On Sunday, May 7, 2017, we marked the 50th anniversary of the dedication and first open house of Tomah Senior High School. We welcomed everyone in our community back to Tomah High School to celebrate this milestone birthday and to present information on a new Distinguished Alumni Program designed to recognize and honor the accomplishments of our alumni. Many individuals who have graduated from Tomah High School have gone on to make significant contributions in their chosen career areas. They have thrived locally, nationally, and globally. We knew it was time to begin recognizing the accomplishments of our graduates to motivate and inspire our current students.
The Distinguished Alumni Program was developed and is supported by the Tomah Area School District and the Tomah Area School District Foundation. It is hoped that this recognition will provide role models for our current students, instill pride in our community, and provide an opportunity to celebrate the successes of these outstanding individuals. We are delighted to be honoring eleven individuals for their accomplishments during the 2017 Homecoming Week. Along with their parents, educators in the Tomah Area School District and others in our community helped raise and nurture these individuals. We can all feel pride in how Tomah contributed to their success.
We welcome home and honor our first inductees into the Distinguished Alumni Program this week. Please extend congratulations to these outstanding Tomah High School alumni and/or their family members:
- David W. Cline, M.D. (Class of 1953) Dr. Cline attended UW-Madison, followed by Medical School. He completed a rotating internship and General Psychiatry Residency at Gundersen Clinic and Lutheran Hospital in LaCrosse. He then returned to the UW Medical School and completed training in Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Cline served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He was promoted to Associate Professor in charge of teaching medical students Basic Psychiatry and Chemical Dependency. He went into private outpatient practice of Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry based at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and continues to practice and teach psychiatry at the medical school as a Clinical Professor to this day.
- James E. Lawrenz (Class of 1964) Jim graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a BS in Sociology. He then graduated from Officer Training School and Pilot training and served over 33 years in the United States Air Force as an accomplished Aircraft Commander. He flew missions in Vietnam and continued through Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Jim then flew as an airline Captain and civilian pilot for United Parcel Service domestically and internationally, retiring just two weeks before 9-11. Jim also gave time and financial support to many community organizations resulting in a new conference center at NorthBay HealthCare in Vacaville, California being named in Jim’s memory.
- Richard “Dick” Kozarek, M.D. (Class of 1965) Dr. Kozarek began his medical career as an intern in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He then completed his residency and fellowship in Arizona, before moving to the northwest corner of Washington State. He has been a member of the Section of Gastroenterology at Virginia Mason Medical Center since 1983, serving as Chief of GI for 15 years and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Digestive Disease Institute at Virginia Mason, as well as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. Dr. Kozarek is past president of the World Gastroenterology Organization, an international organization designed to educate and train doctors in underserved areas of the world.
- Reed E. Hall (Class of 1966) Reed received a BA degree from UW- Madison and served as a Page for the Wisconsin State Senate during college. He then attended the University of North Dakota earning a Law Degree and continued his education at the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a Masters Degree in Health Law. Reed was appointed as Marshfield Clinic's first General Counsel serving for 24 years until he was selected as Executive Director of the Clinic. During his tenure, the Clinic grew from 145 physicians to just under 800 and one regional clinic to 55 regional clinics. Governor Walker asked Reed to come out of retirement to serve as Secretary/CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation which he held for three years until his retirement from state service. The WEDC position allowed Reed to help grow the Wisconsin economy as well as participate in economic development missions to Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Japan, and Taiwan.
- Nodji Van Wychen (Class of 1966) Nodji graduated from UW-LaCrosse with a BS degree in English education. She has a legacy of contributions to the cranberry industry and of community service, both at the local, state and national level. Nodji has served as an officer for the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association for 20 years and was an original founder of the Warrens Cranberry Festival. She served as a Tomah School Board member for sixteen years and on the Monroe County Board of Supervisors for 20 years.
- Eileen June Decorah (Class of 1967) Eileen graduated from UW-LaCrosse with a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. She then graduated from the University of New Mexico’s Physician’s Assistant program. Eileen had a passion for working with Native American communities and other underserved populations. She was the first tribal member to work as a physician’s assistant to her people and was instrumental in planning and securing grants and other funding for the first Ho-Chunk medical clinics.
- Bernie Delaney (Class of 1982) Bernie is an extremely humble individual who has never forgotten the lessons from his childhood: a period of little money, few possessions, free school lunches, and a world where people were valued above all else. He worked his way through college, starting with cleaning toilets. No matter the job, he lived his best life every day. Striving diligently and working hard for years contributed to his becoming the CEO of a national company. Bernie is proud of the work environment he has created for his employees- lunch is provided, as are medical benefits, vacation time, and a corporate gym- family comes first and kids come before work. Bernie and his employees are active in the community by supporting the homeless and those less fortunate. This is what he believes is his greatest work.
- Karen Lincoln Michel (Class of 1976) Karen graduated from UW-Stout with a BS degree in Industrial Technology/Graphic Arts Management. She obtained a MA degree in Journalism from Marquette University. Karen is the editor of Madison Magazine and was recently named President of the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. She is a nationally noted leader in Native American journalism and newsroom diversity and a member of the HoChunk tribe. Karen is the past President of the Native American Journalists Association and also completed a term as president of UNITY: Journalists of Color, the largest journalism organization in the nation representing 1000’s of news reporters and editors of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
- Angela Beck Tagtow (Class of 1987) Angie graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA degree in Dietetics and then earned a MS degree from Iowa State University. She is an accomplished registered dietitian who has worked at local, state, federal, and international levels in food, nutrition and agriculture policy; public health; and sustainable food systems. Angie was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the Executive Director for the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP). She also served as an advisor to First Lady Michelle Obama and the Let’s Move Initiative. She has represented the President and the United States on international trips to Italy and South Africa and has testified in front of Congress.
- Cassandra L. Thiel, PhD (Class of 2004) Dr. Thiel obtained her BS in Civil Engineering in 2009 from Michigan Technological University and her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. She is an assistant Professor at New York University School of Medicine and her goal is to develop a new field of specialized research focused on healthcare sustainability to improve hospitals, healthcare delivery, and medical waste streams.
Congratulations to these outstanding alumni of Tomah High School. Your hometown celebrates your success, honors your accomplishments, and thanks you for your important contributions to our society! You have made our world a better place!
If you have any questions or comments about the information and opinions expressed in this edition of The School Bell, please contact Cindy Zahrte, District Administrator, by email or 374-7002.