Dustin Reichwald

Dr. John F. Kozlowicz, 77, of Elkhorn, WI, passed away Wednesday, Dec.19, 2018.

He was born June 1, 1941, the son of the late Frank and Esther Kozlowicz. John married the love of his life, Joan Aniszewski, on June 13, 1970 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Whitewater, WI.

John was a Professor of Political Science and chairman at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater from 1968 until his retirement in 2005, where he was fondly known as “Koz”, “Dr. Koz” and “Prof Koz”. Following his retirement, as Professor Emeritus John continued to teach both in person and online through the Fall Semester 2018. His teaching spanned curriculum such as American Government and Politics, Constitution, the Judicial Process, Constitutional Law, Resources for Legal Research and Police, Criminal Justice Administration among other related topics. John was on the forefront of incorporating technology and web-based teaching in the 1990’s with the emergence of the internet, and also designed two new programs for UW-Whitewater, which passed through the curricular process and became part of the academic offering: The Legal Studies Minor and Paralegal Certificate. John was also the Internship Program Coordinator for UW-W, pairing students with legislators, campaign staff for public office candidates, law offices and governmental agencies both in Wisconsin – as well as in Washington, D.C to allow students to view the national political process in action. Throughout his career he advised all Pre-Law students as well as a significant number of Political Science Majors in his 50-year career as a Professor. He found great joy in navigating students to pursue their highest potential.

As an accomplished and well-liked Professor, John received numerous teaching awards including: The UW-Whitewater Saunders Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Humanities (1989); The Faculty Service Award, National University Continuing Education Association, Region IV (1992); The UW System Regents Teaching Excellence Award (1996); The W.P. Roseman Award for Excellence in Teaching (1997), UW-W Faculty Service Award (1997); The Commitment to Diversity Award (awarded by the UW-W African American Educators, 1997); Outstanding Teaching Award for College of Letters and Sciences awarded by the Order of Omega (1995, 1996, 1998); the Greek Outstanding Teaching Award (1998); Honorary Member of the Golden Key Society; honored by the Blue Key National Honor Society; and appointed to the Danforth Foundation Associate Program (1998); and The Wisconsin Teaching Scholars (2001, 2002).

John served as President of the Elkhorn Police and Fire Commission, a Political Analyst for the Stan Milam Show on WBEL 1380AM (providing political commentary on current issues and especially for National Elections, as recent as the 2016 Elections), Participant of the Political Science Forum on WSUW FM, Member of the Walworth County DUI Court, was an Expert Witness for Karls, et al. v. McCredie, et al for Brennan, Steil, Bastings, & MacDougall, S.C, was a coordinator of the UW-Whitewater Elderhostel Program, a Summer Upward Bound Instructor, Coordinator and Instructor of the McNair Mentor Program and Coordinator of the Fairhaven Retirement Center Lecture Series.

Throughout his career, John was frequently a public speaker for regional and national conferences as well as a variety of multi-disciplinary events. He had numerous publications and received major grants for his work, such as from the Bicentennial Commission of the United States; the Wisconsin Department of Justice (Division of Law Enforcement Services) to develop and teach a 40-hour training course for area police supervisors; the National Endowment for the Humanities grant through UW-Parkside for preparation of a legal research methods book; the Training an Standards Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to Design and team-teach a training program for the Racine Police Department, “Management and Supervision for Patrol Sergeants”.

John received his B.S. Political Science from Loyola University, Chicago 1963; his M.A. Political Science, Northern Illinois University, 1965; and his Ph.D. Government, University of Arizona 1970.

John enjoyed a number of activities in his personal time, including everything to do with American politics, reading, exploring with the latest technologies, spending summers up north at his cottage in Eagle River, kayaking, watching movies, enjoying coffee (especially discovering new coffee shops), and bringing laughter to those around him with his humor practical jokes. He absolutely delighted in his grandchildren and enjoyed spending quality time with them frequently. Having grown up in Chicago and being an avid sports fan, he was a devoted and loyal Cubs, Bears and Bulls fan.

John is survived by his loving wife, Joan, of 48 years, two daughters, Catherine Kozlowicz of Waukesha, WI, Emily (Sam) Duchac of Wind Point, WI and his two grandchildren, Harrison and Claire Duchac. He was preceded in death by his son David and by his parents.

A Celebration of Life will be held by John’s Family at the Hamilton Room of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Student Union, from 1-3pm on Saturday January 26, 2019. In lieu of flowers, his family requests memorials be made in Dr. John Kozlowicz’s honor to the Dr. John Kozlowicz Pre-Law Scholarship either online at https://www.uww.edu/foundation/how-to-give/give-now , or sent to: The Dr. John Kozlowicz Pre-Law Scholarship, UW-Whitewater Foundation, 800 W. Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190.

