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WADA INSIGHTS

from the WIAA Bulletin

Dec. 10, 2004 .

Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association (WADA)

Don Tolkacz is selected
State AD of the Year

By Mike Bates

Information Coordinator, WADA

Don Tolkacz, the athletic director at Pulaski High School, has been chosen as the State Athletic Director of the Year for 2004.

The announcement was made by the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association, as the selection of Tolkacz was revealed at the WADA Workshop, held in November at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton.

Tolkacz has been the AD for the Pulaski School District since 1998.  He previously was at Lourdes Academy in Oshkosh and at Hillsboro High School.  A graduate of South Milwaukee High School in 1966, he was graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1972 with a BS degree in history and physical education.  Tolkacz was a 3-year varsity letter winner in football at UWO.  He received his master's degree in physical education from UW-La Crosse in 1979.

A 30-year member of the WADA, he has been involved in sports for 35 years as a teacher, coach, AD, conference president, or an official at the high school and collegiate levels. He currently is a member of the WIAA Advisory Council.

Don & Cary Tolkacz

“Courage, fair play, loyalty, commitment, and all-out effort – core values of the athletes we revere – are manifest daily as Don leads the Pulaski program. Doing things the right way usually means the hard way, and Don takes no short cuts,” Roy Green, the district administrator of Pulaski Community Schools, said of Tolkacz.

Don’s wife, Cary, and Glenn Schlender, principal at Pulaski High School, were among those on hand at the WADA Awards Luncheon when the selection of Tolkacz to receive the top honor among Wisconsin’s AD’s was made public.  Tolkacz was also the 2004 District 4 AD of the Year, and WADA chooses its State AD of the Year recipient from among the seven District AD's of the Year.

Tolkacz is also very actively involved in service to the community, either in his current capacity at Pulaski or thru his previous role in Oshkosh. He has received numerous other honors
and awards for achievements throughout his distinguished professional career.
The other six 2004 District AD of the Year awards went to John Ball of New Richmond in District 1, Bill Vickroy of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln in District 2, Dave Turner of Eau Claire North
in District 3, Bob Joers of Middleton in District 5, Jim Johnson of Milton in District 6, and Scott Kugi of Muskego in District 7.

District AD’s of the Year 2004	John Ball New Richmond District 1	Bill Vickroy Wisconsin Rapids District 2	Dave Turner Eau Clair North District 3
Don Tolkacz Pulaski District 4	Bob Joers Middleton District 5	Jim Johnson Milton District 6	Scott Kugi Muskego District 7

The WADA Awards Luncheon took place before an audience of almost 400 athletic directors and activities directors from the state’s approximately 500 schools who attended the WADA’s single-largest event of the school year. Daron Sutton, the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, was the Master of Ceremonies.

Four special awards were presented: the Andy Anderson Award, for contributions and willingness to assist above the call of duty, went to Mike Younggren of Wausau East; the NIAAA State Award of Merit went to Barb Deichl, CAA, of Waterford; the Retired Athletic Director
Award of Merit went to Jim Scandin, formerly of Menasha, and, the NFHS Citation Nominee
award went to Don Dalton of Wautoma.

Those receiving WADA Years of Service recognition, with * indicating NIAAA
membership, were:
40 YEARS -- * Frank Matrise of Kenosha St. Joseph.

30 YEARS -- * Paul Engen of Appleton North, Don Tolkacz of Pulaski.

25 YEARS -- * Gary Kolpin of Madison Memorial, * Terry Maschman of Sauk Prairie,
* Stephen Berg of Winnebago Lutheran.

20 YEARS -- * Brad Nemec of Somerset, Chuck Enders of Laona.

15 YEARS -- Brad Sauve of Spring Valley, David Hendrickson of Whitehall,
Vickie Dahl of Mineral Point.

10 YEARS -- Mike DeWyre of Glenwood City, Dennis Anderson of Unity,
* Mike Holmes of Turtle Lake, Curt Zamzow of Northwood, Jim Steinke of Edgar, Cal Tackes
of Stratford, * Ron Johnson of Onalaska, * Ted Knutson of La Crosse Aquinas,
* Ed Zepka of Appleton West, Bob Joers of Middleton, Jeff Schreiner of Monona Grove, Jay Wayland of St. John’s Northwestern, and Ron Held of West Bend.

The 2004 Workshop also included the Passing of the WADA Presidency to Mark Kryka of Verona from now Past-President Pete Miller of Merrill. The complete list of the new WADA Board members may be found in its own story in this issue of the Bulletin.

More details about the WADA Awards recipients, from 2004 and previous years, may be found on the WADA web site at www.wadawi.org.

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The web site for the WADA is www.wadawi.org and Mike Bates may be reached via e-mail

at mbates1@new.rr.com.

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Vol. 81 -- No. 6 --- Dec. 10, 2004 122804