My Life Reflects the Goodness of the Lord! (psalm 23:6)

H.S. diploma; St. Croix High School 1966

B.S. degree; University of Wisconsin-Superior 1970

M.A. degree; Central Michigan University 1972

Milwaukee Does; coached 1st Women Professional Basketball (WBL) game 1979

UW-Superior Hall of Fame; inducted in 1996

College of Lake County Hall of Fame; inducted in 2001

CMU professor and coach; 3rd place, Volleyball State Championship 1971

Russell Sage College professor and coach; undefeated basketball season 1976-77

College of Lake County professor and coach; 3rd place NJCAA State Softball Championship 1980

Athlete; competed in six varsity intercollegiate sports at UW-Superior Track and Field; 1st place, 80 meter hurdles 1969 and 1970, set state record in 1970. 

Gitzy Wicklund is a standout citizen and cornerstone of this school and community. Her commitment to the support and success of our students and athletes has had a very positive impact on every­one. Her passion to see our kids achieve at the highest levels is truly evident and has been for many years. We appreciate all of her efforts over the years to make our school and community of Solon Springs a special place to live and call home.

Gitzy Wicklund (AKA Queen of the Universe)

Married- Dave Wicklund, 1st husband

3 sons: Joe, Steve and Mikey

Longtime resident of the area.

Don't think of things I have done, some I still do. I think I was lucky to have a family and community that backed and helped me achieve things I have.

Taught Pre-School

Owner-operator of Day Care for over 20 years

School Board member

Friends of Lucius Woods member

Performing Art's Center (LWPAC) Students director LWPAC

One of Douglas County's influential people

P.T.A.

School Volunteer

Village Christmas Decorations in Mildred Park with others

I am the poster girl for "It takes a village to raise us all".

Everything I have done was fun. Full of great people of every age. I thank the community for letting me! Thanks Everyone, Gitzy 

For the past 32 years, Joanne Zosel has taught college bound mathematics courses, chemistry, physics, and physi­cal science 9 at Solon Springs High School. What was going to be just a stepping stone became a passion, and ultimately became her home. After graduating from the University of WI-Superior in May of 1986 with bachelors of science de­grees in mathematics and physics, Joanne went on to stu­dent teach in Stillwater, MN. She was hired by Solon Springs School District in November of 1986 and worked to get her chemistry license and her physical science license during the summer months at the University of MN­Duluth. Joanne began coaching cross-country running in the fall of 1996 and finished her time as a coach hosting a sectional in 2012. Joanne and her husband, Dave have raised three Solon Springs graduates. Jaclyn, a medical la­boratory scientist at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth, Alexander, a junior at the University of WI-Superior, and Nicholas, a freshman at the University of MN-Duluth. Joanne has played an active role in the health of our environment in­cluding running the Clean Boats/Clean Waters Program on Upper St. Croix Lake for 9 years. She has served on the Board of Directors for the FOTSCH (Friends of the St. Croix Headwaters) as well as the USCLA (Upper St. Croix Lake As­sociation) . She has also been a member of Wisconsin AFT Local 3357 for the past 32 years taking on the role of President on two different occasions.

A Solon Springs native, Roger graduated as valedictorian in 1968.

He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Wisconsin, Superior (UWS) in 1972 and he received a Master's De­gree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1974.

In 1996, he co-founded North American RailNet, Inc., a short line rail­road holding company headquartered in Bedford, Texas. By 1999, that company had grown to be the largest privately held short line rail­road holding company in North American with railroads operating in ten U.S. states and the Province of Alberta, Canada. Since 2005, Rog­er has served as Co-Chairman, CEO, and President of RailNet Logis­tics, a railroad consultancy company. He also served as a Director of the American Association of Railroad Superintendents (MRS), Execu­tive Director of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Associ­ation (ASLRRA), Chairman of the ASLRRA Safety Committee, Chair­man of the Rail Education Advisory Board of the Tarrant County (Texas) College, and Director and President of the Denver Union Terminal Railroad.

Roger has held leadership and supporting roles for Big Brothers of America, Nebraska Public Television, the University of Dallas, the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, the City of Colleyville (Texas) Parks & Recreation Board, the Lakes of Somerset Homeowners Associa­tion, the American Heart Association, Keep America Beautiful, and the UWS Foundation. In 2001, he was named the American Heart Association's Volunteer of the Year for North Texas, and in 2006 he was named the Colleyville Chamber of Commerce Presidential Award Winner.

