CHRISTMAS 1990

David is still at the U. of Michigan working toward his PhD in computer science specializing in artificial intelligence and robotics. Earlier this year he finished his Master's thesis and passed his doctoral candidacy exams. He is now working on his dissertation. He will program a robot to wander throughout a building, perceiving and remembering landmarks, reading signs, and constructing for itself a map of the building. David will then ask the robot to go to a particular place in the building. If he has successfully programmed the robot it will use the map it has constructed to go to the place requested. Ever since high school David has wanted to work for NASA designing robots to explore space and other planets.

Suzie has had a very busy year also. She finished her first year of law school (corporate law) at UW-Madison in May. Just one week before her final exams at law school she also took (and passed) the exams for the CPA. All this in addition to planning for her wedding in August. On August 25 she married Jerry Raflik, whom she has dated since high school. He is an architectural draftsman working near Madison. Sue is now in her second year of law school. Actually, she finds it pretty boring, but keeps reminding herself of the starting salary for a corporate lawyer with their CPA. Her dream is to work in the area of sports law, perhaps as an agent for women athletes or for the International Olympics Committee. She is a writer for the International Law Society Journal, and is presently working on an article about drug testing of athletes and international law.

Steve graduated magna cum laude from UW-Eau Claire in May with majors in physics and mathematics. He received a $17.000 Regents Fellowship to study for his master's degree in aerospace engineering at UC-San Diego. He wants to be an astronaut, and his advisor at UC is the former astronaut Sally Ride. Unfortunately, the engineering program was not what Steve had hoped for. Also, he has been pretty miserable with a bad allergic reaction to the smog of San Diego. For these reasons he has decided to drop out of UC at the end of this semester, and apply to graduate schools with programs in astrophysics and astronomy.

In October Steve received the UW-Eau Claire Super Six Salute Award. This award is given to only six UW-Eau Claire athletes each year, and is based upon both athletic and academic performance. Last year Steve was the number one runner on the UW-Eau Claire cross country team that took fourth at the NAIA Championships where he was also honored as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. This award is somewhat of a family tradition, as Suzie received it in both 1988 and 1989. She was also on the cross country and track teams.

Nancy is a senior in audiology here at UW-Stevens Point. However, she lives on her own in an apartment with another girl, and is a waitress in a local Mexican restaurant. Our secret for getting kids out of the house after high school? Don't heat their upstairs bedrooms during the winter! Nancy is now applying to graduate schools to work on her master's degree in audiology. She also runs on the cross country and track teams. The kids all take after their father who still tries to run a few miles himself several times a week.

Peter is a sophomore at UW-Madison majoring in music (French horn). He plays in several campus groups, and dreams of playing French horn in a major symphony orchestra. While in high school he played in both the UW-Stevens Point and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras. He picks up a few bucks now and then playing for weddings. He played for Suzie's wedding.

Sarah started college at the UM-Minneapolis this fall. She is the most extroverted of our kids, and just loves dorm life, the big campus, and the big city. She is thinking of majoring in psychology. Nothing to do with the fact that her father is a psychologist. She just thinks psychology would be exciting and fun. And who knows -- her father believes psychology is such a mess there is a place for anybody in psychology.

Betsy is a sophomore in high school. She has shown no real scholarly tendencies yet, and it's the social life that keeps her going. She's on the Pom Pon squad, in Clown Ministry, plays bass clarinet in the band, is in the French Club, etc. She's looking forward to driving lessons and her driver's license like every other 15-year old. The most exciting thing this year for Betsy (and all the girls) was Suzie's wedding. They were all bridesmaids with matching dresses and accessories.

Katy is in eighth grade. She loves school and does very well. She is thinking of a Ph.D. in computer science or a corporate law degree. Not hard to tell where she got those ideas. Actually, she could be anything she wants. It will be interesting. For extracurricular activities Katy plays saxophone in the band, plays on the basketball and volleyball teams, and sings in the Show Choir at her school. This fall she made a weekend trip to the inner city of Chicago with a school ministry group to experience a different lifestyle compared to Stevens Point.

Tony is in sixth grade. He wants to be an NFL football player. What else! And he is a Nintendo nut like every other kid his age, constantly running between friends' houses to see what new games they have bought or rented. In school he plays trumpet in the band, and is on the cross country and basketball teams.