Outlook Magazine - Fall 2017

A l umni

GIVE BACK

Magazine for Alumni & Friends • F all 2017

INSIDE

Alumni help those in need both locally and abroad

Professor and students identify bacterium that may kill honey bees

Alumna’s historic discovery leads to creation of typeface and national book

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S T A F F Mark Parsons Vice Chancellor, University Advancement and Marketing

Doug Mell Executive Director of Communications and External Relations

Fall 2017 • University of Wisconsin-Stout

Amy Luethmers Director of Marketing

Jerry Poling Assistant Director, University Communications

Mesa Covill ‘07 ‘09 Associate Director of Alumni Relations

Jennie Smith ‘11 Campaign and Donor Relations Coordinator

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A N C E L L O R 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 16 18 20 22 23 Bob Meyer reflects on UW-Stout’s alumni who give back and two university milestones. University gets great ‘report cards’ on graduates, value to economy Professor and students identify bacterium that may kill honey bees

Stephanie LaBair Sr. Graphic Designer, University Marketing Cade Walters ‘14 Graphic Designer, University Marketing

Alumna’s antique store discovery leads to creation of typeface and nonfiction book

Brett Roseman University Photographer

Alumna making a splash with her own swimsuit company

Cheryl Keyes Production Manager, University Marketing Kate Martin Business Manager, University Marketing S H A R E YO U R N E W S We’d love to hear from you, and your fellow alumni would too! Drop us a line about your promotion, a reunion, or just to reminisce. S T O U T T R A D I T I O N S Your Alumni Association is interested in learning what traditions were part of your days on campus. Were there bonfires after the hockey games; did you have weekly dances; what event(s) did your fraternity or sorority hold each year? As you think back to those events, please share them with us.

Alumni entrepreneurs: How UW-Stout made a difference Art graduate making it in Nashville as full-time musician Hudson restaurateur brings international flavors to hometown

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ON THE COVER : UW-Stout student Francis Barriga, left, hugs donor Jillian Obarski at a recent Stout University Foundation scholarship reception. Since 1962, Foundation scholarships, through the generous support of donors, have helped more than 8,700 students.

Solar panels to provide energy for first time on campus building Discovery Center receives two grants from the state Hospitality programs marking 50 years, professor 40 years Game design program scores win at Intel national contest

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Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes seven inductees The Blue Devils hosted a national championship and upgraded facilities

OUTLOOK 2016 UPDATE

PACKERS-THEMED MOVIE BY ’99 ALUM HITS THEATERS In 2016, Outlook magazine featured veteran Hollywood actor and alumnus Ryan Churchill ’99, who had just finished work on an independent movie, “The 60 Yard Line,” which is centered around the Green Bay Packers. Churchill co-wrote and stars in the romantic comedy. The film will kick off this fall as the NFL season gets underway. September showings, beginning Friday, Sept. 8, are scheduled in theaters throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois, with limited sites in Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska. Churchill also hopes to show it at UW-Stout. In the past year, “The 60 Yard Line” was chosen for film festivals in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Madison, winning Best Comedy at the LA Independent Filmmakers Showcase and the Jury Award at the Phoenix Comicon festival. Learn more at www.the60yardline.com.

THE COVER: THE REST OF THE STORY

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A L U M N I G I V E B A C K 8

Class notes

The 2016 Outlook magazine celebrated UW-Stout’s 125th anniversary, including a historic photo on the cover: Students carrying books March 9, 1954, to the university’s first library building. After the issue came out, we learned the rest of the story. The two students at the front of the line in the photo were Patricia Casberg and Richard Warsinske. The chivalrous photographer asked Dick to carry Pat’s books on that trip down the hill, although Pat carried plenty more herself throughout the day as 40,000 volumes were moved by the 900-plus students. Pat and Dick, who met as freshmen, have been at each other’s side ever since. They were married in 1955 — 62 years ago — and now live in Springfield, Ill., after many years in Madison. One of their grandchildren, Elliott Fischer, is also a UW-Stout graduate.

Salamone helps those in need, from Twin Cities to around the world Moders establish scholarship, thankful for help daughter received

A D V A N C E M E N T U P D A T E 32 33

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Director’s note on the Foundation

E M A I L alumni@uwstout.edu

Alumni and students dance for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Looking forward to an exciting 2017 UW-Stout homecoming

P H O N E (715) 232-1151

Annual golf tournament raises money for hospitality scholarships

B A C K C OV E R 34

O N L I N E Share your news or ideas at www.uwstout.edu/alumni

New history book covers university’s first 125 years

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1971 grads provided a boost for troops in Vietnam, S. Korea Alumnus enjoying Facebook design work and company culture

tinyurl.com/stoutalumni

facebook.com/stoutalumni twitter.com/stoutalumni

ON CAMPUS

Message from the Chancellor BOB MEYER

PERCENT

Welcome to the 2017 edition of our annual alumni magazine, Outlook. I hope you find the stories and photos of our tremendous alumni as fascinating and uplifting as I did. The unifying theme of this year’s Outlook is how our alumni give back to the campus or to their communities and beyond. One of the benefits of being chancellor at UW-Stout is the opportunity to interact constantly with our alumni, and I have seen evidence of the generosity of our alumni over and over again. So it certainly wasn’t hard to find great examples of alumni who selflessly give of themselves to feature in the magazine. I’d also like to take this opportunity to point to a couple of important milestones for UW-Stout in 2017. Last March, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of this campus receiving the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award during a 2002 ceremony with former President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C. To date, we still are the only full university that has won this award. I’m proud to say the continuous quality improvement planning procedures we had that led to the award still benefit the campus today. At the same time, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of UW-Stout being designated Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University by the UW System Board of Regents. This designation has paid tremendous dividends for UW-Stout. It’s the best way to explain how we are special within the UW System. It is no coincidence that our enrollment began setting records in the wake of our polytechnic designation.