Since 1986, Roger and his wife Jane (DeBruyne) Nelson have estab­lished endowed scholarships at UWS. In 2002, an endowment was created to award a substantial UWS scholarship annually to a top graduating Solon Springs student. 

Ron Wright graduated 1955 from high school in western Minne­sota. He served in the Marine Corps from 1956-1958 before earning his Bachelor's Degree from St. Cloud State University in 1962. Ron also earned a Master's Degree from UW-Superior in the mid 70's. In the fall of 1962, he moved to Solon Springs where he accepted a 1-year teaching contract at St. Croix High School. Ron taught for a total of 36 years in the school district. He taught full-time from the fall of 1962 until the spring of 1995. During that time, he taught Biology courses, Earth & Life Sci­ence courses, and Drivers Education. After his retirement in 1995, he continued to teach Drivers Education and Advanced Biology part-time until 1998. During his tenure there, he coached both basketball and baseball and served as the class and S-Club advisor many times over. He was the official time keeper and scorekeeper for many years at basketball and vol­leyball games, and served as the school's Audio-Visual director for much of his career. In every small town, the school and the local community are closely intertwined. Beyond the school walls, Ron served those in the district in many ways. He was on the Village Board for a total of 14 years, including the Board President. He served as a member of the Solon Springs Volunteer Fire Department for many years, as well as siting on the Solon Springs Police & Fire Commission board. Along with his wife Jan, he was among the founding members of the Solon Spring Booster Club, which pro­vided countless monetary support for many athletic and extra­curricular programs at the school. Also, through the Solon Springs Athletic Association, along with his wife and others, he helped to build, improve, and maintain both the school and downtown ball fields including dugout construction. Lastly, Ron started the community Babe Ruth (13-15 years) program in the late 70's. Ron is very grateful for the opportunity to serve both the school and community, and is very proud of being able to help shape the lives of his students. Above all, he considers his greatest life achievement to be his four children: Tim, Tom, Terry, and Tracy.

Phil and Carol Wester have been pillars of our Solon Springs community for decades. Phil and Carol were raised in Bennett and Solon Springs respectively, and were married in 1954. Together, they have run businesses and volunteered their time. Phil and Carol have five children, 15 grandchildren, 19 great - grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren. Phil joined the Navy at the age of 17, serving from 1952-1956 and earning his GED in the process. He worked in the meat department Solon Springs Grocery Store for seven years, the Solon Springs Gas Company for 13 years, and started a family business in 1976, Wester's Building and General Repair. Phil has been a member of the American Legion for 50 years, a member of the Lions Club for 40 years, and a member of our local volunteer fire department. As a member of the Village Board, Phil was crucial in the development of our local sewerage system. Phil has also served as a Boy Scout Leader, a fund-raiser for the building of our Community Center, and a vocal supporter of our Solon Springs School Referendum. Carol (Drake) Wester graduated from St. Croix High School in 1954. Carol managed the Solon Springs Dairy Queen for 21 years and was a co-founder of Wester's Building and General Repair in 1976. Carol served as the President of the Parent Teacher Association and as a member of the Solon Springs Fire Department Auxiliary. Carol has also volunteered her time as a member of the Friends of Lucius Woods, the Lions Club, and as a Boy Scout Leader. As a member of the Civic Club and the PTA over the years, Carol helped organize Voyager Days, parades, fireworks, winter celebrations, basketball jamborees, donkey basketball, styles shows, holiday parties, holiday youth shopping, and more. Phil and Carol are still very active in the Solon Community today helping with the Lions Club at Music in the Park and operating a buy and sell estate business in Solon during the summer.

