Class Quotes

The K-Stater magazine's "Class Quotes" section includes comments from alumni about their K-State memories.

For the summer 2017 issue, the K-Stater staff asks you to share your favorite memories from a student group, club or organization.

The K-Stater welcomes your submissions by April 4, 2017.

In an email to k-stater@k-state.com, please include:
• First and last name
• K-State class year(s)
• Current city, state and country
• Your Class Quote response

The K-Stater reserves the right to edit for length and clarity. Responses to "Class Quotes" also may be posted and/or archived on the Alumni Association website.

Fall 2016
Where did you spend the most time on campus?

I spent countless hours in McCain Auditorium practicing and rehearsing my music.
Cody Wheeler ’09
Humble, Texas

I lived off campus, but I think my roommates would argue that I really lived at Hale and in the 24-hour study room. I spent more time in the library studying than I did sleeping in my own bed!
Victoria Mariscal Graf ’03
Hutchinson, Kansas

McCain, music annex. Like most music majors, I practically lived there!
Melissa Baker ’08
Beattie, Kansas

The State Room in the Union eating fan loaves.
Dr. Josh Walker ’96
Manhattan, Kansas

Ahearn Field House in the athletic training room. Still love to go back and visit. It is KSU at its best!
Janella Romine Newton ’96
Waverly, Kansas

The Old Barn - Ahearn Field House. Basketball games. Intramurals. Enrollment. Academic classes. Landon Lectures.
Dan Yunk ’71, ’75, ’87
Manhattan, Kansas

As a freshman, I spent my evenings, weekends and time after class in the attic of Fairchild Hall. Herbert Knutson, head of the Department of Entomology, gave me a desk there with five graduate students. He also gave me a job working for my fantastic adviser, Robert Mills ’49,’ 64. When the department moved to Waters Hall, my desk was in the sub-basement with two graduate students. I still cherish how much those students and Dr. Mills taught me about work ethic and the importance of science.
Stan Husted ’67, ’69
Danville, California

My favorite spot is the Tadtman Board Room in the [K-State Alumni Center] and the Great Room in Hale.
Kirk Schulz
K-State president

I spent the majority of my time split between Hale library and the American Ethnic Studies Department in Leasure Hall. I wouldn't trade those places for anywhere else!
Valerie Corpening ’15
Houston, Texas

Summer 2016
K-State football has played in 19 bowls in the U.S., and we want to hear about your favorite bowl experience. Also, tell us if you’ve been to all of them.

We’ve been to them all. We are crazy K-State fans. ... We’ve traveled to every bowl with the Alumni Association, except for three trips in which we’ve traveled with the team through the Catbackers. ... There’s something memorable about every single one, but the Copper Bowl and the Holiday Bowls are probably our favorites.
Dan Bird ’62 and Beth Wilson Bird ’61
Manhattan, Kansas

The K-State vs. University of Oregon 2013 Fiesta Bowl created a mini-crisis of school loyalty. Before I received my [master’s degree in education] from K-State and lived in Manhattan for 22 years, I received two degrees from the University of Oregon. Our daughter, Ally Brooks ’08, created a green and gold T-shirt for me to wear to the 2013 Fiesta Bowl Pep Rally. I noticed lots of challenging stares as I approached the stadium, but as people read what was on my T-shirt, the hardened looks turned into amused expressions. What they read was “I bleed purple.”
Hildie Brooks ’89
Chandler, Arizona

We have attended all of the 19 bowls in the U.S. but also attended the unofficial Coca-Cola bowl in Japan. Sometime before the Independence Bowl, we said if KSU ever goes to a bowl game we will go. Little did we know how much we had committed to, but it has been exciting and wonderful to honor our own pledge. ... The Copper Bowl, 2001 Cotton Bowl and 1997 Fiesta Bowl stand out as great experiences.
Sharon Lady Evers ’67 and Richard Evers ’69
St. Joseph, Missouri

After KSU defeated Colorado in 1982, fliers were passed around in the stadium to promote Independence Bowl attendance. ... I’ve never had so much fun as being wet, frozen and losing surrounded by the KSU fans in Shreveport!
Dr. Rebecca Durst Twietmeyer ’77
Wichita, Kansas

