Dustin Reichwald

Whitewater Kiwanis sells Easter Lilies to fund transportation for the Whitewater Schools’ ELL Summer Reading Program

The Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club is selling their Easter Lilies again this year, with orders due March 26. 100 percent of proceeds are dedicated to transportation needs for the Whitewater Schools’ English Language Learner (ELL) Summer Reading Program.  Each plant will have five or six large, beautiful, white blossoms.  All plants include decorative green pot covers and protective sleeves.  Orders of 1 to 25 plants are $12.00 each; orders of 26 to 50 plants are $10.50 each; and orders of 51 plants and over are $9.50 each.  Checks should be made payable to Whitewater Breakfast Kiwanis, P.O. Box 427, Whitewater, WI 53190. 

Individuals who wish to purchase lilies may contact Rick Norman 262-391-2228 or rick@normanww.com.  Orders will be available for pick up or delivery on Tuesday, April 16.  Orders may be picked up at the Whitewater Greenhouse, 301 County Road U, Whitewater, on April 16 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. (at the far south end of the building).  Free delivery is available within the Whitewater city limits, and elsewhere for orders of over 60 plants.

“The Whitewater Breakfast Kiwanis Club distributes funds that help the children in our community.  All of the proceeds from this year’s lily sale will be used for the transportation needs for the Whitewater Schools’ ELL Summer Reading Program.  Thank you to everyone who supports Kiwanis and our community,” said Rick Norman, Chairperson of the Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club Easter Lilies sales.

Kiwanis thanks Jim Boyd and the Whitewater Greenhouse for assisting with the Easter Lilies.

The Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club is made up of dedicated volunteers who help children in the Whitewater community and the world, all with 100 percent of funds raised going directly to projects and zero to administrative costs.  Each year, the club distributes approximately $20,000, with over half going to the Whitewater Unified School District, including Ferradermis, ELL Summer School Transportation, shoes for students, Badger Boys State and Badger Girls State, and scholarships.  Kiwanis helped to build and maintain the Flowing Well Shelter, the shelter and accessible playground at Starin Park and Treyton’s Field of Dreams, the WHS football field lights and press box, as well as adopting a highway to clean up.  In addition, the group donates to the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club, the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic Center Family Partnership Fund, the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House and more.

Funds are raised through annual Pancake Breakfasts that have been served continuously since the 1950s, the Discover Whitewater Series Half-Marathon Pancake Breakfast since it began, and yearly poinsettia and lily plant sales. More information can be found on the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Facebook page.

Whitewater Middle School students earn second place in Academic Bowl


Front L-R: Henry Gehrenbeck, Alex Clarksen, Andrew O’Toole, Quinn McCarthy, Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman, Emma Clarksen; Middle L-R: Marina Linos, Jared Apgar, Silas Baker Emerson Ellenwood, Emma Weigel, Zoe Olson; Back L-R: Keith CAmeron, Henry Mortimer, Peter Portwine

Congratulations to the fifteen 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students that represented Whitewater Middle School at the Southern Lakes Advanced Learners Network Academic Bowl on March 18 in Fort Atkinson. Five school districts participated.

Whitewater Middle School did very well earning 2nd place overall with 678 points and only 6 points behind Fort Atkinson, the 1st place winner.  Waterloo took 3rd place followed by Jefferson and Johnson Creek.

The following Whitewater students earned special recognition:

In Language Arts –

  • Henry Gehrenbeck – 1st place, 6th grade
  • Keith Cameron – 3rd place, 8th grade

In Science –

  • Peter Portwine – 1st place, 8th grade
  • Marina Linos – 2nd place, 7th grade
  • Alex Clarksen – 2nd place, 6th grade

In Social Studies –

  • Quinn McCarthy – 1st place, 6th grade
  • Emerson Ellenwood – 2nd place, 7th grade
  • Henry Mortimer – 2nd place, 8th grade

In Math –

  • Emma Clarksen – 1st place, 8th grade
  • Jared Apgar – 2nd place , 7th grade
  • Andrew O’Toole – 3rd place, 6th grade

Whitewater Team 1 (Silas Baker, Henry Gehrenbeck,  Henry Mortimer, Andrew O’Toole, Emma Weigel,) placed first in the Current Events portion of the competition.

