Sharing my Birthday Celebration

By David Wallner 

I just turned 60 on February 22nd  and I’ve lived in Madison since 1973 – more than half my life.  I was born and raised in Sioux Falls, SD and received my bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism. I attended UW-Madison, where I completed my teacher certification program. I have taught journalism and English at Stoughton High School for 34 years  and will be retiring this spring from that position. In addition to teaching writing and literature courses, I have been the advisor of The Norse Star, one of the best student newspapers in the state of Wisconsin. My student journalists have won many awards for writing and photography over the years, including winning the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s highest award for best publication in the state on many occasions.

I have also been involved in Madison politics for many years. I was elected to the Madison City Council in 1985 in the 2nd District and served in that position for 10 years. I was also elected to be City Council President and have served on the Transportation Commission,  Planning Commission and many other city boards and commissions over the years. I have been on the Library Board for nine years and have been Vice-President for six of those years. As a diehard tree hugger, bike rider and hiker, I agreed to serve on the Madison Parks Commission about 18 months ago when I got a call from the mayor. Books and trees and parks? I can’t think of anything I care more about at this time of my life.

As you can tell, I am a firm believer that giving back to this community is one of the most beneficial and important things I have done in my life. Some see political activism and running for office as a tedious, time-consuming hassle. I’ve looked at it as a chance to serve and to better a city I fell in love with as a young man. All of the long hours and countless meetings have given me a chance to learn, to grow and to make positive changes for my family, friends and neighbors. It’s been a pleasure and a passion.
On the personal side, I am married to Anne Katz, director of Arts Wisconsin. She is as passionate about making the arts accessible, as I am in my community service belief. Our son Raphael is a freshman at Madison East. Anne and I are not just soccer parents, but also baseball and basketball fans because our son is a fine athlete in those sports.

My friends made their contributions to the library system as a surprise for my 60th birthday party. It was also a tribute to me for my passion for books, reading and libraries. As a kid I have vivid memories of visiting the old redbrick Carnegie library in Sioux Falls and I became a lover of books at an early age. By the time my son was about six, he had his own library card and we made weekly visits to the Central Library or other libraries on Saturday afternoons. It was a ritual that we loved, and we hauled home dozens of books at a time. The staff were always helpful, gracious and passionate about their work. When I joined the Library Board he was still in elementary school and I made a pledge to him and myself to work hard to try to get a new Central Library with a bigger and better children’s section. As you know, we’re still working on that. Sigh.  Good things, I’ve often told my son, take time, sweat and patience.

So in honor of my son and the other kids who love reading, I request that my friends’ small but noble donations be dedicated to purchasing children’s books and materials for the Central Library. I hope some day my son will share his love of reading and good books with his own children on their visits to Madison libraries – especially that new Central Library we’d all love to see completed.