Grant Fund Donors

GRANT FUND DONORS
$10,000 OR MORE
JOE & LINDA JACOBSON
$1,000 -$2,500
MICHAEL & NANCY JACOBSON
WAYNE & NANCY STEINBACH
DANIEL & KATHLEEN BRENZEL
GEORGE SZAFRANSKI
RENEE ENGMAN & MATT LINDBORG
BRUCE & TERESA MATHIS
MARK & DELL RIETH
TOM & JANET VANLIESHOUT
$99-$500
NORM DEBROUX
BARBARA ROLOFF
LUANN VONDRACEK
ROBERT & LAURA WELCH
KATHY & ROBERT ZIELINSKI
ED & SUE PATSCHKE
RAYMOND PLZAK
DOUG & ELLYN SACHS
TOM MCANDREWS
TIM & KELLY KELLY
JOHN MARTENS
JERRY SANDERFOOT
MARK & KIMBERLY VANABEL
ALAN VANZEELAND
TOM & KATHRYN WHITMAN
MARK & JUDITH ASMAN
MARGO & WILLIAM PERKINS
DAVID & DENISE WEYERS
ROBERT & JUDITH JANSEN
KAY ABEL & MARK PRIEBUSCH
TOM & TERRI BERGHUIS
KARLA & LEE BLAIR
ANN BONNEVILLE
CINDY BOOTS
KENNETH BROOKS
MIKE & PENNY BUTTS
LINDA & GENE COLLINS
MARGARET & BOB COONEN
NORA DEBRUIN
DON DERUS
KEITH & CHAR DONNERMEYER
TOM & PATTY DREIER
MELODI & DR. JAMES DUWELL
GERALD & JEAN EBBEN
CINDY & DANIEL HAEN
JOAN JENKINS
PAULA KAPLAN
JANE KAUFMAN
FRANK & JEANNE KUCHELMEISTER
KRISTINE LANDREMAN & PETER BEBEAU
ROBERT & BARBARA LUDKE
WILLIAM MCGINNIS
AMY & JOHN MOORE
MARK T NAGAN
RICHARD & GLORIA NAGEL
CHRIS & ANGIE ROLOFF
LEE & JOANNE SCHMALZ
LORRIE & JERRY SCHNEIDER
RICHARD & SUSAN SKIBBA
CHRIS TORGESON
TIM & NANCY VANABEL
BERNIE & BONNIE VANZEELAND
MARTY & BARB VANZEELAND
STEVE VERKUILEN
CELINE & GEORGE VORIS
JOHN C. & STEPHANIE WHITMAN MD
UP TO $100
TODD & MARY ARNOLDUSSEN
RICHARD & CHICKIE BUELOW
DONNA LAMERS
MIKE & ANN RYAN
KAY & STEPHEN VICTOR
BERT (BUD) & SUSAN BAUMGARTNER
SHERRY BENNETT
PATRICIA BERGHUIS
PAULA & DWAYNE BEYER
BETTY & JOHN BORREE
MARY BRITTEN
PATRICK & VICKI COURTNEY
RICHARD DAMRO
BOB & RITA DEBRUIN
JOAN & VIC EBBEN
KAREN & CHARLES ENGEL
VAL & CHARLIE FISCHER
DAVID L. & MARSHA FOXGROVER
JEROME GERRITS
LANCE & DONNA GOETZMAN
DAVID HEINDEL
DAN & STEPHANIE JOSEPH
IRV & JANET KEOUGH
MARY & BOB KOCH
BETTY & VICTOR KORD
JANE LANG
SARAH & TOM LARSEN
TOM & MARY K MCGINNIS
BARBARA & HARRY SCHIFF
STEVE & ROBIN SCHMIDT
RON & JANET VANDEHEY
DENNIS & JOSETTE VANDENBLOOMEN
YVONNE & DON VANDERVELDEN
KEVIN & TAMMY VANDEYACHT
KEN WESTPHAL
LINDA & MARTIN NACKERS
KAY & JOHN DAYTON
SUSAN & CHRIS DIETZEN
FRAN NELSON & PETER KORDIYAK
BARBARA & PETER BUECHEL
JERRY & CAROL EDERER
BILL & JUDY JANSEN
PAT & MAUREEN ANDREJESKI
KAREN & ROBERT BIESE
DONALD JR & ANN BISELX
MARY & BEN BLOY
PATTY BOSIN
NANCY & LEE CHEESBROUGH
JANET & JOHN DEYOUNG
KRISTINE FAHRBACH
KATHY GARGAS
MARY ANN & MICHAEL GARRITY
BILL & REBECCA GATZ
JEANE GIORDANA
ROBERT & PEGGY HIBBARD
DIANE & KEN HILL
SUSAN HINKENS
ROBERT HOELZEL
LORENA & ROBERT HOOYMAN
ROSE MARIE & JAMES HOOYMAN
JOAN & DON HUE
BONNIE JEROW
MARGARET & JOHN KILLA
ED & LELIA (LEE) LADENBURGER
SARAH & HANK MATHEWSON
MICHAEL & VALERIE NAGAN
JYL & JIM RANDERSON
RONALD & BARBARA REICHEL
ROBERT RUTTER
PATRICK & JEAN RYAN
DAN & VIVIAN SACHS
ED SCHAEFER
J. SCOTT & PAM SCHULER
GARY & JANET SCHWALENBERG
BETTY & DAVID SKWERES
STEVE & PEG VANDEHEY
THOMAS & SHERRY VANDENBERG
GAIL VANDERLOOP
DON VANGRINSVEN
PATRICIA VANLINN
JAMES & CHERYL VANSTIPHOUT
ED & PATTI VANZEELAND
DAN & MARGIE VERBETEN
JACK & LORRAINE VERHAGEN
DIANE & GERALD WACHDORF
TIM & JAYNE WEIGMAN
ROY BROEREN
CAROL VANZEELAND
LOIS DERFUS
GLENN & JOYCE HANSEN
DAVID & TANYA PAHL
SUSAN WISNESKI
LAVONNE & DONALD MUELLER