I had the good fortune to attend the ’97 Fiesta Bowl with my great-aunt Aileen Rundle Allen. I come from a long line of K-Staters. My aunt Aileen graduated in ’33 with a [bachelor’s in home economics]. Aileen and I both had a great time cheering the Wildcats to victory over the Syracuse Orangemen.
Jennie Benson ’80
Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Spring 2016
In five words, describe your K-State experience.
Memories, growth, friendships, education, opportunity
Jarold W. Boettcher ’63
Manhattan, Kansas

Lifetime cherished and heartfelt memories!
Susan Waechter Garcia ’80
Sugar Land, Texas

Best time of my life
Sandy Saragusa Crable ’98
Olathe, Kansas

Exciting. Elevating. Endearing. Energizing. Empowering.
Risto Marttinen ’65
Lexington, Kentucky

Life changing achievement = new career.
Johnna Bradford Flack ’15
Easton, Kansas

Friends became family. Indescribable adventure.
Lana Swendson Barkman ’11, ’13
St. George, Kansas

Best experience, lifelong friends, awesome!
Andy Nelson ’91
Spring Branch, Texas

It always feels like home.
Jane Westhues Von Elling ’83
Lenexa, Kansas

Unforgettable - most enjoyable - lifelong memories.
Larry Corrigan ’64
Overland Park, Kansas

Challenging, hard, fun, enriching and eye-opening
Nancy Venneberg Mattke ’73
Andover, Kansas

Calvin, Union, Kites, Campus, Ahearn
Kevin Sheehan ’85
Wichita, Kansas

My degree got my job.
Stephen Amthauer ’72
Overland Park, Kansas

We gonna win. Purple Pride!
Kay Denton '70
Manhattan, Kansas

The only place I miss
Katie Bryant ’13
The Colony, Texas

Nichols burned. Christmas fire watch.
Darrell Denton '69
Manhattan, Kansas

Hard work = successful career.
Carlton A. Bird ’59
Emporia, Kansas

Feels like home to me.
Megan Grapengater Palen ’11
Scott City, Kansas

Best time of my life!
Dr. Trisha Totman ’87, ’92
Taos, New Mexico

One highlight of my life!
Steve Powell ’82
Loveland, Colorado

Winter 2015
Share a memorable story about registering for class.

I remember going to registration in person and how a patient woman named Alma helped me when I didn’t have everything I needed. She also made a good suggestion about algebra. She had so much experience about what worked and what other students had done. It was an overwhelming process made better by the way she did her job.
-Caron Patterson Osberg ’95
Urbandale, Iowa

August in the “Barn.” Oh, the memories. Picking up my stack of punch cards and walking out paying $300 for 15 hours. How times have changed.
-Tom Roth ’85, ’97
Clay Center, Kansas

It was so funny trying to explain “pulling cards” for enrollment to my kids when they were at K-State in the 2000s. They just didn’t understand it.
-Valeria Marrs Edwards ’75, ’76
Olathe, Kansas

It was a little hectic, but I just kept looking around, soaking in that, in a few short months, I would be back in that rocking “Barn” cheering on Mike Evans, Larry Dassie, Rolando Blackman ’81, etc.
-Craig Null ’77
Independence, Kansas

I remember it well. Classes, Royal Purple and football tickets — those lines, but they always seemed to keep moving. I found my receipt for my first semester: $158 for one semester of classes and $300 for the dorm.
-Ron Wellington ’80
Manhattan, Kansas

Always hotter than all get out! And the lines!
-Dr. Dana Petersen ’95, ’97
Laramie, Wyoming

I was a 17-year-old freshman the fall of 1960, when enrollment involved lining up outside the southeast door of Ahearn Field House to enter in groups. Once inside we moved like cattle through mazes of ropes to find faculty members handing out computer cards for their classes.

When I ended up at the north exit, cards in hand to check out, the woman said, “That will be $104 for tuition.” I was shocked. Assuming my parents had taken care of my bills, I had no cash, checkbook or credit card. It was before cellphones. She told me to step out of the line. While standing there in embarrassment, I was relieved to see Jim Mottin ’64, my Highland Park High School classmate from Topeka, coming through behind me. I told him my predicament, and he whipped out his checkbook and paid for my tuition on the spot. I am sure I paid him back. After all these years I don’t remember. Jim, did I?
-Louanne Theilmann Isernhagen ’64
Littleton, Colorado

Fall 2015
Share one of your favorite memories of K-State's Homecoming.