Other Whitewater team members included: Zoe Olson and Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman

Congratulations to all of the participants for their contributions to the team’s overall success and a special thank you for doing a great job representing Whitewater and Whitewater Middle School.  Well done!

Robert John Wagner, 73, Whitewater, passed away on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at his home surrounded by his family.

Bob was born on November 23, 1945 in McHenry, IL to Leroy and Mae (Smith) Wagner.  He grew up in Volo, IL and graduated from Wauconda High School.  Bob served his country in the United States Air Force and later graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in Agronomy.  He moved to Whitewater in 1977 and established the Wagner Family farm east of Whitewater.  Bob was a progressive hog and grain farmer and was always looking for improved farming practices.  “If you’re not making it better, you’re making it worse.”  Bob married Susan Gaulke on February 15, 2014. He enjoyed taking long family trips, riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and cutting wood. He was proud of his motorcycle trip to Alaska. Bob was a humble person who looked to help others.  His charities were very important to him and volunteered with many organizations. 

He is survived by his wife Susan, Whitewater; children Kelly (Ben) Ludeman, Milton, WI, Nick Wagner, Waukesha,WI, Rebecca (Kory) Boughton, Reedsburg, WI, Chris (Ashley) Stewart, Plainfield, IL; grandchildren Brock and Sophia Ludeman, Cooper and Harper Boughton, Jenna, Jessica and Mason Stewart; siblings Janice (Fred) Guptill, Topsham, ME, Phyllis (Wally) Marciniak, Ringwood, IL, Gary (Kim) Wagner, Johnsburg, IL, Brian (Jodi) Wagner, Wauconda, IL, Alan (Jackie) Wagner, Lake Villa, IL  many nieces and nephews and his dog Zeke.  He was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral Services with military rites will be held on Sunday, March 31, 2019 at 4:00pm at Nitardy Funeral Home 550 N. Newcomb St. Whitewater, WI 53190.  A visitation will be held on Sunday from 1:00pm until the time of the service.  Private Burial will take place at a later date.

As an expression of sympathy you may wish to consider memorials to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Green Book -Tuesday, March 26 at 12:30 PM, Seniors in the Park

A working-class Italian American bodyguard/bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) becomes the driver of an African American classical pianist (Mahershala Ali) on a 1962 concert tour through the segregated Deep South, using The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide for safe travel. Nominated for 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor (Mortensen), and Supporting Actor (Ali).

When: Tuesday, March 26 at 12:30 PM

Where: Seniors in the Park

Movie Information: Rated PG-13; 2 hours, 10 minutes

Treehouse Child and Family Center to host Bingo, Dinner as fundraiser

What is the Tree House?

The Tree House opened the Tree House on April 15, 2013, after many years of hard work and amazing community support. This beautiful building serves the children and families of Walworth County who have been affected by child abuse and neglect.

Everything at the Tree House is child-centered, from the family room with toys, and video and board games, to the playground and playhouse in the back yard. The building looks more like a home than an office building because it was designed to create a sense of safety and security for children and their families.

The Tree House serves all families throughout Walworth County including Whitewater.

Duane Root celebrates 80th birthday

Relatives and friends are invited to come and celebrate the 80th birthday of Duane Root from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 30, with a buffet and snacks at the American Legion Dugout, 201 S Water St., Fort Atkinson.

Jerome K. Laurent, of Whitewater, died on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at the age of 79.

Jerry was born to Francis W. and Grace King Laurent on January 8, 1940, in Knoxville, TN, where Francis worked as counsel for the Tennessee Valley Authority.  With war imminent, his father rejoined the Navy as special assistant to the Judge Advocate General, and the family moved to Washington, D.C.  Jerry was baptized at Christ’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, VA, attended primary school in Georgetown, and experienced wartime in the capital.

