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University of Nebraska at Kearney to honor alumni during homecoming festivities

KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney Alumni Association will honor alumni award recipients during the University of Nebraska at Kearney homecoming festivities scheduled for Oct. 11-12.

The 2024 UNK Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Awards will go to Myron Andersen (1972), Cathy (Juelfs) Knutsen (1976) and Sue (Feaster) Wilcoxson (1971). The Jim Rundstrom Distinguished Alumni Service Award recipient is Terry Lewis (1978), the Distinguished International Alumna Award recipient is Lina (Traslaviña) Stover, Ph.D., (2004) and the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award will go to Brandon Beebout, DVM, (2010).

Patsy Koch Johns has been selected as the 2024 UNK College of Education Distinguished Educator of the Year. Bill Albin has been selected as the 2024 UNK College of Business and Technology Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. And Kory Reeder, Ph.D., has been selected as the 2024 UNK Gary Thomas Distinguished Music Alumnus Award recipient.

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In addition, Abby (Roland) Sekle has been selected as the 2024 Dr. Donald E. Fox Distinguished Chemistry Alumna. Sekle will give a lecture on Friday, Oct. 11, at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, in Copeland Hall, Room 131. The lecture is open to the public.

The 44th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards will be given out during a luncheon set for 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, in the Gala Room in the Regional Engagement Center, 2204 University Drive, Kearney. Tickets are $25 per person ($30 starting Sept. 30), $15 for children ages 12 and younger, and can be purchased until Oct. 2 at unkalumni.org/homecoming or by calling the UNK Alumni Association at 308-698-5271.

The Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, in the Gala Room in the Regional Engagement Center with a social hour. A dinner follows at 6:15 p.m. when five former student-athletes will be inducted into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame. To purchase a ticket for the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet, visit unkalumni.org/homecoming by Oct. 2. Tickets are $35 per person ($40 starting Sept. 30), $15 for children ages 12 and younger. Information on the inductees is available at lopers.com.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, the day kicks off with the annual homecoming parade at 10 a.m. in downtown Kearney. Following the parade, alumni and community members are invited to attend the free Loper Alumni Tailgate, at Cope Stadium near Mantor Hall starting at noon. The tailgate area is open until the 2 p.m. UNK football game kickoff against Pittsburg State.

To purchase tickets and see a complete list of weekend activities, visit unkalumni.org/homecoming or contact the UNK Alumni Association at 308-698-5271.

Additional alumni award recipients will be announced throughout the next two weeks.

The UNK Alumni Association provides opportunities for more than 57,000 graduates of the University of Nebraska at Kearney to connect with UNK and fellow alumni. Resources and opportunities for alumni can be found at unkalumni.org and therange.unkalumni.org.

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Myron Andersen.jpg

Myron Andersen

Myron Andersen worked in construction while attending and following graduation from Kearney State College before establishing Payless Building Center in Kearney in 1977. Since then, the company rebranded to Builders and has grown to include locations in Grand Island and Denver with more than 400 employees and customers from across the United States. Builders currently ranks 44th largest in its national sector. Andersen retired from Builders in 2023 and continues to serve as the chairman of the board.

He has served on the board of directors for Do It Best Corp. and Our Own Hardware. Andersen has received numerous honors for his leadership in the industry, including the Golden Hammer Award and Prolumber Dealer recognition. He is a dedicated volunteer for various local committees and groups, including serving on the Kearney Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors.

Andersen is a Broken Bow native and Broken Bow High School graduate. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a political science minor from Kearney State College in 1972.

Cathy (Juelfs) Knutsen (1976)

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Cathy Knutsen

Cathy Knutsen has spent the past 17 years with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, where she is a senior director of federal government sales and operations. Her career in laboratory equipment sales started in 1989 with Dupont then Dade Behring. Knutsen spent her early years at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney as a medical technologist.

Knutsen is a recipient of the Siemens President’s Award and is a member of the Clinical Laboratory Management Association. She has served as co-president of the UNK Southern California Alumni Association and is an active member of numerous local boards and committees

Knutsen, a Potter native and Potter High School graduate, resides in Huntington Beach, California. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology with a minor in chemistry from Kearney State College in 1976. Knutsen also holds a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

Sue (Feaster) Wilcoxson (1971)

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Sue Wilcoxson

Sue Wilcoxson of Fremont, now retired, spent her career as a dedicated physical education teacher, coach and administrator at Fremont High School.

