The August class of 1973.
June Class of 1973

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Class of 1973

Congratulations on the 50th anniversary of graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing. It’s truly incredible to think about how fast 50 years have gone by! Whether you’re still practicing, teaching, volunteering, or conducting research, this is a time to reflect on all your class has contributed to the world of nursing and beyond. 

Your class experienced tremendous change during your nursing education—both on campus and throughout the world. The Vietnam War came to an end, women’s rights and American Indian movements swept the country, Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs served up the Battle of the Sexes match—all while you prepare to begin your nursing career.  

Event recordings coming soon.

On, Class of 1973!

The June class of 1973.
The June class of 1973.
The August class of 1973.
The August class of 1973.

Note: The School of Nursing is looking for a photo of the 1973 January Class photo. Anyone with more information on the January graduation class, please contact Jordan Langer.

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Remarks from the Celebration Committee

The nine of us came together in partnership with the School of Nursing to plan a celebration for our class. We were part of an incredible class that broke boundaries and prepared for a career focused on improving health and systems for all. We hope you will join us during our celebration programs in October!

The Class of 1973 Celebration Committee: Linda Ballenger, Barbara Notstad Bergum, Ann Haase Kehl, Carolyn Krause, Margaret Malnory, Barb Day Pinekenstein, Mary Jean Schlosser Schumann, Karen Solheim, and Peggy Dott Zimdars  

Class of 1973 List

  • Holly Bastian Adams 
  • Jean Kinnard Adams 
  • Deanna Buchholz Albright 
  • Carol Morava Allison 
  • Mary Pinney Aoyama 
  • Susan Johnson Backaus 
  • Ann Rowe Backman 
  • Madge Baker 
  • Linda Den Hartigh Ballenger 
  • Cecilia Binn Balog 
  • Beth Scholtens Baravetto 
  • Elizabeth Bartz 
  • Christine Koch Baumgart 
  • Wendy Trudell Baylor 
  • Barbara Notstad Bergum 
  • Kristen Anderson Bradley 
  • Mardi Collow Bridich 
  • Barbara Bryant 
  • Jolene Schmoeckel Campbell 
  • Patricia Nielsen Carlson 
  • Ann Houdek Carncross 
  • Katie Brody Chapp 
  • Marisa Chong 
  • Lisa Washburn Christianson 
  • Nancy Cibulka 
  • Danell Griswold De Berg 
  • Gail De Grave 
  • Frances Gulotta Deppe 
  • Kerry Michaels Deuchar 
  • Patricia Marcus Dornaus 
  • Marna Doucette 
  • Colleen Drake Wilke 
  • Mary Dreifuerst 
  • Mary Honish Eisenfeld 
  • David Ensch 
  • Susan Schroeder Erickson 
  • Patricia Filas-Mortensen 
  • Stacy Plaster Fletcher 
  • Neringa Vindasius Fonarev 
  • Shawn Vanderpoel Forseth 
  • Mary Stoehr Foy 
  • Mary Salzwedel Frederick 
  • Deborah Matenaer Gassner 
  • Nancy Kufrin Gloede 
  • Linda Freeman Grilley 
  • Diana Cummins Handler 
  • Deborah Hansen 
  • Cyndia Harris 
  • Judith Snedecor Hemke 
  • Mary Timm Hinkle 
  • Karen Wiersma Hoeksema 
  • Kathleen Hoffland 
  • Teresa Leach Hosterman 
  • Pamela Johnson Huebner 
  • Annette Mc Ginnity Hull 
  • Barbara Gorsky Jacobson 
  • Pamela Hartz Jacobsson 
  • Diana Matz Jansen 
  • Debra Mikolajczak Johnson 
  • Lorie Laper Judson 
  • Patricia Kallweit Kaldor 
  • Judith Laumer Karge 
  • Ann Haase Kehl 
  • Susanne Beach Kirchner 
  • Mary Klemp 
  • Susan Gagnon Koehler 
  • Barbara Piper Koehler 
  • Carolyn Krause 
  • Carla Krembs 
  • Debra Bowar Krembs 
  • Karen Billington Lach 
  • Susan Radenz Larson 
  • Janice Lato 
  • Carol Malmquist Lawler 
  • Mary Baumann Lewis 
  • Suzanne Williams Liddle 
  • Adrienne Hess Liebergen 
  • Therese Fischer Lonnborg 
  • Julie Clark Lump 
  • Kathleen Maney Malloy 
  • Margaret Malnory 
  • Julie Graiewski Martin 
  • Helen Matzke Martin 
  • Ann McAllister 
  • Anne Wrench Meidl 
  • Diane Hellenbrand Mentesana 
  • Pamela Berenda Messina 
  • Margaret Sullivan Meyer 
  • Beth Breed Mickelson 
  • Helen Keuler Miller 
  • Susan Barth Minkoff 
  • Catherine Koenings Molla 
  • Nancy Beirl Morgan 
  • Sue Playter Mubarak 
  • Laura Mueller 
  • Susan Nelson 
  • Mary Tompach Nielsen 
  • Linda Nikolai 
  • Nancy Oleson 
  • Judith Hamre Olson 
  • Richard Ostwald 
  • Marlene Kasten Palit 
  • Victoria Palmer-Erbs 
  • Barbara Day Pinekenstein 
  • JoAnn Lemberg Pope 
  • Marie Timm Prescott 
  • Shinita Moseley Prowell 
  • Ruth Rowntree Reinhart 
  • Kathe Reitman 
  • Rebecca Richards-Hack 
  • Diane Liesener Rodd 
  • Joanne Brazier Roland 
  • Mary Kimpel Rubino 
  • Marcy Rux 
  • Linda Stein Sanner 
  • Carol Johnson Sarabia 
  • Ana Grap Schaper 
  • Diane Schaumburg 
  • Teresa Lamp Schmidt 
  • Barbara Davis Schraeder 
  • Mary Schlosser Schumann 
  • Margaret Sheehan 
  • Sally Semlak Sholl 
  • Suzanne Heindl Shore 
  • Margaret Scharch Sibley 
  • Bonnie La Fave Sobel 
  • Karen Solheim 
  • George Stewart 
  • Leslie Ellis Stoikes 
  • Phyllis Difford Studinski 
  • Barbara Verbrick Swain 
  • Sue Fenner Thieleke 
  • Barbara Thomas 
  • Janet Phillips Thyberg 
  • Linda Weber Van Art 
  • Lynn Jabbusch Vandertie 
  • Carol Rueter Vandrey 
  • Lisa Haskins Wachholz 
  • Marilyn Wahl 
  • Lee Waldhart 
  • Nancy Arneson Wanek 
  • Anne Maddock Way 
  • Kathryn Goerg Webb 
  • Diane Ackley Weiner 
  • Donna Christianson Weisman 
  • Kathleen Dounar Werner 
  • Laura Miller Widmaier 
  • Karen Kelly Wineland 
  • Terri Woodruff-Tucker 
  • Theresa Mocadlo Worzalla 
  • Linda Keener Wyss 
  • Katherine Schmidt Yde 
  • Lois Womack Yearous 
  • Carol Sadler Zandi 
  • Clair Zech 
  • Peggy Dott Zimdars 
  • Mary Frazier Zimmerman 
  • Christine Zimmerman 
  • Kathleen Zylka 
  • Barbara Zywicke 

