Carney Endowed Entrepreneurship Fund
Dan Carney earned his bachelor’s in economics from the University of Wichita in 1953. While working on his master’s, he and younger brother, Frank, founded the first pizzeria in Wichita, Pizza Hut. The company’s president from 1956-1970, and chairman from 1956-1973, he quietly oversaw operations until the company was acquired by Pepsico in 1977. President of Gaelic Management, Mr. Carney’s legacy is forever linked with the ‘Cinderella Story’ behind one of the world’s largest and most successful pizzeria franchises. In 1984, the original Pizza Hut was relocated to the WSU campus as a symbol of the entrepreneurship spirit.
Inducted into the Kansas Business Hall of Fame, Mr. Carney also received the WSU President’s Medal in 1997. He has served as chair for the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas, was a member of the WSU Board of Trustees and the WSU Foundation’s National Advisory Council.
He once stated, ‘When you win something, you owe something back to the community. One reason I’ve won is my education.’ As a part of this giving, the Carney Endowed Entrepreneurship Fund was established, awarding assistantships, fellowships or scholarships to full-time students enrolled in the entrepreneurship program.