Moments in Time
Moments in Time is a weekly series featuring recollections of area residents. To suggest someone to feature in Moments in Time, please contact Mary Jane Grenzow, editor, at editor@themonroetimes.com.
MONROE - He's not originally from Monroe, but he's definitely made an impression here.
Now, at almost 80, Ted Scheffer has spent more than half of his life in Monroe and calls the community home. He's enjoying his retirement and living among the people and groups he's spent so much time being a part of.
Born in Baltimore, Scheffer grew up in the Madison area. After his 1953 graduation from Wisconsin High School, he attended Carroll University and graduated in 1957 with a degree in speech drama.
He worked part time, but decided quickly he needed more school. He went to graduate school at University of Wisconsin-Madison before landing a job with Monroe Clinic as an audiologist/speech pathologist in 1963.
Although he had other job offers, he liked the idea of no traffic and being able to bike to work - which is exactly what he did. He worked at the clinic for 41 years until his retirement. He also worked at WEKZ at night as an announcer in 1963-64.
Soon after moving to Monroe, Scheffer joined the Jaycees. Shortly after joining, he said he was fortunate enough to win the Wisconsin Jaycees Speaking Contest that sent him back to his hometown in Baltimore for a parade at the National Jaycees Convention.
Scheffer enjoyed the group and began meeting people. He worked diligently, and in the late 1960s also received the Outstanding Jaycee Award for spearheading the drive to get fluoride in the drinking water.
Scheffer also joined the Toastmasters Club in 1970, an organization that helps members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership. He enjoyed writing and giving speeches. After becoming so involved so quickly, Scheffer also earned himself Monroe's Outstanding Young Man award in 1971.
Through it all, the theater was always close to his heart.
In college, a friend encouraged Scheffer to join a theater production. Once he started performing, he was hooked and took part in a handful of shows. He laughs when he said his "claim to fame" was when he was paid $100 plus meals during one performance.
"That was my claim to being a professional," Scheffer said.
In 1970, the local women's group wanted to stage some performances, and a group decided to form a new group. That's when the Monroe Theatre Guild was born, and Scheffer was named the first board president. He spearheaded the group and encouraged others to join, and he is proud to have performed in the first production, "Desk Set," in 1970.
The first year, the group put on two productions at the junior high school. The group eventually branched out into holding dinner theater shows at the Idle Hour Mansion.
Scheffer is a self-proclaimed writer at heart and often wondered if he had it in him to become a playwright. It was a thought that lingered in the back of his mind - and after directing about five Neil Simon plays, he decided he wanted to give it a shot. By the late 1970s, Scheffer had already earned himself the Wisconsin Playwright Award.
Scheffer has written four plays - and he's proud that all have been produced by MTG.
"I love the creative aspect of it," Scheffer said. "I didn't do too badly. It was a nice amateur outlet."
It seemed he had found a talent. He also took first place in the 1988-89 biennial Statewide Playwriting Competition conducted by the company for Wisconsin Arts Inc. for his winning play "Pruning the Family Tree," which was produced at the Oshkosh Grand Opera House.
"It's gratifying to watch a play you wrote," he said. "I've directed all I've written - but it's still a nail-biter to see how it turns out."
He would write in the evenings at home - each play took about a year to complete. The ideas, he said, just came to him.
"I think I'm a writer at heart," he said. "I've always enjoyed it." For a while about 40 years ago, he even wrote a humorous column for The Monroe Times called "Swiss Cheese and Other Holey Things."
Scheffer is pleased to have performed in about 17 plays and direct seven or eight of them. He takes special pride in performing the range of emotion while playing two successful years as Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol."
Being a part of the MTG was time-consuming, but he is happy to have received support from so many, including his immediate family.
"It's a commitment," he remembered. "It was fun."
Now that he's been retired for 10 years, he's still living in the home he moved to more than four decades ago. He belongs to the Y and swims and is part of a senior men's exercise class. He and his wife Kathy are movie buffs and they go regularly. They also enjoy trips to the West Coast to take in the sights.
And he still hasn't quite gotten the ink out of his veins. He's still writing, and in a way, still performing. He recently wrote a humorous speech on growing old gracefully he plans to perform for civic groups.
