UW Madison

Moving on to Madison was one the great liberating events of my life. Being responsible for your own bad self is critical in anyone’s development, and I was ready for this move.

I lived in the Lakeshore Dorm, Tripp Hall – one of the old ones. My good friend Rick Hauch lived in High House, which I suppose it was.

My window was the second floor window

My first year at Madison we had four of the seven Piette kids living there – brother Mark, sisters Mel and Abbie, and me. We had the best time. It is reassuring to have so much family so close. Abbie left the following year, but Mel and Mark overlapped my time in Madison almost exactly. Mark and Mel had both arrived a year earlier thank I had (Mark had taken time out for the army, Mel got an undergrad degree at UW-M, or at least had a couple of years there)

I loved the University of Wisconsin. I loved the city of Madison. It was a great five years (which see). I enjoyed all my classes, I enjoyed the homework, I enjoyed the tests (Well yes. Yes, I did.) I was on the Dean’s List every semester I was a full time student. I graduated with honors (UW doesn’t distinguish which honors) and I was both sorry to go and ready to go.

My father help pay for school, but mostly I “Co-op’ed” which would probably be called “interning” today.

I started my first work in a mine in Marcona, Peru.