Wichita State News: In Memoriam

Faculty/staff news update: January/February 2013

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 11:34:00 CST

Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of our current and former colleagues.

Kathy Coufal, professor and chair, communication sciences and disorders, recently joined the board of directors of the Kansas Society for Children with Challenges.

George Dehner

George Dehner, associate professor, history, had two books published recently. "Influenza: A Century of Science and Public Health Response" is aimed at the academic market, and "Global Flu and You: A History of Influenza" is a more general book on the subject.

Suzy Finn, engineering coordinator/job developer, Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning, has been accepted into the Young Professionals of Wichita 2013 Leadership Academy.

Ed Flentje, professor and longtime REAP consultant, Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, was recognized at the December 2012 legislative policy summit for outstanding service in fostering regional cooperation for south-central Kansas.

Ed Flentje fielded calls on Kansas politics about the 2012 November elections from national reporters with the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, in addition to Kansas newspaper reporters. He also made presentations on Kansas politics and elections, including the Docking Symposium on Kansas Politics at Southwestern College in Winfield; the Downtown Lions Club, Wichita; the Post-election Roundtable, with professors Joe Aistrup (Kansas State), Bob Beatty (Washburn), Burdette Loomis (University of Kansas), and Michael Smith (Emporia State) at Washburn University in Topeka; and the Lions Club in Clay Center.

Eric Freeman, assistant professor, Jean Patterson, associate professor, and Pat Terry, senior fellow, served as faculty advisers to students in the College of Education's educational leadership program who presented research papers at the USA|Kansas Annual Convention in January. "Growth and Sustainability in a Rural Kansas Town: The Role of Public Schools" was presented by Michael Argabright, superintendent, Southern Lyon County USD 252; Andi Williams, principal, Haysville Elementary, USD 261; and Royce Powelson, superintendent, Jayhawk USD 346 (Freeman). "Successes and Challenges of Implementing 21st Century Skills" was presented by Mary Liebl, literacy coordinator, Wichita USD 259; Janice Smith, executive director, The Opportunity Project Early Learning Center; Alicia Thompson, assistant superintendent, Wichita USD 259; Tiffinie Irving, executive director, Wichita USD 259; and Brad Pepper, executive director, The Service Center at Clearwater (Patterson/Terry).

Philip Gaunt, professor, Elliott School of Communication, director and founder, Interdisciplinary Communication Research Institute, had a book signing hosted by Watermark Books in Wichita on Feb. 9 for his recently published novel, "The Blane Game."

Lou Heldman, Distinguished Senior Fellow and interim director of the Elliott School of Communication, presented "Communicating with Citizens on Their Terms" at the 2013 Kansas Association of City and County Managers Winter Seminar, hosted by the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, on Feb. 8.

Sharon Iorio

Sharon Iorio, dean and professor, College of Education, presented "Partnerships with School Districts," along with other Kansas Board of Regents' college of education deans at the USA|Kansas Annual Convention conference in January.

Ashlie Jack, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, has been selected to serve on the Kansas Handwriting Standards Committee, which will design the new handwriting standards for schools in Kansas in response to the request of the Kansas State Board of Education.

Ashlie Jack and Mandy Lusk, assistant professors, special education, received funding for their study "Developing Word Consciousness of Academic Vocabulary in Adolescents with Challenging Behaviors through Co-Teaching" to be conducted during the spring 2013 semester.

Elizabeth King, president and CEO, WSU Foundation, was re-elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Kansas Society for Children with Challenges. The KSCC was established in 1925.

Kenneth Kriz, professor of Public Finance and Economics with the University of Nebraska-Omaha who will soon join the Hugo Wall School as Regents Professor of Public Finance, presented the keynote speech "Public Finance in the 2010s: an Environmental Scan" at the 2013 Midwest Regional Public Finance Conference on Feb. 14 and 15 in Wichita.

Sal Mazzullo, professor, geology, had a book signing hosted by Watermark Books in Wichita on Jan. 5 for his recently published novel, "Chac Balam."

