Spotlight - Spring 2024 - Emporia State University

Calendar of Events

28-30

Due to the possibility of schedule changes and adjustments, we recommend you visit the following websites to see the most current information on upcoming ESU and local events.

ESU Alumni Association Events � emporia.edu/alumnievents

Emporia Main Street � emporiamainstreet.com

Emporia Arts Council � emporiaksarts.org

Emporia Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau � visitemporia.com/events

For Alumni and Friends of Hornet Nation

Managing Editor

Lindsay Thompson lthomp15@emporia.edu

Design & Layout

Ryan O’Meara romeara@emporia.edu

Photography Jordan Storrer jstorre2@emporia.edu

Spotlight on Alumni

Laurie Pitman lpitman@emporia.edu

Teddi Davis (BS 2007) tdavis@emporia.edu

Contributors

Lindsay Thompson

Phillip Tutor

Editorial Committee

Jenni Denton (MBA 2016)

Kelly Heine (BFA 2001)

Shane Shivley (BSB 2000)

Tiffany Wilson (BS 2010)

Emporia State University President

Ken Hush (BSB 1982)

Vice President for University Advancement and Foundation President

Shane Shivley

Vice President for Alumni & Stewardship and Associate Vice President for University Advancement

Jenni Denton

Director of Alumni Relations

Tiffany Wilson

Foundation Board of Trustees Chairperson

Jason Fanning (BSB 1995)

Alumni Association Board of Directors President

Shirley Antes (BS 1969, MS 1974, BSE 1981, MS 1988, MS 2000)

Spotlight is the magazine of Hornet Nation, consisting of more than 66,000 alumni and friends of Emporia State University. The Emporia State University Alumni Association and Emporia State Foundation, 1500 Highland Street, Emporia, KS 66801-5018, publish Spotlight twice a year.

Contact Information

Spotlight

1500 Highland Street, Emporia, KS 66801-5018 620-341-5440

Postmaster, send address corrections to Alumni Association, 1500 Highland Street, Emporia, KS 66801-5018 Volume 53, Number 2

Abigail Morse Hall Celebrates 100 Years

The first residents of Abigail Morse Hall moved into the hall in February 1924, and Hornets have been calling it home ever since. It recently underwent a renovation, completed in 2020, modernizing its amenities while retaining its 1920s-era beauty. Learn more about Abigail Morse Hall by following the QR code.

Ross Bjork Becomes New Athletic Director for Ohio State

By Phillip Tutor

To follow Ross Bjork’s (BS 95-Recreation) journey to become the athletic director at The Ohio State University, you’d be wise to start in the office of Dr. Glen Lojka (BSE 60-Physical Education, MS 64-Physical Education), Bjork’s faculty advisor at Emporia State University.

It was in that office, in the mid-1990s, that Bjork showed Lojka, then a professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, a newspaper clipping about a sports management program offered by another school. Bjork, a fullback on the Hornets’ football team, had come to Emporia State after graduating from Dodge City Community College in his hometown. He was interested in pursuing a career in administrative roles in athletics, and he went to Lojka to see if ESU had a similar program path for him to reach that goal.

Bjork said Lojka, who passed away in 2021, “looked over that article 10 different ways.” Then he said something that temporarily broke Bjork’s heart.

We can’t help you, Bjork recalls Lojka regretfully telling him. Emporia State didn’t have a program like that.

But that wasn’t the end of the matter. Inspired by Bjork’s enthusiasm, Lojka developed a hybrid degree program that allowed Bjork to major in recreation and also earn a minor in business.

Without Lojka’s nimble course management and willingness to consider a novel approach, Bjork’s career as one of the most sought-after administrators in collegiate sports might never have taken flight.

Today, ESU offers a Bachelor of Science in sport leadership and recreation.

“In my mind, we created a template around sport management, and it was really fascinating. Dr. Lojka was great. He totally understood it and understood what I was trying to do,” Bjork said.

Photo courtesy of Logan Wallace/Ohio State University

“That's the part that I'm fired up about on the future of athletics. I think there's a bright future, even though it's hard, and I'm excited about helping lead some of these changes.”

Driven today by an embrace of the challenges that face college athletics, the 51-year-old Bjork used his unique undergraduate degree to fuel an enviable career. Since graduating from ESU, Bjork has worked at seven universities in six states, beginning as a twentysomething development officer at Western Kentucky University (WKU). Promotions and relocations happened rapidly: two roles at the University of Missouri, where he became the assistant athletic director for development, and associate athletic director posts at the University of Miami and UCLA. When WKU called back in 2010 — offering an opportunity to lead its athletics department — Bjork became the youngest athletic director among the NCAA’s 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions, a remarkable accomplishment in a field historically dominated by administrators nearing retirement age. Less than two decades after departing ESU, Bjork had successfully hurdled two milestones: gaining a foothold in an astonishingly competitive field and earning his first athletic director role. The third arrived in 2012 when the University of Mississippi lured Bjork from Bowling Green and made him one of the 14 athletic directors in the Southeastern Conference, one of the nation’s most prominent leagues. Seven years at Ole Miss led to a job offer from another SEC institution, Texas A&M University, whose student body has ranked as the nation’s largest since 2021 and whose on-campus football stadium seats more than 103,000.

It took the opportunity to pilot Ohio State’s mammoth athletics department and work in the Big Ten Conference for the former Hornet fullback to depart Texas. Hired in January to replace the retiring Gene Smith, Bjork — who is serving as the Buckeyes’ athletic director-in-waiting until this summer — is tasked with overseeing more than 1,000 student-athletes and the coaching staffs of 36 teams while managing a department that enjoyed $279.5 million in revenue in fiscal year 2023.

“One of the things about me that has helped is I've been in so many diverse markets that I think I can adapt to any situation,” Bjork said. “I was in Miami for two years. We were in Los Angeles for five years. We've been in the South since 2010. But I grew up in the Midwest, and now I'm going back to the Midwest, going back to Ohio.”

A career that regularly changes ZIP codes and time zones may not be for everyone, Bjork admits. But for his family, it’s been a positive experience. His wife, Sonya, and sons, Paxton and Payton, have collected friendships and memories in metropolises like Los Angeles and Miami and town-and-gown cities like Bowling Green, Oxford and College Station. His career has allowed the Bjorks to explore the nation through their daily lives; their oldest son was born in Santa Monica, California; their youngest was born in Bowling Green. Their dad’s career has also afforded his boys opportunities others would relish.

“Our sons essentially grew up in a locker room, and I think the lessons and the experiences that they've had are going to

serve them well as they evolve and become leaders and get their educations,” he said. “The things they've experienced are tremendous. Being on sidelines, being in locker rooms, being around the players, and really seeing great role models is something they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

For ESU students considering sport leadership and recreation as their major, Bjork’s advice is enthusiastic. It’s a great choice, he believes, and he shared some guidance about expectations, particularly if students’ career goals include administrative roles. Frequent relocations aren’t mandatory, he says. He has colleagues at other universities who’ve enjoyed productive careers at a single school.

But he’s also convinced that “if you are willing to relocate, I think you'll have more opportunities. I'm a perfect example of that. I've been willing to move around, which means I have more opportunities.”

The job is not without its challenges. Criticism is unavoidable, he admits. Top administrators in college athletics are public figures whose decisions are always being scrutinized by the media and legions of fans whose passions range from mild to wildly obsessive. Firing coaches — or retaining them after lackluster seasons, in some cases — are among the hardest decisions athletic directors face, especially given how coaches’ families are affected. What’s vital, Bjork believes, is remaining steadfast to the goal.

“I know the path to failure is trying to make everyone happy. You have to have that perspective of always keeping the institution at the forefront of your decision-making and do what's in the best interest of the university. If you do that every single time and they still criticize, there's nothing you can do.”

Sport leadership majors also need to embrace the reality of today’s college athletics: the effects of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) regulations; the dizzying number of players who now transfer from school to school; and the remaking of conference landscapes that had remained largely unaltered for generations. Constants in college athletics now seem rare. But the mission — supporting the university and students — hasn’t diminished, Bjork believes.

“That's the part that I'm fired up about on the future of athletics. I think there's a bright future, even though it's hard, and I'm excited about helping lead some of these changes.”

Bjork looks back at his start at ESU with pride, both in the unorthodox way it began and how one professor’s decision to help a football player reach his academic goal remains so instrumental to his career. That reality isn’t lost on him.

“An opportunity was created because I played college sports,” he said. “So, whether it's Division III or Ohio State, the opportunity that athletes have to grow and learn because of college athletics, there's going to be value in that. No matter what the model is, no matter if we're paying athletes, if they're employees, if they're not, there's going to be value and there's going to be a model at every level for athletes to just have opportunity.”

ESU Guided This Alum’s Path to Becoming an International Expert on Urban Wildlife

By Phillip Tutor

It was on a father-son camping trip that Dr. Stanley Gehrt (MS 88-Biology) may have first thought seriously about coyotes. The Gehrts had hiked outside of Chanute, Kansas, trudging across a cattle ranch and its adjoining pastures, when something caught their eye. It was ubiquitous, like fallen leaves decorating a forest’s floor.

“That’s coyote scat,” Gehrt’s father said.

Gehrt was puzzled. They hadn’t stumbled across any coyotes on their hike. Plus, he was only 8 years old, decades away from graduating from Emporia State University and becoming one of the world’s leading authorities on coyote behavior.

Where are they, he thought?

“Well, they’re here,” his father told him, “but you just can’t see them.”

After settling for the night in a small ravine and gathering around a campfire, Earl Gehrt decided to prove the coyotes’ proximity by howling into the darkness. An unseen coyote responded. The younger Gehrt thought it was cool. But then came another howl. And another. And another.

“Pretty soon, we had a whole group of coyotes, and it seemed like they surrounded us,” Gehrt recalls.

“They didn't, but to a kid, that was like, ‘Whoa.’”

Today, the Emporia State alumnus is a professor and wildlife extension specialist at The Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources. His latest book, “Coyotes Among Us: Secrets of the City’s Top Predator”, published in February and written with Kerry Luft of the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, is the culmination of two decades of research into coyotes’ increasing ability to survive in urban environments. Coyotes live in 49 states and exist in most of the nation’s metropolitan areas — even in New York City, though in much smaller numbers there than elsewhere.

Since 2000, the groundbreaking Urban Coyote Research Project has focused on Cook County, Illinois, and the Chicago metropolitan area. As the project’s lead investigator, Gehrt has led a team of researchers who use GPS and radio tracking to illustrate how coyotes coexist with humans in Cook County’s suburbs and Chicago’s densely populated downtown areas. The project’s research has produced empirical data that’s allowed Gehrt and his colleagues to publish a trove of scientific findings regarding coyote behavior, including:

■ Coyotes live in every part of the Chicago metropolitan area, with between 2,000 and 4,000 living in Cook County. That number has increased exponentially since 2000.

■ Coyotes are adaptive and have made numerous changes to their behavior patterns to survive in urban environments, including becoming more nocturnal.

■ Coyotes’ experiences in challenging environments against wildlife predators and human threats have strengthened their adaptability to the challenges of urban survival.

■ A typical coyote in Kansas would weigh around 32 pounds. In Chicago, where food is abundant, they’re a bit heavier.

■ Coyotes, who feed often on rodents, rabbits and deer, aren’t likely to be aggressive to humans in urban environments, though incidents are possible.

“They feel threatened or persecuted by us,” Gehrt said. “They're used to that kind of an environment, and they have to be very savvy. They learn very quickly what's dangerous, what isn't dangerous and they watch us very carefully because we are their most common form of mortality. That instinct that's evolved over time serves them really well when they move into the city so that they're able to avoid us. They figured out ways to minimize contacts with us while literally moving right to our back door.”

