They’re among four added to BHS’s Wall of Inspiration
Burlington High School inducted its third class into its Wall of Inspiration Friday afternoon.
The theme of inspiration ran strong, as the class was inducted just hours before the Class of 2012 graduated from BHS. Senior Kelsi Cesarz made the keynote speech, talking about how, in her life, little things have inspired her in big ways.
While on her porch last summer, Cesarz saw a young child fall off her bike.
“I knew I had to help,” she said, because she had the training to respond.
After Cesarz finished, she handed off the microphone to former BHS Assistant Principal Ed Johnson, who introduced the four nominees – George C. Mathews, Harold G. Reuschlein, LeRoy J. Welke and Mike Wallace.
Mathews and Reuschlein both earned the awards posthumously, with Mathews’ nephew, Dean Mathews, accepting for the family.
Both Welke and Wallace accepted their awards, making brief comments about how special Burlington is to both of them.
Biographies of the four inductees follow.
George C. Mathews
Mathews, a 1904 graduate of Burlington High School, had a long and distinguished career in business and public service, at both the state and national levels.
Known for his expertise in public utility and securities regulation, he was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to serve on the Federal Trade Commission and then on the newly established Securities and Exchange Commission.
In 1933, Mathews was hired by the Middle West Utilities Company, a public utility holding company, to revise its rate structure, but stayed only four months because President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to the Federal Trade Commission.
When the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created by the Congress in 1934 to enforce federal securities laws and regulate the securities industry, George was the second person named to the five-member commission by President Roosevelt. The other four members were Joseph P. Kennedy (father of President John F. Kennedy), the SEC’s first chairman; James M. Landis, later dean of the Harvard Law School; famed financial practices investigator Ferdinand Pecora; and Robert E. Healy, former counsel to the Federal Trade Commission.
George served on the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1934 until April 1940, when he resigned to become vice president of the Northern States Power Co. During his time at the SEC, George also served with future Supreme Court justice, William O. Douglas, who was SEC chairman from September 1937 to April 1939. In 1939 George served as temporary chairman of the SEC for a short time.
Leaving the Northern States Power Co. in 1942, George became vice president of the Public Utility Engineering Corporation, a subsidiary of Standard Gas Co. A year later, he was made vice president and acting chief executive officer of Standard Gas and Electric Co., a public utility holding company. He held that position at the time of his death in July 1946 at age 60.
Harold G. Reuschlein
Reuschlein, who graduated from Burlington High School in 1922, went on to become a law professor at Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, St. Mary’s of San Antonio, and Case Western Reserve Universities and to found and become first Dean and Dean Emeritus of the School of Law at Villanova University.
After graduating from Yale Law School in 1933, Reuschlein received a fellowship to continue his legal studies at Cornell University, where he earned an advanced doctorate in law.
He then accepted a position as assistant general counsel at an insurance company in Philadelphia. Wanting to return to teaching, Harold accepted a faculty position at Georgetown University’s law school in 1934, beginning a career in legal education that spanned five decades and seven universities.
Reuschlein became professor of law at Notre Dame (1946-47), Syracuse (1947-48), and Pittsburgh (1948-53), before becoming founding Dean and professor of law at Villanova’s School of Law. In 1971, the Villanova law school was granted a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the national honorary legal society. It was the first church-related law school in the country to be so honored.
Having brought the law school to national recognition, Reuschlein left Villanova in 1972 to become the Katherine Ryan Distinguished Professor of Law at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. He returned to Villanova as Dean Emeritus in 1984 and remained a driving force in the life of the Villanova law school until his death in August 1998 at age 93.
Reuschlein was a member of the Bar in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court; was active in the American Bar Association and in the Association of American Law Schools; drafted and published the public health laws of the City of Pittsburgh and drafted the public health code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; gave numerous addresses and speeches, including commencement addresses at Dominican, LaSalle, St. Mar’s of San Antonio, Siena, Holy Family, Neumann, and Immaculata colleges; received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Creighton, Dickinson Law School, Dominican, LaSalle, and St. Mary’s of San Antonio; and published eight books and numerous articles on various legal topics.
Among the honors Reuschlein received were being named a Knight in the Order of St. by Pope John XXIII. He also received two St. Thomas More awards for accomplishments that represented the principles and ideals of St. Thomas More, who placed obedience to his conscience over obedience to King Henry VIII.
LeRoy J. Welke
Welke was set to graduate in 1944, but having enlisted in the Air Force on his 18th birthday, he was called to active service four days before his graduation ceremony.
He asked his principal, Mr. Witter, for advice, and the principal said go and serve you will still receive your diploma. Welke went around and said his goodbyes to friends and teachers, not knowing what was in store for him. He has been serving his country and community since.
Having completed Radio Electronics and Radar School, he served on a B29 Bomber as a radar technician for high altitude bombing missions.
After serving his time in the Air Force, Welke returned to the Burlington area. During the day he worked for Bigelow Refrigeration and on the weekends he played semi-professional football for the Delavan Red Devils.
Welke was employed by Wisconsin Electric Power Company now We Energies, as a foreman, for over 40 years. He supervised the construction, maintenance and operation of overhead, underground, and transmission lines (120 to 240,000 volts).
LeRoy and his wife, Mildred, have been married for over 60 years. They raised three sons and a daughter in a family-focused home. All of his children were BHS graduates and went on to continue their education, Dale (UW–Madison), Tom (UW–Whitewater), Sue (UW–Platteville), and Scott (UW–Madison).
Welke is a member of the American Legion Post 79 and the Burlington Masonic Lodge 29. He served 15 years for the Burlington Area School District Board of Education, including two terms as president. LeRoy was a Cubmaster for Cub Scout Pack 135 and Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 73.
He was a leader with the YMCA Indian Guides program, and also served as associate guardian for the Burlington Jobs Daughters. LeRoy even found the time to spend a few years coaching Burlington Little League Baseball. He also served on the board of Cross Lutheran Church and taught Sunday school to high school students.
His service to the Burlington community and Cross Lutheran Church earned him the Lamb Award. The American Lutheran Church presents the Lamb Award to three individuals annually who have demonstrated exemplary volunteer service to their church, civic and youth agencies, and community. Recipients of the Lamb Award are role models and leaders to young people.
Mike Wallace
A 1986 graduate of BHS, Wallace serves as Building Engineer for the Burlington Area School District, and manages properties for Manilow Trust Incorporated.
Wallace served in the United States Coast Guard for 21 years where he earned U.S. Coast Guardsmen of the Year in 1999 and received the Major Richard Ira Bong Memorial Award from the Milwaukee Armed Forces Committee in 2005. During his service with the Coast Guard Mike earned seven Good Conduct Awards.
As building engineer for the Burlington Area School District, Wallace works with the staff and students of Waller Elementary and Dyer Intermediate schools.
One of Wallace’s biggest contributions to the district was his active involvement as president of the Burlington Coaching Association. His leadership played an instrumental role in getting the Burlington High School Outdoor Athletic Complex passed by a referendum.
Wallace continues to fuel his love of sports by coaching in the Burlington Spiders Football program and the Burlington Little League Baseball program. Mike continues to serve as head coach of the Karcher Middle School wrestling program, and still finds time to coach within the Burlington Youth wrestling program.
Through his work with the Burlington Fire Department and United States Coast Guard, Wallace demonstrated outstanding traits of leadership and professionalism through his contributions to his unit and community.
His favorite memory as a BHS student was all the lifelong friendships he was able to establish through his dedicated involvement in athletics. The hard-worked paid off and the lessons learned have allowed him to give back to the Burlington Community.
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