FORE: Golf fund-raiser connects
alumni
 ome 12 or 13 years ago, a nagging question—the
kind oft debated but never really answered—resurfaced at a civil
and environmental engineering visiting committee meeting: How
can we continuously engage and involve alumni in the department’s
successes, developments and needs?
This time, the answer was clear: a golf outing.
“My thoughts about a golf outing germinated
with the question, ‘How do we continue to get older successful
alumni to sense what might well be termed their obligations to the department
and their alma mater?” says Keith Garnett
(BS ’62), who in the early ‘90s served on both the CEE visiting
committee and the college Vision 2000 committee. “The idea of
a golf outing seemed to make sense to keep alumni informed and involved—and
at least, thinking about reaching for their checkbook.”
Retired president and CEO of Donohue & Associates,
Garnett teamed up with fellow visiting committee member Ted
Richards, president and CEO of Strand Associates, to plan the
first fund-raising event, held at Cherokee Country Club, in 1996. They
received input and assistance from many people, including alum Denny
Brush (BS ’64). Vice president of the Wisconsin Concrete
Pavement Association, Brush then agreed to host the outing at Lake Windsor
Golf Club, DeForest. In so doing, he became one of the outing’s
most loyal supporters. “His contacts throughout the civil engineering
community across Wisconsin have been invaluable in making the outing
a success,” says Garnett.
Early outings enabled alumni to connect with department
faculty. The events featured 18 holes of golf, a dinner, a low-key awards
ceremony, and an update on department activities from then-Professor
and Chair Bob Smith. “I always remember
the little island tee box at Lake Windsor, and the hopes all of us had
for the miracle shot that would somehow land on the green—possibly
a hole in one and a big prize,” says Garnett. “Alas, hopes
were dashed.”
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More recently, under Professor and Chair Jeff
Russell, the outing moved to Madison to attract a greater number
of golfers, including students. However, the atmosphere of good times,
good friends and, perhaps somewhat dubiously, good golf, still remains.
“The inclusion of more and more students in the day’s festivities
has helped a lot,” says Garnett. “Additionally, Jeff’s
all-out press to find donated items for the auctions has been a great
success—the proof being the amount of money that is raised each
year to fund some very valuable, but off-the-budget expenditures by
the department.”
Not only did the 2006 outing draw nearly 250 hardy
participants, who endured unseasonally cold, windy, wet weather, but
thanks to generous contributions and donations from more than 100 companies,
alumni and friends, it also helped the department reach its $50,000
fund-raising goal.
Garnett says the golf outings have value beyond
just their fun and fund-raising capacity. “I’d like to think
that the current format will develop, in the crowd of soon-to-be alumni,
a view of the bigger picture regarding their future support for and
involvement with the department, throughout their career,” he
says.
THANK YOU! |
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PRIZE DONORS |
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SPONSORS
Diamond ($5,000): M.A.
Mortenson Co., MSA Professional Services
Platinum ($2,500):
Alain H. Peyrot, Kiewit Construction Company, Oscar J. Boldt
Construction
Lunch ($1,440):
L.W. Allen Inc.
Gold ($1,000): Affiliated
Engineers Inc., Arnold and O’Sheridan Inc., Bassett Mechanical,
C.D. Smith Construction Inc., CGC Inc., Cubic Designs, Earth
Tech Inc., Gephart Electric Co. Inc.; Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer
& Associates Inc.; Graycor Inc., Henshue Construction Inc.,
Hoffman Construction Co., J.F. Ahern Co., J.H. Findorff &
Son Inc., J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc., Kenny Construction Co.,
Marshall Erdman & Associates; McCarthy Building Cos., Melli,
Walker, Pease & Ruhly; S.C. Michels Power, Miron Construction
Co. Inc., National Survey & Engineering, Opus North Corp.,
RMT Inc., Scott Weisberg, Staab Construction Corp., Strand Associates
Inc., Tri-North Builders, V3 Companies Ltd., Xcel Energy
Silver ($500):
AGC of Wisconsin, Crispell-Snyder Inc., Embassy Construction
Corp., HNTB Corp., Planning Design Build Inc., Stevens Construction
Corp., STS Consultants Ltd., Vogel Bros. Bldg. Co.
Bronze ($250): Alfred
Benesch & Company, Donohue & Associates, InterCon Construction
Inc., OMNNI Associates,Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., Structural
Research, Inc., Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association
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Hole-in-One Prize Money: Wisconsin
Concrete Pavement Association (2)
Tee or Green ($250):
Exponent Inc., General Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., Gilbert
Mechanical Contractors Inc., Hooper Corp. (2), James Peterson
Sons Inc., Kenneth F. Sullivan Co., Madison Concrete Pipe Inc.,
Pangaea Information Technologies Ltd., Pieper Electric, PCL
Construction, PMA Consultants LLC, Raasch Associates Inc., Rouman
& Associates, Skender Construction Co. (2), Staff Electric
Co. Inc., The Morse Group, The Spancrete Group Inc., Wisconsin
Asphalt Pavement Association Inc.
Student Golfer Sponsorship
($100): Alfred Benesch & Company,
Buzzi Unicem USA, Capitol Underground Inc., Construction Specifications
Institute–Madison Chapter (2), Deanna Dietrich (2), Design
Structures LLC (2), Fish Inspection & Testing LLC (2); Fleming,
Andre & Associates Inc. (2); Frank Spexarth, General Heating
and Air Conditioning Inc., Grade Inc., Hammersley Stone Co.,
InterCon Construction Inc., James Larry, James Peterson Sons
Inc. (2), Mac Berthouex, Marshall Erdman & Associates (3),
Ned Paschke, OMNNI Associates, Otis Environmental Consultants
LLC, Pieper Electric, RHS Companies Inc., Safe-Con LLC, Short
Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (3), Transportation Development Association
Inc., Vierbicher Associates Inc. (2), Wisconsin Concrete Pavement
Association
Other:
Davy Engineering Company Inc. ($100), Ruekert/Mielke ($200)
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Auction Items:
Ron Fiedler, Kurt Frey (2), InterCon Construction Inc., J.P.
Cullen & Sons Inc. (2), L.W. Allen Inc., M.A. Mortenson
Co., Marshall Erdman & Assoc., Meuer Art & Picture Frame
Co. (2), Michels Power, Miron Construction Co. Inc., Pieper
Electric Construction, Stuart Walesh
Raffle Prizes:
Broadlands Golf Club, DPR Construction, Inc. (2); Graef, Anhalt,
Schloemer; Rod Hassett, Marshall Erdman & Assoc., Meuer
Art & Picture Frame Co., Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club
(2), Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Door Prizes: Alliant
Energy, American Transmission Co., Betty Brinn Children’s
Museum, Clark Dietz, CR Meyer, Crispell-Snyder Inc., Elkhart
Lake’s Road America, Faith Technologies Inc., Milwaukee
County Zoo, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee Repertory Theater,
Pieper Electric Construction, Ruekert/Mielke (2), UOP (2), UW
Intercollegiate Athletics, Wisconsin Athletic Club
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COMMITEE
MEMBERS |
Mark Beyer
Denny Brush
Tom Carlsen
Laura Cataldo
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Kurt Frey
Keith Garnett
Bob Gilboy
Arick Groth
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Rod Hassett
Corey Hessen
Don Jorgensen
Kevin Morgan
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Curt Norton
Jim Owen
Phil Ramlet
Jeff Russell
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Nic Schilling
Kevin Spexarth
Kent Straus
David Thomack
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Al Wortley
Julie Zogg
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