WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |Viterbo hears from heroes at symposium

La Crosse, WI (WXOW)— Local heroes shared their stories, on Tuesday and Wednesday, during the "Heroes: Faces of Hope and Health" humanities symposium at Viterbo University.

Bill Reese, Viterbo University Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy said the purpose of the symposium is to help people realize they can be a hero.

"I don't think you can inspire anyone to be a hero," Reese said. "I think you can give them the models. I think you can hold before them people that have done marvelous things. It's simply then to challenge people to get involved."

The audience heard from heroes like Iraq veteran Scott Southworth, Oelwein, Iowa Mayor Larry Murphy and Dr. Patricia Raftery.

Southworth, District Attorney of Juneau County, commanded four military police units in Iraq and received numerous awards including a Bronze Star and the General MacArthur Leadership Award.  He spoke about his decision to adopt a child with cerebral palsy, who was living at the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Baghdad, and the process of adopting a second child from Bulgaria.

Murphy helped drive meth labs out of the area during his nearly 30 years in public office.

Dr. Raftery, retired family physician from Mayo Clinic Health System and Franciscan Healthcare-Sparta, spoke about her work as a physician for families in need in the Sparta area.

"We can either be givers or we can be takers," Reese said. "And I think that's the outcome we want from the symposium is to try to make people aware of the fact that there's a lot that needs to be given in the world."