Distinguished Alumni

                 Nominations are always welcome! Click here for a nomination form.

The Distinguished Alumni award is the highest honor that can be granted to an alumnus or alumna of Emporia State University by the ESU Alumni Association. Awarded each fall during Homecoming, it recognizes the outstanding professional accomplishments of ESU's finest graduates. Since the inception of the award program in 1960, 200 alumni have received the award. See the links at right to read about past recipients.

Candidates are nominated for the Distinguished Alumni award by alumni and current and retired ESU faculty. As much information as possible is gathered on each candidate. The information is evaluated and an initial selection is made by a committee representing alumni and faculty. The Alumni Association Board of Directors approves or makes final selection of those who will receive the award. A maximum of five alumni can receive the award in a given year.

Past Distinguished Alumni have included teachers, research scholars, humanitarians, administrators, public servants, doctors, lawyers, and leaders in business, industry, and the military. All are respected in their professions and community. Most important, they are Emporia State University graduates who have given ESU a rich heritage.

2007

Donna L. Clopton (BSE 1961)

Donna L. (Choice) Clopton recently retired from Gene Howe Elementary School in Canyon, Texas, where she served as principal for 22 years. She has been recognized as CISD Administrator of the Year, a member of “Who’s Who in American Education,” and District 16 TEPSAN of the Year. She holds a master’s degree in special education from Baylor University, and has taught courses ranging from the preschool to university level. Clopton served the National Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association, and the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSAN), where she chaired the organizational affairs committee and served on the state’s committee, and was president of District 16. She served the Panhandle School Leaders Association as president, and the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented as second vice-president and state executive board member, and was a member of other professional organizations.

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Dr. Karen Kelly (BS 1978)

Dr. Karen Kelly, an internationally known lung cancer expert, became the deputy director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center in October 2006, where she also serves as professor and one of three Frank B. Tyler Chairs of cancer research. Kelly earned her doctor of medicine degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and had previously served as director of the clinical thoracic oncology program and professor of medical oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Kelly has focused her career on the prevention, screening, early detection and treatment of lung cancer, designing groundbreaking clinical trials that have earned her wide acclaim and defined “state of the art” in lung cancer treatment.  She is a leader in the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the Southwest Oncology Group, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 

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Herb B. Kuhn (BSB 1979)

Herb Kuhn is the acting administrator for the Centers for Medicine and Medicaid Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., where he is involved in all facets of management. He is a key liaison to Congress, providing testimony before Congressional committees. A former ESU Alumni Association board member, Kuhn has spent his career advocating quality health care. In his previous position as director for the Centers for Medicare Management at the department, he developed and directed regulations and reimbursement policies for the Medicare program. Kuhn has also served Premier, Inc., the largest insurance company in the world, as corporate vice president, representing the alliance and member hospitals before Congress. Before joining Premier, he was vice president for federal relations in the American Hospital Association’s D.C. office, and worked in the office of Rep. Bob Whittaker (R-Kan.).

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Victor Spinski (BSE 1963)

Victor Spinski, a professor of art at the University of Delaware since 1968, is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, an organization whose selective membership is limited to those who have distinguished themselves in the art world. Members are invited, nominated or elected. Spinski’s work is on display in 28 permanent collections in the United States, including the most prestigious ceramics collection in the country, the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, N.Y. His work has been published in nearly 50 national and international periodicals, books, textbooks, and exhibition catalogs including Who’s Who in American Art, The New Yorker, & The New York Times. Spinski has also exhibited his work in nearly 150 venues, including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and in New York, the Ferrin Gallery, the Nancy Margolis Gallery, and Sotheby’s. Spinski, who earned a master’s of fine arts degree in ceramics from Indiana University, holds the patent on a decoration technique called Ceramic Photo Emulsion. 

