Wix ’05 art and
English, is finishing a healing-ministry program and will be ordained
in November 2008. She notes that
she is a certified massage therapist
and just got done fixing up a house
she bought in February 2008.
Michelle Behm ’06 human development and psychology, is the student
activities coordinator at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau.
Tracie Grube-Gaurkee ’06 history,
is the resource center assistant for
the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin-Southeast in New Berlin.
Amanda (Peanosky) Jacobson
’06 communication, married her
husband, Jason, in August of 2008.
She is a helpdesk technician for the
Rennes Group, Inc., in Peshtigo.
Robert Long ’06 human biology, graduated from Shenandoah
University with a master of science
in athletic training. He is currently
working in Munster, Ind., spending
half of his time with a clinic and the
other half with Whiting High School.
Sarah Ludwig ’06 elementary education, is a fifth- and sixth-grade
teacher at Redeemer Lutheran
School in Green Bay.
Stephanie Mineau ’06 human
biology, obtained a registered sanitarian credential from the National
Environmental Health Association
and is continuing to conduct health
inspections with the Oneida Tribe
of Wisconsin.
Jesse Mitchell ’06 communication
and the arts, is working as a graphic
designer for Arketype, Inc. in Green
Bay. His contributions include concept development, illustration, print
advertising, logo development, website design, direct mail, brochures,
and print collateral.
Andy Paulios ’06 master of science
in environmental science and policy,
is currently the Director of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative
with the DNR.
Krista Peters ’06 communication
and the arts, and Andy Sobralski,
’06 business administration, were
married in June 2008. Krista works
at Ambrosius Studios, Green Bay,
and Andy is an assistant manager
for Walgreens in Green Bay.
Jacy (Pichette) Peterson ’06 art, is
a licensed agency specialist for American Family Insurance in Pulaski.
John Teller ’06 information
sciences, co-owns
Bear Traks Digital
Media company
with his father in
Oneida. (See page
13.) He is also a
software designer
for the Oneida
Tribe of Indians.
Teller
Melissa Alberts ’07 political
science, is a social studies and
psychology teacher at Southern
Door High.
Class of ’08 includes
mother-daughter duo
Nancy Young, 48, and her daughter, Michelle, 22,
enjoyed a special day at UW-Green Bay’s mid-year
commencement in December.
Nancy, returning adult student, received her
degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, and Michelle
graduated with a bachelor’s in Communication with public relations and electronic media
emphases.
Amy Austin ’07 elementary education, is a third-grade teacher at
Winneconne Elementary School.
Aubrey (Sutter) Brennan ’07
music, is the marketing personnel
and office manager for the Green Bay
Symphony Orchestra in Green Bay.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” daughter Michelle said. “I
know some people would have found it awkward,
but I found it really amusing. We shared textbooks
on two occasions. I even helped her out with the
same classes that she’s taken after me.”
Michael Cornehls ’07 business
administration and human biology, is
a financial planner at First Command
Financial Services in Orlando, Fla.
Said her mom, “It was an opportunity for us to be
peers, in a way. We helped each other.”
Michael Delsart ’07 business
administration, works in the operations department for Packerland
Tapes, Inc., De Pere.
As if going to college together wasn’t enough,
both landed jobs as customer care representatives
for Humana Insurance. There is some separation,
however. Nancy will work out of the De Pere office
and Michelle in Green Bay.
Kelsey (Ley) Dorner ’07 communications, is an assistant deputy clerktreasurer for the City of Algoma. She
married Neil Dorner in June 2007.
It was believed to be only the second time in
school history that a parent and child received
degrees during the same ceremony.
Bonnie Gutsch ’07 social change
and development, is a policy intern
with the Office of the Lt. Governor
in Madison. She received her master’s degree in political sociology at
the London School of Economics.
She earned merit for her degree and
distinction for her dissertation.
Kelley Green ’07 interdisciplinary
studies, is an underwriting manager
for Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company in Neenah.
Jessica (Dolski) Hoppe ’07 human
development, married Aaron Hoppe
in June 2008. She is a preschool
teacher at Range Line Preschool
and Childcare in Mequon.
Valerie Jensen ’07 business
administration, is a sales analyst for
Unilever in Minneapolis.
Amy Johnson ‘07 elementary education, is a middle school math teacher
at Richmond School in Sussex. She
received her message of proposal by
Adam Benotch, via the Milwaukee
Brewers scoreboard, in June. They
are planning a May 2009 wedding.
Cailin Kearns ’07 communications, is an account representative
for APi-National Service Group in
St. Paul, Minn.
