The McPherson College Citation of Merit award recipients exemplify the mission of Service, Scholarship, and Participation through their life-long commitment to the values they developed as students at the college. This year’s recipients were honored at a dinner March 2 at 6:30 p.m. in Mingenback Theatre. Citation of Merit awards were presented to Paul Ediger ’63, Glenn Walker ’68, and Bob ‘78 and Susan (Boehle ‘78) McKellip.
The McPherson College Citation of Merit, the college’s highest award, is given to the college’s most distinguished alumni for lifetime accomplishments in service to profession, community, church, and to McPherson College. The recipients are recommended by the Alumni Awards Committee and approved by the College Board of Trustees.
Paul Ediger ’63
Paul’s commitment to church, community, and college is evident in his more than 50 years of service for each, at times working quietly behind the scenes on numerous fund raising campaigns and other volunteer efforts. Following his graduation, Paul began his work in banking as an examiner with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and in 1967 he began his 50-year association with Home State Bank starting as assistant vice president and named president in 1990. He was recognized by the Kansas Bankers Association as one of just a few of its 50-year members.
He and his wife, Veneta, have been members of the First Presbyterian Church for more than 60 years. Paul has served in virtually every position of the local church and has held several positions in the church’s state organizations. In addition to serving the McPherson community through his banking role, Paul is a long-time member and past president of the Rotary Club. He has served in various roles with the Chamber of Commerce, the McPherson Main Street Committee, the McPherson City Center Committee and the South Central Kansas Medical Education Center. Paul also served on the board and finance committee of The Cedars. While raising their three children, he was also very engaged with his children’s activities and served in leadership roles in 4-H and Boy Scouts.
While a student at McPherson College, Paul began his long commitment to supporting it with his first donation of $25, or the equivalent of $200 today. Paul and Veneta have continued their financial support of the college since that time. In addition, he has served the college as co-chair of the local business campaign on several occasions, served on the alumni board, and served two terms on the board of trustees. His financial expertise was greatly appreciated as he chaired the finance committee, the endowment and investment committee and served on the executive committee.
Glenn Walker ‘68
Glenn is a true teacher and leader whose service has directed him in learning and working with people around the world. He spent the first 22 years of his career teaching social studies, and nine years as a high school principal. In 1975 Glenn earned a Master of Science degree in history and in 2000 completed requirements for an Educational Doctorate in Teaching and Leadership at the University of Kansas. He pursued additional graduate studies at Duke University, University of New York, Penn State, and several other institutions. Following retirement from public education, he headed the secondary education program at Bethany College, Lindsborg, for five years. He is the recipient of two Fulbright Fellowships, has studied in Pakistan, India and Russia and led teams to the Soviet Union for four years as the state chairman of the People to People Initiative for Understanding.
His service to McPherson College is another example of his commitment to learning. He has his wife, Barbara, recently established the Glenn and Barbara Walker Scholarship, a restricted fund at McPherson College, with special consideration given to non-traditional junior or senior students in good academic standing. He has also been a speaker for the campus teacher education club on what it takes to be a successful teacher. His honors and involvement in support of education are many. He is a recipient of the Coe Fellow and a Milken National Educator award. He also worked on state and national advisory teams including a state curriculum development team, the National Education Commission on Time and Learning, and the national ASCD accreditation team for three years.
Glenn and Barbara have been active in the Methodist churches of the communities in which they have lived. Glenn has been a part of Methodist Men, and has served as a trustee, parish-pastor chair, and in other leadership positions. When they lived in Concordia, Glenn was a committee member and county chair of the Cloud County Central Committee which supported two gubernatorial candidates and other local officials. Service clubs have included Lions Club and Rotary International which granted him a Rotary International Fellowship to Lesotho and South Africa.
Continuing their passion for education, Glenn and Barbara established two endowed scholarships for Ell-Saline high school seniors, one for a college-track student, the other for vocational technical education.
Since 2006, Glenn has been ranching and working in rangeland management and in 2013 received the Kansas Wildlife Federation Farm/Ranch state conversation award.
Bob ’78 and Susan (Boehle ’78) McKellip
Bob and Susan receive the Citation of Merit award as a couple because much of their professional, church, and community work has center around their 39 years of farming together. Bob started the Nampa, Idaho farming operation in 1979 raising peppermint, spearmint, sugar beets, wheat and vegetable seed crops. The farm evolved through the years and is currently operating a custom mint still, and raising peppermint, sod, and wheat. Susan worked at a furniture store in Boise after graduating from college, where she used her interior design degree. She transitioned to running the farm office and raising their two children. She also oversees 12-15 employees, several of whom have worked for the family between 20 and 30 years.
Bob serves on local and state boards supporting agriculture and the mint industry in particular. Bob is on the Idaho Mint Commission which is a self-governing agency of the State of Idaho that is concerned with research, market development, promotion and education. Bob also serves as President of the Board of the Idaho Mint Growers Association which is involved in all legislative matters that pertain to mint. At the national level, he is on the Mint Industry Research Council that funds research and promotion for peppermint and spearmint. At the local level he has served as President of the Country Man’s Club, an agricultural civic club. And, he is currently a supervisor on the Canyon Soil Conservation District which works to assist agricultural producers, rural landowners and municipalities with conservation of the county’s soil and water resources.
Susan supports agriculture on the state and national level by serving on the Idaho Women for Agriculture board, but has also been involved in Love, Inc., a Christian non-profit ministry, where she stages furniture in their thrift shop and was a 4-H leader for 20 years. Susan, as well as Bob, served as board members at the Nampa Church of the Brethren, as well as teaching Sunday School and serving on Women’s Fellowship. Bob and Susan presently attend and are active at the Ten Mile Christian Church.
Susan served McPherson College as the Class of 1978 alumni representative for several years. And, in addition to their financial support of each campaign and serving as area leaders for national campaigns, their most significant to date service to McPherson College has been sending their two children, Laina and Nick, to McPherson, where Laina graduated in 2003 with a major in communication and a minor in art, and Nick graduated in 2007 with a major in computer science and a minor in art.