Former Lakeland University President killed in Highway 23 crash
Stephen A. Gould was named President Emeritus upon his retirement in 2012
PLYMOUTH — An important figure in Lakeland University’s history and evolution, died Friday from injuries sustained in a crash near Plymouth.
At approximately 3:47 PM on Friday, August 1st, the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a two-vehicle crash on Highway 23 at Pleasant View Road in the Town of Plymouth.
The preliminary investigation indicates a vehicle, being driven by a 45-year-old man from Greenbush, was traveling east on Highway 23. The driver of the westbound vehicle, 82-year-old Susan Gould, was attempting to turn to travel south on Pleasant View Road from Highway 23. She was accompanied by her 80-year-old husband Stephen A. Gould, both from Elkhart Lake.
The operator of the eastbound vehicle sustained minor injuries and was transported by Orange Cross Ambulance. Susan Gould sustained non-life threatening, but serious injuries. Her husband later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. According to Sgt. Bradley Bottleman, it was determined that Gould failed to yield to oncoming traffic while negotiating the turn. The investigation is still ongoing added Bottleman.
From 1998 until 2012, Stephen Gould served one of the most significant presidencies in Lakeland University’s history, helping transform the main campus and expand its reach globally.
Lakeland enjoyed enormous growth during Gould’s 14-year administration, including records in enrollment, fundraising and growth of the endowment fund. The campus saw more than $20 million in construction and upgrades during the Gould presidency, including the construction of the Laun Center for Business and Technology and three new state-of-the-art residence halls, significant renovations to the Chase Science Center and the Nash Visitors Center and a dramatic expansion of the Todd Wehr Athletic Center.
“President Gould was the embodiment of everything that is Lakeland,” said Lakeland President Beth Borgen. “He cared deeply for this institution and its people and became a role model for countless others to feel the same. Thanks to his leadership, Lakeland made significant strides forward that have us well-positioned today for success for years to come. We are stunned at his sudden passing, and while he will be deeply missed, we will forever celebrate his legacy.”
After earning his undergraduate degree from Wabash College in Indiana and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Nebraska, Gould joined Lakeland’s faculty in 1970 as an instructor of German, retiring in 2012 after serving the institution for 42 years. Reflecting at the time of his retirement, he said, “I found in Lakeland’s mission a purpose for my life. I found it especially purposeful to be involved in the lives of those people, whether they were traditional age or found their stride a lot later in life. That’s given me a sense of meaning for the things that I do.”
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