Remarks from the Class of 1973 to the Class of 2023

Congratulations, Class of 2023! You’ve made it through four years of rigorous preparation for a nursing career that has been a central part of our lives for the past 50 years. You’ve accomplished this amid a global pandemic, demands for social justice, and a period of extreme political polarization.   

Our years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1970-1973, were also times of fear, political turmoil, and social unrest and violence in the streets. We remember bearing witness to the Civil Rights Movement, assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and experiencing the National Guard and police in riot gear on campus. We also can’t forget the bombing of Sterling Hall. These issues added significant stress during our nursing education as they have added to yours. However, navigating these issues also provided opportunities for growth and personal development. Nursing’s holistic philosophy of body, mind, and spirit demands personal exploration of these domains. The societal issues we’ve navigated during our respective nursing educational experience provided a unique context for this self-reflection.   

We, the Class of 1973, are confident that you will carry this personal exploration and philosophy forward into your nursing careers. You will be better human beings and compassionate nurses for having endured these tumultuous times and embraced these existential issues during your nursing education.  

We have compiled a list of short words of wisdom we’ve gained over 50 years: 

    • Nurses are change agents.
    • As graduates of the UW- Madison School of Nursing, we are all leaders, capable of critical thinking and problem solving, prepared to make a difference.
    • Partner with your patients and families as part of their team. Educate so they understand and are empowered to manage their health and care.
    • Stand by your actions when you are confident in your knowledge base and experience.
    • Never be afraid to ask for assistance when you need it.
    • Listen to those around you who have sound insight and perspective. They can help you modify your approach to create a better result or outcome.
    • Develop collegial relationships with all levels of care providers—from nursing assistants to physicians. Everyone has a part to play in providing comprehensive care to patients, and, generally, the RN is the glue that holds it all together!
    • Encourage active participation in decision making by providing the education that patients need to weigh the pros/cons of treatment options. Things are complex and there is seldom only one option to achieve a goal.
    • When physicians have exhausted treatments to offer a patient, nurses are still able to give individualized care and emotional support.
    • Two words to eliminate from your vocabulary when working: NEVER and ALWAYS.
    • Be flexible, change is a constant.
    • Be a lifelong learner. The science of medicine/nursing/pharmaceuticals is constantly growing. You can’t know everything, but you can always go to the literature for evidence- based practice.
    • Participate in professional organizations. The networking and support opportunities that they provide are invaluable.
    • Mentor the next generation of nurses; you have wisdom to share.
    • Celebrate your role wherever you serve. You may not be able to change everything but you can make a difference in lives and communities.

You have the tools and abilities to accomplish your dreams. Go forth and sort the wheat from the chaff. We wish you all the best as you graduate and hope that you can look back 50 years from now and be as proud of your alma mater and the preparation you received as we are.  

–Members of the UW–Madison School of Nursing Class of 1973: Linda Ballenger, Barbara Notstad Bergum, Ann Haase Kehl, Carolyn Krause, Margaret Malnory, Barb Day Pinekenstein, Mary Schlosser Schumann, Karen Solheim, and Peggy Dott Zimdars  

Class of 1973 Celebration Presentations

In Memoriam

Beverly Frank Arthur
Colonel A Marlene Ausen
Barbara Kretzmann Bates
Barbara Bernhardt
Mary Sword Bertram
Mary Bourguignon
Anne Dernbach Brousseau
Joyce Brown

Rosemary Carns Coluccy
Rosemary Sedlacek Goecke
Patricia Prielipp Hawkins
Carolyn Welton Hefty
Joy Parsons Joslin
Cathy Mennicke Malek
Shawn Forseth Morrow
Leta Ballweg Pearce

Madge Johnson Polidora
Arlette Prothin
Marlene Schwartz
Dyana Acosta Solheim
Beverly Woolhiser Steinhoff
Carol Tropple
Lois Grebel Wright
Carol Zandi

Contact Us

Jordan Langer

Position title: Advancement Manager

Email: jlanger3@wisc.edu

Phone: 608-262-1179

Address:
5173 Signe Skott Cooper Hall