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(Whitewater Historical Society press release)
It’s time for another round of #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society!

In November 1946, the Whitewater Register featured a promotion following the Uglow family of Heart Prairie on their Saturday Shopping Tour of Stores in the Business District.” Let’s check out some of the stores that Ellis and Dorothy, along with their children, Charlotte, Thane, and Bonnie, visited on their trip into town!
Here, Ellis and Dorothy stop to check out the now newly available electric ranges and listen to salesman Peterson’s pitch at the Burns Electrical Appliance & Supply Company. Located at 113 West Main Street, Burns Electrical opened in December 1945 and operated until 1954. Owners Thomas Burns and Ruth Burns went on to own and operate the Burns Industrial Supply Corporation until their retirement in 1971.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!
(UW-W press release) UW-Whitewater will celebrate the historic 150th class of Warhawks graduating in 2020 in a virtual ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. The combined event will include May, August and December graduates and will feature university leaders, student speakers, the reading of the names of all participating graduates and the official conferring of degrees. A total of 2,942 graduates earned degrees at UW-Whitewater in 2020.
The pre-recorded ceremony will be presented according to college, each with an estimated run time of one hour, so viewers can pause the recording to be sure to capture their graduating student’s moment. An electronic program will also be available for downloading.
This year’s commencement speaker is Melvin Juette, director of the Deferred Prosecution Program at the Dane County District Attorney’s Office. Juette, who earned a B.A. in social work with a minor in criminal justice in 1992, is a former member of the UW-Whitewater wheelchair basketball program, assistant coach of the U.S. team in the Paralympics and a co-author of the book “Wheelchair Warrior.”
The 2020 combined commencement ceremony features three student speakers.
Brian Martinez, who came to UW-Whitewater from Mt. Pleasant, earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a legal studies emphasis and a paralegal certificate. On campus, Brian served as a peer mentor and as intergovernmental affairs director for Whitewater Student Government. Along the way, he served as a Kenosha County Circuit Court intern.
Alexander Ostermann, from Cedarburg, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing major. Alex — who served as student body president, Warhawk Ambassador, Interfraternity Council president and Homecoming King — spent his collegiate years advocating for students, mentoring a new generation of young leaders and modeling public service and philanthropy.
Jaclyn Wolf is a liberal arts major from Janesville who is earning her Associate of Arts degree from UW-Whitewater at Rock County and will be continuing her studies at the Whitewater campus. Passionate about people, Jaclyn hopes to work with troubled youth, either as a social worker or a police officer.
The ceremony will recognize 298 undergraduates from the College of Arts and Communication, 890 from the College of Business and Economics, 378 from the College of Education and Professional Studies, 140 from the College of Integrated Studies, and 717 from the College of Letters and Sciences. An additional 22 students are receiving an undergraduate degree not specific to any college. Of the 2,445 undergraduate degrees awarded, 81 were completed online.
The School of Graduate Studies will award 497 degrees, including 473 master’s degrees and 24 doctorates.
The graduating class of 2020 includes 43 international students and 148 military veterans or service members.
Students are also participating in the university’s Warhawks Rising campaign, which celebrates milestones students submitted by graduating students, including job offers and graduate school acceptances. The photos will be posted to the university’s Facebook page starting the week of commencement.
The commencement ceremonies were produced by UWW-TV, the university television station.
For more information, visit uww.edu/commencement.

(Life Beyond Brain Injury press release) – COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the NCAA Division III 2020 fall football season, but the generosity and community spirit of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team are alive and well in a holiday auction to benefit a former student and brain injury survivor. The auction, which is being organized by business students at UW-Whitewater and hosted on eBay, will officially begin on December 8.
The Warhawks donated rare team collectables for the holiday benefit, including a game-worn helmet autographed by current head coach Kevin Bullis and retired head coach and Hall of Famer Bob Berezowitz. Coach Bullis also donated two limited-edition commemorative footballs from UW-Whitewater’s 2013 and 2014 national championships, and a Whitewater resident contributed a Warhawk football plaque. All four items will be sold as a group to raise funds for UW-Whitewater graduate and traumatic brain injury survivor Thomas Hapka.
Grace Jezuit, a junior Digital Marketing and Human Resource Management major at UW-Whitewater, is using her Facebook skills to help Hapka, and she hopes the school’s alumni will come together in this effort.
