Viterbo University has built a reputation as an institution that values environmental stewardship, but Steven Marking ’86 came to Viterbo with a fully developed conservation ethic. Growing up on Brice Prairie, he had a great teacher: his father, Leif, a founding member of the Brice Prairie Conservation Association and widely known for his bluebird house project.
Many a Viterbo University student has gained a sense of environmental responsibility from lessons taught by Lucy Slinger, FSPA ’73, ’06. The roots of her own green sensibility were an accident of birth.
May Lane received dozens of flyers from colleges during her senior year in high school in Baltimore. The postcard from Viterbo,with its Franciscan logo, caught her attention. At the top of the postcard it simply said, “Come Grow with Us.” She felt so drawn, she never visited campus before deciding to attend Viterbo, trusting her intuition.
Viterbo faculty member J. Todd Ondell worked in his family’s business (17 Hardee’s restaurants) for almost 20 years. Ondell and his wife, Deb, later owned Grounded Specialty Coffee in downtown La Crosse. Now Todd shares his years of practical experience with Viterbo business students.