Central to the project’s research has been the trapping and tagging of urban coyotes, which requires extensive permitting from local and state authorities. In Chicago’s suburbs, researchers discovered resident coyotes often visited golf courses and cemeteries. Closer to Lake Michigan, they placed their traps in downtown areas with “no-trespassing” signs that limited human traffic. Trapped coyotes are sedated, examined, fitted with GPS or radio collars to allow researchers to follow their movements and released in the same location.

One animal featured in Gehrt’s book is coyote No. 1288, which was initially trapped and collared in a north Chicago cemetery. As it matured and left the cemetery, researchers tracked its movements through the city, where it was later photographed across the Chicago River from Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).

“It was taken by a National Geographic photographer with an automated camera, but it's an amazing image,” Gehrt said. They are harder to trap in the downtown. What is most likely is they get them in the suburbs, and once collared, we can see they move throughout the downtown.

In a sense, that tale of a meandering coyote is emblematic of Gehrt’s journey from Chanute to Ohio State. But he’s adamant that ESU’s role in his ascendant career was essential.

“There's absolutely no way I would even be in wildlife (research) at all if it weren't for Emporia State,” he said.

An athlete in high school, Gerht attended Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, to play tennis while on a premedicine track. He switched his major to biology and

volunteered for a wolf research project in Montana and British Columbia, Canada. After finishing his bachelor’s, he worked odd jobs around Kansas, including one at the Wolf Creek Generating Station, until deciding to apply to ESU to continue his education and research into wolf behavior. ESU accepted him, though a wrinkle quickly appeared.

“Unfortunately,” Gehrt said, “Kansas didn’t have any wolves.” He tried instead to focus his research on coyotes, but there was very little in the way of research dollars for coyotes, so he moved to a third option: raccoons.

From his work at ESU, where he researched movement patterns of raccoons in east-central Kansas, and the University of Missouri, where he earned his Ph.D., Gehrt became a national expert on that familiar North American mammal. His eventual connection to coyote research in Chicago happened organically; when the animals started migrating deep into Cook County, funding agencies became interested in a coyotefocused research project. Gehrt, then working as a research biologist in Chicago studying deer and raccoons, got the call. It was an opportunity he never thought he’d see.

“Once I ended up over in Chicago, I thought my chances of ever studying coyotes was forever gone,” he said.

None of it — the doctorate, the raccoon research, the urban coyote program in Chicago — would have happened had ESU not accepted him into its wildlife program, he says, and helped mold him into a world-class expert on urban wildlife. Gehrt hasn’t forgotten how important ESU was to his career path.

“The faculty at Emporia State gave me the knowledge and provided me with this really strong conduit to the research biologists at the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, which gave me the practical background and experience I needed,” he said.

Hospital CEO’s Leadership Informed by Nursing and Nursing Education Background

By Phillip Tutor

When she started her career, Cathy Pimple (BSN 96-Nursing) never aspired to become a hospital’s top administrator. She wanted to be a nurse, to care for patients and oversee their recoveries. She embraced the service-centered profession that each day puts nurses in face-to-face contact with people requiring medical care. As CEO of Newman Regional Health, Pimple’s interactions with patients today are far different than when she was a nurse, but she enjoys them all the same.

“This morning, I was greeted by a very fine gentleman who came in, introduced himself, shook my hand and thanked me for the experience he had in our emergency department,” she said. “He found his way to my office and wanted to share about his care. That is incredibly rewarding, and I am proud of our team."

Named chief executive in July 2023, Pimple is uniquely positioned to lead Emporia’s community hospital as it focuses on strategic initiatives that embrace new medical technology, promote community health and champion the work of its medical professionals. It’s quite a story: from starting at Newman Regional Health as a nurse’s aide while earning her ESU bachelor’s degree to becoming the hospital’s first female CEO.

Some might call her a trailblazer, but Pimple thinks that credit belongs to those who paved the way for her.

None are perhaps as significant as Cora Miller.

Miller was the hospital’s first superintendent when it opened in 1922. That March, with a sparse first class of five students, she started the Newman Memorial County Hospital Training School for Nurses, which decades later would lead to the creation of ESU’s nursing school. Pimple considers such serendipity — a former ESU student becoming CEO of the hospital once led by the beloved creator of the university’s nursing school — anything but a minor detail.

“She had a very short time frame to put together a school of nursing,” Pimple said. “I’m just following in the footsteps that were laid out 100 years ago.”

Trailblazer or not, Pimple continues the longstanding relationship between ESU and the community hospital that serves Lyon County. She’s proud that more than 60 percent of Newman’s nurses are ESU graduates.

“This has a positive impact on the health of our community because we're able to recruit some of the highest qualified nurses and keep them local.”

In that sense, Pimple is both an example and administrator.

A native Kansan, Pimple grew up near Osawatomie. Her father worked in construction, and her mother was a homemaker. Her life growing up in a small community was a bit different than what she experienced at ESU.

“Emporia,” she said, “was a big community to me when I moved here.”

It was a life-changing choice in more ways than one. Her sisters enrolled at ESU and became educators, and she chuckles now when recalling her father’s encouragement to become a teacher, as well. But as a teenager, she “started to hear that call towards nursing,” a notion that allowed her to forge a career path different from her siblings’ while still remaining rooted in the concept of helping others.

It’s impossible to separate Pimple’s career as a registered nurse and hospital administrator from the university she chose to attend. They are utterly intertwined. Her Bachelor of Science in Nursing was earned at Cora Miller Hall. Her first full-time nursing position was at Newman. When she decided to teach, she returned to ESU, lecturing for 12 years in the same classrooms in which she learned clinical skills.

Back at Newman, a decade of roles and promotions began in 2013: chief quality and compliance officer, chief information officer, chief administrative officer, which, with a Doctorate in Leadership from the University of Kansas added in, positioned her to replace Bob Wright when he retired last summer.

“There are no two entities I would rather talk about more than Newman Regional Health and Emporia State University,” she said. “We've got a 100-year legacy together. The start of the hospital was the start of the nursing program, and today our relationship continues to bring value to students, to patients locally and across the region.”

A case in point is Newman’s nurse residency program, an intensive program that gives all newly hired registered and licensed practical nurses 12 months of mentoring instead of truncated six- or 12-week sessions. The goal, Pimple explains, is simple: setting nurses on immediate paths of success, both for their careers and for patients under their care. The connectivity between Newman and ESU played a role in that program’s birth, with hospital administrators using input from the university’s faculty regarding curriculum and best practices.

“We recognize it as an investment into our nursing workforce, and we have the ability to provide that,” she said. “Some of that is because of our partnership with Emporia State, and some of it is because of our historical connection to nursing education. That's just another advantage of our long-term relationship. We really lift each other up as a hospital and as a university in Emporia.”

Another example is the construction of the new 32,000-square-foot Nursing + Student Wellness Center, which will bring ESU’s nursing students and faculty back to campus, expand and enhance the nursing program and take advantage of modern amenities and technological improvements. Completion is expected in the fall of 2025.

“Probably two decades ago, myself and the faculty, we knew that was the vision,” she said. “It’s been great to work with President Hush and the administrative team to make it happen in order to allow for the growth of the program. It certainly is a quality program and has been for many years.”

Pimple’s commitment to her profession and ESU’s program is evident in her advice to students considering nursing as a career. It’s a people business, she explains, one that requires nimbleness and a willingness to embrace the unknown.

“One of the things nurses do on a day-to-day basis is step into a room or an environment that has uncertainty, and you have to be able to assess the situation, become very adaptable, make decisions, continuously reevaluate and change course as you need to.”

Though her roles have dramatically changed, from nurse to CEO, Pimple adamantly believes that her hospital-wide experience — in clinical operations, quality improvement and financial management — has been invaluable as she’s risen through Newman’s administration. But it started at ESU, in nursing school, with a desire to serve others.

"A chosen path of nursing can be challenging, but the rewards of helping others and enriching the quality of life in our communities make it all worthwhile," she said.

Recognizing Opportunities Has Been Key to KC Chiefs Scout’s Success

Anthony McGee’s (BSB 18-Management) path to working in the NFL is surprising. McGee’s odyssey began with a last-minute internship leading football stadium tours for school children. Amazingly, within five years’ time, he has risen to a prominent role as a scout for the Super Bowl championship team, the Kansas City Chiefs. His friends and colleagues laugh about the unlikeliness of his path to success. McGee does, too.

“It's insane,” he said. “They're like, ‘Your story is going to be crazy one day when you make it.’”

When he makes it? By any reasonable measure, the 27-year-old Emporia State University graduate already works in the rarified air of an uber-competitive field. For most people, opportunities in the highest level of professional football are as scarce as back-to-back NFL championships. McGee is the exception. Since playing his final game as an ESU running back, the Kansas City, Missouri, native has worked nearly six years for the Chiefs, received three Super Bowl rings, worked for four Super Bowl teams and become a lead scout responsible for providing weekly reports to the Chiefs’ coaching staff.

Earlier this year, it was his in-depth analysis of the San Francisco 49ers that coach Andy Reid and his assistant coaches used when making the Chiefs’ game plan for Super Bowl LVIII. With Reid’s and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s schemes, quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ MVP-level play and McGee’s scouting report, Kansas City won, 25-22, in overtime.

The Chiefs have won three of the last five Super Bowls. In roles both direct and indirect, McGee has been present for each one. His career goal is to be an NFL general manager.

“I've been lucky enough to be promoted within a few times, but I know, at some point, I'll have another (team's) colors on," he said. “That'll be a time where I'm probably needed to come in and change the trajectory, and I'll be ready for that moment whenever it happens.”

One reason why McGee and his colleagues chuckle about his ascent with the Chiefs is that it wasn’t a pathway he envisioned. As a student-athlete, McGee aspired to become a sports agent and planned to enter law school after graduating in 2018 from ESU. He scheduled his Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and began taking test preparation classes. But a chance meeting prior to graduation between his sister, who worked at the Chiefs’ stadium with the gameday production team, and one of his former bosses led to a life-changing proposal: Did he want to interview for an internship in Kansas City?

By Phillip Tutor

There was a caveat, though. Sexy as it seemed to take a position with the Chiefs, the part-time summer position wasn’t with the team; there’d be no contact with players or coaches. It was with NFL Play 60, a league-wide initiative designed to encourage children to exercise an hour a day and adopt healthy lifestyles. The internship’s duties included coaching children through wellness activities and conducting guided tours of Arrowhead Stadium. (It was renamed GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in 2021.)

“What's crazy is I still remember that I was going back and forth with it. Then for some odd reason, I was like, ‘You know what? I think I'm going to go this route because I knew I wanted to be in football,’” he said. “That's where my head was.”

Walking gaggles of elementary school children through Arrowhead wasn’t technically a career in the NFL, but McGee’s mind was made up. He canceled the LSAT appointment, dropped his law school plans and embarked on what he calls a “completely diverted route,” which may not be a radical enough description. Over several years, one internship led to another, from NFL Play 60 to a training camp role to the Chiefs’ community outreach program, which gave McGee experience on both sides of the team’s organization — business and football — and, importantly, introduced him to officials who filled workplace vacancies.

Then, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic ground everything to a halt.

Internships disappeared. Football opportunities became rare. Unemployed and with few options, McGee delivered food for DoorDash and took an at-home job doing COVID contact tracing for the health department. His only connection with the Chiefs was a gameday gig as a liaison with the pyrotechnic team at Arrowhead Stadium. What eventually paid off were contacts he’d made during his previous internships — especially friendships with members of the Chiefs’ scouting department, with whom he texted each week during the season. When pandemic restrictions eased, McGee fielded another offer, this one for a full-time player personnel role with the scouting department, a position he held for two years. Last June, the Chiefs promoted the former ESU Hornet and Arrowhead Stadium part-time tour guide to professional scout.