During her time at FHS, she served as the head volleyball and track coach, assistant activities director and sponsored and coached multiple teams and organizations. She coached her teams to the 1973 Class A State Volleyball Championship, and 1985 and 1986 Girl’s State Track Runner-Up titles.

Wilcoxson has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2023 National High School Athletic Coaches Association Distinguished Service Award, Nebraska School Activities Association’s Pioneer in Nebraska Girl’s Sports Coach, and the 2023 Nebraska Coaches Association Friend of High School Sports Award for Outstanding Service to Nebraska High School Sports.

She is a Nebraska high school volleyball official and state track event director, an active Fremont community volunteer and serves as the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame president.

The Grand Island native and Grand Island High School graduate earned her degree in physical education in 1971 from Kearney State College. She also holds a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Jim Rundstrom Distinguished Alumni Service Award

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Terry Lewis

Terry Lewis of Sun Lakes, Arizona, has been a long-time volunteer for the UNK Alumni Association.

His undergraduate experiences in Kearney prompted his volunteer efforts in support of his communities and to be a champion for UNK. Lewis has been a dedicated UNK Alumni Association volunteer for many years, assisting with association events and hosting events in his home and the Phoenix area.

He is also a volunteer for the Tempe Chamber of Commerce and the Tempe Diablos and has served as the chairman for the Ambassadors. In 2012, Lewis was named an admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska.

Lewis, a Broken Bow, native and Broken Bow High School graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with minors in marketing and sales from Kearney State College in 1978. Following his KSC graduation, Lewis returned to Broken Bow to work for the local lumber yard and hardware store before moving to Arizona in 1986. He and his wife, Jill, have owned and operated Samurai Shear Works, a haircutting shear sharpening and repair business, since 1989.

Distinguished Young Alumnus Award

Brandon Beebout, DVM (2010)

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Brandon Beebout

Brandon Beebout, DVM, of Kearney, started his veterinary career in Denver, Colorado, as an associate veterinarian. In 2017, he returned to Kearney to work for Hilltop Pet Clinic, a long-standing pet clinic practice that was founded in 1977.

Following the retirement of the owner and veterinarian, Beebout purchased the clinic in 2020, and moved the business to a new location in 2023, opening Beebout Veterinary Medical Center, expanding the services diagnostically as well as surgically, specifically in orthopedic surgery.

Beebout is an Ainsworth High School graduate and Ainsworth native. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology with a health science option from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2010. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, completed his clinical year through the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, and an internship in San Diego.

He is an active member of the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce and volunteers his time with various organizations and educational opportunities in the Kearney area.

Distinguished International Alumna Award

Lina (Traslaviña) Stover, Ph.D. (2004)

Lina Traslaviña Stover Ph.D..jpg

Lina (Traslaviña) Stover

Lina (Traslaviña) Stover, Ph.D., started her career in higher education administration in recruitment and admissions at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

In 2022 she accepted the executive director position with the Heartland Workers Center. The HWC is a non-profit organization devoted to building leadership and civic engagement amongst immigrant and other underserved populations in Nebraska. She oversees programs including a Get Out the Vote campaign, the Health & Safety Training Institute and the Family Leadership Institute. Under Stover’s leadership, the HWC has strengthened Nebraska’s workforce with 567 leaders participating in OSHA trainings, leadership development, language acquisition and literacy education.

Stover is a 2024 Leadership Omaha Class #46 graduate, was selected as an Omaha Jaycees TOYO Ten Outstanding Young Omahans in 2015 and was a United States Hispanic Leadership Conference Voices of Empowerment featured speaker in 2013, amongst many more recognitions.

She is a native of Bogota, Colombia, and resides in Omaha. Stover graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2004 with a double major in business administration and international studies. She also has a Master of Science in urban studies from the University of Nebraska Omaha and a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Dr. Donald E. Fox Distinguished Chemistry Alumna Award

Abby (Roland) Sekle (2004, MS 2015)

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Abby Sekle

Abby Sekle of Omaha, has been a high school science teacher for 20 years, educating students in chemistry, physics and physical science. She is currently a science teacher at Elkhorn North High School and previously taught at Arlington High School and Benson High School.

