Outstanding WSU alumni, faculty, staff to be honored

A golfing great, a famed entrepreneur, a noted health-care advocate, a distinguished educator, the deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing, and acclaimed public service volunteers will be honored by the Wichita State University Alumni Association Feb. 2. Seven outstanding WSU alumni, faculty and staff members will receive awards during a banquet ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Rhatigan Student Center.

Larry Hatteberg, a former student now serving as executive news director at KAKE-TV 10, will serve as master of ceremonies for the awards presentation, which will feature an address by WSU’s 12th president Donald Beggs.

For reservations and tickets, call ext. 3834. Cost is $35.

The following three alumni will receive the 1998 Achievement Award, the highest honor given to an alumnus of Wichita State by the Alumni Association.

Judy Bell

An acclaimed golfer, entrepreneur and former United States Golf Association president, Bell has excelled on and off the golf course. The owner of six successful businesses in the Colorado Springs area, Bell sports a proven eye for business.

Tom Devlin

An avid sportsman and renowned entrepreneur, Devlin is a master of the business deal. His most famed transaction occurred in 1987 when he sold his hugely successful Rent-A-Center chain to Thorn EMI for $594 million. He now serves as president and chairman of Wichita-based Devlin Enterprises.

Arneatha Martin

Nurse, educator and health-care advocate, Martin spearheaded the development of the Center for Health and Wellness, which has already served more than 2,000 members of the northeast Wichita community since opening its doors in July 1998. She also holds the distinction of being a founding member and first president of the WSU Nursing Alumni Society, the first professional society organized with the Alumni Association.

The following two alumni will receive the 1998 Recognition Award.

J. Katherine “Kaki” Jackson

A fourth-generation Wichitan, Jackson continues her family’s tradition of community involvement with a long list of volunteer involvements of her own. Through the years she has been a familiar presence at the Wichita Radio Reading Service and at St. Joseph’s emergency center (now part of Via Christi’s medical complex), among many others.

Mel Snyder

Noted aeronautical engineer Snyder was a teacher, researcher and administrator in the department of aeronautical engineering (now aerospace engineering) for nearly 50 years. Through the years his research efforts centered on work on delta wings, agricultural-aircraft design and wind energy conservation systems. He also served as director of the National Institute for Aviation Research’s Center for Basic and Applied Research at WSU.

Joan Kahn — 1998 Laura M. Cross Distinguished Service Award

Kahn was known university-wide for her exemplary dedication to students and to Wichita State. She began her long relationship with WSU in 1958, six years before the university entered the Kansas Regents System, and retired in 1994. James Rhatigan, former dean of students, says, “Joan remains a woman of integrity, a caring person, one who understands the meaning of university as community.”

John Rolfe — 1998 Young Alumnus Award

Described by colleagues and friends as highly professional with a keen intelligence, a sharp eye for detail and a talent for seeing the big picture, not to mention an uncanny ability for relating to people, Rolfe currently serves as deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing. As deputy secretary, he is part comptroller, part administrator, part project coordinator and part public relations spokesperson for the state’s economic development arm.