Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Al Wilkening

Pat, Jessica and Allison, Al was a great guy whom we will all miss. He was the hiring HR manager when I joined WPL in 1978. Thus I owe much of my career to Al. Through our work together at WPL and various activities during his WI Reserve Leadership tenure , Al and I stayed in touch which I always appreciated. Al was always quick to lend a hand to anyone who asked for a favor, a dedicated parent and grandparent and a role model in multiple respects. He service to our Country, Community and countless individuals is a legacy that his family and friends should be very proud of. Every time I see a military plane fly over SW WI, I think of Al flying over the lower WI river valley near sunrise while Tom Regner and I were duck hunting below. We often asked him to scare the ducks up for us during his Sat AM flights in his A 10 to Volk Field for target practice. He of course was unable to do that for us, but Tom and I enjoyed encouraging him to follow through on our behalf back in the 1980’s when he was a working with us at WPL. This is one of many fine memories I will always have of Al. It was a privilege to have know him and meet his family over the years. Barb and I express our sincere condolences on his passing. Eliot Protsch

Dear pat kids and grandkids I am so sorry about your loss on your husband dad and grandpa. I want to thank you for all he did for us to keep us safe. May he Rest In Peace now in heaven. Ann obrien

Dear Pat and family- Al is the essence of a true leader- smart, compassionate, and witty! We will miss him and fortunately have many fond memories of times with you both. Pat- I hope you finally stopped teasing him about his grilling skills. The thought of that event makes me smile. And, I bet he is already earning kudos for sharing his talents with fellow angels. Take care and peace to you all.

I am sorry for your loss. Al fought the good fight, finished the race and kept his faith.

Tom Regner Pat, Jessica and Allison. Let me echo Eliot Protsch's comments as Al was my hiring manager as well at WPL and I, too, owe much of my early career success to Al. I was always convinced that any low-level flight up the WI river valley while Eliot and I were duck hunting was Al and his crew - probably not, but who knows? Al was a true professional and I learned a lot about hiring people and gaining insights into their character from Al. We would very frequently run together at noon out of the Central YMCA and have great political conversations/debates with our more liberal Madison colleagues. There are very few people who had the kind of impact on my life that Al did and I am grateful for the friendship we enjoyed. Best.