Association News
Alumni with Honors
At Alumni Weekend in May, WAA celebrated the contributions that UW-Madison alumni have made to the world and their university by honoring six graduates with Distinguished Alumni Awards.
"I'm really proud of what this year's distinguished alumni have contributed," says WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner MS'78. "They've worked through many spheres — academic, political, administrative, and as volunteers — to improve every aspect of the university."
This year's distinguished alumni include Barney Easterday MS'58, PhD'61, Tom Hefty '69, JD'73, John Rowe '67, JD'70, Nancy Sennett '73, and Tommy Thompson '63, JD'66. Tricia Nordby Hamrin '92 is the Distinguished Young Alumna.
Dean emeritus Barney Easterday worked through the late 1970s and early 1980s to help create UW-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year.
"I'm really proud of what this year's distinguished alumni have contributed," says WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner MS'78. "They've worked through many spheres — academic, political, administrative, and as volunteers — to improve every aspect of the university."
This year's distinguished alumni include Barney Easterday MS'58, PhD'61, Tom Hefty '69, JD'73, John Rowe '67, JD'70, Nancy Sennett '73, and Tommy Thompson '63, JD'66. Tricia Nordby Hamrin '92 is the Distinguished Young Alumna.
Dean emeritus Barney Easterday worked through the late 1970s and early 1980s to help create UW-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year.
Easterday received his DVM from Michigan State University, and shortly afterward joined the army, which sent him to Kenya to study livestock diseases. This assignment inspired in him a lifelong love of Kenya and a desire to pursue research in veterinary medicine. He returned to the U.S. and soon began graduate study at the UW, joining the faculty after earning his PhD. In 1978, when UW-Madison began the work of creating its School of Veterinary Medicine, Easterday was tapped as the school's first dean. He remained in that post until his retirement in 1994.
"With his leadership," says Professor Ronald Schultz, chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, the school "was established after many years of political controversy, and during his fifteen years as dean, the school moved quickly into a position of national prominence."
Today Easterday serves as chair of WAA's lifelong learning committee. He and his spouse, Char, have made several trips to East Africa, including four tours that they hosted for WAA. On a 2002 safari, he was honored as an elder by the residents of a Masai village, who gave him the name Leshan, "born during the rains," as a token of respect.
"With his leadership," says Professor Ronald Schultz, chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, the school "was established after many years of political controversy, and during his fifteen years as dean, the school moved quickly into a position of national prominence."
Today Easterday serves as chair of WAA's lifelong learning committee. He and his spouse, Char, have made several trips to East Africa, including four tours that they hosted for WAA. On a 2002 safari, he was honored as an elder by the residents of a Masai village, who gave him the name Leshan, "born during the rains," as a token of respect.
As the former president and chief executive officer of the insurance company Cobalt Corporation, Tom Hefty led the effort that resulted in the largest single contribution to fund medical research in Wisconsin.
Between 1999 and 2001, Hefty helped engineer the merger of Blue Cross Blue Shield United of Wisconsin with United Wisconsin Services to form Cobalt, a publicly traded company. As part of this merger, 31 million shares of Cobalt were transferred to the Wisconsin United for Health Foundation, which supports UW-Madison's Medical School and Milwaukee's Medical College of Wisconsin.
"These funds," says economics Professor John Kennan, "will strengthen the research and education missions of the schools, while advancing public health to the benefit of all the people of Wisconsin."
Hefty has served Wisconsin and the nation in a variety of government positions, including counsel at the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition and deputy insurance commissioner for the state of Wisconsin. He became chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield and of United Wisconsin Services in 1986, and after merging the two companies, he retired in February 2003.
Between 1999 and 2001, Hefty helped engineer the merger of Blue Cross Blue Shield United of Wisconsin with United Wisconsin Services to form Cobalt, a publicly traded company. As part of this merger, 31 million shares of Cobalt were transferred to the Wisconsin United for Health Foundation, which supports UW-Madison's Medical School and Milwaukee's Medical College of Wisconsin.
"These funds," says economics Professor John Kennan, "will strengthen the research and education missions of the schools, while advancing public health to the benefit of all the people of Wisconsin."
