1930s
Lois (Diepenbrock) Knowles ’34 (St. Paul, Minn.) passed away at the age of 100 June 23, 2015.
1940s
Ruth (Warthesen) Schwarz ‘43 (St. Paul, Minn.) passed away June 9, 2015.
Darle Wilson ’48 (Yelm, Wash.) died June 7, 2015. Darle graduated with a BA in music and history and taught music at Bremerton school district for 32 years.
Lyle Wright ’49 (Rochester, Minn.) died Aug. 7, 2015. Lyle graduated from Kasson High School and Winona State Teachers College with a degree in history and industrial arts. He taught in McIntosh, South Dakota, and Emmons, Minn., but spent the majority of his teaching career in Wells, Minn.
James Swenson ’49 (Brooklyn Center, Minn.) passed away July 11, 2015. Jim graduated from Rushford High School and served in the Army during WWII. He majored in math, with a minor in physics, and obtained a teaching degree. While at Winona State, Jim was active
in politics and was Student Association President. His first teaching position was at Minot, North Dakota. Jim then taught math for 33 years at Anoka (Minn.) High School. Jim studied for his master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Minnesota, where he also taught adult math in the evening at the University Extension Division for 37 years. Jim retired from teaching at Anoka in 1987, but continued teaching for the University of Minnesota Extension Division until 1990.
1950s
William Beseler ’50 (Trempealeau, Wis.) died Dec. 14, 2015. In 1944, Bill joined the U.S. Merchant Marine as an officer cadet and trained at Merchant Marine Academy at San Mateo, Calif. Following World War II, he returned to Winona and enrolled at Winona State Teachers College, earning a BS in business administration.
Gene Pelowski Sr.
’50 (Red Wing, Minn.) passed away Sept. 24, 2015. Gene graduated from Cotter High School and was the recipient of the 2015 Cotter Alumni Achievement Award. He served four years in the Navy aboard the USS Marblehead in the Atlantic. Gene attended Winona State Teachers College, where he was the captain and coach of the Winona State Golf Team, lettering all four years. In 1993, he was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame for his unique contributions to Winona State and to professional golf.
Geraldine “Gerry” Landers ’52 (Red Wing, Minn.) passed away Nov. 17, 2015. Gerry was an instrumentalist, majoring in oboe and clarinet. She played with various organizations, including the Winona High School band and orchestra, the University of Minnesota band and orchestra, as well as the Winona State Teachers College concert band. She also performed for many years with the Winona Municipal Band.
Elaine (Balch) Papenfuss ’54 (Winona) died
Jan. 6, 2016. Elaine graduated with a BS degree from Winona State Teachers College. She was a member of the La Crescent Education Association, the Minnesota Education Association, and the National Education Association. She was named “Teacher of the Year” for La Crescent in 1977.
Russell Schmidt ’55 (St. Cloud, Minn.) died July 10, 2015. Russ earned a bachelor’s degree from Winona State Teachers College, where he was a Purple Key honor student, class vice-president, and a four-year letterman in football. He taught high school science and
math and coached football at Plainview (Minn.) High School. Russ took a teaching assistant position at UMD in 1958, and the University of Colorado the following year. He returned to Winona State College as
a math instructor in 1960. From 1961-66, Russ was employed as a research scientist working on semiconductor devices at Honeywell Research Center in Hopkins, Minn., then Control Data in Bloomington, Minn. During this time, he earned his MS in electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota. In 1966, Russ received
a Graduate Fellowship in Educational Research at the University of Florida, resulting in a doctorate degree in 1968. He joined the Central Minnesota Educational Research and Development Council
and later the faculty of St. Cloud State University, where he taught 29 years in the Teacher Development Department.
Richard Briesath ’57, ‘79, ’81 (Dakota, Minn.) passed away Oct. 12, 2015. He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial arts and biology education and a master’s degree in education. Dick then received his master’s degree in school administration at Winona State College. He taught for ten years at Whitefish Bay, Wis., school district. Richard went on to work as a school administrator at many Minnesota schools, including Milroy, Ulen, Glenville–Emmons, Silver Lake, and Comfrey.
