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Today is Saturday, June 7, 2025
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It’s time again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society!
This week’s image shows Howard Winn (1888-1974) at his desk in the Railway Express Office in Whitewater along with customers or employees. The Railway Express was similar to today’s FedEx or UPS, arranging with the railroads to transport freight and packages. This image was probably taken around 1920 when the Express Office was located across from the Whitewater Depot on Whitewater Street. By the late 1940s, the Express Office had moved into the old freight depot (demolished 1990). Howard Winn worked for the Express company for 48 years (1911-1959) until the office closed. Jeff and Harvey Winn (grandsons) recently donated the desk to the museum.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!
(photo donated by Jeff & Harvey Winn, Whitewater Historical Society)
Per an article in the Janesville Gazette, “Former Parker standout athlete Ryan Callahan, now the athletic director at UW-Whitewater, had the best of both worlds Thursday night when he served as guest speaker at the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame’s 2020 induction banquet.
The banquet—delayed a year due to COVID-19—saw Mistie McCray Bass, Ron Brown, John Koebler, Joe Shere and Anne Sonka Nagle added to the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame.
The event also gave Callahan a chance to talk about two things he loves: UW-Whitewater athletics and growing up in Janesville.”
To read the rest of the article courtesy of Yahoo News click here.
You know it’s October in Whitewater when the members of the Whitewater Lions Club are fixin’ and mixin’ their famous pancake batter. Sadly, with another increase in cases of the COVID-19 Virus, we will again have to forego our beautiful in-clubhouse settings. This year, on Sunday October 31th the Lions will be hosting another Drive Thru Pancake Breakfast. As always, the profits will be donated to the Whitewater Food Pantry. The golden-brown pancakes, delightful fluffy scrambled eggs and delicious sausages will be prepared, packaged and handed to you as you drive through the Lions parking lot at N7462 Kettle Moraine Drive.
The Drive Thru will be open for business from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
THANK YOU for your generous free-will donations.
Make checks payable to the Whitewater Lions Club. We will also be accepting non-perishable food items for the Whitewater Food Pantry.
In conjunction with the Lions Club Drive Thru Breakfast, the Whitewater Lions are conducting a 50/50 Raffle that includes a bonus prize. The winner of the second drawing will win an intimate Barrel-Celler Wine Tasting for two at the Staller Estate Winery, Delavan. (A $100 Value!) Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Tickets are available at the breakfast or contact any Whitewater Lion or Lion Larry Runoe at (262) 473-3076.
Drawing will occur at the Lions Meeting to be held on November 9, 2021.
Our thanks to Carol McCormick for sharing this interesting photo. Carol writes, “Photographed through a patio screen, it appears that bird baths are community property! Thank goodness she didn’t decide to take a bath!”
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Whitewater Volleyball defeated Big Foot Thursday, October 7th, 3-1 by the scores of 25-21, 12-25, 25-19 and 25-18.
Avery Hintz 
Cali Kopecky
Many players contributed to the team’s success Thursday night. Jenna Pope dominated at the net with 6 total blocks and added 4 kills. Jenna played confidently and was able to shut down Big Foot’s middle attack.
Freshman Calli Grosinske had her best match setting for the year. She did an outstanding job distributing her sets and worked hard to set our middle in transition.
Seniors Nikita Hartzheim and Savannah Hill had breakout games. Nikita came in and served tough, hitting Big Foot’s seams, which kept them out of system. Savannah Hill played her best game to date, having solid contact on the ball when hitting, and helping provide a strong block.
Sophomore Aidyn Amundson had her best game to date, also. She worked really hard to close blocks and be up and available to hit. She is getting more and more confident each time she plays.
The Whippets have one more conference match on Thursday, October 14, in Clinton. They will close out the regular season at the Rock Valley Conference Tourney in Edgerton on Saturday, October 16th.
Stat Leaders:
Aces: Kindyl Kilar-3
Kills: Kindyl Kilar-24
Blocks: Jenna Pope-6
Assists: Avery Hintz-16, Calli Grosinske-12
Digs: Kindyl Kilar-23
Article Submitted by Kathy Bullis
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
kbullis@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Bob and Peter Mischka
Our thanks to Tom Ganser for sharing these photos of the fun Homecoming activities on October 1 and the dance on October 2.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
According to an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MJS), Stephanie Goettl Vander Pas, a UW-W graduate and former Whitewater Common Council member, filed a complaint on October 5 in U.S. District Court alleging that university officials were aware of Pete Hill’s sexually abusive behavior and failed to take timely action to stop it. Hill was the husband of former Chancellor Beverly Kopper, and he was banned from campus in 2018 after an investigation into sexual harassment of students and staff members.
MJS indicated that Jeffrey Angileri, UW-W Executive Director of University Marketing and Communication, referred questions to the UW System. UW System spokesman Mark Pitsch said Wednesday: “We just received this, and do not comment on pending litigation.”
Click here for an article in the LaCrosse Tribune.
Click here for an article in the Lake Geneva Regional News.
Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Irvin L. Young Library.
