Stevens Point Research Articles

B-109 Outcome of a Large Multicenter Prospective Clinical Study Aimed at Validating a Newly Developed VlsE1/pepC10 IgG/IgM Chemiluminescent Immunoassay (CLIA) in Conjunction with a New Automated Analyzer

Abstract Background Lyme borreliosis is the fastest growing vector-borne illness in North America, with recent estimates as high as 476 000 new cases annually in the U.S. alone. Measurement of Borrelia-specific antibodies via serologic testing remains an important diagnostic aid. Since 1994, serologic testing for Lyme disease in the United States has consisted of a two-stage algorithm, termed standard two-tiered testing (STTT). In the STTT algorithm, specimens equivocal/positive by first tier screening methodologies are subsequently tested via western blots. In recent years, the FDA has cleared several alternatives for replacing western blots with more sensitive second-tier tests, termed modified two-tiered testing (MTTT). We recently developed a VlsE1/pepC10 IgG/IgM chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA), to be used in conjunction with a new automated analyzer. The goal of these studies was to conduct a multi-site validation for this new assay and analyzer as a first-tier screening test within an STTT algorithm. Methods Retrospective cohort: 280 clinically characterized samples were provided from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (90 cases, 190 controls). The CDC provided VlsE1/pepC10 IgG/IgM ELISA data derived from their own testing. VlsE1/pepC10 IgG/IgM CLIA and western blotting data were also generated for this panel at ZEUS Scientific. Sensitivity and specificity values were calculated for the retrospective cohort as follows:VlsE1/pepC10-CLIA vs existing VlsE1/pepC10 IgG/IgM-ELISA, and VlsE1/pepC10-CLIA + Western blots, vs VlsE1/pepC10 IgG/IgM-ELISA + Western blots, interpreted as STTT algorithms. All testing of the retrospective cohort was performed at ZEUS Scientific. Prospective Cohort: 600 routine Lyme serology specimens were prospectively collected at three locations (1800 total): Mayo Clinic (MOC), Rochester MN.; Marshfield Clinic (MC), Stevens Point, WI; Health Network Laboratories (HNL), Allentown PA. The samples were assayed and analyzed in the same combinations as described above for the retrospective cohort; however, instead of sensitivity and specificity, the results were reported as positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) since the prospective samples were not clinically characterized. Testing of the prospective cohort was evenly split across three different laboratories, one of which was ZEUS Scientific. Results Retrospective cohort: [VlsE1/pepC10 CLIA, Sensitivity = (77/90) = 85.56%, Specificity = (177/190) = 93.16%; VlsE1/pepC10 ELISA, Sensitivity = (80/90) = 88.89%, Specificity = (179/190) = 94.21%], [STTT-VlsE1/pepC10-CLIA + Western blots, Sensitivity = (72/90) = 80.00%, Specificity = (190/190) = 100.00%; STTT-VlsE1/pepC10-ELISA + Western blots, Sensitivity = (70/90) = 77.78%, Specificity = (190/190) = 100.00%]. Prospective Cohort (1 sample out of the 1800 collected was omitted due to an invalid western blot result):[VlsE1/pepC10-CLIA vs VlsE1/pepC10-ELISA, PPA = (196/235) = 86.51%, NPA = (1452/1564) = 92.84%; STTT-VlsE1/pepC10-ELISA vs STTT-VlsE1/pepC10-ELISA, PPA = (160/167) = 95.81%, NPA = (1607/11 632) = 98.47%]. Conclusion These studies demonstrate that the newly developed VlsE1/pepC10 IgG/IgM CLIA, in conjunction with a new automated analyzer, yielded accurate results as a first-tier screening assay for both the retrospective and prospective multi-site validation cohorts. Future studies, utilizing the same sample cohorts, will be aimed at validating additional second tier CLIA tests as part of an MTTT algorithm.

