Born on August 23, 1925, in Sioux City, IA, Ralph Wickstrom transitioned from a passionate collector to a talented artist. He resided in Ripon, Wisconsin from 1961 until his passing in 2019 at the age of 94. After serving in the Navy Air Corp until 1946, Ralph pursued higher education, earning a BA from Morningside College and later a Ph.D. in physical education from the University of Iowa in 1953, following a year at the University of Denver. He taught at several Midwestern universities before settling at Ripon College, where he became head of the P.E. Department and athletic director. Over more than three decades, his artistic journey evolved from collecting art to creating his own, focusing on indoor and outdoor metal sculptures crafted from scrap steel after his retirement in 1990.