Hefty has served Wisconsin and the nation in a variety of government positions, including counsel at the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition and deputy insurance commissioner for the state of Wisconsin. He became chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield and of United Wisconsin Services in 1986, and after merging the two companies, he retired in February 2003.
As the top executive at the Chicago-based Exelon, John Rowe is one of the most powerful people in the power industry. Exelon is among the nation's largest electrical utilities, serving as many as 13 million people, but Rowe also focuses much of his own energy on educational causes. He aids UW-Madison through participation in the Bascom Hill Society and on the WARF Board of Trustees. He has also been a trustee with Northwestern University and Bryant College, as well as Chicago's Art Institute and Field Museum.
"John Rowe is an exemplar of the public-minded citizen that we treasure and seek to develop at Wisconsin," says history professor and department chair Thomas Spear MA'70, PhD'74. "A living embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea, he has extended the reach of the university far beyond the borders of the state as a dynamic businessman, public citizen, and philanthropist."
Rowe's eclectic interests include a special fascination with history, his undergraduate major. He is an avid collector of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian artifacts, and in his office, he keeps an ancient sarcophagus.
"Reading history has taught me how to handle the human things in business," says Rowe, who endowed a professorship for the study of Byzantine history. "I've always been interested in how this major incarnation of the Roman Empire survived for so long," he says. "And yet the study of Byzantine history is disappearing."
"John Rowe is an exemplar of the public-minded citizen that we treasure and seek to develop at Wisconsin," says history professor and department chair Thomas Spear MA'70, PhD'74. "A living embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea, he has extended the reach of the university far beyond the borders of the state as a dynamic businessman, public citizen, and philanthropist."
Rowe's eclectic interests include a special fascination with history, his undergraduate major. He is an avid collector of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian artifacts, and in his office, he keeps an ancient sarcophagus.
"Reading history has taught me how to handle the human things in business," says Rowe, who endowed a professorship for the study of Byzantine history. "I've always been interested in how this major incarnation of the Roman Empire survived for so long," he says. "And yet the study of Byzantine history is disappearing."
Nancy Sennett isn't just a leading attorney in the field of securities litigation, she has also exerted considerable influence on the way that UW-Madison connects with its graduates. As the volunteer president of WAA from 2000 to 2001, she helped lead the association through a major reorganization.
"Through her boundless energy and her work with our alumni, Nancy has made an indelible mark on WAA and on the university," says Bonner. "She's a model of what people can accomplish when they work with passion."
Sennett studied English and communication arts at UW-Madison, and taught high school for three years before entering law school at Northwestern University. After graduating in 1979, she joined the firm of Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee, and she has been with them ever since. In 2002, she was made a managing partner.
However, her time has been dedicated to community service as much as to professional advancement. Sennett was a founding board member for After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Inc., and for the Betty Brinn Children's Museum in Milwaukee. She has also served on the board of directors for WAA and the University of Wisconsin Foundation, and on the board of visitors for the School of Education.
"Through her boundless energy and her work with our alumni, Nancy has made an indelible mark on WAA and on the university," says Bonner. "She's a model of what people can accomplish when they work with passion."
Sennett studied English and communication arts at UW-Madison, and taught high school for three years before entering law school at Northwestern University. After graduating in 1979, she joined the firm of Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee, and she has been with them ever since. In 2002, she was made a managing partner.
However, her time has been dedicated to community service as much as to professional advancement. Sennett was a founding board member for After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Inc., and for the Betty Brinn Children's Museum in Milwaukee. She has also served on the board of directors for WAA and the University of Wisconsin Foundation, and on the board of visitors for the School of Education.
As Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the last two years, Tommy Thompson has led the national debate on such topics as preparedness for bioterrorism and stem cell research. But within Wisconsin, Thompson is best known as the state's longest serving governor, having served in that role from 1987 to 2001.
"Not only has Secretary Thompson had a long and distinguished public career," says Bonner, "but he's also been a staunch supporter of the UW. Thanks to his advocacy, the UW has been able to maintain its premier role among American universities as both a research and teaching institution."