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2006

Jeremy C. Kohomban (BS 1989)

Jeremy Kohomban is the president and chief executive officer of The Children’s Village and The Center for Child Welfare Research, one of the nation’s most-regarded child welfare agencies.  The Children’s Village serves more than 1,000 children and their families in residential programs and more than 10,000 children in community programs in New York each year. The son of medical missionaries in Sri Lanka, he grew up with a love for children and a passion to fight racism and the devastating effects of the poverty on children and families. Prior to Children’s Village, Kohomban was the senior vice president at Easter Seals New York and the president of the D.C.-based National Association for Family-Based Services. Kohomban serves on such boards as the Board of the Child Welfare Watch and has been recognized for accomplishments in child welfare by The New York Times and National Public Radio.

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Marshall McNott (BA 1957)

Marshall McNott has more than 33 years of fundraising experience, but he raises more than dollars – he raises hope. As president of the Los Angeles Mission, he worked to eliminate stereotypes of the homeless and to give people new perspectives of homeless shelters. The Los Angeles Mission is a facility that offers a one-year rehabilitation program for the homeless of the Los Angeles area. The curriculum includes substance abuse therapy, medical and dental treatment, job training and placement, transitional housing, and reading and language programs.  In addition, McNott has helped two other nonprofit agencies transform from near-insolvency to successful, healthy organizations. McNott is also recognized as an implementer of several successful major gift and capital campaigns for organizations including the Anne Douglas Center for Women. While at ESU McNott was unofficially credited with forming “The Pastels,” ESU’s first dance band.   

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Russell E. Meyer (BA 1968)

Russell Meyer began his own company, Meyer Supply, by selling cleaning supplies in rural areas of Missouri. Fifteen years later, Meyer Laboratory now manufacturers and distributes janitorial supplies to school districts, motels and nursing homes in 16 states and has been recognized for its well-rounded representatives. After graduation in 1968, Meyer became a member of the first farm team of the Kansas City Royals. After his active duty in the Army Reserves he returned to the Royals until 1971. He has enjoyed sponsoring and coaching “The Sluggers,” a traveling team that competed in tournaments throughout the United States. Several of the boys he coached received scholarships to Division I colleges and junior colleges, including Albert Pujols, who now plays for the St. Louis Cardinals, and four others who were drafted by major league teams. Presently, his company manufactures nearly 80 percent of its own products with an annual growth of 15 to 20 percent.

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David L. Robertson (BSB 1984)

In 2005, Dave Robertson became the seventh president and chief operating officer of Koch Industries, North America’s largest privately held company.  Robertson began his professional career upon graduation as a marketing coordinator for Koch Asphalt Company and has been continuously promoted to positions within the company including executive vice president of marketing for Koch Refining, president of Koch Agriculture Company and president of Flint Hills Resources, before receiving his current position. Presently, Robertson also serves on the board of Koch Chemical Technology Group and Koch Industries, Inc., and is chairman of the board of Flint Hills Resources. Koch Industries consists of a diverse group of companies in refining and chemicals; fibers and polymers; commodity and financial trading; and forest and consumer products. Robertson, an Olathe native, was a starting defensive back for the Hornets and graduated with honors from the School of Business.

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Jackie I. Snyder (BSE 1969)

Jackie Snyder is the chancellor of The Metropolitan Community Colleges, which serves five community colleges in the Kansas City, Mo. metropolitan area. Snyder had served as a teacher for 16 years at Johnson County Community College and from there was appointed vice chancellor of economic and resource development at The Metropolitan Community Colleges, where she was responsible for opening the Business and Technology College. In 1998, she was named president of Penn Valley Community College within the Metropolitan system, where she focused on improving the connection of the college with the community.  In 2002, Snyder was elected president of the Presidents and Chancellors Association of the Missouri Community College Association. Snyder has earned awards including the Mattie Rhodes Counseling and Art Center “Families Helping Families” award and two national awards for excellence in staff development from the American Association of Community Colleges. She was also named a League Fellow by the League for Innovation in the Community College. She has also produced and directed award-winning educational films, and is a lecturer on women in leadership.