Scott Tolleson ’57 (Rochester, Minn.) passed away Oct. 3, 2015. Scott graduated from Winona Senior High School and Winona State College. Scott served
in the U.S. Army from 1957-59, followed by a successful career in management, working for Watkins Products.
Rollie Tust, Jr. ’58 (Winona) died Aug. 25, 2015. Rollie served with the United States Air Force during the Korean War. He was a member of the American Legion and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He owned and operated the Jerry Meier Equipment Company in Winona.
Richard Averill ‘59 (Elwood, Ill.) died Sept. 12, 2015. Dick enlisted
in the U.S. Air Force serving from 1951-55. He earned a BA in business administration from Winona State College. Dick was employed as an assistant accountant by Lake Center Switch Co., Winona, and Decorah, Iowa, and was later named Deco Products Company’s national sales manager.
1960
Donald Daugs ‘60 (Monona, Iowa) passed away Oct. 4, 2015. Don obtained a BS from Winona State College, an MS with an emphasis in biological sciences, and a doctorate in science education from Oregon State University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957-59 in Germany. Don taught at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, and at Utah State University.
Robert Munkel ’61, ’65 (Long Beach, Miss.) died Feb. 15, 2016. Bob earned a BS/MS degree from Winona State College. He served as president of the Science Academy while attending Winona State. Bob taught for 40 years at various schools in the Midwest before retiring in 2001.
Lance Johnson ’62 (Brookings, South Dakota) died June 5, 2015. Lance received a teaching degree from Winona State College and his master’s degree in natural science from the University of Idaho. He taught in junior high and middle school for 32 years at various locations, spending the last 26 years of his career in Bozeman, Mont.
Carlos Alvarez ‘63 (Jefferson, Wis.) passed away Sept. 18, 2015. Carlos was a biology teacher for the Watertown (Wis.) Unified School District for 32 years.
Sharon (Christenson) Wachholz ’65 (New Hope, Minn.) passed away Jan. 9, 2016.
Thomas Caron ’65 (Alexandria, Minn.) passed away Nov. 18, 2015. Tom received a BS from Winona State College and was a two- time NIC Conference runner-up and NAIA qualifier in wrestling. After graduating, Tom taught social studies and coached wrestling in Mayville and Madison, Wis. He then joined Schwan’s Sales Enterprises, Inc., Marshall, Minn. Tom was chosen as one of eight outstanding Americans in Minnesota by the Minnesota chapter of the national Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Michael Mehlman ‘65 (Scottsdale, Ariz.) died Aug. 26, 2015. Mike entered Berkline Furniture’s management training program in 1965. In 1975, he founded The Bean Station Furniture Factory and eventually sold. In 1994 he become the general manager of a steel fabricator in Grand Rapids, Mich. In 2005, he came back to the furniture business to start an import company, Odyssey International, with his two sons. Mike retired in 2011.
Judee (Fuglestad) Brone ’66 (Fountain City, Wis.) died Aug. 24, 2015. Judee received her BA from Winona State College. She worked in the childcare field in New York City, Minneapolis, and Winona for over 30 years. Judee helped formulate and direct the Key Kids program in Winona, and coordinated and directed Community Theater in Fountain City for 30 years.
Joyce (Evens) Bohnen ’67 (Dubuque, Iowa) died July 17, 2015. Joyce graduated from Winona State College with a BS and began her teaching career in Rochester, Minn., then at Cochrane School in Fountain City, Wis. She spent
the majority of her years as a teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School Dubuque Community School District (DCSD), Iowa. During her teaching career, she was named Teacher of the Year by the DCSD.
Richard Kalbrener ’68 (Honolulu, Hawaii) died Aug. 29, 2015. Rich graduated from Winona State College and took a position as a Xerox representative, which took him to Hawaii. In 1981, Rich founded Long Distance USA in Honolulu, which was acquired by Sprint in 1989. He served as president at Sprint for six years. In 1996, he moved to Hong Kong and served three years as the regional president of Global One. He returned to Hawaii in 1999 to lead Pacific Internet Exchange (PIXC).