In 1966, following his graduation from law school, Thompson entered the Wisconsin State Assembly, where for two decades he held increasingly important legislative roles until being elected to the governorship. While in office, he championed causes that brought UW-Madison more than $400 million. These include WISTAR, a program to improve research facilities; HealthStar, which aided study in pharmacy and health sciences; BioStar, which provided support for bioscience research; and the Madison Initiative, a private/public partnership that led to the hiring of more than one hundred new faculty.
During his stay in Madison, Thompson also addressed his graduating class, the Class of '63, which was celebrating its fortieth reunion. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, he said he has become more conscious of his own health, and he urged his classmates to be more active in pursuing a healthy lifestyle.
"Not only has Secretary Thompson had a long and distinguished public career," says Bonner, "but he's also been a staunch supporter of the UW. Thanks to his advocacy, the UW has been able to maintain its premier role among American universities as both a research and teaching institution."
In 1966, following his graduation from law school, Thompson entered the Wisconsin State Assembly, where for two decades he held increasingly important legislative roles until being elected to the governorship. While in office, he championed causes that brought UW-Madison more than $400 million. These include WISTAR, a program to improve research facilities; HealthStar, which aided study in pharmacy and health sciences; BioStar, which provided support for bioscience research; and the Madison Initiative, a private/public partnership that led to the hiring of more than one hundred new faculty.
During his stay in Madison, Thompson also addressed his graduating class, the Class of '63, which was celebrating its fortieth reunion. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, he said he has become more conscious of his own health, and he urged his classmates to be more active in pursuing a healthy lifestyle.
Tricia Nordby Hamrin received the association's Distinguished Young Alumni Award, which honors achievement by a graduate under the age of forty.
Within two years of graduating from UW-Madison's honors program, Hamrin left the security of a corporate job to launch her own company. Today she describes herself as the "head hoop-jumper" of the Minneapolis-based UpFront Productions, which offers its clients integrated services from graphics to printing and direct mail. "Our slogan is, 'Choose your hoop; we'll jump through it,' " she says.
James Haney, president of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, describes Hamrin as an "everachiever," one who regards achievement as an ongoing journey. "In the years since she graduated, Tricia Hamrin has revolutionized an industry and the way people succeed in it," he says. "Anyone who has witnessed Tricia's vision or her values would agree: her achievements transcend not just her years, but the perceived limitations of an industry."
Hamrin's success has enabled her to endow a scholarship for UW-Madison students. First awarded in 1998, the Hamrin Research Award helps students fulfill their honors theses. The current recipient of the scholarship is Brennan Young x'03, who met with Hamrin while she was back on campus.
"I'm so proud to be able to help students like Brennan excel," says Hamrin. "The UW gave me a wonderful opportunity, and it's very important to me to pass that advantage along."
— John Allen
Within two years of graduating from UW-Madison's honors program, Hamrin left the security of a corporate job to launch her own company. Today she describes herself as the "head hoop-jumper" of the Minneapolis-based UpFront Productions, which offers its clients integrated services from graphics to printing and direct mail. "Our slogan is, 'Choose your hoop; we'll jump through it,' " she says.
James Haney, president of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, describes Hamrin as an "everachiever," one who regards achievement as an ongoing journey. "In the years since she graduated, Tricia Hamrin has revolutionized an industry and the way people succeed in it," he says. "Anyone who has witnessed Tricia's vision or her values would agree: her achievements transcend not just her years, but the perceived limitations of an industry."
Hamrin's success has enabled her to endow a scholarship for UW-Madison students. First awarded in 1998, the Hamrin Research Award helps students fulfill their honors theses. The current recipient of the scholarship is Brennan Young x'03, who met with Hamrin while she was back on campus.
"I'm so proud to be able to help students like Brennan excel," says Hamrin. "The UW gave me a wonderful opportunity, and it's very important to me to pass that advantage along."
— John Allen
Party On!
Free food, free entertainment, and hanging out with Bucky — literally — made the All-Campus Party (ACP) 2003 the week of fun and relaxation that students needed just before the pressure of final exams.
Organized by the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB) to provide a safe, alcohol-free venue to celebrate spring, the party is becoming a staple of the end of the academic year. Although ACP is now in its third year, Director Adam Sheridan '03 says that the 2003 program was groundbreaking.
