Several University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduates are being honored for their service to their communities.
The Pointer Impact Award, established in 2020 by the UW-Stevens Point Alumni Association Board of Directors, recognizes alumni who make a difference in their communities and beyond. Whether through volunteer work or in their careers, Pointers are making their mark on the world in many ways, and this award is designed to recognize those achievements.
The UWSP Alumni Association also hosts episodes of Coffee with Alumni and Friends with each honoree. Episodes can be found at facebook.com/UWSPAlumni.
Recipients include:
Tom Beyer, ’85
Tom Beyer has degrees in marketing and business and is now a respected businessman as well as one of the founders of Rock River Rescue, an organization formed in 2001 to save the Rock River in Watertown, Wisconsin. He co-founded the Rock River Rescue Foundation, which aims to improve the river’s aquatic ecosystem within the city limits. Since then, the organization has removed over 10,000 carp, stocked over 1 million wild and pan fish, and donated handicap accessible piers to the city that have been installed in Riverside Park and Fannie P. Lewis Park. They have expanded their target area and continue to work to clean up and restore the Heiden Pond area. In recent years, the group has created scholarships for high school seniors pursuing careers in resource management.
Jessie Fritsch, ’06
Fritsch, an encaustic (beeswax) artist for 20 years, began her art career at UWSP. In 2004, she received a UWSP research grant to teach herself to paint with melted, pigmented beeswax. After graduating, she began exhibiting at art festivals. Fritsch currently works as an artist, art fair exhibitor, and encaustic workshop instructor. In 2022, she opened Buzz in Art Studios, an art instruction studio in Arnott, Wisconsin. She also created the “Trailblazers” mural in downtown Stevens Point, which celebrates Ruth Bader Ginsburg and women’s rights. Fritsch is the council chair of the Stevens Point Area Festival of the Arts and a member of the steering committee for the Hidden Studios Art Tour of Central Wisconsin.
Lyle Updike, ’75
Lyle Updike, a graduate in wildlife ecology and management, volunteers and leads trainings at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, an organization focused on promoting conservation and land stewardship. During his studies, he was responsible for planning the 1st Earth Day in 1970, working with Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson to make the event possible. Updike was elected student body president in 1974-75 and was a candidate for assembly in 1976. It took Lyle six years to graduate because he served in the Vietnam War. Updike volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America and is an elected community leader for the City of Sun Prairie. He retired from the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission after 20 years of service.
Aaron Hunnel, ’13
Aaron Hunnel, founder and director of the Wisconsin National Guard’s Comprehensive Health and Wellness Program, believes people are the greatest gift in life. As a certified wellness practitioner and certified intrinsic coach, his work combining personal and organizational change has impacted thousands of people around the world by helping them live authentic, fulfilling lives. He has developed behavior change and leadership courses that have been integrated nationwide across the Department of Defense and created over 20 jobs in 4 states. Hunnel’s passion for wellness began after struggling with his own physical and mental health during several deployments, where he discovered a passion for endurance racing. During the pandemic, he started a project called Ride 2 Stop Suicide that provided bikes to veterans across the country. As part of the campaign, he rode 3000 miles from California to Maryland in 22 days to raise money and awareness to reduce veteran suicide rates. After 20 years of service in the National Guard, Hunnel is retiring and will return to serving as a speaker, coach and consultant to various organizations.