Eunice Doman Myers, associate dean, Fairmount College, and associate professor, Spanish, had her book chapter "Resounding Silences: En las noches que desvisten otras noches" included in the Festschrift Nela Rio: Escritura en foco: La mirada profunda, edited by Qantati e-books (Ottawa, Canada).

Ravi Pendse

Ravi Pendse, chief information officer, presented "Creating Relevance through Innovation and Collaboration" at the 2013 Kansas Association of City and County Managers Winter Seminar, hosted by the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs on Feb. 8.

Michael Rogers, chair and professor, human performance, presented "International trends of study concerning exercise programs and health promotion for older adults" at the 2012 International Forum on Muscle Fitness Exercise as Chokin for Elderly People held at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Japan, in December.

Donna Sayman, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, recently had her article "Quinceaneras and Quadratics: Experiences of Latinas in state-supported residential schools of science and math" published in the Journal of Latinos and Education.

Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn, assistant professor, music theory and composition, had two new compositions premiered at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 9 by an East Coast new music group, the Case Ensemble. While in New York, Sternfeld-Dunn gave guest presentations with undergraduate and graduate composers at The Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Conn., and Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pa.

Clay Stoldt, chair and professor, and Mark Vermillion, associate professor, both of sport management, presented "Member Churning Among Conferences: A Contributing Factor to Economic Inequality at the NCAA Scholarly Colloquium," along with Martin Perline, professor and Bloomfield Foundation Faculty Fellow, Barton School of Business.

Anh Tran, associate professor, and Jim Granada, assistant professor, both of curriculum and instruction, presented "Social, Cultural and Economic Capitals for College Success" at the 2013 USA|Kansas Annual Convention.

NEW TO CAMPUS
Leah DiPietr, coordinator for College of Engineering, Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning

Kenneth Kriz, Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance, Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs

Kelley Mattivi, coordinator for College of Business and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning

Arwiphawee Srithongrung, associate professor, Hugo Wall School

Matthew Cecil, director, Elliott School of Communication

Bob Workman, director, Ulrich Museum of Art

ON SABBATICAL
Dharma DeSilva, professor, management, fall 2013, five related projects including teaching, research and advisory service in Sri Lanka, as well as completion of international business and marketing resource textbooks

Jeffrey Hershfield, associate professor, philosophy, fall 2013, research on linguistic norms regarding truth/falsity and their underlying principles; development of a taxonomy and publication

Xiaomi Hu, associate professor, mathematics, fall 2013, conduct research to identify multivariate order relations and focus on models with their parameter vectors under multivariate order restrictions including testing and implementation

C. Nicholas Johnson, professor, dance, spring 2014, research on mime/physical theatre; further development of the SPA core curriculum mime course and a new Fine Arts exchange opportunity in Mexico

Xiufen Lu, associate professor, philosophy, spring 2014, research on Li Dazhao's adaption of Marxism to Chinese Confucianisnism; publication of two articles

Chungsheng Ma, professor, mathematics, academic year 2013-14, research on spatio-temporal stastics and vecor random fields in space and time leading to book and journal publications

Daowei Ma, professor, mathematics, spring 2014, research on complex analysis and linear transforms in applied mathematics leading to publication of several research papers

Robert Owens, associate professor, history, spring 2014, research and manuscript writing on early American frontier "Indian-hating" and attempts to settle Indian-white disputes

Atul Rai, associate professor, accountancy, spring 2014, study effects of the international financial reporting system and quality of earnings; preparation of papers for publication

Nick Solomey, professor, mathematics (physics), academic year 2013-14, participate in cosmic ray research to expand scientific expertise and enhance the ability of Kansas to qualify for joint hosting of the next large cosmic ray experiment in western Kansas and eastern Colorado

James E. Steck, professor, engineering (aerospace), fall 2013, (1) continue research on advanced aircraft flight control methods at NASA and (2) expand quantum computing research leading to publication in both areas

Craig Torbenson, associate professor, history, spring 2014, continue work on a manuscript examining Norwegian emigration and patterns of westward migration and settlement in the United States

Janet Twomey, professor, engineering/manufacturing, spring 2014, (1) investigate worker education in the emerging field of engineering-public policy and (2) develop a proposal to support a network of researchers in climate change, health care and energy

