Good Karma
The main entrance to the Wichita Biomedical CampusSM downtown isn’t a warm and welcoming space — yet. But you can be sure it will be by opening day in 2027 if Karma Tidemann ’87/94 has anything to say about it. And she does.
Amid the WBC’s construction tumult of ladders, plywood, buzz saws, safety cones and other tools of the trade, Tidemann eyes the hard, gray concrete floors and the stark expanse of the nine-story building’s ground floor entrance on the corner of William and Topeka — and sees something different:
“Some greenery,” she says. “With all the light from these grand windows, plants should do well here. They’ll add warmth and make this front entrance more home-like and welcoming for the people coming in.” Tidemann, who herself exudes a warm and engaging presence, is an exercise specialist, now retired from Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital. She holds two degrees in physical education from Wichita State and is a strong advocate for her alma mater, especially for its partnership with WSU Tech and the University of Kansas Medical Center in the development of the WBC. “My family is proud to be a part of this endeavor,” she says. “It’s a huge accomplishment — the coordination and collaboration of healthcare education and services in Wichita is a great thing for the city and Kansas.”
Tidemann’s family all have close connections to Wichita and Wichita State, including her son Ryan, daughter Kari and — the love of her life — her late husband, Ross ’71, whose bachelor’s degree in accounting stood him in good stead throughout his career in business and as a real estate investor. “Wichita State was good to both Ross and me,” Karma notes, adding that she met Ross when they were students at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Both were active in sports, he as a top player on the Bethany Swedes tennis team. Sports and physical activity remained key components of their family life together over the years. Ross coached Salvation Army Biddy Basketball and soccer, while he and Karma kept on the run with attending their children’s events. They also enjoyed snow skiing, hiking and fishing from their favorite family go-to vacation place in Crested Butte, Colorado. Karma still plays tennis two or three times a week.
The Tidemanns are also noted for their philanthropic generosity, with a portfolio of support that benefits a wide-ranging set of organizations, including WSU, Bethany College, their church, Wichita Children’s Home, Trout Unlimited and the biomedical center. “Ross and I just wanted to give back to our community,” Karma says. “We always believed in pursuing whole body wellness — mind, body and spirit. A person’s health is of utmost value, and this project furthers that objective.”
By the way, the Wichita Biomedical Center’s main first-floor entrance lobby is going to be known as the Ross and Karma Tidemann Welcome Entrance — and that’s good karma for us all.