"It was one of those times where it was like, ‘This is what you did all of your work for, to go in and set the foundation for the Super Bowl for these guys.’ They have so much trust in me and the work that we do. It's unbelievable.”

It’s indeed insane, McGee admits.

“The crazy thing about it was we didn't really talk that much about ball (in the interview),” he said. “We did a little bit, and they knew I played in college, but we didn't go over X’s and O’s. We didn't go over scouting reports. It was a call just to get to know me and who I was as a person.”

Fundamental to his job description is evaluating players on talent, mental toughness, work ethic and schematic fit within the Chiefs’ system. Kansas City’s scouts essentially perform three roles: advance on-site scouting of Kansas City’s opponents (which means they rarely attend Chiefs games), evaluations of NFL free agents and scouting of college players in preparation for the NFL draft.

The first few times he presented an opponent’s scouting report to the Chiefs’ coaches, he was extremely nervous.

“We're a Super Bowl-winning team. You want to make sure you have everything correct.”

When he delivered the scouting report for the Philadelphia Eagles in advance of Super Bowl LVII, “that was the most nervous I think I've ever been in this profession” — the offensive and defensive coordinators on one row, the assistant coaches on another, all listening to his report and asking questions about the next opponent.

“It was awesome. It was a great experience for me,” he said. “I felt confident. It was one of those times where it was like, ‘This is what you did all of your work for, to go in and set the foundation for the Super Bowl for these guys.’ They have so much trust in me and the work that we do. It's unbelievable.”

Six years removed from his time at ESU, McGee hasn’t forgotten how instrumental his experience as a Hornet has been on his journey. An unheralded athlete, diminutive in stature, he values the grit and determination he learned playing at an NCAA Division II school. Those life lessons have served him well.

“Everything isn’t lavish at DII, so you don't take for granted the little things,” he said. “All of that molded me to come here and want to be great, to keep putting the pedal to the metal and not be complacent, to not feel like I made it. I've been really blessed my whole life, and I’ve grown being with the Chiefs, but I didn't think I’d be this age with three Super Bowl rings.”

Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs

Tight-Knit Alumni Group Still Going Strong After

25 Years

By Phillip Tutor

Since forming in 1998, the Emporia Connection alumni chapter has served as an invaluable and supportive advocate for Black graduates and current students of Emporia State University. Its membership includes several prominent generations of African American alumni with deep admiration for ESU and the education they received on its campus.

Welcoming the most recent Black graduates into Emporia Connection is vitally important to Pat (former student) and Mark Sevier (BA 75-Economics), who founded the organization in the backyard of their former Atlanta home more than two decades ago.

Emporia Connection held its 25th annual reunion in September 2023 with several festive events at the Sauder Alumni Center and Memorial Union.

“We want to reach out to the younger group that came after us and show them what needs to be done and that it can be done,” said Pat Sevier, an Emporia native. “We want to get them involved now, because the group that we're in, we're losing people. That's one of the things that keeps us coming back to see each other is because we're in our 70s and 80s, just so it doesn't fade out and go away.”

Tayler Wash (BSE 15-Elementary Education), the director of special projects for the City of Emporia and a member of the ESU Alumni Board of Directors, is an example of the type of graduate — passionate, energetic and committed to assisting ESU’s students — the Seviers want to introduce to Emporia Connection.

An Emporia Connection member, Wash began her professional career as an educator in the public school systems of Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. After earning a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri, she began to recognize “that some of the things I wanted to help fix or help change (in the classroom) were deeper or bigger than just helping the students.”

That revelation led to roles in non-elected public service, first with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County in Kansas City, and now with the City of Emporia.

“I was looking for something that would help families and communities in a way that I couldn't really reach in the classroom,” she said.

Emporia Connection entered Wash’s world well before she earned her degree. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Wash was introduced to the university’s array of alumni and social groups as part of being a member of ESU Student Ambassadors. It didn’t take long for her to understand what she describes as the “multifaceted” value Emporia Connection has for Black graduates and current students alike.

“It’s an opportunity for fellowship, and it's an opportunity for alumni of color to come together and bond over our shared love of Emporia State and the experience we had there,” she said.

“From what I experienced at this previous reunion, it feels like an opportunity to bring different generations of people together and share our experiences, where we've been and where we are going.”

“The reunion felt like something out of a movie,” Wash said of the mixture of recent graduates and alumni who earned their degrees three or more decades earlier. “We were all brainstorming, having fun and connecting. It was magical to me to have such a range of experiences and ages and still be able to come together the way that we did. That was amazing.”

The Seviers are understandably proud of Emporia Connection’s sustained importance for Black alumni and the chapter’s creation of the Emporia Legacy Connection Scholarship, which the group established in 2004. A decorated Hornet track athlete and member of ESU’s Athletics Hall of Honor, Mark excitedly recounts the chapter’s ability during a previous reunion to raise the money required to begin the scholarship. That scholarship is awarded to entering freshmen or transfer students with a minimum GPA of 2.5 who write a 500-word essay regarding the scholarship’s impact on their life. Consideration is given to students with family members who have graduated from ESU.

Equally important, the Seviers say, is introducing Emporia Connection to Black students who soon will become ESU alumni. If that introduction doesn’t lead to membership in the chapter, it still may influence a recent graduate to remain involved with the university in some other manner.

“I think the misconception is when young people hear the word alumni, they think of old people,” Pat said, laughing. “And just to let you know, we're not old people. We are a group that enjoys each other. I feel like the most effective way is for current members to reach out to them and invite them in.”

Wash credits the chapter’s leadership for actively courting recent Black graduates and introducing current Black students and their families to the group’s activities. The chapter “did a phenomenal job” at the 25th reunion, she said, of helping current students “see the value of staying involved once they do graduate.”

While on campus for football games or other events, Pat said it’s common for Emporia Connection members to introduce themselves to students and their families “and let them know what we're doing and how we can support their children who are going to school there.”

It’s in those meetings, the Seviers explained, that chapter members often tell students and their families about prominent people like Dr. Thomas Bonner, who in 1960 became the first Black faculty member at ESU (then Kansas State Teachers College), his wife Dr. Mary Winstead Bonner, who in 1964 became the first Black woman faculty member at KSTC. Another highlight of ESU’s African-American history includes the letter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sent to then-KSTC President John King in 1965 with thanks for the college’s contributions to the Summer Community Organization and Political Education project (SCOPE). They also inform them about campus events like the annual Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture Series.

“The parents are very appreciative that we've approached them and talked to them to let them know about Emporia Connection, and that there is a Black alumni group on campus,” Pat said.

“It’s an opportunity for fellowship, and it's an opportunity for alumni of color to come together and bond over our shared love of Emporia State and the experience we had there.”

Attacking the Cost of Higher Education Through Expanded Scholarship Support

Today’s students face the challenge of carrying a larger share of their educational expenses than previous generations. For most students, it’s a big investment — one they can’t afford alone. In spite of the cost, college is still an important investment and makes a big difference in financial stability over a lifetime.

On average, bachelor’s degree holders earn $1.2 million more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma and experience lower rates of unemployment. Emporia State is working hard to attack the problem.

Many students can’t afford to attend college without scholarships. At Emporia State, we think it is vitally important that a person's opportunity to succeed be based on their drive and determination, not the size of their bank account.

This spring, we unveiled a range of new scholarship offerings. Undergraduate students can earn multiple scholarships to help offset their costs.

These new scholarships are part of our ongoing efforts to reduce costs for students and their families. ESU already has affordable flat-rate tuition and in-state tuition rates for residents of the lower 48 states. At ESU, there are no application fees.

Success requires opportunity.

Emporia State is an exceptional value in higher education. After financial aid, ESU is significantly less expensive than the cost of attending many larger universities. These additional scholarships create even more savings.

Tuition and fees are subject to approval by the Kansas Board of Regents. Tuition and fees shown are approved for the 2023-24 school year. Some course fees may apply. See emporia.edu/tuition.

2Pending final transcripts/official ACT scores.

3 Pending enrollment in MU245 + successful auditions for spirit groups.

Scholarship support builds bright futures.

Taking on the expense of college — and the risks of accruing debt — can be terrifying for many prospective students. Scholarship support, even when it only alleviates a small portion of the expense, helps many students make the choice to pursue a degree. By reducing the potential for debt, they overcome their fears and invest in their potential.

That’s the world we all want — one where no one misses out on opportunity and no one’s potential is wasted.

Learn more about the full range of scholarships available at ESU at emporia.edu/scholarships.

Two Alums Found Life Insurance a Perfect Way to Make a Gift to Emporia State

by Phillip Tutor

As graduates of Emporia State University, Jodie Fund (BSB 75-Business) and Josiah D’Albini (BS 14-Sociology) share a few noteworthy commonalities. They hold a deep affection for their alma mater. They wholeheartedly acknowledge the positive effect ESU has had on their lives. And they’ve taken advantage of the ESU Foundation’s planned giving services to take their philanthropy to another level by naming Emporia State a beneficiary of their life insurance policies.

After earning his degree at ESU, Fund began a successful career in accounting and carried his passion for the university into his adult life. Besides serving on foundation and alumni boards at ESU, he has donated his estate to the university and started three scholarships: the Jodie Fund Scholarship for student-athletes; the Amanda Fund Scholarship, named in honor of his mother, for incoming freshmen or transfer students; and the Mirl Fund Scholarship, which honors his father and supports accounting students.

Now retired from Phillips 66, Fund decided as a young man to donate the life insurance policy he bought during his senior year to ESU. The idea happened organically, a combination of a commitment to assist his alma mater, the policy’s rising cash value, and the Foundation’s behind-the-scenes logistical support.

“It’s been a long time since I initially donated the life insurance policy,” Fund says. “But I was kind of giving small amounts anyway from the time I graduated. I've always been one who thinks that is kind of innate, the support for your school or your alma mater.”

D’Albini’s experience is much like Fund’s in the way it came about, but he’s different in that he’s far from retirement age.

The 34-year-old Ottawa, Kansas, native graduated in 2014 and began working for a community mental health center near his home. As his career advanced, he continued to seek roles that give back to the community. He accepted a position at Allen Community College and entered politics. Today, he’s the college’s director of student life and serves on the Iola City Council. He also serves on Emporia State’s Alumni Board of Directors.

Like Fund, D’Albini bought a life insurance policy in his twenties, not long after earning his degree. He had remained close to Dr. Harry Stephens (BA 65-Biology, MS 72-Counselor Education), his longtime mentor and Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity brother. It was Stephens who gave him the idea to donate a portion of his life insurance policy to support his ESU fraternity.

A month later, Stephens passed away.

The following week, D’Albini called the ESU Foundation and said he wanted to donate 100 percent of his life insurance policy to fund the Sigma Tau Gamma scholarship program. Guidance from the Foundation’s staff made the paperwork process essentially seamless.

“That's how I decided,” D’Albini said. “I can probably make my biggest impact on people with my life insurance.”

Making a gift with a life insurance policy can be as simple as naming Emporia State a primary or secondary beneficiary. It is an excellent way to expand your impact because the benefit is likely much more than the amount you spent on premiums.

Curious to learn more? Visit emporialegacy.org or contact Angela Fullen at the ESU Foundation. She can answer your questions or help you with the process.

Angela Fullen � Director of Planned Giving 620-341-6465 � afullen@emporia.edu

New Women for ESU Donor Organization Makes a Big Impact in Its First Year

by Lindsay Thompson

A new volunteer-led giving circle, created less than a year ago to support Emporia State University and its students, is already making a big impact.

