Gene Thieleke '58

There are many memories about Mission House/Lakeland that I remember. One person I respected so much was Elmer "Chic" Wetting, who lived on the same block while growing up in Kiel. I am not sure what year Elmer graduated from Mission House, but he was a great person. He was one person who influenced me to go to the College, along with Rev. Ed Worthman '46 who was my pastor. We all had, and have, mentors and people who were special.

When I think of Lakeland, I remember Profs Wangemann and Rath who always believed in teaching you more than facts. When they evaluated you on your objectives and lessons, they were more interested n finding out what you learned, not what you did not learn or understand. Their evaluative methods included a synthesis or analysis of the material learned. They were terrific people and professors who cared for you as an individual. I always appreciated what I learned from Prof. Clarence Schmidt in Old and New Testament classes. He influenced me so much to read the Bible and understand it better as well. He had to endure some dorm issues many times and it always worked out in the end. Mrs. Schmidt was also a wonderful person and always had a smile, even if the fire alarm would go off or some other trick in the men's dorm happened about midnight!

Of course, Coach Allen was a person I will long remember as well. He had to coach all sports, appreciated the work of his athletes and knew when to compliment and when to offer his concerns in a coachable and positive way. He had an impossible job with little or no help. When the football season came in November, his health issues made it difficult to coach but he never complained.

There were some positive moments in athletics and I will always remember beating the Sheboygan Redwings 28 to 0 in 1955. We also won the Badger-Illini conference in football that year. Our team was a cohesive group and we believed in each other.

Lakeland was a special place because of the people who cared about others. While I only mentioned four people above, there were so many other terrific people at all levels--professors, cooks, custodians and, of course, the student body. I called two colleagues from my Lakeland days recently, Bobby Platz '57 and Dick Wilterdink '57, and we had a great time talking about old times. The idea of sharing fond memories is very special and I hope to read many wonderful stories in the future. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.

Dr. Gene A. Thieleke '58

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