The alumni achievement award is the highest honor bestowed upon Wichita State alumni by the WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement, for significant contributions to their field, community or society.
Each year, one alumni is recognized for this award at the Heritage Gala with the other awards from the program’s history: the Social Impact Award (formerly, Recognition Award) which comments those who better their community through service or philanthropy, and the Young Alumni Award, given to an alumnus 35 or younger who demonstrates excellent leadership in their chosen profession.
The following are the awardees for this tradition, harking back to 1955.
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Retired, Delta Dental of Kansas
Wichita State University
2024 Alumni Achievement
Adventure Dental & Vision
Wichita State University
2024 Social Impact
Ascension Via Christi
Wichita State University
2024 Young Alumni
Achievement: Lincoln LaPaz ’20, mathematician, meteoritist
Recognition: B. Warren Beebe ’35; Lester Rosen ’49; Gifford Booth, Jr., ’36
Achievement: Arch N. Booth ’27, business administrator
Recognition: Jacquetta M. Downing ’21
Achievement: Dwane L. Wallace ’33/82, aviation industrialist
Recognition: Hazel E. Branch; Thurlow Lieurance
Achievement: Paul I. Wellman ’18, historian and novelist
Recognition: Bliss Isely ’06
Achievement: Jesse W. Beams ’21, physicist
Recognition: Walter A. VerWiebe
Recognition: Lloyd McKinley
Achievement: Garner E. Shriver ’34, legislator
Achievement: Leslie H. Warner ’35, business executive
Recognition: M. Alice Isely; William F. Crum ’32
Achievement: Marion L. Conrow ’18, educator
Recognition: Hugo Wall; Ralph Miller
Achievement: Harry F. Corbin ’40, educator
Recognition: George D. Wilner; Marie Graham
Recognition: Worth Fletcher; John Rydjord ’50/53; Beulah O. Mullen ’35/71
Achievement: John A. Morgan ’37, civic, cultural and business leader
Recognition: Martin F. Palmer
Achievement: James Lyndon Beebe ’17, lawyer
Recognition: Laura Cross ’25; S. Carnot Brennan ’17/17; Kathleen Edmiston ’33
Recognition: Laura Cross ’25; S. Carnot Brennan ’17/17; Kathleen Edmiston ’33
Recognition: Dr. D. Cramer Reed ’37; Grace Wilkie
Achievement: Dr. Vincent L. Gott ’51, cardiac researcher
Recognition: Glen Gardner; Rene Gouldner; Robert Morton
Achievement: Harrison B. Summers ’17, broadcaster
Recognition: Dorothy A. Harmon ’46; Fran Jabara; Martin Umansky
Achievement: A. Price Woodard Jr., public service leader; Wayne E. Coulson ’30, civic leader,
Recognition: Arthur W. Kincade; Gordon W. Evans; Walter Duerksen ’31; Robert V. Christian, Jr. ’40
Achievement: Malcolm H. Myers ’40, artist
Recognition: Josephine Fugate; Howard Fullington ’30; James Robertson
Recognition: John J. Conard; William C. Farmer; Paul R. Wunsch
Achievement: Lawrence M. Jones ’53, business executive; Walter W. Orebaugh ’31, diplomat
Recognition: Geraldine E. Hammond ’31; Donald W. Pray ’35
Achievement: William E. Cooper ’48, business executive
Recognition: Ray E. Dillon, Sr.