Arrangements for Kozlowicz Family made by Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Homes and Crematory. Online guest book at www.haaselockwoodfhs.com.

Donations may be made to:

Dr. John Kozlowicz Pre-Law Scholarship Attn UW-Whitewater Foundation
800 W. Main Street, Whitewater WI 53190

WHS Girls Basketball wins close battle with Beloit Turner, 50-48

Kacie Carollo, pictured in this file photo, lead the Whippets with 19 points. (Photo courtesy of Bob Mischka)

From Coach Lippens:

It was a battle to the very end tonight. Fortunately, we came out with the win, beating Beloit Turner 50-48.   Jaden Henneman had one of her best games with a double double, 12 points and 12 rebounds.  Kacie Carollo led the team with 19, Abby Grosinske also scored 12.

Box Score

UWW Department of Music 2019 Starts Off with Musical High Notes

UW-Whitewater’s Department of Music starts 2019 with many musical high notes and concerts to choose from. Faculty recitals include Benjamin Whitcomb, cello; Leanne League, violin; Music Mosaics concert Woodwinds of Change; and guest artists including percussionist Patti Cudd; flutist, Ian Clarke and Otis Murphy, saxophone with Haruko Murphy, piano. Tickets are on sale by calling 262-472-2222, or online to tickets.uww.edu, or in person at the Greenhill Center of the Arts Box Office or the Information Services Desk in the University Center.

On Thursday, January 24 at 7:30 pm in Light Recital Hall the Department of Music presents the faculty recital of Benjamin Whitcomb, cello. This concert will feature Suite No. 2 in D minor, Op.131c by Max Reger; Suite No. 2 in D, Op. 80 by Benjamin Britten, and Suite No. 2 in D by Ernest Bloch. The concert takes place in the Light Recital Hall. Tickets are $8 general public/$6 Over 65/$5.50 under 18 and UW-W students

UW-Whitewater Department of Music & Sonict Presents percussionist Patti Cudd on Sunday, February 3, 2019 at 1:00 pm in Light Recital Hall. Percussionist Patti Cudd will perform new works by composers Cort Lippe, Brett Masteller, Chris Mercer, and UW-Whitewater faculty member Jeff Herriott.

Tickets are $8 general public/$6 Over 65/$5.50 under 18 and UW-W students http://www.patticudd.com

The Faculty Recital of Leanne League with the Illinois Chamber Music Festival Faculty takes place Sunday, February 3, 2019 at 3pm in Light Recital Hall. Leanne League, violin performs with Michelle Elliott, Lisa Nelson and Nina Gordon of the Illinois Chamber Music Festival Faculty. They will be performing Brahm’s sextet along with other chamber music works.

Tickets are $8 general public/$6 Over 65/$5.50 under 18 and UW-W students.

The Music Mosaics Concert Woodwinds of Change is on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 7:30pm inLight Recital Hall. The UW -Whitewater Department of Music presents the Music Mosaics Concert Series featuring the Whitewater Woodwind Trio. The concert entitled Woodwinds of Change features Cristina Ballatori, flute, Christian Ellenwood, clarinet and Matthew Sintchak, saxophone. The Whitewater Woodwind trio will be performing a wide variety of works including a premiere of  a new work by our very own Christian Ellenwood. All proceeds from Music Mosaics concerts benefit UW-Whitewater music student scholarships.

Tickets are $12 general public/$10 Over 65/$5.50 under 18 and UW-W students

Guest Artist Ian Clarke, flute performs on Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 7:30pm in Light Recital Hall.

Ian Clarke, world renowned British flutist and composer will present a concert featuring his own compositions with piano accompaniment. Tickets are $8 general public/$6 Over 65/$5.50 under 18 and UW-W students www.ianclarke.net

Guest Artist, Otis Murphy, saxophone with Haruko Murphy, piano perform a concert on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at 7:30 pm in Light Recital Hall. Otis Murphy is a professor of saxophone at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and will be joined by his wife, pianist Haruko Murphy.

Tickets for any and all of these events can be purchased by calling 262-472-2222, going online to tickets.uww.edu, by visiting the Greenhill Center of the Arts Box Office, or the Information Services Desk in the University Center.

SLALN 5-6 and 7-8 Math Meet Results


Front – (6th graders) Andrew O”Toole, Henry Gehrenbeck, Ava Nygren, Alex Clarksen
Back – (8th graders) Peter Portwine, Cole Schlicher, Jazmin Cederberg, Emma Clarksen  (7th graders) Emilia Houweers, Silas Baker, Emerson Ellenwood, Jared Apgar

It was a job well done for the students that represented Whitewater Middle School at the Southern Lakes Advanced Learner Network Math Meets on January 15. While no trophies or medals were earned by Whitewater students they tried their hardest, had fun, and represented our school well. 