I was a member of the 1990 class of Blue Key Leadership Honorary, which was the last group of Blue Keyers to plan, coordinate and carry out all aspects of Homecoming. We were introduced on the field during halftime of the football game in a driving rainstorm, where the water bouncing off the artificial turf filled our dress shoes. We spent the next day with buckets and rags, cleaning windows of businesses all over town that allowed us space for a window-decorating contest. Those are two favorite memories because of the great people with whom I shared in the misery!
-Jeffrey Bates ’91, ’97
Beloit, Kansas

At Edwards Hall in the mid-‘80s, it was always fun getting together after classes to work on our floats. Everyone pitched in, whether you were designing, building or poking tissue paper into chicken wire. Then the morning of gameday it was the big Homecoming parade from downtown Manhattan through Aggieville. Sadly, “Eddy’s” is no more, but the memories live on.
-Dr. Patty Standfast-Ungles ’85, ’87
Chanute, Kansas

So my favorite homecoming memory was the football season after I graduated. It was my first year working with the athletics department. My little brother came out to his first K-State football game ever vs. West Virginia. The game was on his birthday and I got him surprise field passes. It was what I called "the perfect K-State weekend" because it started with the Homecoming Parade, we then went to basketball's Madness in Manhattan (Dave got his photo with Thomas Gipson, a huge deal to him), tailgating, field passes, a Wildcat victory, then that Sunday there was the first WBB game of the year so we went to that too.
Best. Homecoming. Week. Ever. (Especially for a 9-year-old Wildcat fanatic.)
-Kelly McHugh ’13
Manhattan, Kansas

I loved homecoming because of all the Greek events. But I don't think I ever made it to the game.
-Jenna Streff Coates ’11
Topeka, Kansas

I remember the Y-O skit presentations – the Greek houses would compete for the most off-the-wall skit. At Christmas break, our group (Sig Ep) would meet in KC to cook up a script, take in the Big Eight basketball tournament, and engage in other forms of debauchery. The Meuhlbach Hotel was our base of operations. Pretty fancy digs for a bunch of college kids!
-Steve Hummel ’68
Manhattan, Kansas

Summer 2015
What do you remember most about your first college room or apartment at K-State?

I lived in the new Plaza West apartments out by CiCo Park. My roommate was not only my closest friend at K-State but became my lifetime dearest friend! The K-State experience is unbeatable!
-Joyce Reid ’76
Lebanon, Kansas

In September 1963, I drove from our farm in Lawrence to the gravel parking lot across the street from the K-State football stadium. It was my first look at West Stadium Hall, my new home. I climbed the steps to Room 211, where I met my freshman roommates, Harvey from New York, and the twins from western Kansas, Ken and Jim. There were bunk beds on each side of the door and four desks. It was noisy and congested, but it was all my parents could afford. I was the only roommate to become a sophomore the following year.
-Stan Husted ’67, ’69
Danville, California

Very cold floor since my room was on the second floor over an open arch in West Stadium Hall. Clothes closet was across the narrow hall. Two bunk beds slept four people to a room with two shared desks.
-Samuel Beckman ’67
Osage Beach, Missouri

Smurthwaite housed only 64 gals. There were four people in each room, but it did not feel crowded, because there was a divider in the middle of the room, which doubled as our four desks, back to back, two on each side, with two bunk beds, dressers and closets on each side. At the opposite end of the room from the doorway was a nice window and a window seat, which we shared. There was one telephone at the end of the hall, and anytime the phone rang, we all craned our ears to find out who it was for.
-Alice Seybert Montemurro ’68
Lake Delton, Wisconsin

After I returned from Vietnam (U.S. Army) I went to JCCC [Johnson County Community College] for a year then transferred to K-State. I had all of the “group living” I could handle for a while! I knew I could cook better for myself than I received from the Army. I rented an apartment at 1521 Leavenworth from Sevekal Master ’72. He and his family were great people. I would walk to Calvin Hall (business major) or ride my 10-speed. I had some other great guys renting apartments in the same house: Brad Dietz, Dave and Dan Groff and Doug Pederson . It was a great time and I loved being at K-State!
-Retired Lt. Col. Larry McCarthy ’76
Overland Park, Kansas

