Fort Atkinson Rotary Club salutes Wiederhoeft, Cheek for service

By Chris Spangler

The Fort Atkinson Rotary Club has recognized two longtime members who have more than lived up to the organization’s motto of “Service Above Self.”

Ardell Wiederhoeft and Bob Cheek were honored during the club’s annual picnic luncheon Monday at Rock River Park’s Rotary Pavilion.

It marked the first in-person gathering since the club moved meetings to Zoom more than a year ago due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Edwin Bos, a past club president, surprised Wiederhoeft with the Al Haukom Service Above Self Award, named after longtime late Rotarian and community servant Allan Haukom.

“Over at Barrie Park, there’s a plaque on the ground next to the fountain that reads: ‘This 1903 fountain has been restored by the Fort Atkinson Rotary Club and is dedicated to the memory of longtime member Allan S. Haukom.’ Because of his love for the outdoors and devotion to his community, Fort Atkinson is a better place,” Bos said.

He explained that Haukom was a 53-year-member of the Rotary Club, which in 2004 honored him by naming a special award after him, as Rotary’s motto of “Service above Self” best described Haukom’s life.

“Gandhi, Meryl Streep, Chopin, Buffett (not Jimmy), Einstein, Spielberg, Rosa Parks, Lincoln, J.K. Rowling, nine other U.S. presidents and our honoree today,” Bos stated. “They all have something in common.”

He said Wiederhoeft is someone who has dealt with a lot of situations, has made Fort Atkinson a better place and has a lot in common with the individuals just mentioned.

“You see Einstein, Gandhi, Lincoln and the rest are all introverts … as is the person we are honoring today,” Bos said.

He shared characteristics of introverts, starting with “they talk deeply.”

“Many introverts find chitchat, which requires jumping quickly from subject to subject, overstimulating,” Bos said. “They seek out deep, serious conversations in which they can focus on a single topic of mutual interest.”

Introverts also prefer to work alone, according to Bos. He cited Steve Wozniak, the introverted engineer who cofounded Apple Computer with Steve Jobs.

“Wozniak did the hard, toiling work — and advises others to do the same,” Bos said. “He famously has said, ‘I don’t believe anything really revolutionary has ever been invented by a committee or by team.’

“The advice sounds unconventional, but scientists are beginning to recognize that solitude is a catalyst for expert performance. When you’re alone, you can make headway on the tasks that are most challenging.”

Bos shared that introverts also read more, pointing out that reading can be a deeply social act, putting one inside other people’s minds. He said that the ‘miracle of a communication in the midst of solitude.’” 

In addition, introverts listen well.

“New research has revealed that introverted leaders often deliver better outcomes than extroverts, because they’re more likely to consider other people’s suggestions,” Bos said. 

“They use quiet persistence to achieve group goals,” he continued. “Many introverts use a form of power so subtle that power almost seems the wrong word. Instead of taking strong stands in a loud voice, they make insightful suggestions in a gentle tone. Instead of holding forth at a meeting, they make alliances behind the scenes. Instead of calling attention to a problem, they work at it, carefully and doggedly.

“Some have come to call this ‘soft power’ and say that soft power can be defined as quiet persistence.”

Wiederhoeft exemplifies that soft power, Bos said. 

He grew up on an Edgar dairy farm to hard-working parents who were active in their church and whose “strong faith in God shaped Ardell’s morals and principals, manifesting in the absolute integrity that we have all come to admire in Ardell,” Bos said. “’You reap what you sow’ and ‘work first so you can play later’: two important lessons that Ardell’s parents instilled in him and his two brothers,” he noted.

Bos shared that Wiederhoeft had a mechanical aptitude and at a young age learned how to fix almost anything that needed fixing on the farm. That extended into his adult life as he became a self-taught computer hardware expert and licensed airplane pilot.

“They say men generally prefer things to people and that women generally prefer people to things,” Bos said. “You could put Ardell’s picture next to that generalization.”

In 1964, Wiederhoeft and Sandra Pelikan graduated from Edgar High School and were married three years later. In 1968, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and started teaching math at Fort Atkinson High School.