University gets great ‘report cards’ on graduates, value to economy

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MAKING AN IMPACT

W-Stout received two report cards in the spring of 2017. The results were outstanding in two areas that are among the most significant when assessing the value and impact of a university. In March, UW-Stout announced that 97.4 percent of its 2015- 16 graduates either were employed or furthering their education within six months, the vast majority in their majors, based on an exhaustive annual survey by Career Services. It’s the third straight year the percentage has gone up. “It’s pretty incredible the economic impact and the number of graduates you put directly into the workforce — 97.4 percent is pretty amazing,” said state Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. “You take the polytechnic idea and the Wisconsin Idea and spread it across the great state of Wisconsin.” Results of the employment survey and a university economic impact study were announced at a special event. The economic study was equally impressive, finding the annual impact of the institution on a seven-county area was $271.8 million, supporting 4,624 jobs. State taxpayers received $3.50 in benefits for every dollar invested in the university. Total annual starting salaries for the 2015-16 class of graduates is an estimated $60 million. Hired before graduation The true value of the studies could be seen in May, when UW- Stout conferred 1,375 diplomas. Three of the graduates — Samuel Bauer, Taylor Laube and Christopher Spieth — who were hired before graduation are examples of how the university’s career-focused approach to education and dedicated faculty and staff help keep the state, regional and national economy moving.

Bauer, psychology, will begin his career at OMD advertising agency in Los Angeles, where he will analyze media spaces and work with Apple’s digital ad placement. “I cannot say thank you enough to the wonderful people I have met here,” he said of UW-Stout. “I stayed at UW-Stout because of the faculty and the help of my advisers.” Laube, digital marketing technology, will begin her career with FindLaw at Thomson Reuters in Eagan, Minn. The major was created with the help of the company. “I admire that UW-Stout took the initiative to put together a program with the help of industry professionals to cater to industry needs. The digital marketing program was innovative and exactly what I was looking for,” she said. “I chose UW-Stout for its hands-on experiences and amazing job placement rate.” Spieth, information technology management, will begin his career as a network support engineer for Cisco Meraki in San Francisco. “The willingness of the professors in my major to help me achieve the goals I set as a student

14.6% return Wisconsin taxpayers received a significant annual return for every dollar invested in the university. 4,624 jobs Number of jobs that UW-Stout supports in 7 counties

Top to bottom: Chancellor Meyer enjoys the Fashion Without Fabric show on campus; throws out the first pitch at the Alumni Association’s Employee Appreciation Night at the Eau Claire Express game; and gives a commencement address.

$271.8 million Annual economic impact on 7-county area

Finally, it is important for alumni to know UW-Stout will host our governing body, the UW System Board of Regents, on Thursday, Oct. 5, and Friday, Oct. 6, this fall. Hosting this meeting gives us a great opportunity to showcase the campus and highlight the amazing accomplishments of our students, faculty and staff. The meetings of the regents’ full board and committees are open to the public, and it would be great to have alumni attend. Finally, I want to thank all the alumni who have been so supportive during the first three years of my time as chancellor. There is no greater honor for a graduate of UW-Stout than to be given the opportunity to give back to my alma mater by serving as chancellor.

$60 million Total annual starting salaries for the 2015-16 class 1,375 diplomas Awarded by UW-Stout in May 2017

Top to bottom: Samuel Bauer, Taylor Laube, Christopher Spieth

Thank you for all that you do for UW-Stout.

(really made a difference). Another big thing was how UW-Stout was able to help me land four internships, which have provided me the needed industry experience to help me excel in my program.”

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ON CAMPUS

Student power Solar panels to provide energy for first time on campus building

R E S E A R C H B U Z Z

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riven by students’ perseverance to build on campus sustainability, UW- Stout will tap the sun to partially power a campus building. The Stout Student Association approved a project to install 36 solar panels beginning this fall on top of Merle M. Price Commons. The university’s first solar panel investments will use $66,280 of student Green Fee funds, an annual fee students pay for sustainability-related projects. SSA’s Sustainability Council proposed the project after weighing the results of a solar feasibility study by Next Step Energy LLC of Eau Claire. Price Commons was chosen because of expansion potential and visibility to the campus community and visitors. “This is a small step, but the roof is eligible to hold 690 panels,” said sophomore Kennedy Crever, an applied

social science major and Sustainability Council director. “Also, out of all feasible site options for installation, this one gives us the most energy for our money. Most importantly, this project is a historical mark that benefits both campus and community members.” The project aligns with an earlier resolution that SSA passed stating its support for UW-Stout’s Seize the Grid Campaign, led by students who want the campus to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. “Seize the Grid is a national movement leveraging institutional power that prioritizes local, equitable energy for the well-being of the planet and society,” said sophomore Lilia Theisen, group co-leader and environmental science major. UW-Stout’s Sustainability Office, Physical Plant and SSA Sustainability Council are UW-Stout was one of 11 state organizations — 32 applied — that received grants totaling $500,000. Matching funds of $60,000 will be provided by UW-Stout, Chancellor Bob Meyer announced. The grant was announced by Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark Hogan during a stop at the Discovery Center Fab Lab in the Applied Arts Building. The 2015 Idea to Prototype pilot served 98 inventors from 19 Wisconsin counties. The program likely wouldn’t have continued in 2017 without WEDC support. In April, WEDC awarded a $63,000 grant to the Discovery Center to develop a web portal — slated to be ready by this fall — to increase

