Memorial Day ceremony to honor slain student Rothschild

Family, friends and University of Wisconsin–Madison administrators past and present will gather at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 26, to celebrate and remember the life of slain student Christine Rothschild.

Rothschild, a freshman from Chicago, was found murdered near Sterling Hall on May 26, 1968. Despite years of investigation, the case has never been solved.

Linda Schulko, now of Fort Worth, Texas, arranged the event and has continued to publicly advocate for the investigation of her friend’s death.

"Grief is a very personal experience and continues to take its toll on those closest to Chris," she says. "She has been dead for twice the length of time she actually lived."

The ceremony will be held at the base of the Carillon Tower on Observatory Drive in front of the Sewell Social Sciences Building, 1180 Observatory Drive.

A musical tribute from carillonneur Lyle Anderson will follow remembrances from Professor Claudia Card of the philosophy department, retired University of Wisconsin Police Department (UWPD) detective Herb Hanson and Marian Sorensen of First Church of Christ, Scientist.

Card taught Rothschild in an honors introduction to philosophy course in 1968 and recently told the Wisconsin State Journal that she still remembers Rothschild.

"She was an outstanding student," Card said, "always the first to put her hand up, the one person I have a visual memory of from that class."

Others expected to attend the ceremony are Christine’s sister, Arlene Rotshchild, Chancellor John Wiley, retired Dean of Students Paul Ginsburg, retired Dr. Lou Bernhardt, UWPD assistant chief Dale Burke, associate dean Kevin Helmkamp and other church members and friends.