Deceased this past year

NameClass Year
DOROTHY WILPOLT TUCHSCHERER1936
VIRGINIA FAUST COUILLARD1938
GRACE HILDEBRANDT STEINWAY1938
LYNN ANGEVINE BLAKE1941
LORAINE SCHMIDT BRINK1942
FLORENCE O’CONNOR ROBERTS1944
LOIS BAYORGEON HERMSEN1946
FLORENCE GOLDEN HECKRODT1946
HELEN SCHMIDT LENZ1946
DUANE BUERTH1946
BERNICE DEBRUIN HAHN1947
MICHAELINE FAUST STEFFENS1947
JEAN SERVAES VANDERBLOOMEN1947
GERALD KEMPEN1947
MERNIE MELCHIORS ROLOFF1948
PATRICIA SIEF BRUX1948
EUGENE JACOBY1948
ROBERT MISCHLER1948
GERALD HELF1949
JACKIE SPIELBAUER1949
GEORGIANNA BRUECKER MCGINNIS1951
DAVID HEINDEL1951
WAYNE WIEDENHAUPT1951
EDRISS (EDEE) BALZA VANDEYACHT1952
JOYCE KRAUSE KELLEY1952
DONALD KROLL1952
ROBERT MILLER1952
MINNIE LENZ RUTTEN1953
JOAN VANDENHEUVEL ETTELDORF1953
SANDRA SCHULER ENGMAN1954
JOHN PENTERMAN1954
RICHARD BUELOW1955
JAMES EFFA1955
PAUL SAGER1955
JOAN ALGER SIKORA1956
LEI KUCHELMEISTER OTTE1956
SHARON PAHL HOFFMANN1956
MICHAEL COURTNEY1956
PAUL HEINDEL1956
DAVE KOCH1956
PAUL BIESE1957
RAY DRIESSEN1957
JERRY MICHOLIC1957
BARBARA WEISS1957
LILLIAN JANSEN COURT1958
DONNA KENNEY NEUDAUER1958
BLANCHE SIEBERS MEYER1958
JEROME REINKE1958
JERRY VANDERSTEEN1958
JANICE JANSSEN VANDENHEUVEL1959
RITA KILGAS GATZ1959
KARLA KUCHELMEISTER WOLFINGER1959
MARIANNE VANDERLOOP FELDKAMP1959
EUGENE VANZEELAND1959
GARY NOWACK1960
JIM NUSHART1960
MARILYN HILGENBERG VERKUILEN1961
GARY MCGOEY1961
DENNIS RAGEN1961
CAROL URBAN DERKS1962
JOYCE VANDERLOOP FIANNACA1962
JOANNE WIMBERGER COX1962
DAN REICHEL1962
ROY VANEPERN1962
CAROL LACE JENKINS1963
TIMOTHY FEMAL1963
THOMAS JOOSTEN1963
DAVID LAMERS1963
KENNETH GRISSMAN1964
CLIFFORD HOLSCHUH1964
GERALD MAKI1964
JOANN FLEMING HIETPAS1965
JOAN KRAMER PAIRON1965
DON ELRICK1965
MIKE HIETPAS1965
GERALDINE LODERBAUER1965
THEODORE SCHMITT1965
TOM VANLIESHOUT1965
NANETTE BRENZEL NIMMER1967
DONNA WHEELOCK SMITH1967
JUDY HUSS VERBOCKEL1968
BERYL KROMER BARKER1968
DAVID EGAN1968
PAUL SEEFELDT1968
NANCY REINHOLZ VANDENBOOGART1969
JOYCE VANWYCHEN SMUDDE1969
BUD NELSON1969
JANE FLEMING MATHIS1971
PATTY HUNGERFORD HINCHCLIFFE1971
DEBRA HANAGAN STOLLA1972
MARY VERBETEN AERTS1972
DEAN BOWERS1972
MIKE VERVOORT1972
SARAH KUHN MORGAN1973
DANIEL AUDEN1973
CORLISS THON DIEDERICH1974
ELIZABETH SCHULTZ MANSKE1975
JOHN HOPFENSPERGER1975
KATHLEEN KEINONEN1975
JOSEPH M VERHAGEN1975
KEITH KABAT1976
BILL BORREE1977
MIKE MINKEBIGE1978
STEVE NETTEKOVEN1978
BRADLEY CUMMINGS1979
PATRICK ROGERS1979
BARBARA SCHUBRING1979
AL DIX1980
DAVE LEMAY1980
GINNY BRUECKER KIHL1983
TROY ZACHARIAS1985
TINA LAVIOLETTE1987
COREY ROGERS1988
CORY VERKUILEN1993
ZACHARY SOLAND2005
BRIAN LEE GERRITS2007
NATHAN HENNES2012