Room 122 in Van Zile Hall was my home for three of my four years at K-State. Gloria Johnston White was my roommate for two and a half of those years. We bought matching bedspreads and a plastic drape for the window and began a lifelong friendship.
-Eleanor Herr Miller ’54, ’59
Topeka, Kansas

My first room at K-State was in Van Zile Hall and was to house two students but we had three of us in the room because of lack of housing for students. A little crowded, but we managed somehow. The most memorial event was watching the "The Barn"/Auditorium burn from our window.
-Sharon Blasdel Jordan ’66
Glen Elder, Kansas

My roommate and I had to put aluminum foil on the TV antennas to be able to get the only channel available to us – channel 13 from Topeka. And we were grateful for that because The Young and Restless was on that station, and no self-respecting 18-year-old dorm resident missed The Y&R. At 11 every morning the Y&R music could be heard on every floor in Ford; at 11:29, there was mass exodus to Derby for lunch. When our children started at K-State many years later, they had to choose which cable package they wanted and could DVR whatever they chose.
-Shari Jackson VanLerberg ’77
Shawnee, Kansas

Matt Warner walking on his slack line outside of my window in Boyd Hall
-Michaela Muck ’08
College Station, Texas

The paint was institutional lime green, phone in the room and not a lot of storage. The first few weeks everyone met each other in the bathroom and then the room doors opened to new friends.
-Sharon Bairow-Riffey’77
Wamego, Kansas

My roommate and I shared the tiniest room in Putnam Hall our freshman year. I do mean really tiny. Way too many people would pack into this space for good times. It might have had to do with all the nonperishable food my grandfather would keep us stocked up on. Canned Vienna sausages were a favorite. My closet was more a pantry than storage for clothes. A wonderful memory.
-Carmaline Carmony Spurrier ’75
Deerfield, Illinois

All of my college housing was in the basement of various residents of Manhattan. My landlady for the first two years was Dr. Mary Harman of the Zoology Department. She cleared one shelf of her refrigerator for me to keep food and I cooked on an electric hot plate in my room. When the weather became cool, mice came inside for the winter. I never did tell her about the mouse that died in the mattress where I slept.
-Ida Harlene Bower Buchanan ‘51
Gaithersburg, Maryland

Returning veterans swelled the 5,000 plus student enrollment and private homes were arranged when I enrolled at K-State in 1948. I was assigned a house on Poyntz with five other women. Walking to the campus or carrying groceries across the park in all kinds of weather was brutal.
Fate was kindly prompt and a room at Van Zile Hall became available for the spring semester. I remember the stately building, lovely living room and sweep of windows in the dining area where we could see the college from in the distance, and my silver spoon with Van Zile engraved on it when I graduated, and the two Oscars I won for acting, and a fighter pilot I met and married.
-Julia Ruth Henry Bogart ‘52
Wichita, KS

Spring 2015
What do you miss most about K-State?

I miss crossing campus in the evenings on my way to and from the Library. Never did the campus look lovelier than in the moonlight with either fallen leaves or falling snowflakes! Never was studying more rewarding!
- Gale West '79
Levis, Québec, Canada

Walking through campus on a cool crisp fall day, smelling the leaves and running into friends at the Union.
- Heather Stewart Hall ’90
Kansas City, Missouri

Old limestone, creaky wooden floors, hidey-holes in Seaton and Fairchild, tree-lined walks, the smell of the stacks.
- Sonya Wimmer Gaches ’85
Tempe, Arizona

Standing in line to get a good seat at Ahearn, campus in the fall, Vern's Donuts, watching soaps in the little corner of the Union (no DVR to record back then).
- Ann Collins Schoen ’76, ’90
Downs, Kansas

The Rose Garden and campus walks at night.
- Jeff Reinert ’71, ’90
Garden City, Kansas

Winter 2014
What, if anything, would you do differently if you could revisit your college days?