Eliza Wheeler was born in Duluth, Minnesota and grew up in the small village of Solon Springs, Wisconsin, where the headwaters of the St. Croix and Brule Rivers meet. She was strongly influenced by the wilderness and seasons of Wisconsin, and also by her family of teachers, musicians, and artists. Eliza went to the University of Wisconsin-Stout for a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in graphic design. After graduating, moving to Los Angeles, and spending several years working as an in-house and freelance designer, she attended a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in 2009 and immediately knew she had found her creative "home" and began building her illustration portfolio and writing picture book manuscripts. In 2010, she received the SCBWI Los Angeles National Conference portfolio mentor-ship award, and the next year won the portfolio showcase grand prize-a trip to New York to meet with publishers. In 2012, she signed a contract for her first self-authored picture book, MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS, with editor Nancy Paulsen at Penguin Books, which released in 2013 and debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List. Since the release of MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS, Eliza has illustrated over a dozen picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels for major U.S. publishers, including Penguin Random House, Little Brown Books, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Candlewick Press, Chronicle Books, and MacMillan publishers. In 2017, Eliza received the prestigious Sendak Fellowship Award, which was a paid month-long illustration retreat to Scotch Hill Farm in upstate New York, owned by the late Maurice Sendak. It was there that she created a mock-up for her second self-authored picture book, HOME IN THE WOODS, a story inspired by her grandmother's childhood in northern Wisconsin during the Great Depression. The book will be published by Nancy Paulsen/Penguin Random House Books in the fall of 2019.

Colonel John Swanberg received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University Wisconsin-Superior (English), a Juris Doctor from Ham line University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Master of Laws degree from The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. Colonel Swanberg's military education includes an Army War College Fellowship at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Colonel Swanberg has completed the Judge Advocate Basic Course, Command and General Staff College (DL), and the Judge Advocate Graduate Course. Upon completion of law school he was commissioned as a First Lieutenant as a Judge Advocate assigned to the 214th Military Law Center, Ft. Snelling, MN. Prior to his commission, Colonel Swanberg served several years as an Enlisted Soldier as a Combat Engineer. Colonel Swanberg has had many assignments to include: Civil Law Attorney, 63rd Regional Readiness Command, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, 75th Division (Battle Command Training Division); Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, 99th Regional Support Command, Senior Legal Advisor, OCAR; Chief of Operations, USAR Legal Command; Chief of Plans, PPT&O, OTJAG. In July 2017 he assumed the duties as the Command Judge Advocate, Fort McCoy. Colonel Swanberg's awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Achievement Medal. He is entitled to wear the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Kristin L. Ahlberg graduated from St. Croix High School with honors in May 1993. She participated in National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, forensics, drama, newspaper staff, Spanish Club, Harvard Model Congress, Badger Girls State, Choir, Madrigal Choir, and Band. Ahlberg graduated summa cum laude with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in May 1997. She earned a Master of Arts in History from the University of Nebraska in August 1999 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Diplomatic/Military/International History from the University of Nebraska in May 2003, under the direction of Lloyd Ambrosius. While in graduate school, she served as a teaching assistant and instructor in the Department of History and as the editorial assistant for a humanities journal. Since September 2003, Ahlberg has worked in the Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. Currently, she is the Assistant to the General Editor, responsible for reviewing volumes in the Foreign Relations of the United States series and managing archival access and records policy. She has also compiled Foreign Relations volumes that document the intellectual foundations of foreign policy, human rights, and public diplomacy. In 2009, Ahlberg represented the United States at the International Conference of Editors of Diplomatic Documents, held in the Netherlands, and delivered the official presentation of the U.S. delegation. She is the recipient of the Department's Superior Honor Award, Meritorious Honor Award, Franklin Award, Quality Step Increase Award, Time Off from Service Award, and Cash Performance Award. Ahlberg continues to remain involved in the wider scholarly community. In 2009, the University of Missouri Press published her book, entitled Transplanting the Great Society: Lyndon Johnson and Food for Peace, which won the Society for History in the Federal Government George Pendleton Prize in 2010. She has book chapters under contract with several university presses and has published in the major journals in her subfields. She has served in the leadership of the major historical organizations, including the American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, National Council on Public History, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, and Society for History in the Federal Government.