Obituaries
Clarence Everett Hansen, Jr. (Bud), 87, passed away on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at his family home in LaGrange, WI at 1:30 PM. Bud was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on December 6, 1937, to Clarence Hansen Sr. and Ruth (Dalson) Hansen and was baptized at Bethlehem Church in Milwaukee. Bud graduated from Lutheran High School in Milwaukee on June 9, 1955. Following high school, Bud enlisted in the US Army and was a light weapons specialist and sharpshooter. He was stationed in Germany and upon honorable discharge, served in the Army Reserves until 1962. Bud married his wife, of 63 … Read more
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Edward (Ed) Geske passed away to the Great Workshop in the Sky on May 25, 2025, due to years of severe infections of the urinary tract. Edward E. Geske was born on Thanksgiving Day to Elmer and Alice McMillan Geske on November 25, 1943 at the family home in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He was accompanied by his twin sister, Marjorie, on this momentous occasion. Edward’s siblings are: Nancy(Tom) Trewyn, Arlene (Richard) Trewyn, Marjorie Petska, Susan (Gordy) Gimiski, Ray (Patti) Geske, and Mary (Gale) Smith. Ed grew up and attended elementary school in Lima Center, WI, later graduating from Whitewater High School. … Read more
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Irv A. Madsen, 86, Whitewater, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, March 02, 2025. He was born in Askov, MN on May 20, 1938, to Ludvig and Augusta Madsen. Irv graduated from Amery High School in 1956 and received his Bachelor’s Degree from UW-Whitewater in 1960 and his Master’s Degree from UW-Madison in 1965. He began his career teaching Business Education at Milton High School and then moved to UW-Whitewater to become the Director of Admissions for 42 years. During his time at UW-Whitewater he coached Women’s Softball, announced Football games for 50 years and was “the voice of … Read more
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Faith Ann Hansen, 83, passed away on the evening of Monday, May 19th at Alden Estates in Jefferson, Wisconsin. She was born on April 20th, 1942, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Donald Hansen and Doris (Ceel) Hansen. Faith graduated from Brookfield Central High School. Following high school she married Clarence (Bud) Hansen, Jr. and owned and ran the Twin Oaks Inn bar in Little Prairie, WI. Faith then worked at the Lakeland Nursing Home for over 30 years, while there earning her nursing degree from MATC in 1992. She was a member of First English Lutheran Church in Whitewater … Read more
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Ann S. Eckert, 85, of Port Charlotte, FL, died on Monday, April 7, 2025, at Advent Hospital in Port Charlotte, FL. She was born in Madison, WI, on October 16, 1939. Ann was the only child of Clifford and Virginia Peterson. Ann was married for 65 years to Rev. Jerry Eckert. They had two children, David and Karen. Ann was a 1957 graduate of New London High School and earned her BS degree at Texas Women’s University in Denton, TX, in 1961 with a major in home economics education. She taught a year in Seagoville, TX, and a part of … Read more
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Robert (Bob) John O’Hara, a cherished member of our family and friends, passed away May 19, 2025. Bob was born September 14, 1956, to Charlotte Anna (Wallack) Lewers and Robert James O’Hara. Bob grew up in Elk Grove Village, IL and graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1974. He relocated to Whitewater, WI in 1986 and worked various warehouse distribution positions and ended his career as a manager. A significant life event occurred in 1998 when his precious daughter, Kelly Lynd O’Hara, was born. Kelly was an important focus of his life and he enjoyed watching her grow … Read more
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BRADLEY TERESA ANN Teresa Ann Bradley, age 84, of Yankton, SD passed away Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at Avera Sister James Care Center, Yankton, SD. Memorial service will be 10:30 am Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Yankton with Fr. Thi Pham officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Onsite Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent at www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com. Teresa Ann was born in Chicago, Illinois, November 23,1940, to Paul and Hildegard (Weinandt) Bradley. She lived on a 5-acre farm in what is … Read more
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Michael “Mike” J. Higgins, age 69, a lifelong resident of Whitewater, passed away May 13, 2025, at home. He was born May 15, 1955, in Fort Atkinson, the son of Merwyn “Mert” and Mary Ann (Krause) Higgins. He attended Whitewater schools and was a long-time mechanic at Fero’s Auto Repair, enjoying lunches at Rick’s at his reserved table. He retired after many years of service of the Whitewater Fire and Rescue Departments as Chief. He enjoyed spending time up north at his property hunting. He leaves behind long-time love of his life, Jody Buckingham and kids, Sherry (Al Jr.) Lemke … Read more
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Susan (Sue) Rhoda Schlough (nee Smith) was born August 11, 1936, in Barron, WI to Daniel and Ella Smith. The second of six siblings born during the Depression years, family-life was a meager and frugal experience, where Sue gained first-hand experience in making best use of all resources to meet the needs of a large family, which served her well in other life endeavors. During Sue’s teenage years, three significant events occurred that would become the foundation of her life’s work and dedication. The first of these events was choosing to become a Methodist, joining her local First United Methodist … Read more
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Jerry Wayne “Gorbs” GorbyDecember 8, 1942 – May 4, 2025 Jerry Wayne Gorby, affectionately known as “Gorbs,” passed away peacefully on May 4, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. Born on December 8, 1942, in Washington, Pennsylvania, Jerry brought joy, humor, and boundless energy to all who knew him. He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Carolyn Gorby, his daughters Tricia Gorby and Tina Jones (Paul Jones), and his treasured grandchildren: Ciara, Sydney, and Donovan Jones, and Aysha and Kai Knoot. He was preceded in death by his parents, Florence and Harold Gorby, and his brother, Douglas … Read more
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