The Northland College Alumni Association honored Tam Hofman ‘80 and Derek Ogle ’89 at the alumni dinner during its annual Fall Festival September 28-29.
Hofman is a park ranger with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where she has been recognized for her interpretive work, receiving the National Park Service Freeman Tilden Award, the highest honor presented to an individual park interpreter.
She has also served the Chequamegon Bay region as an EMT for over thirty years. Hofman graduated from Northland College with degrees in outdoor education in 1980 and in elementary education in 1984.
Before joining the park service, she worked for the Ashland and South Shore school districts as a special education teacher and received her master’s degree in special education from UW-Superior in 2004.
Derek Ogle, or just Ogle as he’s known on campus, is a professor of mathematics and natural resources at Northland College.
He graduated magna cum laude in 1989 with a degree in environmental studies and returned to join the faculty in 1996 after earning a PhD in fisheries from the University of Minnesota. He has actively served Northland and the American Fisheries Society (AFS) and is an AFS-certified Fisheries Professional.
Professor Ogle continues to groom future alumni with hands-on classes in the rivers and streams of the north woods.
“Tam and Derek are passionate people with playful hearts and a deep love for the outdoors who recognize the value of a small liberal arts education in this beautiful place,” said Jackie Moore, a 2005 graduate and the director of alumni relations and annual giving. “They enhance our community with their energy and skill, and deserved a night in the limelight.”
