MONROE - Life is certainly good for Monroe's Brian Saugstad.
Now retired after a career in teaching and coaching, he takes time to enjoy life while keeping his hand in community involvement.
Saugstad was born in Fort Atkinson while his father attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His father was a teacher, and the family moved often until he was about 8 years old. Eventually, the family called Juneau home. The family lived right next to the school where his father served as the high school science and driver's education teacher and coached everything he could, developing Saugstad's love of sports early on.
"I was more of an athlete than a student," Saugstad said of high school. The 1968 Juneau High School graduate participated in five sports and decided to put college on hold until he could get bigger to try to play college football.
To pass the time, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard but broke his elbow and learned he would be sent to the end of the waiting list to get in. Since the Navy would take him earlier, he enlisted and that October he headed to Great Lakes naval base for basic training. He would then go to Pensacola, Florida, to train for communications technology. While there, he learned teletype and to read code, a job he enjoyed.
The Navy had extracurricular activities and although Saugstad had opted out of most of them, he somehow got wrapped up in the Navy vs. Marines boxing night in which the Navy had never won. He said he was scared, but went in the ring and ended up beating his Marine rival, bringing the Navy team a win. That year, he took home the Outstanding Boxer Award and vowed to never box again.
At that time, the Navy was looking for volunteers to go to California to learn a foreign language, a nine-month assignment, and Saugstad elected to go, choosing to learn North Vietnamese.
The difficult class ran for six hours a day, five days a week for nine months. Saugstad passed the test at the end and was waiting for his assignment when he learned that his father had died. The unexpected death led Saugstad to ask for a discharge to head home to look after his three siblings. He was given a Convenience of Government Honorable Discharge, making him eligible for the draft again.
He never used the language, but he did earn 15 college credits.
When he came home, he knew he would go to school. Several of his father's college friends from Whitewater came to the funeral and one offered to help him register.
"He made it easy for me," he said. "He even talked me into becoming an elementary school teacher."
The first semester, Saugstad commuted to help at home, but eventually, he lived on campus and came home on weekends. He never played college football but instead got on the forensics and debate team, where he traveled all over the Midwest.
He was able to finish college in three and a half years, and the same man who helped him enroll also helped him send out resumes for teaching jobs.
In the summer of 1973, Saugstad received a call from Monroe. He was interviewed by five people and offered a job on the spot teaching fifth grade at Northside.
Monroe was a great fit for Saugstad. He would meet his future bride, Rosemary, teaching the same grade in the same building. It was 1974, and the children thought they were playing matchmaker, even throwing the couple a shower at the roller rink.
"When I came to Monroe I thought I'd stay a year and move on, but things changed really fast," he said. "This is home, and it will always be home."
Married couples at that time weren't allowed to teach at the same grade level so Saugstad moved to sixth grade. But when the couple started a family and Rosemary stayed home with the children, he moved back to fifth grade: He enjoyed the age group and teaching one of his favorite subjects - American History.
From 1980 to 1984, Saugstad landed the job as principal at St. Victor School after getting his administration degree. He was a teaching principal there and said he very much enjoyed it.
"It was a great learning experience," he said. "I loved it there."
Eventually, Saugstad returned to teaching in a public school and transitioned to South School and then to Parkside and Northside, going back and forth every few years as he was needed.
He even had a shirt made mixing the letters of both Northside and Parkside - jokingly declaring how each was great so he could stop buying new shirts.
"I can't ever say that one school is better than the other," he said. "I needed change, and I got lots of variety."
"In teaching, I tried to make the classroom a fun place for all of the kids," he said. "We did several things. I tried to make it a fun learning experience."
Saugstad did lots of coaching over the years, including assistant coaching the varsity football team, and he was the first girls varsity softball coach in Monroe. When his children were younger, he coached them at the YMCA and also through Park and Recreation events. Eventually, he took a coaching break to watch his children participate. Once they were done competing, Saugstad got back into coaching and took over the freshman girls softball coaching position in 2003.