Jesse Kurth ’07 business administration, is the CoVantage Credit
Union retirement and investment
services representative at CoVantage’s
Rib Mountain office.
Heather Madden ’07 elementary
education, is a sixth-grade science
and social studies teacher for the
Huntsville Independent School
District in Huntsville, Tex.
Andy Magyar ’07 computer
science, and Kim Kohlman ’08
English, are engaged to be married.
Kohlman is a teacher at Preble High
School in Green Bay and Magyar is
a lead game programmer at Frozen
Codebase in Green Bay. They are
planning a June 2009 wedding.
Erica Millspaugh ’07 art, an
award-winning
artist as a UWGreen Bay undergraduate, is now a
graduate student
and teaching
assistant at Washington University
Millspaugh in St. Louis, Mo.
Carl Roenz ’07 elementary education, is the new sixth-grade teacher
at Mapleview Intermediate School
in Kimberly.
Sara Schultz ’07 elementary education, joined the Notre Dame Elementary School preschool teaching team
in De Pere.
Sarah (Price) Siewart ’07 business administration, is a human
resources generalist at Ballet
Arizona in Phoenix.
Melissa Tremaine ’07 social change
and development, is a police officer
for the Merrill Police Department.
She previously attended the Police
Recruit Academy at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.
Eric VandenHuevel ’07 elementary
education, is a sixth-grade teacher
at Mapleview Intermediate School
in Kimberly and is also coaching
freshman boy’s basketball at Kimberly High School.
Lydia Zmek ’07 history and
psychology, recently completed the
United States Navy basic training at
Recruit Training Command, Great
Lakes, Ill.
Jerod Bastianello ’08 accounting and business administration,
recently joined Schenk’s Green Bay
office as a firm assistant.
Margaret Utecht-Baumann ’08
English and humanistic studies, was
married in August 2008 to Joshua
Baumann in Grafton. She works at
Stephen Ministries in St. Louis.
Brooke Borchert ’08 accounting, is
a staff auditor at Deloitte & Touche
in Milwaukee.
Kenneth Bull ’08 human biology,
is a medical student with the United
States Army in Bethesda, Md. He is
married to Roni Berg ’08.
Benjamin Kotenberg ’08
communications, is a graduate
assistant in the Dean of Students
Office at Illinois State University.
Tony Krebs ’08 business administration, is a buyer/planner for SPI
Lighting in Mequon.
John Canne ’08 environmental
policy and planning, is a scientist
in the energy division of Northern
Environmental Technologies, Inc.
Jennifer Kuderski ’08 business
administration, is a client services
associate for The Martzahl Group at
Citi Smith Barney.
Molly Cox ’08 elementary education, is a second-grade teacher for
Oshkosh Area School District.
Ashley Long ’08 business administration, is a sales consultant for the
Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
Mai Sing (Ho) Follett ’08 human
biology, is working as a pharmacy
technician for Aurora Pharmacy in
De Pere.
David Malcolm ’08 business
administration and philosophy,
is a brewer at Big Sky Brewery in
Missoula, Mont. He was recently
married to Abigail Zander.
Paul Gazdik ’08 social change
and development, is an emergency
manager for Brown County.
Nicholas Jones ’08 accounting
and business administration, is a
staff accountant for Wipfli LLP in
Green Bay.
Andrew Kopitzke ’08
communication processes,
is a residence hall director at
St. Norbert College, De Pere.
Allison Martin ’08 history, is a
residence life director at Oklahoma
State University, Stillwater.
Amanda Meleski ’08 human biology, is a microbiology technician at
Dynacare Laboratory in Milwaukee.
She is also mom to baby boy Kaden.
Jacob Mehring ’08 business
administration and psychology,
is a management trainee at Consolidated Electrical Distributers in
Milwaukee.
February 2009
21
ALUMNI NOTES
Melissa Merkovich ’08 environmental policy and planning, is
attending graduate school at American University in Washington, D.C.
Shawn Niemann ’08 history, is a
manager at Parallel 44 Vineyard
and Winery in Kewaunee.
Krystle Norton ’08 business
administration, is a benefits and
payroll specialist at Foth & Van
Dyke, LLC., Green Bay.
Peter Jay Nyenhuis ’08 music, married Tianna Lee Mentink in August.
He is employed at Urban Middle
School in Sheboygan.
ALUMNI NEWS
Kristen Rietz ’08 communication,
was recently named entertainment
reporter for the Green Bay area’s
local cut-ins on the CW Networks’
nationally syndicated “The Daily
Buzz” news program.
Matt Rogatzki ’08 human biology, is
working towards a master’s degree in
human performance at UW-La Crosse.