Professor and students identify bacterium that may kill honey bees

working with the Division of Facilities Development in Madison, which oversees building projects on UW campuses. Lien and Peterson Architects of Eau Claire will meet with the SSA Sustainability Council to discuss panel design. “I’m very excited about the campus investing in renewable energy,” said Sarah Rykal, UW-Stout sustainability coordinator. “These students are very committed to mitigating our campus’ greenhouse gas emissions.” Shown in front of Merle M. Price Commons, where the panels will be installed, are: front row, left to right, council adviser Sarah Rykal, council members Laura Donovan and Kennedy Crever; back row, council members Ben Ritter, Jared Allen and Maggie Thesing collaboration and sharing of resources among state school districts with fab labs. The effort coincided with WEDC announcing $500,000 in grants to 21 districts to develop new fabrication labs. “This effort aligns with our historical commitment to support technology education in pre-K-12 schools,” Meyer said. UW-Stout’s Discovery Center, www. uwstout.edu/discoverycenter , in conjunction with businesses, added $28 million to the bottom line of its clients in 2016 through cost savings or added revenue and helped create or retain more than 200 jobs. Since its inception in 2009, the Discovery Center impacts are $200 million and 2,000 jobs, Executive Director Randy Hulke said.

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oney bee hives have been dying out in the winters in recent years in the Upper Midwest, causing widespread concern among beekeepers, biologists and others. A new clue in the mystery has appeared, thanks to UW-Stout. Biology Professor Jim Burritt and his students have published research about a new strain of a bacterium they discovered in their labs, Serratia marcescens strain sicaria, SS1 for short. “Our results indicate that SS1 may contribute to the wintertime failure of honey bee colonies. We believe this is important because most beekeepers in our area lose over half of their hives each winter. In Dunn County, the percentage of winter hive failure rates has been as high as 80 percent recently,” said Burritt, himself a longtime beekeeper. The bacterium came to light under a microscope at UW-Stout. Researchers saw something unexpected. “We began to realize we may be working with a new threat to honey bees,” said Burritt, adding that UW-Madison experts helped confirm the discovery. Testing ensued when beekeepers in west-central Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota provided samples. Nearly half of the bees tested positive for the new bacterium, and 76 percent of the mites in the hives tested positive. Of hives that died out in the winter, 73 percent had SS1. “Though our study does not provide information on how winterkill can be stopped, we believe it will create a clearer picture of the diseases and challenges honey bees face,” Burritt said. “The well-being of honey bees and other pollinators is crucial to our ecosystem, a wholesome environment and our economy.” The research, with student co-authors Anna Winfield and Jake Hildebrand, was published Dec. 21 in PLOS One, an online publication for science and medicine research. Five other UW- Stout students are recognized. The bee research project at UW-Stout is six years old, including another research paper published in 2014.

“ THE WELL - BE I NG OF HONEY BEES . . . I S CRUC I AL TO OUR ECOSYSTEM, A WHOLESOME ENV I RONMENT AND OUR ECONOMY.”

On Wisconsin via UW-Stout

Discovery Center receives two grants from the state

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he spring semester

brought state attention twice to UW-Stout’s Discovery Center with two grants totaling $123,000.

Jim Burritt, professor of biology, leads research students to discovery.

In late January, the Wisconsin Economic Development Council awarded the university $60,000 for the center’s Idea to Prototype program to boost entrepreneurship in the state. Idea to Prototype evaluates the feasibility and market potential of inventions. Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch announces a $60,000 WEDC entrepreneurship grant to UW-Stout’s Center for Innovation and Development.

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ON CAMPUS

Serving up success Hospitality programs marking 50 years, professor 40 years

PROGRAM STATS

GAME DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT AT UW-STOUT COMPRISES TWO PROGRAMS, A BFA (ART FOCUS) AND A BS (COMPUTER SCIENCE FOCUS). TOGETHER THEY HAVE ASSEMBLED SOME SERIOUS CRED: PROGRAM RANKED #21 IN THE NATION

REACHING A NEW LEVEL

Hotel, restaurant and tourism management students are photographed during Associate Professor Peter D’Souza’s Principles of Food Service Operations class at Rendezvous restaurant.

Phil McGuirk, a professor in UW-Stout’s School of Hospitality Leadership.