Women for ESU was formed to increase philanthropic investment and to provide a pathway for women who share a vision for leadership and financial growth to come together and create opportunities for Emporia State students. Members pool their contributions into a grant fund for new or existing projects and initiatives that will make a transformational impact on Emporia State students and the campus environment. Women for ESU is also a vibrant collective passionate about encouraging and empowering women as champions and changemakers, and it welcomes anyone inspired by their mission.

On Saturday, April 6, Women for ESU held its inaugural symposium where five initiatives were celebrated and awarded grants. The winners were:

■ Corky’s Career Closet received a $12,000 grant. Corky’s Career Closet is a resource that offers professional and interview attire to students for no cost. With this grant, they will expand and update the closet, enabling it to do more to eliminate significant financial burdens for students seeking professional attire.

■ “Tough,” a play by Margot Connolley, received a $10,000 grant. The Emporia State Theatre Program will use these funds to add a fourth show to their regular season. The Theatre Program is excited about the addition of a play focused on promoting the female narrative.

■ A Place of Comfort and Calm: Creating Sensory Spaces Inside the ESU Library received a $10,000 grant. This initiative will create a sensory room in ESU’s William Allen White Library to support students with disabilities at ESU, especially those with autism spectrum disorder. Sensory rooms are crucial tools for neurodivergent individuals to regulate emotions and manage stimuli.

■ Hornet Huddle: Connection for TradPlus and Transfer Students received an $8,000 grant. The goal of Hornet Huddle will create opportunities for transfer and non-traditional (TradPlus) students to connect with faculty and staff, find mentors, engage with their peers and establish meaningful connections.

■ Sociology of Sport Day received a $5,000 grant. This initiative will create an event to introduce high school juniors and seniors to the study of society and sports and provide sociology and crime and delinquency majors an opportunity to practice their skills and share the knowledge they have obtained in their studies.

The symposium was a partnership with the student-led Breaking Barriers Conference, which brought together attendees and students, providing them the opportunity to meet and learn more about one another at a networking luncheon and social hour. The event also featured keynote speaker Teri Karjala (BS 01-Rehabilitation Services Education), a thought leader in female empowerment and entrepreneurship.

It was an exciting day for all attendees to see transformational dreams being made a reality through donor support and to mingle with fellow alumni and friends of ESU as well as today’s talented young Hornets.

To learn more or become a member of Women for ESU, visit emporia.edu/womenforesu.

Exceeding Expectations Campaign Concludes Exceeding Expectations

Emporia State University’s landmark Together, Forward fundraising campaign raised $91,714,500,

surpassing its original goal to become the most successful fundraising effort in ESU history.

“The overwhelming success of the Together, Forward fundraising campaign is a testament to the support of those who believe in Emporia State University’s fundamental mission: to offer our students invaluable and authentic college experiences. We are eternally grateful for those who have helped us complete this record-setting campaign,” said Shane Shivley, vice president for University Advancement and president of the ESU Foundation.

The ESU Foundation began the Together, Forward campaign in 2017 with an initial fundraising goal of $50 million. The student-centered campaign focused on several key pillars — raising money for talent-based scholarships, expanding students’ real-world learning opportunities and providing financial support for facilities and campus initiatives.

The campaign eclipsed both the initial fundraising goal and a subsequent stretch fundraising goal of $75 million.

Of the total dollars raised, 38% are endowed. The purpose of endowed gifts is to provide support in perpetuity. Endowed gifts are invested to preserve the principal and distribute the earnings annually for the donor’s intended purpose. Additionally, 34% of the dollars raised in this campaign were planned gifts. Planned gifts are gifts made through a will, trust or other deferred gift arrangement that will be realized in the future.

Emporia State is grateful for the remarkable generosity of the campaign’s donors and the opportunities this philanthropy will create for ESU students today, tomorrow and into the future.

“By giving to Emporia State University, the donors to the Together, Forward Campaign have empowered our students and faculty,” said ESU President Ken Hush. “Every dollar from donors, our city and county partners and the state mean less burden for students and their families. Supporting our students is the most important role we have at Emporia State.”

5,339

With the Together, Forward campaign, Hornet Nation came together to help students build their own bright futures.

Lillian � Class of 2024

“I am beyond thankful for our donors. Not only are they willing to give financial [support], but they also want to create a bond with you…to know your story and what makes you unique.”

Azwad � Class of 2026

“If I could thank a donor for one thing, it would be for their unwavering support. There are a lot of students who have most of their needs met, but there’s a little gap. That little push could make or break their dreams…The donors help students tremendously.”

Sarah � Class of 2025

“Emporia State has opened all kinds of amazing opportunities for me. I’ve been able to present my undergrad research as a freshman. I’ve joined Psychology International Honors Club, and I’ve gotten to participate in A Cappella Choir and the musical and done all kinds of things on campus that I probably wouldn’t be able to do elsewhere. The donors make it possible.”

See more about the difference donor support has made through the Together, Forward campaign at emporia.edu/togetherforward

ESU TO HOST NCAA DIVISION

II OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS MAY

by Phillip Tutor

The impressive community spirit that Emporia State University and the City of Emporia share will be on full display for visitors to the Flint Hills when ESU hosts the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 23-25.

More than 1,100 student-athletes and several hundred coaches and officials from across the nation will come to Emporia for a nearly week-long celebration of the best track and field athletes in NCAA Division II. The event will provide a unique opportunity for ESU and the city to showcase the region’s lauded hospitality and its ample lineup of restaurants and opportunities for shopping and entertainment.

“We're very excited to be hosting the Division II track nationals here in Emporia,” said LeLan Dains, director of Visit Emporia, a division of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Emporia has quite the reputation for being an amazing host to festivals and events, so we're certainly excited to receive those athletes, coaches, family, friends and spectators and show them why Emporia is such an amazing, unique community.”

Winning the bid to host the 2024 and 2026 track and field championships has played a role in developing ESU’s master plan for athletics facility improvements, said Darian Westerfield, the Hornets’ senior associate athletics director for external relations. The student-athletes who qualify for the national championships will compete at Welch Stadium, where the Zola Witten Track’s polyurethane running lanes have been resurfaced. The approaches for high jump, long jump, triple jump and javelin events have been updated, and ESU has built new throwing cages for hammer and discus events and re-landscaped the shot put rings. Welch Stadium received new lighting equipment last fall. Many of these improvements were made possible, in part, by donor support including the City of Emporia.

Hosting the event gives ESU a chance to showcase the campus and Emporia community to student-athletes and fans of track and field from across the country, many of whom have never been here before.

“It’s nice that you're going to have people from Boston to Los Angeles coming to the middle of the country converging in Emporia, Kansas,” Westerfield said.

When they arrive, those unfamiliar with Emporia will learn that it is the founding city of Veterans Day, the home of famed editor William Allen White and the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

They’ll discover it has a thriving and diverse community, said Dains, who touts the city’s track record of successfully hosting large-scale events such as the Unbound Gravel cycling race. Through ESU’s hefty campus schedule of athletics, theatrical and cultural events, the symbiotic relationship between the university and the city enhances these personal connections.

“I think visitors leave here just being really impressed and surprised, not expecting that we’d have so much in a town of our size,” Dains said. “Our business owners recognize the importance of these visitors and the impact they have on their business.”

EMPORIA HAS QUITE THE REPUTATION FOR BEING AN AMAZING HOST TO FESTIVALS AND EVENTS, SO WE'RE CERTAINLY EXCITED TO RECEIVE THOSE ATHLETES, COACHES, FAMILY, FRIENDS AND SPECTATORS AND SHOW THEM WHY EMPORIA IS SUCH AN AMAZING, UNIQUE COMMUNITY.”

2023 Distinguished Alumni

CYNTHIA J. (PENDLETON) EISENHAUER

(BSE 70-English)

Former Emporian Cynthia J. (Pendleton) Eisenhauer of Kansas City, Mo., built a career in government and finance. She holds an MPA in public administration from Drake University, where she was an adjunct professor, and studied public policy at Kennedy School of Government.

Eisenhauer spent 34 years in government service in Iowa as governor’s and lieutenant governor’s chief of staff and as a cabinet member during four administrations.

Eisenhauer also served as director of the Iowa Department of Management and Budget, the Iowa Workforce Development, the Iowa Board of Regents business and finance division, executive director of the Iowa Campaign Finance Disclosure Commission, executive branch manager of 15 state departments and their budgets for the Iowa Department of Management and operations manager for Des Moines Community Development. She also taught high school English and journalism at Olpe High School and Topeka High School.

She retired in 2016 as a government finance consultant and trustee of Financial Accounting Foundation.

CAROLYN R. MOCKRY HERNANDEZ

(BSE 78-Physical Education)

Olpe, Ks., native Carolyn R. Mockry Hernandez dedicated her 43-year career to teaching, coaching, advising, sponsoring, and supporting students to prepare for their future.

As an educator at Nogales (Az.) High School, Hernandez’s was PE curriculum leader, student council advisor, class sponsor and member of the scholarship committee and North Central Evaluation Team. Hernandez coached volleyball, basketball, softball, track and field, and cheerleading.

Among the numerous awards she received were Teacher of the Year, Class Sponsor of the Year, Santa Cruz Valley Shining Star, Female Head Coach of the Year, Arizona 4A Coach of the Year, National Spiritline Coach of the Year, National Cheerleading Association Top Camp Manager of the Year, and the Martin Luther King Award. She was inducted into the Nogales High School Hall of Fame. She also judged cheerleading competitions. Her cheerleading teams won 20 state and two national championships, as well as an American Grand National large co-ed championship. Her coaching produced more than 125 NCA All-American team members.

DR. COURTNEY J. KNAUP

(BS 09-Physics)

Dr. Courtney J. Knaup of Las Vegas, Nevada, turned an exceptional career as a student into an exceptional career as chief medical physicist at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada in Las Vegas. He is responsible for regulatory compliance, manages patient data systems, provides technical guidance to clinical staff, and oversees clinical activities to ensure safe and effective treatments for 2000 cancer patients annually.

Knaup was one of two chosen from more than 100 applicants to participate in the doctoral program in radiological sciences at the University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio. He was the sole recipient of an AAPM graduate fellowship in medical physics in 2009- 2011 and completed the doctoral program in three years. He is certified in therapeutic medical physics by the American Board of Radiology.

As an undergraduate, Knaup was a member of Kappa Mu Epsilon math honors society, a Shepherd Scholar, an Endly Scholar and a four-year NASA Space Grant award winner. He was one of 14 applicants to receive American Association of Physicists in Medicine internships to study radiation sciences at healthcare sites.

JOHN MASTERSON

(BSE 67-Physical Education; MSE 70-Counseling + Guidance)

John A. Masterson of Iola touched the lives of thousands of students during his 40-year career in higher education at Allen Community College.

After graduating with his MSE, he was employed as a full-time staff member and had charge of the residence hall system. His desire to use his physical education degree and to coach led him to take a position as director of guidance and baseball coach at Allen County. During his career, he also served Allen as dean of students/athletic director, vice president for Administration, and as president, a position he held for 30 years.

Masterson also became deeply involved in the Iola and Allen County communities, particularly in the area of economic development. He has served as a vice president and board member of Iola Industries, Inc. for more than 20 years, and on the Iola Area Economic Development Advisory Committee since its inception.

DR. MARIA A. “ALEX” VUYK

(BS 05-Psychology, MS 10-Gifted + Special Education)

Dr. Maria A. “Alex” Vuyk has applied her education to providing better education for gifted children around the world. She is psychology professor at Catholic University of Our Lady of Assumption in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Vuyk founded Paraguay’s first program for gifted students at the Colegio Santa Elena, the Paraguayan Network for Professionals in High Ability, and Aikumby Center for Giftedness and Creativity, the first center focusing on talent development and assessments in Paraguay. She is fluent in nine languages and guides other educators in gifted education internationally.