Jennifer Schanen ’08 social
work, is working with AmeriCorps
National Civilian Community Corps
(NCCC). Her team was assisting at
FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Centers
(DRCs) until late 2008.
Amanda (Crump) Schwartz ’08
elementary education, married
Bradley Schwartz.
Marc Seidl ’08 social work, is a
social worker for Outagamie County
Department of Health and Human
Services in Appleton.
Trista Seubert ’08 political science,
is attending the University of North
Dakota for a master’s degree in public administration.
Erica Teclaw ’08 human biology
and psychology, is working as an
analyst at Covance in Madison.
Bradley Vivoda ’08 social work,
supervises operations, staff and
volunteers at Fox Valley Warming
Shelter Inc. He also oversees
development. He is pursuing a
master’s degree from UW-Green Bay.
Newest alumnus proud of
perseverance, degree
The UW-Green Bay Alumni Association and returning adult students
in particular have gained a prominent new champion in Tom Hinz, who
received his diploma in December.
Sara Winkler ’08 human biology,
attends graduate school at the
Illinois College of Optometry in
Chicago.
Reid Thomas ’08 chemistry, is a
chemist at Sigma-Aldrich Inc., in
Sheboygan.
Amanda (VandenHeuvel)
Van Eyck ’08 elementary education,
is a fourth-grade teacher at Heritage
Elementary School, De Pere.
Nicole (Mader) Virant ’08 business administration, is a graduate
student in the education administration and leadership program
at the University of the Pacific in
Stockton, Calif.
Hinz didn’t need a four-year degree to prove his professional competence.
He was already a military veteran, a teacher, a retired assistant police chief
and three-term sheriff and, since 2007, Brown County Executive, serving
as chief executive officer and chief elected official of Brown County.
Michael Witte ’08 history, was
named the first-ever swim coach
for the Green Bay United boys
swimming team, made up of Green
Bay area high school swimmers. He
competed for the Phoenix, first as a
walk-on and then earning a scholarship. He has a teaching license in
social studies and is also a ballroom
dance instructor.
Marriages & Unions
Tell us your
great news and
share a photo,
like Aaron did!
Groom Aaron Dubinski ’03
and his new bride Jennifer
Polacek are flanked by Timothy Heesen ’02 (immediately
left of the couple) and Eric
Demmon ’02 (immediately
right of the couple). At the
far left, Brian Romporti and
Mike Mann also attended
UW-Green Bay.
“It was something I wanted to do for many years,” says Hinz, a persistent
part-timer. “One of the reasons… was to show younger people that if this
old guy can go back to school and get his degree, you can, too.”
Local media made a big deal of Hinz’s big day. “There are things I have
taken from every class I’ve had that I can use either at work, in teaching
or in my personal life,” he told them. “I feel college keeps one’s thinking
contemporary.” For the full story, see www.uwgb.edu/inside/0902/hinz/
Standing tall, volleyball joins Hall
Affinity and beyond
Three new plaques were added to the wall of honor at the
Kress Events Center when the Phoenix Athletics Hall of Fame
inducted new members Feb. 6. Notable among the newcomers
is volleyball player Janelle Tomlinson Richard ’03, who becomes
the first from her sport to join the
hall. She holds numerous Horizon
League and school records, led the
2003 Phoenix to the program’s first
NCAA tournament appearance, and
achieved academic all-America honors. Women’s basketball player Sue
Pitroski ’86 finished her career as a
member of the 1,000-point club and
a contributor to four 20-win seasons. Josh Lynk ’00, a goalkeeper, is
the men’s soccer career saves leader
and held the career shutouts record
until this year, with 15.
When your Alumni Association partners with
nationally recognized, pre-approved companies,
the discounts to you can be huge and the donations back to your alma mater significant. Called
affinity programs, they include the following
partners and services:
Dubinski
22
Tammy Nau ’98 to
Benjamin Cordle
Brittney Gustafson ’03 to
Joshua Hren
William Beaumier ’05 to
Elizabeth Beaumier
Timothy Lenz ’06 to
Angela Breit ’08
Amy Wehse ’98 to
Nick Marler
Chris Hagerty ’03 to
Shelli Misfeldt ’03
Amanda Behr ’05 to
Dejan Koch
Brittany Ninneman ’06 to
Scott Rollins
Brian Kuss ’90 to
Heather Kuss
Luke Miller ’03 to
Amy VanHoogen ’04
Mike Klemens ’05 to
Kristina Miller ’05
Jacy Pichette ’06 to
Matthew Peterson
Steven Daniels ’01 to
Michelle Daniels
Julie Zirbel ’03 to
Robert Casals, Jr.