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2017 INTEL UNIVERSITY SHOWCASE WINNER

n 2017-18, the School of Hospitality Leadership at UW-Stout will celebrate 50 years of turning out graduates to work in hotels, restaurants, tourism, golf operations management, sales, real estate management and related fields. Approved in 1967 and beginning in 1968, the hotel and restaurant management undergraduate program put UW-Stout on the map in hospitality education. It’s still going strong. In 2016, the university’s hospitality programs were ranked No. 10 in the world and No. 7 in the U.S. by CEOWorld magazine of New York. The golden anniversary will be marked with several special events, to be announced, and will include one professor who has seen more than 80 percent of the 50-year history firsthand. Phil McGuirk has taught hospitality at UW-Stout for approximately 40 years, a career that he began in the mid-1970s after he graduated from the program. In March, McGuirk received a plaque in Orlando, Fla., from the Club Managers Association of America for 40 years of service to that organization and the industry. While he was a student at UW-Stout, McGuirk helped start the school’s CMAA chapter, one of the first two in the U.S.; there are 50 student chapters today. McGuirk, 78, like the industry he represents, remains dedicated to serving. “I could have retired 15 years ago, but I really enjoy pushing the students. When students come back to campus, there’s always a big thank you. You’re part of a kid’s life when you’re teaching. I’d really miss the kids if I wasn’t teaching. I’d probably die within a year,” he said. McGuirk, who was born in Ireland, currently teaches classes in Club Management and Principles of Food Service Operations as well as overseeing the 150-plus students who have co-ops at clubs each year. Along with his hospitality degree from UW-Stout, he earned a master’s in vocational rehabilitation from UW-Stout and was trained at the Culinary Institute of America. He taught Quantity Food Production — training students how to use a commercial kitchen — for 30 years and was one of the forces behind the extravagant Haute Cuisine dinners in the 1970s and 1980s that brought UW-Stout national attention. “I love the beauty of this campus and working with the students and alumni, who are very, very loyal to UW-Stout because they’ve had a good experience,” McGuirk said. His years of service extend back to the Vietnam War, where he did five tours in the Army Special Forces.

2013 E3 COLLEGE COMPETITION WINNER

GAME DESIGN PROGRAM SCORES WIN AT INTEL NATIONAL CONTEST

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W-Stout’s game design and development program is turning some heads for the second time in four years. A student-designed game, Everend, www.thatowlgame.com , about a young owl caught in a massive cave after an ancient volcanic eruption, won the Best Visual Quality award at the Intel University Games Showcase. The award was announced March 2 in San Francisco at the world Game Developers Conference. The competition included 11 colleges invited by Intel. Two other colleges

Los Angeles sponsored by the Entertainment Software Association. Everend was created in 2016 by 12 students in a class taught by Associate Professor Dave Beck, the game’s executive producer who also oversaw the Flash Frozen team. “To have UW-Stout’s student team take first place in the Best Visuals category amongst so many large, internationally known art schools demonstrates that we can and will continue to compete on a national level in myriad art and design disciplines,” Beck said. UW-Stout’s two game design and development programs, one science-based and one art-based, were ranked 15th in the U.S. this spring by Princeton Review. An example of the programs’ cutting edge approach is a collaboration with McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. Students at McNally Smith composed music for Everend and have done the same for other games and projects created by UW-Stout students the past two years.

ONLY CAC-ABET GAME PROGRAM

also earned awards. UW-Stout will receive $10,000 worth of Intel products for its game design programs. In June 2013, the video game Flash Frozen by a UW-Stout team was named co-champion in the E3 national video game competition in

Students, including Emily Dillhunt, working on their projects in Dave Beck’s class.

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COVER STORY

Making It MATTER Salamone helps those in need, from Twin Cities to around the world

ALUMNI GIVE BACK

What ’ s Inside MATTERS

Matter VP Victor Salamone ’88 helps with the Matterbox project, which provides healthy eating starter boxes to families in local communities.

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hanneling healthy food to people who are food insecure and medical supplies to areas with low health care access are priorities for Victor

Matterboxes can help combat an increase in medical health conditions such as obesity, prediabetes and diabetes. “A Matterbox allows users the ability to see that behavioral change is possible and healthier eating can take place if you are given a chance,” he said. Salamone, a hotel and restaurant management graduate, joined Matter in 2015 in business development to attract companies that want to get involved in their communities. He previously worked for 15 years with Hilton Hotels and then was a vice president of franchise operations and purchasing for Famous Dave’s BBQ chain, as well as a franchisee in the Louisville, Ky., area. With Matter, Salamone also arranges redistribution of surplus medical supplies via Hospital in a Box to partners in 63 countries worldwide that lack access to quality health care. Another Matter program, Farm in a Box, helps those in need with access to farming equipment and expertise. Matter’s goal is to provide health and wellness programs for 10 million people within three years, starting in 2016, and midway through 2017 Matter was halfway to that goal. Through his involvement on the Stout Alumni Association board since 2015, Salamone also gives back to UW-Stout. He recently was selected to serve on the Corporate Alumni Committee and looks forward to providing ways for more alumni to get involved at UW-Stout through and along with their employer.

Salamone ’88.

As vice president of business operations for the Minnesota organization Matter, Salamone works with a team to figure out the process for an idea and to get the job done with admirable results. One of his major responsibilities is execution of a new program called Matterbox, which provides healthy eating starter boxes to families in local communities. Matterboxes provide initial ingredients to prepare delicious meals that are lower in sodium, higher in protein and whole grains and incorporate fresh produce. The box also includes a shopping list and tips for children to steer parents toward healthier eating options and to simplify the cooking experience. “In order to roll out this product, on March 23 of this year we accomplished a pretty major event,” Salamone said. “We created a Matterbox Madness event that enlisted 32 teams of 10 to pack Matterboxes. It took a great deal of energy and talent to make it happen successfully, from a venue large enough to accept the 52 tons of food, to the setup, actual event and then the transportation and storage. It was awesome and quite rewarding.” The teams packed 210,000 servings and almost 5,000 Matterboxes, which have been distributed to nonprofit groups in the Twin Cities area.