During the 1970s, the Wiederhoefts started a family, which includes daughters, Kristine (Terry) Hoffman and Janice (Eric) Rasmussen; and four grandchildren, Mallory and Jackson Hoffman and Isabella and Grant Rasmussen.

Also during the ’70s, Wiederhoeft earned a master’s degree in math and computer science, as well as a master’s in school business management, both from UW-Whitewater.

“During his time as a teacher, Ardell started Fort Atkinson’s computer science program,” Bos said. “In those early years, he created a system where you placed a rotary phone receiver over a modem and, after a lot of beeps and squawks, it sometimes communicated with a mainframe at UW-Whitewater. With his own knowledge and this system, Ardell was able to teach his students how to write simple bits of code.”

Wiederhoeft taught high school math until 1980, when he became the business manager for the School District of Fort Atkinson. He served in that post for 28 years until his retirement.

“It was in this job where his soft power, his quiet persistence, really began to benefit our community,” Bos observed.

He said that Wiederhoeft inherited a district that was not in the best financial shape, but was able to turn things around quickly … “Ardell would want me to say only with the help of some fiscally conservative school board members.

“I mentioned that introverted leaders advance a group’s goals by making alliances behind the scenes,” Bos said. “There is nothing in school district policy about the subtle ‘teaching’ that Ardell did of both new and seasoned school board members. Also, nothing in policy about teaching others the value (or lack thereof) of a certain course of action.”

Bos said there are numerous examples of how Wiederhoeft’s “soft power” positively impacted Fort Atkinson during his 28 years as business manager, most known only to the few people who were directly involved.

“I was on the board when Ardell taught me that the mechanical systems in some of our schools were very old and starting to fail,” Bos recalled. “He also taught the subject matter to the other school board members and to his fellow administrators. Almost none of this happened during regular meetings; it mostly happened behind the scenes — not behind the scenes in a negative way, but in the best possible way.”

He said that Wiederhoeft had determined that the community needed something and, using his soft power and quiet persistence, simply taught it what it needed to know.

“Once we were taught, the action that needed to be taken became obvious,” Bos said. “In that case, a $10 million referendum in 2006 to replace and repair mechanical systems at Barrie, Rockwell, Purdy and the middle school.”

The presenter noted that while business manager, Wiederhoeft served on various city committees, including the Airport Committee, and was on hand any time the city and school district needed to negotiate details of a mutual issue.

“Ardell joined Rotary in the late ’90s,” Bos said. “We all notice the constant behind-the-scenes work that Ardell does for our Rotary Club, so I’m not going to recite the list. In 2015, he was named our club’s Honorary Paul Harris Fellow and, via his own contributions, Ardell is a six-time Paul Harris Fellow.”

Wiederhoeft was named the Wisconsin School Business Manager of the Year by the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials, and, upon his retirement, friends and colleagues established the Ardell Wiederhoeft Legacy Scholarship which annually provides scholarships to graduates of Fort Atkinson High School pursuing studies in business or mathematics.

Bos said that during retirement, the Wiederhoefts have been kept enjoying their grandchildren, traveling to 49 states and parts of Canada in their recreational vehicle and flying his airplane.

“In today’s overscheduled, hyperactive world, we often celebrate the alpha approach and undervalue the quieter aspects of our natures,” Bos said. “We forget, or we don’t know, that history has shown us again and again that quiet, introverted men and women are often the most successful in leading their communities and organizations.

“There can be no doubt that Fort Atkinson is a better place, thanks to Ardell and Sandy’s decision to move here in 1968,” Bos concluded. “Ardell, thank you, thank you for always placing service above self and from everyone here to today. as well as your many other admirers throughout the city and school district. Congratulations on receiving the Fort Atkinson Rotary Club’s 2021 Allan S. Haukom Service Above Self Award.”

Wiederhoeft was surprised by the honor.

“I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done here with the club; of course, no one does everything themselves,” he said in thanking the Rotarians for the award.

“I had a lot of help from a lot of people, and for that, I am grateful,” he continued. “I would have to say in retrospect that in all the years I’ve been a Rotarian, I’ve never asked someone for help who said no. I appreciate that.

