Dec 15, 2016 | Inspiration Wall Honorees
Nominated 2016. Mark G. Doll graduated from Berlin High School in 1967. He earned a B.A. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1971 and a M.B.A. degree in 1975. The son of a former Berlin High School principal, Mark was born in Berlin the oldest of three children. He credits his teachers (including his dad, George) with giving him a great base to learn.
Following his undergraduate degree, Doll started at Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. in the investment department and worked there in various roles for the next 40 years. While working full-time he completed a Masters degree in business.
During his investment career, he worked primarily with publicly traded assets (bonds and stocks) with a primary focus on bonds. His responsibilities and titles grew during the ensuing years. From 2008 until his retirement in June of 2012, Doll served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, reporting to the President. He oversaw professional staff of 220 in three investment departments/companies and was responsible for $164 billion in general account assets and $19 billion in separate account assets.
Doll led NML through one of the most turbulent financial periods since the Great Depression, ushering in an era of greater investment discipline while significantly contributing to NML’s product value and financial strength.
He has shared his talents with numerous non-profit organizations such as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Finance Council and the Milwaukee Art Museum Investment Committee, the Investment Committee for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and The Greater Milwaukee Foundation. He was the Milwaukee Board Chairman for the American Red Cross and on the Investment Committee for the American Red Cross-National in Washington D.C. He served two terms on the UWM Foundation Board on of them as Chairman.
In 2016 Governor Scott Walker appointed Doll to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. The largest portion of the assets managed by SWIB is the trust funds of the Wisconsin Retirement System serving more than 570,000 participants.
He’d like to share these words:
Use your failures as a learning opportunity to reach your true potential.
Dec 15, 2016 | Inspiration Wall Honorees
Nominated 2016. Beverly Ann graduated from Berlin High School in 1948. She attended Oshkosh State Teacher’s College and graduated from Palm Beach Junior College in West Palm Beach, Florida.
What started out as a little girl’s dream of dancing became a life-long passion and avocation for Beverly. She began taking lessons at the age of eight and continued to adulthood. All during this time she took every opportunity to perform for family and friends. Another talent she developed was learning to play the marimba. In 1942 she appeared on a radio station in Madison playing her marimba. She has shared this talent over the years in special appearances at church and in the community.
In 1964 she returned to Berlin and was encouraged by former teachers to open her own dance studio. Having previously taught in the Children’s Dance Dept. for the Fred Astaire Studio while in West Palm Beach, this seemed a perfect fit. With the help of her parents she opened Beverly Ann’s School of the Dance. Over the years hundreds of Berlin=s youth and adults would spend class time with “Miss Beverly” honing their own dance skills. One hundred plus students of all ages and experience levels took her classes each year. She also held classes in several surrounding communities.
To assist her in her work, Bev was a member of the National Association of Dance and Affiliated Arts (NADAA) Greater Midwest #37. She attended conventions and workshops, learning the latest dance steps and routines from other instructors. In addition she served on the faculty for the organization and held the offices of Secretary, Vice-President and twice President.
In 1999, after 35 years, she retired her studio. This did not signal the end of her dancing career, however. Spending winters in Florida, she became involved with a dance troupe there. All the dancers were in their 70’s and did routines to show tunes performing in and around the area.
Believing that dance develops poise, discipline and self-confidence, Beverly shared that philosophy with her thousands of students, some multiple generations of families and proved that a touch of culture can grow anywhere. The inspiration provided in that little basement-turned-dance-studio positively impacted the lives of her students to live their dream.
Words to Live By: Dance is beautiful, graceful, powerful and fills us with so much joy. Remember to cherish every moment, friendship and DANCE because one day, they will be your wonderful memories.
Oct 22, 2015 | Inspiration Wall Honorees
Nominated in 2015.Robert Wright was a member of one of the early families of Berlin, the first one arriving here in 1853. Through all the generations the Wrights held a keen interest in community and worked for its betterment. Robert, of the fourth generation, was no different. After graduating from Berlin High School in 1920, he spent about two years at Beloit College and then went to work for Blair & Co. of Chicago, (an investment company) from 1925 to 1929 until the stock market crashed. In 1930, he and his father, Fred W. Wright started the Berlin Finance Co. He remained with this company until 1944 when it was liquidated.
He was then named President of the First National Bank of Berlin and remained in that position until his death in 1969. The bank enjoyed steady growth under his leadership. In 1952 he was one of a group of community-minded local investors who formed the Berlin Industrial Development Corporation. This corporation was responsible for bringing several businesses to Berlin, increasing job opportunities for the area.
In his 25 years as President and Chairman of the Board of the First National Bank, he worked tirelessly to encourage businesses to locate to Berlin sometimes using money from his own pocket. Many unsecured loans in those days were made on good faith and Bob’s belief in each person’s ability. Only after his death did people learn of some of his philanthropic deeds. He took it upon himself to mentor young people who showed promise and drive, writing letters of recommendation and helping them find their path. He was said to be as much a friend to the janitor as he was to CEOs of large corporations.
The first Wrights developed a slogan: ‘Wright wrongs no man’ and each succeeding generation lives by that creed. Pearls of wisdom he liked to share with his family and others: It’s OK to make a mistake……just don’t make the same mistake twice. And ‘Say hello to everyone and remember their name.