She received the 2021 Emerging Scholar in Gifted Education Award from the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, was advisor for the Paraguayan Minister of Health COVID-19 task force and received the ESU Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award, among other awards.

She earned master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology from the University of Kansas and received postdoctoral training at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

CHRIS M. WALDECK

(BSB 89-Marketing)

Chris M. Waldeck left ESU in 1989 to begin a career that took him to the top of internationally known corporations. Waldeck, who played football at ESU, began his professional career with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) headquartered in his hometown, Kansas City.

Following the NAIA, Waldeck held leadership roles with Spalding Sports Worldwide and Cramer Products, Inc., before joining Reebok International and the Adidas Group in 2004. During his tenure with Adidas Group, he held several domestic and international leadership positions, including leading a complex business turnaround of the group’s Reebok brand in South Korea from 2010 to 2013, and ultimately was named vice president and general manager of the Reebok North America operating unit in 2013.

In 2017, Waldeck joined VF Corporation as president of the Lee Brand. He was a member of the senior executive team that led the spin-off of the Jeanswear Division (Lee and Wrangler) to form Kontoor Brands, Inc., an independent, publicly traded company (NYSE: KTB) in 2019. Waldeck is currently executive vice president, co-chief operating officer, and global brand president.

To learn more about these distinguished alumni, visit emporia.edu/distinguishedalumni.

Outstanding Recent Graduates

LIZETH MAGAÑA

BS 16-Physics Columbia, Maryland

HAN YAN

MBA 13-Business Administration, MA 13-English Easton, Connecticut

KEVIN YARNELL

MS 16-Health, Physical Education + Recreation Hyde Park, New York

To learn more about these outstanding alumni, visit emporia.edu/outstandingrecentgraduates.

Spotlight on Alumni

1960

Mike and Kathryn A. (Grothjan) Reddy (BSE 69-English), Wellsville, celebrated 50 years of marriage on May 30, 2019.

Kathryn A. (Grothjan) Reddy (BSE 69-English), Wellsville, was inducted into the DeSoto High School Hall of Fame on February 10, 2023.

Anita L. (McGuire) Reeves (BSE 66-Physical Education), Fort Worth, Texas, had a new elementary school named in her honor, the Anita Reeves Elementary School, for the 35 years she worked in Denton ISD.

Gary L. Sherrer (BSE 63-Speech, Social Sciences), Broomfield, Colo., received the Lifetime of Leadership Award by Emporia State University during Homecoming 2023.

1970

Shelley R. (Goerzen) Buller (AS 77-Office Services), Hillsboro, retired at the end of 2023, as executive assistant to the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, after 46 years of service.

Robert W. "Bob" Hollinger (BSB 70-Business Administration) Scottsdale, Ariz., retired from Merrill Lynch on November 1, 2023, after a 49-year career as a financial advisor, resident director and portfolio manager.

Darlene L. (Wenz) Lank (BSB 78-Accounting), Moundridge, retired from Moly Manufacturing, LLC at the end of December 2022.

Maj. Gen. Kevin A. Leonard (BS 79-Sociology), Rising Sun, Md., has been named CEO at Satellite Services, Inc.

Phil R. Loomis (BS 79-Biology), Kansas City, was inducted into the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches (KABC) Hall of Fame in January 2023.

Dr. Marilee F. McBoyle (BA 74-Chemistry), Wichita, was inducted as a member of the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators on October 6, 2023, which is a huge honor.

Dennis E. Richter (BSE 73-Elementary Education; MS 77-Master Teacher), Topeka, taught elementary school at Seaman USD 345 for 10 years and then retired in September 2023 after 40 years as an agent with State Farm Insurance.

Greg D. Stover (BSE 74-Physical Education), Norman, Okla., and wife, Randie, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 18, 2023.

Vonda J. Vasey Wilson (BSB 77-Accounting), Wichita, retired at the end of 2022, after 42 years in public accounting, 35 of which were with Peterson Peterson & Goss, and the last seven years were with Adams Brown CPAs.

1980

Dr. Teresa L. Clounch (BSB 89-Business Administration; MS 96-Counselor Education), Topeka, has been recognized as a Pillar of the Profession by the NASPA Foundation Board for her remarkable contributions to student affairs.

Sue A. Grosdidier (BS 83-Sociology; MS 88-Educational Administration), Lawrence, was honored with the 2023 GED Administrator of the Year award.

Lori A. (Brewer) Heller (BA 81-English; MLS 82-Library Science), Emporia, retired on October 1, 2023, after 22 years as the youth services coordinator at the Emporia Public Library.

Angela (Lungren) Hoffman (BSB 87-Accounting), Mission Hills, was named one of Women We Admire's Top 50 Women Leaders of Kansas for 2023.

Rebecca D. "Becky" (Davis) Mayes (BSE 83-Elementary Education), Emporia, has retired after 40 years with North Lyon County USD 251.

Veronica A. (Wilson) Parker (BSE 87-Elementary Education), Parkville, Mo., retired from the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools USD 500 in 2023, after 34 years of teaching, which included elementary and middle schools.

Chris G. Peck (BSE 87-Chemistry), Orlando, Fla., and wife, Sharon, are helping an ethnic language group of people, the Kapin people of Papua New Guinea, to keep their language from going extinct.

Lorri L. (Snyder) Perkins (BSE 84-Home Economics), Mather, Calif., has retired after 39 years as an educator and school counselor from Roseville Joint Union High School.

Brad R. Stratton (BSB 86-Business Administration), Overland Park, was appointed as KPERS board vice chairperson for fiscal year 2024.

Myron J. Stucky (BSE 82-Industrial Education), Topeka, retired special educator from Auburn-Washburn USD 437, was promoted to security supervisor for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas.

1990

Tammy F. Baird (MS 95-Business Education; MS 99-Educational Administration), Burlingame, has been named the new superintendent for Madison-Virgil USD 386.

Susan D. (Bowers) Brinkman (BS 92-Psychology; BFA 97-Art; MS 94-Counselor Education), Emporia, was selected as executive director at Southwick House.

Jennifer L. (Adcock) Collins (BS 98-Recreation), Americus, has been promoted to network administrator in the division of Information Technology at Emporia State University.

Greg L. French (BSE 94-Elementary Education), Admire, was recognized for his football coaching efforts at Northern Heights High School as one of the Top 50 Most Valuable Coaches by U.S. Cellular.

Edward J. Gleich (BSB 96-Business Administration), Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was promoted to president of global services at Little Caesars.

Dr. Sunnin B. (Humphreys) Keosybounheuang (BSE 99-Elementary Education; MS 11-Health, Physical Education & Recreation), Emporia, received the 2023 KAHPERD Vicki J. Worrell Service Award.

Sarah K. Kueser (BSB 99-Business Administration), Wichita, was promoted to TAP Center manager at Credit Union of America.

Jane R. Magathan-Krone (BS 94-Psychology; MS 97-Rehabilitation Counseling), Princeton, is the new school counselor at Eugene Ware Elementary, Fort Scott USD 234.

Gina M. (Skillman) Peek (BSN 98-Nursing), Reading, Lebo High School head volleyball coach, was named 1A Division II Coach of the Year by the Kansas Volleyball Association.

Cathy J. (Watson) Pimple (BSN 96-Nursing), Emporia, has been named chief executive officer at Newman Regional Health.

Cynthia P. "Cindy" (Turner) Rogers (BSE 90, MLS 20), Wichita, received the 2023 Distinguished Library Media Specialist award by the Kansas Association of School Librarians (KASL).

New

Lisa J. (Hartter) Suhr (BSE 90-Elementary Education; MS 01-Instructional Design & Technology), Sabetha, was named director of student learning in the fall of 2023 for Prairie Hills USD 113.

Rick Tasker (BS 95-Business Administration), Castle Rock, Colo., was promoted to manager of strategy and execution - global field enablement at SPLUNK.

Troy W. Thrasher (BSE 94-Physical Education), McKinney, Texas, has been hired as the head coach of women's basketball at Richland College in Dallas, Texas.

Shannon E. (Stewart) Wedel (BSE 95Art), Great Bend, has been named the 2023 Overall Outstanding Art Educator of the Year by the Kansas Art Education Association (KAEA).

2000

Sarah M. (Phillips) Aligo (BFA 05-Communication), Lawrence, was promoted to vice president of client services at Prenger Solutions Group.

Jason C. Brooks (BM 09-Music; MM 12-Music, Performance), Lexington, Ky., was appointed as director of the Governor's School for the Arts program for Kentucky Performing Arts.

Shannon R. (Galentine) Covert (BSE 01-Mathematics), Matfield Green, is the new dean of Butler Community College's science, engineering and math division.

Clint C. Daniels (MS 07-Curriculum & Instruction), Olathe, is a new English as a second language teacher at Osawatomie Middle School - Osawatomie USD 367.

Angie D. (Flaigle) Davey (BSE 05-Elementary Education), Paola, is a new resource/interrelated teacher at Cottonwood Elementary - Paola USD 368.

Brad R. Drewek (BSE 08-Elementary Education), Manhattan, formed Krapi Golf, LLC in 2021 and was granted a United States design patent on polyhedral die in October 2023.

Katie C. (Hill) Earnhart (MLS 09-Library Science), Jackson, Mo., has been named to the board of governors of Cape Area Community Foundation (CACF).

Rick B. Eckert (MAT 04-Social Sciences), Emporia, was named 2023 Girls Golf Coach of the Year by the Kansas Coaches Association.

Marlo J. Jackson (BSB 01-Business Administration), Topeka, has been named to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Kansas Board of Directors.

Dr. Jodie D. (Kimbell) Leiss (BSE 03Physical Education; MS 06-Health, Physical Education & Recreation), Maryville, Mo., was selected as the Missouri Society of Health and Physical Educators (MOSHAPE) 2023 Scholar of the Year.

Kristen L. (Larson) Peterson (BA 06-History; BS 06-Economics), Helena, Mont., was awarded the Appellate Defender Division Attorney of the Year for 2023 at the Montana Office of the Public Defender's annual 2023 conference.

Julianna M. (Coulter) Rieschick (BSN 00-Nursing), Wichita, was named one of Women We Admire's Top 50 Women Leaders of Kansas for 2023.

Dr. Enilda J. Romero-Hall (BS 07-Business Administration; MS 08-Instructional Design & Technology), Knoxville, Tenn., was awarded the Association for Educational Communications & Technology (AECT) Research & Theory Outstanding Technical Journal Article Award and the Culture, Learning & Technology Outstanding Publication Award: Book Chapter.

Lindsay T. (Gifford) Sanderholm (BIS 06-Integrated Studies), Arkansas City, ended her 25-year career as head coach of the Cowley College Tigerette Danceline and the last 12 years in charge of the cheer team.

Heather N. (Nienstedt) Schultz (BSE 05-Elementary Education), Hartford, was hired as a mortgage loan officer at Flint Hills Bank.

Jessie R. (James) Stinson (BFA 05-Communication), Warrensburg, Mo., has started as the new registrar and counselor's secretary at Warrensburg High School.

Jason P. Tajchman (BSB 03-Management; MBA 05-Business Administration), Olathe, had a photograph displayed in the Briar Cliff Review Show at the Sioux City Art Center.

Carmaine G. (Ereth) Ternes (MLS 00-Library Science), Wichita, received the 2023 Kansas Association of School Librarians Vision Award, which recognizes individuals in or out of the profession who have contributed to the vision of Kansas school library media centers and is arguably KASL's highest honor.