Beavers: Ecology, Behaviour, Conservation, and Management. 2022. FrankRosell and RóisínCampbell‐Palmer. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. 454 pp. $100.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9780198835042

The Journal of Wildlife ManagementEarly View e22420 BOOK REVIEW Beavers: Ecology, Behaviour, Conservation, and Management. 2022. Frank, Rosell and Róisín, Campbell-Palmer. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. 454 pp. $100.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9780198835042 Tyler Brasington, Corresponding Author Tyler Brasington [email protected] College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, 54481 USA Correspondence Tyler Brasington, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Tyler Brasington, Corresponding Author Tyler Brasington [email protected] College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, 54481 USA Correspondence Tyler Brasington, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 24 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22420Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issuee22420 RelatedInformation

Emigracja kaszubska: Zjawisko, ludzie, ośrodki [The phenomenon of the Kashubian emigration, its people, and their centers of community life

There are so few books being published about Kashubia in the last several years that this edited volume is a very welcome addition. Professor Daniel Kalinowski has assembled a team of scholars and distinguished leaders from Poland, the United States, and Canada who together cover a vast array of interesting subjects connected with the Kashubian experience. The work itself is well-titled as “the phenomenon of the Kashubian emigration, its people, and their centers of community life.”Kashubia itself is a region in northern Poland. The Kashubian or Kashub population is distinctive in a number of ways. The members have their own language and customs. The group has indeed existed for more than a thousand years. (In 2011, the Polish government reported that Kashubians, 82 percent of them rural residents, numbered about 110,000 in all. This recognition made them Poland's second largest ethnic minority—out of 14 in all. Only ethnic Germans, with 145,000 members, were larger.)This volume contains nine academic articles. Six are in Polish and three in English. A number of personal interviews from Kashubians are also included. Contributions discuss Kashubian settlements in Poland, in Canada, the United States, Brazil, and New Zealand. In addition, there are seven reprints about Kashubians and their culture from publications reaching back to 1889.It is impossible in a review to provide anything like an adequate characterization of the richness of the data provided by the contributors that is to be found in this publication. In the work one learns about the settlement experiences and historic hardships of Kashubian immigrants, most all of them men and women who were originally farmers, in such diverse localities as Canada, especially the town of Wilno, the United States, New Zealand, Brazil, and Germany. We read of cultural differences between them and the native populations they came into contact with, as well as immigrants from other parts of Poland. We are introduced to the language differences between the Kashubians and other Poles (for example, the “United States” in Polish is Stany Zjednoczone, in Kaszubian it is Zjednone kraje).We read of their most prominent leaders, most of them priests, including Paul Rhode, who became a prominent bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, Felix Burant, a dedicated leader in the Polish American Congress’ work to resettle thousands of Displaced Persons from Poland after World War II, and Paul Breza, a founder of the Kashubian Museum in its “capital,” Winona, Minnesota.We learn of the size and significance of the Kashubian migrations, especially in the United States, which became home to 90,000 men and women before World War I and whose efforts led to the creation of a number of churches, community organizations and an early and influential publication in Winona, Wiarus. Of special note is the saga of the Kashubian fishermen's squatters settlement on Jones Island on Lake Michigan, on the shore of the City of Milwaukee.We learn of the Kashubians’ assimilation into both the Polish culture in America and into the American mainstream. (Here the story of the Kashubians’ integration into American life is presented in a novel way—by looking at the experiences of three immigrants who were called into military service in the Civil War.) And we read of the efforts by a new generation of people of Kashubian ancestry in the emigration to re-establish ties with the old homeland in Poland. As a result, this attempt to bring together descriptions of both Polish and emigration topics represents a unique contribution to the literature on this subject and serves as a source to better understand the larger story of the Polish emigration as well.On a personal note, reviewer Angela Pienkos recalls her family history as a paternal granddaughter of Kashubian immigrants who settled in Chicago in the late 1870s, although other relatives went to Winona. The family name was even Germanized to Mischke although it was actually Myszka. When she visited her grandparents’ home village of Ugoszcz, about 40 miles from Gdańsk, she viewed the graves of her ancestors in the parish cemetery. In the records of the parish were the names of the many family members who were baptized and married there. Those records were in German.Overall, this publication is well worth reading. It suggests new areas for research like the Kaszubian communities in Chicago and Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and is acknowledged as a valuable addition to scholarship on a fascinating subject.

Sewn in Coal Country: An Oral History of the Ladies' Garment Industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania, 1945–1995

Sewn in Coal Country: An Oral History of the Ladies' Garment Industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania, 1945–1995

In Memoriam

In Memoriam

Comparing the performance of ultralight folding manual wheelchairs using standardized tests

