When you want to reduce your energy consumption, you might swap an incandescent light bulb for a more efficient compact fluorescent. But Rich Varda ’75 thinks bigger — much bigger.
Alumni Close-Ups
Carolyn Smith ’87: Pushing the Limits
March 7, 2013
Carolyn Smith ’87’s calves have powered her through more grueling miles than most people can even fathom.
Bob Wills MS’81, PhD’83, JD’91: Urban Cheesemaker
November 10, 2012 — 1 comment
When night settles on Milwaukee’s near south side, Clock Shadow Creamery starts humming
John Schmitt ’80: The Long Road
November 10, 2012
For years, John Schmitt ’80 had heard that many of the world’s people live without access to clean, safe water
Dave and Rachel ’03 Brown: Amazing Race Champions
August 30, 2012
. . . the Browns became the most successful team in race history by winning a record eight challenges.
Emily Friedman ’07: On the Campaign Trail
May 30, 2012
Emily Friedman has a front-row seat to history as an ABC News digital reporter covering Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Tom Hall ’86: Video Game Innovator
May 30, 2012 — 1 comment
“I felt guilty eating breakfast. I had to get in to work and make the game.”
Michael Wenninger DVM’04: Exotic Animal Vet
February 28, 2012 — 1 comment
A typical day for veterinarian Michael Wenninger DVM’04 brings to mind something that you’d see on Animal Planet.
Sarah Wu ’99: Exposing School Lunches
February 28, 2012 — 1 comment
A hotdog encased in soggy bagel dough with a side of Tater Tots and a skimpy fruit cup might not seem like much to write home about, but . . .
Michael Eddy ’90: Assisting in the Birth of a Nation
November 9, 2011
Making history in southern Sudan
Harris ’06 & Lyle ’08 Friess: Taking a Shot at Making a Difference
November 9, 2011
Brooklyn Youth Sports Club: Basketball to promote academic excellence
Bruce Kania ’75: Floating a Sustainable Idea
August 29, 2011 — 3 comments
No man is an island. However, one man’s name is becoming synonymous with them.
Ronald Silverman ’69: Dentist to a Dictator
August 29, 2011 — 1 comment
Ron Silverman ’69 stared into the jaws of death five years ago when he found himself fitting a crown molding for the mouth of Saddam Hussein.
Estella Leopold ’48: Carrying on the Leopold Legacy
June 2, 2011
“We can learn plenty from the past,” says Estella Leopold ’48.
Marjorie Liu JD’03: Genre Bender
June 2, 2011
There’s nothing in the family law classes to prepare future Badger attorneys to understand the relationship between a woman and a merman.
Ben Weiner ’06 and Kelly Korevec ’06: Partnership in Motion
February 28, 2011 — 3 comments
Weiner and Korevec create dailymile.com.
Madelon Rosenfeld ’71: Staying Sharp as a Fencing Champion
February 28, 2011 — 1 comment
Judge (and fencing champ) Rosenfeld makes her point with cold steel.
Zach Bassett ’09: Setting Sail through Craigslist
November 3, 2010
Just days before launching his professional career in Hastings, Minnesota, Zach Bassett ’09 was sailing a forty-six-foot yacht in the Mediterranean.
Rod Clark ’71: Literature in Bloom
November 3, 2010
As the editor of the literary magazine Rosebud, Rod Clark has published nearly 50 issues
The New Adventures of Tricia O’Kelley
August 24, 2010
After years of being what she called a “professional guest star,” (Patricia) Tricia O’Kelley ’90 scored a steady gig when she landed a role in CBS’s hit sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine.
Dennis White: Saving an Ancient Art
August 24, 2010 — 4 comments
Dennis White works to preserve Ojibwe culture.
Pam Alexander ’90, JD ’02: Animal Defender
May 26, 2010 — 1 comment
Pam Hart Alexander co-founded SAAV to help save animals.
Kurt Unterholzner ’82: Transplant Hero
May 26, 2010 — 3 comments
Kurt Unterholzner makes the most of his second chance.
Tony Dreyfuss ’97: The Philosophy of Joe
March 8, 2010
Since Tony Dreyfuss ’97 opened Metropolis Coffee in 2003 in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, it’s garnered publicity in publications ranging from Saveur to London’s Evening Standard.