“Our alumni are an important part of the Whitewater family,” Jezuit said. “We need them to join us in helping out a fellow Warhawk in this time of need.”
Rob Davis, a junior Marketing and Film Studies major, is building an Instagram presence for Life Beyond Brain Injury.
“I hope to raise awareness about Tom’s incredible story and generate the support he needs,” Davis said. “Tom and his family have given many years to UW-Whitewater, and now they need their Warhawk family behind them.”
Salmai Valadez, a senior Marketing major, is lending her marketing expertise to the campaign for Hapka.
“I want to use my marketing and public relations skills to support Life Beyond Brain Injury and make the community aware of Tom’s story,” Valadez said.
Those wishing to participate in the auction are encouraged to visit https://www.lifebeyondbraininjury.org/ for details and to learn more about Tom’s story.
By Kristen Lippens
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
klippens@wwusd.org
Our team set some goals going into this game, reduce our turnovers, make our free throws and create more scoring opportunities. I am proud to say that we not only met our goals but exceeded them, beating East Troy 67 to 45.
Kindyl Kilar led the Whippets with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Kacie Carollo followed with 19 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds.
Lexi Juoni had 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Gwen Truesdale scored 8 points, had 3 blocks, and added 5 rebounds.
(Communication sent to Washington families on Dec. 5)
Dear Families,
The District adopted a plan requiring a school to shift to virtual instruction for three days after three positive COVID-19 cases are confirmed within a seven-day period. Unfortunately, we have confirmed three cases at Washington Elementary School, and the building will be closed for in-person attendance Monday. The building will be left vacant on Saturday and Sunday and deep cleaned on Monday. Students who have attended in-person instruction will resume their in-person schedule on Tuesday.
Contact Tracing:
Upon receiving the notification and confirmation, the school conducted initial contact tracing and has contacted any students or staff who were directly impacted by close contact via phone. If you did not receive a call, you were not a close contact.
Online Meals:
The deadline to order online meals for Monday will remain as 10:00 a.m. Sunday. Families are able to order meals by following this link: https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service. Meals ordered for pick up at Washington Monday will be available for pick up outside of Washington.
Online Instructional Schedule:
Students who have been participating in virtual learning last week will continue to follow their virtual schedule on Monday . For those students who have been attending in-person learning, families should check their child’s Seesaw account for their schedule and activities.
Best,
Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty
District Administrator
—
Estimadas familias,
El Distrito adoptó un plan que requiere que una escuela cambie a la instrucción virtual por tres días después de que se confirmen tres casos positivos de COVID-19 en un período de siete días. Desafortunadamente, hemos confirmado tres casos en la Escuela Primaria Washington, y el edificio estará cerrado para la asistencia en persona el lunes. El edificio quedará vacío el sábado y el domingo y se limpiará a fondo el lunes. Los estudiantes que hayan asistido a la instrucción en persona regresarán a su horario el martes.
Rastreo de contactos:
Una vez recibida la notificación y confirmación, la escuela realizó el rastreo de contacto inicial y ha contactado por teléfono a los estudiantes o personal que fueron afectados directamente por el contacto cercano. Si no recibió una llamada, no fue un contacto cercano.
Comidas en línea:
La fecha límite para ordenar comidas en línea para el lunes seguirá siendo el domingo a las 10:00 a.m. Las familias pueden ordenar las comidas siguiendo este enlace: https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service. Las comidas ordenadas para ser recogidas en Washington el lunes estarán disponibles para ser recogidas afuera de Washington.
Horario de instrucción en línea:
Los estudiantes que han estado participando en el aprendizaje virtual la semana pasada continuarán siguiendo su horario virtual el lunes. Para aquellos estudiantes que han estado asistiendo al aprendizaje en persona, las familias deben revisar la cuenta de Seesaw de su hijo para ver su horario y actividades.
Gracias,
Dra. Caroline Pate-Hefty
Administradora de Distrito

(Movie buff Mark Dorn news release) “The Good Liar”(Crime/Drama/Mystery) – Tuesday, December 8, 1 p.m. only; Rated R (Language, Violence);1 hour, 49 minutes (2019)
A career con man (Ian McKellen) sets his sights on his latest mark: a recently widowed woman (Helen Mirren), worth millions. He means to take it all. But as they draw closer, what should have been another simple swindle takes on the ultimate stakes. A chilling thriller!
