Alumni News and Stories

• Robert Stenner `70 retired from the Pacific Northwest Laboratory. He was a toxicologist and nuclear engineer/health physicist. He also served 11 years on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Hazmat Committee.
• Lance Bell `72 manages the AUA Fine Arts Gallery in Ajo, Ariz. And just finished publishing his first book of black and white photography of the Sonoran Desert.
• Lance `72 and Karen `72 Bell are working artists in Ajo, Arizona.
• Scott Cabot `78 leads the ground school and continuing education efforts at the Morey Airplane Company at Middleton Municipal Airport.
• Carol Friesen-Schroeder `80 retired after six years in public health and 32 years teaching at the university level. She retired as professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has moved to Vicksburg, Michigan and is looking forward to reading, gardening, fishing and traveling in her retirement.
• Carol Friesen `80 retired on May 15 from Ball State University.
• Margaret Gress `80 retired from teaching family and consumer science and early childhood education in December 2022. She taught for 42 ½ years for Pinellas County Schools, the last 36 years at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg.
• Allison Locke Schelitzche `81 owns Babbitt’s Wine Bar in Sauk Centre, Minn.
• Drew Fennema `82 retired in September 2022 after working 39 years for Ford in marketing, sales and service.
• Chuck `85 and Dawn Graunke Moder `85 have retired. Chuck worked in engineering, managerial and continuous improvement for electronics, food processing and good packaging industries. Dawn worked in engineering and quality assurance roles for apparel and related industries.  
• Dallas Olson `86 retired as vice president of global engineering at Goodyear Tire, where he worked for more than 36 years.
• Elihu Washburne Wear `87 is the president and owner of Popco Inc. and has been included in Marquis Who’s Who.
• Jill Soltau `89 is a member of the Southwest Airlines board of directors, effective Feb. 15, 2022.
• Ruth Wikoff-Jones `91 is the program manager business development with Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) in Minneapolis, Minn.
• Stephanie Frazier Mecus `91 is the senior client relationship specialist for DEKRA North America.
• Kellie Grengs `92 is a senior lecturer at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas teaching theatrical costume design.
• Steve Kleist `93 is the global continuous improvement director at 3M.
• Jeff Jacobs `95 is the chief facilities officer at UW-Green Bay.
• Kate Pertzsch `96 is the senior interior designer at KAI in their Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, office.
• Renee Carrell `96 will be retiring as the assistant director and student gallery coordinator of the UW-Stout Furlong Gallery. She plans to write, draw, paint and raise chickens.
• Lucian Brown `97 spent a week in Bogota, Colombia teaching and creating an American Fried Chicken Restaurant.
• Scott Wojcik `97 is the chief operating officer at Northflow Solutions in Mankato, Minn.
• Leslie Haynes `01 has worked for the federal government and the Food and Drug Administration for 17 years. She is working with scientists who review COVID-19 vaccines and is doing associated work for public health and safety.
• Bryan Bisonette `03 is co-owner of Maxine’s Restaurant in Rice Lake. The restaurant celebrated its 35th anniversary in December.
• Clinton Greenebaum `04 is the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Minnesota Chapter president for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
• Bryan `06 and Stacy `06 Weichelt are the owners and operators of Marshfield North Storage in Marshfield.
• Chad Hayes `06 is a principal at Professional Engineering Consultants PA in Fort Collins, Color.
• Holly Ostman Roberts `06 is director of learning experiences and engagement at Choice hotels.
• Michelle Jensen Lassa `06 is the clinical director at the Behavioral Health Clinic in Wausau.
• Michelle Martin `06 is the public relations and marketing director at Spooner Health
• Megan McKenna `07 is the director of specialty concepts and new project development lead at The Bartolotta Restaurants.
• Bryan Horwath `07 is the business editor for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.
• Elena Mercurio `09 and Thomas Hynes `10 were the winners of Airbnb OMG!Fund contest for their Viking ship designed house. They will receive $100,000 to help make the design come to life with hopes of completing it by August 2023.
• Ross Harried `10 was featured in Peta Pixel for his photo of a fox he took with his DYI DSLR camera.
• Leah Hauck-Mills `12 received accreditation in public relations through Public Relations Society of American in July 2022.
• Sara Franc `14 is a communications officer at Georgia Institute of Technology.  She has also been accepted into the University of Georgia’s Grady School of Journalism where she is pursuing a M.A. in journalism and mass communication with an emphasis on emerging media.
• Cindy Bourget `15 is the 2022-23 Wisconsin School Counselor of the Year. She is a counselor in the Elk Mound School District.
• David Sperling `15 is a project manager for BRIGHT Research Partners in Minneapolis.
• Chelsea Nelson `16 is the director of park operations at Raging Rivers Waterpark in Grafton, Ill.
• Jeremy Smith `16 is the sales order engineering manager at Laidig Systems, Inc.
• Riley Colvard `17 is the assistant coach of the Des Moines Buccaneers.
• Jeff Coggins `18 completed his MBA from California State University – Northridge.