Objective To evaluate ultralight folding manual wheelchairs (UFMWs) in order to produce comparative data on their strength, durability, stability and cost–benefit, and to determine progress of wheelchairs by comparing these results to results of past studies. Design Engineering testing using American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) standards. Setting Laboratory testing of UFMW stability, and static, impact and fatigue strength performance with three devices using ANSI/RESNA standardized tests. Participants The three wheelchair models were the TiLite Aero X (Permobil, Lebanon, TN), Sunrise Medical Quickie 2 (Fresno, CA) and Ki Mobility Catalyst 5 (Stevens Point, WI). Interventions ANSI/RESNA standardized tests. Main outcome measures Mass and critical measurements, static stability, static strength, impact strength, fatigue strength and cost analysis. Results The ultralight folding wheelchairs continued to outperform their lightweight and rigid framed counterparts. According to these data, the quality of ultralight wheelchairs has not declined over the past 10 years. The Ki Catalyst did not pass strength and durability testing, while the TiLite Aero X and Sunrise Medical Quickie 2 surpassed these tests. Conclusions This result exemplifies the need for ongoing research to identify whether wheelchairs satisfy ANSI/RESNA testing requirements and highlights the importance of creating a resource data set. This is particularly important when numerous other wheelchairs fail to meet minimum ANSI/RESNA requirements. Implications for Rehabilitation Folding frame wheelchairs offer benefits such as transportability and convenience that may benefit certain wheelchair users, assuming their durability is sufficient and they provide similar benefits vs. other wheelchair construction. Previous studies have shown that folding wheelchairs perform meet the minimum requirements of standardized testing, and it is important to see if durability has increased, decreased or remained the same over the years. Other wheelchair types have remained stagnant with respect to durability and are less likely to meet the minimum durability requirements. Durable devices will improve a wheelchair user’s quality of life by reducing downtime while waiting for repairs, and also reduce the likelihood of injury due to component failure.

Record fledging count from a seven-egg clutch in the Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) typically lay 3–5 eggs per clutch, rarely 6 eggs, and there are 2 accounts of 7-egg clutches and 1 record of a maximum 8-egg clutch for the species. Brood sizes of 3–5 young are common and the previous maximum brood count is 6 young. However, in 2019, we found an urban nest in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, with 7 eggs that resulted in a record high of 7 fledglings. We genetically confirmed that the attending male sired all the offspring and the attending female laid all 7 eggs. Larger body size of the tending adults may have been a factor in the exceptional reproduction reported here.

Guilette Receives Inaugural CCA Conservationist of the Year Award

Guilette Receives Inaugural CCA Conservationist of the Year Award

Ageing Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) from Remigial Molt Patterns

We recorded molt patterns of migrant Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) at three locations in the Great Lakes region: Stevens Point, Wisconsin; Whitefish Point, Michigan; and Duluth, Minnesota. We then analyzed the molt patterns of recaptured birds that were banded in a previous season and originally classified as hatch-year birds (i.e., they had no remigial molt). Of these 286 known-age birds included in our analysis, 155 (54%) were second-year (SY), 72 (25%) were third-year (TY), 39 (14%) were fourth-year (4Y), 16 (6%) were fifth-year (5Y), three (1%) were sixth-year (6Y), and one (0.30%) was eighth-year (8Y). Using these known-age birds, we were able to identify definitive molt patterns for the SY and TY age classes. All 155 (100%) SY birds and 52 (72%) of the TY birds matched our ageing criteria. The remaining 28% of TY birds did not match our ageing criteria and were classified as after-second-year (ASY). Of the entire sample (n = 286), only three birds (1%) matched an incorrect age class, including one 4Y that matched the SY age class and two 5Y that matched the TY age class.

C. Marvin Lang

C. Marvin Lang, 79, died on March 23 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. “My fondest memory of Marv came at ChemEd in 1991. I was 24 years old, working at the Institute for Chemical Education. He asked me to help set up the conference’s opening-night demo show that he and Don Showalter were performing. This was for almost 800 people. I arrived early, unpacked boxes, and helped prepare the demos. When the crowd came in, I asked someone in the front to save me a seat. Marv looked at me and said, ‘Oh no, son, you are up here with us tonight.’ That may have been the scariest and most rewarding moment of my career.”—Michael A. Morgan, friend and colleague Most recent title: Professor emeritus of chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Education: BS, chemistry/mathematics, Elmhurst College, 1961; MS, chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1964; PhD, physical chemistry, University of Wyoming, 1970 Survivors:

Nesting Density and Dispersal Movements between Urban and Rural Habitats of Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) in Wisconsin: Are These Source or Sink Habitats?

