The Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to Geraldine Raisler Hedberg, Janesville; and Paul Husby, Brazil.
Receiving the Outstanding Alumni Award will be Karen Wagner Strauss, Gaithersburg, Md.; David Ogilvie, Hortonville; and Laurie Barteck Honnigford, W. St. Paul, Minn.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is for UW-Stout graduates who have furthered their careers while making a contribution to their community, state and nation. The Outstanding Alumni Award recognizes leadership and exceptional achieve-ment in a career field, service to humanity and loyalty to the university.
Hedberg, a 1951 graduate of UW-Stout with a bachelor's degree in dietetics, is the president of the Hedberg Foundation, Inc., in Janesville. She serves as a Trustee of the Direct Marketing Education Foundation, N.Y. and on the boards of JMJ Holding Co., Libertyville, Ill.; University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center; and the Southern Wisconsin Community Foundation.
Hedberg has served as a lieutenant in the Women's Army Medical Corps; a home economist with the National Livestock and Meat Board and Kroger Foods; vice president of finance, science related materials; and executive vice president of Lab Safety Supply Inc., a company she and her husband founded.
As managing director of 3M Brazil, Husby is responsible for operations of the wholly owned subsidiary.
Husby began his career with 3M as an industrial engineer in 1969 in St. Paul, Minn., after graduating from UW-Stout with a bachelor's degree in industrial technology.
Strauss is a public health nutritionist for the Indian Health Service in Rockville, Md. She directs the activities of approximately 200 nutritionists and dietitians employed or contracted by the service or tribal governments; and provides leadership to improve services in community and clinical programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Strauss received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Minnesota in 1976. She graduated from UW-Stout in 1981 with an M.S. in food science and nutrition.
Ogilvie received a bachelor's degree in industrial technology in 1981. He joined Pierce Manufacturing, Appleton, Wis. as an industrial engineer. Pierce is the largest custom fire truck builder in the United States.
Ogilvie has also served as manufacturing services manager, corporate vice president, and manager of engineering. As vice president of engineering, he leads the design engineering group.
Honnigford is executive director of the PVC Geomembrane Institute in St. Paul, Minn. She develops the marketing campaign for trade shows, educational seminars and a newsletter.
Honnigford received a B.S. in clothing, textiles and design from UW-Stout in 1985. Her career began as a patternmaker with an apparel manufacturer.
Honnigford is a nationally recognized expert on geosynthetics-fabrics and membranes used in such civil engineering applications as highways, retaining walls, landfills, wastewater treatment facilities and hazardous waste containment facilities. She was regional sales manager for Environmental Protection Inc., Mancelona, Mich., before assuming her current position.
Cathie A. Weissman Ed.S. '92, the 1995 Robert S. Swanson Fellowship awardee, is currently working on her Ph.D. in teaching and learning at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D. This fellowship will be used to support her doctoral dissertation research.
Her research involves two issues relative to UW-Stout and its graduates: time and number of credits needed to complete a bachelor's degree.
"This information will benefit Stout in terms of institutional planning and improving the undergraduate educational experience," according to Weissman.
"The Robert S. Swanson Fellowship is a prestigious award and it is an honor to receive," Weissman said. "Receiving this award will demonstrate an interest in the research I am conducting and aid in the advancement of my career goal of working at a university either in teaching or institutional research."
Weissman received an education specialist degree in guidance and counseling in 1992. In addition, she has volunteered in numerous musical groups and student organizations.
Graduate scholarships were awarded to Lucy McNamara and Robert P. Ocker.
Since entering the guidance and counseling program in the summer of 1994, McNamara has carried a full load of graduate credits and is a graduate assistant in Research Promotion Services.
McNamara feels her most significant contribution to the community has been her involvement as an ANAD group facilitator. ANAD is a national eating disorder group which provides support for people struggling with eating disorders as well as providing support to their family and friends who seek to understand the implications of eating disorders.
Upon graduation, McNamara plans to secure a position in a clinic that specializes in eating disorders.
"My own recovery from an eating disorder convinced me that there are an insufficient number of eating disorder programs to handle an ever-increasing need to provide help to individuals struggling with eating disorders," said McNamara. "This position will allow me to help individuals who struggle with eating disorders using the knowledge I will obtain at UW-Stout and my own personal experience to complement and facilitate growth, change and self-acceptance in others."
McNamara and a fellow student have started an eating disorder group on the UW-Stout campus, Body and Soul, sponsored by the University Counseling Center.
