WAA photo contest winners show their Badger spirit

Showing his Badger spirit all the way from Perth, Australia, Todd Schellhase took honors for the picture sent from the farthest distance from Madison during the annual Badger Spirit Day photo contest sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA).

Schellhase earned two degrees the UW: a bachelor’s degree in 1987 and a master’s degree in 1989.

A WAA member and structural engineer with the U.S. engineering firm Black & Veatch, Schellhase is living with his family in Perth as he works on a joint venture with the Water Corporation of Western Australia. His winning photo was taken in front of the Australia Post building at 1 Cambridge Street in West Leederville, Western Australia.

Schellhase will be moving back to the Kansas City area later this summer, and is looking forward to a stop in Madison on the way.

“WAA is of value to me in keeping the old memories of the UW alive as well as providing the opportunity to create new ones,” he says. “Much on campus has changed in the 20 years since I graduated and left Madison, but thankfully, much more has remained the same. The Terrace, the ice cream, Bascom Hill and the Badger spirit live on.”

Alumni and friends submitted more than 70 photos in the photo contest for 2009 Badger Spirit Day, which showcases the valuable role that UW grads play in the workforce and in communities around the world.

Employees of Cargill Salt in Newark, Calif., and Rubbermaid, Inc., in North Carolina tied for Most Creative Show of Spirit. Andy Griggel ’04, Luca Martino ’03 and Theresa Brandl ’06 of Cargill are pictured in front of the tallest salt pile in America. Patrick McDonald ’03, Christine Metcalf ’98 and Tom Schar ’04 posed for their photo while standing in Rubbermaid totes and trash cans at their location in Charlotte, N.C.

“We enjoy the Big Ten rivalry here at the office and show our spirit by supporting our sports teams and keeping our offices decked out in lots of Badger gear,” Metcalf says.

Other winners include Bemis Corporation of the Fox Valley and UW Credit Union of Madison, which sent the largest group photos; and a group of 13 alumni on staff at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Madison, who won for Best Display of Badger Spirit.

Special honors went to LTC Mark Burnett ’87, a U.S. Army physician who showed off his UW pennant while stationed in Afghanistan. He says Afghanistan is a “beautiful and fascinating place,” where he has decorated his room with photos of his family, a Green Bay Packers pennant and the UW pennant from his winning photo, which he also took to Iraq in 2006-2007.

“I stay in touch with UW–Madison by following the football, basketball and crew teams on the Internet,” Burnett says. “Unfortunately, my nightly dreams of brats along with a large chocolate malt from Mickie’s Dairy Bar will just have to wait until my next trip home to Madison.”

More than 30 other prizes went to alumni who sent photos from their homes and businesses in Wisconsin, across the nation and places around the globe. Badger Spirit Day sponsors include University Book Store, UW Credit Union, Johnson Bank, M&I Bank, M. LaHart & Co., ICareKits, Sales & Marketing Associates, Park Printing and Sconnie Nation/Underground Printing.

Founded in 1861, WAA offers UW alumni and friends a wide variety of services, including the award-winning On Wisconsin and Badger Insider magazines, career services, student scholarships, international travel opportunities and lifelong learning events.