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John Kuhlman MS’49, PhD’53 and former student Tim Kaine

It was four decades ago that I had Tim Kaine enrolled in my elementary honors economics course at the University of Missouri as a first-semester freshman. He changed his major to economics and is now the nominee for the office of vice president of the United States.

I owe nearly everything that I am and have accomplished to the University of Wisconsin. From the faculty in the Department of Economics I learned to be skeptical (Walter Morton); I learned to teach (William Kiekhofer); and I learned to teach with passion (Edwin Witte). Some 24,000 students have gone through my classes, and I owe them a monumental debt for both my age (93) and my health (awesome). I was one of the last of the Wisconsin Institutionalists, and I was a teaching professor — research was plan B. The attached photo was taken at a political rally in Asheville, North Carolina, and it is of our reunion after 40 years.

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William Walter Beyer passed away in Midlothian, VA, on January 20. 2026. William studied history as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and his studies were focused on economic history, finance, and international economics. William served as a commissioned Fo...

Due to campus cooling issues, Below Alumni Center and One Alumni Place (650 N. Lake) are temporarily closed, and member boat rides are temporarily suspended until further notice. Visit alerts.wisc.edu for details.