Alumni Focus - Sue H. Whitaker

Alumni Focus

Sue H. Whitaker B.S. Home Economics '64

By Aimee Nielson

Sue H. Whitaker, 1964 Home Economics graduate.

From her early life on a Bracken County farm, Sue Whitaker’s sphere of influence over the years expanded beyond Kentucky to homes in Wisconsin and Indiana and beyond, but she still gives back in her home state.

Whitaker is the current president of the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Alumni Association. It’s a position that brings her back to a place that launched her career, her marriage and a lifetime of service to human environmental sciences.

Whitaker came to UK in 1960 to major in home economics education. She lived in Hamilton House, a co-op of students with similar majors. “I found the College very friendly,” Whitaker recalled. “The faculty members were wonderful, and my advisor worked closely with me.”

Whitaker said a great deal has changed on campus since those days, but perhaps the most noticeable change for her is the way women dress.

“In the 1960s, the women wore skirts and dresses,” she said. “I can remember wearing slacks under our dresses when it was cold, and we had to walk across campus. We’d come into Erikson Hall, take the slacks off and put them in our lockers before class. It wasn’t until I graduated and was teaching school that women began to wear pants, but even then, it had to be a matching outfit; you couldn’t just wear jeans and a top. A lot has changed, seeing how students dress on campus now.”

Sue and her husband Don met at a UK basketball game, but their romance didn’t spark until they had both graduated and were teaching at Harrison County High School in Cynthiana. They ended up teaching in classrooms right across the hall from each other.

“During the time between classes, we were required to stand in the hallways as students passed through,” she said. “We would chit-chat with each other, which led to dating, falling in love, and then three years later getting married.”

This summer, Sue and Don will celebrate 52 years of marriage.

In 1972, the Whitakers left Kentucky and went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue doctoral

degrees. After that, they both accepted teaching positions at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Sue taught home economics, and Don taught mathematics. Eventually, Sue became chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, a position she enjoyed for nearly 10 years.

“When we went to Ball State, we truly thought we’d only be there three or four years and then move on,” she said. “But we loved Ball State and the Muncie community, so we ended up staying there for 34 years before retiring in 2010.”

Although the Whitakers primary residence is in Muncie, they also have a home in Lexington, which they purchased a few years ago to be closer to Kentucky family and friends.

The couple doesn’t have children, but Sue was quick to say that their children are the many students they’ve taught and mentored.

“It has certainly been a passion, working with students over the years and staying in contact with them,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons we’ve set up scholarships at UK and three other universities.”

She explained as the cost of education continues to rise, scholarships become more and more important. Even a small scholarship can mean the difference between a

student dropping out and staying in school.

“Unfortunately, many of today’s students are graduating with large amounts of debt,” she said. “My parents, although not wealthy, were able to put my brother and me through college. We worked to help and with a few small scholarships, we were able to graduate without debt. Don and I know the scholarships we provide don’t relieve all the debt students have, but they can help.”

Over the years, the Whitakers have enjoyed meeting students who have been recipients of their scholarships. They have enjoyed that communication and being able to see where education takes the students.

“I hope that as time and finances allow, those who receive our help will also give back by setting up scholarships or making contributions to established scholarships at their alma maters,” she said.

Commitment to her profession has led to numerous awards including induction into the UK School of Human Environmental Sciences Hall of Fame in 2005 and being named one of the school’s Centennial Laureates in 2007. In 2003, she received the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Distinguished Service Award.

In her role as alumni association president, Whitaker wants to look at its membership structure, ways to get more graduates to participate and ways of connecting with all alumni.

“We have to remember that the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has graduates all over the world,” she said. “Today’s graduates are very service oriented, so maybe’s there is a new direction we need to pursue as an association.”

Sue with recipients of her families scholarship through the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.