Achievement: Linwood Sexton ’48, civic leader, university supporter; Lloyd McBurney ’25, business executive
Recognition: A. Dwight Button; Samuel Marcus; James Winters ’39
Achievement:Barbara J. Uehling ’54, educator
Recognition: Emory Lindquist; Charles V. Jakowatz
Achievement: Dr. Charles L. Christian ’49, physician, educator;
Recognition: Bentley Barnabas ’29; Eugene Savaiano; James J. Basham ’33; M. Prudence Hutton ’67
Achievement: Frank L. Carney ’00, business executive
Recognition: Floyd T. Amsden; Sheldon Coleman; Roberta Watkins Adams ’36
Achievement: Terence Scanlon ’56, business
Recognition: Rowena Ahlberg ’38; Harry Litwin
Achievement: William Fine ’38, business executive
Recognition: Martin H. Bush; George and Brenda Farha; Jordan L. Haines
Achievement: William R. Tincher ’53, business executive
Achievement:William R. Tincher ’53, business executive
Recognition: Rosalyn Gore; J. Kelley Sowards ’47
Achievement: Thomas C. Farrar ’54, scientist
Recognition: Margaret A. Glades ’39; Gordon B. Terwilliger
Achievement: George ’50 and Virginia ’50 Ablah, entrepreneurs
Recognition: Richard C. Welsbacher
Achievement: Harold W. Beams ’25, scientist; Dr. D. Cramer Reed ’37, physician
Recognition: John B. Breazeale; Lee H. Cornell ’26
Achievement: John F. Jonas, Jr. ’54/67, humanitarian and entrepreneur; Dr. Russell A. Nelson ’41, pediatric physician
Recognition: Karla A. Burns ’81/16, opera performer; James J. Rhatigan
Achievement: Samuel E. Ramey ’68, international opera performer
Recognition: Daniel E. Foley ’59; Dr. N. Henry Pronko; Frederick Sudermann ’58/60
Achievement:Dr. Daniel Ferrell Rex ’40, scientist
Recognition:Joann Kallail Kamas ’52; Roger D. Lowe; Mildred “Milly” Marcus
Achievement: Oliver Elliott ’42, business executive
Recognition: W. Frank Barton ’87; David Farnsworth ’53
Distinguished Service:Laura M. Cross ’25
Achievement: K.T. ’36 and Mary Inez ’89 Woodman, WSU supporters
Recognition: Donald K. Stephan ’59; Dr. Glen Zumwalt
Distinguished Service:Howard Ellis
Achievement: Gifford Booth, Jr. ’36, businessman
Recognition: Mickey Armstrong ’45; William Wilhelm
Distinguished Service:Geraldine E. Hammond ’31
Achievement:True H. Knowles ’60, business executive
Recognition:Phillip D. Thomas; Dr. Donna E. Sweet ’70/72/15
Distinguished Service:Bernice B. Hutcherson
Achievement:Bill C. Parcells ’64, National Football League coach
Recognition: J. Robert Berg; K.C. “Buck” and Gladys ’75 Alley
Distinguished Service: John B. Breazeale
Young Alumni: Ray B. Wills ’82
Achievement: Edward W. Armstrong ’42, business executive
Recognition: E. George Fahnestock ’69; Michael P. Tilford
Distinguished Service: Lavona I. Spencer ’71/71/74
Young Alumni: Brian L. Wells ’87
Achievement: Robert L. Dryden ’59, corporate aircraft executive; Robert A. Geist ’64, business executive; Capt. Riley L. Pitts ’60, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient (posthumous)
Recognition: George M. Platt; Daniel J. Taylor ’67
Distinguished Service: Laura M. Cross ’25
Young Alumni: Prince E. McJunkins, III ’86
Achievement: Judith M. Bell ’61, professional golfer and administrator; Thomas R. Devlin, entrepreneur; Arneatha K. Martin ’75, nurse, educator, health-care advocate
Recognition: J. Katherine “Kaki” Jackson ’39; Dr. Melvin H. Snyder ’50
Distinguished Service: H. Joan Kahn
Young Alumni: John L. Rolfe ’85
Achievement: Lachlan M. Beatson ’66, corporate aircraft executive
Recognition: Max ’57 and Lois ’56 Hubbard; Phillip T. May
Distinguished Service: Wanda M. Maltby Young
Young Alumni: Sheryl Wohlford ’82
Achievement: Stephen L. Clark ’65, business and real estate executive
Recognition: Stephen L. Clark ’65, business and real estate executive
Distinguished Service: Dorothy “Dot” McNicol
Young Alumni: Jeff P. DeGraffenreid ’88
Achievement: Jeffrey L. Turner ‘73/77, corporate aircraft executive
Recognition: Gerald H. Graham; David ’68 and Susan ‘72/75 Anderson
Distinguished Service: Gordon F. Vadakin ’82
Young Alumni: Jeffrey C. Gates ’89
Achievement: Daniel M. Carney ’53, entrepreneur and business executive
Recognition: Christopher S. Shank ’69; Dharma deSilva
Distinguished Service: Julia E. Lee
Young Alumni: Eric L. ’87/92 and Kathleen B. ’88/89/92 Sexton
