Fall-Winter 2024-25
Class Notes: Fall/Winter 2024-25
Class Notes: Fall/Winter 2024-25
40s
Donald Baumgartner MCDS’49 and his wife, Donna, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 11th annual BizTimes Media Nonprofit Excellence Awards program in July 2024. Donald founded Milwaukee Shipbuilding Corp. with his father in 1951, which was renamed Paper Machinery Corp. in 1956, and grew it to become an international manufacturer of converting machinery for the production of paper cups, paperboard containers, and custom packages. In addition to his longtime support of USM and other civic contributions, Baumgartner is past president of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s board of trustees and was instrumental in bringing the Santiago Calatrava addition to fruition at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
60s
Hetty Tollefsen MDS’64 and friends from the Milwaukee Downer Seminary Class of 1964 reunited in Milwaukee in August for tours of USM, historic downtown Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee river and harbor. Pictured from left are Maggie Fried Hillman, Mary Apple Boyer, Hetty Reisner Tollefsen, Barb Usinger Becker, Holly Knuppel, Trudi Kaminsky, and Missie Rennie Taylor.
Hack Noyes ’66 and other members of the Class of 1966 sponsored a hole at a golf outing to support Blue Lotus Center, of which Fred Bliffert ’66 is the president and founder. “Thanks to all of you who donated for our class to sponsor a golf hole,” said Noyes. “I gave Fred checks totaling more than $1,500.” Pictured are Bliffert (left) and Noyes. Blue Lotus Center is a nature retreat center in West Best, Wisconsin the was created on the Bliffert family’s farm.
70s
Paul La Pointe ’70 submitted the following: “Margaret [La Pointe (Kagin), also Class of 1970] and I celebrated our 50th anniversary with a trip to the Galapagos Islands. I credit MUS and USM with giving me a superb and inspiring education, but also the gift of a life partner to journey with through the adventures, trials, and wonderment of life together!
80s
Raj Bhala ’80 earned the 2024 David Shulenburger Award for Innovation & Advocacy in Scholarly Communication from the University of Kansas libraries’ Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright. Bhala won the award after working with a team at KU Libraries to openly publish his widely used textbook on international trade law. The move increased affordability and access for students and international colleagues. In the first two months following publication, his open access e-textbook was downloaded more than 2,000 times. Bhala is the Brenneisen Distinguished Professor in KU’s School of Law.
R. David Fritz ’ 81 received the President’s Award from the American College of Financial Services for his leadership and generosity through his benefactor and volunteer efforts. Fritz is the co-founder and managing partner of Executive Benefits Network and a lifelong insurance professional, leader,
and philanthropist.
Steffi (Major) Baker ’83 celebrated her birthday with friends at a Milwaukee Bucks game. Pictured
from left are Carol Carpenter MDS’57, Baker ’83, Margy (Stratton) Norman ’84, and Sandy Lanier ’81. “Fun fact: Margy has been wishing me happy birthday every year since I was 16!” wrote Baker.
Jenny Jansen ’84 competed in the Devil’s Lake Triathlon held in September 2024. The race includes a one-quarter mile swim in Devil’s Lake, a 15-mile bike ride through the Baraboo, Wisconsin bluffs, and a 5 kilometer run through Devil’s Lake State Park.
90s
Lisl Gapinski ’92 submitted the following: “Wolski’s Tavern is for everyone, even my junior kindergarten and 1st grade teacher and former head of the Lower School, Mrs. Barbara Larkin!!!”
Maisha Meminger ’95 was recently awarded two U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Honors. The first, Exceptional Volunteer Service, was for outstanding humanitarian acts of long-term community service assisting with engaging Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) partners and introducing students to career opportunities in the federal government. The second was for her work on the “No Wrong Door for Youth” effort. “I am so proud to be a public servant providing assistance to the American workforce,” she wrote. “What a privilege!” Meminger was also interviewed by the U.S. Department of Labor for an article on its LinkedIn page about how HBCUs can serve as pathways to public service.
Raj Chetty ’97 co-published a research paper titled “Changing Opportunity: Sociological Mechanisms Underlying Growing Class Gaps and Shrinking Race Gaps in Economic Mobility” in July 2024. The research, which found that when employment among the poor parents of children in a community improves, those children are better off economically as adults, was covered in both The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the director of Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based institute that published the paper and studies how to improve upward mobility.