“Thank you very much,” he added. “I’m honored. I’m humbled. You’re very kind.” 

Also Monday, Rotarian Mike Bender presented Bob Cheek with the Five Avenues of Service Award, calling it “one of the most prestigious and coveted awards that can be bestowed on a Rotarian.”

He listed the five avenues of service as: club, vocational, community, international and youth service.

“Our honoree this year has not only met these five avenues of service, but, moreover, has far surpassed the high expectations of this award,” Bender said.

He noted that Cheek grew up in Fort Atkinson and went on to what then was Whitewater State University. His career moves landed him in Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Appleton and Fort Atkinson. 

“He became involved in scouting at a young age and during his freshman year at Fort High, he persuaded most of the Fort High wrestling team to join the Explorer post led by a young Explorer scoutmaster by the name of Gerry McGowan, who was just starting his teaching career at Purdy School,” Bender said. “Little did we know then that despite about 10 years working in the financial field as a stockbroker and later, as a trust officer in a local bank, his love for scouting would lead him into a rewarding career in Boy Scout leadership!” 

Bender quoted McGowan as saying: “Bob, as a camp inspector and coach of scout leaders, did everything by the book to ensure that all camps were safe and led by highly-trained scout leaders.”

Due to his diligence and fastidious attention to detail, Bender said, Cheek served as a regional camp inspector, where he also taught camp directors the skills they would need for first aid, safety and all the preparations that would need to be in place before opening a camp where the goal was to provide a meaningful and exciting experience for the campers.

He shared that Cheek earned the highest honors in scouting by being inducted into the Order of the Arrow Society, which best exemplifies the scout oath and law in one’s daily life. He also was the recipient of the Vigil Honor, given to an individual who demonstrates an unusual awareness of possibilities within each situation.

“Bob closed out his full-time working career serving at Goodwill here in Fort,” Bender said. “But scouting remains in his blood, as he still fills in for scout leaders when positions in the area become vacant.”

Bob and Kathy Cheek have been married for 51 years. They have two daughters, Lisa and Kate;  sons-in law, Mike and Kevin; and four grandchildren, Katie, Jack, Paige and Sean.

“One of Grandpa Bob’s proudest moments was attending the Philmont Scout Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico with his grandson, Jack,” Bender said. “They were the oldest and youngest twosome to complete the 75-mile backpack hike!”

He continued: “When we think of ‘Service Above Self,’ Bob is completely selfless and in a class of his own. In his quest to make life better for others and in contributing to our community, his generosity of his time knows no bounds.”

Cheek volunteers at the Hoard Historical Museum as a docent to guide visitors at the Foster House; volunteers at blood drives; delivers Meals on Wheels; has volunteered as a presenter at the middle school’s Youth Life Skills Day; and has been a chamber of commerce volunteer for the Fort Atkinson High School seniors portfolio reviews.

“Bob also volunteers at the Fort Atkinson Food Pantry, and the Hoard-Curtis Scout Camp (near Cambridge) with Joel Winn,” Bender said.

An active member of First United Methodist Church, Cheek has served on the Finance Committee and Administrative Council, and as an usher, the presenter added.

“For Rotary every week, when we were actively meeting prior to COVID, the Fort Club was always set up and ready to go for our meetings, thanks to Bob,” Bender said. “Bob also took care of the Rotary weekly meeting raffle, giving up some of his lunchtime and fellowship going from table to table to sell the raffle tickets and collect the money.”

When the Rotary Club held its year’s largest fundraiser, Cheek took on extra Rotary Raffle tickets to make sure all 250 tickets were sold.

“Bob always steps forward to volunteer for Rotary projects,” Bender said. “He has also played an important role in our student exchange program, making sure our visiting students have a good experience. With our past student, Isha from Nepal, Bob served as the Rotary Club coordinator.”

He noted that through the years, Cheek also has been active in the Jaycees and Fort Atkinson Kiwanis Club, often serving in leadership roles including president.  

“In closing, Bob is a family man, blessed to have a wonderful and supportive wife of 51 years — that is quite a run,” Bender said.