Chuck Walt has deep roots in the Solon Springs Community. Long before Thomas Solon began bottling water, and long before the name White Birch was given to the community, Chuck's relatives came together as Anishinaabe (the first people in Ojibwe) and English settlers to begin to build a beautiful community that many of us today call home. In the spirit of his ancestors, Chuck settled here with his wife Jori and raised their family. Chuck has dedicated his life to making Solon Springs a better place by volunteering his time to help others. As a firefighter and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Chuck has spent over 30 years helping out his neighbors during times of crisis. Fires, accidents and medical emergencies are all difficult situations that happen in every community; Chuck plays an important role in a team of Fire Department volunteers who are there to help when they are needed most. As a long term resident, Chuck continues to carry on the traditions of his ancestors by looking for ways to help and improve the community and quality of life in Solon Springs. Participating in philanthropic initiatives throughout the region and volunteering with the Solon Springs Educational Foundation is meaningful and rewarding for Chuck. Having the ability to help out at Our Savior's Lutheran Church and participating in other local activities like the Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center, Northern Lakes Food Bank and various student related functions at the school is a blessing. Building a healthy, safe, welcoming community for future generations is what our ancestors hoped for and Chuck hopes he has played a small role in making that happen.

Ray and Marvel met in 1946 while attending UW Superior. They married and moved to Solon Springs where they raised their 4 children. They have 18 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. Ray joined the navy and served in the Sea bees at the end of WWII. He earned a Bachelor's degree in education and got a job in Solon teaching junior high and music. He was active in PTA and cub scouts and assisted at basketball games working the score clock with fellow teacher Ron Wright. He was the master of ceremonies at many school and community events. Ray has a wonderful singing voice and was the soloist at countless weddings and funerals in the area. During the summer Ray worked as a lifeguard and ranger at Lucius Woods State Park. In 1971 he took over Swanson's Cabins from his father and retired from teaching. Ray realized that Solon, being a vacation destination, could use another campground, so he decided to start one himself.The campers soon found that Swanson's in Solon Springs is a great place and many of them have made their campsites their summer home. Ray was always helpful to guests and at times provided lodging to those in need without charge. Marvel earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in elementary education. She taught at Solon, Bennett, Hawthorne, Lake Nebagamon and Poplar. She retired from teaching in 1988 but continued to work at the campground. While she was teaching she was also a girl scout leader and active in PTA. In 1974 Marvel and her daughter Linda started the Little Gift House where they sold handcrafted items. In October 2019 Marvel's childhood story of growing up in Bennett during the depression was published as a children's book, "Home in the Woods''. written by her granddaughter Eliza Wheeler. Ray and Marvel have a strong faith and were very active in the local church. They both volunteered in children's and youth ministries and Ray in music ministry. Over the years their positive influence has impacted many lives. Ray and Marvel thank God for His many blessings and the good life they live here in Solon Springs.

Thomas Burfield is a 1967 graduate of St. Croix High School, Solon Springs, WI. He has been a Bennett resident most of his life. Tom married his high school sweetheart Joni Cariolano in 1971. They have two children Holly (Garrett) Lathe of Sartell, MN and Jay (Stacy) Burfield of Bennett. His life is centered around church, family, his teaching career, and the Bennett Volunteer Fire Department. Tom is active at Mission Covenant Church and formerly at Whispering Pines Church. He has served in nearly every position except pastor. He helped build the Whispering Pines Community Church building. Currently he is on the Diaconate Board, Senior Ministries Advisory Board, and is a nursery worker at Mission Covenant Church. His faith in Jesus Christ is important. Tom graduated from UW-Superior in 1971. He earned his MSE-lnstruction degree in 1988. He successfully taught elementary school at Port Washington, WI and Superior, WI for 33 years. While a teacher Tom was recognized several times as an outstanding employee. He especially enjoyed writing and teaching outdoor science. He and co-teacher Gary Lindstrom founded and built the Burstrom Trail at Four Corners Elementary School. They used a lot of student and community volunteers. Tom is a 46 year veteran of the Bennett Volunteer Fire Department and 1st Responders. He served as fire chief for 19 of those years. Bennett's first 1st Responder group was founded while he was chief. Tom brought the idea of holding an annual flea market to the membership. Thirty-eight years later the event continues to grow along with its profits. Tom was part of several FEMA Grant writing committees. He wrote the narratives which brought 2 new fire trucks and turnout gear to Bennett. Upon turning 71 in March of 2020, Tom decided it was time to retire. Over the years he has served the Bennett and Solon Springs community as high school baseball coach, 7th and 8th grade basketball coach, an assistant Boy Scout leader, umpire for summer baseball, coach of summer baseball, ice fishing day volunteer, fire prevention week volunteer, and substitute teacher. He and Joni have invited Solon Springs students to their home many times to learn about and make maple syrup. He also has been invited to Four Corners School and Northwestern Elementary School to make maple syrup.