By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Sarah Treadwell, also known as “Space Case Sarah,” is a graduate assistant at UW-Whitewater in the Communication Department. She is the host of The Space Case Sarah Show with Kovi and Benjamin on iRoc Space Radio. Sarah is also a science writer for Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, lead production assistant for NASA’s Ask an Astrobiologist, and a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador. Her bio also says that she’s a “sidewalk astronomer, analog astronaut, and mom extraordinare.”
Sarah was honored to be selected to be the onboard communications officer on the JOIDES Resolution Expedition 399. The JOIDES Resolution (JR) is a research vessel that drills into the ocean floor to collect and study core samples. Scientists use data from the JR to better understand climate change, geology and Earth’s history. It is a part of the International Ocean Discovery Program and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The expedition will take place from April 7 to June 7, 2023. As part of Sarah’s outreach in preparation for this expedition, she is hosting a very interesting exhibit through the end of February at the Community Engagement Center, 1260 W. Main Street (the former Sentry building). The exhibit is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and also on Saturday, February 18. Here’s a sneak peak of what it looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbnQIXIcync&t=56s
Sarah and UW-W science students are also taking field trip and group tour reservations, particularly for those interested in getting the full blown up boat experience (it requires a lot of hands on deck so to speak so they need a heads up for that). Here is a link to Sarah’s website for group reservations. https://www.spacecasesarah.com/jr-exhibit-field-trips
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week we are featuring a popular winter activity, ice skating. This view from the early 20th century is of a skating rink made up from Whitewater’s first swimming pool, developed behind the old stone mill around 1910. The short-lived swimming pool was created in a man-made depression that was filled with water diverted from the old mill race. It operated briefly in the 1910s.
In the photo you can see that the rink or pool backed up to North Street near the old stone bridge. At the top right hand corner of the image you can see the back of the old brewery that sat at the corner of North and Jefferson Streets.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
Races on the primary ballot are Justice of the Supreme Court and three Whitewater Unified School District School Board Member seats. All eleven active candidates for the school board responded to a questionnaire from the Whitewater Banner. Their responses may be read here. The League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area held a school board forum on January 28. Ten of the eleven candidates participated in this two hour event. The video may be viewed here.
Here’s a question that was posted on the Lions’ Facebook page, and the reply. “Do you happen to know if the ice conditions will impact the fishing derby Sunday?” Reply: “We are looking forward to a successful day. We are preparing for a great Pancake Breakfast featuring Nordskov Coffee, valentine’s treats, and jalapeno poppers. The 50/50 raffle will bring several hundred dollars to a lucky winner and the bonus prize of wine pairing at the Staller Winery. Fish prizes may be limited, but the bucket raffles always offer a chance to walk away with a prize. Regardless of the weather, participate in the Online Auction and choose from 60 different auction items. Fish or no fish, the profits we catch are released to our community.”
…and a comment someone made to the post: “Fishermen should (and I stress should) know what or what not to do, it’s the non fisher people that show to have a good time I worry about. If you’re not experienced go the club and have fun. We don’t need the rescue team here.”
Whitewater Lions Club 47th Annual Fish-A-Ree
Online Auction
Welcome to our 3rd annual Online Auction. Here’s the link.
The Whitewater Lions Club would like to welcome and thank you for supporting our Charity Online Auction. All proceeds raised will help support local charities and good causes.
We will be running our Auction in conjunction with our annual Fish-A-Ree and Pancake Breakfast.
In order to bid at the Auction you will need to register. If you have previously registered for one of our auctions, you can go directly to the Login link at the top of the page . For new bidders, registration is FREE and SECURE. Click on the REGISTER link at the top of the page to create a bidder account. Item checkout is online and we accept Paypal or credit/debit card. Bidding begins at 6am CST on Sunday February 12th 2023 and ends at 6pm CST February 19th 2023.
To view the list of Auction items please click the green drop down menu on the top left hand side of the screen to see the categories. Revisit and browse often as items are added as they are donated.
Winning bidders will be contacted by email to arrange for pickup or delivery. We accept Paypal or credit/debit card.
Any items in our Auction containing alcohol can only be purchased by over 21s.
DONATIONS are welcome, even if you aren’t interested in bidding on an item. Simply use the DONATE button below.
Once again thank you for supporting our Auction. GOOD LUCK!