Arrivals:

• Isaac `11 and Bri Twaddle `12 Wipperfurth welcomed their 4th child in November.
• Jenna Huseboe `12 welcomed a baby girl in July 2022.
• Jeff Schultz `78 welcomed a grandson, Elliott, on Aug. 15, 2022.

Wedding:  

• Caleb Toft `18 and Shelby Kann got married on July 16, 2022.

Anniversary:

• Paul Kriz `68 and wife, Karen, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Nov. 25, 2022.
• Penelope Scott Dunbar `69 and husband, Earl, will celebrate 50 years of marriage on Dec. 30, 2022. They will be celebrating in Appleton.
• Barbara Zupancich Stolzoff `70 and her husband celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe. They traveled through six European countries over the 5 ½ weeks they were there.
• James `70 and Alice Judd Smith celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August 2022.
• Nancy Werner Yow `70 and her husband, Ron, celebrated their 50th anniversary on April 20, 2022.
• Michael `71 and Jennifer Intravaia `70 Tyskiewicz celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary on June 6, 2022. They met at Pizza Villa in Menomonie. They have retired from teaching in school districts in southeastern Wisconsin.
• David `72 and Janice Glines `72 Wolf celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May 2020. They are both retired.
• James Jacobus `74 celebrated 47 years of marriage in August 2022.
• John `74 and Ellen Schwab `74 Plank celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary in Sept. 2022.
• Mary Dirkzwager Ford `77 and husband, Ken, celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in Oct. 2022. They are retired and living in Texas.
• Sandra “Sam” Harden `77 and Bill Pierquet `76 are celebrating their 45th anniversary in August. They met at UW-Stout. Sam is a retired business professional and professor, and Bill is a retire real estate executive with a thriving commercial real estate consulting business in Georgia.
• Laura Slater-Hatzenbeller `79 and Mark Hatzenbellar `79 celebrated their 43rd anniversary in June 2022.
• Mary Goplin `80 and Kevin `80 Wilde celebrated their 40th anniversary in May.

Passing:

• Jean Daniels Melchert `45, July 23, 2022, Seymour
• William Amthor `50, July 20. 2022, Oro Valley, Ariz.
• Earl Herring `52, Maple Grove, Minn.
• Arlys Hamann Hawkes `55, March 9, 2023, Lake Mills
• Mary Lou Andersen `55, November 15, 2022, Sedona, Ariz.
• Virginia Lathrope Brown `55, August 16, 2022, Milwaukee
• Gerald “Skip” Wick `56, August 25, 2022, Kimball
• Folkvard “Tack” Martin Braaten `56, September 26, 2022, Manhattan, KS
• Flora Spinti Lehman `57, July 13, 2022,
• Jean Schwertel Wielgus `57, July 10, 2022, Green Bay
• Donna Mae Enders Heier `59, July 2022
• Hans Hatopp `59, July 22, 2022, Two Rivers
• Robert Berg `59, January 19, 2023, Waukesha
• Kurtis Ahrens `62, February 19, 2023, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Milt Kintopf `62, June 6, 2021, Two Rivers
• Benjamin Roder `64, February 8, 2023, Fond du Lac
• Carl Bohman `65, February 18, 2023, Amherst
• Karen Utech Hathaway `65, July 23, 2022, Evanston, Ill.
• Paul Marion Pisani `65, September 7, 2022, Eau Claire
• Donald Treptow `66, March 11, 2023, Wrightstown
• Mary Bucher Mavis `66, April 13, 2022, Summerfield, Flor.
• Patricia Schuette `66, May 13, 2020, Talent, Oreg.
• Richard “Dick” Grum `66, September 5, 2022, Stoughton
• William Eickelberg `66, February 3, 2023, Mount Pleasant
• Dean Rolzin `67, January 7, 2023, Basalt, Col.
• Shirley Wegner Hillman `67, November 30, 2020, Eau Claire
• William Ollila `68, May 23, 2022, Princeton, Ill.
• Frederick Brinkman `69, February 2022, Wisconsin Rapids
• Gordon Spaete `69, July 21, 2022, Watertown, South Dakota
• Donald Guth `70, December 29, 2022, Stevens Point
• John Hassemer `70, September 13, 2022, Eau Claire
• Donald E. Neve `71, May 4, 2019, Wisconsin Rapids
• Douglas Anderson `71, August 28, 2022, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Marjorie “Marge” Miller Richartz `71, July 27, 2022, Menomonie
• Michael Dorendorf `71, November 9, 2022, Stillwater, Minn.
• Peter Kores `72, September 9, 2022, Sheboygan
• James Sopko `73, Oct. 23, 2022, Biwabik, Minn.
• Moria Kaufmann Nutter `73, October 7, 2022, Fairbanks, Alaska
• Barbara A. Deutscher `74, December 9, 2021, Menomonie
• Joseph Betthauser `74, July 7, 2022, Shoreview, Minn.
• Joseph Springhuth `74, 2019, Gilbert, Ariz.
• Thomas O’Connor `74, March 7, 2023, Daytona Beach, Flor.
• Joseph Pershern Jr. `76, January 17, 2023, Eveleth, Minn.
• Linda Farmer Zimet `76, November 8, 2022, Whitefish, Mont.
• LuAnn Cleary-Benninghaus `77, November 25, 2022, Sheboygan
• Kenneth Then `77, August 9, 2022, Sun Prairie
• Mary Nowaczky Kebaso `77, March 13, 2023, Minneapolis, Minn.
• James Nandory `79, August 27, 2015, Byron, Minn.
• Joan Kinate `80, January 10, 2023, Little Suamico
• Gerald Roche `82, January 31, 2022, Lisbon Township
• Terry M. Gerdts `82, August 26, 2022, Minneapolis, Minn.
• Karen Rivers `83, July 7, 2022, Chippewa Falls
• David Kellermann `84, November 16, 2022, Cumberland
• Duane Borchardt `84, December 10, 2022, Stevens Point
• Jeffrey Noltner `85, November 27, 2022, Sheboygan
• Sara Caron `85, November 12, 2022, Bloomer
• Steve Seymour `85, January 8, 2022, Eau Claire
• Amy Zellinger Aguado `90, March 11, 2023, Luck
• Scott Banks `90, August 31, 2022, Roswell, New Mexico
• Tadd Rapant `91, September 8, 2021, Cudahy
• Terryl “Terri” Close `92, March 26, 2023, East Gull Lake
• Scott Rugotzke `93, January 6, 2023, Eau Claire
• Terrance Anderson `93, December 16, 2022, Trego
• Stacy Buettner `94, September 16, 2022, St. Louis Park, Minn.
• Tracee Rund Schultz `97, February 13, 2023, Saint Paul, Minn.
• Donna Van Damme Moraska `98, Marquette, Mich.
• Thomas “Tom” Driscoll `99, September 22, 2022, Prior Lake, Minn.
• Nicholas Volovsek `02, January 15, 2023, Marshfield
• Nicole Faber Peterson `02, July 15, 2022, Birmingham, Ala.
• Emily Oyan `04, October 12, 2022, Madison
• Joni Dahl `05, August 12, 2022, Genoa Location
• Jason Clopton `08, August 19, 2022, Brooklyn Center, Minn.
• Zane Borchers `17, July 31, 2022, Dundas, Minn.

Friends of the University:

• Pamela Powers, July 23, 2022, Boyceville
• William “Bill” Doyle, December 3, 2022, Green Lake

Faculty/staff passing:

• Donavan “Don” Lowell Olson, 70, of Altoona, passed away July 3. Don, a facilities repair worker-advanced at UW-Stout, retired in 2015.
• Susan "Suzy" Kay Melin, 55, of Chippewa Falls, passed away surrounded by her loved ones on Saturday, Nov. 5. Suzy was a journeyman painter and craftsperson with Facilities Management. She retired in August after 25 years of service.
• Carlyle "Gil" Gilbertson, professor emeritus, passed away on Friday, Nov. 25, at Red Cedar Mayo in Menomonie. Gil was hired by UW-Stout in 1969 to develop and serve as director of the new education specialist in counseling and psychology degree. He was also one of the founding members of the Wisconsin in Scotland program, which began in 1986. Gil taught and served as chair of the counseling and psychological services department at UW-Stout until his retirement in 1991.
• Hugh Pritchard Williamson Jr., 79, passed away on Nov. 29, at his home in Murphy, N.C. Hugh taught at UW-Stout, where he was the business program director. He and his wife, Sarah Munier Williamson, advised and supported Campus Crusade for Christ and the College Republicans. He retired from UW-Stout in July 2007 and received emeritus status in September 2007.