McNamara graduated in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in business finance from UW-Eau Claire.
Ocker has been a volunteer with a variety of groups such as churches, schools, camps, hospitals, daycares, preschools and charity organizations, empowering others through programs of Education through Entertainment, with Knuffle Schmoozer and The Rocker,
"While volunteering for community affairs, I have been able to help foster a positive climate by empowering people in an entertaining and educational manner utilizing creative puppetry, storytelling, song and dance," according to Ocker. "I have volunteered on many occasions to help children and community groups of diverse and cultural backgrounds."
According to Ocker, his career goals and objectives are a process of lifelong education experienced by all human beings as they develop and accept responsibility for their lives.
"My goals are to foster a positive climate empowering all students to become lifelong learners," said Ocker. "In doing so, I plan to involve programs that will help schools and communities get back to the fundamental core values of honesty, respect and personal integrity."
Currently, Ocker works as an assistant in the International Programs' Student Services. He received a B.S. in organizational communica-tion from UW-Eau Claire in 1991.
JoAnn Prange received a degree in business administration. During her undergraduate years, she was active in student government. Prange is a past SSA president and made many contributions to improving student life during her term in office. Prange is currently working for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Economic Support as a quality improvement coordinator. She conducts and organizes training sessions throughout Wisconsin on quality improvement, strategic planning, empowerment of the work force and many other topics. She has been employed by the state for eight and a half years and has held several positions. Prange resides in Madison.
William L. Burmesch is a manufacturing manager for IBM Corporation of Rochester, Minn. In this position, Burmesch has profit and loss responsibility for the multimillion dollar, used computer equipment business. His responsibilities include managing the 100,000 square foot facility and 60 staff. He is responsible for planning, directing and coordinating production, inventory control, warehouse, shipping, receiving and customer order fulfillment operations for the facility. He is a member of the American Production and Inventory Control Society. Burmesch and his wife, Julia '79 (Hierl) and their daughter, Leigh, reside in Northfield, Minn.
Alumni gatherings were held in several locations throughout the United States, including Beaver Creek, Colo.; Chicago; Boston; Grand Rapids and Marquette, Mich.; Charleston, S.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Houston; and Appleton, Menomonie and Stevens Point, Wis. These gatherings were a combination of receptions at professional association shows and conferences, and social events.
Alumni Association graduate scholarships were awarded to Barbara K. Miller and Terasha A. King, and the Robert S. Swanson Fellowship was awarded to Terri Loree.
Members of the Alumni Board welcomed graduates and introduced them to the Alumni Association during the August, December and May commencement ceremonies. Ninety-nine faculty and staff members were honored by the Alumni Association for their years of service at a reception during Homecoming '94. (Currently, UW-Stout employs 913 faculty, academic and classified staff).
Distinguished alumni Lawrence Doyle '70, '74 and Judy Kreutzer '68, '69, '72; and outstanding alumni Michael Hubbard MS '89 and Joseph Pine II '80 were also recognized at Homecoming '94. These special alumni were hosted by faculty members, and their visits to UW-Stout included sharing work experiences in the classroom and with the Alumni Board, dining with the Chancellor and participating in the parade. The distinguished and outstanding alumni were honored at a brunch award ceremony attended by their families, friends and faculty.
In closing, I would like to extend a warm welcome to new board members JoAnn Prange '86 and William Burmesch '72, '80.
It didn't take long for returning alumni to see the changes: changes in friends and changes on campus. Soon after the hugs and catching up on news, alumni, spouses and friends toured the campus.
Conversations with alumni reminded me of how much the campus, programs and Menomonie have changed. The building one alum remembered as the Student Center may have had totally different meaning for another. Older alumni remembered taking courses from faculty whose names now identify the residence halls that housed the younger alumni.
After the campus tours, groups were updated by the deans on the new happenings within the various programs. For those fortunate enough to get a ticket to the limited seating gourmet dinner, the evening ended with a taste of the work in the Quality Food Production course taught by Philip McGuirk.
For some alumni, campus housing was included in reliving their student days. Saturday programs offered individuals an opportunity to experience current programs on campus and to meet current faculty, staff and students, who enjoyed the opportunity to meet graduates and hear about their experiences while at Stout and the life it prepared them for.
Overall, the weekend was a hit with those who attended. While talk centered around Stout's changes, the memories remained the same. A special thank you to everyone who participated in Reunion '95.