By Sherrie Benes Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Army 1951-1953
Ken Nehring – “The Coach” – 1/16/2023
Acknowledgement: “I would acknowledge and dedicate my story to my college basketball coach, John Barth, who truly impressed me as a person, along with my parents. I would also like to say that I really appreciate all the guys who played basketball for me over the years. I appreciate the effort that they all gave, and I am proud of all the players I had…”
Introduction: When visiting with Ken, I was anxious to hear and write about his younger years and growing up! But the love he has for basketball and his players has been his life story, so this seemed like the perfect quote to introduce The Coach: ‘Basketball is life, the rest is just details’ …enjoy!
Ken Nehring was born on November 9, 1929 to Matie (Siegmier) Nehring and Leonard Nehring, of Crystal Lake, Illinois. His mother stayed at home to care for Ken and his older sister Jane, while his dad sold cars and drove cabs. But with the stock market crash in October of 1929, times were tough for everyone, including the Nehring family.
In 1935, when the family lost their home to foreclosure, they decided to move to Chicago. Ken said he could still recall the address of their apartment in Chicago (1380 Lunt Avenue), because his mom had drilled this address into him for fear he would get lost in the big city! His dad continued to sell cars, but they didn’t like living in Chicago. So his dad, along with another salesperson, got together and somehow got connected with someone in Watertown, Wisconsin. In 1937 they moved to Watertown and his dad, along with his sales partner, started a used car business. After about two years of selling used cars, his dad ventured out on his own and began to sell new Hudson and Studebaker automobiles.
Things were going well for his father, until December 7, 1941 when the United States entered WW II. This is when they stopped making new cars, in order to make war equipment. At this time, the family was still living in an apartment above the dealership, and although they weren’t selling cars, his father still managed to keep the mechanic on to do miscellaneous repair work. Around this time, his father decided to purchase a thoroughbred race horse! The horse trained and raced in Chicago at the Hawthorne Race Course. This horse actually did quite well for him, Ken recalled, and his father also bought another racehorse that did even better, Ken added!
(Back row) Left to right: Horse trainer Roy Selden, friend Lou Sulugi, father Leo Nehring, (Front row) Ken Nehring age 14, Jockey J.W. Martin, race horse ‘Tusco’ #2 finishing in 1st place
In 1946, when the automobile industry started up production again, his father was able to go back to selling new Hudson cars. He did very well since people had not been able to get a new car in four years, and he even had a waiting list!
When Ken was in 7th grade he started playing basketball on the 7th and 8th grade team. When I asked if he played basketball often in the parks, he said at that time there weren’t that many parks with basketball hoops like there are today. But when Ken took some shop classes in the 7th and 8th grade, he decided to make his own basket! He then described how the place where they lived used to be a livery stable! The dealership and repair shop were on the first level and above that, in the front of the building, they had a very nice, 9 room apartment. In the back of the building on the second floor, there was also a place where the hay was stored when it was a livery stable. This is where Ken put up the basket he had made in shop class! (He said the ceilings were a little short for him, but it worked!)
His freshman year he found himself playing as part of the starting five on the freshman team, with a very nice coach, he said. The coach took him under his wing and worked with him quite a bit on how to play underneath the basket, since he was such a tall player! As a sophomore, he progressed on the sophomore basketball team, which with this hard work, found himself on the varsity team his junior year in high school. His senior year he had the misfortune of having an appendectomy, causing him to miss the last five games of the season. “They didn’t do too well in the tournament, even with a good team,” he informed me. “But back then, there was only one high school basketball tournament, and all the teams in the state were in the same tournament!”
Near the end of his senior year, his freshman basketball coach came to him and asked him what he was going to do after he graduated. He responded that he was planning on going into the car business with his father. The coach asked him if he thought about going to college and playing basketball, which Ken hadn’t given that much thought, even though he loved playing. After the coach told him his story, about how he went to Platteville, he gave Ken the name of the Platteville University coach. Ken found himself writing to this basketball coach in Platteville, and got a response inviting him to come visit! “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know where Platteville was! My mother and father had to get out a map to locate it!” Both of his parents thought Ken should give it a try, and if it didn’t work out, he could always come back to the car business.
In the fall of 1948, he started his college education in Platteville. Ken of course went out for basketball and ‘things went pretty well,’ he said. They only had a varsity team, and although he practiced every day with them, there was a limit on taking the freshman players to the out-of-town games. (Back then they traveled in cars, so there was limited space with only four or five cars.) There was one other freshman besides himself, so they would have to take turns going to the out-of-town games. This was the year he also called himself the ‘20 point man’ …“If we were 20 points ahead or 20 points behind, I might get in for 20 seconds!” he exclaimed, laughing!
