FAMILY TRADITION: ASPEN LUEBBE WAS DESTINED TO BE A LOPER

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one says a lot about Aspen Luebbe and her family’s connection to UNK.

e photo, taken last Christmas, shows Dick and Patti Luebbe surrounded by their 10 grandchildren, who are all wearing UNK stocking caps.

Being a Loper is a “big deal” for the Luebbes, according to Aspen, a third-generation UNK student.

Dick played baseball at UNK, known then as Kearney State College, and graduated in 1970 with a degree in secondary math and physical education. He coached wrestling, basketball, track and football at Columbus High School and was inducted into the Discoverer Athletic Hall of Fame in early 2022. Patti also attended Kearney State College, where the couple met, graduating in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and 1971 with a master’s degree.

All three of their children followed suit.

Aspen’s father, Je ’94, was a Chancellor’s Ambassador and president of the Phi Delta eta fraternity at UNK, where he met his wife, Heidi ’94. Je earned a degree in biology and works as a veterinarian. Heidi is a social worker at Columbus Public Schools.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about their time at UNK, so I knew it was a ton of fun,” Aspen said. “ ey made a lot of connections here and were able to get involved on campus.”

When the time came for her to choose a college, the decision was pretty easy. UNK was close to home, and she had an opportunity to continue gol ng competitively.

“Knowing that my family members had a great experience here also played a big part,” she said.

A three-time state medalist in high school, Aspen was part of the Loper women’s golf team for one year. She loved the experience, but decided to end her playing career so she could focus more on academics and other activities.

“It turned out to be one of the best things ever, because closing that door opened a lot of other doors for me,” she said. “I don’t think I would be nearly as active on campus or involved on campus as I am now if I was still playing golf.” e senior exercise science major is de nitely making the most of her opportunities.

She’s part of the Alpha Phi sorority, Chancellor’s Ambassadors, Loper Leaders, Circle K and multiple honor societies. ese organizations allow her to create connections with people across campus and develop her leadership and interpersonal skills.

“UNK has helped me grow in so many ways and really shaped who I am,” she said. “Freshman year me is not anywhere close to who I am now. I’ve grown exponentially as a person.”

Although she’s no longer a collegiate athlete, Aspen remains involved in a number of sports.

She participates in ag football, pickleball, basketball, broomball, sand volleyball and several other intramural activities, allowing her to maintain that competitive spirit.

“I de nitely take it way too seriously,” she said with a laugh. “I try to relax, but then the competitiveness just comes out. It’s hard to not want to win.”

In addition to intramurals, Aspen is part of the LoperVision video production team for UNK athletic contests and other campus events, and she’s a certi ed high school basketball o cial. She also works as a rehab technician at CHI Health Good Samaritan.

Her impact on the campus and community doesn’t go unnoticed. In October, she was voted homecoming queen by her fellow Lopers.

“I don’t know that I would have ever thought I’d be homecoming queen at UNK, but it’s something I’m super honored by and super proud of,” she said. “I’m very humbled by it, for sure.” e recognition was even more special because she shared the spotlight with queen candidates and triplets Brooke, Emma and Lauren Benck. ey were all on the homecoming court together at Columbus High School, where Aspen was also crowned queen.

She called it a “full-circle moment.”

“Yes, we are best friends,” Aspen said, “Yes, we all came to the same college. But we all do our own thing. We’re all involved on campus in di erent ways, and we’ve impacted campus in di erent ways. So it’s just crazy how it all came together.” ey and their families chose to give back to UNK to help future teachers with scholarships through the One Room, One Teacher program.

Aspen will attend physical therapy school after graduating from UNK in May; then it’s up to the other grandchildren to add to the family’s Loper legacy. Her cousin Gracie is a junior at UNK studying English education, and her younger brother Ean is a freshman exercise science major.

“We’ll see if the Luebbes keep on coming,” Aspen said with a smile.

Friday, Oct. 28 was a special day in the UNK’s College of Education building. More than 100 audience members watched as 11 educators had plaques unveiled on the One Room, One Teacher Wall of Honor.

Each honoree taught in various one-room and rural schools across Nebraska and surrounding states. e program included the reading of short biographies about each honoree. All were recognized for their outstanding contributions to education.

$10,000 Level

Marianne Kay (Hookstra) Novotny-Yost, Ed.D.

$5,000 Level

Florence E. Caveny and Gertrude L. Caveny

Claudine (Summers) Rowley e Caveny family is coincidently cousins of the Rowley family and enjoyed visiting with each other at the ceremony.

Arnez D. (Vrana) Gans

Lilas Lou (Hookstra) Grotelueschen

Minnie N. (Teller) Hookstra

Lilas L. Teller

$1,000 Level

Dorothy Adele (Juhl) Carmann

Marguerite Ellen Welch

Ruby Mae (Muhlbach) Wilke

Honoring teaching pioneers and preparing the next generation of Nebraska educators are the goals of the One Room, One Teacher Scholarship Program at UNK. Nine scholarship recipients for the 2021-2022 school year were recognized and spoke to the group, expressing thanks for their scholarships.

Mark Reid, Ph.D., dean of the UNK College of Education, said, “ e One Room, One Teacher program honors the legacy of rural schoolteachers in Nebraska. e rural school spirit lives on through the many scholarships awarded from this program.”

To give to the One Room, One Teacher Scholarship Fund, visit nufoundation.org/ OneRoomOneTeacher, email Kristin Howard at kristin.howard@nufoundation.org or call the University of Nebraska Foundation at 308-698-5270 or 800-432-3216.