Suzie is the owner of Lucy’s Closet along with Nicole Langohr in downtown Neenah WI. Suzie was born and raised in Neenah. When she was around 19 she moved away for several years and returned with her family 30 years ago. Suzie says, ”Neenah is a great place to live and raise a family. I have always believed in the downtowns of small communities and I have such wonderful memories of growing up here and spending a lot of time in downtown Neenah. Everybody knew everybody. It is and was a very intimate community and when I was younger we also had a movie theater here so we spent quite a bit of time downtown.” Suzie says her favorite place in Neenah is the Kimberly Point Park with the lighthouse! “I like the feel of our downtown and we have so much to offer!”
Article By: Brianne Getlinger
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John Bergstrom was born, raised, and has always lived in Neenah his whole life. He says Neenah is the absolute best place in the world and he has been just about everywhere! His favorite place to go in Neenah is sitting on top of the Neenah towers. His favorite thing to do in Neenah is go to Riverside Parks 4th of July event and evening fireworks. His goals for his business are really goals for the community. To make it better for each generation and to make it somewhere we are all proud to live and be apart of. Since he was blessed with such a successful business he wants to be able to give back to everyone in the community.
Article by Delaney Hayward Andre Hendriks was an immigrant from Holland. He came to the United States in 1967, when he was 14. He came over with his parents, his three brothers, and his uncle. He lived in Brooklyn, New York for about 2 years. They all wanted to stay in the same city and state to maintain family ties, so they moved from Brooklyn and settled in Neenah. Shortly after that he built his own house. He became an engineer for Kimberly Clark. He bought a plot of land for very cheap and he found work at kimberly clark with a high paying job. He was a front hand manager for many years, where he built the paper machines. He got married at 22 to his wife who met at Appleton West. He continued living in Neenah for his whole life.
There were many reasons why Andre Hendriks wanted to be in Neenah and still loves being in Neenah today. He loves the small town feel of Neenah and he loves living close to big cities like Appleton and Green Bay. Also he loves the fact that his family and his roots are here in Neenah and that he able to be close to his family and celebrate the successes of his family and children. Article by Taylor Hendriks Amanda King and Tina Baumgart work at Newstyle Salons in Neenah, WI. Tina, Amanda, and the rest of their crew love working in Neenah. “My favorite part about my job is helping and seeing clients faces with their smile when they see their hair. It makes me smile!” “Adding on to that, giving them what they want and seeing their face and smile makes us smile too! A good haircut can go a long way!” When asked what there favorite place in Neenah is they both responded by saying “NewStyle Salons!” Amanda says she likes to come to work early because she loves her boss, coworkers, and clients! Tina chose her job in Neenah because she was transferred from her other location and ever since she started working here she has loved it!
Article By: Brianne Getlinger Julie Krause is a volunteer coordinator at the Neenah Public Library. Julie enjoys visiting different parks with her kids. “The parks are really beautiful and they are a wonderful place to go.” Her favorite place is in Neenah and she said it was the Library because it is a place to do many things and everyone is so nice! Julie does have family in Neenah, her kids and husband. Julie likes Neenah because it is very family oriented. “A lot of thought is put into events and Neenah is very safe.” We choose to live in Neenah because it was so beautiful and safe! A lot of work is put into events and what our city looks like! If you are from Neenah, enjoy the beauty of our city and if you aren't from Neenah you should visit us! We hope to see you!
Article by Brianne Getlinger A hero to me is not someone who gives a lot of money or is able to complete an amazing accomplishment. A hero to me is someone who is always kind, generous, and selfless in everything they do. Although there are many people in our community that we could call heros, we selected two heros that stood out the most to the PBL class. They then were elected for their great endeavors. One of our heroes is Eileen McCoy. After talking to Eileen on the phone, she stated that she wouldn't call herself a hero or an influential figure of Neenah. She feels the entire City of Neenah Parks and Recreation team are heroes as they have a huge impact on the community through their work. For the past 37 years, Eileen has seen the community grow into a loving and diverse family. She absolutely loves making Neenah an exceptional place to live and being able to see families have fun and enjoy all the programs and parks the city of Neenah has to offer. Even after Eileen retires, she plans on helping with projects throughout the city to continue to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. A current project the Parks and Recreation team is working on is to finish the trestle trail loop. At the end of this project people will be able to walk, bike, and run around Little Lake Butte Des Morts. For the past 37 years, her passion and excellence has changed Neenah to a great urban area. This is the reason is why we are proud to call her a Hero of Neenah!
Thank You Eileen McCoy for your hard work and commitment to our wondrous community! Article by Jacob Theisen There are heroes all around us. Heroes that step up and go the extra mile to do what is right for everyone. Heroes that we can all look up to and be inspired by. Unfortunately, a lot of our heroes are taken from us too soon. Elmer Burr was one of those men. Elmer Burr was born May 11th, in Neenah Wisconsin, and graduated from Menasha High School in 1926. The attack of Pearl Harbor was the precursor to Burr’s entering of the war. He entered a three year long war in New Guinea with Company I, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division also known as the “les terribles” referring to its fortitude in advancing over terrain others could not. The 32nd then adopted its shoulder patch; a line shot through with a red arrow, to signify its tenacity in piercing the enemy line. It then became known as the “Red Arrow Division”. By December 24, 1942, he was serving as a first sergeant in the company at the village of Buna. On that day, he smothered the blast of an enemy-thrown hand grenade with his body, sacrificing himself to protect those around him, including his commanding officer. He suffered severe wounds to his abdomen and died in a field hospital the next day. Burr, age 34 at his death, was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Neenah and has a memorial in Menasha.
