Dr. Joe: A Lifetime of Service
A Biography of Joseph Schmiedicke
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
11
David and Cherie Schmiedicke, his Wife
Dies natalis Birthday
David Paul was born on June 30, 1963, just days before Joe began his position at Edgewood College, in Madison, Wisconsin. He was named for his uncle Paul David, Joe’s younger brother. “My mom liked that combination of names,” is David’s way of telling about his name. Joe recalls that Pope Paul VI was elected just a few days prior to David Paul’s birth. As a way of explaining David’s name, and the connection with Pope Paul VI, Cherie lovingly says of Joe, “There’s a story for every occasion.”
David was born in West Allis, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Both parents were teaching high school, I think. Within a week of my birth we moved to Madison where my dad had a job at Edgewood College. Living in Madison- that’s all I knew.”
David positions himself in the Schmiedicke family history by noting that he is the oldest son, and only son in his immediate family, with three younger sisters; his dad, Joe is the oldest in his family of eleven, while Joe’s dad, Edward Schmiedicke, was the oldest of his family of five siblings. David’s son, Peter, is the oldest son in a family with 2 younger sisters.
Growing up around Edgewood was a part of life for the young and growing Schmiedicke family. The college is a much different place now, as the grown children reflect. David remembers seeing all the Sisters there. A fond memory is also College Christmas parties with Santa making an appearance to present gifts to the young children of newly hired lay teachers. Gradually the campus that was home to the Dominican Sisters became home to new college faculty. Michael Lybarger and Daniel Guilfoil had come to Edgewood about the same time as Joe Schmiedicke, and their families and children grew up knowing each other well.
“I went to four year old kindergarten with Sister Christina, then five year old kindergarten, and Edgewood Campus School. As the oldest in the family and only boy, I pretty much followed the rules,” recalls David. Of course, the fact that all of his teachers, especially the Sisters, knew his father, was a strong deterren
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Dr. Joe" Schmiedicke has been a stalwart at Edgewood College for 46 years. He has taken on or advised nearly every leadership position imaginable. He has been a catalyst for important, nay crucial, growth of the college. One cannot think of the Edgewood College Education Department, now the School of Education, without thinking of Dr. Joe. Within this book one will see his unbending faith in the importance of education and in God, evident in the durable and resilient ethical and moral foundation that he found in the Catholic Church and the Dominican traditions within that church. They are the traditions and values that formed the basis of his servant leadership approach to his management and ministry of the preparation of future educators. His tireless toiling for the future of not only the profession of education, but for the safe future of the world, are evident in the pages of this text, as told by the many around him who shared his life and vision.
About the Author
Mary Ellen Gevelinger, O.P., EdD, is Director of Doctoral Research at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. She is a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa, the founding and sponsoring Order for Edgewood College. As a lifelong educator, she bring her experiences and understanding of classroom teaching and administration to the writing of this biography. Mary Ellen plays flute in the Madison Studio Symphony, and enjoys travel. She lives in Madison, and happily shares community with her Dominican Sisters, as well as her dog, Dominic.