News & Events

By Marcia James

You already have read the article about the Madison Brass Band performing at Whitewater High School’s Auditorium this Saturday night at 7 p.m.  But the story doesn’t end there.  In the band are Dr. Don Deal and his former student, Griffin James, a Whitewater High School graduate–1999.

Griffin plays euphonium, Don’s instrument, and when Griffin was a student in the Whitewater School District, he was blessed with having many fine music instructors including Christine Hayes, John Tuinstra, and Don Deal.

Don received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his mentor was John Stevens, who later became Griffin’s major professor and father-in-law!

Don and Griffin have collaborated on several projects.  For instance, when Griffin is unavailable to lead his polka band, Don substitutes.  

Griffin is the high school band director for the Baraboo School District.  He is also the UW-Sauk County, Platteville, and Baraboo Community Band Director.  His wife, the former Katie Stevens, is the choir director for the Baraboo School District.

Don and Griffin hope to see you this Saturday!

Fly the United States Flag at Half-Staff on Thursday, May 15, 2025 in Honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day

May 11 through May 17, 2025, is Police Week. May 15, 2025, is Peace Officers Memorial Day. 

On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we honor our brave officers who serve on the front lines to protect our families, safeguard our communities, and shoulder a burden of responsibility that most Americans cannot fathom. This week and always, we honor the courageous men and women serving in law enforcement and memorialize those who sacrificed their lives defending the thin blue line.

The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library is hosting an online fundraising auction featuring card catalogs, furniture, and more. As the library moves into Phase Three of their Expansion and Renovation Project, proceeds from the online auction will help give the library a funding boost.

The link for the auction website is here.

By bidding on furniture and other items that the library can’t use after the remodel you are not only supporting the new library but also getting a piece of Whitewater history! 

Bidding will take place from 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 12th and will end at 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21st. 

Winning bidders will need to pick up their items between Thursday, May 22nd – Saturday, May 31st during open library hours. Please be prepared to move your items as staff will not be able to do it for you. 

Please contact the library with any questions!

The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. Contact the library at 262-473-0530 with questions.

From an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Wisconsin’s depleted roster of drive-in movie theaters is shorter by two.

The Highway 18 Outdoor Theatre, W6423 Highway 18 in Jefferson (at Highways 18 and 89), closed after the end of the 2024 season. Owner Lee Burgess — who had put the drive-in property up for sale after the 2023 season — announced in September 2024 he was retiring and again putting the property up for sale.

The drive-in, which was built in 1953, was in bankruptcy when Burgess bought it. He reopened the Highway 18 in 2000……The drive-in property is currently listed for sale at $595,000….

The loss of the Highway 18 and Chilton Twilight leaves Wisconsin with eight drive-in movie theaters, and only one in southeast Wisconsin: the Milky Way Drive-In Theatre in Franklin, which opens for the season May 16.”

The link to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article is here.

Lakeside Lutheran High School student Tessa Schmocker is being recognized as Wisconsin Dairy Female Athlete of the Month for May by the Wisconsin Sports Network and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.  Tessa received this honor because of her balance of school and athletic achievements as well as working on her family’s farm Go Sho Cattle Dairy in Whitewater. She is the 3rd generation of family helping to run the farm. Her athletic achievements include playing on the school’s golf team where they were conference and regional champion and named to the Academic All-State team. She is also the Valedictorian of her class. This is all while balancing her work on the farm where she milks, cleans out pens, feeds heifers and milks calves. She is also in charge of the young stock, feeding milk and grain as well as halter-breaking calves and working with them before shows. 

Editor’s note: This press release was received from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of Hmong-Lao Veterans Day, Proclaims “Hmong-Lao Veterans Day” Across the State

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today signed Executive Order #260, ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Wed., May 14, 2025, in honor of Hmong-Lao Veterans Day. “Members of our Hmong-Lao veteran community bravely served this nation during the Vietnam War and in conflicts since, and these heroes deserve every honor and respect they’ve earned,” said Gov. Evers. “As governor, it’s important to me that we protect, defend, and support the veterans who’ve protected, defended, and supported us, and that includes our Hmong-Lao heroes.” During the Vietnam War, thousands of Hmong-Lao people courageously fought alongside the United States and, following the end of the war, faced harsh retribution from the Vietnamese and Lao governments for their service. Many Hmong-Lao soldiers and their families were ultimately forced to flee their homes, and many later resettled in communities throughout the United States, including in Wisconsin. Today, Wisconsin is home to the third-largest Hmong population in the United States. On May 14, 2021, Gov. Evers signed 2021 Wisconsin Act 31, designating May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day in Wisconsin, as May 14, 1975, was the last day of airlift evacuation of remaining Hmong-Lao soldiers and their families from the covert headquarters in Long Tieng, Laos to the Nam Phong refugee camp in Thailand. 2021 Wisconsin Act 31 requires the governor to annually issue a proclamation for the observance of Hmong-Lao Veterans Day that orders the flags at the State Capitol Building to be flown at half-staff, requests that the day be used to recognize Hmong-Lao veterans’ accomplishments and to thank Hmong-Lao veterans for their service, and encourages schools to discuss Hmong military service in support of the armed forces of the United States.  Gov. Evers has proclaimed May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day in Wisconsin each year since assuming office in 2019. A copy of the governor’s 2025 “Hmong-Lao Veterans Day” proclamation is available here. In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Vietnam War and the Secret War in Laos, among other events that significantly impacted the lives of millions in Southeast Asia, Gov. Evers also recognized the 50th anniversary to honor the resilience of Southeast Asian American communities.  A copy of the governor’s “50th Anniversary to Honor the Resilience of Southeast Asian American Communities” proclamation is available here.  Gov. Evers has long made supporting the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of Wisconsin’s Hmong and Asian American communities, including Hmong-Lao veterans, a priority of his administration. Last year, Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 205, which ensures Hmong veterans can have veteran status on their driver’s license or ID by adding to the definition of “veteran” any person who was admitted to the United States under the Hmong Veterans’ Naturalization Act. Additionally, Gov. Evers celebrated Hmong Heritage Month last year by signing 2023 Wisconsin Act 266, requiring schools to include education on the contributions and history of Hmong Americans and Asian Americans in Wisconsin. Wisconsin law requires K-12 schools to teach Black American, Hispanic American, and Native American history. 2023 Act 266 added Hmong and Asian American histories to this required curriculum, promoting greater awareness and understanding among Wisconsin students of the histories, cultures, and traditions of these diverse communities in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers also proclaimed April Hmong Heritage Month in accordance with national observances. The governor’s proclamation can be found here.