Michael Mann ’65: Location, Location, Location
March 8, 2010
Filmmaker Michael Mann ’65 says he chose to shoot his movie Public Enemies in the Badger state because, “There is no place else in America I can think of where [the] 1930s or ’20s or ’40s is as vivid as it is in Wisconsin. I’d forgotten how beautiful the state is.”
Jacquie Berg ’05: Soul Survivor
March 8, 2010
Jacquie Berg ’05 doesn’t just conquer challenges; she welcomes them. The California resident recently competed as a contestant on the CBS reality show Survivor: Gabon, where her daily life included meals of termites and ferns, and a less-than-ideal survival wardrobe.
John Ruf JD’93: The Man Who Loves Sailing
March 8, 2010 — 1 comment
Nothing has ever stopped John Ruf JD’93 from sailing — not the operations or radiation he underwent as a child to treat a tumor on his spine, nor the paralyzing injury he suffered after a car accident in 1998, when his mode of transportation became a wheelchair.
Dena Grushkin Florczyk ’80: Making a Difference in Nigeria
March 8, 2010
“I have become somewhat of a voice for the voiceless,” says public school teacher Dena Grushkin Florczyk ’80, who founded The Nigerian School Project to provide much-needed resources to teachers and students in Nigeria.
Everett Potter ’76: Where Does a Travel Writer Go on Vacation?
March 8, 2010 — 1 comment
Travel writer Everett Potter ’76 has the kind of job that most people only dream of — getting paid to travel the world, sample the best hotels, or ski at the finest mountain resorts.
Shane Welch ’01: Heady Accomplishments
March 8, 2010 — 2 comments
Shane Welch ’01 founded Sixpoint Craft Ales in the basement of his former Vilas Avenue apartment. Now based in Brooklyn, New York, Welch distributes exclusively in New York City to more than five hundred bars and restaurants.
Eric Kleefeld ’04: Pioneering Journalism’s New Frontier
March 8, 2010
The blog called Talking Points Memo (TPM) is forging new pathways in online journalism, and Eric Kleefeld ’04 is part of the revolution.
Robert Stone ’80: Remembering Earth Day
March 8, 2010
Filmmaker Robert Stone ’80 remembers crushing cans in his suburban New Jersey hometown during the very first Earth Day forty years ago.
Carolyn Smith ’87: Pushing the Limits
March 7, 2013
Carolyn Smith ’87’s calves have powered her through more grueling miles than most people can even fathom.
Bob Wills MS’81, PhD’83, JD’91: Urban Cheesemaker
November 10, 2012 — 1 comment
When night settles on Milwaukee’s near south side, Clock Shadow Creamery starts humming
John Schmitt ’80: The Long Road
November 10, 2012
For years, John Schmitt ’80 had heard that many of the world’s people live without access to clean, safe water
Dave and Rachel ’03 Brown: Amazing Race Champions
August 30, 2012
. . . the Browns became the most successful team in race history by winning a record eight challenges.
Emily Friedman ’07: On the Campaign Trail
May 30, 2012
Emily Friedman has a front-row seat to history as an ABC News digital reporter covering Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Tom Hall ’86: Video Game Innovator
May 30, 2012 — 1 comment
“I felt guilty eating breakfast. I had to get in to work and make the game.”
Michael Wenninger DVM’04: Exotic Animal Vet
February 28, 2012 — 1 comment
A typical day for veterinarian Michael Wenninger DVM’04 brings to mind something that you’d see on Animal Planet.
Sarah Wu ’99: Exposing School Lunches
February 28, 2012 — 1 comment
A hotdog encased in soggy bagel dough with a side of Tater Tots and a skimpy fruit cup might not seem like much to write home about, but . . .
Michael Eddy ’90: Assisting in the Birth of a Nation
November 9, 2011
Making history in southern Sudan
Harris ’06 & Lyle ’08 Friess: Taking a Shot at Making a Difference
November 9, 2011
Brooklyn Youth Sports Club: Basketball to promote academic excellence
Bruce Kania ’75: Floating a Sustainable Idea
August 29, 2011 — 3 comments
No man is an island. However, one man’s name is becoming synonymous with them.
Ronald Silverman ’69: Dentist to a Dictator
August 29, 2011 — 1 comment
Ron Silverman ’69 stared into the jaws of death five years ago when he found himself fitting a crown molding for the mouth of Saddam Hussein.