Dawn Kuschel ’05 to
Justin Brown
Barry Smrcina ’06 to
Amanda Muhs ’07
Crystal Elfe ’01 to
Ben Brownell
Jessica Hansen ’04 to
Joshua Nagel
Kevin Anderson ’06 to
Sarah Malecki ’07
Kayla Groh ’08 to
Joshua Bardon
Shanna Puls, ’02 to
David Leider
Melissa Lemmens ’04 to
Jason Reedy
Stephanie Cornils ’06 to
Aaron Fischer ’07
Nicole Mader ’08 to
Justin Virant
Aaron Dubinski ’03 to
Jennifer Polacek
Suzanne Nelson ’04 to
Michael Nunn
Tracie Grube ’06 to
Nick Guarkee
Robin Becker ’05 to
Zachary Hansen ’05
Emily Hock ’06 to
Mike Menzel ’06
February 2009
Golfers, can you help us break 100?
Last year nearly 100 golfers made the Alumni Scholarship Golf
Outing a robust success. This year we’ll have room for even more
— it’s an event you don’t want to miss. Save the date. It’s Friday,
June 12, at Royal Scot Golf Course, New Franken. Cost is $320
per foursome or $80 for individual golfers with an awards ceremony, silent auction, door prizes, lunch, post-golf hors d’oeuvres
reception and more. Yes, as the name says, proceeds go to
scholarships. The post-golf moves quickly and many leave with
fabulous prizes. Contact the Alumni Relations Office, alumni@
uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2586 for a registration brochure.
Please, stay connected,
for our benefit and yours
New job? Got married? Change of address?
Update the latest happenings in your life
completing the alumni update form at www.
uwgb.edu/alumni/updates/index.asp.
Don’t be a lost alum!
American Insurance Administrators –
health insurance
Bank of America – credit card, with ‘world points’ program
and enhanced benefits
Go Next Travel – first-class trips to Europe and Asia
Liberty Mutual – home, renters and auto insurance
Other benefits to alumni include Phoenix Bookstore discounts
(10% off on in-store and online gifts and apparel); discounted
rates for golf at the Shorewood Golf Course and memberships
at the Kress Events Center; and discounts at three Green Bay
area hotels.
Summer camps for any age — even adults!
UW-Green Bay has long been known for its sensational summer
camp program. New this year is Arts Enrichment for Adults, afternoons August 3-6, a visual arts program offering drawing, acrylic
painting, watercolor painting, digital photography, “from junk to
jewelry” and working with clay. Also new, Jazz Ensemble and Guitar
Camp are collaborating with some specialty classes and performances. Grandparent’s U is back, as is Spanish for Professionals.
Also, don’t wait for summer… jump into science! UW-Green Bay is
offering a hands-on science experience for students grade 4-8 in
conjunction with Space Education Initiatives. It’s one Saturday per
month and will delve into topics in science, technology, engineering and math.
For all things summer go to www.uwgbsummercamps.com or call
1-800-892-2118 or (920) 465-CAMP.
February 2009
23
T a l e n T
ALUMNI NEWS
Sneak peek at
2009 Distinguished Alumni Awards,
on April 25
Chris Stix ’76
Barbara Polich ’72
Retired Morgan Stanley
analyst
Commercial litigation,
intellectual property
lawyer
Board member,
Joslin Diabetes Center
Board of Trustees
Paula Fleurant ’75
and ’86
Yo u h e l p m a k e t h e i r t a l e n t s s h i n e a n d t h e i r v o i c e s h e a r d
Retired quality care
manager, St. Mary’s
Hospital
Salt Lake City, Utah
Green Bay
Boston
Stix was an analyst covering the data networking, telecommunications equipment and Internet infrastructure
industries for Morgan Stanley and SG Cowen from
1995 to 2002. An industry poll rated him the topranked analyst in data networking in 2001, a go-to specialist in his field. Stix now is an active board member
with the Joslin Diabetes Center — the world’s largest
diabetes clinic, research center and provider of diabetes
education.
Polich is a partner in the Litigation Department and a
member of the Intellectual Property Group for Ballard
Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP, a national firm with
an office in Salt Lake City. A winner of Utah lawyer of
the year honors, she is among the nation’s leaders in her
field. Her specialty is patents, trade secrets and intellectual property.
Fleurant was a member of the UW-Green Bay Alumni
Association Board of Directors from 1988 to 1995,
serving in many leadership roles, including president
from 1993-95. She was the quality care manager for St.
