Class Notes 1940s-1960s

1940s

Shirley Erickson Nooyen BS ’48, MS ’57, Luxemburg, was honored as the Homemaker of the Year by the Brown County Home and Community Educators for 28 years of service. A 30-year member of the BCHCE (formerly the Brown County Homemakers), she belongs to the Champion Pacesetters Club and has held all club offices. She has served as center chair, and for 18 years as the county citizenship chair. For East District I, she has chaired the international and community outreach committees.

1950s

A Hero Among Hammers

Every trade needs a hammer, says Jim Mau BS ’57, MS ’61. Mau has been scouring antique stores for American-made hammers for more than 30 years. He now owns more than 1,500 hammers and will soon reach the 2,000 mark.

His hammers range in size from a 3 ½ inch toffee-breaking hammer once given away by the Bluebird Candy Company for breaking up hard candy to a three foot bill poster’s hammer that gave the user extra height to nail “wanted” posters out of the reach of children. Mau also has in his collection America’s first patented hammer—a Phineas Eastman hammer—which dates to 1839.

He researches the story behind each piece in his collection, spending several days each year at the U.S. Patent Office, the Library of Congress and a Smithsonian library.

Orvil ’51 and Dorothy Wilsey, Altoona, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 20, 2005.

James ’53 and Virginia Lathrope Brown ’55 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary April 2, 2006 with a weekend party for friends, family and their 11 grandchildren. They are retired and reside in Fredonia.

Brian Kirby BS ’59, MS ’67 was selected as Grand Marshall for the 2006 Spring Valley Dam Days. He is retired as director of student counseling for the Spring Valley School District. Kirby enjoys gardening, reading and is currently working on a family history. He also works part time at the Spring Valley Drug Store and has worked with the Spring Valley Food Shelf for eight years. For the past four years, he has traveled to St. Lucia in January where he builds homes that are 12 feet by 16 feet. This is comparable to Habitat for Humanity.

1960s

The Phi Sig Fraternity had a reunion October 5–7 at Christy Mountain Resort.

Row 1, (l to r): John Sherry ’60, Harry Watts BS ’61, MS ’61, Dick Kveton BS ’59 MS ’61, Loren Johnson BS ’58 MS ’61, Bob Krejcie BS ’58 MS ’65, Len Wilde ’59, Frank Marose BS ’67 MS ’65, Lee Johnson ’57, Harlan Giese ’57.

Row 2 (l to r): Jim O’Bryon BS ’59 MS ’66, Skip Lemke BS ’57 MS ’59,Jim McNiell ’62, Joe Dietenberger ’63, Chuck Bartel ’61, Al Ochs ‘55, Lee Wojcik BS ’66 MS ’68, Doug Pagel ’57,Dick Goetsch, Don Anderson BS ’60 MS ’65, Ken Maahs ’62.

Bob Gussel ’59 was in attendance, but not pictured.

Diana Hintz Dodd ’67, Rothschild, retired in October 2005. She was a dietitian at Kennedy Park Medical and Rehabilitation.

Marian Timmerman ’68, Fitchburg, retired June 30 as associate dean of Arts and Sciences at Madison Area Technical College.

Howard Lee BS ’68, MS ’69, Menomonie, received the UW Extension Career Award at the annual UW Extension Awards ceremony held Sept. 21 in Madison. Lee, a professor in the School of Education at UW-Stout, was recognized, “for advocating for and reaching out to nontraditional students, teachers and instructors through innovative courses and exceptional teaching and monitoring.” The UW Extension Career Award honors a faculty or staff member who has made sustained, outstanding and significant programmatic, administrative or support contributions to the extension function in the UW System.

Marlene Wieman Backhaus ’69, Menomonie, retired June 21, after 30 years of service to UW-Stout in the information and operating systems office.

Clark Buchanan ’69, Markesan, has retired after 37 years of teaching, with 35 of those years at Markesan High School.