Alma Matters
Class Notes
Frances W. (Carr) Merth 1929
graduated the last year that one could take a one-year course to prepare to teach. She then taught in the rural country schools for sevenyears. She married Frank Merth in 1936. She is now a widow living in her own home at age 96.
Alan Woodward Peabody 1952
is enjoying life with his partner, Jon. Alan is a member of Project Rainbow and Prime Timers.
Don Erpenbach 1958
is retired after 42 years in education. He is now enjoying travel with his most recent trip with his son Eric to India and Nepal where he visited two wonders of the world - The Taj Mahal and Mt. Everest.
Robert Agranoff 1962
is professor emeritus in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Bloomington, and since 1990 has been affiliated with the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset in Madrid. He is the coauthor of Collaborative Public Management: New Strategies for Local Governments, which received the 2003 Louis Brownlow Book Award from the National Academy of Public Administration. Recently Agranoff published his study of public management networks, Managing Within Networks (Georgetown University Press, 2007) and is completing a study of intergovernmental relations in federalizing Spain.
Pete and Fran (Cantwell) Palmer 1969
now have seven grandchildren and are living on 13 acres,11 miles south of Houston, Texas.
Mike McIntyre 1972
recently joined Horizon Bank as AVP/Branch Manager of its Merrillville, Ind., location. The Michigan-city based bank will celebrate its 135th year of operation in 2008 and boasts 16 branches and $1.3 billion in assets in Indiana and Michigan. In 2004, McIntyre was named the Munster Chamber of Commerce "Citizen of the Year,” and is a past recipient of the Wal-mart Foundation "Businessman of the Year.” McIntyre, his wife Cheryl and twin sons, Michael and Ryan, live in Munster. His daughter, Michelle, will graduate from Indiana University-Bloomington this May.
Vivian Riley 1962, M.S.E. 1977
has written and released Beanie: the Fabulous, Friendly, Furry Feline, which is available through xlibris.com/bookstore. The story is told by Beanie, the tabby cat. Riley is retired, living in Hot Springs Village, Ark., but spending summers in northern Wisconsin near Birchwood.
Dave Amdahl, 1966
was named to the Wisconsin wrestling hall of fame in 1992 and recently was named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s 2007 Class of Wisconsin coaches, receiving a “Lifetime to Service Award.” He was an assistant coach in Ellsworth, coached in River Falls for 15 seasons, and held the head coach position at Stevens Point High School until his retirement.
Carleen Tjader 1969, M.S. 1990
retired in June of 2007 after 23 years teaching second and third grades in New Richmond, Wis.
Terry Bodeen 1971
retired after teaching biology and life science classes and coaching football for 36 years at Braham Area High School, Braham, Minn. During his career he received many local and state awards for excellence in teaching and coaching.
Mary Kay (Kuba) Bodeen 1971
retired after teaching 36 years in Braham Area Elementary School, Braham, Minn. She and her husband Terry have three children and two grandchildren.
Rich Carlson 1971, M.S.E. 1973
has been named Alaska’s Superintendent of the Year for 2007-2008. Rich has been superintendent of the Klawock City School District since 2001. Prior to his appointment, he was assistant superintendent, interim superintendent and director of federal programs in the Lower Yukon School District. He was also an assistant principal, program coordinator, vocational counselor and high school teacher in other rural Alaska school districts over his 25-year period of service to Alaskan schools and communities.
Gary D. Schaffer 1975
has written a novel (Published Jan 2007) that uses rural 1957 Northwestern Wisconsin for its background. Watch That River is a fictional thriller that is suitable for ages 12 to 100. The story is entwined with the different ways neighbors react to a tragedy that has fallen on one of their own.
Luann (Mercer) Holt 1976
retired from her traffic director’s position at KWAD/KNSP and Superstation KKWS radio stations in Wadena, Minn., after 23 years of service. LuAnn currently lives in Clarissa, Minn., with her husband Gale.
Martha Bartz (Barlow) 1978
has been with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for almost 10 years and teaches English and vocational skills to the inmates at Prairie du Chien Correctional Facility.
Gloria Lenz (Matoush) 1979
recently moved to Pewaukee, Wis. She is nearing her 18th year at Waukesha Public Schools where she is presently teaching fifth grade with an emphasis on archaeology, environmental science, reading, and writing. She also taught 10 years in Alaska, Cedar Grove-Belgium, S.D., and Darwin, Australia.
Mike Ricci 1979
is an employee of the 3M company. He is married to alumna Teresa Fagerland. The couple resides in the Hudson, Wis., area.
