Thirty-seven people. Countless contributions to help people and communities in Rock and Walworth counties. The People Who Matter featured this year in the Gazette are your family members and friends. They are your neighbors and co-workers. They are the people who seek out ways to help or step up when needs arise. Without them, our communities would be poorer. With them, the present is better and the future is brighter.
Williams Bay's Steve and Judy Guy work tirelessly to ensure no one goes hungry
By DARRYL ENRIQUEZ - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
WILLIAMS BAY --
During the three years the couple has lived in this lakeside community, Steve and Judy Guy have built a resume of volunteer work that centers on providing relief to the less fortunate.
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Nancy Russell works harder than ever during retirement
By KEVIN HOFFMAN - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
LAKE GENEVA --
Nancy Russell is retired. Judging by the time she invests as one of Walworth County's busiest elected officials, however, you'd never know it.
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Dorothy Gunderson is full of pride for Edgerton
By NEIL JOHNSON - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
EDGERTON --
Some people don't recognize a born leader when they look in the mirror. Edgerton native Dorothy Gunderson is one of those people.
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Kay Deupree finds ways to help Janesville grow
By SHELLY BIRKELO - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
JANESVILLE --
Kay Deupree has helped shape Janesville by being involved in her community. Her motivation is the belief that everybody who lives here is important.
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Steve Culbertson helps Evansville from the classroom to Main Street
By MARCIA NELESEN - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
EVANSVILLE --
Lucky for Evansville, Steve Culbertson is a hardy snowbird who opted to retire about 20 miles south.
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Janesville's George Farrell makes sure the fairways are open for young golfers
By JOHN BARRY - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
JANESVILLE --
In a 29-year career as a business/marketing teacher at Janesville Parker High School, George Farrell was the driving force behind the school's successful DECA program.
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Janesville teacher Deri Wahlert makes an impact beyond the classroom
By FRANK SCHULTZ - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
JANESVILLE --
Deri Wahlert, a teacher at Janesville Parker High School, points to her personal experiences when asked why she has such a heart for students who don't swim in the mainstream of high school life.
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Footville's Phil Johnson recognizes a need, fills it
By GINA DUWE - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
FOOTVILLE --
Neighbors Helping Neighbors is in its third year, and Footville's Phil Johnson has to take a deep breath before describing what the group has done so far
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Frank Guske Jr. stays busy helping the residents of Walworth County
By KEVIN HOFFMAN - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
LAKE GENEVA --
Frank Guske Jr. never sits still. There are the family businesses, which keep the 49-year-old Lake Geneva man bouncing between an auto repair center and tow business in Chicago and his bowling alley in Lake Geneva.
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Brodhead's Peggy Olsen helps students win on the field and in the classroom
By GINA DUWE - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
BRODHEAD --
Extracurricular activities are what bring some kids to school, whether people like it or not. Peggy Olsen has seen that.
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Milton's Mark and Lori Warren juggle business and volunteering
By JIM LEUTE - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
MILTON --
Where there are community needs, there are Warrens. Whether it's charitable donations, work on civic committees, help with economic development initiatives or service to their country, Mark and Lori Warren are routinely in the mix.
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Edgerton's Lois Corwin, Friends of Noah give rescued pets a second chance
By NEIL JOHNSON - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
EDGERTON --
Edgerton's Lois Corwin continues to give embattled animals a second chance. Her upstart animal rescue, Friends of Noah, Wisconsin, works to rescue dogs, cats and house rabbits from overcrowded local shelters.
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UW-Whitewater's Miguel Aranda stands up for Hispanic education
By KEVIN HOFFMAN - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
WHITEWATER --
Miguel Aranda isn't living up to expectations. A first-generation American, he only needed to follow a simple set of rules: attend high school, find a job and provide for his family. That was never enough for Aranda.
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Raejene Schlenke and Love INC blanket the area with church ministries
By CATHERINE IDZERDA - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
JANESVILLE --
It's tempting to make a saint out of Raejene Schlenke. It would be easy to gush about her kindness and the strength of her faith, to put her on a pedestal as an extraordinary human.
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Beloit's John Wong helps kids around the world and close to home
By CATHERINE IDZERDA - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
BELOIT --
Children here. Children thousands of miles away. Children who have never been in need helping those who have always gone without. All of those kids have one point of connection: John Wong.
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Janesville's Zac Fowler has a good time so others can enjoy life, too
By SHELLY BIRKELO - Monday, March 28, 2011
JANESVILLE --
Since losing his mate of 15 years and the love of his life, Zac Fowler has come to know just how precious life is.
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Jim Miller got UW-Whitewater athletics off and running
By TOM MILLER - Monday, March 28, 2011
WHITEWATER --
One can say the UW-Whitewater campus has been Jim Miller's playground for decades. For many years, it was literally his backyard.