Chu-Ping Vijverberg, associate professor, economics, academic year 2013-14, compare current models for examining structural change or business cycles with an exploratory time deformation model to provide improved forecast ability and further model development

Robert Zettle, professor, psychology, spring 2014, complete writing and co-editing Handbook of Contextual Behavioral Science

IN EMERITUS
Roger D. Lowe, vice president emeritus, administration and finance

Salvatore J. Mazzullo, professor emeritus, geology

IN MEMORIAM
Peggy J. Anderson, 67, retired associate professor emeritus, College of Education, died Feb. 24 in Wichita. Services have been held. She is survived by her brothers, Denis (Bobbi) Anderson of Springfield, Mo., and Russell (Debra Dikeman) Vornold of Pilot Mountain, N.C. Memorials may be made to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 7404 Killarney, Wichita, KS 67206.

Lois Mae Bergerhouse, 94, former WSU cafeteria employee, died Jan. 28 in Andover. Services have been held. She was preceded in death by her parents, Archie and Winifred (Ferris) Troyer; her husband, Wayne; and sisters Delores Krueger and Naomi Daharsh. Survivors include children Cynthia Gillett and Phillip Bergerhouse ; grandchildren, Dwayne Wilson, Michael Wilson, Stephanie Murphy, Joshua Bergerhouse , Ian Bergerhouse and Cody Bergerhouse. Memorials may be made to Life Care Center of Andover, 621 W. 21st St., Andover, Kan.

Donald Morse Douglas, 88, associate professor emeritus, history, died Jan. 15 in Wichita. Services have been held. He is survived by his wife, Ada Glynn ("Lynn"); daughters, Sharon Lynn Douglas and Donna Christine Douglas; granddaughters Michelle Leigh Nielsen, Erika Lynn Douglas and Meredith Lynn Coughenour; great-grandchildren, Zak, Luke and Kate Nielsen; and brother Guy Barry Douglas and his wife, Pat. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, the American Heart Association, Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice or Holocaust Commemoratives, in care of Congregation Emanu-El.

Cecilia Sanchez Epperson, 83, retired assistant librarian, died Feb. 11, 2013. Services have been held. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gregorio and Maria Sanchez. She is survived by her husband, Gene; children Rene Epperson, Mark Epperson and Diane Cole all of Wichita, and Alan Epperson of Ft. Worth, Texas; sisters Trini Sanchez of Wellington and Alejandra De La Torre of Los Angeles; grandchildren Jennifer, Laura, Justin, Kyle and Janel; great-grandson Taylor. Memorials may be sent to Hardin Hospice, 2622 W. Central, Wichita, KS 67203.

John C. Gries, 72, professor, geology, died Jan. 18 following a short illness. A celebration of life has been held. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Virginia Gries, and his brother Don. He is survived by his wife, Toni Willis-Jackman; his daughter, Lynn Gries of Tucson; his first wife and friend, Robbie Gries; sister-in-law, Neella Gries; and two nephews, Nathan and Mark. Memorials have been established at the Great Plains Transportation Museum, 700 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67202, and the Wichita State University Foundation, 1845 Fairmount St., Wichita, KS 67260.

Harry Miller, 86, former Shocker basketball coach, died Feb. 13 in Nacogdoches, Texas. Services have been held. He is survived by his wife, Lanora (Tillie), and sons Bob and Tom of Nacogdoches, and Gary of Tyler. He is also survived by his son's wives, Ardan, Patty and Dorota; granddaughters, Claire Miller, Isabella and Sophie Miller; step-grandchildren Ember Ashby, Will Ashby and his wife, Anna; and three great-grandchildren, Bryana and Nolan Ashby, and Emerson Carden.

James M. Murphy, 90, professor emeritis, economics, banking and finance, died Feb. 10. Survivors include his children Michael J. (Arlyn) Murphy of Lubbock, Texas, Dennis J. (Beth) Murphy of Tulsa, Okla., Susan E. (Steve) Pattison of Broken Arrow, Okla., John M. (Noreen) Murphy of Beaverton, Ore., and David K. Murphy of Austin, Texas. Private services will be held in Oklahoma at a later date. Donations may be made to the Dr. James M. Murphy Endowed Fellowship, c/o WSU Foundation, 1845 N. Fairmount, Box 2, Wichita, KS 67260-0002.