MATTERBOXES Expanding access to healthy food in innovative and nontraditional ways by supplying a box of healthy, shelf-stable meals and nutrition education.

HOSPITAL IN A BOX Increasing access to health in some of the hardest to reach corners of the the world.

FARM IN A BOX Providing small-scale farmers in developing countries with the tools and education needed to thrive.

Increases Agricultural Yields

63 Countries Impacted

16,180 MATTERboxes Packed

83,398,613 Million in Medical Equiptment & Supplies

Increases Water Efficiency

54 Community Partners

Decreases Child Labor

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COVER STORY

TEEING IT UP for Toby

SPECIAL connection Moders establish scholarship, thankful for help daughter received

SPECIAL CONNECTION CONT. The Moders, now of Oshkosh, established the Moder Family Special Education Scholarship through the Stout University Foundation to motivate and inspire UW-Stout students pursuing a special education degree. The first recipient received $1,000 in fall 2016. “We understand firsthand the huge difference special education teachers make in each student's school life. Those who enter this field are special too because their skills are specialized to serve students with an array of complex needs,” Chuck said. The Moders emphasize that as the prevalence of autism increases so does the need for special education teachers. The couple married in June 1985, soon after their UW-Stout graduation. Chuck has an industrial technology degree with an electronics concentration and earned advanced management degrees at St. Mary's University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He is an industrial performance manager at Bel Brands, a French-owned cheese company in Little Chute. Dawn completed a clothing, textiles and design degree with an apparel manufacturing concentration and earned a master's of library and information science from St. Catherine's University in St. Paul. She is a mental health prison librarian at Wisconsin Resource Center in Winnebago. Now 27, Whitney lives with Chuck and Dawn, works at Culver’s and volunteers at the Oshkosh Humane Society. “We hope our success story of Whitney's education and the scholarship we’ve established can impact a UW-Stout student's educational dream by lessening financial burden,” Dawn said.

Annual golf tournament raises money for hospitality scholarships Alumni Toby Landgraf’s passion for education lives on through the Toby Foundation’s annual charity golf tournament, which has raised more than $500,000 since 1986 to provide scholarships for about 400 hospitality students from Minnesota. Each year the Toby Tournament draws about 150 golfers from companies in the hospitality field, many of them UW-Stout alumni. About 20 volunteers plan the event, including UW-Stout alumni.

Chuck and Dawn Moder ’85 have understood the value of skilled special education teachers ever since their daughter, Whitney, who has autism, thrived with support from amazing teachers in Northfield, Minn., public schools. “Her special education teachers worked with us to develop an individual education plan specific to Whitney’s skills, needs and abilities. They often offered help and suggestions for appropriate accommodations for regular education classes. They did daily lesson reinforcement and organized homework,” Dawn said. Whitney graduated from high school in 2009 and earned a letter in swimming. She was especially gifted at art. She earned a one- year certificate in early childhood development from South Central College in Faribault, Minn. (cont. on next page)

ALUMNI GIVE BACK

Andrea Gustafson, second from right, planning committee chair, poses with three student winners of the 2016 Toby J. Landgraf Endowed Scholarship. They are, from left, Maria Lewis, Ellen Plumb and Leah Riddle.

“Most of the reps, dealers, factories and end users that are involved with the tournament all seem to have at least one person who attended UW-Stout,” said Zach Weisman, this year’s tournament planning committee chairman. Weisman, a sales associate at the Yes Group, based in St. Paul, began attending the tournament as a boy with his father, whose company supports the tournament. The Toby Foundation was formed by hospitality professionals to honor colleague Toby Landgraf, an admired equipment representative and co-owner of Vader and Landgraf Corporation in Minneapolis before his untimely death in 1985 at age 38. Memorial gifts to the family were pooled by the Landgrafs and given to UW-Stout to establish the Toby J. Landgraf Endowed Scholarship. The scholarships are awarded to hospitality students from Minnesota. In fall 2016, four UW-Stout students each received a $1,850 scholarship. Scholarships also are provided to culinary students attending a Minnesota two-year college through the American Culinary Federation Minneapolis Chef’s Chapter. Steve Sizemore, who studied hospitality and tourism and is pursuing his masters in operation supply chain management at UW-Stout, was on the tournament planning committee for four years. “I’m interested in anything I can do to help students pay for school,” said Sizemore, a construction project manager for Supervalu. The 2017 Toby Tournament was held Aug. 14 at the Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington, Minn. Visit www.tobytournament.org for more information. GIVING BACK to UW-Stout Ways to give back to the university you love: • Present to classes • Host an internship/co-op for students • Engage in volunteer opportunities on campus • Join your program’s Advisory Board • Make a donation • Support a student with a scholarship • Host an alumni event To contact UW-Stout about volunteer opportunities, email: alumni@uwstout.edu To see the new UW-Stout Alumni Pride video, go to: vimeo.com/ 187573343/ b3745eee13

Dawn and Chuck Moder

Shaking It

for a cure

Alumni and students dance for Duchenne muscular dystrophy For seven years UW-Stout alumni, students and staff have come together to move their muscles for boys and men who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, raising $36,000 for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. The annual Just Shake It For Duchenne Zumba Party is held in Menomonie. The March 4, 2017, event drew 190 people, raising a total of $4,000 through donations. The 2018 event will be held Feb. 24. Most of the Zumba dance instructors have been UW-Stout alumni, and the UW-Stout Dance Team and Menomonie High School dance team help keep dancers energized during the 1½-hour workout. Zumba instructors have included Alyssa Smith, Khendra Johnson, Amanda Mitchell, Shelly Olson, Kenzie Barrett, Allie Werner, Kelly Ledwein, Jenn Tack and Jonnise Hazuka. Alumna Melissa Devery is the event photographer. Also, Tara Verdon, an alumna and owner of Red Cedar Dance Company, has volunteered.