Richard L. "Rich" Yates (BFA 01-Art), Sioux City, Iowa, was awarded tenure in the spring of 2022 and became the chair of the Media Communications Department at Briar Cliff University in 2023.

2010

Kaylee J. Bryant (BS 19-Rehabilitation Services Education), Sugar Land, Texas, traveled as a volunteer with Global Autism Project to Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2023. She worked alongside occupational therapists, other behavior analysts and autistic self-advocates to serve the local community through outreach programs to increase autism acceptance, train the school staff at Silver Bells and engage with parents and families who are impacted by an autism diagnosis to discuss resources that are needed and resources that are available in their community.

Miranda N. (Green) Carpenter (BS 13-Rehabilitation Services Education), Neodesha, was promoted on July 1, 2023, to director of special events at SparkWheel. She was also chosen as one of 20 to be included in the 2023 Kansas Chamber's Kansas Emerging Leaders Program.

Kimberlee Cook (MLS 18-Library Science), Emporia, joined the staff of the Emporia Public Library as assistant director of access services beginning October 2, 2023.

Christina M. (Bessmer) Farr (BSN 13-Nursing), Emporia, became the new women's health practitioner at CareArc.

Derek J. Francis (BS 16-Crime and Delinquency Studies), Manhattan, has been hired as the director of operations for the baseball program at Western Kentucky University.

Alex R. Haines (BSN 10-Nursing), Marion, has been hired as chief executive officer at St. Luke Hospital in Marion, Kansas.

Brittnee K. Jordan (MS 17-Rehabilitation Counseling), Yelm, Wash., opened her own private practice, Grow Rich Therapy PLLC, focused on counseling individuals with disabilities, on career procession and addressing work place stress.

Lindsey M. Kunkel (BS 14-Health Promotion), Syracuse, N.Y., has been announced as the new head track and field coach at Hartwick College.

Lizeth Magana (BS 16-Physics), Columbia, Md., was honored as a 2023 Emporia State University Outstanding Recent Graduate.

Daphne M. (Reed) Mertens (BS 14-Health Promotion; MS 16-Health, Physical Education & Recreation), Emporia, has been hired as executive director of the United Way of the Flint Hills.

Dr. Damara Goff Paris (CRT 16), Salem, Ore., was promoted to professor in counselor education within the School of Applied Health Sciences at Emporia State University and was awarded the 2023-24 John E. King Endowed Professorship on August 17, 2023.

Alicia K. (Fry) Rumold (MS 10-Psychology), Osage City, became the new human resources director for Lyon County Kansas.

Amanda R. (Bell) Schild (BSE 12-Earth Science), Emporia, is the new principal at Madison Elementary, Madison-Virgil USD 386.

Patrick D. Schrater (BSB 18-Management), Valley Center, has been hired as assistant coach of women's basketball at the University of Kansas.

Christopher W. "Chris" Schwinghamer (BS 14-Biology), Hartford, started a new position as assistant professor of biology at Adams State University.

Dillons / Kroger Card

Do you shop at Dillons/Kroger grocery or convenience stores? If so, here's a great opportunity to give back to Emporia State University and student scholarships while you are doing your everyday shopping!

Simply sign up for the Dillons Plus Card/Kroger Community Rewards Program by visiting: https://www.kroger.com/o/storeservices/community-rewards

Cassandra B. Stair (BA 17-Political Science), Independence, Mo., announced her engagement to Jeremy Harvill of Bridge City, Texas. The couple will be wed in Jamaica in October of 2024 .

Courtney J. (Leek) Steffes (BSB 19-Marketing), Emporia, opened a new business venue called Court's Place in downtown Emporia.

Kelley R. (Bennett) Tuel (MS 13-Biology), Spring Hill, received the 2023 Outstanding Biology Teacher award from the National Association of Biology Teachers.

Rebecca L. Ventola (MS 11-Master Teacher), Moneta, Va., took the position of library director for Franklin County Public Library System in Rocky Mount, Virginia.

Han Yan (MBA 13-English, Business Administration), Easton, Conn., was honored as a 2023 Emporia State University Outstanding Recent Graduate. Kevin G. Yarnell (MS 16-Health, Physical Education & Recreation), Hyde Park, N.Y., was honored as a 2023 Emporia State University Outstanding Recent Graduate.

2020

Braiden T. Allen (BSE 22-Elementary Education), Augusta, has been recognized as a 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipient by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), for outstanding teaching skills at Haven Grade School, Haven USD 312.

Kennedy E. Atterbury (BSE 23-Elementary Education), Spring Hill, is a new kindergarten teacher at Cottonwood Elementary - Paola USD 368.

Samarah G. "Sam" Bailey (BA 23-Communication), Cimarron, joined the Sheboygan Press as a reporter.

Christina (McPherson) Beaird (MBA 23-Business Administration), Wichita, was named one of Women We Admire's Top 50 Women Leaders of Kansas for 2023.

Taylor Bollinger (MS 20-Educational Administration), Center, Colo., was hired as a high school math teacher for Rangely School District.

Drew G. Carney (BSE 21-Physical Education), Osceola, Mo., has been recognized as a 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipient by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), for outstanding teaching skills at El Dorado Middle School, El Dorado USD 490.

Kelsie Champagne (BSE 23-Elementary Education), Gardner, is a new second grade teacher at Rockville ElementaryLouisburg USD 416.

Janneil Crader (MS 20-Educational Administration), Overland Park, is the new principal at Rockville ElementaryLouisburg USD 416.

Lucia Crellin (BIS 23-Interdisciplinary Studies), Yates Center, has been hired as the new administrator at Medicalodge Fort Scott.

Leigh L. (McDonald) Espey (MLS 22-Library Science), Benton, Ark., was named director of the Saline County Library in Benton, Arkansas.

Michaela M. Forkenbrock (BSB 22-Business Administration), Emporia, has taken a job as business teacher and FBLA coach at Halsead High SchoolHalstead-Bentley USD 440.

Kimberly M. Fox (BSE 20-Mathematics), Osawatomie, is a new seventh grade math teacher at Paola Middle School - Paola USD 368.

Melanie A. Golubski (MS 21-Curriculum & Instruction), Paola, was announced as Elementary Teacher of the Year by Spring Hill USD 230.

Jennifer Gum Fowler (MLS 23-Library Science), Kincaid, has been hired as the director of the Fort Scott Public Library.

Haylee N. Hitchens (BSE 20-Elementary Education), Spring Hill, is a new first grade teacher at Cottonwood Elementary - Paola USD 368.

Dara T. Hodgson (BSE 22-Elementary Education), Paola, is a new second grade teacher at Trojan ElementaryOsawatomie USD 367.

Blair M. Hollenbeck (BSE 23-Elementary Education), Hutchinson, has been hired as a fifth grade teacher at Madison Elementary - Madison-Virgil USD 386.

Allison D. Jones (BSE 22-Speech & Theatre), Waterville, has been recognized as a 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipient by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), for her outstanding teaching skills as a theatre teacher at Emporia Middle School - Emporia USD 253.

Micayla (Johnson) Kjar (BSE 20-Elementary Education), Paola, is a new preschool teacher at Circle Grove Preschool - Louisburg USD 416.

Tessa M. Lucas (MS 23-Elementary Education), Osawatomie, is a new kindergarten teacher at Swenson CenterOsawatomie USD 367.

Brennan P. Mills (BSE 22-Modern Language), Mission, has been recognized as a 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipient by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), for outstanding teaching skills at Indian Woods Middle School - Shawnee Mission USD 512.

Dailey R. Mitchell (BSE 20-Physical Education), Paola, is a new health and physical education teacher at Paola Middle School - Paola USD 368.

Brianna J. (Cleveland) Oglesby (BSE 21-Elementary Education), Derby, has been recognized as a 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipient by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), for outstanding teaching skills at Prairie Creek Elementary - Andover USD 385.

Elizabeth P. "Liz" Palmer (BSE 22-Elementary Education), Wichita, has been recognized as a 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipient by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), for outstanding teaching skills at Rosehill Elementary - Shawnee Mission USD 512.

Terina J. (Enedcott) Platt (MED 20-Teaching), Princeton, is a new math teacher at Osawatomie High SchoolOsawatomie USD 367.

Kersten S. Postel (BSB 20-Information Systems; MLS 22-Library Science), Carroll, Iowa, became the children's services librarian at Carroll Public Library in August 2023.

Jacqui Rivera (BSE 21-Elementary Education), La Cygne, is a new second grade teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary - Fort Scott USD 234.

Abby R. Rowden (BSB 22-Business Administration), Stillwater, Okla., was promoted to payroll and human resources specialist at Mize CPAs, Inc.

Gabe D. Sams (BSE 20-Physical Education), Crested Butte, Colo., has been hired as the women's head cross country/track and field coach at Arkansas Tech University.

Erica I. Self (BS 20-Economics; MBA 22-Business Administration; MS 23-Information Technology), Emporia, has taken the role of director for student and community engagement at Emporia State University.

Garrett W. Seuser (BSE 20-Social Sciences), Junction City, was awarded the 2023 Educator of the Year from the Oregon-California Trail Association for teaching about historic trails and inspiring young people through hands on methods. He was also a presenter at the 2023 Smokey Hills Trail Association Conference speaking about his research with the Faris Ranch and Clear Creek Crossing, where he received the Elton Beougher Memorial Grant for collecting and documenting crossings and sites along the Smoky Hill Trail. Garrett has also been nominated for Teacher of the Year through the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Amy Spratford (MS 23-Elementary Education), Lenexa, is a new fourth grade teacher at Broadmoor ElementaryLouisburg USD 416.

Laura D. (Shoush) Theel (MLS 22-Library Science), Independence, Mo., has an internship with the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) where she created a research library for their new online archaeology collection.

Taylor Worsham (MLS 23-Library Science), Paso Robles, Calif., was hired as an outreach services librarian at the Paso Robles City Library in California.

Renee (Dailey) Worthington (BS 21-Communication), Louisburg, is a new preschool teacher at Circle Grove Preschool - Louisburg USD 416.

Zack A. Zerr (BSE 23-Physical Education), Ulysses, is a new physical education teacher at Osawatomie High SchoolOsawatomie USD 367.

Former Student

Tracy L. Edwards, Emporia, attained the distinction of Ameriprise Private Wealth Advisor. He joins the ranks of just 18% among nearly 10,000 Ameriprise financial advisors who have reached this notable status.

Submissions

High-quality photographs are encouraged (JPG preferred) and will be considered for use. Entries may be edited for clarity or length and may be sent to alumni@emporia.edu or: Spotlight Magazine 1500 Highland St. Emporia, KS 66801-5018.

Nuptials Upcoming Hornet Travel Opportunities

Shelby N. Perez (BA 15, MS 20) and T.J. Zimmerman, October 19, 2023

The ESU Alumni Association has partnered with Please Go Away Vacations out of Great Bend, Kansas, for over 10 years. We are pleased to offer these exciting Hornet Travel adventures in 2024:

Alaska Adventure July 23 - August 8, 2024

Jarrett Stastny (BS 16, MS 19) and Bailey Lampton (BS 18, MS 19), April 22, 2023

Reid Buckingham (BS 18, MS 20, MBA 23) and Karli Zabokrtsky (BS 19, MBA 22), July 11, 2023

Canadian Rockies by Rail August 25 - September 1, 2024

Leaves, Lighthouses & Lobsters October 19-26, 2024

Mississippi Queen River Holiday Cruise December 1-9, 2024

For info on upcoming Hornet Travel opportunities, contact Laurie Pitman at lpitman@emporia.edu.

