Lorin Toepper, the director of workforce and development at the West Campus, died of a heart attack earlier this month. Toepper, a college employee since 2001, died of a heart attack on Jan. 3. He was only 53 years old.
A 1982 graduate from UW-Madison in Economics-Transportation, Toepper also had a Masters in Hospitality and Tourism from UW-Stout in 1985. He also earned a Ph.D in Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island in 1991.
Toepper was an associate professor in Hospitality at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. He eventually taught at the University of Clemson and at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. In Alaska, he continued to teach tourism development and marketing while creating and directing the Alaska Institute of Tourism.
In 2001, Toepper came to Madison College and became the associate dean of Business and Applied Arts, and primarily worked with the culinary program. His knowledge and experience of culinary arts and his sense of humor made him stand out at the college.
“A masterful story teller, he could deliver the punch line to any joke with a poker face,” said Madison College President Jack Daniels in a statement earlier this month.
Paul Short, a Madison College culinary instructor, was close friends with Toepper. He remembered one moment with Toepper sitting on a balcony overlooking the Alps, sipping aged wine and they did not have “a care in the world.”
Along with John Johnson, fellow instructor and friend, Toepper put on the Evening of Good Taste to showcase first and second year students in the culinary program. Ultimately, the annual event raised $75,000 in culinary scholarships.
After five years as associate dean, Toepper became the executive director of Economic and Workforce Development for the Watertown and Fort Atkinson campuses and later the West Campus. His primary role was to create economic relationships and develop strategies to transition students into skilled workers, much of what he had already done so successfully with the culinary program.
Outside of the college, Toepper was the chairperson of Startup Weekend Wisconsin, `a weekend-long event held at the West campus in 2012. He also co-founded the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship in 2012. Although admitting he stole the idea from California, he said, “We’re Wisconsin, we should be doing it.”
At his home near Mt. Horeb, Toepper maintained a microfarm, raising chickens and growing vegetables with an entrepreneurial twist. It wasn’t uncommon for Lorin to come into school with eggs, vegetables or a new recipe to share. He also spearheaded Street Food Academy, which began this last fall. The intention was to teach the necessary skills and legal aspects of owning and running a food cart in Dane County.