He still attends MTG performances regularly and enjoys watching today's strong performers and a great group.
"The talent now is gratifying to see," he said.
Now, at almost 80, Ted Scheffer has spent more than half of his life in Monroe and calls the community home. He's enjoying his retirement and living among the people and groups he's spent so much time being a part of.
Born in Baltimore, Scheffer grew up in the Madison area. After his 1953 graduation from Wisconsin High School, he attended Carroll University and graduated in 1957 with a degree in speech drama.
He worked part time, but decided quickly he needed more school. He went to graduate school at University of Wisconsin-Madison before landing a job with Monroe Clinic as an audiologist/speech pathologist in 1963.
Although he had other job offers, he liked the idea of no traffic and being able to bike to work - which is exactly what he did. He worked at the clinic for 41 years until his retirement. He also worked at WEKZ at night as an announcer in 1963-64.
Soon after moving to Monroe, Scheffer joined the Jaycees. Shortly after joining, he said he was fortunate enough to win the Wisconsin Jaycees Speaking Contest that sent him back to his hometown in Baltimore for a parade at the National Jaycees Convention.
Scheffer enjoyed the group and began meeting people. He worked diligently, and in the late 1960s also received the Outstanding Jaycee Award for spearheading the drive to get fluoride in the drinking water.
Scheffer also joined the Toastmasters Club in 1970, an organization that helps members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership. He enjoyed writing and giving speeches. After becoming so involved so quickly, Scheffer also earned himself Monroe's Outstanding Young Man award in 1971.
Through it all, the theater was always close to his heart.
In college, a friend encouraged Scheffer to join a theater production. Once he started performing, he was hooked and took part in a handful of shows. He laughs when he said his "claim to fame" was when he was paid $100 plus meals during one performance.
"That was my claim to being a professional," Scheffer said.
In 1970, the local women's group wanted to stage some performances, and a group decided to form a new group. That's when the Monroe Theatre Guild was born, and Scheffer was named the first board president. He spearheaded the group and encouraged others to join, and he is proud to have performed in the first production, "Desk Set," in 1970.
The first year, the group put on two productions at the junior high school. The group eventually branched out into holding dinner theater shows at the Idle Hour Mansion.
Scheffer is a self-proclaimed writer at heart and often wondered if he had it in him to become a playwright. It was a thought that lingered in the back of his mind - and after directing about five Neil Simon plays, he decided he wanted to give it a shot. By the late 1970s, Scheffer had already earned himself the Wisconsin Playwright Award.
Scheffer has written four plays - and he's proud that all have been produced by MTG.
"I love the creative aspect of it," Scheffer said. "I didn't do too badly. It was a nice amateur outlet."
It seemed he had found a talent. He also took first place in the 1988-89 biennial Statewide Playwriting Competition conducted by the company for Wisconsin Arts Inc. for his winning play "Pruning the Family Tree," which was produced at the Oshkosh Grand Opera House.
"It's gratifying to watch a play you wrote," he said. "I've directed all I've written - but it's still a nail-biter to see how it turns out."
He would write in the evenings at home - each play took about a year to complete. The ideas, he said, just came to him.
"I think I'm a writer at heart," he said. "I've always enjoyed it." For a while about 40 years ago, he even wrote a humorous column for The Monroe Times called "Swiss Cheese and Other Holey Things."
Scheffer is pleased to have performed in about 17 plays and direct seven or eight of them. He takes special pride in performing the range of emotion while playing two successful years as Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol."
Being a part of the MTG was time-consuming, but he is happy to have received support from so many, including his immediate family.
"It's a commitment," he remembered. "It was fun."
Now that he's been retired for 10 years, he's still living in the home he moved to more than four decades ago. He belongs to the Y and swims and is part of a senior men's exercise class. He and his wife Kathy are movie buffs and they go regularly. They also enjoy trips to the West Coast to take in the sights.
And he still hasn't quite gotten the ink out of his veins. He's still writing, and in a way, still performing. He recently wrote a humorous speech on growing old gracefully he plans to perform for civic groups.
He still attends MTG performances regularly and enjoys watching today's strong performers and a great group.
"The talent now is gratifying to see," he said.