I would not have done anything differently. I enjoyed my time at K-State because it gave me the foundation I needed and friends for a lifetime!
-Stacy Yeager Huddleston ’98
Kansas City, Kansas

I wouldn't do a lot different, but I would have had a completely different attitude. Instead of focusing on the moment I could leave Kansas State and get on with my life, I would have enjoyed the moments of being a student.
-Kevin Mark ’79, ’82
Midvale, Utah

Maybe studied a little more my freshman year. Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing. I was very lucky and landed at Bessie B. West, 4-B and have wonderful friends for life!
-Carolyn Thompson Van Petten ’76
St. Paul, Minnesota

I'd probably play a little less bridge and study a little more!
-Martha Finney Bross ’58
Independence, Kansas

Taken time to appreciate every day a little more ... every class a little more ... gotten more involved. Even so, K-State changed my life, and I will always be thankful!
-Stephani Johns-Hines ’91
Derby, Kansas

I worked hard on my courses [but] could have worked more on calculus, engineering and physics. No excuses — quite happy with post-KSU career.
-Carl Eisenhauer ’78
Chesterfield, Missouri

Go to more games! Spent so much time in Seaton Hall.
-Jennifer Yard ’98
San Antonio, Texas

Buy football season tickets assuming this time I go back with some money in my pocket. Go Wildcats.
-Vinit Gupta ’02
Little Rock, Arkansas

I would have tried out for the rowing team. But I am so appreciative of the mentors I had, the lifetime friends I made and what I learned that has carried me through to this day.
-Susan E. Hill Williams ’79
Sagamore Hills, Ohio

I would have gotten more involved with groups.
-Wanda Esping ’81,’82
Rock Island, Illinois

Fall 2014
What gameday ritual do you have?

I have to get my car washed on my way to the game. While it's getting washed I'll crank the music up and really get focused on the game. It's one of many gameday superstitions, but probably the most important. That applies to all football games, home and away (I have washed rental cars and washed mine before going to a buddy’s house to watch the game), but I will wash it before big games in any sport, so there have been pregame car washes before men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball.
-Nate Warren ’11
Ruston, Louisiana

K-State Fight Song, Wabash Cannonball.
-Jeff Reinert ’71, ’90
Garden City, Kansas

Walking from Laramie all the way to the Bill [Snyder Family Stadium] with my friends and stopping at other friends’ houses on the way. Best times ever.
-Katie Lenhausen Huckabee ’12
Kansas City, Kansas

I have to be in my seat at least 45 minutes before kickoff.
-Greg Mann ’75
Norton, Kansas

At each home football game, 30 to 60 friends and family members gather to celebrate birthdays, the reuniting of old friendships, births of new fourth-generation future Wildcats and, of course, to cheer on the ’Cats! The KSU Cat Family email goes out the week prior with the meal theme. We have a small but quaint little bus and a generator, Crock-Pots, grills and a picnic table make us tailgate worthy! From lasagna to enchiladas, chili soup to baked potatoes with toppers, or burgers/brats, we come to celebrate our love of the KSU family!
-Vickie Mumma James ’76 and John James ’75, ’76
Dighton, Kansas

Summer 2014
What was your favorite place to eat on campus or in town?

The Student Inn, which was off campus. As a “poor” engineering student attending college, this place was a blessing! I could afford a week of healthy meals and still afford to go to college. A couple who lived near Aggieville ran it out of their basement. Only students could eat there, and student workers prepared the food. I ate every weekday meal there for four years (1959-1964). Food: One serving of meat, all the vegetables and bread you could eat. Cost: $10 for 15 meals — three per day, five days a week.
-Marlin D. Breer
Wichita, Kan.

The Little Grill. It's not technically "in town," but the food is always excellent, and sometimes they even have live music.
-Jenny Robertson ’08
Manhattan, Kan.

Renyards West (site of current McDonald's). Great sandwiches and even better selection of about a dozen homemade pies!
-Steven Fisher ’71, ’77
Manhattan, Kan.

Hibachi Hut was the best when we were in school!
-Sharon Musil Foust ’81
Minneapolis, Kan.

My husband and I used to LOVE to go to a little "mom-and-pop" sub shop on Seth Child called Subs and Such. Best subs and the friendliest couple.
-Amy Waldman Brooks ’91
Quinter, Kan.

Hibachi Hut without a doubt. The Ice Cream Social in the new Westloop mall was tasty, too. Oh, the good ol’ days!
-Jeff Stephens ’82
Pittsburg, Kan.