Sekle’s hands-on and encouraging approach to learning earned her the University of Nebraska-Lincoln impactful teacher recognition and Benson High School Star Teacher of the Year award, both student-nominated recognitions. She is currently the co-coach of the Elkhorn North High School Academic Decathlon team.

The Kearney native and Kearney High School graduate received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry 7-12 and physical education 7-12 in 2004, as well as a Master of Science in science/math education in 2015, both from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

College of Education Distinguished Educator of the Year

Patsy Koch Johns.jpg

Patsy Koch Johns

Patsy Koch Johns, now retired, dedicated more than 40 years to the education of children in Nebraska, Arkansas, Georgia and Missouri.

After starting her teaching and coaching career out of state, Koch Johns returned to Nebraska in 1976 and spent 24 years at Cozad Community School. There she led play production teams to four state championships and four state runners-up awards. In 2000, she began teaching and coaching at Lincoln High School, where her play production students earned five state championships and three state runner-up titles.

Koch Johns’s classroom and extra-curricular efforts were recognized with multiple awards, including the 2006 Nebraska Teacher of the Year, Governor’s Excellence in Arts Education, Time Werner Golden Apple Award, Nebraska State Activities Association Outstanding Service Award, Nebraska Speech Communication and Theatre Association’s John Thurber Distinguished Teacher Award, and the National Federation of Interscholastic School Activities Speech/Theatre Educator Award, amongst many more.

She has served on the Nebraska State Board of Education since 2016, serving two terms as president.

Koch Johns has held leadership positions in the Nebraska Speech Communication and Theatre Association, Nebraska Thespians, Nebraska School Activities Association, Central Nebraska Forensic League, Nebraskans for the Arts, Lincoln Education Association, Cozad Education Association, Nebraska State Education Association, and the Angels Theatre Company. She has also served on numerous boards including the National Federation of High School Activities, the University of Nebraska at Kearney Fine Arts Advisory Board, and the Lincoln Public Schools Foundation.

Koch Johns is a Grand Island native and a Grand Island Central Catholic graduate. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Kearney State College in 1972. She holds a master’s in theatre from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.

College of Business & Technology Distinguished Alumnus

Bill Albin.jpg

Bill Albin

Bill Albin of Elmhurst, Illinois, has had a 33-year career with Deloitte & Touche LLP, where he is a partner.

After graduation, Albin started his career with Deloitte & Touche in Lincoln, moving in 2006 to Deloitte & Touche in Chicago. He works with clients in the financial services industries and is one of Deloitte & Touche’s professional practice directors.

Albin is a member of the UNK College of Business and Technology Dean’s Leadership Council, a trustee for the University of Nebraska Foundation and serves as the treasurer for Gilda’s Club in Chicago. During his time in Lincoln, he graduated from Leadership Lincoln, was a Lincoln Business Journal 40 Under 40 award recipient and was the treasurer for Junior Achievement.

Albin earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with an accounting and finance emphasis from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1990. He is a Guide Rock native and Guide Rock High School graduate.

Gary Thomas Distinguished Music Alumnus

Kory Reeder, Ph.D. (2016)

Kory Reeder

Kory Reeder

Kory Reeder resides in Denton, Texas, where he is a composer and performer of modern classical music.

Reeder’s music is often meditative and atmospheric, investigating ideas of objectivity, place and immediacy, drawing inspiration from the visual arts and political theory. His music has been performed around the world and recognized and awarded internationally. Reeder frequently collaborates with theater, dance and opera programs. His music has been released on Edition Wandelweiser Records, as well as Petrichor Records, Sawyer Editions, Sawyer Spaces, Impulsive Habitat, Another Timbre, kuyin and Full Spectrum Records.

Reeder is the owner of the Sawyer Editions label for contemporary classical music and is a lecturer at Texas A&M University at Commerce as well as the University of Texas at Tyler.

While at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Reeder was a member of various ensembles and was recognized with the music department’s outstanding senior award and the Kearney Symphony Orchestra Award of Excellence. He and fellow classmates formed and performed in a band throughout the United States. His work for the UNK Theatre production of Hecuba was awarded by The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for Achievement in Original Composition Music and Sound Effects.

Reeder is a Kearney native and Kearney High School graduate. He earned a bachelor’s in music performance with an emphasis in composition in 2016 from UNK. He also holds a Master of Music from Bowling Green State University and a Doctorate from the University of North Texas, both in music composition.

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Publish date : 2024-08-25 12:59:00

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