Memorial service for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank honors her life's work
KIMBERLY WETHAL
Updated
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Emily Kuttner, left, and her father, Hanns, daughter and husband of former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, greet guests at Varsity Hall in Union South. Blank died Feb. 17 of pancreatic cancer, nine months after she stepped down as chancellor.
SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL
Emily Kuttner, left, and her father, Hanns, greet guests during the reception in honor of Rebecca Blank at Varsity Hall in Union South.
University and government officials and community members celebrated former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s life Saturday in just the way she planned — a sea of Wisconsin Red, German chocolate cake and plenty of Diet Coke.
A memorial service is held for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank Saturday after she died from cancer on Feb. 17. Blank led UW-Madison for nine years and left in May 2022 to become the president at Northwestern University in Illinois, a job she stepped back from after receiving a cancer diagnosis.
Guests leave Saturday's memorial service for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank at First Congregational United Church of Christ. Blank planned the service herself before she died, filling it with her favorite hymns and incorporating details from her wedding to Hanns Kuttner about three decades ago.
Hanns Kuttner speaks about his wife, former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, during Saturday's memorial service at First Congregational United Church of Christ. Kuttner encouraged those in attendance to be grateful for the years Blank did have, rather than mourn the ones she lost. Treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma in her 20s gave her an additional 45 years of life but left her at higher risk for future cancers.
Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association CEO Mike Knetter delivers a eulogy for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. As the only member of Blank's executive team that didn't report to her, Knetter opened his eulogy wondering if she relished being able to finally give him a request he couldn't refuse.
Emily Kuttner, daughter of former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, delivers a eulogy during her mother's memorial service Saturday at First Congregational United Church of Christ. During her eulogy, Kuttner said she got her love for donuts, sunrises and crossword puzzles from her mother.
Emily Kuttner, left, and her father, Hanns, daughter and husband of former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, greet guests at Varsity Hall in Union South. Blank died Feb. 17 of pancreatic cancer, nine months after she stepped down as chancellor.
Guests leave Saturday's memorial service for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank at First Congregational United Church of Christ. Blank planned the service herself before she died, filling it with her favorite hymns and incorporating details from her wedding to Hanns Kuttner about three decades ago.
Emily Kuttner, daughter of former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, delivers a eulogy during her mother's memorial service Saturday at First Congregational United Church of Christ. During her eulogy, Kuttner said she got her love for donuts, sunrises and crossword puzzles from her mother.
Hanns Kuttner speaks about his wife, former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, during Saturday's memorial service at First Congregational United Church of Christ. Kuttner encouraged those in attendance to be grateful for the years Blank did have, rather than mourn the ones she lost. Treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma in her 20s gave her an additional 45 years of life but left her at higher risk for future cancers.
Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association CEO Mike Knetter delivers a eulogy for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. As the only member of Blank's executive team that didn't report to her, Knetter opened his eulogy wondering if she relished being able to finally give him a request he couldn't refuse.