I was fond of eating in the Student Union cafeteria and Scheu's Café on Poyntz Avenue, which closed before I graduated.
-James Kent ’72, ’73
Duncanville, Texas

Spring 2014
How do you decorate your home, office, vehicle, etc., to show your K-State spirit?

My son, Carter Olson, is a junior in marketing and works for K-State Athletics in the fan experience and sales division. Recently, my husband and I purchased a rental home where he and some of his friends live. I painted the dining room purple and wallpapered it with posters for all the athletic teams, copies of Powercat Illustrated, old and new pictures of Aggieville and several K-Stater covers and articles covering a variety of topics, including the timeline of K-State’s 150 years from the spring 2013 magazine. I received my bachelor’s degree in fine arts from K-State in 1983 and feel it’s important to have all areas of college life covered. When the room is totally done I may name it “The State Room” when I sign it.
-Chris Exline Olson ’83
Wamego, Kan.

My classroom at Central Plains Middle School in Bushton, Kan., has a definite K- State theme. I have collected and displayed this assortment for many years, and it has moved with me every time I have changed classrooms!
-Susan Luebbers Weber ’74
Hoisington, Kan.

When I finished our basement in our home, my wife suggested I make the downstairs bathroom a KSU theme. She supplied a K-State shower curtain, purple embroidered bath towels, purpled floor mats, purple soap dispenser, cups, and banner. Our foreign exchange student got in the act by supplying a KSU toilet seat. Later came border trim around the edges.
The project grew into the main room of the downstairs with a magnetic dart board, stuffed K-State animals, a blanket throw with many souvenir cups and glasses over the years. Next to our desk is a 1997 KSU basketball poster that shows us setting in the stands in our purple behind then KSU basketball coach Tom Asbury pacing the sidelines.
-Don DeWerff ’76, ’90
Lyons, Kan.

Winter 2013
What has been the biggest change at K-State since you were a student?

Technology is the change that has benefited students most. The students no longer have to stand in line to pull punched computer cards for each class during enrollment. They no longer have long nights waiting for an available key punch machine to make changes to their decks of program code. They no longer have to expose their “nerdiness” with a 12-inch slide rule clipped to their belts on the way to a physics exam. Not having to make collect calls to your parents on a rotary phone in a booth down the hall is a plus, also.
-Don Daniels ’74
Topeka, Kan.

Everything! 2,000 students – we all said “hi” and made friends. Campus was a short hike from one building to the next. Enrollment fee was $50 a semester. We worked for board and room. Football games – we never won! Girls wore hat and gloves to cheer from the stands. Professors knew us and were friendly advisers anytime. President Eisenhower called us by first name (even though we picketed him!) Only basketball hasn’t changed – we won!
-Margaret Pixley James ’48
Liberty, Mo.

Recently, my husband and I visited the campus and I was amazed at how tall and big the trees were, compared to when I was a student at K-State in the mid to late ’70s. Apparently, they have been well cared for by K-State's horticulture department/grounds keepers.
-Michele Cochran Reese ’79
Auburn, Kan.

There is so much more technology today. When I started at K-State, I was the oddball with my own computer and cellphone. I didn't have email or Internet access until my junior year, and that was through a dial-up modem! I could only dream of somehow sending a message to my sorority sisters to get a ride home from campus. Today's students can use text, tweet, Snapchat and I'm sure other tools I haven't found yet.
-Janelle Seck Dana ’96
Overland Park, Kan.

FUN football games because of the GAME!
-Paula Swann ’87
McKinney, Texas

It’s hard not to associate K-State with the city of Manhattan, which to me has seen the biggest change. Manhattan’s transformation from sleepy college town to robust regional center of economic activity has been remarkable. The influx of national brands, downtown’s revitalization, jet service at Manhattan Regional Airport and the K-18 expansion has increased Manhattan’s visibility in the state to levels I thought unimaginable a decade ago. And this doesn’t take into account changes at the university, which are also remarkable, including NBAF, Bill Snyder Family Stadium, K-State Student Union parking garage and the updating of Jardine Apartments and other off-campus housing.
-Mike Shepherd ’01
Wichita, Kan.

