West Bend woman to be inducted into 2017 Wisconsin Senior Olympics’ Hall of Fame

This Saturday, 93-year-old Edith Schultz of West Bend will be inducted into the 2017 Wisconsin Senior Olympics’ Hall of Fame.

“I have made already 20 copies of this letter to send to my family and friends,” said Schultz with a thick German accent. Earlier this month Schultz received a letter of notification.

“A remarkable achievement and an inspiration to athletes of all ages,” said the note from Senior Olympics executive director Mollie Bartelt.

An avid swimmer, Schultz will be recognized for her 10-year history of competing in the Wisconsin Senior Olympics.

A self-taught swimmer, Schultz has mastered three strokes including the breast stroke, back and side stroke. “I get three gold medals every year,” she said. “Except the first year I got only two.

“I have 29 medals and that’s more than Michael Phelps; he has only 27,” she said comparing hardware with the well-decorated Olympic swimmer.

Schultz lives at Cedar Ridge in West Bend. She chose the facility because it has a pool.

Schultz comes out of the back bedroom in her apartment wearing three of her Senior Olympic medals.  “If we take a picture of them in the sunlight they shimmer like gold,” she said.

Down to only a handful of medals in her collection, Schultz has been distributing them as gifts over the past few years. “I give them to my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and special friends too,” she said. “I give one to my tax man because he does a good job.”

Schultz even rewarded her doctor who fixed her kneecap when she fell and broke it into four pieces. “He had tears in his eyes when I gave him this medal; he was so emotionally happy,” she said.

A handwritten card accompanies each gift. It reads, “Always do your very best.” Signed Edith Schultz

A tiny woman with round glasses, Schultz has heaps of spunk and a fascinating history.

Edith Hentschel was born in Lodz, Poland in 1923; she survived WWII and the Hitler Youth, became a war bride in 1947 and immigrated to the U.S.

Schultz has written a 214 page book about her life, “From Riches to Rags to Riches with the Grace of God.”

Schultz details growing up in a Christian family, singing in the choir, learning English and reading stories of Robin Hood.

In 1939 Schultz wrote about rumors Hitler would go to war against Poland. “German troops came into our town. We were issued ID cards. The Jews had to wear arm bands.

“In January 1945 chaos broke loose. My hometown of Lodz was bombed. I reached Berlin with the horse and wagon in four days just staying ahead of the Russians bombing and shooting. My faith in the Lord helped me get through those tough times.”

Doug Gonring throws hat in the ring for Kewaskum School Board

This week Doug Gonring submitted paperwork to run as a write-in candidate for the Kewaskum School Board. In a letter to the editor at WashingtonCountyInsider.com Gonring questioned the integrity of the School Board, especially its building plan concerning the referendum and the remodel of the middle school.

A portion of Gonring’s letter is follows. “An article was published in the Feb. 9, 2017 Kewaskum Statesman, ‘Kewaskum School District Considers New Building Plan.’

It said after 18 months of development by administration, the Long Range Planning Committee, Bray Architect and CD Smith, that 60 days after the referendum passed a board member indicated, “The whole board will be eating crow because it is the right thing to do.”

How can that happen? How do you meet for 18 months and the building plan you forward to referendum is not right?

How could board members and administration support referendum mailings, brochures, meetings to the public at the townships and fire departments and all of sudden without knowledge to the public, they choose a different path?

How could all those things which cost time and money become fruitless? Unless the administration and certain board members knew all along the total conceptual plan was never an option.

That isn’t honest and it shows a great lack of integrity and judgment by the elected members on the school board. This is just a good old slap in the face to taxpayers.

There are things that are needed to be addressed in our district but to campaign on one front and change the plan because you now have our money, is very misleading to all of us.

Are we ever going to have a long-range maintenance plan for our other aging facilities in the future so we don’t have to have referendums every 20 years?

This administration and majority school board has been disgraceful to each other at times. It lacks respect and dignity to others on the board or committees members that actually do live here.

This upcoming election gives us an option to make a difference and get some new blood on the board. We know for a fact the majority board that does exist hasn’t been honest to taxpayers.

We need a change of leadership just like the changes we have seen in our federal and state governments. We need leaders willing to stand up for the people who elected them not the ones they have hired.

If you’re ready for a change, so am I.  On April 4, use your 3-votes to elect Bradley A. Petersen and Gregg Denman, and write-in Doug Gonring for Kewaskum School Board. Doug Gonring

Three other candidates on the ballot include incumbents Troy Hanson, Jay Fisher and Sue Miller. Board president Hanson declined comment.

Bob Brandt WWII Army vet on April 8 Honor Flight

Bob Brandt, 89, of West Bend is one of 90 veterans on the upcoming April 8 Stars & Stripes Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

Brandt was drafted at 18 years old; he had just graduated Wauwatosa High School. “They asked me what branch of the service I wanted,” he said. “My dad had been in the Navy and I said ‘Navy’ and the guy stamped it Army.” Brandt pounded the table and laughed at the memory.

Brandt completed basic training at Fort Lewis, southwest of Tacoma, Washington. He then shipped out of Fort Lawton, Seattle for Japan. “I was stationed in Shinagawa, just south of Tokyo by about five railroad stops,” he said.

The year was 1946; WWII was over and it was the Army of Occupation.

Brandt was initially stationed in Tokyo Bay on an island where ships would unload supplies that would go to a warehouse.  “I took my break and went to the typewriter,” he said. “I would just hunt and poke but a sergeant came down and saw me typing and the next day I got an order to report to headquarters.”

