The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Class of 1966 will celebrate its 50th Golden Titan Reunion on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14.
At the reunion, alumni from the Class of 1966 and earlier will reconnect with former classmates and reminisce about their time at UWO.
One of 1966 graduate Kleone Klein Nelson’s favorite memories from UW Oshkosh was when she was selected as the UWO Winter Carnival queen in 1964, her sophomore year. She was Taylor Hall’s candidate.
Klein Nelson, of Hampton Cove, Ala., remembers that she did not expect to win, so she was surprised when she heard her name announced.
“It was quite the festive occasion with lots of pictures, roses and congratulations,” Klein Nelson said. “Being crowned the Winter Carnival Queen was the furthest thing from my mind, but it was an honor and a thrill to represent the girls of Taylor Hall and all of UWO as queen.”
Following graduation, Klein Nelson taught art in Wisconsin and nutrition in Germany. Her husband Phil Nelson was in the military, so she had the opportunity to live in seven states and a foreign country.
Before retiring in 2013, Klein Nelson also sold real estate in Virginia and was a digital librarian in Alabama. She has a son, Erik, who lives in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Another class of 1966 grad, Rodney Hannes, of Fairview Heights, Ill., has a master’s degree in computer science and was in the Air Force. He and his wife, Jean, had five children and now have 10 grandchildren.
Life in the Air Force allowed Hannes to travel to Italy, and he has returned multiple times with his wife and family.
Hannes said he remembers going to UWO football games and enjoyed the math and astronomy courses he took at UWO. He said he would spend time star gazing in the observatory.
Alumna Carolyn Coble fondly remembers playing in the Oshkosh band concert at the World’s Fair in New York. Her favorite classes were band, speech and art.
Coble, of Denver, Colo., is a retired teacher married to Eric Coble. They have a son, Jonathan, who is an architect in New York City.
Some of the scheduled events for the Golden Titan reunion include a Class of 1966 cocktail reception and dinner on Friday and a bus tour of campus and luncheon on Saturday. The Golden Titans then have the honor of leading in the commencement processional for the newest class of UW Oshkosh graduates at the 2 p.m. ceremony at Kolf Sports Center.
Registration and the opening reception for the reunion starts at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 13.
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