Estella Leopold ’48: Carrying on the Leopold Legacy
June 2, 2011
“We can learn plenty from the past,” says Estella Leopold ’48.
Marjorie Liu JD’03: Genre Bender
June 2, 2011
There’s nothing in the family law classes to prepare future Badger attorneys to understand the relationship between a woman and a merman.
Ben Weiner ’06 and Kelly Korevec ’06: Partnership in Motion
February 28, 2011 — 3 comments
Weiner and Korevec create dailymile.com.
Madelon Rosenfeld ’71: Staying Sharp as a Fencing Champion
February 28, 2011 — 1 comment
Judge (and fencing champ) Rosenfeld makes her point with cold steel.
Zach Bassett ’09: Setting Sail through Craigslist
November 3, 2010
Just days before launching his professional career in Hastings, Minnesota, Zach Bassett ’09 was sailing a forty-six-foot yacht in the Mediterranean.
Rod Clark ’71: Literature in Bloom
November 3, 2010
As the editor of the literary magazine Rosebud, Rod Clark has published nearly 50 issues
The New Adventures of Tricia O’Kelley
August 24, 2010
After years of being what she called a “professional guest star,” (Patricia) Tricia O’Kelley ’90 scored a steady gig when she landed a role in CBS’s hit sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine.
Dennis White: Saving an Ancient Art
August 24, 2010 — 4 comments
Dennis White works to preserve Ojibwe culture.
Pam Alexander ’90, JD ’02: Animal Defender
May 26, 2010 — 1 comment
Pam Hart Alexander co-founded SAAV to help save animals.
Kurt Unterholzner ’82: Transplant Hero
May 26, 2010 — 3 comments
Kurt Unterholzner makes the most of his second chance.
Tony Dreyfuss ’97: The Philosophy of Joe
March 8, 2010
Since Tony Dreyfuss ’97 opened Metropolis Coffee in 2003 in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, it’s garnered publicity in publications ranging from Saveur to London’s Evening Standard.
Michael Mann ’65: Location, Location, Location
March 8, 2010
Filmmaker Michael Mann ’65 says he chose to shoot his movie Public Enemies in the Badger state because, “There is no place else in America I can think of where [the] 1930s or ’20s or ’40s is as vivid as it is in Wisconsin. I’d forgotten how beautiful the state is.”
Jacquie Berg ’05: Soul Survivor
March 8, 2010
Jacquie Berg ’05 doesn’t just conquer challenges; she welcomes them. The California resident recently competed as a contestant on the CBS reality show Survivor: Gabon, where her daily life included meals of termites and ferns, and a less-than-ideal survival wardrobe.
John Ruf JD’93: The Man Who Loves Sailing
March 8, 2010 — 1 comment
Nothing has ever stopped John Ruf JD’93 from sailing — not the operations or radiation he underwent as a child to treat a tumor on his spine, nor the paralyzing injury he suffered after a car accident in 1998, when his mode of transportation became a wheelchair.
Dena Grushkin Florczyk ’80: Making a Difference in Nigeria
March 8, 2010
“I have become somewhat of a voice for the voiceless,” says public school teacher Dena Grushkin Florczyk ’80, who founded The Nigerian School Project to provide much-needed resources to teachers and students in Nigeria.
Everett Potter ’76: Where Does a Travel Writer Go on Vacation?
March 8, 2010 — 1 comment
Travel writer Everett Potter ’76 has the kind of job that most people only dream of — getting paid to travel the world, sample the best hotels, or ski at the finest mountain resorts.
Shane Welch ’01: Heady Accomplishments
March 8, 2010 — 2 comments
Shane Welch ’01 founded Sixpoint Craft Ales in the basement of his former Vilas Avenue apartment. Now based in Brooklyn, New York, Welch distributes exclusively in New York City to more than five hundred bars and restaurants.
Eric Kleefeld ’04: Pioneering Journalism’s New Frontier
March 8, 2010
The blog called Talking Points Memo (TPM) is forging new pathways in online journalism, and Eric Kleefeld ’04 is part of the revolution.
Robert Stone ’80: Remembering Earth Day
March 8, 2010
Filmmaker Robert Stone ’80 remembers crushing cans in his suburban New Jersey hometown during the very first Earth Day forty years ago.
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