“Dear Friend; I received a call this afternoon from my sister Menasha in which she asked if I could attend the program in honor of your husband. I knew Elmer in Company I, and was in action with him in the Buna Campaign. We were both hit on the same day and hour. I owe Sgt. Burr very much and cannot express my feelings for him in words. I had been hit by a machine gun seven times and also by a grenade. You can imagine my helpless condition at the time and my need of assistance. Captain Michael Ustruck crawled out to drag me back in. I was a heavy burden to drag back so it required much time. Sergeant Burr guessed something was wrong so he also crawled out to find out the delay. He had to go through a mortar and artillery barrage but he got to us safely. He and the Captain carried me to a safer area in rear of the lines. So you see his bravery and loyalty was one of the chief reasons why I am here today to tell about it. I understand that about fifteen minutes later he, the Captain and some other fellow officer were pinned down in a shell hole by a Jap machine gunner. The Jap, seeing he couldn't get them that way, lobbed in a hand grenade. Sergeant Burr knew instantly that it would be fatal to all of them so He dropped on the grenade. He sacrificed his life to save his comrades. I believe it was habit of his to save lives, disregarding his own. He could not have died more bravely. I hope you are as brave about this loss as he was in battle. Sincerely, Lieutenant Francis Young Percy Jones Hospital Battle Creek, Mich.” For this act of heroism, Elmer J. Burr was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor ten months later, on October 11, 1943. The words “the best soldier I have ever known” were used by the men he served next to in the face of battle. Elmer showed acts of conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company l. Elmer Burr was an extraordinary man that did extraordinary things for this country. A lot of people owe their lives to the courageous acts Mr. Burr displayed. He truly is a hero we can all look up to and learn from. We all thank you for your service. Article by Ben Makowski Each year, the first full week of April, we will dedicate two posts to Humans of Neenah as a special edition: Heroes of Neenah. This next week we will be honoring the following two Neenah Heroes.
Mya Halverson has lived in Neenah her whole life, and her grandparents went to school here, so her family has been here a while. With her family and friends here in Neenah, she would never leave them. She feels like it would be a good place to raise a family and have kids.
Mya really enjoys the fact that there are so many unique places and stores in downtown Neenah, and that the people and shop owners are nice. There are different stores, stores for anybody and everybody. Downtown Neenah to her is like a city within a city. Mya also feels like the people of Neenah are down to earth and easy to get to know. Neenah is a big city, but it feels like a smaller town because it’s so easy to get to know the people. Mya’s favorite memories are the ones she made with her family. Mya and her cousin would go to Neenah Library to read books with other kids. Another favorite has always been live mannequin night during the Christmas time because her cousins participated in it, and it would be fun to try and make them laugh. She is going to be in it next year. When she was little she would watch her dad play street ball with his friends. Neenah is a beautiful city with many activities that go on. Article by Rebekah Gander Gina Sanders Larsen, owner of Sanders Larsen Wordsmithery for Marketing & PR, is not just one of the many faces you see everyday walking downtown Neenah, but a very important one. Gina grew up in the small town of Pulaski about 45 minutes from here. Her parents were both teachers, and she was the middle child of three. Her life was simple and loving, such a peaceful life up in Pulaski. Soonly enough, Gina grew up, falling in love with a tall lean engineer. Eric and Gina Larsen are still happily married to this day. Deciding to move to Neenah for Eric’s job, they had two children, Lydia and Henry. Gina started her business fifteen years ago. She originally made it a stay at home business, so she could care for her daughter and have flexible hours. Gina later realized, that she needed more space for her work. She decided to take an office in downtown Neenah, right above Tim Shel Cafe. She was then able to be more visible to citizens, have more opportunities, and to set a border between her home and work life. Gina’s business consists of many different types of writing. She does copywriting, contract blogging, white papers, and company papers. Copywriting usually means writing content that goes into things like advertisements, speeches, press release papers, and content for websites. She is a very reliable worker, and is recommended by many people. She is especially useful since it is easier for the writer to hire her only when they need her, instead of hiring a contractor permanently all the time. Gina is also very active in the community as well. She is a girl scout leader, a 4H parent volunteer, a member of her church’s fellowship team, and is on the Board of Neenah Music Parent Directors. Neenah is very special to her, and her quality work and memorable stories can account for that. One of her favorite memories of the town is in December long ago, when Lydia was little girl. She has always had a passion for horses, and there were carriage rides that night. The driver was on his last route when the Larsen family wanted to hop on. This driver’s shift was already finished, but looking at Lydia’s face glowing with anticipation for this ride, let them hop on just for the way home. I had a lot of fun getting to know Gina Sanders Larsen who is not just a citizen of Neenah, but a person of Neenah. In this photo, Gina Larsen is in the brown sweater on the right. She is standing with the owner of her favorite coffee shop, TimShel. Gina gets coffee from TimShel and spends time in it quite frequently, because her office is right above it! Article by Emily Johns |
AuthorStudents of Neenah High Arete PBL Academy Archives
June 2016
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