As an English major for both degrees, I was in Denison often. My first office as a grad student was in Denison, as well. I know the library has beautiful landscaping where Denison used to be and I love walking there. For sentimental reasons, I do miss Denison, however.
-Carol Russell ’90, ’02
Abilene, Kan.

Bill Snyder for certain, and the enthusiasm for football! The parking lot south of the Union! I believe every new building (Alumni Association, for sure!) has been planned to fit and enhance the beauty of the campus. EMAW! Could not be more proud!
-Nancy Giesch Ingram ’76
Olathe, Kan.

The expansion of the buildings on campus and of course the use of technology. I worked as a student aid in the computing center in the basement of the Physical Science building, where only those authorized and wearing protective shoe covering, etc., to enter the room that contained the main frame that did not have the capacity of the laptop I am using now! Going back to get my master's in 2000-2001 was sure different just as it is today.
-Shirley Ford Symns ’69, ’01
Atchison, Kan.

The biggest change since I was a student is definitely the upgrade to the West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. I took part in a few football games there while I was a student, and my dream is to take my daughter to watch K-State football there before she is a Wildcat herself!
-Jennifer Toews Conner ’09
Wagoner, Okla.

The way students dress to attend class and events in this day and age! When I was on campus the girls wore dresses and the guys were always dressed in nice jeans/slacks and shirts tucked in!
-Sondra Dorsch Bracelin ’66
St. Francis, Kan.

Football games -- attendance, wins and the display of purple pride! When I was at K-State we cheered like we had won the game if we got a first down. But we still went to games!
-Cindy Sommer Martens ’79
Overland Park, Kan.

Since 1980? Me! But I love the new/old library. Great job, K-State.
-Kathy Gromer ’80, ’81
St. Paul, Minn.

The changes from the old Farrell library.
-Victor Moss ’71
Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Attitude is the biggest change I see at K-State since my undergraduate days. The years between 1961 and 1966 were pretty lean as far as football game victories go. In those days we expected the team to do their best but we were pretty used to coming in second. Now all that has changed. We expect our Wildcats to win and most often are surprised when they don’t. The one this that has not changed is Manhattan. It still is a beautiful city and I always look forward to my trips back to K-State and the Little Apple.
-Mike Dumiak ’66
Sumter, South Carolina

Fall 2013
What do you remember most about your first day on campus?

My K-State career had a not-exactly-auspicious start in late August 1978: I broke my right ankle playing one-on-one pickup basketball at Ahearn Field House, which meant I couldn’t drive, couldn’t work and had to rely on friends to take me to and from campus. However, three good things resulted: my basketball opponent didn’t score on me; I learned firsthand how kind and generous K-Staters are; and because I could do nothing but study, I compiled a 3.5 grade point average for the semester. It was a blessed break.
-Raymond “Ray” Schaefer ’82
Maysville, Ky.

My roommate (a high school friend) and I were standing in front of Nichols Gym wondering why our schedules showed this as the location for our water safety class. Nichols was still a shell in 1973 and the storm cellar doors were overgrown with ivy. My dad (Charles Rathert ’54) had sat in the rafters at Nichols for basketball games. I knew the history. Some young man finally redirected us to the natatorium. We missed the first day of class.
-Susan Rathert-Todd ’77, ’10
Manhattan, Kan.

Learning my social security number.
-Ann Woodyard ’82, ’10
Athens, Ga.

I remember thinking, “Yikes! This place is big! I hope I don’t get lost! Please, God, just get me from Ford to McCain without making a fool of myself.”
-Kristi Baker ’79, ’84
Topeka, Kan.

Standing in line, in the August heat, in Ahearn, waiting to get my schedule. Suddenly the horizontal stripes on the guy in front of me started waving up and down. It was so hot that I fainted. I received all kinds of special attention and a ride back to the dorm from campus police.
-Tara McDonald Schmanke ’85
Alma, Kan.

I met my husband sitting on the front porch of Ford Hall on my first day on campus. We have been married 43 years! Terrie Gettino Shawnee, Kan. I remember getting out my map to figure out where I was going. I realized later how comical that probably looked to upperclassmen. I also remember thinking there were a lot of people on campus (and I graduated from high school with 600 people in my class) and wondering what people from small high schools were thinking.
-Kim Myles Burchstead ’81
Overland Park, Kan.

