Remembering John Dederich: Viet vet, UW-Green Bay grad, Arena manager

John Dederich, the Marine vet who lost both legs in the Vietnam War, earned a managerial systems degree from UW-Green Bay and eventually served as manager of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena for 30 years, died Saturday at the age of 64. Dederich was a major advocate for veterans’ causes and, as president of Friends of Brown County Veterans Inc., was instrumental in having the monument erected near the Arena in 2003. He was well known to many on campus and especially Phoenix Athletics for his leadership of the Arena; UW-Green Bay men’s basketball was a primary tenant during the program’s glory years in the late 1980s and 1990s. For information on Thursday’s visitation and Friday’s services, see the Press-Gazette obituary.