Christine R. Hawley ’98 and her husband, Alex, welcomed their son Walker Alexander Hawley in
May 2024.
Alison Kliegman ’99 has been named the executive director of the Midwest Reproductive Health Clinic, a new reproductive and sexual health clinic in Rockford, Illinois.
Sachin Shivaram ’99 was interviewed by NPR and Wisconsin Public Radio for his efforts to provide quality child care for employees at Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, of which he serves as CEO.
00s
Martha Heitman ’06 and her husband, Bubba, welcomed Marilyn Sprague Heitman in August 2024.
Michael Sarnoski ’06 wrote and directed “A Quiet Place: Day One,” released in June 2024, based on a story he conceived with actor and director John Krasinski. It is the third installment in the “A Quiet Place” film series, starring Lupita Nyong’o with Joseph Quinn and Djimon Hounsou.
Ashley Heun ’08 was interviewed by CBS58 Morning News to promote the Port Washington Festival of the Arts and The Moonlight Tavern. Heun and her husband, Anders Dowd, recently took ownership of The Moonlight Tavern, which is a supper club restaurant located in the Port Hotel in Port Washington, Wisconsin, with more than 150 different bourbons and whiskeys.
Morgan Woods ’08 started a new job as the founding principal of Milwaukee Academy of Science 24th Street Academy.
10s
Tessa Nowakowski ’10 was honored during USM’s Homecoming week. The varsity field hockey team held its annual Tessa Nowakowski ’10 field hockey game in memory of Nowakowski, an outstanding student and athlete, who passed away in 2009.
Kevlyn M. Holmes ’12 earned their master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and will become an associate therapist in January 2025. Mary Holmes ’18 (left) is in her first year of veterinary school at the University of Minnesota, and Joshua ’16 (center) is in his final year of a Ph.D. program at Case Western Reserve University focusing on physiology and biophysics with a cardiac specialty.
Patrick Lubar ’12 and his wife, Emily, welcomed Asher, born in August 2024.
Lane Stanford ’12 married Melissa Campbell in October 2024 in Milwaukee.
Djdade Denson ’14 was profiled in “Marquette Today,” Marquette University’s alumni magazine, for continuing his father’s work and legacy in the Milwaukee community. Denson graduated from Marquette in 2019 with an engineering degree. He also met with USM students when they conducted research for their Tower Projects at the Golda Meir Library at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Emily Bach ’13 married Jack Gehl in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in August 2024. Emily and Jack met while teaching at Lumen Christi School in Mequon, Wisconsin.
Emily Burton ’13 married Jake Batterman on Nov. 16, 2024 in Milwaukee. Laura Harvey ’13 gave a reading during the ceremony, and Sarah Severson ’13 gave a speech at the reception.
Claire Inda ’13 and her husband, Joe DiGuiseppi, welcomed their daughter, Julia Rosemary DiGuiseppi, in February 2024.
Charlie Burton ’15 was remembered by those in the USM community who participated in the 5th annual Charlie Burton Memorial Golf Outing, held in September 2024. The event honors Charlie’s memory and his love of golf, while raising funds for cancer research and clinical trials.
Aelin Hill ’15 has been named head coach of the equestrian team at Sewanee: the University of the South. Hill is a former rider with the Sewanee equestrian program, and qualified for the Cacchione Cup at the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) National Show in 2019, becoming the fifth student athlete since 2007 to make an appearance at the Cup.
Kate Reed ’15 was recently promoted to senior communications coordinator with Milwaukee Bucks Inc.
Lizzie Keuler ’17 started a new position as senior staff accountant at Topel Forman LLC in their Family Office Services group.
Will Koch ’17 released his first E.P. “Grasping at Straws” in August 2024. “This project has been in the works for a long, long time,” said Koch. “The recording began in May of last year and the writing on some of the tracks began over three years ago, but the foundation goes back to a Beatles-obsessed 9-year-old taking a couple months of guitar lessons back in Milwaukee in 2007 (thanks Mom and Dad).”
Jam Mutschler ’17 completed her first 50-kilometer race at the Midstate Massive Ultra Trail. Runners started at Howe State Park, Massachusetts, and finished at Douglas State Park. She came in third in her gender division and first in her age group. Mutschler works as the development and communications manager for Five Rivers Conservation Trust in Concord, New Hampshire.