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Larry Barton flies high for Janesville
By MARCIA NELESEN - Monday, March 28, 2011
JANESVILLE --
He's got both the wings of an angel and wings of steel. That's how Tammy Brenner sees Larry Barton, anyway.
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Cindy Simonsen campaigns for disabled adults in Walworth County
By DARRYL ENRIQUEZ - Monday, March 28, 2011
ELKHORN --
Last year, Cindy Simonsen directed the retirement of an $800,000 mortgage, completed a five-year $2.3 million fundraising campaign and celebrated the 40th anniversary of VIP Services—an agency that provides employment training, support and day-care activities for disabled adults.
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Mike Kolff is picture perfect at Beloit Turner
By ANN MARIE AMES - Monday, March 28, 2011
BELOIT TOWNSHIP --
Mike Kolff was in coach mode—not dad mode—when his youngest child walked off the football field for the last time as a Whitewater Whippet.
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Sarah Strunz reaches out to Orfordville through library, volunteering
By GINA DUWE - Monday, March 28, 2011
ORFORDVILLE --
When a workspace is too small, make it bigger. That's what Sarah Strunz has done with her outreach efforts as librarian at the Orfordville Public Library.
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George Mroch gives wings to Walworth County Fair exhibit
By DARRYL ENRIQUEZ - Monday, March 28, 2011
ELKHORN --
Educator, master gardener, butterfly man—that's George Mroch. Instead of relocating to Florida after retirement, Mroch volunteered time and talent to the Barnyard Adventure exhibit of the Walworth County Fair.
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Ashley and Jeff Contreras make a difference for Delavan-Darien youth
By ANNA MARIE LUX - Monday, March 28, 2011
DARIEN --
On a wintry night in January, a troubled teen stretched out on the couch at the home of Ashley and Jeff Contreras in Darien. Ashley and Jeff listened to the young man. They offered encouragement. Most of all, they showed him they cared.
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It only seems as if Darien has more than one Darlene Henning
By CATHERINE IDZERDA - Monday, March 28, 2011
DARIEN --
Darlene Henning, a retired secretary from Darien, has spent her life being the person who puts together the church bulletins, volunteers for committees, rings bells for the Salvation Army and does dozens of other unglamorous jobs that make a difference.
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Barb Tapovatz fearlessly takes on volunteer duty
By FRANK SCHULTZ - Sunday, March 27, 2011
JANESVILLE --
As an executive assistant for Alliant Energy, Barb Tapovatz was once assigned to drive to Madison. She had never been there before. She took a deep breath, taking a big step out of what she calls "my little Janesville shell."
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Tom Calley has made holiday festival the toast of Evansville's summer
By TED SULLIVAN - Sunday, March 27, 2011
EVANSVILLE --
When Tom Calley took control of Evansville's Fourth of July festival, he had one mission: improve the beer selection.
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Finnegans salute aging veterans
By ANNA MARIE LUX - Sunday, March 27, 2011
Naysayers said it couldn't be done. But brothers Mark and John Finnegan knew they had a worthy cause. They asked people for money to take World War II vets to Washington, D.C. Public response was overwhelming.
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Art Bushue keeps Clinton beautiful
By ANN MARIE AMES - Sunday, March 27, 2011
CLINTON --
Call him a veteran, an accountant or a sailor. Call him a founder or a historian. He even doesn't mind "tree hugger." Clinton Village Board member Art Bushue has worked around the world and across the United States.
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Dale Barry finds charity begins in his hometown
By KEN VELOSKEY - Sunday, March 27, 2011
JANESVILLE --
Dale Barry likes his city. "Janesville is a great town to live in," Barry says with conviction. The 79-year-old Barry doesn't just talk the talk about his hometown. He walks the walk as a volunteer.
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Jere Johnson finds motivation at home to serve Janesville
By JIM LEUTE - Sunday, March 27, 2011
JANESVILLE --
Jere Johnson and his family have been on the receiving end for nearly two decades. Triggered by a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, the support arrived in many ways and helped the family deal with the crippling disease that would slowly debilitate Peggy Johnson.
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Fran Fruzen has devoted his life to education and community service
By SHELLY BIRKELO - Sunday, March 27, 2011
BELOIT --
Beloit's Fran Fruzen has been part of Rock County Youth2Youth for 12 years and became its chairman last year.
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Nancy Lee keeps the Delavan-Darien School District blanketed in blue and gold
By ANN MARIE AMES - Sunday, March 27, 2011
DARIEN --
A veteran substitute teacher in the Delavan-Darien School District, Nancy Lee has become the go-to lady for sewing projects, whether they are alterations to band uniforms or the design and creation of costumes for a play.
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Rene Bue speaks up for local Latino community
By TED SULLIVAN - Sunday, March 27, 2011
JANESVILLE --
Rene Bue, 49, is president of the Latino Service Providers Coalition and chairwoman of the Diversity Action Team of Rock County.
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