William M. Perel, 85, retired former chair, mathematics, died Jan. 20 in Stillwater, Okla. Services have been held. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Ada Gaskill; and daughter Cathy Perel. He is survived by his wife, Tula Perel of Stillwater; daughters Elizabeth (Dwayne) Deckard and Shirley (Tod) King, all of Wichita; stepchildren Teresa (John) Petersen of Pawnee, Okla., Lenora (Larry) Rawdon of Wellston, Okla., Dan (Pam) Ripley of Pawnee, Okla., and Susan (Paul) Hartle of Plano, Texas; four grandchildren; nine step-grandchildren; and 14 step-great grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation of Oklahoma, 720 W. Wilshire, Suite 101H, Oklahoma City, OK 73116 or the First Baptist Church, 720 6th St., Pawnee, OK 74058.

William H. "Bill" Smith, 73, retired 30-year administrator, Rhatigan Student Center, died Feb. 20 in Wichita. Services have been held. He was preceded in death by his parents, William A. and Mary Olive Smith; and brother Garel Smith. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Smith; sons Michael (Stephanie) of Maple Grove, Minn., Stephen (Michelle) of Derby and Jeffrey (Melissa) Smith of Derby; 11 grandchildren; sister Betty Jo McWhorter of Atlanta, Ga.; several nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to Shocker Bowling Fund in care of the WSU Foundation, 1845 N. Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260-0002.

Regis Lenora Welch, 82, former instructor, English/linguistics, died Jan. 13 in Sherman, Texas. Services have been held. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Francis and Cecilia Ellen Flynn Downey; her husband, John William; brother Paul; and sister Margaret Ernestine Archer. She is survived by son Matthew Welch of San Francisco, Calif.; brother-in-law Charles T. Welch of Huntsville, Ala.; nieces Sheila Archer Carter and Laura Welch Gilley; nephew Thomas Welch; and great friends and caretakers Kyle and Mary Payne. Donations can be made to St. Elizabeth Scholarship Fund, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 916 Maple St., Bonham, TX 75418.

Milan Zivanovic, 99, instructor, broadcasting and film, died Jan. 23, at home in Kansas City. He was preceded in death by his brother Dragan; mother, Olga, and father, Dusan. He is survived by his wife, Judith; brothers-in-law Tom (Vicki) Goergen and Lee Goergen; sister-in-law Pam Stucke; five nephews; and several grand-nieces and nephews.

Velma Wallace taught dignity, grace and generosity

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:36:00 CST

Velma Wallace

After more than 35 years of awarding scholarships to Wichita State engineering students through the Dwane L. and Velma L. Wallace Endowment, Velma Wallace died July 8.

The Wallace Endowment, established in 1976, has awarded more than $3 million dollars in scholarships to hundreds of engineering students in that time.

Before her passing, Wallace was also instrumental in renaming WSU's new engineering building in honor of retired president Don Beggs.

Wallace Scholars remember Wallace as not only their benefactor, but also as a trusted mentor.

Elisa Acosta, the current Wallace Scholar, has known Wallace for some time after being introduced by her mother and aunt.

When she was 18, Acosta remembers, she went to the Aero Club Ball to listen to Wallace speak about the award.

"She and I emailed a few times, and we met a couple times, but she always remembered me and asked about my siblings or mom," said Acosta. "She was the nicest woman I've ever met."

Always looking to help

Wallace scholar and WSU alum Joan Wagner served on the Wallace Student Council for three years, serving as president her senior year.

"This gave me the chance to get to know Mrs. Wallace very well. We would meet with her several times a year to discuss the state of the college and our progress in our educations," said Wagner. "She was always so excited to hear when we were doing well, and if we were ever having problems, she would whip out that little notebook and start taking notes on how she could help us."

Wagner kept in contact with Wallace after graduating in 1999.

"After college I stayed in touch, trying to schedule dinner with her two times a year," Wagner said. "We would just catch up and discuss our lives. I truly value and cherish these times. Mrs. Wallace taught us so much about dignity, grace and generosity—all with a sense of humor and desire to have fun."

