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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Bonnie Lynn-Sherow, 785-532-0778, blynn@kstate.edu
Note to editor: Kelsey Von Leonrod is a graduate of Dighton High School.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

K-STATE STUDENTS TO PRESENT THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY

MANHATTAN -- History students at Kansas State University will present a free public program about former K-State students and faculty and how their triumphs and tragedies have helped make the university what it is today.

The program will be at 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, in the K-State Student Union's Big 12 Room. The 90-minute program, sponsored by the K-State department of history, is open to the public.

Students in the senior history seminar class taught by Bonnie Lynn-Sherow, K-State associate professor of history, chose their topic from materials in the Special Collections at K-State's Hale Library, then used their interpretive skills to bring the story of their school to life.

"Although they walk the same pathways, sit in the same buildings and watch the same trees lose their leaves each fall, students today know little of the generations of K-Staters who have preceded them," Lynn-Sherow said.

"Discovering the real history of Kansas State University can be a challenge -- even for the most ardent Kansas State fan," she said. "The experience of using diaries, letters, yearbooks, photos and personal interviews solidified the connection my students felt to former K-Staters."

For Matt Kersten, senior in history, Omaha, Neb., the story of K-State is a central feature of his own family history. His grandfather, Robert Edgar, served in the Navy during World War II and used the GI Bill to major in business at K-State, then known as Kansas State Agricultural College. Kersten's presentation is "The GI Bill at K-State."

Curiosity pressed Thomas Botzler, senior in history, Manhattan, to discover why there is a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. outside of Ahearn Field House. King is the only non-K-Stater to be honored in this way on campus. Botzler's presentation is "Dr. Martin Luther King Takes a Stand."

Kelsey Von Leonrod, senior in history, Manhattan, interviewed several alumni who had made substantial donations to the school for her presentation, "Wildcats Forever: The Alumni of K-State."

"The people who helped them in college meant so much to them and their futures that they wanted to provide others with the same opportunity," Von Leonrod said. "They were thinking about us."

Lynn-Sherow said she assigned the K-State history project to help her students learn the hands-on skills they will need after graduation as researchers, museum curators, archivists and even filmmakers.

"I'm very impressed with the materials the students unearthed, including never before seen photos and film footage," she said. "Anyone interested in the history of K-State will find these vignettes both moving and fascinating."

Students also presenting K-State history at the program and the topics include:

Rachel "Raieh" Karnowski, senior in history, anthropology and French, Emmett, "Over There: Kansas State Agricultural College During World War II"; Bill Gepford, senior in history and English, Leawood, "Dead Poet Societies."

From Manhattan: Jeff Nelson, graduate student in history, "The Impossible in Glass: The Career of Mitsugi Ohno"; and Rita Weltsch, senior in secondary education-modern languages and history, "Student Rebels in the 1920s."

From Marysville: Brett Landoll, senior in history and geography, "Liquid Lessons: Aggieville and K-State"; and James Smith, senior in political science and history, ""K-State Baseball."