Ripon College

We're looking forward to Friday!

A definitive ace on the mound during one of the most dominant stretches in Ripon College baseball history, Jordan L. Baitinger ’07 will be inducted into the College's Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night. A premier talent, Jordan anchored a powerhouse Red Hawks program that captured four consecutive Midwest Conference Championships. His exceptional performance earned him First-Team All-Conference honors in each of his final two seasons, First-Team All-Region accolades, and the MWC Pitcher of the Year title as a senior.

His individual achievements are firmly etched into the record books. Over his career, he amassed a spectacular 15-2 record, finishing with a 1.81 career ERA — the second-lowest in program history and the third-best in conference history. As a junior, he threw six complete games to spearhead Ripon’s drive to the winningest season in program history, as the team notched 34 wins and earned a perfect 16-0 conference record. He followed that with a masterful senior campaign, posting a 7-1 record and a 1.84 ERA, which ranked 24th nationally in Division III. That single-season performance ranks second in program history for wins and ninth for ERA.

Standing as one of just 11 MWC players to throw a no-hitter, he cemented his legacy on the national stage in his final collegiate appearance. He became only the second player in NCAA Division III history to record a no-hitter in a tournament game, achieving the feat during a first-round matchup against St. Olaf College.

Merline Thoma Lovelace ’68 will be honored with a Distinguished Alumni Citation this Friday as part of the College's 1851 Awards Dinner during Alumni Weekend. Merline is a trailblazing military leader and an extraordinarily prolific novelist whose life and career embody a profound dedication to service, scholarship and creative storytelling.

During a distinguished 23-year career in the United States Air Force, she shattered glass ceilings, earning promotions ahead of her contemporaries to the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel and colonel. Her exemplary leadership culminated in her selection as the Base Commander/Commander of the 3200th Air Base Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where she held direct command of more than 4,000 personnel. Her exceptional military service earned her numerous high-level decorations, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Legion of Merit with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star for her service in Vietnam, the Air Force Meritorious Service Award with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Service Badge, and selection as Oklahoma’s Female Veteran of the Year.

Following her retirement from the military, she transitioned into a remarkably successful second career as a novelist. A literary powerhouse, she has authored more than 100 published novels, with more than 12 million copies sold in 53 countries and translated into multiple languages. Her captivating storytelling has frequently landed her books on the USA Today Best-selling Booklist. Her impact on the literary community has been widely celebrated; she was named the 1998 University of Oklahoma Writer of the Year and received the 2001 RITA Award — widely regarded as the “Oscar” of the romance publishing world.

This Friday as part of Alumni Weekend, Thomas A. Bellfort ’67 will be awarded a Distinguished Alumni Citation during the College's 1851 Awards Dinner. Tom is an award-winning sound editor and designer whose work has shaped the audio experience of some of the most celebrated films and television productions of the past four decades. Over the course of his career, he has contributed his talents to more than 80 motion pictures and television series, as well as dozens of video games.

His exceptional craftsmanship has been recognized at the highest levels of the entertainment industry. In 1998, Bellfort won an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing for his work on Titanic (1997). He also earned both an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). His television honors include two Primetime Emmy Awards for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993) and HBO’s acclaimed World War II miniseries The Pacific (2010), alongside three Golden Reel Awards recognizing excellence in sound editing.

Friday night will be special.

This Friday, Anna M. Alvin ’11 will be inducted into Ripon College's Athletic Hall of Fame. Anna is one of the most dominant and decorated offensive powerhouses in the history of Ripon College volleyball. A premier net presence, Alvin led the Red Hawks in kills during each of her four seasons on the court. Her remarkable career was punctuated by three All-Conference selections, including one First Team and two Second Team honors. Her historic 2010 senior campaign cemented her legacy on both the regional and national stages; she was named the Midwest Conference (MWC) Player of the Year after hammering down 130 more kills than any other player in the conference. That same year, she ranked 22nd across all of NCAA Division III in both kills per set and points per set.