The Laurents moved to postwar occupied Germany, where Francis helped the U.S. government reorganize German industry.  In Minden and Berlin, Jerry attended British and American schools.  Never-ending rubble, survivors’ hunger, and children in need of shoes left their mark.  When the 1948 Berlin Airlift began, the family left the city, traveled more of Europe, and returned to the United States.

Jerry’s first Wisconsin address was a small stone house on a farm near Thorp in Clark County.   He attended a one-room school, then one of the State’s few remaining.   His days taught him work ethic, animal husbandry, and land and water conservation.  Jerry led many 4-H Club activities, and took part in Kids Campus School summer sessions at UW-Eau Claire for five years.

The family moved to Stanley in 1952, Jerry’s eighth-grade year.  During his sophomore year at Stanley High School, he was bedridden with rheumatic fever for eight months, having to learn to walk again.  Still, he graduated as Valedictorian in 1957. 

Jerry enrolled at University Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where his academic and civic involvement grew.  He graduated with honors in 1961 with a B.A. degree in Economics and History.

He felt teaching and researching economics was something he could do, and he did not look back.  He attended graduate school at Indiana University-Bloomington, held a teaching assistantship, and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics.

Jerry met his wife Virginia on the campus of Indiana University where she earned a Master’s Degree in teaching.  They married in August, 1966 and began life together in Whitewater.  He was appointed an Assistant Professor of Economics at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1965.  They had two children, Katherine born in 1973 and Thomas in 1976.

Jerry loved teaching and won the W. P. Roseman Award for Outstanding Teaching at the UW-Whitewater in 1975.   One of his proudest moments was winning the prize for a research article submitted to Explorations in Economic History, a British journal.  He also received the UW-Whitewater Outstanding Service Award in 1993. In 2005 he received the President’s Award from the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association.

Professional memberships include Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society in Economics; The Wisconsin Economics Association; The Association of Great Lakes Maritime History; and the Greater Chicagoland Friends of Economic History. He was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma by the UW-Whitewater in December, 1982.

Jerry was an active member of the former St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Whitewater for many years and was a charter member of Kiwanis Breakfast Club. He led in the development of the Lutheran/Episcopal Campus Ministry and served on the board for many years.

A scholarship in his name exists at the UW-Whitewater: the Laurent Economics Scholarship, given annually to a student to pursue graduate studies.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Francis W. Laurent and Grace King Laurent, brother-in-law Gordon Norlin and sister-in-law, Carol B. Huggins. He is survived by his wife Virginia and two children, Katherine Laurent of Chicago and Thomas Laurent of Chicago; his sister Joyce and two nephews, Jim (Monica) and Paul; and his sister-in-law Margaret Pernau.

A funeral service will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 22, 2019.  Visitations will be at two locations:  Nitardy Funeral Home, Whitewater  from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 and at 10:00 a.m. on Friday at St. Peter’s, 302 Merchants Ave., Fort Atkinson.  Burial will take place at Hillside Cemetery in Whitewater.

Memorials may be given to the Jerome K. Laurent Economic Scholarship fund of the UW-Whitewater Foundation, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Fort Atkinson, or the Stanley Area Historical Society. The Nitardy Funeral Home, Whitewater is assisting the family, www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Lincoln hosts Fine Arts Night on March 19

Students performing in a previous Fine Arts Night

The Lincoln Fine Arts Night and Literacy is this Tuesday, March 19 from 6:00 pm to 7:50 pm at the Lincoln Gym.

The Fine Arts Night will feature the musical talents of all students in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 as well as the 5th Grade Drumming group and the K-5 art works displayed in a slide show prior to each musical performance.

  • 6:00 pm Kindergarten and 1st Grades
  • 6:35 2nd and 3rd grades
  • 7:15 4th and 5th grade

Enjoy beautiful student art hanging around the school and a fun literacy project in the cafeteria.  The book fair is also open.

Bring something for the food pantry and of course admission is free to hear 360 children make beautiful music!