A gym floor is filled with participants in the Just Shake It For Duchenne Dance Party in Menomonie. Photo by Melissa Devery.

“The instructors make it a fun event,” said Nicki Welsch, a Zumba instructor at BodyWorks in Menomonie. Welsch helped start the event and has become its director. Her son, Chase, is the event DJ and a manufacturing engineering major at UW-Stout. The idea for the event came from Kathryn Rothe Schiefelbein, a 2011 alumna. Three local men, Brett Boettcher and brothers Tom Platz and Mark Platz, have the disorder. Tom Platz earned a packaging engineering degree from UW-Stout in 2010, and his parents Don and Nancy Platz are retired UW-Stout instructors. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive muscle disorder that causes loss of muscle function and independence, affecting approximately one of every 3,500 boys. Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy’s mission is to improve the quality of life and long-term outlook for individuals affected by Duchenne through research, education, advocacy and compassion.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Blue angels for the Red Cross ’71 grads value volunteer work that provided a boost for troops in Vietnam, S. Korea

Wanda Huisman “We were there to help guys forget for a while they were in a war zone. All we had to do was smile and say hi and it made their day. It reminded them of home,” said Huisman, who grew up on a farm near Prairie Farm, in west-central Wisconsin. “We were the pop stars of Vietnam.” Indeed, the young women, in powder blue dresses and often wearing perfume, were rays of sunlight in the Vietnam jungles and mountains of South Korea. Huisman called her time in Vietnam “the worst time of my life and the best time of my life.” She served six months of a one- year commitment, evacuated early when fighting intensified and the war wound down. She visited troops in fighting zones, some of whom she knows, sadly, were killed the next day. She also worried for her own safety. “When I woke up, I was thankful I made it through another night.” She still has health issues from exposure to Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant used by the U.S. However, the experience made her a mentally stronger person and helped lead to a successful teaching and counseling career at schools in southern Texas, Michigan and most recently at international schools in Vietnam. “I was comfortable on my own, and Stout taught me a lot of that,” she said. She retired in Vietnam, where she grew to love the land and the people; she lives in the coastal city of Nha Trang. She also loved our troops and their often-underappreciated effort that helped bring unity to Vietnam. “Every one of our guys who was there was a hero,” she said.

Diane Anderson Hunt During her year in South Korea, Hunt knew from the warmth of the troops that she was making a difference. “The men did appreciate seeing a friendly face from home. They would protect us over anything. You didn’t hear foul language. You were well-respected,” Hunt said. Hunt and her Red Cross partner — they traveled in pairs — visited mountaintop bases four days a week and on Fridays held programs at a military base. True to the Donut Dollies name, they brought Korean-made fresh donuts. “We’d design games a whole group could play and do trivia questions,” she said. “It was not necessarily dangerous, but we were near the Demilitarized Zone not far from danger.” Hunt worked at several bases throughout South Korea and traveled to Thailand, Japan and other places on her Red Cross salary when off duty. “It was an adventure. We were young and single. Everyone should spend some time in a third world country. It will change your life.” After returning she taught in schools near Rochester, N.Y., before living in Wisconsin — she grew up in Oconto Falls — to teach and work in administration at the middle school, high school and technical college level in east-central Wisconsin. She has written two books, “No Failing Students,” and a second one due out in October, “No Failing Middle-Schoolers,” available on Amazon. Hunt is reminded everyday of her time in South Korea. It’s where she met her husband, Leonard Hunt, one of the U.S. troops who appreciated an uplifting visit from the Donut Dollies.

Red Cross volunteer Wanda Huisman, right, at Cam Ranh Airport Base in Vietnam in 1971.

Diane Anderson Hunt, third from right, with troops at a U.S. base in South Korea in 1971.

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They boosted troop morale and offered emotional support, providing a touch of home to war-weary men — a smile, games, activities, snacks and sodas. They were called Donut Dollies, a name that originated with women who served in the same capacity during World War II. Read more at www.donutdollies . com/tag/red-cross , including about a documentary in the works for which Huisman was interviewed. We were there to help guys forget for a while they were in a war zone. All we had to do was smile and say hi and it made their day. It reminded them of home. - Wanda Huisman

fter majoring in home economics education at UW-Stout, Wanda Huisman and Diane Anderson Hunt were confident, prepared and eager to begin their teaching careers when they graduated in 1971. With the job market tight, however, and thinking it would be the right time to see the world and do some service work before they settled down, they followed the road less traveled. They heard about an opportunity to serve with the Red Cross and signed on as volunteers to provide support to U.S. troops, Huisman in Vietnam and Hunt in South Korea. “We wanted to do something different. We wanted to travel. We didn’t have a clue what we were getting into,” Huisman said. After a two-week Red Cross training program in Washington, D.C., they soon found themselves overseas. Huisman was one of 627 college-educated women who served in Vietnam between 1965 and 1972 in the SRAO — Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas program. Hunt supported troops still stationed in South Korea in the low-level conflict 20 years after the Korean War.