Bonita (Kittleson) Weber-Richardson 1981
After receiving an MST in communicative disorders from UWRF in 1981 and working as a speech/language pathologist for over 20 years, Bonnie received her Ed.S. from UW-Stout in 1991 in guidance and counseling with an emphasis in marriage and family. She resides in Menomonie, Wis., where she is employed by Red Cedar Medical Center-Mayo Health System in Menomonie as a psychotherapist.
Thomas W. Draeger 1982
has retired from the Army and is enjoying a new life in the US Postal Service.
Sonja (Lee) Maki 1982
was invited to speak on legume flowering biology at Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha, China, and at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology in Shanghai, China, in May of 2007. The trip also included a three-day visit to the first national park in China, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Brian Sather 1982
was named Teacher of the Year by the Winona, Minn., public school teacher’s union. Sather has taught agriculture at WSHS for 26 years and is the FFA advisor.
Walter Blodgett, CPA CFP 1984
established his own CPA and financial planning practice in Wickenburg, Ariz. He sold his practice in Hudson, Wis., and moved to Arizona five years ago to enjoy year round motorcycling, golf, and the desert in general.
Kim, Bok Young 1985
is employed by the University of Inchon as a professor in the department of education. He attended the University of Connecticut and received his Ph.D. in 1991 in curriculum and instruction. He was senior researcher from 1992 to 1995 at the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI).
Scott M Hyslop 1985
received his doctorate of musical arts degree in organ performance/church music from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Dec. 16, 2007. He lives in Birch Run, Mich., with his wife and son.
Tim Lambrecht 1985
was recently named 2007 Michigan High School Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Council for Social Studies. His Model United Nations team also won its 14th consecutive league title. He is a teacher and department chairperson at Ithaca High School in Ithaca, Mich.
Michael Lasee 1985; 1990
completed a Ph.D. in school psychology from The University of South Dakota. He is completing a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology in Wausau, Wis. Mike lives in Mosinee, Wis., with his wife Lynn and their two children, Matthew and Jacob.
Judy Kelly (Laughlin) 1986
resides in Eagan, Minn., with her husband, Mike, and their two daughters, Sarah (12) and Annie (10).
Susan (Benson) West 1989
has been working as a folk singer-songwriter. She has in the last year written 70 songs, held over 60 performances, including square dances, and self-published three CDs. Recordings can be heard at <http://cdbaby.com> or on ITunes.
Eric Galler 1989
was promoted to vice president, business unit director at General Mills for the Pillsbury & Totino's Frozen Food Brands with $850 million in sales. Eric started at The Pillsbury Company 18 years ago and lives in Woodbury, Minn., with his wife Tammy (Slater; UWRF 1990), and their 10-year-old son, Jack.
Dwayne Splan 1990
has started his own business called Splan Nutrition Consulting.
Dean E. Buchholz 1992
has relocated from Caterpillar's building construction products division in North Carolina to the technology & solutions division in Peoria, Ill. Dean accepted a promotion as the caterpillar technical representative on the EMA-Emissions Measurement and Testing Committee.
Jason Lillie 1993
has been working as a contractor for the Department of Defense in Iraq for three years. He has recently purchased a home in Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula. He is planning a February wedding in Maui, Hawaii.
Chris A Wolf 1993
was recently appointed as instructor of nursing at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
Christa Mason (Stawikoski) 1995
moved to Oakdale, Minn., in August of 2007. She married Scott Mason on Sept. 11, 1999. They have two boys, Lucus, 5, and Kyle, 2.
Meggan Ballman 1996
has taught in California for the past 11 years and recently became a recipient of a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year Award. She resides in Sherman Oaks, Cal., and attributes her success to her professors who held her to high standards.
Steve Peterson 1996
is now the high school guidance counselor at Prescott High School in Prescott, Wis.
Angela M. Goebel 1997
Is now a School Counselor at Hudson Middle School and resides in St. Paul.
Jon Nitardy 1997
has a new position as an optometrist in El Paso, Texas.
Jason Serbus 1997
is an assistant athletic trainer for the Tampa Bay Lighting. Serbus was athletic trainer for the 2007 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament held in Strakonice, Tabor and Pribram, Czech Republic. Prior to joining the Lightning he served as the head athletic trainer for the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the ECHL and has worked with many USA hockey teams.
Sara (Bartscher) Gudahl 1998
was recently hired to teach 7th and 8th grade English in Fairmont, Minn.
Jese Ledbetter 1999
is now working at the University of St. Thomas as the assistant director of campus life.