Betty (Ludtke) Woodworth ’68 (Winona) passed away July 12, 2015.
Janice (Winter) Graziani ’69 (Hopkins, Minn.) died Aug. 11, 2015. Janice spent 32 years teaching in Osseo, Minn.
Rebecca (Reinarts) Richer ’69 (San Gabriel, Calif.) died June 7, 2015. Rebecca graduated from Cotter High School in 1965 as valedictorian of her class, and from Winona State College in 1969. She completed a master’s degree in Fargo, North Dakota. Rebecca worked for Bell and Howell, Pasadena, Calif., and for 22 years as Assistant Director of Budget and Finance for the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
1970s
Dennis Roemer ‘70 (Cottage Grove, Minn.) passed away Nov. 27, 2015. Dennis completed his undergraduate
degree at Winona State College. He continued his education at the University of Minnesota, earning his Master’s in Education. Dennis taught at Oakland Junior High in Stillwater for 35 years.
James Blasko ’70 (Lake Elmo, Minn.) passed away Oct. 16, 2015. James attended Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., and graduated from Winona State College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and business administration. A 40-year career with 3M led him to assignments in Tennessee, Iowa, and New Ulm, Minn.
Pamela (Halvorson) Frank ’71 (Wells, Minn.) died July 1, 2015. Pam received her AA from Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa, in 1969, and earned a BS in elementary education from Winona State College. Pam continued her education at the University of North Dakota, receiving her MS in 1980, and her specialist degree in behavioral disabilities from the University of Minnesota in 1992.
Marvin Miller ’72 (Rochester, Minn.) died July 26, 2015. Marv earned membership
in the Minnesota State High School League 1,000 Point Club for scoring over 1,000 points during his high school basketball career. In 1958, Marv graduated from North Dakota State University with a BS in education. While at NDSU, Marv was in the ROTC program and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Marv went on to earn his MS from Winona State College and his Education Specialist Degree from the University of Minnesota. In 1991 he was called to serve active duty during the Desert Storm conflict. He was in the U.S. Army Reserves for 31 years, retiring as a Captain in the 5501 Hospital Unit at Fort Snelling, Minn. Marv taught and coached at both the high school and middle school levels.
Robert Maas ‘74 (Gaylord, Minn.) passed away Oct. 25, 2015. Bob attended Winona State College. He taught high school English in Oklahoma, the Twin Cities, and in the Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (Minn.) school system. He retired from GFW in 2011 and went on to teach South Central College and the Mankato School District.
1980s
Donald Greg Ballard ’83 (Congress, Ariz.) died Nov. 3, 2015. Greg went to Winona Tech in 1972, and then spent six years at Lake Center Industries doing tool and die making. He later graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in economics from Winona State University. He spent 18 years as an investment broker for Edward Jones in Rochester, Minn., and Scottsdale, Ariz.
Paul Trelstad ’85 (Madison, Minn.) passed away Dec. 18, 2015. Paul graduated from the University of Minnesota at Morris in 1966 with a degree in music. He taught vocal music in various Wisconsin schools. Paul received his MS in education administration (EDAD) from South Dakota State University, Brookings, in 1983, and earned his specialist degree in EDAD
from Winona State University. He was the superintendent of Lyle Public Schools, Lyle, Minnesota. Paul was a 21-year veteran of the Minnesota National Guard.
Kristie (Siebenaler) Miller ’93 (Woodbury, Minn.) passed away Nov. 22, 2015.
Joseph Marley ’93 (Ferryville, Iowa) died June 28, 2015. Joe received his BS from
WSU, and after a year of substitute teaching, joined the U.S. Peace Corps and went to Niger, West Africa. Joe led innovations in the agri- forestry program in Peace Corps Niger, and he changed the methodologies used to teach improved farming practices. He moved to Alaska and became principal/teacher of the Ella B. Vernetti School in Koyukuk, Alaska. He earned the 2003 Small School Principal of the Year Award from the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.
Melissa Davis ’95 (Eagan, Minn.) died Aug. 29, 2015.
Joan Horter ’99 (Rochester, Minn.) passed away Aug. 23, 2015. Joan received an associate degree from RCTC and a BS in accounting from WSU.
