Classmate Profiles

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Bill Harris

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): I went to Midvale, Van Hise, West for 10th and 11th, and Malcom Shabazz for senior year.



Jim Dott and I were the editors of the special Earth Week edition of the West High Times in 10th grade. Matt Friedlander had heard about Prof. Phil Lewis in the UW Landscape Architecture Department, and his E-Way concept, so Matt and I went to the department to interview Dr. Lewis for the paper. Walking into that department blew my mind. It looked nothing like any of the other departments at UW. There were colorful drawings, plans, and physical models all over the place. There was a cool loft space. The place was humming with energy. Hmm, what is landscape architecture I wondered?



It took me until my junior year at UW to declare my major. I was ready a year earlier but when I told my mom I had to transfer into the Ag School, she replied “and when are you going to get your education?”. That was enough to delay my plans for a year as I second-guessed my choice based on my mom’s negative reaction. The major was popular and there were few spaces available. Starting as a junior, I would have been an undergrad for 7 years working my way through the program. I signed up anyway.



Once in the program, my advisor recommended I go ahead and graduate on time with a Natural Resource Analysis and Management major from the LA Dept., and then go to grad school, thereby taking those 7 years to get two degrees instead of one. I took a year off after the UW, working temporary jobs for the Bureau of Land Management in the New Mexican desert and the Colorado mountains. I also established residency in Oregon during that year, so I could attend grad school at U of O for in-state rates. I had some West High friends there (Ellen Antonie and Gary Hansbrough, Jim “Buck” Buchanan, Mike Kirk, Mark Blumenfeld). Jim Dott was there in grad school also and we were roommates for a couple years. Those 3 years were a blast.



I graduated again in 1981, during a major recession, one that hit construction and Oregon’s timber economy especially hard. There were mill towns in Oregon with 50% unemployment. I was working part time in a local Landscape Architecture firm during school, but when June came around, my boss said “Bill, I can no longer employ you. Time to look elsewhere to start your career.”



Thanks to having some practical experience during school, I received several job offers in San Francisco, which at that time was the Mecca of our profession. My initial intention was to work in the big city for three years to get my “big league” experience and then move somewhere smaller, more natural, and less hectic. That plan did not work.



I worked for three different firms in the Bay Area for my first 20 years in practice, then started Harris Design in 2001. My work has been varied, with a major emphasis on public work (parks, trails, streetscapes, public schools, transportation). I am not a garden designer. My clients have typically been cities, counties, and special districts through the public works and parks departments. Somehow, I was able to keep the practice going for the past 21 years in this highly competitive metro area. The Great Recession was quite an experience, but the firm stayed intact. Always small, we had 6 people at our height, and now it’s just me putting these final projects to bed, working off and on a few hours at a time, but mostly not working.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Married with no children. I have two grand-nephews who live in Australia (one just born on Aug. 8th), and one grand-nephew in Portland Oregon.



Rosemary Malone and I live in the west-facing Oakland Hills, 1400 feet above the Bay. We do not have one of those panoramic views (adds a couple hundred thou to the house price), but when I am stationed at my Weber Grill, I can see through the openings in the forest out to the Bay Bridge and beyond to the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, and the open ocean. I like the perspective. We are a block away from thousands of acres of East Bay Regional Parks District land with miles of trails winding through redwood trees and babbling brooks with hawks circling and owls hooting.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): Retirement: Third Act in Life. I have been winding down my practice the past two years and there is very little winding left to do. I left my design studio space at the end of July. I’m back in the house and it is a new world. I am still attending to a couple of pesky projects that won’t die, but my attention is only needed for brief periods from time to time.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): “It’s Third Act in Life and I Want World Peace.” Chelsea Ryoko Wong, San Francisco artist (title of one of her paintings).

Ben Hart

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): Graduated 1980 with a BBA-Accounting from UW-Oshkosh. First job was with Control Data Corp in St. Paul, MN. Spent 39 years in various accounting positions throughout the US.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Married to Judith Elliott since 2005, I have two boys from a previous marriage and Judith has one. Both my sons followed me to Texas. We have two grandchildren, both boys. Work took me to Minnesota, California, Alabama, South Carolina and finally to Texas.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): I retired in 2019 and spend a good bit of my time trading/investing in the equities markets. I also enjoy reading and listening to music. With my kids and grandkids so close there is a lot of family time too.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): I have many years to my wife retires so just a quiet life for now.