Brandt recalled being told to sit down in front of a typewriter. “They gave me a stack of court-martial cases to transcribe,” he said. “You could only have three errors per page and there were duplicate copies and I called the sergeant over and said I can’t do that, I can’t transcribe.”

Brandt said he managed to remain a clerk at headquarters but he was replaced by a Japanese girl who could type.

“It was a good deal because we had good meals and it was like going to work,” he said. “We had three Japanese boys in our barracks that shined our shoes and made our beds.”

In April 1947, Brandt received his notice of separation; he returned to the states and received an honorable discharge. “It was odd because I went in April 24, 1946 and got out on the same day just a year later,” he said.

At 19 years old Brandt picked up a couple part time jobs, went to Marquette University to study marketing and met his wife Audrey.

“I worked two years for Swift and Company, a meat packing company,” he said. “We were selling canned goods, meats and baby food, and we sold to a lot of corner grocery stores.”

Transferred to the meat department, Brandt quit and went to work for Broan NuTone, now Broan Manufacturing. “I started as assistant office manager and when Broan moved to Hartford I went out there with them,” he said.

Brandt stayed with the company for nearly 39 years.

Eager for the Honor Flight, Brandt said this will be a return trip to D.C. “I’ve seen the Vietnam Memorial but I haven’t been to the WWII Memorial,” he said.

A.J. Brandt, a grandson, will be Brandt’s guardian. “He kind of picked me,” laughed Brandt. “I wasn’t going to do this because I don’t really feel like a veteran. I had a vacation in Japan for a year courtesy of the government. These fellas who went through so much, I didn’t feel it would be right for me to take up a place.”

Brandt talked to a few other vets who had been on the Honor Flight and they convinced him he was worthy enough to go.

Two other Washington-County area veterans on the April 8 flight include Raymond Grund of West Bend and Bill Mayer of Hartford, both served in the Korean War Army.

 New principal hired at Addison Elementary

There will be a familiar face taking over as principal at Addison Elementary in the Slinger School District as Joel Dziedzic has been selected for the job.

Dziedzic, pronounced jay-jeets, is the principal at Kewaskum’s Charter School and a part-time principal at Kewaskum High School. He will officially come before the Slinger School Board on April 17.

“Joel was a unanimous choice by a committee of 17 people,” said Slinger Superintendent Daren Sievers. “He has a warm personality and a relationship focus with his leadership and we really value that in Slinger.”

Sievers said he was also impressed with Dziedzic knowledge of technology. “We think he’ll bring a fresh perspective in that regard and it’ll be a great addition to our staff and technology in the classroom,” Sievers said.

Dziedzic will take over in Addison on July 1.

“He will be invited to meet the Addison staff for the first time on Monday, April 3 and then I’m going to take him on a driving tour of the district to meet all five principals and see all the buildings and be welcomed by our staff,” Sievers said.

Behind the scenes: Sievers said his interview with Dziedzic was memorable because it happened during the big Monday snowstorm where accidents shut down I-41 and Slinger High School was selected to serve as a safe space.

“As we were interviewing Joel and my phone blew up that Germantown was having early release,” said Sievers.

“I left the meeting, talked to the bus company and local law enforcement, learned about the accidents and decided rather than early release we’d just keep the kids safe at school.”

Sievers sent a note and a phone call to all parents in the district telling them the kids would be staying put.

“I had to duck out of Joel’s meeting and then interview him by phone, even though the entire committee said, ‘this is our guy,’” he said.

“So the only interview I missed, because of the snow storm, was the guy we chose.”

Updates & tidbits

– Job interviews for on-site caregivers on Tuesday, April 4 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Homes for Independent Living on W. Washington Street in West Bend.  Print this ad and show recruiter to receive a $1,000 signing bonus.

– The move to a new corporate headquarters for Delta Defense/ USCCA appears to be complete as the American flag is now in place on Freedom Way just off Corporate Center Drive in West Bend.

– The DIVA Spring Bling is coming up Thursday, April 27 in downtown West Bend. Proceeds from umbrella and specialty ring sales benefit Chix 4 a Cause.

– Make your Easter plans early and come out to The Columbian on Saturday, April 8 for the 35th annual Kiwanis pancake-sausage brunch with the Easter Bunny.  Tickets are available at Horicon Bank in West Bend, The Columbian and Minuteman Press.

– Mark your calendars for the Friday, April 14 Fillmore Fire & Rescue Fish Fry at the Fillmore Fire Department. Tommy Schwai and his team will also be busy making shrimp.  There will be free desserts for donating a non-perishable food item!

– Horicon Bank has stepped up this year to sponsor the fireworks during the July 4th celebration at Riverside Park in West Bend.

-The West Bend American Legion Post 36 will be hosting a brat fry on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 28, 29 and 30 at 1421 W. Washington Street from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Proceeds to local projects and veterans programs.

-Students at schools across Washington County including West Bend, Kewaskum, Slinger and Germantown are competing for a traveling trophy as they come up with an Anti-Drug slogan. The best anti-drug slogan will be used county wide at future anti-drug events. Judging will be April 6 at 6 p.m. at the West Bend Mutual Prairie Center.

 

-The Exclusive Company in West Bend is already advertising this year’s Record Store Day as April 22. The day includes sales, free food and live music as the store, 144 N. Main St., celebrates its independence. The store opens for 12 hours of sales from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.