Western Technical College - Latech Yearbook (La Crosse, WI)

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...Robert C. Fritz After the new building of the La Crosse Vocational School was completed in about 1924, a partnership started that has lasted almost 50 years. That iipartnershipii was between a man and a school, and started with the meeting of young Bob Fritz and the late La Crosse Vocational Director, J ohn B. Coleman. Coleman used to chuckle when he related the story about young Bob . . . 1There was this eager little kid in the neighborhood who kept looking through our windows to see what was going on, so one day I asked him to come on in and go to school and do some odd jobs for us, and that was Bob Fiitz . . and hes been with us ever since!!!7 One of Bob,s 7odd 7 jobs was running the schools Soda Fountain - tmore popular in its day than Third Street,s bars todayl. The soda fountain and snack bar was located in the southwest corner of the Coleman Building beneath the stairway to the second floor twhere the glassed in display window is now locatedi. It was a wonderful place where Bob would mix you up the thickest chocolate maltintown, a cool lime phosphate, a fancy ice cream sundae, or whatever hit the spot. Huge double dip ice cream cones were available for only a nickel. Giant sized candy bars were also five cents, sodas were a dime, malts 15 cents and sundaes were 15 cents and 20 cents. By the mid-30is Bob had completed three years of vocational courses in printing and publishing . . . and was asked to be Printing Production Assistant to Mr. Alph Sorenson, head of the schooPs Printing Department. Bob has been a member of the Printing Department staff ever since. From 1935 to 1970 he continued as Production Assistant, working with Mr. Sorenson for that entire'time. In 1970, he became a teacher assistant. In order to get related professional working experience in his field, Bob worked at various local and area printing firms during summer vacations up until about 1960. In the late 408, Bob set up his job-printing shop in a shed behind his brother Leonardis home and operated the shop on a spare-time basis for several years. In 1970, he received his GED. certificate and qualified for a provisional certification by the State VTAE Board as a teacher assistant. In taking his GED. test, he scored one of the highestgrades in the math area of the test ever recorded at the time, according to the late Willard Hanson, who was Education Coordinator for the La Crosse District Schools when Bob took the GE .D. test. Bob now holds a iive-year standard certificate as a teacher assistant. He was made Manager of the WWTI Graphic Copy Center in 1971. In the late 1950s, Bob underwent three summers of corrective surgery for his physical handicap at Madison General Hospital; and in the summer of 1976, he suffered a near fatal illness which caused him to miss about two months on the job. He worked over 25 years with the handicap and 15 more after extensive surgery before he was forced to miss an extended period of regular work at his job. This is testimony to his personal fortitude and loyalty to his work at Western Wisconsin Technical Institute. Bob Fritz typifies the image of both the vocational student and the devoted vocational teacher. His hardships and the help he received through his association with vocational education, as well as the expertise and personal assistance he has passed along to countless printing and publishing students over the 42 years he has been on the staff of Western Wisconsin Technical Institute, demands recognition beyond the ordinary. For this reason, the 1977 LATECH is dedicated in his honor. The 1977 LA TECH staff, WWTI students, faculty, administration and the District Board salute a distinguished vocational educator . . . Robert C. Fritz. Story compiled and written by Donald Meinert WWTI Public Information Director Robert Fritz picture salute continued on page 32

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Forward gag? Better Vocational, Technical Education The administrative staff and faculty at Western Wisconsin Technical Institute are among the best vocational, technical educators in the state. Each instructor puts forth his or her best effort to see that each student learns the most modern methods in his or-her field. The administrators direct faculty and staff to nbuild a better vocational, technical education for each individual student attending WWTI. by Richard Chambers