Joe Jacobson 2023 rallymaster

Serving as the rallymaster at this year’s Kaukauna Alumni Foundation Rally is Joe Jacobson from the Class of 1973. A proud Kaukauna High School alumnus and treasurer of the alumni association, Jacobson is a former owner of Amusement Devices, located in Menasha, that has its roots in Kaukauna, having been founded by his parents, Gordon and Marjorie Jacobson in 1964 with a game room in Kaukauna.

He remembers being a good student in the classes he liked and having a lot of fun in high school and got to meet a lot of people. Fifty years later, he was surprised to be asked to be the rallymaster for the 87th annual rally on Saturday, June 17. “I’m kind of honored that she thought of me,” he said, noting when he received a call from the Chairman of the Board, Kristine Landreman, “It never even dawned on me that’s why she was calling me. I thought she was calling me to get my thoughts on other people.”

Jacobson remembers a different Kaukauna than it currently is, with the north and south sides separated by not only the river but almost culturally. He remembers how fun it was to meet kids from the other side of the river when he got to junior high, then the high school, as well as the bus kids and those from Hollandtown.

He’s a “northsider,” going to Holy Cross School and Park School before heading across the river to Electa Quinney Junior High School from the family home on the corner of Grignon and Ducharme streets. “We lived in the Grignon woods and White City Park and the river,” he said. “Like most kids those days, we probably played kickball or softball every day and, in the winter, it was football and basketball.” There was also sledding in White City Park and over to Mount Misery when they wanted a big challenge.

He grew up in the family business owned by his parents, working for them starting when he was young. “They were wonderful parents,” he said. “All of us grew up working with them. It was funny because for quite a few years we called them by their first names because we were employees and worked with them.” Joe said he was probably in his 30s before he started calling his mother “mom” again. His older brother Michael “Jake” graduated in 1969, his brother Kurt is a year younger than him and brother Eric is three years younger. His sister Ann is five years younger, and Karen is eight years younger.

“Other than my older brother who lives in Boston, we all still live here in the valley,” he said.

He has three children — Sophia, Jamie Lynn, and Jordyn Marjorie — with his wife Linda, and they’ve been married for 30 years. “I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

He moved to Darboy 24 years ago, and his children graduated from Kimberly High School and his oldest two never saw the Papermakers lose a football game in four years of high school.

When he was in high school, he got good grades in the classes he liked and not so good grades in the classes he wasn’t too interested in. “Teachers had a lot to do with that,” he said. “If there was a teacher who made it interesting, if I was really involved, I was a good student.” He wrestled “not very well” his first two years of school because Dave Specht, who became an assistant wrestling coach, was good friends with his father. He learned more about commitment while wrestling but because he was working at a young age, he knew about that before wrestling. He had a Post-Crescent paper route that involved not only daily deliveries but collecting money every week. “You had to pay the Post-Crescent even if your customers didn’t pay you.”