Larry Henderson

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): Math Teacher - Middleton HS, retired
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Spouse - Mary Schmidt
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): Triathlon training and volleyball in the summer, fishing and hunting in the spring and fall, snowboarding and XC skiing in the winter…
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): High points of all 50 states…

Sue Hoff

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): Retired. I managed a cardiology business office for Advocate Medical group. I was less than focused on my studies in high school and the first two years at the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh. Eventually I understood the value of a college education and graduated with a degree in Business. My daughters thankfully did not follow in my footsteps. My oldest has her Masters and my youngest has a nursing degree and is currently studying to become a nurse practioner.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Married (too young,22) divorced and currently remarried to the love of my life. I have 2 beautiful and smart daughters both married. I have 1 granddaughter who is the light of my life. Although COIVD was horrendous I was able to take care of my granddaughter which was a blessing beyond measure. I have moved several times since college. I have lived in Louisville,KY, Cleveland OH, Houston, TX , Dallas, TX, Rolling Meadows, IL, Elgin, IL and currently have landed in Arlington Heights, IL. Makes me tired just writing this.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): ENJOYING RETIREMENT
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): Just spend as much time with my family as I can. Travel to places I have yet to see. Stay warm during winter by exiting Illinois!

Craig Horswill

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): BS and MS at UW-Madison. PhD at UIUC. On faculty at Ohio State for 6 y. That makes me 25% All-Big 10 (33% by old standards). After OSU, I worked for Gatorade for 16 y. They hired me not because of what I knew or could do, but because I drank so much of it in the past.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Married. My wife and I are blessed with two great adult children, one (daughter) on the west coast and one (son) on the east coast. We have two young granddaughters in my son's family.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): Now at the University of Illinois at Chicago, teaching, doing research, and walking alot to avoid carjackings.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): Haven't given much thought to this. Maybe go a few more takedowns in the backyard.

Deb Hosman

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): My first job was at Manchester’s department store during high school and when I dropped out of college. Nothing drove me back into school faster than nine months of full-time retail. After graduation, I obtained my B.S.Ed. from UW-Stevens Point. Big mistake. Huge. I chose not to teach, and many children are better off for it. I married a West High under-classman in 1977, and right after I graduated in 1978, we moved to Rochester, NY so that he could pursue his education at R.I.T. I worked full-time at a hospital and part-time at a department store. His climb up the corporate ladder afforded us the opportunity to live in some of the garden spots of America (sarcasm): Kirksville, MO (college library assistant Best. Job. Ever); Salisbury, MD (strawberry plant farm commercial growers sales rep); back to the greater Rochester area, where my amazing daughter, Meredith, was born (roadside diner waitress); Miamisburg, OH (mail-order pet supply company customer service rep); finally, Middletown, OH (six years for an ophthalmologist and 25 years for a chiropractor). I’m still here in this sad, dirty steel town, but we all drive cars, so the mill is a necessity. Needless to say, none of these jobs have anything to do with elementary education, although I did transcription for the chiro, and his reports needed a lot of editing. So, I finally put my high school typing class and bachelor’s degree to good use.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): After 13 or so years of marriage, I went a little nuts and got divorced. The under-classman and I used to show English Springer Spaniels, and I used to teach and compete in dog obedience. So, we split the dogs two and two and had shared custody of our daughter. A friend gave me a place to stay, so without alimony or child support (so much for putting my husband through school so he’d be my meal ticket), I shared a mobile home with my friend and five dogs and worked three jobs. In 1996 I married Mike Ploetz, another near-sighted, trumpet-playing, fallen-away Catholic with ties to Wisconsin (I guess you’d say I have a type). Our blended family of his two daughters and one son and my daughter has brought a lot of happiness, as well as six grandees, ranging in age from three to 16. His kids are in the area, which is nice, but that really makes me miss my Meredith more, who is a middle school choir director and lives in the Des Moines, IA area.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): Not a damn thing. I finally retired last year. It was just time. I am a binge-watching aficionado (I look at my classmates' prestigious accomplishments, and I can only say, “Oh yeah? Well, I binge-watched Ozark Season 4 Part 1 in one day! How about that!) After my folks passed, my sisters and I inherited a cabin up in St. Germain, WI, and I like to spend as much time up there as I can. Well, there and Iowa. No grandees there, but lovely grand-puppies, grand-kitty and grand-tortoise. I putter in various hobbies: stitched beaded jewelry, sewing, easy home DIY and cake decorating, and Mike and I like to kayak the lakes Up Nort'.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): Travel is my drug. Too bad the co-pay is so high. As an Air Force brat, I have traveled the U.S. a lot. I’ve been to Canada, Europe, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and Baja, Mexico (to commune with the gray whales). I still hope to swim with whale sharks and see orcas in the wild … where they should be. For now, Mike and I are being held hostage by an ailing cat that refuses to die, and between her neediness and the pandemic, many travel plans have been scuttled. My main reason for coming to this reunion is to network and make connections for potential future couch-surfing venues once the money runs out. Just kidding.

Terry Hoxmeier (Smith)

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1976. I moved to Minneapolis to pursue what turned into a 37 year career with Target.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Ted and I have been married 42 years. We have two children, Katie and Peter, and five grandchildren, Crosby, Harrison, Beckham, Caiden, and Aria. We still live in the Minneapolis area.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): Ted and I are both retired. We split our time between our condo in Florida, our home in Arden Hills, and our lake cabin.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): Until this pandemic is over my plans are to stay happy and healthy. And oh yeah, lose ten pounds.