2000s
Vanessa Nelson Yuille ’09 (Caledonia, Minn.) passed away Nov. 5, 2015, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she was attending the University of Toronto as a doctoral candidate. She received her bachelor’s degree in English at Winona State and moved to Glasgow, Scotland. Vanessa attended the University of Glasgow and received a Master’s
of Research in English Language. She successfully applied for the Connaught International Scholarship for Doctoral Students, which enabled her to pursue a PhD in Information Studies in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
Faculty & Staff
Patricia MGuire ’82 (Winona) passed away Aug. 9, 2015. After attending Winona Secretarial School, Pat went to Washington, D.C., to work for the Department of the Navy. At age 51, Pat enrolled at WSU and majored in sociology. She was a member of the first WSU women’s golf team, sharing her golfing expertise with the younger athletes. She worked at Winona State for many years in various capacities, including in the adult education office, advising older students who were returning to college.
Thomas Hosier (Rochester, Minn.) died Oct. 28, 2015. Tom attended DePauw University in Indiana, where he majored in communications and English. Tom earned a master’s degree in physical education
at Indiana University, and an additional teaching degree from the University of Michigan. He began his professional coaching career as a football assistant at Bemidji State University and Gustavus Adolphus College, where he also served as the head track coach. In 1973, he accepted his first head coaching position at Eureka College, and was named coach of the year in 1975 and 1976. Tom went on to coach at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn., and WSU football, before going on to coaching three seasons with Rochester Community and Technical College. Tom continued teaching into the fall of 2015. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at South Haven High School, Bemidji State University, Eureka College, Macalester College, and WSU.
Robert Gunner (Winona) died July 24, 2015.
Bob received his BS in physical education from Michigan State University in 1955, followed by a MA in counseling, and a physical education doctorate from Indiana State University. Bob served in the US Air Force. He taught one year of high school before heading to Michigan Technological University, where he was head wrestling coach and assistant football coach. He then took a physical education teaching position at WSU from 1962-97. During his tenure at Winona State, Bob was a department head, WSU head wrestling coach from 1962-69, WSU assistant football coach from 1962-64, WSU head men’s tennis coach from 1971-90, and was elected into the WSU Hall of Fame in 1995.
Stewart Shaw (Winona) died Aug. 19, 2015. He graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and received his PhD in Philosophy from Columbia University, New York City. Stewart received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Leeds University in England in 1957. He taught philosophy at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., from 1963-69, and then taught at Hamline University, St. Paul. He moved to Winona to become the registrar at WSU, where he remained until his retirement in 2002.
Daniel Hoyt (Winona) passed away Aug. 11, 2015. Dan graduated with a BA from Dakota Wesleyan University in South Dakota in 1940. During World War II, Dan made the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach in France. Dan earned a MA in 1949, and a PhD in History in 1958 from the University of Iowa. He began his teaching career at high schools in South Dakota at Kadoka and Pierre. Dan then taught history at Logan High School in La Crosse from 1949-51, before coming to WSU in 1951 as a professor of history. During his tenure at WSU, he served as history department chairman and Dean of Graduate Studies. Dan retired in 1984.
Keith Haag (Winona) died January 18, 2016. Keith graduated from Lewiston High School in 1976 and worked on a farm for many years before beginning his career in maintenance at Winona State University Rochester Campus, later transferring to the Winona Campus.
Students
Derek Bute ’16 (Alden, Minn.) died Jan. 17, 2014 in Winona. Derek, a senior majoring in exercise science, was to pursue
his Physician’s Assistant certification following graduation. He was a member of the Minnesota National Guard Red Bulls, and was a combat medic with the HHC 2-135 Infantry Battalion out of Mankato and deployed with his unit to Kuwait in 2012. He most recently held rank of Sergeant and was a Medic Team Leader and received many military awards.
Mary Sullivan ’18 (Milwaukee, Wis.) passed away April 16 in Winona. Sullivan, the daughter of James and Julie Sullivan, enrolled at WSU in fall 2014 and was majoring in Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences: Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation.