Births

Callen Stewart, son, born to Andrea (Stohs) (BSB 13) and Jacob Stewart, March 3, 2022

Samuel James Crank, son, born to JoBeth (Ryman) (BSE 16) and Jonathan Crank, August 8, 2022

Colson Walter Gourley, son, born to Jenna (Kinnett) (BSE 15) and Cristopher Gourley, August 31, 2022

Wrenley Kay Weber, daughter, born to Kayli (Lynn) (BSB 21) and Alexander Weber, December 10, 2022

Ava Speer, daughter, born to Crystal (Lucas) (BSE 19) and Brandon Speer, February 20, 2023

Aspen Griffiths, daughter, born to Joel (BSB 08) and Hillary Griffiths, March 6, 2023

Stella Mae Wadkins, daughter, born to Allison (Jones) (BSE 08) and Kelby (BSE 08) Wadkins, March 23, 2023

Carter Miles Bauman, son, born to Amanda (Goering) (BSE 16) and Spencer (BSB 15) Bauman, June 13, 2023

Sophia Isabella Robben Sanchez, daughter, born to Brandy Robben (MLS 11) and Diego Sanchez, July 4, 2023

Ellie Jo Eckenrode, daughter, born to Tyler (BSB 13) and Sarah Eckenrode, August 27, 2023

Hydar Aram, son, born to Leana Almaghrabi (MLS 22) and Khalid Aram, September 2, 2023

Gwendolyn Ruth Nichols, daughter, born to Sarah (Farrell) (BS 09) and David Nichols, September 7, 2023

Lucas Biagio DiBrito, son, born to Samantha (Commons)(BA 08) and Ryan DiBrito, October 8, 2023

Sutton Joy Brown, daughter, born to Katie (Ollenburger) (BSE 19) and Kobe (BS 19) Brown, October 16, 2023

Jarrod Sowoani Bonsi, son, born to Esther B. Allotey (MACC 21), October 27, 2023

Whittier Banks McFadden, daughter, born to Marah (Melvin) (BSE 23) and Wesley McFadden, November 2, 2023

Emma Rue Walter, daughter, born to Andrea (L'Ecuyer) (BSE 20, MS 23) and Martin Walter, November 19, 2023

Sterling Winter Cuellar, daughter, born to Hailey (Engle) (BSE 21, MS 23) and Benjamin (BSB 20, MBA 21) Cuellar, January 4, 2024

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Sign Up For Corky’s Crew!

Did you or a Hornet you know have a new baby recently? Then, sign up for Corky’s Crew! This program features special gifts for our newest members of Hornet Nation. And, be on the lookout for exciting news on the expansion of this program!

To sign up, visit emporia.edu/crew

ESU Retirements

Terri Conger, Allen, retired on December 15, 2023, after 43 years, ending her career as an administrative specialist for the Memorial Union.

James Francis, Emporia, retired on October 31, 2023, after 11 years, ending his career as a physical plant supervisor in Building Maintenance.

Kevin Johnson, Emporia, retired on August 19, 2023, after 25 years, ending his career as general counsel for Emporia State University.

Roxie Pearson, Americus, retired on September 29, 2023, after 27 years, ending her career as an associate director of data management in Admissions.

Tammie Reed, Allen, retired on December 2, 2023, after 6 years, ending her career as an administrative specialist for the Humanities and Social Sciences dean.

Nominate a HORNET

Searching for—and recognizing—the best. You know them. Those brilliant people who make everything they touch turn into Hornet Nation gold. In fact, maybe you’re one of them. Now is the time to tell us about those people and give them the recognition they deserve. Honor them with a nomination for an Emporia State award or board position. Or, put your name in the hat for consideration.

Nomination Deadlines + Links

Distinguished Alumni

November 1 emporia.edu/distinguishednomination

Alumni Association Board of Directors

November 1 emporia.edu/boardnomination

Hornet Heritage Family Award

December 1 emporia.edu/heritagenomination

University Service Citation

December 1 emporia.edu/servicenomination

In Memoriam

1940

Joan M. (Eaman) Daugherty (BSE 44), Cheney, Wash., June 29, 2023

Marjorie A. (Sauder) Erickson (BSE 49), Madison, Nov. 29, 2023

Louise A. (Degarimore) Thomas (BSE 48), Wichita, Dec. 3, 2023

1950

Marjorie L. (Huff) Anderson (BS 54), Wichita, Sept. 23, 2023

Delores A. Bates-Romeo (BS 50), San Diego, Calif., Feb. 11, 2023

Dolores M. "Dee" (Howard) Connett (BS 57), Deming, N.M., Sept. 14, 2023

Richard E. "Dick" Eustice (BSB 57), Celina, Texas, Dec. 13, 2023

Earl R. Gunkle (BSB 50), Stockton, Calif., Sept. 13, 2023

Virginia E. "Ginger" (Green) Hamm (BSE 58), Lawrence, Sept. 9, 2023

Margaret A. "Maggie" (Lynch) Harris (CRT 55), Saint John, Dec. 29, 2023

Guy B. Kerns (BSE 52, MS 82), Mission, Aug. 20, 2023

William D. "Bill" Krug (BSE 56), Medicine Lodge, Sept. 14, 2023

Dr. Joyce I. (Van Gundy) Kupsh (BSB 57, MS 61), Scottsdale, Ariz., Sept. 12, 2023

John H. Lewis (BSE 58, MS 68), Emporia, Oct. 20, 2023

Benjamin F. Love (BSE 52), Wichita, Sept. 3, 2023

Bob M. Martin (BSE 59), Oologah, Okla., Aug. 28, 2023

Dean F. McGrath (BSB 59, MS 60), Winfield, Dec. 4, 2023

Mary Belle (Laird) Montgomery (BSE 59), Hutchinson, Oct. 14, 2023

Darrel L. Murray (BSE 58, MS 60), Downers Grove, Ill., Oct. 23, 2023

Dr. Erwin A. "Doc" Peterson (BSE 57), Anthony, Dec. 8, 2023

Karl F. Powell (BSB 58, MS 65), New Berlin, Wisc., July 28, 2023

Dean E. Riggs (BSE 59, MLS 63), Toledo, Ohio, Oct. 3, 2023

Carl D. Simmons (BA 56), Hot Springs Village, Ark., Dec. 18, 2022

Richard D. Swisher (BSB 57), Littleton, Colo., Aug. 17, 2023

Henry R. Thompson, Sr. (BSE 55), Kansas City, Nov. 15, 2023

Ronald F. Vaughn, Sr. (BSB 58), Hartford, Dec. 13, 2023

Keith Waldrop (BA 55), Providence, R.I., July 27, 2023

Waldo K. Wiens (BME 59, MS 59, EDS 69), Hutchinson, Nov. 16, 2023

Patricia A. (Hoffine) Wolfe (BSE 59, MS 66), Bonner Springs, July 29, 2023

1960

Isaac William "Bill" Anders (MA 64), Manhattan, July 27, 2023

Dr. Dennis R. Baker (BS 65), Topeka, Aug. 30, 2023

Deba A. (Weatherwax) Barker (BSE 65), Shawnee, Oct. 4, 2023

Arthur "Jewell" Beard (BSE 65), Overland Park, Oct. 9, 2023

Barbara A. (Brinkman) Becker (BSE 60), Denver, Colo., Oct. 10, 2023

Robert W. Benortham (BS 62), Carbondale, Nov. 21, 2023

William A. "Bill" Benson (BS 63, MS 67), Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 20, 2023

Robert G. "Bob" Blocker (BSB 69), Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 1, 2023

Harold L. Boggs (BS 60, MS 66), Morrowville, July 9, 2023

Jack A. Borth (MS 61), Copeland, Nov. 14, 2023

Dennis F. Brendel (BA 64), Richland, Wash., Oct. 2, 2023

Judith Jo (Allen) Byrne (BSE 62), Riverside, Mo., June 30, 2023

Robert F. Camien (BSE 69), Naples, Fla., Sept. 3, 2023

Elmer D. Cochran (BSE 62), Burden, July 6, 2023

Robert L. Colgan (BSB 62), Overland Park, Oct. 2, 2023

Harry J. Cornwell (BSB 68), Kansas City, Dec. 30, 2023

Judy D. (Holzrichter) Cottingham (BA 65), Cornwall, Penn., July 21, 2023

Roy M. Decker (MS 65), Englewood, Colo., Sept. 22, 2023

Cynthia J. (Hembrow) Engle (BA 64), Council Grove, Nov. 21, 2022

Karen S. Eoff (BSE 66), Chino Valley, Ariz., June 6, 2023

Bonnie J. (Gould) Everett (BSE 66), Henderson, Nev., Sept. 1, 2023

Marilyn R. (DeWeese) FitzsimmmonsMavity (BSE 66, MS 72), Cunningham, July 23, 2023

The Honorable Kathleen A. Forsyth (BSB 69), Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 13, 2023