His sophomore year, he found himself playing more, and his junior year he became a starter. During this time, he had also met his future wife, Janice (Jan) Rosa, who was also attending Platteville.
Between his junior year and senior year, Ken found himself drafted. “Not the NBA, but the USA!” he clarified, laughing. “President Truman sent me a letter and said he wanted me to join his team! So I went into the Army!”
He left for basic training on August 31, 1951 and reported to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While stationed there, Ken’s parents stopped to visit him in November, while passing through to see relatives in Houston, Texas, and for his father to check into another car business. About two weeks after their visit, Ken was notified that his parents were involved in a serious car accident just outside of Fort Worth, Texas, while on their way home. This fatal accident on November 23, 1951 unfortunately took his father’s life, and seriously injured his mother. “I was granted emergency leave from the Army and I accompanied my dad on the train back to Watertown, Wisconsin, while my mother was recovering from her severe injuries.” His mother remained in the hospital for approximately 10-15 days, during which time the funeral for his father took place in Watertown, Wisconsin. Ken was then granted another emergency leave from the Army to fly his mother back from Texas to Wisconsin, when she was released from the hospital. His sister Jane then stayed with their mother to care for her, while Ken reported back to Fort Sill.
Ken also shared how each time he took emergency leave, it would shift him back in his training, so instead of four months of basic training, he had six months of basic training. He said they must’ve gotten used to him being around, because they kept him there as a cadre. (Meaning he was responsible for training the newly drafted.)
In December of 1952, Ken got orders to go to Korea. But before leaving for Korea while home on leave, Jan Rosa and Ken Nehring were married on January 3, 1953. Jan graduated that year and went on to teach elementary school in Fennimore, Wisconsin, while Ken found himself ‘on a boat’ ….“I, along with 1500 other guys, had a nice boat ride across the Pacific,” he chuckled. He recalled their two week stop in Japan, and how the beds were awfully short! He spent the next eight months in Korea and was notified that he would be honorably discharged in November of 1953, after serving his two years of required draft time.
He returned to Platteville after his discharge to resume his last year of studies, while also being the starting center on the 1954 State College Champions under Coach John Barth. After graduating in June of 1954 with a major in industrial arts and a minor in biology, he applied through the state for teaching positions at Mineral Point, Dodgeville, and Brodhead. He ended up taking the position at Brodhead High School, teaching industrial arts and coaching basketball. Ken remembers that the coach he took over for, who had also gone to Platteville, had a 33 game win streak. With a chuckle he added, “then I came in there, and lost the first three games!”
While coaching at Brodhead in 1954, Ken remembers a person who officiated a couple of his games, who happened to be George Buckingham from Whitewater. In June, Mr. Buckingham reached out to Ken letting him know that Coach Crummey was quitting the basketball coaching position in Whitewater and was wondering if he would be interested in applying. After a few discussions, a couple of interviews, and speaking one on one with the school board, Ken Nehring was hired as the new industrial arts teacher and the new head coach for the Whitewater High School basketball and baseball team!
During the early years after moving to Whitewater, he and Jan welcomed three children into their lives, Scott (1956), Dan (1959) and Sally (1969). Their adventures led them also to be caretakers of the Racine County Girl Scout camp called Singing Hills Campground, on the north end of Lauderdale Lake in 1956. This position provided a new home on the property for their family, and it filled up the summer months when Ken wasn’t teaching. Ken kept this caretaker position for 23 years, until they moved into their newly built home near Whitewater Lake in 1979. Sadly, just eight short years later, Ken lost his wife Jan to cancer on December 6, 1987.
The Coach began his coaching and teaching career at Whitewater High School in September of 1955, where he coached WHS baseball for 10 years and basketball for 34 years, until his retirement in 1989. In those 34 years of coaching basketball, he won 470 games and lost 269 games in the Southern Lakes Conference. Whitewater was a very successful team in the conference, with 8 conference titles and 10 regional championships!
