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K-State Today

March 1, 2013

Giving the world to students, couple creates engineering scholarship

Submitted by Marisa Larson

Souvenirs from travels to Belgium, Romania, Chile and Mexico adorn the home of Harry and Elaine Manges in Manhattan.

“I never got to travel as I was growing up,” Harry Manges said. “You learn a lot when you travel internationally.”

Believing that international travel and cultural exchange are important to students getting a well-rounded education, the Harry and Elaine Manges have established the Harry and Elaine Manges Family International Scholarship for students in the department of biological and agricultural engineering in the College of Engineering.

Harry Manges grew up in Rice County in central Kansas before moving to Hutchinson for high school. There he met Elaine and they became high school sweethearts. Harry Manges came to K-State as a freshman in 1945 to study, play football and run track.

“With the teams I got to do some traveling I’d never done before,” he said. The Mangeses were married in 1948, and in 1949 he received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering. After working as an engineer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for seven years, the Mangeses returned to K-State where Harry Manges' research focused on irrigation. He received his master’s degree from K-State and his doctorate from Oklahoma State University. From 1966 until he retired in 1993, Harry Manges taught and did research in agricultural engineering at K-State.

Throughout his career, Harry Manges has been invited to lecture in Europe and South America. He and his wife have visited Mexico several times with Heifer International, working to end hunger and poverty through agriculture. It was these experiences that sparked their interest in a scholarship to support students studying abroad.

“I think it’s great for young people to get out and see the world,” Harry Manges said. “This scholarship will give students the opportunity to experience other countries and cultures.”

Having taught students from all over the world, Harry Manges knows the importance of a global perspective, especially in today’s close-knit world. He and his wife hope their scholarship develops that perspective for K-State students beyond campus borders.