Cites are relatively new landscapes for breeding Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) that nest commonly in urban and rural habitats throughout North America. There is a call for data that may indicate if cities are low quality, sink habitats, as for some other raptors, or if cities function as high-quality, source habitats. Source habitats should exhibit high nesting densities, high reproductive output, and they should produce net emigration to sites that offer the potential for greater fitness. There are no reports of connectivity via dispersed individuals and their reproductive success (i.e., gene flow) between rural and urban subpopulations for Cooper's Hawks in North America. We report one of the highest nesting densities in North America, one nest/238 ha in the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 2015, with regular spacing of nests suggestive of the saturated, stable population which occurs elsewhere throughout the state. Averages of 4.7 eggs and 4.1 nestlings per nest in Oshkosh, respectively, rank among the highest metrics for the species, and are similar to the stable and high reproductive indices found elsewhere throughout rural and other urban Wisconsin habitats across 34 y (1980–2015). An apparent low index of hatchling mortality rate (10%), or the loss of offspring from clutch to brood counts, was also found in Oshkosh. We detected both breeding and natal dispersal, with relatively high clutch and nestling counts, among eight individual Cooper's Hawks of both sexes moving into and emigrating from Stevens Point, Wisconsin with surrounding rural habitats. Most dispersal movements were less than 10 km. A relative similarity in maximum dispersal distances across 38 y (1980–2017) for rural-to-rural movements in males (35 km) and females (79 km), with those distances in males (27 km) and females (48 km) that moved between Stevens Point and its rural surroundings, suggest the maximum extent of natal dispersal movements is not habitat-specific in Wisconsin Cooper's Hawks. Discussion of various demographic contexts, including potentially confounding ecological variables, revealed limitations to previous reports and interpretations of reproductive output and nesting densities for the species, including assessments of habitat quality. We suggest high-quality rural and urban nesting habitats in Wisconsin are not source habitats for Cooper's Hawks within the state given none comparatively appears to offer the potential for greater fitness. Therefore, there should be no net dispersal among habitat types.

American Experience of the Dalton Plan in the Dutch Schooling

Abstract This article presents the results of scientific-pedagogical research, which consisted in analyzing the American experience of the Dalton plan in the schooling of the Netherlands, the ranking surveys according to strict criteria, and the implementation of an adapted version of the original American pedagogical model of the Dalton Plan in the schooling of Holland; characterizing the features of the introduction of the Dalton Plan into the Dutch educational systems. While researching the works of M. Montessory, H. Parkhurst and D. Lager, had been examined as the main source of the study. The archival documents of the biggest collection of Helen Parkhurst papers of the Archive of University of Wisconsin Stevens Point had been analyzed. It was studied that American experience of the Dalton Plan is top ranked among private institutions of the country. It is obvious that after the United States, the country of the Dalton Plan origin, the continental Europe and Holland have a dominant position regarding the implementation of the Dalton plan in the educational systems. It is stated that schools implementing the Dalton Plan are united in recognizing the fact that such a pedagogical model ensures the development of the student’s individuality and his social experience. The special advantage the Dalton students obtain is the ability to use different approaches and sources in seeking information that is necessary for the organization and achievement of their own research. The ideas of the Dalton Plan can be justified in the light of modern theory and research. The Dalton Plan was successfully implemented into the primary and secondary schools of the Netherlands ranked the counrty11th in the world education survey. The Dalton Plan philosophy became one of the components of the complicated Dutch educational system.

Wet collections accession: a workflow based on a large stonefly (Insecta, Plecoptera) donation.

This study details a workflow used to accession a large stonefly (Plecoptera) collection resulting from several donations. The eastern North American material of Kenneth W. Stewart (deceased, University of North Texas), the entire collection of Stanley W. Szczytko (deceased, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point), and a small portion of the Barry C. Poulton collection (active, United States Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri) were donated to the Illinois Natural History Survey in 2013. These 5,767 vials of specimens were processed to help preserve the specimen legacy of these world renowned Plecoptera researchers. The workflow used an industrialized approach to organize the specimens taxonomically, image the specimens and labels, and place the specimens into new storage. Utilizing the images as a verbatim data source, we transcribed labels in iterative steps that yielded more information with each pass. The data were normalized, locations georeferenced, all specimen data formatted to meet Darwin Core Archive format for occurrence data, and a data set created using Pensoft's Integrated Publishing Toolkit. This is the first time that any of the specimen data has been made available electronically. We also provide two important electronic supplements that include the Bill P. Stark (active, Mississippi College) Oklahoma field notebook for 1971 and 1972 detailing locations for many coded stonefly specimens in the Stewart collection, and the coded locations of B. C. Poulton's Arkansas and Missouri study. Again, we have linked coded labels in vials to normalized and georefenced site data. We confirmed 243 stonefly species were contained within the collections, and the potential for many more species exists among the specimens identified to family and genus level. Twenty-one new state, province, and other significant stonefly records are reported herein with all identifications verified by the senior author, often through consultation with other stonefly taxonomists. Researchers are encouraged to utilize the specimen data, form collaborations with the authors, and borrow specimens for research.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination and source profiling in watersheds serving three small Wisconsin, USA cities