At Saugstad's retirement in 2007, he decided to volunteer to help with the varsity softball team and feels lucky he was able to experience the state championship games.
Although he coached two years after his retirement, he finally hung up his whistle.
"(Retiring) was the best decision I ever made," he said.
Today, Saugstad enjoys lots of time on the golf course and has played on a softball team for the past 42 years, changing to teams that fit with his age group. He also curled for a few years in Monroe, where he met several people when he first came to town.
Saugstad brought Pickle Ball to Monroe a few years ago after learning to play with friends in Janesville and now voluntarily runs the program where all are welcome. He stays busy in the winter with card groups - one of his poker groups has been together more than 40 years.
For the past 29 years, Saugstad has served on the Parks and Recreation board and is the current president and previously served as vice president for several years. Certain accomplishments have been special over the years, including the Packer Playground and the Swiss Alps playground. The group has been near and dear to his heart after his own children were actively involved and he's seen what great things the group has done.
After retiring, Saugstad organized a Northside School Retired Social, gathering names and addresses of all of the retired teachers. More than 50 people showed up the first year, and other schools have followed suit.
Saugstad is in his second year as a Monroe Fund board member and serves on the Monroe Clinic Advisory Committee. He is a past volunteer for Monroe Baseball Inc. and was part of the Monroe Basketball Association, helping youth travel teams in Monroe. Saugstad also volunteered as an AARP tax aide for four years, helping seniors complete their taxes.
Saugstad is a big Green Bay Packer and Wisconsin Badger fan as well, collecting memorabilia and receiving lots of student gifts since it was such a big part of his life.
Today, Saugstad enjoys spending time with his children, Brad, Mike and Peggy, and his five grandchildren. Brad is a second-grade teacher at Parkside, and Peggy teaches in Tomahawk - and all of them are coaching in different ways.
"All have continued grandpa's traditions. All are coaching just like Dad," he said with a smile. "I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse."
The last few years he and Rosemary have spent time in Florida for the winter and enjoy some travel.
"Life is good," he said.
Now retired after a career in teaching and coaching, he takes time to enjoy life while keeping his hand in community involvement.
Saugstad was born in Fort Atkinson while his father attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His father was a teacher, and the family moved often until he was about 8 years old. Eventually, the family called Juneau home. The family lived right next to the school where his father served as the high school science and driver's education teacher and coached everything he could, developing Saugstad's love of sports early on.
"I was more of an athlete than a student," Saugstad said of high school. The 1968 Juneau High School graduate participated in five sports and decided to put college on hold until he could get bigger to try to play college football.
To pass the time, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard but broke his elbow and learned he would be sent to the end of the waiting list to get in. Since the Navy would take him earlier, he enlisted and that October he headed to Great Lakes naval base for basic training. He would then go to Pensacola, Florida, to train for communications technology. While there, he learned teletype and to read code, a job he enjoyed.
The Navy had extracurricular activities and although Saugstad had opted out of most of them, he somehow got wrapped up in the Navy vs. Marines boxing night in which the Navy had never won. He said he was scared, but went in the ring and ended up beating his Marine rival, bringing the Navy team a win. That year, he took home the Outstanding Boxer Award and vowed to never box again.
At that time, the Navy was looking for volunteers to go to California to learn a foreign language, a nine-month assignment, and Saugstad elected to go, choosing to learn North Vietnamese.
The difficult class ran for six hours a day, five days a week for nine months. Saugstad passed the test at the end and was waiting for his assignment when he learned that his father had died. The unexpected death led Saugstad to ask for a discharge to head home to look after his three siblings. He was given a Convenience of Government Honorable Discharge, making him eligible for the draft again.
He never used the language, but he did earn 15 college credits.
When he came home, he knew he would go to school. Several of his father's college friends from Whitewater came to the funeral and one offered to help him register.
"He made it easy for me," he said. "He even talked me into becoming an elementary school teacher."