A benefactor

Laura Bernstorf, another Wallace Scholar who now works at Airbus, also remembers Wallace as a benefactor who took the time to get to know students personally.

"When I started out as a Wallace Scholar, Velma asked us to send her a card on our birthday to let her know how we were doing," Bernstorf said. "That first year I found out that our birthdays were one day apart. So the next year it became a shared birthday lunch.

"Over the 13 years I was privileged to know this special lady, she grew from my benefactor to a mentor to a friend," said Bernstorf. "Yes, the financial gift of the Wallace Scholarship was amazing, but the gift of her mentorship and friendship was priceless. She was Velma and I was Laura, two Kansas girls born in May."

Acosta said being a Wallace Scholar goes far beyond receiving the financial aid.

"I hope that the future scholars will try to learn more about everything Mrs. Wallace has done," said Acosta, "and (I) want current and future ones to strive to be more like her. "

WSU faculty/staff news update for fall 2010

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:30:00 CST

Mara Alagic, associate professor, graduate school dean's office, Sherry Goodvin, Senior Fellow for Education Leadership, and Fuchang Liu, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, participated in the 7th Intercultural Communication Competence Conference in Khabarovsk, Russia, Sept. 14-16.

Alagic facilitated a Global Learning Cafe workshop and gave two collaborative research presentations: "Frames as a Model for Understanding Cultural Sensitivity" (with Tatiana Orel, York University, Toronto and Glyn Rimmington, WSU) and "World Cafe: A Structure for Dialogue" (with Lisa Lutz, Wichita Public Schools).

Goodvin made a virtual presentation, "The Digital Learner: An Educator's Disorienting Dilemma," focused on cultural/generational differences in the digital learning environment.

Liu made the virtual presentation "Foreign language acquisition in the context of global learning and multicultural communication."

Ted Ayres, vice president and general counsel, was selected as Person of the Year by the Wichita Branch of the NAACP for his work on the Gordon Parks collection of papers and artwork. Ayres was honored at the Wichita NAACP's 91st Legacy Award Dinner on Oct. 30.

Kristi Carlson Goering, education specialist, presented "Women in Radio in Wichita, Kansas: 1922-1960" at the Great Plains Radio History Symposium hosted by Kansas State University on Oct. 22.

Dan Close, associate professor, Elliott School of Communication, made two presentations at the National College Media Advisers/ Associated Collegiate Press conference Oct. 27-31 in Louisville, Ky.: "Multi-Sourcing Your Stories" and "Your First Time: Publishing Sexy Stories and Images." He assisted in two other presentations. Six Sunflower students attended the conference.

Dan Close won second place in free verse and an honorable mention in songwriting at the Kansas Authors Club convention Oct. 1-3 in Lawrence. Close is in charge of publicity for the District 5 chapter based in Wichita.

Alicia Huckstadt, professor, nursing, director, graduate nursing program, received the 2010 Education Nurse of the Year award from the Kansas State Nurses Association. The award was presented Oct. 7 at the annual statewide conference.

Linda Mitchell, professor, curriculum and instruction, presented "Child development and early learning: Laying down lifelong foundations for literacy" at a Sept. 15 parent workshop for St. Thomas Aquinas School in Wichita.

Jeremy Patterson, director, Human Performance Lab, was interviewed by KSN news about the lab's partnership with the Center for Breast Cancer Survivorship, screening patients in the lab before, during and after cancer treatments to analyze bone density, body fat, balance and stability. See the video at http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/KSN-Dreamhouse-funds-open-Center-for-Breast/IMyJZgkgZkaw3A-PU4jdzg.cspx.

Trisha Self

Trisha Self, assistant professor, communication sciences and disorders, has received an honorable mention award from VizZle's 2010 Visual Learning TechGrant competition. As one of only 25 honorable mentions worldwide, she was awarded two free licenses of VizZle along with professional development webinar support for a full year. Developed by teachers and staff at the Monarch Center for Autism, VizZle is the fastest growing online community for authoring visual learning and language supports.

