1980s Class notes
Recently submitted
1980
Mike Myszka (B) is the marketing director for the Small Business Resource Group, an organization that provides accounting, tax, payroll and marketing plan services for small business owners in the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area. He and his wife, Shari, who have been married for 14 years, live in Eagan, Minn., with their son, Sam.
1983
John Furrer (B) recently received the Friend of Education Award from the Menomonee Falls School District in recognition of his volunteer efforts for a variety of youth programs in the village. A senior financial adviser for M&I Bank, he also is a high school and college basketball official who worked at the boys' state basketball tournament in 2009. For the past 15 years John has coached baseball for select programs in the Milwaukee area. He looks forward to the eventual return of baseball to the UW-Eau Claire campus and is dealing with the reality that his oldest son may become a gopher in 2010. John, his wife, Cheri, and sons Ryan and Michael live in Menomonee Falls.
Marc Stanke (E), an economics teacher at Brookfield Central High School in Brookfield, won first place in the Economics Wisconsin 2009 Excellence in Teaching Economics and Financial Literacy Awards sponsored by Robert W. Baird & Co. His winning entry was an interactive research and town hall simulation titled "Economic Development: The Impact of Large Discount Retailers on a Community — Walmart Town Hall." Also, a team of four students from Marc's advanced
placement economics course won the 2009 Wisconsin Economics Challenge in April. This is the fourth time that one of his teams has been the state champion. Marc's team represented Wisconsin in the 2009 National Economics Challenge, where the students finished in second place in the Houston, Texas, regional. Unfortunately, Marc was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in July 2009 and will not teach during the fall 2009 semester. He will be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment until November and will have surgery in December. Marc would enjoy hearing from UW-Eau Claire friends by e-mail at mcstanke@wi.rr.com. He lives in Waukesha.
1984
Michael Busjahn (E) has been named vice president of the National Aviation Academy. The NAA provides training for Federal Aviation Administration technicians, with campus locations in Clearwater, Fla., and Boston, Mass. Michael previously served as a corporate vice president for Career Education Corp. of Hoffman Estates, Ill., overseeing the International Academy of Design and Technology and American Intercontinental University divisions. He lives in Treasure Island, Fla.
1986
Kerry (Smith) Beiser (A&S) and Mark Beiser were married Oct. 3, 2009. Kerry is the founder and president/chief executive officer of the Illinois Business Journal. The couple live in Peoria, Ill.
1987
Joan (Marcks) Koehne (A&S) was named managing editor of the Oconto County Times Herald, a weekly newspaper in Oconto Falls, in June 2009. She previously worked for the Kiel Record before switching to a career in education, working as a substitute teacher and religious education facilitator. Joan lives in Abrams.
Scott Miller (A&S) and Jennifer Kunst were married May 18, 2008, in Pasadena, Calif. The couple live in Burbank, Calif., where Scott is a freelance television editor working on episodics, sitcoms and daytime talk shows.
Submitted within the past six months
1981
Barry Larson (A&S) has been the president and owner of Bridges Community Support Services Inc. in St. Louis, Mo., for more than 25 years. Bridges employs more than 225 staff members around Missouri, providing support to people with disabilities to play, live and work where they choose with dignity, respect and kindness. After graduating from UW-Eau Claire, Barry received his master's degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. He says his experience at UW-Eau Claire was key, and every person he met was a valuable teacher. Barry lives in St. Louis.
Patti (Southard) Weigand (E) has completed her 20th year as an accounting instructor at Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Red Wing, Minn. She has two stepchildren and four grandchildren. Patti and her husband of 23 years, Mike, live in River Falls.
1982
Brian Hanneman (B) received a master's degree in business administration from Lakeland College in Madison in December 2008. He lives in Madison.
1983
Cathy (Berger) Ellis (B) has been named chief financial officer of Meijer Credit Union, located in Grand Rapids, Mich. She lives in Belmont, Mich., with her husband, Jim, and their two daughters.
Bruce Fox (E) has been awarded a Fulbright grant for a teaching exchange. He will teach music in St. Gallen, Switzerland, for the 2009-10 school year. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and arranges classroom exchanges in more than 30 countries. Bruce's wife, Jean, and daughters Sarah and Rachel also will live in Switzerland for the year.
1985
Cathy Harvey (B) became the executive director of strategic development for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in Chicago, Ill., in December 2008. She lives in Chicago.
Rose (Brzezinski) Johnson (B) joined The Mosaic Co. as vice president for internal audit in September 2008. The Mosaic Co., a Fortune 500 company, is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients for the global agriculture industry. Rose previously held finance leadership roles in both public and private firms. She lives in Chaska, Minn.
1986
R. Ellen Rasmussen (E) received a master of divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in May 2009 and was commissioned into the United Methodist Church in June 2009. She currently serves as pastor of Christian education and family ministries at Kenosha First United Methodist Church. Ellen has served as a pastor in the Fond du Lac area for the past several years and has been active in disaster response for the UMC. She also spent many years working in youth ministry.
1987
Rhonda (Nuttelman) Rabbitt (B) will celebrate a number of milestones this year: her 20th wedding anniversary with husband Jon; a new position as assistant dean of graduate studies in education at Viterbo University in La Crosse; daughter Jessica's graduation from eighth grade; and continued joy with children Emerson, Julius and Sarina. Rhonda says she enjoyed a fantastic reconnection weekend getaway in fall 2008 with several of her former UW-Eau Claire roommates. The Rabbitts live in La Crosse.
1988
Rochelle Ohnesorge (E) is in her 16th year of teaching at Mosinee High School, where she spends most of her days with high school freshmen. She and her husband, Kerry, have two sons, 12 and 15. When not attending her children's activities, Rochelle enjoys a strong cup of coffee, long walks with her chocolate lab and good novels. The family lives in Mosinee.
1989
Carol Zinter (E) was selected as the Somerset Middle School Teacher of the Year for 2008-09. She teaches eighth-grade language arts and seventh- and eighth-grade Spanish. Carol, who also was nominated for a Kohl Fellowship Award, has been instrumental in developing a Holocaust unit for Somerset's eighth graders. She and her husband, Jim, live in Hugo, Minn., with their children, Jim and Addie.