Achievement: Jerry W. Bittle, illustrator and creator of GEECH (posthumous); B. Roberto Cruz ’64, educator; Ruth A. David ’75, engineer and defense analyst
Recognition: Michael C. Burrus ’77; Gregory J. Meissen ’77; Velma L. Wallace
Distinguished Service: Roland L. Banks Young
Young Alumni: Sam N. Cohlmia ’89
Achievement:Jim Mann ’56, business executive
Recognition: Mary Herrin ’72/76; Ron Baldwin ’75
Distinguished Service: John Davis ’75
Young Alumni: Ann Konecny ’91
Achievement:Nicholas J. Mork ’71, philanthropic executive
Recognition: Dr. Elizabeth H. King; Joe J. Palacioz ’71/76
Distinguished Service: William H. Smith Young
Young Alumni: Brian A. ’96 and Joy N. ’00 Heinrichs
Achievement:Bob White ’71/76, business executive
Recognition: Ron Kopita; Paul Allen ’70
Distinguished Service: Ginger Cox
Young Alumni: Joyce DiDonato ’92
Distinction: Harold and Ruth ’48 Scheer
Achievement:Ronald Holt ’77, corporate and local-government executive
Recognition: Deltha Colvin ’72; Sheryl Wohlford ’82
Distinguished Service: Phillip Bowers ’86/91
Young Alumni: Karen Countryman-Roswurm ’05/06/12
Distinction: David Nygaard ’73/74
Achievement:Marilyn Pauly ’72, banker
Recognition: Charles and Liz Koch; Dean Headley ’82
Distinguished Service: Ruth Matz
Young Alumni:Kaye Monk-Morgan ’93/96/21
Distinction: The Hon. Wesley Brown
Achievement:Sarah Robinson ’86, philanthropic executive
Recognition: Mike Kennedy ’71; David Alexander
Distinguished Service: Pat Campbell
Young Alumni:Delia Garcia ’02
Distinction: KPTS Channel 8 for “Black & Gold: Remembering the WSU Plane Crash”
Achievement: Mark Parkinson ’80/19, Kansas governor
Recognition: Barry and Cindy ’77/85 Schwan; Celia Goering ’63
Distinguished Service: Jesse Torres
Young Alumni: Collin Stieben ’00
Distinction: WSU Volleyball Coaches: Chris Lamb, Shannon Lamb, RJ Abella, Jeff Sanders
Achievement: Bernard Nichols ’61, businessman and financial manager
Recognition: Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri; Les Anderson (posthumous)
Distinguished Service: Ginger Cox
Young Alumni: Linda Matson ’84/88
Distinction: Joe Hand ’99 Shocker Tribute: Shirley and Don Beggs
Achievement: Cleo Littleton ’55, Shocker basketball great and businessman
Recognition: Dave Dahl ’71/74; Lynn Stephan ’64/92
Distinguished Service: Connie Kachel White
Young Alumni: Alex Kanelakos ’07
Shocker Tribute: WSU Alumni Association administrative leaders
Achievement: Steve Feilmeier ’85, business executive; Linda Brantner ’74/90, business executive
Recognition: Rhonda Kay Lewis ’89/91; Terri Moses ’80/90
Distinguished Service: Linda Harris
Young Alumni: Julius Thomas III ’05
Distinction: Harry Shuler ’13/30 (posthumous)
Achievement: Mark Wentling ’70, foreign service professional
Recognition: Ted Ayres; Connie Dietz ’68/71
Distinguished Service: Deborah Buller
Young Alumni: Laura Bernstorf ’04/19
Distinction: Larry Hatteberg
Achievement: J. Robert Young ’61, banking executive
Recognition: Joyce Cavarozzi; Junetta Everett ’79
Distinguished Service: Jim Erickson
Young Alumni: Joan Wagner ’99/04
Achievement: Mark Finucane ’76, health-care industry and public health administrator
Recognition: Jackie Williams; Ron Matson
Distinguished Service: Esther ’79/80 and Dean ’82 Headley
Distinction: Mickey Armstrong ’45
Achievement: M. Lee Pelton ’73/17, educator and university president;
Recognition: Mike James ’71; Cindy Claycomb ’79/91
Distinguished Service: Kaye Monk-Morgan ’93/96/21
Young Alumni: Lisa Teachman ’02
Distinction: Dorothy and Bill Cohen
Stocker Tribute: Robert Gutschenritter ’70
Achievement: Frederick “Freddy” Simon ’49, World War II veteran and businessman
Recognition: Rodney Miller ’83; Cindy Carnahan ’73
Distinguished Service: Rhonda Hicks ’95
Young Alumni: Kyle ’17 and Ricki ’09/16 Ellison
Achievement: Ed Pavey ’88, criminal justice professional
Alumni Recognition: Bill Walsh ’71
University Recognition: Bobby Berry ’11/13/21
Distinguished Service: Bobby Gandu ’02/06
Young Alumni: Alicia Sanchez ’07
Distinction: Bruce Conner ’55, David Haselwood ’53, Michael McClure ’53
Alumni Achievement: Alicia Thompson ’15
Social Impact: Jessica Provines ’01/04/06
Young Alumni: Roy Moye, III, ’15
WSU Board of Trustees Award: Tom Winters