Ku-chuan Hsiao

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): BS from UW-Eau Claire, MS from UW-Milwaukee, PhD from UI at Urbana-Champaign

Spent my entire career in biomedical research/protein engineering/drug discovery.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior in the late 70s. Happily married to a Christian sister, a fine artist from IN. 2 sons, both married, one has a Master in Civil Engineering, the other does Forensics (IT) and Litigation Consulting. 1 granddaughter; another one will be arriving in August. Lived since Madison: Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Urbana (IL), Seattle (WA), Portland (ME), Edison (NJ), Easton (PA) and MA in that order – all work-related moves.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): Retired. Living south of the NH border in MA. Love spending time playing with our granddaughter, and leading a weekly Bible study via zoom. Enjoy being beach bums with my wife at the ocean (whenever the weather permits), and backyard bird/wildlife photography.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): No specific list, other than continuing doing what I’ve been doing and whatever the Lord wants me to do. Still “dreaming” of starting my own research-based biotech/pharmaceutical company, especially after reading about those classmates who have succumbed to their illnesses.

Steve Irwin

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): First job: High school summers spent mending mountains of textbooks for the Madison Board of Ed. (Hi Ellen!)

Second job: College summers spent working outdoors for a seed corn company just south of Madison. Free tan. Probably not so smart.



After graduating from West, I spent two and a half years at UW Madison trying every course in the book to decide on a direction. Choosing architecture, I transferred to the U of Minnesota in Minneapolis (the UW didn’t have an arch. program), which included three months of studying and traveling in Europe in ‘78. I ended up liking it in the Twin Cities and stayed here ever since.



I graduated with a B. of Environmental Design in ‘79 and B. of Arch. in ‘80 just in time for a recession. With architecture jobs scarce, I found work with a small residential contractor as draftsman/carpenter/gofer. The boss said I was hired because I had an old beat-up pickup truck and could make runs to the dump. I started to question my seven years in college . . .



Soon the economy improved, I completed internship and exams to become a registered architect and moved on to work at a couple of different Twin Cities architectural firms over the decades. For a while in the ‘80s I had a side gig playing drums part-time in an oldies cover band, playing in dive bars and weddings. The bass player told me, “People think the show is up on stage, but the real show is in the audience.” There certainly were some interesting characters out there . . .



As my architectural experience grew, I enjoyed a variety of responsibilities, and a wide range of projects, from renovations of old public housing projects to corporate offices for multi-nationals, medical centers, high-rises, schools, churches, schools, tech facilities and more. For a while I worked with a client upgrading branch offices all across the US. Traveled to some great cities, but it became airport > jobsite > hotel > repeat, and lost its charm. It was a very fulfilling career, but by 2015 I was ready for the exit door and a lot less stress.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): Stayed single, but plenty of nieces & nephews to get all wound up and then hand back over to their parents.



I’ve really enjoyed reading the classmate Profiles; the different paths chosen in life are fascinating. Though the Memorials are saddening for all those we’ve lost way too soon. I wonder if they really knew how many lives they touched and that many years later they would still be fondly remembered by those that knew them. Another reminder to make every day count.



Another somber note, the George Floyd murder hit close to home, with my next-door neighbors closely associated with the Floyd family. The fallout of this will probably be with us for years.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): Over the years I’ve done a lot of cycling & skiing, some sailing, raced cars, karts & motorcycles, and practiced film photography with vintage cameras. A highlight was trying track bicycle racing on the 43-degree banking of the NSC Velodrome, an outdoor board track now torn down. I’ve also fixed up old cars and motorcycles. Since retirement, I’ve done some of the same hobbies, banged away on the piano, dug out my art supplies for the first time since college, started attending to long-neglected home improvement and sporadically produced a photojournal for friends.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): I scripted a one-hour program for a local community radio station (remember radio?), but have yet to record it for airing. One other current bucket list item: Post pandemic, I’d like to return to Europe for cycling, leaving my cell phone and cameras behind and taking only a sketch journal to record memories. Not sure if I’ll have the courage for that one.

Sharon Iwanter

Last updated 1 month ago
Then Then
Now Now
Work life? (e.g., education, first job, occupation): Graduated from the UW with a BA in English and a Masters in Library Science. Worked in Human Resources with an emphasis on researching and archiving pension history of current and former employees.
Family life? (e.g., spouse, kids/grandkids, friends, places lived): I moved to Los Angeles after grad school to take care of my parents, while still working full time. Despite earthquakes, wild fires, droughts, riots, drive-bys, freeway tie-ups, and eight stints of jury duty, it turns out that I really do love LA. I feel blessed to live in the bluest of the blue states.
Doing today? (e.g., where do you live, working or retired, hobbies, travels): I retired just before the pandemic set in and California shut down. In those two years, sequestered in my apartment, I manged to read 150 books and do two thousand cross word puzzles.
Bucket list? (e.g., plans for the future, travel): I want to go back to Dodger Stadium and see a baseball game in person. Oh wait, I finally did that last week (but the Dodgers lost to the Phillies!)