Longtime faculty member John Hansan dies Longtime faculty member John Hansan dies

John F. Hansan, a longtime WSU professor died Wednesday, March 20, 2013, in Homosassa, Fla., after a long illness. Hansan was a member of the faculty in the College of Education's Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, serving 11 years as chair. He was 79. He served at Wichita State for 31 years, from 1964 until he retired in 1995. Hansan is survived by his wife, Jo, in Homosassa, Fla.

Bonnie Bing, a former student, said that Hansan would not "give you the time of day unless he felt you were serious about your education. Once he was persuaded he was always your advocate, even in your life after college."

Sue Bair, a former departmental member, said that this also was true of faculty colleagues. "He always promoted faculty success without expecting any credit," said Bair.

"Hansan played a key role in the creation of the successful Sports Administration program on the WSU campus," said his departmental colleague, Richard Laptad. "In fact, John was a very important leader in the overall development of the department for decades."

Hansan was a superb athlete and highly competitive in whatever sport he participated. Badminton was one of his favorites, according to Laptad. "He was noted for spotting opponents 20 points (of 21 needed to win) and still won 95 percent of his games."

Hansan was an early supporter of women's basketball and originated the Women's Holiday Basketball Class, which was held on the campus for many years.

He was an innovator, finding ways to support visiting teams financially and providing other incentives. This is common now, but rare during the period when women sports were just getting off the ground nationally.