4.26.24

Denis and Shirley Dieker honored with Fairmount Founders’ Award

Denis and Shirley Dieker were named recipients of the 2024 Fairmount Founders’ Award at the annual Fairmount Society dinner hosted by the WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement. The couple are long-time supporters of Wichita State, serving the WSU community since their days as students, and are well-deserving of the award recognizing their outstanding service and generosity to the university.

Denis graduated from Wichita State University in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and in 1980 with a master’s degree in business administration. His community in Sigma Phi Epsilon supported him as he worked full time to pay for his education. As a member of the fraternity, he was able to hone his leadership skills in the roles of several offices, including a year as president.

The Denis H. Dieker Scholarship was created to give other members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity the same opportunities; providing financial assistance for them to achieve their academic goals while enabling them to be more involved in the fraternity and campus life as a whole. Denis’s time at Wichita State helped him learn the skills that enabled him to serve as executive vice president and CFO of Midwest Drywall for more than 30 years, growing it from a small construction business to a regional contractor.

Shirley graduated in 1980 with an associate and bachelor’s degree in business education, with a minor in Spanish, and found a similar experience to Denis’s within her sorority, Alpha Phi. She established the Shirley J. Dieker Scholarship to support students within the sorority, and hopes that reducing the financial burden of pursuing an education will allow students to get involved on campus wherever they can. 

Denis and Shirley married in 1983 and have two children, Joseph and Margaret. In addition to their respective scholarships, the Diekers support Shocker Athletics, KMUW and the Barton School of Business. They remain active alumnae and are eager to see the university continue to flourish.