Here are just a few of his other recognitions throughout his story, with many thanks to those who assisted in the nominations for these recognitions:
1980– received the UW-Platteville Watch Award (Coach John Barth) 1989– Whitewater High School (now the Whitewater Middle School) was named after him with a plaque (WUSD and Mike Stuzman) 1990– inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame 2002– inducted into the UW-Platteville Athletic Hall of Fame (Forrest Perkins) 2019– Ken Nehring gym re-dedication with name painted on the court- Ken recalled this dedication with much fondness! “I would like to thank Mike Stutzman, who really started the naming of the gym after me. I would also like to thank the Whitewater School District for allowing my name to be painted on the gymnasium floor, along with all the people who made it possible! This was truly the highlight of my career! I am so glad that I came to Whitewater High School!
Ken with wife Sandy at gymnasium floor dedication 2019
Ken now enjoys life with his wife Sandy of 32 years, and they have spent many hours in their retirement years making and selling items at craft fairs, traveling to visit their children and grandchildren, along with playing cards with family and friends!
I would like to thank Ken for sharing his incredible story! …and from all your past bleacher fans and team players:
WHITEWATER HIGH SCHOOL WE PRAISE THEE, FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND LOYALTY WE’LL FIGHT IN EVERY GAME AND BOOST YOU ON TO FAME, WIN OR LOSE WE’LL BACK YOU JUST THE SAME! (YOU! RAH!! RAH!!) WHITEWATER HIGH SCHOOL PLAY THIS GAME, WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT AND MAY WE’LL FIGHT AND FIGHT AND YELL AND YELL, FOR WHITEWATER HIGH ALWAYS!!!
Well done Coach …
If you know of anyone who would like to share their story, or your own, please contact me at whitewaterbanner@gmail.com, Subject line: Chapter Story I would love to meet you! Sherrie
Our thanks, also, to the sponsors of our chapter story:
Alan Heth – Hawks Landing LLC
Whiney’s Friday/Saturday 12-8 Sunday 12-5 Wood Fired Pizza The Fuzzy Pig Daily 10-5 N8660 Clover Valley Road
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (February 8, 2023) – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville announced its Chancellor’s List, honoring those with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages for the fall 2022 semester.
Students from this area who earned the 4.0 grade-point average include:
Whitewater, WI
David Cushman, Undecided LAE, UW-Platteville Allison Heckert, Health and Human Performance, UW-Platteville
UW-Platteville announces Dean’s List
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (February 8, 2023) – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville announces its Dean’s List, honoring those full-time students who earned high honors in the fall 2022 semester.
College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture and the College of Liberal Arts and Education require grade-point averages of 3.75 and above for Dean’s List honors, while the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science requires students to reach at least a 3.50.
Students from this area on the Dean’s List include:
Whitewater, WI
David Cushman, Undecided LAE, UW-Platteville Allison Heckert, Health and Human Performance, UW-Platteville Andrea Kuhl, Ornamental Horticulture, UW-Platteville Samantha Sullivan, Industrial and Systems Engineering, UW-Platteville Alex Vidales Gallegos, Industrial Engineering, UW-Platteville
Beauford Joe Shepherd, age 84, of Whitewater, WI passed away February 7, 2023.
Beauford was born in Muscoda, WI on August 22, 1938, the son of Bert and Grace (Fazel) Shepherd. He married Ardella Wilson on June 2, 1962.
Beauford worked for the City of Whitewater for over 25 years. He liked to cheer on the Packers, visit the casinos and dance along to Elvis songs.
Beauford will be dearly missed and is survived by his wife, Ardella; two sons Rory (Jean) Shepherd of Whitewater, WI, Michael (Terri) Shepherd of Milton, WI; five daughters, Sandra Gaffner of Milton, WI, Betty Jo (Dan) Mattrisch of Fort Atkinson, WI, Bobbi Jo (Trent) Dahlke of Waterloo, WI, Billie Jo (Darin) Olp of Whitewater, WI, Wanda (Jennifer) Shepherd of Whitewater, WI; four stepchildren, Bonnie (Bob) Magee of Pound, WI, Pat (Larry) Snorek of West Allis, WI, Fred (Kim) Snorek of Oostburg, WI & Doug (Deb) Snorek of Florence, AZ; 19 grandchildren 31 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great- grandchildren; three siblings, Don (Irene) Shepherd of San Diego, CA, Norman Shepherd of Clinton, IA and Arlene (Ken) Rundle of West Bend, WI.