Written by Kristine Zaballos

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will celebrate the achievements of its graduates on Saturday, May 17, and Tuesday, May 20, as proud families and friends gather for the 2025 spring commencement ceremonies on the Whitewater and Rock County campuses.

Commencement on the Whitewater campus

On the university’s Whitewater campus, a total of 1,470 May and August graduates will cross the stage on May 17 to receive their degrees. The morning ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m., recognizes 667 undergraduate and 128 graduate students from the College of Arts and Communication, the College of Business and Economics and the School of Graduate Studies.

The afternoon ceremony begins at 3 p.m. and recognizes 526 undergraduate students and 146 graduate students from the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Integrated Studies, the College of Letters and Sciences, and the School of Graduate Studies. An additional four degrees are not specific to any college.

The ceremonies, which last approximately two hours each, will be held in the Kachel Fieldhouse at the Williams Center.

Included in the graduates crossing the stage on May 17 will be 111 students who are veterans, 7 international students and 204 nontraditional undergraduate students, defined as undergraduate students who are 25 years of age or older. In addition, 171 self-identified students with disabilities will receive degrees.

Seven graduates of the university’s LIFE Program, which provides a complete college experience for young adults between the ages of 18-25 who have an intellectual disability, will cross the stage during the afternoon program — including two who are earning an advanced certificate.

The commencement speaker for the morning ceremony on the Whitewater campus is Lynn Gardinier, a 1990 graduate who earned a BBA in accounting. On campus, she realized accounting allowed her to combine her interest in numbers with her love of working with people, a calling that resulted in a decades-long career with Baker Tilly, a coast-to-coast advisory, tax and assurance firm. She said the firm leads with its core values of integrity, passion, stewardship and belonging — values she experienced through her education at UW-Whitewater.

The commencement speaker for the afternoon ceremony on the Whitewater campus is Julie Anding, who earned a B.S. in psychology in 1990 and an M.S. in guidance and counseling in 1992. On campus, the first-generation college graduate found a nurturing environment that propelled a love of learning and serving others that she ultimately carried to a 26-year career with Harley Davidson. She has served on the board of both the Harley-Davidson Foundation and the UW-Whitewater Foundation, as well as the Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of Letters and Sciences.

The student speaker for the morning ceremony is Kylie Bilello, a Menomonee Falls High School graduate who is earning her BBA in management with an emphasis in nonprofit. On campus, she has been involved in the American Marketing Association’s UW-Whitewater chapter, where she has served as the social impact division president. In 2024, she was among a group who traveled to Guatemala to volunteer to create a website and social media outreach for a group of single mothers starting their own businesses.

The student speaker for the afternoon ceremony is Megan Hayes, a graduate of Northland Pines High School in Eagle River who will earn a B.A. in English with a minor in theatre. On campus she participated in the productions “Much Ado About Nothing” and “A Place with the Pigs” as well as “Outrunnable,” a four-part miniseries that touches on the difficulties of grief and addiction. She was able to explore her faith on a deeper level through the campus chapter of the student organization Cru. Along the way, she was named to the Dean’s List nine times.

The commencement ceremonies on the Whitewater campus will be broadcast live online by UWW-TV, the university television station.

Commencement on the Rock County campus

The graduation ceremony for the College of Integrated Studies students at UW-Whitewater at Rock County will be held on Tuesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the gymnasium of the Wells Cultural Center.

The commencement speaker is Jane Blain Gilbertson, owner and executive chair of Blain’s Farm & Fleet. The company was founded in 1955 and currently employs 5,500 associates in stores throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. A Janesville native, Blain Gilbertson received her Bachelor of Science in Retailing from Miami University. She currently serves as vice chair of the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and on the board of the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation, Janesville Performing Arts Center, and the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.

The student speaker is Gloria Lara, a Delavan resident and mother of three who is earning her Associate of Arts and Sciences. Her academic goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work followed by a dual master’s degree in social work and public health. She eventually hopes to develop a nonprofit community-based program to support first-generation daughters of immigrants.

During the ceremony, the Outstanding Alumni Award will be presented to Aimee Thurner, who attended URock in 1998. She is the president and CEO of the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce, where she has worked for more than 20 years, and serves on the board of directors for Visit Beloit and the Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation.

The Excellence in Teaching Awards will also be announced at the Rock County campus ceremony.

For more information about UW-Whitewater’s commencement ceremonies, visit our commencement page.