Our 5-6 team came in 3rd place (out of 8 schools in their division) behind Hartland-Lakeside and Merton. Henry Gehrenbeck and Andrew O’Toole just missed receiving high individual medals by placing third and fourth high respectively. Alex Clarkson and Ava Nygren also had very high scores close behind Henry and Andrew and within the top 12. Hartland-Lakeside and Merton also dominated the 7-8 Math Meet event. 

Our 7-8 team came in 6th place (out of 8 schools in their division) and placed above Clinton and East Troy. Jared Apgar was the highest scoring student on our 7-8 Whitewater team followed by Cole Schlicher and Emma Clarksen. Other members of the 7-8 team included Jazmin Cederberg, Peter Portwine, Silas Baker, Emerson Ellenwood, and Emilia Houwers. It was an exciting, high energy event and a tough day.

There were 72 math teams competing represented by 36 different school districts and 576 students attended the event on the UW-Whitewater campus.

Whippets have Successful day at Rock Valley Conference Duals

Carter Friend, shown in this file photo, went 5-0 on the day. (Photoy by Bob Mischka)

Article by John Schimming

On Saturday the teams of the Rock Valley Conference all converged in Big Foot to partake in the RVC Duals. The Whippets went in knowing they were going to have a tough challenge as they were going to be having dual meets against the 5 top teams in the conference all in one day. When the dust settled and the team boarded the bus for the snowy drive home they found themselves 4-1 on the day.

The wins were all very exciting for the whippets. They started off the day with a criteria win over East  Troy as the score was 39-39. Whitewater won on the 4th tie breaker criteria most first points scored in matches, where the whippets scored first in 7 of the 13 matches! With the team success on the day the team pushed their record to 8-1 on the season, 6-1 in the RVC.

Other wins on the day included duals against Edgerton, Jefferson and Turner. All three of these duals were still up in the air with only one or two matches to go so it was very exciting. The whippets sole defeat on the day was to Evansville in a dual that got away from them early with a couple matches that were in Whitewater’s favor but then due to scrambles went against us setting a snowball effect that just became too much for the team to overcome. Before the blink of an eye the team was down 3-24. The team made a valiant comeback but came up short 28-48.  

The day proved to be a true team effort as many stepped up when they needed to in the victories. Cooper Hammond really was a crucial part in the Edgerton dual. He was put into a position where he had to wrestle a very tough opponent but by doing so helped the team in the long run. Josh Hacht also had to step up as he was entered into the line up due to illness setting in.

Going 5-0 on the day for the team was David Cushman and Carter Friend who both had some big wins in the duals as they came down to the wire. In the East Troy Dual, David needed to pin his opponent to push the tie-breaker and he did an outstanding job. Going 4-1 on the day was Amaru Casas who’s only loss was in the East Troy dual however he did have the first takedown in the match which was one of the 7 to help in the dual. Also 4-1 was Wil Leibbrand who wrestled very well all day. Getting into a bad position led to his only loss. During the Edgerton Dual, Will had an outstanding pin to help in the victory.

The Whippets are next in action on Saturday when they travel to the Monroe Invitational. Wrestling at Monroe begins at 9:30.

8 Lincoln Choir Students Perform in WCDA All-State Children’s Choir


Students performing were (front row, left to right) Isaac Weigel, Erika Dreksler, Elora Wildermuth-Brietzman, (back row, left to right) Margaret Brown, Chacha Binagi, Nina Heim, Yareli Palomec and Honors Choir director from the Platteville Children’s Choir, Marcie Russell.

Lincoln Elementary 5th Grade Choir had 8 students selected for the Wisconsin Choral Director’s Association All-State Children’s Choir. The performance was January 12 at Lawrence University in Appleton.

They performed with 5th and 6th-grade choir students from across the state for the WCDA State Conference.

Lincoln Choir Director, Christine Hayes, commented, “The music was challenging and the students worked extremely hard for a beautiful performance. It was a life changing experience!”

Shirley Underwood passed away peacefully at Hope Hospice, Cape Coral, Florida, on January 11, 2019.

She was a wonderful mother, wife, sister, grandmother, great and great-great grandmother who truly represented the best of “the greatest generation.”