What I remember most about my first day on campus is walking into the band room in McCain on the first day of Band Camp ... I sat next to Drew (now my husband), and we had a memorable conversation about names, before Dr. Tracz got into the music and marching – oh, and it was SO hot! Drew was the first person I met at K-State and we shared our entire college experience together! Here we are 10 years later ... We just celebrated our fifth anniversary and have two beautiful children. K-State definitely holds a special place in our hearts!
-Stacy Velleca ’08
Olathe, Kan.

Summer 2013
What was the best piece of advice you received at K-State?

Best advice came in classes in both journalism and then the Institute of Citizenship. It was "Question authority!"— and I deeply hope it's still being taught.
-Ann Thackrey Berry '51
Raleigh, N.C.

"To be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late. To be late is to be left." - Frank Tracz before any band trip we ever took!
-Katie Eads Bussard '08
Manhattan, Kan.

There are no calories in a cup of coffee.
-Rena Hartzler Armatas '53
La Quinta, Calif.

Study abroad! Now I live in Prague, have a Czech wife, a little boy and am expecting another. I also travel around Europe for work and go to the Alps to ski, along with supporting the ’Cats from across the pond!
-Clint Meyer '06
Prague, Czech Republic

Going to school is the easiest thing you will ever do.
-Greg Mann '75
Norton, Kan.

Ruth Hoeflin, my K-State advisor, encouraged me to finish my MS. Barry Finchbaugh advised me to purchase a section of pasture land. I took both suggestions. No regrets! Best advice for my life.
-Gayla S. Peacock-Moeckel ’78
Sylvia, Kan.

The best advice I received at K-State came from long time Voice of the Wildcats Dev Nelson, who in my freshman year of broadcasting from Ahearn Field House told me that the radio sports listener wants to hear only three things: the score, time and position of the ball on the court or field. Anything else is needless fluff. I have used it on every sports play-by-play game during my career for the last 47 years.
-Bill Stallard '70
Wamego, Kansas

You are going to work your entire life, there's no need to rush through school only to start working a year early.
-DeeAnn Turpin '13
Leavenworth, Kan.

Spring 2013
What is your favorite K-State tradition?

In August, Willie the Wildcat and the K-State Marching Band would perform in Aggieville. This was the mark of band camp ending and a new school year beginning. So much anticipation, enthusiasm, pride in the air.
-Mardell Maxwell ’09
Lincoln, Neb.

Jogging on the K-State campus.
-Dolores Marroquin ’91, ’92
Manhattan, Kan.

I was in the marching band throughout college. Playing the Wabash Cannonball during the football pre-game was such a memorable experience because you were on the field watching the crowd’s excited reaction to such a great K-State tradition. It was wild!
-Dana Avery ’12
Topeka, Kan.

My roommate and friends from West Hall would dress up on Sunday for church and then eat in the Gold Room at the Derby Dining Center.
-Lisa Ann Nobert Sjogren ’86 ’92
El Dorado, Kansas

Going to Swannies for a backdoor doughnut run, and taking a study break at Vista for a cup of french fries and a malt.
-Terry Chartier ’86
Ottawa, Kan.

The spring bed races — I loved decorating the metal bed frames and having the race through the streets of the campus with people being pushed and the crowd yelling their support.
-Ginny Campbell ’75
Leawood, Kan.

The mini loaves in the Union. It may not seem like a tradition, but when you’re from as far away as I am, that daily dose of bread was how I knew I was on campus. I have yet to meet anyone from any other university that has those blessed loaves!
-Tressa Rae Heffronn ’01
Athens, Pa.

I liked the whistle that was at the power plant. You could hear it all over town. In the days before ubiquitous clocks, it announced the hour at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. (if I remember right). Some of the barracks residents across the street — this was a really long time ago, before Jardine Apartments were built — complained about the noise and the university shut it down. Big mistake.
-Diane Dufva Quantic ’62, ’66, ’71
Derby, Kan.

Chanting “K-S-U Wildcats” after a Wildcat touchdown!
-Jenny Shepherd Crosse ’01
Wichita, Kan.

The Kansas State Rodeo!
-Karla Johnson ’00
Manhattan, Kan.

K-Stater Magazine