Union bids farewell to lifelong supporter
Hans Hopf, Memorial Union Building Association associate trustee, passed away on September 27, 2010. When Hopf joined Hoofers on their first ski trip in 1941, he not only became passionate about skiing but Hoofers as well. The trip was the beginning of a lifelong relationship that inspired him to become an avid supporter of the Union and create the Hoofers’ Dr. Harold C. Bradley Leadership Award in 2006.
Emeritus director, Ted Crabb, remembers Hopf as a very strong and active person. “Hans had been heavily involved in the ski club and in sponsoring trips and activities as a student,” Crabb said. “After graduation, most of his life was spent in student union work. In his later years, he was one of the leaders in raising money to remodel what is now the Bradley Lounge. He’s had a long long-standing involvement with Hoofers and is an important figure in their history.”
Hopf is survived by his son Bill Hopf and wife Kathy, daughter Betsy Jondro, grandchildren Eric and Chris Hopf; Foster Jondro; Katherine Jondro; and a step-grandson, Rob Schuellein. His family and friends note his great spirit, generosity, energy, good humor, and eternal optimism.
The Wisconsin Union sends their best wishes to his family. Han Hopf’s support and involvement will be greatly missed.
Hopf was featured in the Summer 2007 edition of Terrace Views. The article is reprinted below.
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Hans Hopf’s involvement in the Wisconsin Union as a longtime Hoofer and as a Memorial Union page led to his career as a union director and college administrator – and many wonderful years working with college students at several universities.
Han’s journey began when he joined the Hoofers shortly after arriving in Madison from Nuremburg, Germany, in 1939. He always had a passion for skiing. At the time, Hoofers membership was open to students, faculty, staff, and local high school students, and Hans was an active member of Hoofers before he became a full-time student.
He enjoyed all the activities, including sailing, hiking, climbing, and skiing. In fact, he was on the Hoofers first ski trip to Colorado in 1941. “We took 42 people in seven cars and trailers filled with cooking gear and supplies from Hoofers,” he said. “The total cost of the trip was $25. Three faculty members and one mother accompanied the group. We drove to Colorado without making a stop. In Colorado at that time there were no ski lifts.”
Hans also remembers December 7, 1941, when he was on a Sunday hike with Hoofers. “We all ended up in a rooming house on the corner of North Lake and Langdon, where the Memorial Library now stands, listening to the radio announcing the bombing of Pearl Harbor.” Hans trained for World War II with the 10thMountain Division, also referred to as the “Ski Troops,” in Colorado. “I did not go overseas with the 10th to Italy as I was in Officer Candidate School when they shipped out. I was in Hawaii on my way to the invasion of Japan when the war ended.”
After the war, Hans enrolled as a full-time student at the UW-Madison. While in school Hans worked for Porter Butts as a page for three years. “At that time pages wore uniforms and monitored the bulletin boards, opened conference rooms, and changed records in the jukebox.” He fondly remembers the Winter Carnival of 1949, of which he was the general chairman, “when the students spent three months flooding the Union Terrace and produced an ice show.”
Hans graduated from the UW-Madison in 1949 with a degree in economics. His first job after graduation was as assistant director of The Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota. From 1958-1973, Hans served both as the assistant director of the New York University Uptown Union, the student activities director and director of student affairs. After leaving New York University, Hans worked in prep-school management until he retired in 1986. Throughout his career, Hans was an active member of the Association of College Unions. He has served on numerous committees with Porter Butts and Ted Crabb.
Hans always had great admiration and respect for Dr. Harold C. “Doc” Bradley, faculty advisor to Hoofers. “I wanted to make a contribution to the Wisconsin Union focusing on Hoofer Leadership. I wanted to give something to the program area and everyone liked the concept.” In 2006, Hans established the Dr. Harold C. Bradley Leadership Award and the Hoofer Leadership Awards to recognize outstanding leadership qualities among student Hoofers.
Justin Dietz was the first recipient of the Dr. Harold C. Bradley Leadership Award in 2005 and Elliot Weber received the award in 2006.
Hans currently resides in Redding, Conn., and remains an avid skier and hiker. He has been a member of the Memorial Union Building Association since 1976. Hans has two children and four grandchildren. He makes 50 trips to New York City every year, and he enjoys and supports the Metropolitan Opera, the American Ballet Theatre and numerous art museums throughout New York City. In addition, Hans works with a foundation in Connecticut that supports training and developing young people in the performing arts including summer programs for students from underperforming schools.
As Hans looks back, what he learned as a Hoofer and through other work at the Wisconsin Union has shaped his career. Hans said “the whole concept of working with students, faculty, and staff at the Wisconsin Union translated for me into a desire to work in a college setting.”
Original article by Lucy Wilkie Lloyd
