Badgers ‘rake’ in positivity by helping others
November 15, 2017 | Badgers Give Back, Andy Baggot, Varsity Magazine
When an elder alum needed some help, UW’s student-athletes and staff were ready
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Ken Huxhold loves to be outside, loves to dote over his lawn and garden, loves the suburban serenity of his half-acre property in the Town of Middleton.
But at 88, there are times when the upkeep is too much for one man to handle.
Which helps explain what happened on a chilly, rainy Saturday morning earlier this month.
Huxhold watched as nearly two dozen Wisconsin student-athletes grabbed rakes, garden tools and black plastic lawn bags and went about winterizing land he purchased in 2005 after moving back to the area from Las Vegas.
The visit was arranged through the Badgers Give Back program after Huxhold's good friend Duane Kleven, the former UW wrestling coach and current events coordinator for the W Club, played go-between.
"They kept coming and coming," Huxhold said of the clean-up crew, which included BGB and W Club personnel as well as a variety of student-athletes. "I thought the whole athletic department was coming.
"I appreciate what they're doing."
Huxhold lettered in football (1948, '49 and '50) and track and field (1949, '50) at Wisconsin and was inducted in the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
Huxhold said he got a kick out of guiding the impromptu home improvement project dubbed "Leaf It to The Badgers." He answered questions about certain perennials and showed the proper way to cut down hostas.
"I was particular because I thought my input would make it a lot easier for them," Huxhold said.
All told, 30 or so bags of clippings were collected over the course of the 90-minute endeavor.
Huxhold said that everything he hoped to get done was taken care of.
"They did better than a good job," he said. "They did a fantastic job.
"It was a wonderful experience because they enjoyed it. It wasn't really work for them. It was more of a party it seemed.
"They asked me afterward how they did. I don't even have to look at it because I know it's beautiful.
"It was an ideal situation," Huxhold said.