Darrell W. Genereux (BSE 66), Clyde, Nov. 30, 2023

Wallace T. "Wally" Glanville (MS 61), Shawnee, Aug. 3, 2023

Linda G. (Ames) Hall (BSE 66), Bonner Springs, Sept. 13, 2023

James A. Hannon (BSE 69, EDS 85), Emporia, July 3, 2023

Charles W. Harrod (BA 62), Derby, Nov. 6, 2023

Kathleen F. (Unruh) Heuvelman (BSE 65), Madison, Wisc., July 10, 2023

Argell D. Jantzen (MS 67), Topeka, July 15, 2023

James L. Keaton (BSE 68), Olathe, Dec. 30, 2023

Nat W. Kinlund (BSE 65, MS 68), Arkansas City, Oct. 20, 2023

Donald R. Koester (BSB 62), Iola, July 28, 2023

Gerald D. "Jerry" Lichtenhan (BSB 64), Wamego, Oct. 24, 2023

Richard A. "Dick" Link (BSE 63, MS 69), Berthoud, Colo., Oct. 6, 2023

Richard L. McDowell (MS 64), Gilbert, Ariz., Aug. 14, 2023

Harry J. Moody (BSE 66), Idaho Falls, Idaho, Aug. 16, 2023

Gary E. Neeley (BA 65), Mount Laurel, N.J., July 21, 2023

Dr. Henry T. "Hank" Norris (EDS 66), Woodway, Texas, Sept. 15, 2023

Florence M. (Jones) Painter (BSE 66, MS 72), Topeka, Dec. 24, 2023

Stana J. (Nyswonger) Palubinski (BA 68), Topeka, Oct. 29, 2023

Mary L. (Daily) Pool (MS 69, EDS 74), Emporia, Dec. 31, 2023

Fred D. Procious (MS 67), Spring Hill, Fla., May 28, 2023

Marvin K. Ratzlaff (BSE 62), Newton, Nov. 5, 2023

Clarence J. "Bud" Redman (BSE 62, MS 66), Syracuse, July 3, 2023

Delmer J. Reimer (MS 62), Buhler, Oct. 31, 2023

Dr. John E. Ritter, Jr. (MS 67), Caldwell, Idaho, July 22, 2023

Earl R. Ross (BSE 61, MS 69), Meriden, Sept. 11, 2023

Blanche M. (Long) Schmeltz (BSE 67), Overland Park, July 30, 2023

Pamela A. (Stewart) Schmid (MS 67), Topeka, July 31, 2023

Mary M. (Branson) Schornick (BSE 66, MS 69), Yates Center, Sept. 21, 2023

Larry L. Selby (BA 67), Wichita, Nov. 9, 2023

Lee A. Smith (BSE 60, MS 66), Tonganoxie, July 23, 2023

Gary E. "Moe" Solomon (BSB 61), Olathe, June 29, 2023

Lee A. Stieben (BSE 62, MS 66), Newton, July 29, 2023

Clarence E. "Buck" Stone (BSB 69), Topeka, July 5, 2023

Joanne L. (Spade) Supernois (BSE 69), Newton, Nov. 19, 2023

Charles E. Triggs, Jr. (BSE 67, MS 73), Wichita, July 21, 2023

Michael D. "Mike" Turvey (BSE 68), Shawnee, Dec. 26, 2023

Richard E. "Dick" Voeltz (MLS 68), Lincoln, Neb., Dec. 19, 2023

Dr. Charles A. "Chuck" Westin (BSB 61), Belleville, Oct. 13, 2023

Dr. James A. Wingrave (BA 69), Wilmington, Del., Sept. 16, 2023

Mary "Jan" (Owen) Wood (MLS 69), Overland Park, July 21, 2023

Kenneth W. Woods (BSE 64, MS 68), Ottawa, Dec. 26, 2023

C. Robert "Bob" Wykert (MS 69), Topeka, Oct. 5, 2023

John L. Yakle (BSE 61, MS 69), Red Oak, Iowa, Sept. 21, 2023

Roger G. Yocom (BSB 61), Topeka, Aug. 22, 2023

James E. "Jim" Zishka (BSB 68), Dallas, Texas, Sept. 5, 2023

1970

Cathy S. (Richardson) Anderson (BSE 72), Kansas City, Dec. 23, 2023

Roxanna Ashlock (BA 71), Emporia, Aug. 7, 2023

Lawrene P. (Stone) Buck (MLS 72), Cherokee, Okla., Nov. 13, 2023

John R. Bunnell (BSB 70), Dodge City, Oct. 18, 2023

Mary A. (Byler) Ciochon (MS 77), Shawnee, Dec. 15, 2023

Betty E. Clune-Martin (BSE 72, MS 81), Shawnee, July 11, 2023

Faith E. (Bond) Coleman (MS 76), Emporia, Aug. 29, 2023

Kevin L. Collins (BA 73), Strong City, Nov. 26, 2023

Reginald M. DePass (BSB 74), San Diego, Calif., Dec. 26, 2023

Janet K. (Jones) Dillon (BSE 70), Manhattan, Aug. 23, 2023

Brian K. Dion (BSE 76), Emporia, July 3, 2023

Edward J. Doogan (MS 70), Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 6, 2023

Synda S. (Scott) Durham (BSE 76), Branson, Mo., Oct. 20, 2023

Charles W. "Chuck" Engel (MS 73), Newton, Oct. 25, 2023

Barbara J. (Redelfs) Ernst (AS 78), Emporia, Dec. 25, 2023

Ruth A. (Shaw) Fisher (BSE 73), Salida, Colo., Oct. 8, 2023

Sister Edwardine (Irene) Freking (MS 70), Dubuque, Iowa, Nov. 4, 2023

Jean A. (Hager) Fry (BSE 73, MS 78), El Dorado, Sept. 6, 2023

Sharon L. Fulks (BSE 70), Gardner, Aug. 17, 2023

Ray E. Funk (MS 71), La Cygne, Oct. 2, 2023

Steven J. Gatton (MS 74), Longview, Texas, Oct. 30, 2023

Be a Part of ESU History!

Put your stamp on Emporia State history with a personalized signature brick in the Sauder Alumni Center patio’s Walk of Honor. Look for more information online at hornetnation. emporia.edu/g/brick-program

Muriel D. (Forte) Hall (BA 72), Kansas City, Sept. 20, 2023

Marlene F. (Kuper) Hendrick (MLS 72), Topeka, July 14, 2023

Helen (Wight) Hinson (MLS 73), Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 16, 2023

Barbara A. Hirsch (MS 78), Richfield, Minn., Aug. 6, 2023

Daniel D. Holt (MA 70), Abilene, Nov. 17, 2023

Gene J. Hoppe (MA 74), Independence, Mo., Oct. 8, 2023

Nancy C. (Griffith) Huntington (BSE 70), Eureka, Sept. 22, 2023

Joan K. (Howard) Jones (BSE 72), Bloomfield, Conn., July 14, 2023

Larry W. Kibler (BSB 70), Atchison, Dec. 19, 2023

Lawrence J. Krestine (BSE 71), Otis, Oct. 31, 2023

James F. Leonard (BSB 72), Overland Park, Dec. 11, 2023

Fred W. Meyer (BSE 73), Moscow, Idaho, July 4, 2023

Libbie A. (Storch) Olson (MLS 71), Great Bend, Nov. 7, 2023

Anthony V. Paolucci (BSB 70), Phoenix, Ariz., July 9, 2023

James L. Pearce (BSE 73), Salina, May 17, 2023

John E. Puskas (BSB 72), Conifer, Colo., Nov. 15, 2023

Jay N. Ravenscraft (BSB 70), Whitewater, Dec. 18, 2023

David K. Reed (BSE 71), Seneca, Nov. 20, 2023

Dondra L. (Clark) Roland (BSE 73), Willimar, Minn., Aug. 22, 2023

Ellen F. (Shaw) Ross (BSE 73), Pawhuska, Okla., July 2, 2023

Richard V. Sardou, Jr. (BSB 73), Marion, Aug. 8, 2023

Dale E. Schrag (BSB 76), Goessel, Nov. 6. 2023

John "Tom" Schur (BSB 70), Minneapolis, Aug. 2, 2023

Linda K. (Pooler) Soendker (MLS 79, MS 99), Emporia, Oct. 22, 2023

Helen "Lorene" (Miller) Sprenkle (MS 74), Lamar, Mo., Aug. 11, 2023

Judith L. (Moyer) Stark (MS 70), Newton, Oct. 26, 2023

Philip L. "Phil" Stout (BSB 73), Aurora, Mo., Aug. 21, 2023

Wayne A. Theel (BSB 71), Emporia, Aug. 31, 2023

Dr. Blaine D. Thomas (BA 71), Hannibal, Mo., Nov. 21, 2023

Keith T. Walden (BA 73), Lenexa, Nov. 24, 2023

Donald L. Whittredge (BSE 75), Rogers, Ark., Dec. 15, 2023

Stanley R. Wiles (BSE 76), Marion, July 28, 2023

Gary S. Wright (BSB 72), Coralville, Iowa, Oct. 23, 2023

Sally A. Zahn (MLS 74), Chadron, Neb., July 17, 2023

Verna I. (Knackstedt) Zang (BSE 70), McPherson, Aug. 6, 2023

1980

Mark O. Ambler (BSB 82), Olathe, Oct. 21, 2023

Marlene M. "Frog Lady" Bowman (BS 84), Bel Aire, July 28, 2023

Charlene M. (Williams) Close (BSE 87), Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nov. 26, 2023

Ludelia (Cheatham) Cowan (MS 80), Kansas City, Dec. 23, 2023

Jim E. Dillman (BSB 80), Emporia, Nov. 11, 2023

Jane L. (Schulze) Forkner (MLS 81), Corvallis, Ore., Nov. 6, 2023

Edward "Ed" Harris (MLS 83), Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 18, 2023

Thomas S. Hermes (BSB 81), Frisco, Texas, Oct. 23, 2023

Cindy K. (Dillon) Primeau (MS 88, MS 89), Americus, Sept. 26, 2023

Mary L. Sexton (MS 80), Columbia, S.C., July 5, 2023

John M. Sheets (BSB 89, MBA 95), Pauls Valley, Okla., July 29, 2023

Sheri C. "Kay" Sitzmann (BSE 86), Basehor, Oct. 19, 2023

Kenneth L. Suchy (BSB 89), Emporia, Aug. 31, 2023

Marilyn I. (Watt) Vernon (MS 83), Pryor, Okla., Aug. 12, 2023

1990

Amie J. Adamson (BSE 98), Derby, July 22, 2023

Catherine J. "Cathy" (Crowell) Campbell (MLS 91), Oswego, Sept. 17, 2023

Beverly D. (Jones) Davis (BGS 91), Wichita, Dec. 31, 2023

Cathleen T. "Cathy" (Cronk) Dorcas (BSE 92, MS 97), Emporia, Aug. 29, 2023

Jerome K. "Jerry" Fithian (MS 94), McPherson, Dec. 29. 2023

Loretta "Dee Ann" (Cole) Goodson (MS 94), Derby, July 4, 2023

Renwick J. Guyer, Jr. (BSB 91), Marana, Ariz., Aug. 13, 2023

Dennis B. Kelly (MS 91), Topeka, July 4, 2023

Chad A. Myers (BS 94), Gardner, Oct. 28, 2023

Charlotte J. (Boring) Ratliff (MBA 94), Eskridge, Sept. 19, 2023

2000

Rev. Steven E. Baxter (BIS 01), Live Oak, Fla., Aug. 21, 2023

Lisa M. Kennedy (BSB 06), Olathe, Aug. 24, 2023

2010

Brenda "Laynie" Schiffelbein (MS 10), Garden City, Dec. 6, 2023

Former Students

King C. Basham, Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 21, 2023

Rhonda (Rath) Brenzikofer, Wichita, Nov. 8, 2023

Edna E. (Howell) Coldsmith, Gower, Mo., Sept. 16, 2023

Vada L. (Folck) Freund, Lyons, Oct. 22, 2023

Hornet Heritage Award

Carole A. (Dabbs) Garris, Reno, Nev., Aug. 26, 2023

Joyce E. (Davidson) Grimsley, Americus, Nov. 14, 2023

Rosemarie (Lewkowicz) Hammond, Glen Gardner, N.J., Aug. 30, 2023

Theda L. (Kells) Hoyt, Arvada, Colo., Oct. 29, 2023

Gifford K. Jordon, Brentwood, Tenn., Dec. 19, 2023

Eric G. Koehler, Prescott, Ariz., Dec. 25, 2023

Doris M. (Sourk) Oxandale, Wetmore, Sept. 14, 2023

Samuel "Sam" Ramirez, Mequon, Wisc., Dec. 12, 2023

Louis L. "Lou" Robinson, Hutchinson, Oct. 27, 2023

Janice K. (Rothe) Romeiser, Hartford, Oct. 22, 2023

Virginia "Ginny" (Slead) Sauder, Brunswick, Ohio, Oct. 26, 2023

Darlene E. (Reed) Brehm Sexton, Chapman, Dec. 23, 2022

The Emporia State University Alumni Association is proud to recognize legacy families with the Hornet Heritage Award, which honors a multi-generational family of ESU alumni and former students – families who have made Emporia State University a family tradition. The 2023 Hornet Heritage family is the Young Family, and they were recognized on October 14, 2023. Congratulations to our 2023 Hornet Heritage family, and thank you for making Emporia State University a family tradition!

To nominate your family for this prestigious honor, visit emporia.edu/hornetheritage

John "Leroy" Shepard, Carbondale, Nov. 18, 2023

Roberta E. (Bell) Shogren, Buhler, July 22, 2023

Connie E. (Whittle) Speer, Clearwater, July 5, 2023

Marilyn (Ames) Wilkerson, Lenexa, Aug. 26, 2023

Joseph K. Zumbrum, Americus, July 18, 2023

Friends

Anne (Howell) Atherton, Emporia, Oct. 31, 2023

Dr. Phil Bennett, Olney, Ill., Aug. 14, 2023

Glen A. Hadaway, Emporia, June 13, 2023

Melvin W. Keyser, Wichita, Sept. 9, 2023

Emiko L. Risley, Emporia, Nov. 19, 2023

James H. Schwartzburg, Lawrence, Nov. 4, 2023

Dr. William F. Simpson, Scott City, Nov. 26, 2023

Joe H. Stout, Manhattan, Aug. 14, 2023