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2005

Mary E. (Anderson) Devin (BSE 1961)

Mary Devin began her 40-year career with Geary County USD 475 as an elementary teacher. She retired in 2004 as superintendent of Geary County Schools. Devin has contributed her leadership to numerous educational and civic organizations, including the Kaufman Foundation. She has been honored as the Kansas Superintendent of the Year, the Kansas Educational Administrator of the Year and the Rotarian of the Year. Devin received both her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and her Ph.D. in educational administration from Kansas State University, where she has been an associate professor since 1998.

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William J. Greene, Jr. (BSB 1970, MS 1971)

Since completing his degree at ESU, William Greene has been improving the lives of disabled youth as an advocate and delegate, counselor at Sharpe Health School and founder and president of New Life, Inc. in Washington D.C. New Life, Inc. provides sports programs, peer counseling and coaching in the Wheelchair Sports USA races. Greene is received the Humanitarian Certificate from President Richard Nixon and was inducted into the Wheelchair Sports USA Hall of Fame.

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Peggy Lamm (BSE 1973)

Peggy Lamm is the government affairs director for Bighorn Action, an organization dedicated to promoting effective and efficient public policy in Colorado. She is the former chairman of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, a past member of the Colorado House of Representatives, and was the first executive director for the Boulder Colorado Convention and Visitors Bureau. Lamm also co-chaired the independent panel responsible for investigating athletic recruiting practices at the University of Colorado.

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J. Andy Tompkins (MS 1973)

For nine years, Andy Tompkins served as the Kansas Education Commissioner, the highest education official position in the state. He oversaw changes to Kansas’ Quality Performance Accreditation program and the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Prior to serving as education commissioner, Tompkins was a teacher, a superintendent and interim dean and department chair at Pittsburg State University. In 2004 he received the Kansas University School of Education Alumni Distinguished Service Award, where he earned his Ed.D. in education administration.

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Deryl Wynn (BFA 1983, BSB 1983)

After earning a law degree from Washburn University School of Law, Deryl Wynn served as a captain in the United States Army and was a Chief Prosecutor for Army installations. Currently, Wynn is an attorney and shareholder for McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips where he specializes in school/education law, not-for-profit law and labor/employment litigation. He has served on the Kansas Board of Regents, the Kansas City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the Library. Wynn has received the Wyandotte Country Citizenship Award and the Kansas Friends Award.

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2004

Mark Austenfeld (BS 1979)
Mark Austenfeld owns his own practice, Kansas City Urology Care P.A., in Kansas City , Mo. He is also an associate clinical professor at the University of Kansas Department of Urology. After graduating from ESU, he continued his education and training at the universities of Kansas and Utah and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester , Minn. He has served on national committees for the American Urological Association. He has lectured throughout the U.S. and Canada and has published numerous articles in prestigious journals such as Modern Medicine and JAMA.

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Raymond Blackwell (BS 1967)
Raymond Blackwell is the Regional Director of Boy Scouts of America. Though his career with the Boy Scouts of America began in an entry-level position, Blackwell's strong leadership skills won him promotion after promotion. Today the Parsons, Kan. native reports directly to the national CEO and leads 84 Councils across 13 states. The Boy Scouts of America has named him a Distinguished Executive and honored him with the Chief Scout Executives' Winners' Circle Award.

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Wallace Fujii (BSE 1958, MS 1959)
Wallace Fujii, the retired principal of H.P. Baldwin High School, Fujii began his career in education as a teacher. During his 22 years of service as principal of H.P. Baldwin High School , the school received many honors and awards, including being named both Maui District's Outstanding Secondary School and State Athletic High School of the Year twice. Fujii has been named the Hawaii State High School Principal of the Year and a recipient of the National Milken Educator Award.  