Mary’s Hospital Medical Center from 2001 until her
retirement in 2007. She spent 13 years as coordinator of infection control at St. Vincent Hospital, and has
served in a number of healthcare-related capacities since
beginning her professional career as a nurse in 1966.
Charlie
Simon
Melanie
Riley
Tyler
Rindo
Senior
Kohler, Wis.
Senior
Green Bay, Wis.
Freshman
Pickett, Wis.
recipient of the
recipient of the
recipient of the
Music Education
Social media for friends of UW-Green Bay
We’re still taking our first steps, but eventually your Alumni
Association would like to use the Facebook and LinkedIn social
sites to stay connected with you. Jobs, networking, events,
photo sharing and more… The first step is to visit our website
and sign up for the UWGB alumni group in each. Start here:
www.uwgb.edu/alumni/index.asp. (Note: UW-Green Bay will
not continue with Phoenix Circle beyond February 2009.
Check us out on Facebook, instead, at www.uwgb.edu/alumni/
notes/facebook.asp.)
Swan song
The campus community paused recently to say thank you to
Steve Swan. The assistant chancellor for university advancement helped oversee alumni relations and the University’s $25
million capital campaign. Swan departed in January to join the
administrative team of former chancellor Bruce Shepard at Western Washington University. Swan was first appointed executive
director of advancement in 1995; before that he was an assistant
men’s basketball coach. His going-away sendoff recognized his
leadership in working with donors to create new professorships
and more than 40 student scholarships, and his role in
the $11 million Kress Center campaign that put
the $33 million project over the top. Swan
has been succeeded
on an interim basis
by Dan Spielmann,
who has served
the University in
numerous capacities
as an attorney and
administrator
since 1976.
Upcoming Alumni events
FEBRUARY
Sat. 7 – Alumni and Friends Reception, 5 to 6:30 p.m., The Bar on Holmgren Way
Sat. 7 – Thurs. 19 - Downtown Third Thursdays, Baylake Bank
Center, “The Way We Eat: Getting Healthier
at All Ages,” with Prof. Debra Pearson
Sat. 21 – February 2009
Women’s Basketball Alumni Weekend
MARCH
Tues. 17 – Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting, UW-Green Bay Campus
Thurs. 19 – Downtown Third Thursdays, Baylake Bank Center, “To Sleep Perchance to Sleep,”
with Professor Dennis Lorenz
Sat. 28 – Alumni and Friends Reception,
The Sports Plate, Sentry World, Stevens Point
Sat. 28 – Alumni and Friends Fox Valley Food Drive,
Fox Valley Festival Foods
Paul D. Ziemer
Vocal Scholarship
Schott Memorial
Scholarship
Get to know them.
Charlie is the student director of the Pep Band, a student
ambassador and a volunteer with local youth. Melanie has
sung in Italy and performed “The Messiah” with UW-Green
Bay Chorale and appeared in the campus production of
“Chicago.” Tyler was one of the top musicians of his high
school class, connecting to campus through summer band
camp and state-bound honors band. He’s looking forward to
becoming a music teacher himself, someday.
APRIL
Thurs. 16 – Downtown Third Thursdays, Baylake Bank Center, “Work Humor Works? Right?,”
with Professor Lucy Arendt
Sat. 25 – Alumni Awards Night, UW-Green Bay Campus
MAY
Fri.-Sun. 1-3 – Alumni, Friends and Family Weekend,
Wilderness Resort, Wisconsin Dells
Sat. 16 – Commencement Reception, 8 to 10 p.m.,
Titletown Brewing, Green Bay
Sun. 17 – Alumni Association at the Cellcom Marathon,
7 to 10 a.m.
JUNE
Fri. 12 – 24
Men’s Basketball Alumni Weekend
Music Leadership
Scholarship
Voice Performance Music Education
Alumni Association Annual Scholarship
Golf Outing, Royal Scot Golf Course
Your gift to UW-Green Bay helps fund opportunities
for talented students who brighten our campus and help
build our culture and community.
Please consider a gift to UW-Green Bay today.
www.uwgb.edu/giving
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PA I D
Green Bay, WI
Permit No. 66
SNOW TIRES RECOMMENDED
It wasn’t just that December’s snows came early
and often — the 45 inches obliterated a record
from 1887­— it’s that they started in November.
An early storm blanketed these student bicycles
at the Residence Life complex.
Connecting learning to life
PARENTS: If this issue is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer
lives at home, please notify UW-Green Bay Alumni Relations of the correct address.
PHONE: (920) 465-2586 E-mail: [email protected]
This publication is made possible through private donations
Matt Robinson photo
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