Emporia State honors distinguished alumni and their spouses

At a luncheon hosted this semester by interim President Jackie Vietti and attended by other university administrators, Emporia State University honored two employees and spouses for their generosity and long-time support of the university.

The luncheon honored Dr. H. Edward “Ed” Flentje and wife, Marla, of Wichita. Flentje is a former interim president of the university. Also honored were Dennis Hanson of El Dorado and, posthumously, his wife Ardis, who died Aug. 7.

“It was doubly gratifying to be able to show our appreciation to Dennis Hanson and to honor Ardis’ memory here at Emporia State,” Vietti said. “Their generosity and enthusiasm for education is remarkable, and is compounded by their support of two institutions of higher learning.”

Hanson graduated from Emporia State University in 1959 with a bachelor of science in business accounting. His son and daughter-in-law both graduated from the university as well.

Flentje received his bachelor of science degree in education in mathematics in 1964 and his been involved with the university in some way or another ever since. He created the Flentje Endowed Scholarship to sustain and help build the university. The fund gives scholarships to students majoring in political science.