Carolyn Shaw, associate professor and chair, political science, is the recipient of the 2010 Howard and Jeanne Johnston Award for Global Citizenship awarded by the Global Learning Center of Wichita. In January 2011, she will go to Lublin, Poland, for six months as a Fulbright Scholar.

Virginia Kay Williams, assistant professor and acquisitions librarian, and Kathy A. Downes, senior associate dean, University Libraries, published "Assessing Your Vendors' Viability." The Serials Librarian, Volume 59, Issues 3 & 4, 2010.

IN MEMORIAM
June S. Allen, 78, retired coordinator and instructor, cooperative education, died Sept. 28 in Wichita. She is survived by her husband, Phillip Allen. Memorial services have been held.

David R. Ellis, 75, former associate professor, aerospace engineering, died Oct. 26 in Wichita. He is survived by his wife, Eunice; son David Jr. (Michelle); daughter Katie (Karl); grandchildren Channing, Madeleine, Jordyn and Kristian; brother Richard Ellis; sister Jean Gorsuch; nieces and nephews. A private family memorial was planned. Donations may be sent to Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita or The Nature Conservancy in Arlington, Va.

Rachel Mateel Knox Harrison Johnson, 95, former faculty records clerk, academic affairs and comptroller's office, died Oct. 25 in Lake Oswego, Ore. She was preceded in death by her second husband, Jim Johnson, in 2005 and first husband, William Harrison, in 1983. She is survived by daughter, Linda Ellis of Lake Oswego, Ore.; step-daughter Nancy (Joe) Leake of Bella Vista, Ark.; grandsons Steve (Donna) Ellis of Seattle, Wash., and Mark (Marcie) Ellis of Kansas City, Kan.; great-grandchildren, Jessica, Merritt, Stevie, Addison and Sophia Ellis; dear friend, Melba Soule of Bella Vista. A private family service was planned in Lake Oswego. Memorial donations can be made to The Salvation Army.

Memorial event for Lowell D. Holmes set for Oct. 23

Thu, 7 Oct 2010 11:05:00 CST

A memorial event to celebrate the life and contributions of Lowell D. Holmes, founder and former professor of the Department of Anthropology at Wichita State University, is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, on the WSU campus.

The event will start in 100 Lindquist Hall and continue to the Department of Anthropology and the Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology facilities, located in Neff Hall. Drinks and snacks will be served.

The event is open to the public, friends, faculty, administration and students of the past and present. People acquainted with Holmes and his activities at WSU or in the local or regional community are encouraged to attend.

Holmes died Aug. 31 following an extended illness. He was 85.

For more information about the event, contact Shannon Lucas at (316) 978-3195 or e-mail anthropology@wichita.edu.

WSU professor and Kansas historian Craig Miner dies

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 CST

H. Craig Miner, the Willard W. Garvey Professor of Business History at Wichita State University, died Sunday, Sept. 12, following a lengthy illness. He was 65.

Services were held Sunday, Sept. 19.

Dr. Miner, a WSU alumnus, left a doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado in 1969 to join the Wichita State faculty.

In 1972 he became an associate professor and was promoted to full professor in 1978. Ten years later, Dr. Miner was named distinguished professor, and his endowed professorship began in 2006.

He taught courses for Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the W. Frank Barton School of Business, including courses in economic history; Kansas and local history; U.S. 1865-1900; and advanced research and writing.

Dr. Miner served as chair of the History Department from 1998-2004 and director of the public history program from 1998-1999.

He was an expert in the history of Kansas and business history and the author of about 40 books.

He served on the WSU Centennial committee and the University Press of Kansas Editorial Board. He was on committees for about 20 organizations throughout the years.

Dr. Miner was often nominated for Board of Trustees Excellence in Teaching and Academy for Effective Teaching Awards. He won more than half a dozen other awards for his work.

A vast array of subjects kept Dr. Miner's interest. He had considered the possibility of returning to school to study Egyptology. He gave instruction in amateur astronomy.

Dr. Miner also enjoyed bicycling, classical guitar, book collecting and classic cars.

He married Susan (Suzi) Miner in August 1967. They have two sons, Hal and Wilson.