Former Badger Basketballer Rod Ripley Rallies and Rebuilds
- Aug. 02, 2024
Lucky’s 1313 on Regent owner and former Badger basketball player Rod Ripley ’87, MAcc’88’s hotel is open for business again two years after a massive fire burned down his three-story motel located on Lake Wisconsin in Lodi. The former athlete is no stranger to starting over, as he survived a nearly fatal accident 10 years ago that almost completely severed his right arm at the elbow. With ingenuity, resilience, and hard work, he has overcome both. The new hotel, renamed Lucky’s Lodge on Lake Wisconsin, features a nice dose of Wisconsin charm, including 53 headboards that Rod handcrafted from old barn wood and nature photography taken by his son.
More Alumni Notes
Having gotten back into fishing in 1992, I (William Schultz ’73) caught and released my first smallmouth bass in May of 1994. Having kept a log during my time as a Badger swimmer and Hall of Fame racquetball career, I keep one for my fishing. So, ...
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The Peace History Society has given its inaugural Edited Book Prize to The Oxford Handbook of Peace History, edited by Charles Howlett, Deborah Buffton PhD’87, Christian Peterson, and David Hostetter. Deborah received her PhD in history from UW–Ma...
Having gotten back into fishing in 1992, I (William Schultz ’73) caught and released my first smallmouth bass in May of 1994. Having kept a log during my time as a Badger swimmer and Hall of Fame racquetball career, I keep one for my fishing. So, ...
Samantha Rude ’18, MS’20 recently completed her PhD in plant pathology at the University of Minnesota. Sam has relocated to Sacramento, CA, to become a research scientist at California Seed and Plant Labs, where she specializes in the development ...
After working in international development for more than 25 years, Kristen P. Patterson MS’04 founded Sacred Journey Death Doula in late 2025. Based in Arlington, Virginia, Sacred Journey centers connection, compassion, reverence, and joy for indi...
Samuel Bowie Gardiner ’63, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and expert in war gaming and military strategy, died November 25, 2025, in Roanoke, VA, at the age of 84. Gardiner, influenced by the World War II service of his father at Omaha Beach and...
The Peace History Society has given its inaugural Edited Book Prize to The Oxford Handbook of Peace History, edited by Charles Howlett, Deborah Buffton PhD’87, Christian Peterson, and David Hostetter. Deborah received her PhD in history from UW–Ma...
Having gotten back into fishing in 1992, I (William Schultz ’73) caught and released my first smallmouth bass in May of 1994. Having kept a log during my time as a Badger swimmer and Hall of Fame racquetball career, I keep one for my fishing. So, ...
Samantha Rude ’18, MS’20 recently completed her PhD in plant pathology at the University of Minnesota. Sam has relocated to Sacramento, CA, to become a research scientist at California Seed and Plant Labs, where she specializes in the development ...
After working in international development for more than 25 years, Kristen P. Patterson MS’04 founded Sacred Journey Death Doula in late 2025. Based in Arlington, Virginia, Sacred Journey centers connection, compassion, reverence, and joy for indi...
Samuel Bowie Gardiner ’63, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and expert in war gaming and military strategy, died November 25, 2025, in Roanoke, VA, at the age of 84. Gardiner, influenced by the World War II service of his father at Omaha Beach and...
The Peace History Society has given its inaugural Edited Book Prize to The Oxford Handbook of Peace History, edited by Charles Howlett, Deborah Buffton PhD’87, Christian Peterson, and David Hostetter. Deborah received her PhD in history from UW–Ma...




