Four Emporians to be honored for service to university
EMPORIA, Kansas | Emporia State University will honor four Emporians for their extraordinary service to the institution during a dinner on April 26.
John Baxter, Norma Hodges, Polly Sauder and Mary Sue Wade will receive the University Service Citation, which recognizes unique and significant service to Emporia State University. Individuals chosen for this award have demonstrated a deep concern for and loyalty to ESU, and their efforts extend beyond the call of duty and usually are performed without expectation for compensation.
The dinner is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Sauder Alumni Center at 1500 Highland Street. Tickets are $15 per person and must be reserved by April 23. For more information, contact the Sauder Alumni Center at (620) 341-5440 or sacpc@emporia.edu.
Baxter has served ESU as an athletic trainer and teacher since 1966. He has provided athletic training services to football, basketball, baseball, track, and women sports programs as well as providing leadership for the undergraduate athletic training education program major. Several athletic trainers in the Midwest and across the United States initiated their careers as either an ESU student trainer or one of more than 2000 high school students enrolled in an ESU Student Trainer Summer Workshops. Baxter has been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, the ESU Athletic Hall of Honor, and the Mid America Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame. In addition to his work at ESU, Baxter has assisted countless Lyon County high school athletes with their injuries. ESU students and Lyon County residents recognize Baxter as someone who cared for them and their children, aiding in the prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and protection of injuries, and inspiring athletes through the recovery process. An ESU alumnus, Baxter received his master's degree in 1967.
Hodges is the physical education chair at Emporia High School, where she has taught for more than thirty years. Thanks to Hodges, ESU Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) students are able to spend valuable time learning to teach from practicing teachers. Hodges has been instrumental in developing, purchasing and building equipment that physical education majors have been able to use as part of their curriculum, such as a low ropes course at the Emporia High School. An ESU alumna twice over, Hodges received her bachelor of science in education in 1965 and her master’s degree in 1980.
Polly Sauder and Mary Sue Wade have led the Emporia Theatre Guild for more than 25 years. Though the guild’s initial task was fundraising, its mission has expanded to include pre-show dinners and receptions following shows. Through the guild, Sauder and Wade have converted “found spaces” in empty warehouses into dinner theatres. They hosted receptions for the dedication of the Bruder Theatre and for the Silver Anniversary of Summer Theatre. Thanks to their tireless efforts to recruit new membership and encourage membership renewal, the Emporia Theatre Guild now boasts more than 200 members. Sauder and Wade also plan, organize and decorate for the Golden Patrons receptions and dinners preceding the opening of the Summer Theatre and the Homecoming Musical. Thanks to their efforts and care, the Emporia Theatre Guild has successfully raised more than $207,000 for Emporia Theatre Guild Scholarships and Theatre Homecoming Scholarships.
Last Updated July 2, 2007>