Alumni Newsletter
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WISCONSIN IN SCOTLAND ALUMNI AND FRIENDS NEWSLETTER DALKEITH REMEMBERED VOLUM 1, I SSUE 2 MARCH 2010 KEEP PASSING IT ON ! WHO ’S WHO IN THE WIS O FFICE : Welcome back for the second issue of the Wisconsin in Scotland Alumni and Friends Newsletter. The response from our first newsletter was wonderful. • Brent Greene: WIS We heard back from many of you; some who had received the newsletter in Program Director/Director our original e-mail, and some who had it forwarded to them by a friend. of International Education Programs at UWRF In preparation for our 25th reunion, we are working hard to update our data- • Sonja Johnson: WIS base with all 3,000+ alumni and friends. Unfortunately, because our Program Associate program predates the widespread use of e-mail, and most alumni are now • Kelsey McLean: WIS living at different addresses than they did during their time in college, we are Program Coordinator faced with a lack of contact information for many of our alumni. It is our • goal to establish an extensive and accurate alumni database and, in doing so, Patty Watters: Resident ensure that all alumni and friends get an invite to the big reunion. Director of Operations at Dalkeith House Please help us by passing this newsletter on to any WIS alumni that you are still in contact with. We know many of you have already done this and for that we are very appreciative; keep passing it on! INSIDE THIS ISSUE : 2-3 WE WANT YOUR STORIES ! REMEMBERING WILLIE As alumni and friends of the program, we would like to hear your stories about 25 Y EAR REMINDER 3 your time at Dalkeith House and how Scotland changed your life. What did WIS B LOG 4 you do? Where did you travel? How are you different today because of your experiences abroad? We’d love to hear from everyone who has been affected by the program; from C HECK O UT O UR W E BSITE ! students to faculty (and their children/ HTTP :// WWW . UW RF . E DU / spouses) to resident directors. WIS If you are willing to share your experi- ences, please e-mail Kelsey McLean at J OIN US ON F ACEBOOK ! [email protected] so that your W ISCONSIN IN S COTLA ND — story can be included in future publica- O UR SECOND HOME tions of the Dalkeith Remembered Newsletter. PAGE 2 DALKEITH REMEMBERED “I R EMEMBER WILLIE ” BY MICHAEL PADGETT A trek into the Wisconsin in Scotland me that the advanced funding, provided positioned myself out of the way and archives...please enjoy excerpts from by the consortium, would not begin to let Willie start the negotiations. Willie a remembrance written in the 5 th year purchase all that we needed if we pur- started by talking about everything ex- of WIS’ operation by Michael chased new items. My natural love of cept the wardrobes; the first item on my Padgett. Michael Padgett was the second hand shops and antiques led me list. Because I’d spent the previous few first Resident Director of the to ask Willie about the availability of days looking at new wardrobes I knew Program and his reflections highlight such goods around Dalkeith. Wouldn’t anything below sixty or seventy pounds not only the immense difficulties he you know Willie had once operated his would be a savings. Ever so gradually faced in getting WIS operational, but own second-hand shop in Dalkeith and (and astutely I might add), Willie came also the rewarding relationship that knew many of the dealers in the area. to the point, “By the way John, what do he built with caretaker, Willie He provided me with a myriad of options you want for this old wardrobe?” Grainger, in the process. and offered to take me around to several Burns replied “A fiver”. Now, remem- locations in his car. By that time the bering I was relatively new in the coun- For those of you who were lucky luxury of riding in a car was something I try my understanding of dialogue be- enough to have known Willie, I hope appreciated more than one might imag- tween two Scots was less than perfect. Michael’s memories help you reflect ine. I wasn’t sure what was being said, but I on your own fond memories of Willie could not really believe I had heard five and his impact on your life. pounds. Willie pointed to another and The preparation for the first group of “H IS OUTWARD said “What about that ‘un’.” John re- plied “A fiver.” I concluded that my students and faculty is forever en- PRESENCE IS graved in my memory. When I ar- hearing had been right and my heart TYPICALLY SCOT , A skipped a