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) continue to be common environmental contaminants. The anthropogenic sources of these compounds are broadly classed as petrogenic and pyrogenic, but more importantly specific sources including activities such as coal burning, oil spills, and application of coal tar sealants can be identified based on several types of data analysis. Several studies have focused on PAHs in sediments of lakes, streams, and stormwater ponds in larger urban areas, finding contamination arising from a number of different sources and correlating well to land use in the nearby watershed. We report here a study of PAH concentrations and source identification for river and lakebed sediments in and upstream of three smaller Wisconsin municipalities: Eau Claire (Eau Claire River), Stevens Point (Plover River), and Racine (Root River). PAH concentrations increased with increasing developed land cover and impervious surface. Concentrations within the cities and upstream agricultural or residential areas do not rise to the level found in larger urban areas or stormwater ponds servicing industrial or commercial land use, but can rise to a level that exceeds the Threshold Effects Concentration (TEC). Concentrations in areas with natural landcovers were very low, with the exception of one sample in a wetland with unusually high organic content. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that coal tar-based pavement sealants are a primary source of the contamination in all three cities. PAH concentrations reported here are likely conservative, and these results indicate that even smaller cities using detention ponds as a stormwater management practice should be prepared for costs of contaminated sediment disposal.

Assessing community needs for expanding environmental education programming

ABSTRACTBased on increased demand for educational programming, leadership at Schmeeckle Reserve, a campus natural area in Stevens Point, WI explored the needs for expanded environmental education efforts. In 2014, a three-phased needs assessment framework was employed to explore educational programming offered in the community. Results from interviews and surveys determined there was agreement that additional programming provided by Schmeeckle Reserve educators could fill a gap among nonformal youth (nonschool) groups during summer months. Practitioners in the environmental education field wishing to implement a method for more intentional program planning efforts may benefit from adopting similar processes.

FDA quietly ends a major risk-management program.

FDA on April 13 ended the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) program for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), a decision that caught some longtime users of the program off-guard. At Ministry Saint Michael’s Hospital, part of Ascension in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, a nurse’s inability to look up a new prescriber’s registration information at the REMS program’s website was the first hint of change. “That’s when we noticed that the REMS program was no longer active,” said Brook DesRivieres, director of pharmacy at the 50-bed hospital. Known officially as the ESA APPRISE Oncology Program, the REMS program was approved in 2010 by FDA for two epoetin alfa products—Amgen’s Epogen and Janssen’s Procrit—and Amgen’s darbepoetin alfa product, Aranesp. The REMS plan was created to ensure that the benefits of the products exceed their risks when used as an alternative to red blood cell transfusion in cancer patients with anemia resulting from myelosuppressive therapy. The specific risks named in the REMS program were shortened overall survival time and an increased likelihood of tumor progression or recurrence in patients with cancer.

A comparison of local and general models of leaf area and biomass of urban trees in USA

Ecosystem service estimation is a very popular topic. Many urban studies use the i-Tree Eco model developed by US Forest Service to estimate ecosystem services. Several ecosystem service estimation studies have been conducted acting upon the assumption that relationships developed elsewhere are applicable to sites that vary in species, site, climate, and environmental conditions. This study tested the accuracy of highly used existing leaf area and biomass models when used outside the region in which it was developed. To do this, we measured 74 urban trees from five species in Stevens Point, Wisconsin collecting data such as diameter at breast height (Dbh), tree height, height to the base of live crown, crown width, crown volume, leaf area, and leaf dry weight biomass. Using the data, we developed two models each to predict leaf area and biomass. Using ten independent samples, we compared our predictions with predictions from the existing models which are also used in i-Tree. Our results indicated that the local models developed in the current study predicted leaf area and biomass better than existing models which had higher prediction error. The difference in prediction will ultimately affect ecosystem services estimation when. using i-Tree, and future studies should acknowledge the difference.