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Brady Voss - UW-Stout Alumni

What’s not to

“What helped me get my first job was that breadth of knowledge. It opened up doors for me.” - Brady Voss

One of his initial projects at Facebook, in 2013, was designing a revamped log-in for page users. “As simple as (a log-in button) may seem on the outside, there’s so much more going on inside,” Voss said, noting that the new log-in was tested with 1 percent of Facebook users, well more than 10 million people. Voss has done design work on Facebook’s Hello app for Android and a mobile Facebook “Like” button. For the last 2½ years he’s worked on video projects. Facebook is putting more emphasis on video options, including live video. Voss is excited to help determine how video is offered on Facebook through user experience design. Prior to Facebook, Voss worked from 2011 to 2013 at Microsoft in Seattle; he did design work on the Xbox game system and Windows phone. He also worked at TiVo and as a graphic designer in the Twin Cities after earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts from UW-Stout, with a concentration in multimedia design. Learning multimedia at UW-Stout, including 3D animation and special effects, was a key to moving up in the tech world, he said. “What helped me get my first job was that breadth of knowledge. It opened up doors for me.”

Like

Brady Voss with Mark Zuckerberg

Brady Voss, center, talks with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, right, during a hackathon event at Facebook headquarters.

Alumnus enjoying Facebook design work and company culture

hen Brady Voss graduated in 2006 from UW-Stout, his goal was to work for one of the big technology companies out West. A little more than a decade into his career as a designer, he’s already worked at Microsoft and since 2013 has been employed

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at Facebook, a worldwide leader in social media.

The true measure of success for Voss, however, isn’t just where he works but how much he enjoys it. He’s found a lot to “like” at Facebook. “Facebook has a very different mentality than any other place I’ve worked. It’s the best,” said Voss, whose title is product design lead. “It’s very open. (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg wants the whole company to know what’s being worked on. That’s how everyone is expected to operate.” Zuckerberg sets the example by working in a glass office at company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., outside of San Francisco. He connects weekly with small teams — about 10 people — of employees who work on myriad projects by hearing their presentations and offering feedback. “I’ve had a lot of reviews with Mark. He’s a very good leader in that he lets us as employees be trusted to create something great,” said Voss, a native of St. Croix Falls in northwestern Wisconsin. Designers who think outside the box and engineers are valued equally at Facebook, creating a culture in which employees have “opportunities to shine,” Voss said. He joined Facebook when it had about 3,500 employees. It has grown to more than 17,000. He works primarily out of Seattle but also in Menlo Park and Austin, Texas.

Love

Building 20 is part of the Facebook campus in Menlo Park, Calif., outside San Francisco. UW-Stout alumnus Brady Voss has been a designer at Facebook since 2013.

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ALUMNI NEWS

“Marcel’s Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate” is available in hardcover and eBook format through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble. com, Apple’s iBooks and IndieBound.org. For more information, go to www.Carolyn-Porter.com. “I ultimately realized each and every letter Marcel wrote was not proof of love — it was proof of life. Each letter could have been his last, which I believe is one reason he lavished his wife and daughters with words of love,” Porter said. “The font is a way for Marcel’s tender words of love and his beautiful handwriting to live on.” Curious about the letters, Porter had them translated. She discovered that the writer, Marcel Heuzé, was a Frenchman who had written them to his family while working in a German labor camp. In early 1943, Heuzé was one of hundreds of thousands of French citizens deported to Germany as part of the collaborationist Vichy government’s obligatory work service initiative. They filled positions left vacated in factories, farms and mines by German men in the war. The letters Marcel wrote to his wife and three young daughters contained beautiful expressions of love, like this excerpt: “My little darling, all I have left to do tonight is to ask you to kiss my little ones very tenderly for me, and Mom also. Your big guy, who loves you, kisses you with all his strength and with all his heart. And now for all of you: lots of kisses and good night from your absent Marcel.” After obtaining legal approval from the family in 2013 to publish the letters, Porter penned “Marcel’s Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate,” published through Skyhorse Publishing of New York City. In the book, Porter recounts the design of the font, the search for information on why Marcel had been in Berlin, whether he survived to be reunited with his wife and young daughters and how the letters ended up in the antique store in Stillwater.

Alumna’s antique store discovery leads to creation of award-winning typeface, nonfiction book based on man’s letters fromWWII labor camp

arolyn Porter’s fascination with typography has led to larger

She learned how type design software could be used to create a font that replicated old-script handwriting, a style she loves. “I knew immediately and unequivocally I would someday design a font based on old handwriting,” said Porter, who lives with her husband in White Bear Lake, Minn. Font creation While visiting an antique store in Stillwater, Minn., she found a bundle of letters written in beautiful pen-and-ink handwriting in French, signed by a man named Marcel, that had been mailed from Berlin to his family in France during World War II. Porter was drawn to the swirls and arches in his handwriting. She had found her inspiration for a font. Porter meticulously worked on the project. Creating a font is precise work that requires a blend of technical skill and artistry. Type designers look at the beauty of letterforms. The font has more than 1,300 characters and complex coding. “The biggest element is patience,” Porter said. “It can take hours and many rounds of revisions to get each letter to look just right. When designing a connected cursive script like Marcel Script, the most difficult thing is to ensure the tiny, sweeping lines between letters result in a smooth connection between every possible letter combination.” “The whole process that Carolyn went through is a perfect illustration of the role of typography: She felt drawn to the letters and letter forms as objects,” said DeHoff, now retired. “The paper, style, rhythms and the obvious love and care she saw in how the letters were written. You could say she felt the love that Marcel had put into these letters to his wife. That’s what good typography should do and be,” DeHoff said.

