We are saddened to report that WCHF Executive Secretary Earl Spangenberg died Tuesday, September 18, 2017. The funeral will be at 3:00 pm on Friday, September 23, 2017 at 900 Brilowski Road at the Episcopal Church of the Intercession and the Redeemer Lutheran Church. The church is located behind Fleet Farm in Stevens Point. The visitation will start at 1:00 pm.
In announcing Earls’ passing, WCHF President Joe Passineau wrote:
“The Hall of Fame was one of his great passions. He contributed so much over the past 35 years as a Member of the Board and the Executive Committee, and through his leadership as President and recently as Executive Secretary. We will miss him. I enjoyed working with him over these many years.
I last saw Earl just a month ago, at the August 15th WCHF Board of Governors meeting at the Schmeeckle Reserve. As always, he was excited to learn about new nominations to the WCHF and looked forward to next Spring’s Induction Ceremony.”
2017 WCHF Inductee Christine Thomas and Dean of Resource Management, Department of Natural Resources, UW-SP wrote:
“I have known Earl since 1978. I was one of his hydrology students. He served on my graduate committee. Earl was one of the most caring teachers I ever knew. His primary discipline was water. He was also a forester and participated in that discipline as well. The groundwater model was developed by AWRA student chapter while Earl was the advisor. He was a rock in the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame. He loved music.”
Note: AWRA stands for American Water Resource Association. Earl started the first student chapter of AWRA at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and guided the chapter to create, market and sell groundwater models that are used all over the country today.
As noted in the Obituary, the funeral will be on Friday afternoon at 3:00, with visitation beginning at 1:00 at the Episcopal – Lutheran Community Church in Stevens Point (at 900 Brilowski Road, behind Fleet Farm).
The family has asked that donations, in memory of Earl, be sent to:
Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame
Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center
2419 North Point Drive
Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481
For more information, call 715.346.4992
Or e-mail Donna VanBuecken at wchfresource@new.rr.com