Beauford was preceded in death by his parents; twelve brothers and sisters, Basil, Esther, Robert, Clifford, Roland, Margaret, Madeline, Ernest, Bernice, Beulah, Marion, Ken and one stepson; Jerry Snorek.
The family would like to give special thanks to Mercy Hospital staff in Janesville, especially Paul, who gave compassionate care to Beauford.
A memorial visitation will be held from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI 53190.
Mike Alvarez teaches the first drawing class at Wisconsin Makers on Feb. 2. The free class takes place Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. All ages are welcome and people may attend any classes they wish.
A free weekly drawing class is being held each Thursday at Wisconsin Makers in Whitewater. Taught by Mike Alvarez of Whitewater, the class takes place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the makerspace, located at 200 E. Clay Street. The first drawing class — presented by the Whitewater Art Club — was held February 2. However, interested area residents of all ages are welcome to attend whenever they are able. “You can start at any time; these are not formal academic classes,” Alvarez said. “These classes are to have fun and spark imagination.”
The next class on February 9 will address other drawing techniques, including paper-cut art. Alvarez is the owner of Handy Mike LLC, a handyman service. He particularly enjoys drawing, painting, woodcarving, and pottery, and eventually plans to hold classes in those subjects. as well. Being bilingual, Alvarez hopes to generate interest from the Latino community, as well. Club members need not join Wisconsin Makers to participate. However, donations toward paying utilities would be greatly appreciated.
Wisconsin Makers is a makerspace that creates an affordable, collaborative and educational environment that inspires people of all ages to becoming innovators within their communities by unlocking their skills through continual training. It has members from Jefferson, Walworth, Rock and Waukesha counties and beyond, and all have access to the workshops around the clock. The facility houses machine, welding/fabrication, electronics, automotive, 3-D printing, laser engraving and woodworking shops. It also offers pottery, ceramics, metal art, quilting, fabric arts, matting/framing and more. The building is accessible and has off-street parking, WiFi, and many other amenities. For more information about the makerspace, contact Chris Spangler at (920) 728-2960. For more information about the drawing class, contact Alvarez at (920) 397-1022 or whitewaterartclub@gmail.com.
Like Tulsa Time*, Dementia Time may have little connection with reality. “One morning recently, I heard noises in the hallway at 1:30 in the morning” says a caregiver whose mom has dementia. “Here comes mom fully clothed going to the kitchen and expecting breakfast. You show her the clock and that it is totally dark outside. She has breakfast anyway and goes back to bed.”
The concept of the Bookcase Story can help us understand why a person with dementia has trouble with logical and sequential activities. Think of the healthy brain as a tall shelf full of interesting books.
The books on the top shelf represent memories of facts and skills for thinking in complex or complicated ways. When dementia rocks the bookcase, the books on the top shelf begin to fall out. The person may not remember what they were told moments before, such as, it is time to get ready to leave the house. She forgets the many behaviors required – bathing, dressing, eating – and in what sequence they must be performed. This is extremely frustrating for the caregivers and may lead to impatience and negative emotions.
At the same time that executive function is fading, the emotional center of the brain, the amygdala, is fully open for business and may well be until the end of life. Emotions of love, happiness, kindness, respect, patience and warmth are alive and well in the person with dementia. Understanding this is the key to interacting with a person with dementia. Love is the answer! The caregiver is fully capable of knowing how to get ready to leave the house for errands, but he/she must step back and unlock those good feelings in their loved one in order to smooth the process.
The person with dementia cannot respond to logical reasoning; those functions are lost. But emotions – both positive and negative – are fully felt. The person with dementia reacts just like you or me to anger, impatience, bullying or pushing. They become fearful, lethargic, depressed and withdrawn. But shower your loved one with gentle touching, hand-holding, smiles, eye contact and words of kindness and you will have a different result.
Thank you to Dementia Friends for the Bookcase Story graphic. Click here to find where you can take the one-hour “Dementia Friends” training online or locally: https://dementiafriendsusa.org/. Watch this short trailer to see what you will learn from Dementia Friends training. https://youtu.be/x9g0oK2G9x8
The song is about a guy who leaves Oklahoma for the bright lights of Hollywood, but discovers that he is much happier back home where he can set his watch to “Tulsa Time,” where things happen at a much slower pace. The original version of this song was released earlier in 1978 on Don Williams’ album Expressions.
This article is submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park. Anyone interested in learning about Whitewater’s DFCI is cordially invited to attend one of the monthly meetings.