Oct 22, 2015 | Inspiration Wall Honorees
Christine Stark Christepherson graduated from Berlin High School in 1975. She went on to earn a B.A. in music education at St. Olaf College serving as co-concert Mistress of the St. Olaf Orchestra during her time there. An accomplished violinist, she had been a member of the Oshkosh Civic Symphony during grades 7 to 12 honing her skills and experiences.
“Mrs. C surely was a force for the good parts of life.” “Mrs. C. made me the person I am today.” These quotes, attributed to Christine, are just a sample of the many from former students.
She did not command a huge salary or a title other than Director of Music at Hillman Community Schools, a remote low-income area in the northern part of lower Michigan. She did command love, respect, and eternal thankfulness from her students who yet today witness to how she changed their lives for the better and made them the people they are today – even now, two years after her death and ten years after being stricken with a brain stem aneurysm.
Having very little money to work with did not stop Chris from having an excellent school music program. She not only repaired, laundered and altered band uniforms when needed, but repaired band instruments as well. She taught band and choir, K-12, most of her 21 years at Hillman. Her teaching skills took the High School band and choirs to MSBOA Competitions on numerous occasions and received several 1 and 2 ratings.
Christine shared her musical talents with the community, playing organ and piano for her church, violin in the Alpena Symphony Orchestra, and in trios and quartets at weddings and funerals. She was also very involved in the lives of her family. When her brain injury stole most of these things from her, she still found ways to participate in life, family and church.
Her favorite sayings: “Set your sights on a challenge and enjoy the experience. Use your skills to make a difference at home and at work.” “If you open up to music it can take you anywhere. Music does not judge or care how good at it you are, but that you appreciate it for the art that it is.”
Oct 22, 2015 | Inspiration Wall Honorees
Nominated in 2015. After graduation from Berlin High School in 1936, Ben Seaman was working in a factory in Milwaukee when the 2nd World War began. Because that industry was essential to the war effort his entry into the U.S. Navy was delayed. It was while he was on ship in the South Pacific that he read about a new car to be built and sold in the “States.” He wrote to the Kaiser-Frazer company asking about a franchise. He got his answer at another port and the Berlin native became an automobile dealer. Thus, the West Side Garage was born. The first home for the dealership was an old ice cream factory.
Seaman built his West Side garage business, selling over 1,000 automobiles from 1946 to 1953. With the exception of one dealer in Milwaukee, the Seaman agency became the largest in Wisconsin, setting records for the company even though those cars were not the most popular in the American market.
While on a hunting trip in Canada, Ben was stricken with polio in 1952. He was able to overcome the disease but he walked with a noticeable limp for the rest of his life.
Over the next several years Seaman added new dealerships to his stable of cars and added property to grow his West Side dealership to encompass an entire city block. He also purchased a bus company that still operates today….Mascoutin Transporation.
His interest in his community, its welfare and its people are evident by the number of organizations he belonged to, worked for, and lead. He was one of nine men who started the Berlin Community Development Corporation, a corporation dedicated to bringing new businesses to Berlin.
His huge entrepreneurship is matched by his generosity in helping other people start up their own businesses. He was always willing to sit down with anyone and share with them his experiences, successes and failures. Ben Seaman had an ‘open door’ policy long before the term became a catch phrase for society.
His favorite saying was: The harder you work, the more successful you will be.
Mar 27, 2015 | Inspiration Wall Honorees
Nominated 2014
Rolf Peterson graduated from Berlin High School in 1957. Not having an interest in college, he joined the Navy. While serving his country he began to realize he had the intelligence to go to college. After the Navy he enrolled at Oshkosh State College (now UW-Oshkosh). He received a Bachelor of Science Degree and then went on to graduate school at the U. of Iowa. His first year was very difficult and he was on probation and then failed his first dissertation defense. With determination he pressed on and later had his M.A. thesis published during the 4th year of the program. He received his PhD., Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa in 1970.
In his early years, he focused on child clinical research. He spent two years as a visiting lecturer at the University of Western Australia (Perth) and began to develop a strong focus on adult health psychology. After returning to the states, he joined the Chicago Medical School as Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training (DOCT). He also served as Department Chair, 1984-86. While there he continued work with a colleague doing research on Anxiety Sensitivity and was the first author of the original ASI manual.
In 1986 he joined the Department of Psychology at George Washington University as Professor and DOCT. He remained in this position until 2005, also serving as Acting Department Chair for three years. Dr. Peterson served on several special ad hoc appeal committees and a variety of other university and department committees, many American Psychological Association committees and served as Chair of the Site Visit Team to over 20 universities for the Committee on Accreditation for the APA, until his retirement in 2013.
Dr. Peterson was a licensed Psychologist his entire career and also Board Certified in Clinical Health Psychology. He is author or co-author on over 100 research and scholarly publications. He was the Dissertation Director for 81 students over a 44 year span.
In 2012 Dr. Peterson received “Outstanding Leadership and Dedication to Board Certification” Award from the American Board of Clinical Health Psychology. Upon retirement the Psychology Department at George Washington University created the ‘Rolf A. Peterson Scholarship for Doctoral Students at the Meltzer Center’ (the Psychology Department Clinic).
Dr. Peterson’s accomplishments are inspirational given the fact that he was Learning Disabled throughout his student life struggling academically through elementary school, high school and beyond.