Roderick Lorenzo Esquivel, Class of 1949, was a doctor, professor and politician. He served as the second vice president of the Republic of Panama from 1984 to 1988.

He was born in Gualaca, Chiriquí, Panama. He earned his degree in biology at Ripon and was a member of Sigma Chi/Omega Sigma Chi, Science Club, French Club and Spanish Club. He received his doctorate from the University of Chicago School of Medicine and became a practicing physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. He also as professor and chief of the obstetrics-gynecology department at the University of Panama. He was ambassador plenipotentiary to the World Health Organization in 1965; and part of the Expert Committee of Federation of Faculties of Medicine Latin America which developed teaching programs in family planning.

Kate Morrissey Stahl ’03 was recently awarded the 2026 “Excellence in Online Teaching Award” from the University of Georgia School of Social Work where she is a clinical associate professor.

Kate is a licensed clinical social worker with doctorate-level training in marriage and family therapy and an AASECT-certified s*x therapist and supervisor who has a special interest in behavioral and somatic approaches to therapy. She teaches classes on trauma and on s*x therapy at Georgia, as well as other clinical classes, and enjoys serving on dissertation committees and supporting graduate student scholarship, especially on topics related to human s*xuality. Her research focuses on the intersection of aging and s*xual expression, as well as other issues around human s*xuality, including s*x trafficking.

Kate also owns a s*x therapy and somatic healing practice in Athens, Georgia, called Revolution Therapy and Yoga, and she continues to perform original music as the Kate Morrissey Band. Originally from Brandon, South Dakota, she graduated from Ripon with degrees in communication and English. She then earned a master’s in communication arts and sciences from Penn State University before earning her master’s in social work and her Ph.D. in human development and family science from the University of Georgia.

Kate credits her liberal arts education with teaching her how different disciplines impact each other, which has been a foundation for her teaching and integrating different elements of her career.

Emma Johnson ’28 of Powell, Wyoming, is gaining insight in the world of journalism as a content intern with the Appleton Post Crescent newspaper this summer. She writes stories each day, covering local events and producing and editing her own videos posted to the Post Crescent’s social media and website.

“I’m very grateful to be able to have an opportunity like this and spend a summer doing what I once considered a hobby as an actual paid job,” says Emma, a psychology and political science double major with a minor in French.

She credits Instructor of Journalism Ian Stepleton ’98 for his support and her success with College Days as integral to navigating the internship interview process. As editor-in-chief of College Days, Emma has been recognized with three Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation awards.

Earlier this year, Nicole Klaas Hands ’06 was named president of Blueprint Investment Partners, an investment and practice management services firm headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. Nicole joined the firm in 2020 as director of marketing after 10 years in news, communication and marketing roles from New York to Milwaukee.

Nicole studied politics and government at Ripon with a minor in law and society. She served as editor-in-chief of College Days and spent a semester at Washington University studying journalism.

As president, Nicole is head of Blueprint’s asset management division and oversees all things related to their separately managed accounts, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. She says she’s learned a lot about all facets of the business in the past six years through natural curiosity and a drive to improve her role in marketing. “A strong marketing strategy demands fluency across the business — from sales positioning and advisor priorities to operational workflow and billing. So everything I’ve done at Blueprint prepared me for this leadership role,” she says.

Think you understand what separates an authentic country music artist from an imposter? This Catalyst course challenges students to examine the historical origins of the country music genre and how it relates to American identity.

Learn more about this and Ripon's other unique Catalyst course offerings at ripon.edu/catalyst-curriculum

Every Ripon student spends time in Lane Library, but likely few question its history. The building is named for Rollin Lane, Class of 1872, who made a $100,000 donation for its construction "In grateful memory of my school days at Ripon, and in appreciation of the splendid corps of instructors who have been the inspiration in my life."

Lane was a successful banker, real estate investor and philanthropist who helped establish the young communities of Redlands and Hollywood, California. He and his wife were pillars of early Hollywood society and donated large sums of money for parks, libraries and orphanages.