In 2014 Porter’s goal was reached when P22 Type Foundry, a company that represents typefaces inspired by art and history, rolled out Marcel Script, which can be purchased and downloaded by computer users. “Marcel Script is truly a handsome face and versatile within its range. It feels like an ‘old soul.’” DeHoff said. The font has won numerous awards, including the 2014 New York Type Director’s Club Certificate for Excellence in Typeface Design, a premier international typographic competition. Marcel Script was among 24 winners selected from nearly 200 typefaces from 29 countries.

achievements than she imagined. She not only designed a font for other designers to use, she recently penned a book to share the intriguing story behind its creation.

The creation of Marcel Script became a 12-year labor of love as she painstakingly worked on it around running her graphic design business. Her interest in knowing more about the man behind the handwriting upon which the font is based took her on another path, leading to the publication of “Marcel’s Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate,” which came out in June. Type design interest Handwriting has enthralled Porter since she was young. She became hooked on typography — how type elements fit together and fit the content where they’re used — during graphic design classes at UW-Stout. Porter’s letterform class included a historic overview of typefaces and stylistic elements of letters. Professor Bill DeHoff reinforced lessons on shape and proportion by having students replicate letters, paying close attention to curve shapes, stem thickness and crossbar placement. While at UW-Stout, Porter studied a semester at Middlesex University in London. After receiving a B.F.A. in graphic design in 1991, she worked in London for a year. After returning to the U.S., she worked for several design firms before starting Porterfolio Inc., which provides graphic design and brand strategy services.

“Marcel’s Letters” “Marcel’s Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate” is available in hardcover and eBook format through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Apple’s iBooks and IndieBound.org.

For more information, go to www.Carolyn-Porter.com.

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ALUMNI NEWS

DREAMS ALUMNA MAKING A SPLASH WITH HER OWN SWIMSUIT COMPANY DESIGNING

Plus-size model Robyn Lawley, left and center, and model Samantha Hoopes, right, wear Iztali designs in the 2016 and 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, respectively.

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elissa “Missy” Isaksson knows she has a long way to go to realize her dream of creating one of the

The name of her company, Iztali Swim, www.iztaliswim.com , means reality is the dream, a reflection of how she wants to live her life. “It’s kind of a wanderlust idea. There are so many amazing, beautiful places in the world. They’re almost dreamlike and unreal. I want people to have that feeling when they

She has continued that success with Iztali. In the 2015 through 2017 SI issues, she has had 18 suits modeled either in the magazine or online. “The SI exposure really creates a major flow of traffic to your website,” she said. “It gives your business credibility.” The Sports Illustrated impact — more than 70 million people see the issue — is undeniable, with about 60 percent of Iztali’s orders placed by men for their wives or girlfriends, Isaksson said. International orders have come from Australia, Bali and France. Although most Sports Illustrated models are svelte — the magazine this year featured women of various sizes — Isaksson says her designs can be worn by women with many body types. “Robyn Lawley, an Australian model, size 12, wore three of my pieces in her 2016 photo shoot posted online, and she looked incredible. The average woman can definitely wear my swimwear,” she said. Isaksson designs her swimsuits for impact. “You’ll rarely get basic pieces from me. I feel a really interesting swimsuit will make people look your way while drawing their attention away from any body issues you may feel you have,” she said. She draws inspiration for her designs from everyday things she sees and experiences. “I’ve been doing a lot of macramé. A piece based on that turned out to be one of my best sellers,” she said. The skills she learned at UW-Stout have been put to good use. “We did so much pattern-making. All the edits we did to the patterns really help me in my business now. I can just look at a pattern and do what I want to, and it almost always turns out,” she said.

leading swimsuit brands in the world.

For now, the 2012 UW-Stout graduate of the apparel design and development program still mostly is a one-woman company. She designs the

suits — mostly bikinis — and makes them by hand. She fulfills orders, arranges photo shoots

travel the world and wear my swimwear. Create the life you want to live, and make it your reality. It’s an inspiration I like to remind

THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN THE WORLD. THEY’RE ALMOST DREAMLIKE AND UNREAL. I WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE THAT FEELING WHEN THEY TRAVEL THE WORLD AND WEAR MY SWIMWEAR.

for models and maintains her website and social media sites.

myself of every day,” she said.

At the end of her busy days, however, she’s seeing encouraging signs that her designs are more than good enough to compete well on a world stage. More importantly, she’s doing what makes her happy. “I love what I’m doing, and I love the swimsuits,” she said.

Isaksson previously designed for the company Kate Swim, with several of her pieces making the Sports Illustrated magazine swimsuit issues in 2013 and 2014.

Models Cindy Prado, left, and Sarah Elainna, right, wear Itztali swimsuits during 2017 photo shoots in Miami and Hawaii. Christopher Brown photos.

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