The first semester, Saugstad commuted to help at home, but eventually, he lived on campus and came home on weekends. He never played college football but instead got on the forensics and debate team, where he traveled all over the Midwest.
He was able to finish college in three and a half years, and the same man who helped him enroll also helped him send out resumes for teaching jobs.
In the summer of 1973, Saugstad received a call from Monroe. He was interviewed by five people and offered a job on the spot teaching fifth grade at Northside.
Monroe was a great fit for Saugstad. He would meet his future bride, Rosemary, teaching the same grade in the same building. It was 1974, and the children thought they were playing matchmaker, even throwing the couple a shower at the roller rink.
"When I came to Monroe I thought I'd stay a year and move on, but things changed really fast," he said. "This is home, and it will always be home."
Married couples at that time weren't allowed to teach at the same grade level so Saugstad moved to sixth grade. But when the couple started a family and Rosemary stayed home with the children, he moved back to fifth grade: He enjoyed the age group and teaching one of his favorite subjects - American History.
From 1980 to 1984, Saugstad landed the job as principal at St. Victor School after getting his administration degree. He was a teaching principal there and said he very much enjoyed it.
"It was a great learning experience," he said. "I loved it there."
Eventually, Saugstad returned to teaching in a public school and transitioned to South School and then to Parkside and Northside, going back and forth every few years as he was needed.
He even had a shirt made mixing the letters of both Northside and Parkside - jokingly declaring how each was great so he could stop buying new shirts.
"I can't ever say that one school is better than the other," he said. "I needed change, and I got lots of variety."
"In teaching, I tried to make the classroom a fun place for all of the kids," he said. "We did several things. I tried to make it a fun learning experience."
Saugstad did lots of coaching over the years, including assistant coaching the varsity football team, and he was the first girls varsity softball coach in Monroe. When his children were younger, he coached them at the YMCA and also through Park and Recreation events. Eventually, he took a coaching break to watch his children participate. Once they were done competing, Saugstad got back into coaching and took over the freshman girls softball coaching position in 2003.
At Saugstad's retirement in 2007, he decided to volunteer to help with the varsity softball team and feels lucky he was able to experience the state championship games.
Although he coached two years after his retirement, he finally hung up his whistle.
"(Retiring) was the best decision I ever made," he said.
Today, Saugstad enjoys lots of time on the golf course and has played on a softball team for the past 42 years, changing to teams that fit with his age group. He also curled for a few years in Monroe, where he met several people when he first came to town.
Saugstad brought Pickle Ball to Monroe a few years ago after learning to play with friends in Janesville and now voluntarily runs the program where all are welcome. He stays busy in the winter with card groups - one of his poker groups has been together more than 40 years.
For the past 29 years, Saugstad has served on the Parks and Recreation board and is the current president and previously served as vice president for several years. Certain accomplishments have been special over the years, including the Packer Playground and the Swiss Alps playground. The group has been near and dear to his heart after his own children were actively involved and he's seen what great things the group has done.
After retiring, Saugstad organized a Northside School Retired Social, gathering names and addresses of all of the retired teachers. More than 50 people showed up the first year, and other schools have followed suit.
Saugstad is in his second year as a Monroe Fund board member and serves on the Monroe Clinic Advisory Committee. He is a past volunteer for Monroe Baseball Inc. and was part of the Monroe Basketball Association, helping youth travel teams in Monroe. Saugstad also volunteered as an AARP tax aide for four years, helping seniors complete their taxes.
Saugstad is a big Green Bay Packer and Wisconsin Badger fan as well, collecting memorabilia and receiving lots of student gifts since it was such a big part of his life.
Today, Saugstad enjoys spending time with his children, Brad, Mike and Peggy, and his five grandchildren. Brad is a second-grade teacher at Parkside, and Peggy teaches in Tomahawk - and all of them are coaching in different ways.
"All have continued grandpa's traditions. All are coaching just like Dad," he said with a smile. "I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse."
The last few years he and Rosemary have spent time in Florida for the winter and enjoy some travel.
"Life is good," he said.