Krishona (Bjork) Martinson 1999
received her Ph.D. in weed science/agronomy from the University of Minnesota in 2006. She works for the University of Minnesota Extension as a regional educator in crops and livestock (equine). She and her husband Chad live in Otsego, Minn., and have two children, Montana, 3, and Matalyn, 1.
Rick Montreal 1999
moved back to New Richmond in August of 2006, where he is now teaching 6th grade social studies as well as language arts. Rick is also the head boys’ basketball coach for the New Richmond Tigers. He resides in town with his wife Jackie (Roehl), class of '93, and their daughters, Emily, 6, and Abbie, 4.
Kelly Soczka 2000
graduated with an M.A. in communication from UW-Stevens Point in May of 2007. In August, Kelly began working as a communication studies instructor at Winona State University in Winona, Minn.
Angela (Strack) Mathison 2000
graduated from UW-Madison, with a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology in August 2007. She is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Mayo Clinic.
Melissa Bregani 2001
received her Masters of Arts in teaching from Simmons College in Boston in May, 2007. She is a fifth grade teacher in Hopedale, Mass.
Michelle (Theobald) Hildebrand 2001
received her Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology and experimental therapeutics from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in May and is now a postdoctoral fellow in cancer prevention research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Tex.
Molly Montag 2002
recently received a 2007 Michigan Press Association award for sports news reporting in its Better Newspaper Contest.
Sarah Nelson 2002
is working as a special education teacher at Shakopee Senior High School and coaching 10th grade volleyball. She earned her master's in education from Augsburg College in June, 2007.
Valerie Skorjanec 2003
is a human resource administrator for Olympic Steel in Plymouth, Minn. She moved to Minnesota at the end of December 2006. Valerie is engaged to Alumnus Nick Folk (2003), who is an assistant superintendent at the Minikahda Club
Amanda L. (Svoboda) Cahow 2003
has made an amazing career change after spending six years on air in country radio. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is the world's largest childhood cancer research hospital. Amanda raises funds to continue the hospital's life-saving mission. She plans fundraising events in Iowa, as well as in the Twin Cities, where she started the young professionals group "Friends of St. Jude."
Jason Mereness 2003
was promoted to a community corrections worker headperson at Boys Totem Town in St. Paul, Minn., in August of 2006. Jason has been with Ramsey County Community Corrections for almost five years, working to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents as a caseworker.
Kelli Saxe 2003
has relocated to Prairie du Chien, Wis., where she is a first grade teacher at B.A. Kennedy Elementary School.
Kate (Knoespel) Knauff 2004
will be graduating from the Carolina's College of Health Sciences at Carolina’s Medical Center, Charlotte, N.C., as a medical technologist/clinical laboratory scientist in January, 2008. She resides in Mooresville, N.C., with her husband David.
Jennie Hanson 2004
lives in Manama, Bahrain, teaching second, third and fourth grades at Al-Hekma International School.
Martha M. Rusch 2004
is currently employed at the Olive Garden restaurant on the west side of Madison.
Mara Bryan 2005
graduated from Missouri State University in 2007 with a master's degree in counseling and is currently employed at Cigna Behavioral Health as a member advocate.
Maria A. Caruso 2005
is working in the Mayo Clinic and pursuing a master/s degree in neurosciences.
Will Matthew Evans 2005
completed his degree at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in May of 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in biology: biomedical.
Loni Okland 2005
have been working at SCD CAP Agency since August 2005 as family service coordinator. Okland is a licensed social worker in the state of Minnesota and still highly involved with Greek life. She serves as Zeta Sigma-Phi Mu Fraternity's provisional member and financial adviser. In addition, she is on the Twin Cities Phi Mu Alumnae Chapter executive board, serving as treasurer.
Jeremy Bonikowske 2006
recently took a full-time police officer job in Sturgeon Bay.
Katie Bild 2006
moved to Palm Springs, Cal., upon graduation. She is a general manager of Jamba Juice and an intern at an event management company.
Lorri Zuleger 2006
is the teacher coordinator for Teachers On Call, a substitute staffing service for early childhood centers and K-12 schools throughout the Twin Cities. She places substitute teachers with clients (schools/daycares) on a daily basis, contacts references, interviews prospective employees, markets services to new clients and recruits new teachers.
Mark Kinders MA 1993
was re-elected to a second term in 2008 as the chair of the Advisory Council on Communications and Public Affairs to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, headquartered in Washington, D.C. AASCU’s members include over 430 public universities and systems, including UWRF, the University of Wisconsin System, and its individual 11 comprehensive universities. AASCU institutions teach over half of the students enrolled in public colleges and universities in the U.S. Kinders is the director of public affairs at UWRF, where he is responsible for media, state, federal and community relations.
