Darryle Clott

I am humbled & honored to be standing here today accepting this award. Many years ago when I was on the UW-L Alumni Board then headed up by Executive Director of the Alumni Association & friend Eleanor Kennedy, I used to be a member of the Graff Committee that chose the Award Winners. Never in my wildest dreams did I think then that I would be the recipient of this award which I hold in such high esteem.

You have already met the kindest man I know, my husband Marv. Our son would surely win the award for coming the farthest distance. Hans flew in from Panama City, Panama, where he heads up Latin American sales for Dell Computer & will be moving to Brazil at the end of May. Our daughter Aimee comes in a close second flying in from Eugene, OR, where she is in a doctoral program in Educational Leadership at the U of O. I am so proud to have raised caring, compassionate children who are motivated to make a difference in this world. (Kids, please stand up).

In this room are some of my very favorite people: family & friends both old & new, from near & far; I am humbled beyond words.

I have loved this campus since I first set foot on it 46 years ago in the autumn of 1962 as a very scared freshman from Amery, WI. UW-L was then known as WI State College—La Crosse & had 2,000 students, the same number of people as lived in Amery at the time.

I vividly remember my mother, father, & BOTH sets of grandparents driving me to La Crosse in one car & leaving me in my room in the middle of my belongings on the fourth floor of Trowbridge Hall. As the door shut, the tears flowed, BUT NOT FOR LONG. I loved campus life & quickly became involved in many activities. While much has changed on campus in the past 46 years, much has stayed the same. This is a great university filled with caring professors and staff.

I was blessed with mentors such as Dr. Bill Vettes who always called me Sister Darryle in his history classes. He made me work to my potential while nurturing the love of history I first learned from my father, a history buff who only went through 8th grade but knew more history than any professor I ever had. Another mentor was Dr. Bob Voight a true gentleman & scholar. I was a member of student government then called Campus Controls Council, & Dr. Voight was our advisor who taught me how to get things done with grace. Women were not allowed to wear pants to class back then, & one of my crowning achievements my senior year was getting an amendment passed allowing women to wear pants to class on Fridays.

Since arriving on campus in 1962, La Crosse has been my home. I have never regretted staying here, for La Crosse has given me amazing opportunities. I have many claims to fame, some good & some not so good. I choose to focus on the good ones.

1. My proudest claim to fame is being Marv’s wife & Hans & Aimee’s mother. I am most richly blessed.
2. I have the very finest five siblings & nieces & nephews & we had the best mom & dad anyone could have because they taught us to value what is really important in life & that is people.
3. Mother always encouraged us to develop friendships, & I am pleased to say I have great friends of all ages & all walks of life.
4. I have been a member of the same church, Good Shepherd, for 36 years, & it is always there for me.
5. I was given a great foundation for life and my career at UW-L. The rigor, discipline and structure of my double majors in history & English prepared me well for what I consider to be thee most rewarding profession & very best job on the face of the earth. I am a teacher. I began my career at Longfellow Jr. High in La Crosse where I taught 5 & ½ years before my children were born. When I re-entered the field after six years at home with Hans & Aimee, I taught English at La Crescent H.S. for 26 years, & I loved every day of my career. Now I teach History of the Holocaust at Viterbo University which is a very rewarding & important part of my life.
6. My latest & greatest passion is educating people about the Holocaust.” The 1st thing people ask me when they hear I am a Holocaust educator is are you Jewish? When I say, “No,” they want to know why on earth I want to teach about the Holocaust. The answer is to connect history to the present by making people aware of the importance of accepting other peoples’ differences. The Holocaust could not have happened without the bystanders. I tell my students that if they see an injustice occur & do nothing to stop it, they are just as guilty as the perpetrator. Unfortunately all students do not come to school knowing this. They must be taught this lesson, & the best way I know how to do this is through the lessons of the Hol.

   My journey in Hol. ed. has been filled with many wonderful people, incredible opportunities including a Teacher Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, & the chance to make a difference.

7. And finally—in my list of claims to fame, I thought I had my highest mountain-top experience when I broke through the police barricade at an Elvis concert 11 months before he died, & got to the front of the auditorium where Elvis sang into my eyes “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.” That is until I got to spend eight hours with my hero Nobel Peace Prize winner & Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel when he accepted my invitation to speak to our community at Viterbo University in Sept. of 2006.

What I know for sure is that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things if only they have passion, a dream, & are willing to work hard to make that dream come true.

Thank you.