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Evan Lindquist (BSE 1958)
The emeritus professor of art at Arkansas State University is an accomplished artist and educator. A master printmaker, his pieces are housed in permanent collections around the world. Lindquist has received more than 60 prizes in competitive art exhibitions throughout the U.S. and has completed 45 solo exhibitions. As a faculty member at Arkansas State University , Lindquist's dedication to his students has been honored with the Teacher of the Year award.

2003

Ed Eilert (BSE 1961, MS 1962)

After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business education at ESU, Eilert taught business at Lebo and Shawnee Mission East High Schools. In 1966, he joined Bache and Company as an investment broker. Five years later, he moved to A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc., where he continues to work today. Eilert’s civic career began in 1977, when he was elected to the Overland Park City Council. He has served as the mayor of Overland Park, Kan., since 1981. During his tenure as mayor, the city has been applauded by numerous surveys and organizations as being a great place live, raise a family, and conduct business.

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Barbara (Zirnstein) Fowler (BSE 1979)

Fowler has taught in Lyon County, Kan., since graduating from ESU with a bachelor’s degree in speech in 1979. She has taught eighth-grade social studies and history at Emporia Middle School since 1987. In 1997, Fowler initialed the “Take Root in Your Community” program to encourage students to become involved in service learning. In 2000, Fowler earned National Board Certification. She was named a KNEA Master Teacher and a Kansas Master Teacher in 2002.

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Robert Hartsook (BS 1970, MS 1972)

Holding a bachelor’s in the social sciences and a master’s in counselor education from ESU, Hartsook has served as vice president at Colby Community College, Washburn University and Wichita State University. He has also served as the president of the Wichita State University Board of Trustees. In 1987, Hartsook founded Hartsook and Associates (now Hartsook Companies, Inc.), a consulting firm specializing in philanthropic fundraising. The firm has conducted more than 1,200 campaigns ranging from $500,000 to more than one billion dollars.

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Ramon Littell (BSE 1964)

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from ESU, Littell completed his master’s in mathematics and Ph.D. in statistics at Oklahoma State University. He joined the University of Florida as an assistant professor in 1970. Today, he is a professor and associate chair in the department of statistics and Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Littell is an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association and has received the ASA’s Distinguished Achievement Award.

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Richard Zahn (BSB 1973)

Upon graduating from ESU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Zahn joined Ortho Biotech. Today he is the president of Schering Laboratories, the U.S. prescription pharmaceutical marketing arm for Schering-Plough. Since his presidency began in 1996, Shering Laboratories has developed non-sedating antihistamines Claritin and Clarinex and several successful treatments for Hepatitis-C. The brands Coppertone Sun Products, Dr. Scholl’s footwear and Claritin all report to Zahn.

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2002

Betty “Kepka” (Hochman) Belton (BSE 1956)

A graduate of Ellsworth High School in Ellsworth, Kan., Betty “Kepka” Belton received her bachelor’s degree in art from ESU in 1956. Prior to earning her master’s degree in art education from Fort Hays State University in 1966, Belton taught junior high school, designed greeting cards for Hallmark Cards and served as a jewelry apprentice.

Belton has received national acclaim for her work in continuing the Czech art of Kraslice, beautifully hand-decorated eggs created by waxing, dyeing and blowing chicken or goose eggs. In an effort to preserve this Czech folk art, Belton has presented workshops on Kraslice all over the country. Her own pieces have been displayed nationally at festivals, craft fairs and museums. Belton has received numerous awards for her art and efforts to preserve the Czech heritage, including the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Belton has received level one certification from the Getty Center for Education in the Arts at the Cincinnati Art Museum and was named a Master Folk Artist in Czech Kraslice by the Kansas State Historical Society. Prior to retiring in 1998, Belton taught art for USD 328 in Wilson, Kan. Currently, Belton teaches Kraslice workshops near her home in Michigan.