A History of Badger Baseball: The Rise and Fall of America’s Pastime at the University of Wisconsin by Steven D. Schmitt

Reviewed by: A History of Badger Baseball: The Rise and Fall of America’s Pastime at the University of Wisconsin by Steven D. Schmitt Lee Lowenfish Steven D. Schmitt. A History of Badger Baseball: The Rise and Fall of America’s Pastime at the University of Wisconsin. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2017, 342 pp. Cloth, $29.95. It comes as a shock to most people that the University of Wisconsin is the only Big Ten conference member not to field a baseball team. This unfortunate state of affairs dates back to after the 1991 season when after 117 years of college play and 1445 victories, the plug was pulled on the Badger program by [End Page 188] cost-conscious administrators concerned about low attendance and revenue and Title IX regulations demanding the addition of women’s sports. As someone who earned an MA and PhD at UW–Madison in the 1960s and who has since become a fervent follower of Badger basketball and football teams, I find the situation distressing. So does veteran Wisconsin general reporter and sportswriter Steven D. Schmitt. Happily, instead of whining, he has done what a good historian must do—dig into the past to recreate the neglected years of Badger baseball history. In so doing, he has produced a book that is a meticulous chronological chronicle of a sport that has always been a stepchild in the athletic department and yet has produced many winning seasons, a 1950 College World Series participant, and developed many major leaguers, especially after World War Two. Informed readers will recognize many of the names. Among them are catcher John “Red” Wilson who also was a Badger football center; shortstop Harvey Kuenn (later an outfielder, batting champion, and Milwaukee Brewers World Series manager); bonus baby outfielder John DeMerit rushed to the majors to play a small part in the Milwaukee Braves 1957 World Series-winning season; southpaw Jim O’Toole, and outfielder Rick Reichardt, a great football running back whose 1964 $205,000 baseball bonus precipitated the passage of the free agent amateur draft in 1965. Schmitt has dug deep into Reichardt’s story, citing a remarkable four-part NBC national television series, Odyssey of a Bonus Baby—The Courting of Rick Reichardt, reported by future Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Wolff. (In a rare error in the book, Schmitt misspells Wolff ’s name as Wolf.) “Cameras recorded Reichardt’s every move” (122), Schmitt writes—from the superstar’s home town of Stevens Point, Wisconsin to the Sunset Strip and Malibu in southern California where he eventually signs with owner Gene Autry’s California Angels. At a party for Stanley Kramer’s movie Ship of Fools, actor Lee Marvin advises young Reichardt to get all the money he can from the owner. (A serious kidney injury kept Reichardt from fulfilling his great promise but he did experience an eleven-year major league career cut short probably by his active participation in the Players Association at the dawn of free agency.) Another delicious tidbit Schmitt has unearthed is that before Red Wilson arrived in Madison, he played for the national high school team against New York high schoolers in the 1947 annual All-Star game at the Polo Grounds sponsored by the Hearst newspaper chain. Wilson’s manager was Ray Schalk, the upright catcher on the 1919 Black Sox, and one of his coaches was Honus Wagner. [End Page 189] The first chapters of Badger Baseball will be of interest to sports historians. Schmitt informs us that like most universities at the turn of the twentieth century, Wisconsin was roiling with the controversy about whether high-level competitive sport belonged in a university devoted to learning. In 1906, Wisconsin actually dropped both football and baseball, but three years later in the fall of 1909 the reinstated baseball team “made the longest trip ever taken by college athletes-seven thousand miles” (24) to play nine games against two Japanese university teams. Masao Matsuoka, a political science graduate of UW, was the inspiration for the trip that drew the praise of none other than President William Howard Taft who said “it cannot be but of advantage to the universities in...

Getting to the root of urban tree health

Getting to the root of urban tree health

‘Snapshots’: Local Cinema Cultures in the Great War

The Great War broke out at the moment that the film industry at all levels, production, distribution and exhibition was becoming established. Here the attention is on the local cinema cultures of three spaces: Louvain in Belgium, Southampton in England, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in the United States. The areas share marked differences: Louvain suffered considerably, including direct damage to its buildings, reprisal executions of its citizens and German occupation for the four years of the war; Southampton witnessed the parade of war through its role as the main embarkation point for British troops, as well as suffering the loss in unprecedented number of casualties which the British people endured; and Stevens Point was different again in that the war directly touched the local community, with its considerable German and Polish immigrant population, as the politics of the nation shifted from isolation to engagement. These were all factors in the exhibition strategies of local cinema exhibitors who negotiated new audiences. The article draws out similarities and differences in these areas to argue that the war’s impact on particular local cultures was significant in the establishment of cinema’s social function within each community.