Herman T. Hagestad (1908-1959) Hagestad Student Center (1959)

Herman T. "Bill" Hagestad was born in River Falls March 16, 1908, and attended the local grade school and high school. He spent 1926-29 at the River Falls State Teachers College and then enrolled in the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison where he received the B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 1932. In both high school and the Teachers College he excelled in football and track and had a deep interest in music.

Immediately after receiving his bachelor's degree, Hagestad took a position with Starbuck Construction Company of Starbuck, Minn., where he remained for two years before returning to River Falls. He became an officer in the National Guard and, during World War II, served as a captain in the U.S. Army, most of the time as Medical Inspector at Ft. Benning, Ga.

After the war he returned to River Falls and resumed his practice. With a partner, he was responsible for the design of countless municipal buildings and projects, power developments and other engineering services throughout northwestern Wisconsin. He was city engineer in River Falls for many years and a consulting engineer for the cities of Amery, Hudson and Ellsworth. He served as mayor of River Falls from 1940-43 and from 1950-52.

In 1953 he was appointed to the Board of Regents by Gov. Walter Kohler and he enjoyed his many associations in that role and the opportunity to serve the State College System. It was while he was a regent that the Student Union was constructed and he used his engineering skills to suggest economies that made the funding for the building go considerably further than was originally foreseen. He served on the Board's business committee and was active in the rapid building program of the State System.

He was a member of the River Falls Volunteer Fire Department, of the American Legion and of the 40 et 8. He also was active in professional societies and had served as president of the Northwest Chapter of the Society of Professional Engineers, as the Society's state legislative chairman and on its state board of directors.

He was still serving on the Board of Regents at the time of his death, Jan. 28, 1959. He died suddenly of a heart attack while talking with workmen at the new post office (now the city building) at Elm and Second streets.

At its Feb. 19, 1959, meeting, the Board of Regents passed the following resolution:

Resolved, That whereas Herman T. Hagestad, who died on January 28, 1959, at River Falls, served as a member of the Board of Regents of State Colleges since 1953, during which time he was selected as chairman of the business committee, and

Whereas he was an alumnus of the college at River Falls, later sending his children to the college, and

Whereas he had an avid interest in the improvement of the college in buildings, curricula, faculty and students, seeking always to provide in northwestern Wisconsin educational opportunity of the highest type, giving generously of his time, talent, and boundless energy in service to the community and to the future welfare of the entire state,

Therefore, Be It Resolved, That the Board and the Council of Presidents join his many friends on the college faculty and in the community in this expression of deep regret at the loss of Mr. Hagestad's services in higher education and to the city of River Falls. The Board further regrets the loss of the wise counsel and good fellowship of this highly esteemed member and expresses its sincere sorrow and sympathy to Mrs. Hagestad and other members of the family.

Daniel C. Brandenstein
Brandy's
(1990)

As Chancellor Gary Thibodeau presented Captain Daniel Brandenstein to the audience when he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award, he said that Brandenstein was "an easy person to know and a difficult person to introduce." His honors included the Distinguished Flying Cross, 17 Air Medals, the Legion of Honor from France, the Vietnam Air Gallantry cross and medals for four NASA Space Flights. He piloted the Challenger in 1983 and was Commander of Space Flights in 1985, 1990 and 1992. Truly, Captain Brandenstein is a distinguished graduate of UW-RF.

"Brandy" had grown up in Watertown, Wis., had been a student here in 1961-65, lived in Prucha Hall and majored in math and physics. His college roommate said he "was a perfectionist in everything he did." He was shy, but popular on campus and involved in typical student activities of the early 1960s. His campus friends say that he was known for his "neatly trimmed hair cut, an old red convertible car and a German shepherd with the name of `B-Z' which he boarded in a dog house behind the Dairy Queen."

Following graduation in 1965, "Brandy" enlisted in the Navy and between 1967 and 1970 flew 192 combat missions over Vietnam. When flying off an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, his jet fighter crashed on take-off, but he lived for another day to serve as a Navy test pilot. He became an astronaut in 1978 and has logged 789 hours of space flight. On these missions he has taken with him university items such as Chuck Brictson's rendition of the university fight song on tape, the Chancellor's award medallion, the UW-RF alumni list and has worn a T-shirt with "Freddy Falcon" on it. He says that his favorite bird is "Freddy Falcon."

Captain Brandenstein returned to the campus after his space flights, gave lectures to the students and faculty, and told students that "one of the things you see from space is the fragile planet we live on ... and that there is more desert on Earth than one would believe ... Once we louse up the atmosphere, it's all over. We can't go down to the store and buy another."

"Brandy" may be remembered on campus as one who helped get the cannon that booms after each touchdown at football games as well as having been a good student active in campus activities, but he will also be remembered as the distinguished astronaut who was proud to wear a "Freddy Falcon" T-shirt around the world hundreds of times. After the football game on Ramer Field, Oct. 27, 1990, there was the release of hundreds of balloons, followed by a ceremony dedicating the new addition to the Hagestad Student Center that will always be known as plain "Brandy's."