3 alums, Class of 1973 to be honored at Homecoming
Lakeland University will honor three individuals and induct the newest members into the Emeritus Club as part of this fall’s Homecoming festivities on Sept. 29-30.
A reception and program will start at 9:45 a.m. on September 30. Cost is $20/person and includes brunch items. Registration is required. Members of the 1973 class are complimentary, so please contact us at 920-565-1023 ext. 2159 or alumni@lakeland.edu to register.
Reservations are open at Lakeland.edu/homecoming.
Membership into the esteemed Emeritus Club is limited to alumni with a Mission House or Lakeland College graduation date of at least half-a-century ago. Each year, the newest members of this respected club are inducted during Homecoming and recognized for their longstanding relationship with their alma mater. All Emeritus Club members and classes of 1973 are welcome this year.
Lakeland will also present three individual awards:
Outstanding Recent Young Alumni Award: Emily Rendall-Araujo '11 MBA '14
Emily Rendall-Araujo '11 MBA '14 is the director of senior services with the City of Sheboygan. She led the successful strategic planning and rebranding of the organization, transforming it from the Senior Activity Center of Sheboygan to the popular Uptown Social.
Under her leadership, the renovation and opening of the new Uptown Social building was completed, resulting in record-breaking attendance and membership, effectively serving Sheboygan's older adult population. She collaborated with a team of volunteers and a local marketing firm to develop new brand guidelines, brand identity and website.
Rendall-Araujo also supported pandemic response efforts, ensuring access to Covid-19 vaccines and fostering safe social engagement for older adults.
Previously, she served as executive director of the Above & Beyond Children's Museum in downtown Sheboygan. During her tenure, she successfully launched notable exhibits such as the Festival Foods Fresh Market and Melitta S. & Joan M. Pick Toddler Barnyard. Annual revenue at the museum increased by an impressive 85% in just three years, accompanied by a 25% rise in annual attendance.
She previously worked as director of community development at United Way of Sheboygan County and in an alumni relations role at Lakeland.
Rendall-Araujo resides in rural Glenbeulah with her husband, Andres '06 MBA '08, their children, Freddie and Josie.
Service to the Community Award: Wayne Wildman ’79
Sheboygan-born maestro Wayne Wildman ’79 served as music director of the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra for 29 years beginning in 1990.
He was chosen as the recipient of the 2020 Wesley Teply Community Service Award in the Arts, an award from the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Association to recognize individuals who have substantially contributed to the arts in the greater Manitowoc area.
A winner of the prestigious Danforth National Fellowship, Wildman served for many years as a music instructor at UW-Sheboygan. An active harpsichordist, organist and pianist, Wildman has made solo appearances with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and the Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Green Bay Civic Orchestras.
For six seasons, he performed as harpsichordist and pianist at the Washington Island Music Festival. He has also been heard on Wisconsin Public Radio and on the CD recording “High Autumn,” featuring Milwaukee Symphony clarinetist William Helmers playing the music of James Grant.
Wildman is also an experienced composer, having crafted dozens of arrangements and original compositions, as well as scores for many theatrical productions.
He served as accompanist for the Lakeshore Chorale during the entire tenure of Music Director Linda Jacobs. Following this, he served as music director of the Chorale for an additional two seasons.
In May of 2023, Wildman retired from the post of music director of First United Lutheran Church in Sheboygan after 29 years of service.
In addition to his Lakeland degree, Wildman has a master’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a Leland Coon Fellow in Musicology.
Honorary Alumni Award: Vin Mannix
Vin Mannix spent just one year at Lakeland, but he personifies the words, “Once A Muskie, Always A Muskie.”
The Florida journalist and 2018 Lakeland Hall of Fame Service Award recipient has authored two books about Lakeland. The first, “A Muskie Memoir,” recounts the 1967 football season for the Gateway Champion Muskies, who went 8-1 and revitalized the program when he was a freshman walk-on. The second book, “MOOSE,” honors the legacy of Duane Woltzen, beloved athletic director and basketball coach, who impacted so many lives during his 23 years at Lakeland and afterward.
Over the years, Mannix has attended Muskies football games at Taylor Field, fast-pitch softball games when the Muskies are in Florida and is a regular at The Blasters. He also follows Lakeland on social media with his familiar hashtag #oldmuskies.
Until his retirement in 2014, Mannix split his professional career between sports writing and community news with 23 years in South Florida, followed by 16 years in Southwest Florida. He continues to write a Sunday column, “Vin’s People,” in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Mannix and his wife, Sherri, live in Sarasota, Fla.