"We took a big step this year," he says. "For the first time, we held concerts on the Memorial Union Terrace, a dance on Friday night, and added a three-on-three basketball tournament at the Nicholas Johnson Pavilion in the Kohl Center.
We had a free, a cappella concert at the Wisconsin Union Theater — people usually have to pay to hear groups as good as Tangled up in Blue and Redefined."
Events that made a return appearance this year included Breakfast on Bascom, a film festival, a pizza lunch, and a climbing wall on Library Mall, where students could "just hang" with Bucky Badger — all free of cost.
Organized by the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB) to provide a safe, alcohol-free venue to celebrate spring, the party is becoming a staple of the end of the academic year. Although ACP is now in its third year, Director Adam Sheridan '03 says that the 2003 program was groundbreaking.
"We took a big step this year," he says. "For the first time, we held concerts on the Memorial Union Terrace, a dance on Friday night, and added a three-on-three basketball tournament at the Nicholas Johnson Pavilion in the Kohl Center.
We had a free, a cappella concert at the Wisconsin Union Theater — people usually have to pay to hear groups as good as Tangled up in Blue and Redefined."
Events that made a return appearance this year included Breakfast on Bascom, a film festival, a pizza lunch, and a climbing wall on Library Mall, where students could "just hang" with Bucky Badger — all free of cost.
Arrested Development, the nationally known band that created such mid-1990s hits as "Mr. Wendel" and "Everyday People," played on the Union Terrace on Saturday night.
ACP also brought speaker Tom Farley, of the Chris Farley Foundation, to campus. Tom is the brother of the late comedian Chris Farley, and he delivered the foundation's message of "think, laugh, live" to a crowded audience in the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Sheridan says this year's success was due to the fact that the events were open to all students, ranged across campus, and covered so many interests. The celebration also marked an extraordinary cooperative effort. "More than two dozen campus sponsors, student organizations, and community businesses came together to put on this one event," says Sheridan. "I think the All-Campus Party will become a spring celebration as big as Homecoming."
— Candice Gaukel Andrews '77
ACP also brought speaker Tom Farley, of the Chris Farley Foundation, to campus. Tom is the brother of the late comedian Chris Farley, and he delivered the foundation's message of "think, laugh, live" to a crowded audience in the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Sheridan says this year's success was due to the fact that the events were open to all students, ranged across campus, and covered so many interests. The celebration also marked an extraordinary cooperative effort. "More than two dozen campus sponsors, student organizations, and community businesses came together to put on this one event," says Sheridan. "I think the All-Campus Party will become a spring celebration as big as Homecoming."
— Candice Gaukel Andrews '77
Where the Wild Things Are
When seventy-five Badgers went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park in March, they had no idea they'd end up in a tiger's bedroom. The visit was part of WAA's San Diego Animal Adventure, co-sponsored by the Division of Continuing Studies. The group enjoyed a presentation by Jeff Zuba '81, DVM'87, the park's veterinarian, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour — including a stop at the "tiger bedroom," where veterinarians feed and care for the big cats.
"My dream is to be a veterinarian at the San Diego Wild Animal Park," says Tonya Leavitt '03. "After this experience, I'm even more sure this is what I want to do."
In addition to encouraging alumni to learn about zoo life, the trip helped celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the creation of UW-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine. Zuba was a member of that school's inaugural class.
While in San Diego, Badgers encountered critters ranging from prairie dogs to elephants in the internationally known sanctuary, where animals live in the open rather than behind bars. Participants also learned about the park's mission of species conservation.
— Erin Hueffner '00
"My dream is to be a veterinarian at the San Diego Wild Animal Park," says Tonya Leavitt '03. "After this experience, I'm even more sure this is what I want to do."
In addition to encouraging alumni to learn about zoo life, the trip helped celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the creation of UW-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine. Zuba was a member of that school's inaugural class.
While in San Diego, Badgers encountered critters ranging from prairie dogs to elephants in the internationally known sanctuary, where animals live in the open rather than behind bars. Participants also learned about the park's mission of species conservation.
— Erin Hueffner '00
