Allan Mortenson was a teacher for 30 years, 25 of which he spent as the head of the history department at Ripon High School. In his long career at RHS, which started in 1960, Mr. Mortenson taught every course in the curriculum at least once, including Western Civilization, speech, British Literature, journalism, and economics.

Mr. Mortenson is the epitome of a lifelong learner. He enlisted in the Marines at age 16 to fight in World War II, with his career in the Armed Forces culminating when he landed as part of the first wave at Iwo Jima one month after his 18th birthday in 1945. Even though he had left high school to enlist, Mortenson carried his school lessons with him into combat, confident that he would return home. He completed the lessons one-by-one as he was able during his time in the Pacific so that upon returning from the war he was able to graduate from high school.

After high school, Mr. Mortenson went on to get a teaching degree. While teaching at Ripon High School, he completed graduate coursework during the summers, eventually earning multiple Master’s degrees as well as completing additional coursework from schools as far away as the University of Wyoming, Utah State, and the University of Ohio, among others.

“Learning doesn’t stop when you get out of high school,” says Mortenson. “Too many students assume [when they graduate from high school] that they’ve learned it and that’s all they have to do, but it’s really just the beginning.”

Learning has not been simply a personal passion for Allan Mortenson. In his years as a teacher, he also was adept at identifying potential in his students, even those who weren’t star students. Dawn Rasmussen (class of 1985) reveals that she did not excel in school due to bullying that she faced at school and difficulty at home. Mr. Mortenson helped to pull her out of her shell and activate her potential.

Rasmussen describes Mr. Mortenson as an engaging instructor who got her interested in learning through his teaching style, which included a liberal use of puns. “Mr. Mortenson taught me so much, and so many of the lessons he taught me still resonate in my adult life.”

Largely due to the potential that Mortenson helped her unlock, Rasmussen has gone on to have a successful career. After coming back for a class reunion and to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award, Rasmussen reconnected with Mortenson and asked his permission to establish a scholarship through the Ripon Education Foundation (REF) in his name.