Roster and Accomplishments From The 1967-1968 Season

The 1967-1968 Webster Club team won several tournaments in Wisconsin including Ripon College, West Bend, Greenfield, and Shorewood. Three students qualified to attend the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament.

Work, which started as early as May and ranged as far as Washington, DC and Ohio State University, paid off for the club’s orators. At the season’s opener, the Ripon College tournament, they brought down four trophies; three of them were for first place.

In the months after, the “Webbies” fortunes pushed ahead, sometimes sputtering, sometimes spurting, but consistently keeping the name of Marquette High associated with the best of Wisconsin debate. Before their Thanksgiving vacation, first place trophies from both the West Bend and Greenfield tournaments were added to their coffers. Contributing further first place awards in Student Congress and Forensics were Dan Natchek, Bill Gahl and a freshman team of Weber, Geisheker, Groh and Thale.

The Thanksgiving to Christmas stretch produced much of the season’s best competition. It brought out many of the club’s brightest achievements. Sophomores Orzel, Weisenburger, Atchison and Smith took the Greendale junior-varsity first place, as the varsity came out on top at the Durand Invitational. Certainly, all who participated in the Shorewood tournament will remember it. Out of nearly eighty schools competing, Marquette’s first four teams won twenty-two debates, dropped two, and walked off with two first place trophies. After Christmas, expeditions to the East Coast brought many memorable experiences, an about-even record. It also brought a touch of humility in the fierce Eastern competition.

For the sharp competition ahead, the regular varsity consisted of Bob Weber, Dan Natchek, Larry Nichols and junior Fred Vitale with alternates Bob Binder and Greg Dziadosz. They began to prepare their “stuff” for the state tournament.

At the State Tournament in Madison, they took third in the state. At the National Forensic League tournament in Waukesha, they took second in the state.

The ‘68-‘69 season promises to be even greater for Marquette speech activities. Losing only three seniors and pulling in ten returning juniors, the debate squad has the potential to go all the way next year. The Forensics squad of returning freshmen and sophomores promises continuing success for at least two more years.

—Flambeau, 1968

Roster of Students & Coaches

Mr. James Ecks, S.J. - Director
Bob Binder
Bob Weber
Fred Vitale
Greg Dziadosz
Larry Nicholas
Dan Natchek
Bill Gahl
Daniel Geisheker
Richard Groh
Geoffrey Thale
Frank Ziegler
Mark Perpich
Daniel Mulvanny
Brian Buggy
Lawrence Nelson
Joseph Grochowski
Smith
Joseph Weisenburger
Kevin Kelly
Robert Greene
Michael Phillips
Michael Orzel
William Atchison

Team Accomplishments

As the season draws to a close, seniors Bob Weber, Larry Nichols and Greg Dziadosz have an excellent chance to place nationally in Chicago on June first at the National Catholic Tournament. They will, of course, be representing Marquette.

—Flambeau, 1968

Closeout Champions - Shorewood
1st Place - Ripon College
1st Place - West Bend
1st Place - Greenfield
1st Place - Durand Invitational
2nd Place - NFL District Tournament
3rd Place - WI State Tournament
Three National Catholic Forensic League Qualifiers

National Tournament Locations

National Forensic League:
Macalester College, Minnesota

National Catholic Forensic League:
Chicago, Illinois

National Policy Debate Resolution

Resolved: That Congress should establish uniform regulations to control criminal investigation procedures.

Photos

Click on the following photos to view a larger version. If you are able to provide a caption for any of the photos currently missing one or are able to correct a captioning error, please email Bill Batterman. Original, high-resolution scans of the photos are also available by contacting Bill.