Shirley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 21, 1928, to Harry and Pearl Traxler. She would call Milwaukee home until graduation from high school. During high school, classmates knew her as “Trixie” Traxler. She was interested in sports and music. After graduation, Shirley was accepted to and attended Bob Jones College, the first in her family to go to college. This decision would profoundly and happily change her life. She met a handsome ex-Air Force navigator and fellow student, Bob Underwood, at Bob Jones; they fell in love and were married in Milwaukee on December 28, 1946, a marriage that lasted almost 66 years until Bob’s passing in 2012.

Bob’s career was as an educator, which took he and Shirley to different colleges and universities as they grew as a family. Son Steve and daughter JoAnne were the lights of their lives, as were their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

While married, Bob and Shirley lived in many parts of the country, including many years in Whitewater, Wisconsin, where Shirley taught second grade at Washington School, and in retirement at Bella Vista, Arkansas. Shirley loved to play golf with her friends and Bob and Shirley enjoyed their life in Bella Visa. While teaching and during retirement, Bob and Shirley had many great travels together. In 2005 they finally settled in Santa Barbara, California where their son Steve lived. Shirley later moved to Cape Coral in 2017 to be near her daughter JoAnne.

Shirley is survived by her daughter JoAnne Frawley (Mike), and grandson Justin Astin and great-granddaughter Trinity Astin, son Stephen Underwood (Barbara), grandson Nathan Underwood (Kiana) and great-grandchildren Arasteh, Aram and Navid, granddaughter Keely Mann (Mike) and great-grandchildren Ethan, Emerson, Edyn and Kingston, granddaughter Kasandra Bacquet (Daniel) and great-grandchildren Tannyn, Tayli, Trax (named after the Traxler family name), Tavvi and Tyler (Veronica) and great-great grandchild Presley, step-grandson Christian Holst (Tamara) and step-great-grandsons Dominic and Sebastian, step-grandson Josh Worthen, step-granddaughter Paula Frawley, step-grandson Philip Frawley (Jeanette) and step-great-grandchildren Audrey, Peyton, Britta, and step-grandson Brian Frawley (Danielle).

New Banners for Downtown

City crews and Downtown Whitewater, Inc. volunteers removed holiday snowflake decorations and installed new light pole banners.

In 2018, Downtown Whitewater, Inc. designed and printed new light pole banners for the downtown area. It was a unanimous decision by the board of directors to put into production something that was different from logo-based ones of the past.

Board President Lisa Dawsey Smith says, “We’ve added a message to banners because one of the most important parts of any city/neighborhood/area is a sense of community. We hope that each member of the community will feel the same sense of connection to Whitewater that we do. Whether you are simply passing through, here for a degree, or here for a lifetime we truly hope that Whitewater will always feel like home to you.”

There are four different images on the banners: One a traditional Wisconsin fish fry, photographed with the assistance of local restaurant 841 Brewhouse; one a multigenerational family image photographed by UW-Whitewater graduate Leslie Jones; one a photo of a child playing with sidewalk chalk also photographed by UW-Whitewater graduate Leslie Jones; and one a photo of Fran Achen provided with permission by the family of Fran Achen whose studio was located in the Downtown.

Downtown Whitewater, Inc. is a volunteer-driven organization spearheading community efforts to re-energize and enhance our historic downtown. We are community advocates and volunteers who share a passion for Whitewater. We bring people from all walks of life together to celebrate Whitewater’s history and traditions, to care for our downtown neighborhood, and to inspire confidence and investments that are flowing toward an economically vibrant, engaging and exciting place in the heart of Whitewater – a place we love, a place we’re proud to call home, and a place where future generations can grow and take pride in calling their own.

Betty Joyce Hardy, 76, of Whitewater, answered the call of her father in her dream to come home on Thursday, January 3, 2019.

Betty was born on August 24, 1942 in Vesper, WI, daughter of the late Charles and Marie (Fruin) Strooisma. She married Thomas Hardy on May 23, 1970 in Whitewater.

Betty worked at UW-Whitewater for 34 years as a Classified Payroll Specialist and received several awards for her service. She was a diehard Packer fan, and enjoyed sewing and gardening. She also enjoyed art and culture, visiting many museums.

Betty is survived by her husband, Thomas of Whitewater; son, Steven (Tamara) Hardy of Whitewater; brothers, Charles (Darlene) Strooisma, Lyle (Carol) Strooisma and Arlin Strooisma; sisters, Marie (Donald) Rhodes, Harriett (David) Wickland, Diane Huckaby and Arlene Strooisma; sister-in-law, Valerie Strooisma and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Glen Strooisma.

A celebration of Betty’s life will be held on Friday, January 18, 2019, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at her home, N819 Howard Road, Whitewater.

Dunlap Memorial Home in Fort Atkinson is assisting the family. www.DunlapMemorialHome.com