You will need to wear a mask and sanitize hands. Bring your own beverage and snacks, no sharing. Please call, email, or sign up online at https://schedulesplus.com/wwtr/kiosk We no longer are allowing walk-ins so you must register if you will be attending. This allows us to implement physical distancing. Thanks so much!
(This announcement was released to WUSD families on December 3, but persons up to age 18 are eligible to participate even if not enrolled in WUSD.)
Dear Whitewater Community and Families:
We are pleased to announce the availability of breakfasts and lunches during winter break, provided at no cost, for all students and children in the community up to age 18. Preordering is required — continue reading to learn more.
Meals bags are available with either 7 or 14 days worth of breakfasts and lunches. (The 14-day meal bags will provide breakfast and lunch for each day of winter break, including weekends.)
All meals will be distributed on Monday, December 21, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (all five schools) and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (high school only). Children do not need to be physically present to receive the meal bags. Parents, guardians, and caregivers are able to pick up meal bags for all eligible children in the household.
Orders must be received by Monday, December 14, at 8am by submitting the online form available on this page: https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service
Individual meal orders will not be offered for December 21 and 22. The 7-day and 14-day meal bags will be the only meals offered that week.
These meals are provided at no cost from an expanded federal program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sincerely,
Lisa Griep
Food Service Supervisor
—
Estimadas Familias y Comunidad de Whitewater:
Nos complace anunciar la disponibilidad de desayunos y almuerzos durante las vacaciones de invierno, proporcionados sin costo alguno, para todos los estudiantes y niños de la comunidad hasta los 18 años. Es necesario hacer un pedido por adelantado… sigan leyendo para saber más.
Las bolsas de comida están disponibles con 7 o 14 días de desayunos y almuerzos. (Las bolsas de comida de 14 días tendrán el desayuno y el almuerzo para cada día de las vacaciones de invierno, incluyendo los fines de semana.)
Todas las comidas se distribuirán el lunes 21 de diciembre, de 11 a 12 horas (en las cinco escuelas) y de 4pm a 6pm (sólo en la escuela preparatoria). No es necesario que los niños estén físicamente presentes para recibir las bolsas de comida. Los padres, tutores y cuidadores pueden recoger las bolsas de comida para todos los niños elegibles de la casa.
Los pedidos deben ser recibidos antes del lunes 14 de diciembre a las 8 de la mañana enviando el formulario en línea disponible en esta página:
No se ofrecerán pedidos individuales de comida para el 21 y 22 de diciembre. Las bolsas de comida de 7 y 14 días serán las únicas comidas ofrecidas esa semana.
Estas comidas son proporcionadas sin costo alguno por un programa federal expandido en respuesta a la pandemia COVID-19.
Sinceramente,
Lisa Griep
Supervisora de Servicios de Alimentación
Obituaries
Janice Kay Brokmeier of Fort Atkinson, formerly of Whitewater, passed away peacefully on May 1, 2025, at Rainbow Hospice in Johnson Creek. Jan was born on June 7, 1942, in Stanford, Illinois to James Lloyd Smith and Eithel Amelia Ingram Smith. Jan moved to Wisconsin in December of 1955 with her parents and three of her brothers. She graduated from Fort Atkinson High School in 1960. Jan met Robert Joseph Brokmeier on March 13, 1958. Shortly after they met, they were married on August 26, 1961, at the First United Methodist Church in Whitewater. They had three children and resided … Read more
Read MoreDean Chris Dunne, 69, Fort Atkinson, formerly of Whitewater passed away on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at Alden Estates in Jefferson, WI. Dean was born on May 4, 1955 in Chicago, IL to Chris and Ann (Wagner) Dunne. He graduated from Whitewater High School in 1973. Dean enjoyed fishing, camping and was a good water-skier in the day. He and his family moved to Las Vegas in 1980. Dean worked in property maintenance in Las Vegas for over 20 years. He is survived by his children Nicholas (Amber) Dunne, Fort Atkinson, Linsey (Scott) Angione, Las Vegas, Chris (Kristyn) Dunne, Las … Read more