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William F. Blaufuss Jr. (BS 1963)

William F. Blaufuss Jr. joined the international accounting firm KPMG soon after completing his bachelor’s degree in accounting at ESU in 1963. Ten years later, he was elected a partner, and in 1979 he was named managing partner of the Nashville office. In 1993 Blaufuss was named partner in charge of the KPMG Southeast Area Public Services practice serving governments, colleges and universities and non-profit organizations in seven states, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. During his career, Bill volunteered his time to numerous civic and philanthropic causes.  One was somewhat unusual – he was the first “Yankee-born” president of Nashville’s Belle Meade Country Club.  As president he led the club’s efforts to improve the ethnic and religious diversity of its membership.

Since retiring in 2000, this Hartford, Kan., native who had never traveled more than 100 miles from his home before graduating from high school completed special assignments for KPMG International in Thailand, Nigeria, Germany, Israel, Korea, Norway and Iceland.

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Ronald J. Fundis (BA 1964)

Before coming to ESU, Ronald J. Fundis graduated from Marysville High School in Marysville, Kan. He received his bachelor’s degree in foreign language from ESU in 1964. Four years later, his master’s degree was waived by the University of Kansas, where he completed his Ph.M. in sociology in 1974. Fundis spent several years researching and teaching at the University of Kansas, Fort Hays State University, and several institutions throughout Central America. In 1989, he joined the Docking Institute of Public Affairs as a Senior Research Associate, and later became the institute’s director. Three years later, he was named vice president and assistant to the president at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo. In 1998, Fundis became president of Labette Community College in Parsons, Kan. He is credited with turning around the community college’s declining enrollment, offering successful courses and improving the facilities and faculty contract negotiation process. Fundis has written and lectured prolifically on topics such as the sociology of death and dying, studies of Central American countries, multicultural education, collegiate sports, population trends and crime and local economic development. He is also highly involved in his community, serving on the boards of the Parson Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Jobs, Inc., and SEK, Inc.

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Susan (Heitzenrater) (Davis) McCollum (BSE 1975, MS 1979)

Susan McCollum came to Emporia after graduating from Leon High School and Butler County Community College. She earned both her bachelor of science in education and her master’s in curriculum and instruction from ESU in 1975 and 1979, respectively. She currently teaches the third and sixth grades for the Santa Fe Trail School District in Osage County, Kan. McCollum has helped develop district science curriculum guides, the Kansas State Competency Tests in math and reading and the guidelines for the Pizza Hut “Book It” program. While teaching in Everett, Wash., she taught students how to raise salmon and release the fish into local streams. McCollum introduced the Monarch Butterfly Tagging Project in association with the University of Kansas to the Santa Fe Trail School District in 1995. The program was featured in a Japanese documentary on the migration of monarch butterflies. In 1998, McCollum was named a National Board Certified Teacher. She has since taken on many leadership roles through the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. She is also an involved member of several state and national educational organizations, including the National Education Association and numerous science and mathematics organizations.

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Corinthian (Clay) Nutter (BSE 1950, MS 1956)

Originally from Forney, Texas, Corinthian Nutter moved to Kansas City, Kan., during the 1920s. She graduated from high school at Western University in Kansas City, Kan., in 1936. Two years later, she received a teaching certificate from Western’s junior college program. She took summer courses at ESU for more than a decade, finishing her bachelor of science in education in 1950. She earned her master’s in educational administration from ESU in 1956. During the 1940s, Nutter taught at Walker Elementary School, a run-down and undersupplied two-room school for African-American children in Merriam, Kan. Denied use of the brand-new and all-white South Park elementary school, Nutter and the families of Walker Elementary School filed a lawsuit against the school district and walked out. Nutter taught her students in their parents’ homes until their final victory in the Kansas Supreme Court. Nutter continued to teach and served as principal at Westview Elementary in Olathe, Kan., until she retired in 1972. She is an active member of the Paseo Baptist Church and the Northeast Johnson County Chapter of the NAACP. Organizations such as the NAACP and the American Association of University Women have honored Nutter for her role in the civil rights movement and educational efforts.

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Last Updated January 25, 2008