beat with excitement when I rived in June, I found the house com- pletely empty of furniture and under BIT MACHO AND FULL learned I could purchase wardrobes for only five pounds each. Willie glanced construction by the Buccleuch’s. I OF BRAVADO . in my direction for some indication that could not even move into the Palace HOWEVER , AS MANY due to construction and was asked to I felt the price was acceptable. I nod- sleep on a mattress on the floor of a OF YOU KNOW , HIS ded yes and we proceeded around the yard looking at several others. After “Computer Building” on the Palace TRUE GENTLE NATURE we agreed to purchase six or seven grounds. I lived this way for over a AND WARM month until the water could be con- wardrobes John finally let his curiosity nected in the main house. Because I PERSONALITY BREAK show; “What are you two up to with all had no control over the construction I THROUGH AS HE these wardrobes?’ I broke out in a smile and when Willie smiled we told focused my attention on other essen- STARTS TO TELL ANY tial issues. Eighty single beds, ten him about the Wisconsin project. ONE OF HIS MANY double beds, dozens of wardrobes, This was my first of many experiences STORIES .” chests of drawers, classroom furniture, with Willie which quickly made me kitchen equipment, lamps, chairs, etc., realize the important role he would play etc., etc. The lists of needed items in our program. He saved the West continued to grow as I walked about One afternoon Willie suggested we Central Wisconsin Consortium thou- the empty house trying to determine travel to Samuel Burns Second hand sands of dollars through his assistance. what we would need for basic opera- store in Preston Pans (whose current His understanding of the house and its tions. I didn’t know where to go to proprietor was John Burns). Much of history as well as his familiarity with find the necessary items, I did not what John had simply sat outside and as Dalkeith provided me with a resident have a car, and didn’t know anyone in we walked around the yard and wan- resource I could not have imagined. I the area. dered through the buildings I saw a host had, in fact, met Willie back in Febru- Enter, Willie Grainger! of items which would serve us well. The ary 1986 when I made my first visit to problem was, nothing had a price tag on look at Dalkeith. I should have recog- . it and I feared the worst. Willie said we nized his value then, since most of the needed to talk with the owner to find out questions I asked the agent were an- An early example of “Willie to the prices. He suggested I not speak directly swered by Willie who happened to be rescue” follows. After I’d spent sev- to Johns Burns since he would recognize walking with us. Later on I learned that eral days of taking buses and walking my accent as American and not bargain few people have the privilege of walk- throughout Edinburgh to secure bids as reasonably as he would with a Scot. ing through Dalkeith Palace without the for needed items, it started to dawn on Willie said, “Leave the talking to me.” I close supervision of Mr. Willie VOLUM 1, I SSUE 2 PAGE 3 (Continued) Grainger. Willie had years. appliances, dishes, pans, silverware grown up in Bonneyrigg, a neighbor- and other much needed kitchen items. ing town to Dalkeith and had lived in I even purchased all their tables and the area all his life. His outward Willie and I bonded with the common chairs. By this time I was becoming presence is typically Scot, a bit ma- goal of getting the house ready for the well versed in the purchase of used cho and full of bravado. However, as Wisconsin students. items and could bargain regardless of many of you know, his true gentle my American accent. The owner tried nature and warm personality break . to sell me the booths, as well as the through as he starts to tell any one of tables, but since they were bolted his many stories. His experiences are One afternoon Willie discovered a no- down and seemed to require a great broad and his navy years provided tice in the paper of a café being sold in deal of work, I said “no.” Willie him with a considerable amount of North Berwick. We jumped into the grabbed my arm and suggested we travel during the war. His careers as car and went for a look. The place pro- could use these. I said “Where?” Cer- a miner, lorry driver, second hand vided me with a gold mine of small tainly not in the dining room or any- store owner, security officer, and where else I could think of at the time.