Athens Distinguished Alumni
Riske, Decker and Peter are newest members of a prestigious group of Athens graduates who’ve made a difference in their community
Three well deserving men who are influential in the Athens community garnered Athens Distinguished Alumni awards during Sunday afternoon’s ceremony in the Athens middle/high school cafeteria. Doug Riske, Randy Decker and Tom Peter are the 2023 Class of Athens Distinguished Alumni.
Family members of the three inductees sat at reserved tables in the front and Athens community members joined in the celebration by sitting in chairs in the back. Sunday’s momentous occasion began with a social and musical performances by the Athens High School choir and band. Food and refreshments were provided by members of the Athens Distinguished Alumni organization committee including Dee (Heier) Brewster, a 1988 graduate of AHS; Danielle (Weiler) Diedrich, a 1993 graduate of AHS and Jessica Bingham.
Bingham, the Athens Distinguished Alumni chairperson, gave the opening remarks for the program. Juli Gauerke-Peter, a 1992 AHS graduate and current Athens middle/high school principal, also spoke highly of the three new inductees.
Doug Riske was introduced by his daughters, Rachel (Riske) Ostrander, a 2006 AHS graduate and Allison (Riske) Halvorson, a 2009 AHS graduate.
Ostrander said her father was on the first Athens High School cross country teams to compete at the state tournament in three straight seasons from 1966 through 1968 for coach Jake Rogaczewski. She said her father ran cross country at UW-Stevens Point and later ran marathons and cross country skied in the famous Birkebeiner race.
Halvorson said her father operated a maple syrup sugar bush as a viable economic enterprise during a span of four generations.
Randy Decker was introduced by his daughter, Aaron Decker, who is a 2002 AHS graduate. She said her father was a charter member of the Athens Jaycees and a longtime Athens Village Board trustee and president. She also said her father started the Athens Area Economic Development Cooperation and the Athens Industrial Park. She said her father also started four housing subdivisions in Athens and he owned Decker Lumber & Supply in Athens.
Tom Peter was introduced by his children, Nick Peter who is a 2012 AHS graduate and Ryanne Peter, who is a 2014 graduate.
Nick Peter said his father was a member of the first Athens baseball team to win a state championship in 1982. He said every year his father volunteers at the St. Anthony’s Catholic Church food stand at the Athens fair.
Ryanne Peter told the audience about how her father bought the family business, EJ Peter Trucking, in 2003 and he started out with only three semi trucks. She said her father operated Peter Trucking out of the original terminal from 2003 until 2016 when he built a new terminal at the intersection of CTH A and STH 97.
She told the audience her father built Peter Trucking into becoming the largest employer today in Athens. She said Peter Trucking now has 57 semi trailers that deliver in the lower 48 states.
Decker and Peter were short on words in their congratulatory speeches while Riske was more thorough in his thoughts. Riske told the audience in attendance that he was a member of the first Athens High School graduating Class of 1969 in the first year of the new high school building. He was one of 73 high school graduates that year.
“The school parking lot was red granite and it served double duty as our track,” Riske said. “The school had a nice shine to it but it was a windy site. The beautiful pines that provide such a nice windbreak now were knee high seedlings. The America I remember then was in a ‘best of times, worst of times’ cultural situation. A thriving economy, great cars and superb music was offset by the Vietnam War. Two of my wrestling teammates, Leroy Hoffman and Daniel Orlikowski, paid the ultimate sacrifice in that far off Asian land. A scholar athlete award was created on their behalf and Dave Berghammer and I shared that award in its first year.”
The following are the inaugural Class of 2018 Athens Distinguished Alumni award recipients: Robert Gruling, a 1948 Athens High School (AHS) graduate; Robert Peter, a 1950 AHS graduate; William Balz, a 1970 AHS graduate; Jennifer (Fladvid) Lipinski, a 1987 AHS graduate; Reverend Sara Morse, a 1996 AHS graduate and Amy (Burk) Bormann who is a 2003 AHS graduate.
Ryen Berghammer, a 1977 AHS graduate and Bill Cosh, a 1986 AHS graduate, were the two Athens Distinguished Alumni in the Class of 2019 inductees before the program took a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19.
The Athens Distinguished Alumni ceremony returned last year in 2022 to induct sisters Lori (Schreiner) Zettler, a 1979 AHS graduate, and Lisa (Schreiner) McCord, a 1982 AHS graduate; Mitchell Marohl, a 1992 AHS graduate and Tim Clinton, a 1996 AHS graduate.