The family owned the pool hall on the north side of Kaukauna, called the Side Pocket, which was open until the late 60’s, when it burned down. A new game room was built after the fire. It was called The Phoenix, the bird that rose from the ashes. In a few years, the game room became a supper club and then became a tavern called Little Joe’s, which was run by Joe. A number of years later, Eric took over and it was renamed The Phoenix. Besides running the game room and bar, Gordon and Marjorie started a business that provided pool tables, jukeboxes, and pinball games to local businesses. Gordon and Marjorie also owned a restaurant in Kaukauna on the south side called the Iron Horse which had a game room attached to it called The Caboose. Kurt Jacobson ran the restaurant once he graduated in 1974. After closing the restaurant in the late 70’s, the building was used for a warehouse and a shop area for the game business before being sold to make way for Burger King. That area is now part of the Kaukauna municipal complex. The current business, Amusement Devices Inc., has been in business for more than 40 years.

A genuine people person, Joe loves running into long-time friends during his travels, especially at area restaurants.

He remembers growing up during an interesting time in the world where girls were allowed to wear culottes. Before that, girls had to wear skirts and boys were not allowed to wear blue jeans.  “All that got changed before we were freshmen in high school because someone sued the school board or whatever,” he said. “There was a lot of change in the world in the late 60’s and early 70’s.”

He listed his favorite high school teachers as Jerry Kudla, Bernie Hupperts, Miss Kallander, Ed Flynn, Jerry Kroll, and his math teachers. In junior high, he liked Gene Ploetz, Miss Church, and Bill Flynn.

After high school, Joe ran Little Joe’s on Wisconsin Avenue and went to Fox Valley Tech to learn a trade and was hired as a sheet metal apprentice. “That was an enjoyable profession,” he said.  He probably would have been happy doing that for the rest of his life, but his brothers kept trying to hire him and he eventually said yes.

While he’s become a numbers guy for the business and the treasurer of the Alumni Foundation, he doesn’t have any formal training. “None other than Ron Margelofsky in high school and a lot of on-the-job training in business,” he laughed.

His dad had an accounting degree, and his sister is a CPA, so the business has always been blessed with good numbers people. “If there’s something I don’t understand, I have a CPA in the office and they can explain it to me,” he said. His niece, Lauren Van Ryzin, also a Kaukauna High School graduate, is also a CPA and works for the business.

Joe got involved in the Alumni Foundation when he was in Tommy G’s one night and Steve McDaniel and Pat Ryan came in after a meeting and started talking about the alumni and suggested he come to a meeting. He was on the board for a year before he became the treasurer. “I didn’t know Pat from Adam, but Steve was my classmate,” he said.  Joe is now down to working part-time, when he wants to, and is looking forward to getting out in a few years, since the company recently completed the process of selling to its employees.

He still likes to golf, ski, bow hunt, and travel. Being this year’s rallymaster is a little daunting for him because he’s been to many rallies and knows it’s a big deal. “I like to talk, and I get along with everyone, but I don’t do a lot of formal speaking,” he said. “It’s a big deal but it’s not like I’m making a speech in Congress or anything like that.”

He started making notes for his speech in the winter and he’s been talking to classmates about high school to bring up memories for his speech. Above all, he wants to be entertaining. “I’ve found they were all good but in the early years it was a way more serious affair and I just find it more entertaining when they’re talking about the old times,” he said.

Alumni Thank You

George Szafranski, Kaukauna High School Class of 1994, was a recipient of the
Kaukauna Alumni Foundation’s scholarship. Kaukauna Alumni Foundation recently
received the following correspondence from George, and we commend him for his
achievements and success since graduating from Kaukauna High School and receiving
the KHS Alumni Foundation’s scholarship.
“I am a proud recipient of the 1994 KHS Alumni Association grant of $1,100.
They say timing is everything and back in 1994 that was certainly true. My father
passed away from cancer in 1992. I was 16 years old at the time. The prospect
of the future was scary with only a part-time job during the summer and a
deceased parent.
I received advice from my guidance counselor, Richard Retzlaff, to apply for
every grant I qualified for. I was lucky enough to win this KHS grant. I was also
given independent study by Electronics teacher, Robin Rolfs, my senior year.
These credits I earned transferred to Fox Valley Technical College which in turn
allowed me to cover my first semester of college.
The guidance I received from KHS staff and the kindness of the KHS Alumni
Grant directly shaped my future.
I went on to earn my degree in Electronic Science from Fox Valley Technical
College. I have been working for a Fortune 40 company the last 25 years. My
job has varied from computer repair, network installation and maintenance,
software development, anti-malware administration, server administration,
security administration, database administration, technical architecture, SIEM
management, to cyber security. I hold a leadership position and am presently
part of a world class CSOC (Cyber Security Operations Center). We monitor
threats around the world that impact the US and its assets and resources.
Please accept my deepest gratitude for taking a chance on me. I’m proud to be
able to reciprocate payment. I still proudly have the plaque that was given to me.
Sincerely, George Szafranski”
We at Kaukauna Alumni Foundation congratulate George for his outstanding
accomplishments.