Walter Taylor ’17 has passed his Series 7/SIE exam and become a member of the WE Wealth Management Group at Robert W. Baird. He has also entered Baird’s Associate Financial Advisor program, where he aspires to be a financial advisor. In addition, Taylor has been named to the board of directors of Safe & Sound Inc. Taylor graduated from Benedictine University where he earned an international business and economics degree while minoring in Mandarin.
Ethan Ford ’19 is a music recording artist in Los Angeles, and recently signed a record deal with SANA Records, which is part of a joint venture between Sony Music and Listen To The Kids record label. His work can be found on streaming and social media platforms under @fordomusic.
Brodie Mutschler ’19 and his girlfriend, Mari, spent their summer biking along the coasts of Sweden and Norway, starting in Lund, Sweden and ending in Nordkapp, Norway, above the Arctic Circle. Stops included Lund, Oslo, and Lindenes. Mutschler and Mari both attend Lund University in Sweden, and Mutschler is pursuing a master’s degree in religious studies.
Michael Swiatek ’19 graduated with honors from Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, earning his master’s in theology in just one year. He is pursuing a second master’s degree from St. Augustine Institute to further his study of Latin and Greek. In addition, he was awarded the grand prize from the Polonia Institute for his 16-page essay titled “German Genocide of Ethnic Poles,” and interviewed by the Kuryer Polski website for his outstanding achievement. Swiatek is fluent in seven languages and presently studies Hebrew.
Flynn Vertz ’19 was recently promoted to field artillery officer at 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army.
Aidanne DePoy ’20 submitted the following news: “I’m thrilled to share that I started a new position as the football administration assistant at the Washington Commanders! It has been a fantastic first week and I can’t wait to keep learning and growing as part of this amazing organization.” DePoy graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Southern California in June 2024 with a master’s in applied economics and econometrics, bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science, and a minor in cinematic arts.
Patrick Kelly ’20 graduated from Texas A&M Maritime Academy and has started his first contract as a United States Coast Guard licensed 3rd assistant engineering officer. “I am stationed aboard the shallow draft motor tanker HAINA PATRIOT in Busan, Korea, and Yokohama, Japan,” he wrote. “The HAINA’s mission is to support U.S. Navy operations by delivering fuel to U.S. Navy ships at sea. My responsibilities are to operate and maintain the ship’s power plant and auxiliary machinery. I can expect to be contracted for four months.”
Ashley Swiatek ’20 graduated with honors from Parsons School of Design – The New School in May 2024. Out of 239 graduates, her collection (pictured below) was chosen to be featured by Vogue.com. Ashley is planning to continue her study of fashion design in Milan, Italy.
Natalie Epperson ’22 received an honorable mention from the Patriot League conference for her field hockey performance as a junior midfielder with Boston University. Epperson scored two goals in BU’s 3-2 victory against Holy Cross, and scored the team’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss against Harvard University.
Ibrahim Motlani ’22 concluded a 10-week summer internship with Novo Nordisk in Clayton, North Carolina. As part of the QC Chemistry team, he worked alongside an outstanding group to help ensure the renowned quality and consistency of Novo products. Over the course of this incredible journey, he had the chance to collaborate with a diverse set of professionals dedicated to driving meaningful change in the global battle against diabetes and obesity.
Brooke Robinson ’22 is a member of the University of Tampa women’s lacrosse team, which won its first-ever national championship in May 2024. Robinson is a sophomore majoring in business management and administration, and plays in the midfield position on the team.
Talia Ciralsky ’23 is one of 78 Case Western Reserve University student athletes selected to receive the 2024 Fall University Athletic Association All-academic honors, awarded to student athletes who have completed at least one full year of college study and who carry a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3. Ciralsky is a midfielder on CWRU’s soccer team, majoring in chemical biology.
Vidal Colón ’23 was featured in the Aug. 1 2024 edition of the Ozaukee News Graphic for his role on the Lakeshore Chinooks baseball team. Colón is a catcher for the baseball team at University of Illinois Chicago, where he is a sophomore.
Emery Endres ’23 (pictured below, far left) served as an intern with the Lakeshore Chinooks webcast production team for the 2024 season.
Ingrid Lofgren ’23 won a gold medal as part of the USRowing 8+ boat at the World University Championships. In addition, she was one of three members of the 1V8+ crew at the University of Alabama to earn All-Big 12 honors for her freshman season. Lofgren is pursuing mechanical engineering.
- Alumni