Paul Rasmussen

My Beloit psychology major led to a Masters in Behavior Modification in ‘73, and a career serving people with developmental disabilities. My Beloit liberal arts education allowed me to change career paths when desired. I drifted from direct services to administration, and served as Assistant Deputy Director for Mental Retardation Services for North Carolina. When microcomputers became available I drifted into computer programming. I started a software company and co-wrote the Habilitation Documentation System, eventually used in twenty states. Drifting back into state government, I closed my career as IT Manager at the Riddle Center, overseeing a network of 650 computers. Retirement has been filled with golf, pickleball, and joint replacements.

During Spring break in 1970, several of us who had stayed on campus organized a volleyball game for 1 pm. During lunch at Commons that day I told a couple of people about it to make sure we had enough for a game. On the other side of the net from me was this cute girl I had not seen before. She was wearing a shortish shirt which exposed her navel every time she jumped. When we were done I screwed up my courage and approached her. “Thanks for coming!” I said. “I organized it” she said coldly. Later that day I told a friend about it and added “I am going to marry that girl!”