Read MoreKenneth Dale Semrau, 74, of Whitewater, passed away April 26, 2025, in Winterhaven, Fl. Kenneth was born to Donna and Garhart Semrau on February 6th, 1951, in Marinette, WI. Kenneth married Kristy Pfeifer on May 6, 1972. They had two beautiful children Chad and Nicole and five wonderful grandchildren and lots of fur-babies. That made his world complete. Ken retired from Nestle in 2012 and enjoyed retirement by spending his summers at Riverbend Resort in Watertown, WI and the winter in Winterhaven, FL. “Kenny G.” was known for his loving and playful personality. His family was always first and foremost. … Read more
Read MoreBruce E. LaBansky, 75, Whitewater died on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Alden Estates in Jefferson, WI. Bruce was born on November 28, 1949 in Sauk County, WI to Clarence and Velma (Nelson) LaBansky. He graduated from Mount Horeb High School and received his bachelor’s degree from UW Stevens Point. Faith, family and friends were very important to him. Bruce moved to Whitewater in 1980 where he raised his 3 sons Nelsen, Nathanial, and Nicholas. Bruce was an avid golfer, an outdoorsman with an impressive knowledge of all things nature, a sports fan (particularly the Bucks, Brewers and Packers). Family … Read more
Read MoreDr. Holly J. Humphrey November 28, 1956 – April 17, 2025 Holly J. Humphrey, MD, MACP, led the Pritzker School of Medicine through a period of transformative growth that saw the school rise to a place among the nation’s elite institutions of medical education, emerge as a powerhouse of scholarship and discovery, and become a pioneer in efforts to diversify the field of medicine. One of the nation’s most prominent and innovative leaders in medical education, her voice and influence made an immeasurable impact on the field and countless mentees throughout her career. Dr. Humphrey, who served for 15 years as Pritzker’s … Read more
Read MoreJohn Rivers, 61, of Whitewater, WI, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025, at his home after a short battle with cancer, with his wife by his side. Born on March 10, 1964, in Milwaukee, WI, to Bernie and MaryAnne (Sommers) Rivers Jr., John lived a life defined by perseverance and purpose. A 1982 graduate of East Troy High School, John spent more than 30 years as a dedicated truck driver. One of his proudest accomplishments came later in life when, at the age of 50, he returned to school and earned his bachelor’s degree while continuing to work full … Read more
Read MoreJohn J Liss, 54, of Whitewater passed away Wednesday, April 9th, 2025, at home surrounded by his family and special pets at his feet. John graduated from Whitewater High School. John married his best friend of 18 years on August 17, 2024. He worked factory jobs and decided to go back to school for HVAC in 2009. In 2010 John became disabled due to his health. John is survived by his wife Lacey Liss, daughter Mackenzie Liss, son Gabe (Hunter) Black, stepson William (Erika) Beaudin, bonus daughter Cassie, mother Judy Liss, brothers Joseph 3rd, Jesse, and Jason Liss, sister-in-law Cora … Read more
Read MoreRobert Andrae Mischka October 31, 1934 – April 13, 2025 Robert of Whitewater died at home April 13, 2025. He was born in Milwaukee on October 31, 1934 to Zaner and Helen (Burrill) Mischka. He attended Burlington High School and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1956 with a BBA degree in accounting. Robert married his high school sweetheart, Mary Margaret Wanasek of Burlington in 1954. Together they had 7 sons, two of which died as infants. After college they moved to Pittsburgh, Pa. where Robert spent 7 years working as an accountant for the U S … Read more
Read MoreAmy L Hookstead age 40 of Genoa City, WI died April 20, 2025. She was born in Burlington, WI on September 6, 1984, the daughter of Raymond Ghislain and Tina Kjellander. On May 24, 2015, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Slades Corners, WI she was united in marriage to Michael Hookstead. She worked for Randall Township as the Treasurer. Amy’s motto in life was family first and her life revolved around her kids and family and she would do anything to make them happy. She was an avid Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers fan. In her younger years she … Read more
Read MoreWaverly Ann Miles passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 at the age of 90. She was born in Whitewater, WI on June 17, 1934, to Kenneth and Edna (Krahn) Sutherland and graduated in 1951 from Whitewater College High School. She married Raymond Miles on June 18, 1955, in Whitewater, WI. Waverly worked for the First Citizens State Bank from the time she was in High School until her retirement. She enjoyed watching the Packers, Badgers, reading and most of all spending time with her family. She is survived by sons Eddie of Madison, WI and Todd (Barbara) Miles … Read more
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