FHSU Alumni Association

The FHSU Alumni Association will add seven graduates to its list of Alumni Award recipients. Members of the 2014 award class come from a wide array of backgrounds including athletics, academia, design, geology, law and marketing, with all representing exemplary service and dedication to their industries, communities and the university. The Alumni Association looks forward to hosting these distinguished individuals and their families during the 2014 Homecoming “Once Upon a Time in Tigerland …” weekend.

The Alumni Achievement Award, established in 1959, is Fort Hays State University’s highest recognition of its graduates, honoring graduates who have made outstanding & unselfish contributions in service to their community, state, or nations as citizens, in chosen career fields, or through philanthropic work. 

Susan (Trout) Armstrong
’71 BA English
Haysville
President/CEO-Armstrong/Shank Advertising Agency
Susan (Trout) Armstrong graduated from FHSU with a B.A. in English in 1971. In addition to being president and CEO of Armstrong Chamberlin Strategic Marketing, she is the account supervisor and strategic planner. Armstrong began her career as a reporter/editor with the The Hays Daily News. She later joined Parkinson, Strong, Prisock Advertising Agency as a writer/continuity director, followed by Stephan Advertising Agency as an account supervisor before she founded her own agency, Armstrong Creative Services, which would later become Armstrong Chamberlin. She is a recipient of numerous advertising awards on the local, national and international levels, including two prestigious EFFIE awards, presented by the New York Marketing Association for advertising effectiveness. She received the Gold Star award presented by the Haysville Chamber of Commerce in 2010, was recognized as one of the “2004 Women in Business” by The Wichita Business Journal and received the Meritorious Achievement Award from the National Agri-Marketing Association in 2004. Armstrong and her husband, Bruce ’71, live in Haysville. They have two sons, Matthew and Zachary, and one grandchild.

Dorothy (Gross) Knoll, Ph.D.
’68 BS Mathematics
’76 MS Counseling & Guidance
Dallas, Texas
Licensed Professional Counselor, Life Coach, Qualified Mediator, State of Texas
Retired, KUMC Dean of Students

Dr. Dorothy (Gross) Knoll received a B.S. in Mathematics in 1968 and an M.S. in Counseling and Guidance in 1976, both from FHSU, as well as her Ph.D. in counseling and student personnel administration from Kansas State University, Manhattan. Now a Licensed Professional Counselor/Life Coach/Qualified Mediator, Knoll spent a vast portion of her career with the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City as Dean of Student Services until her retirement in 2011. Prior, she served FHSU in several capacities including associate dean of students and foreign student advisor and assistant vice president for student affairs. She is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, granted by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Region IV-West; KU Women of Distinction Award; and James J. Rhatigan Outstanding Dean Award to name a few. Knoll and her husband, Joseph Beasley, live in Dallas, Texas. She has two children, a daughter, Dr. Victoria Knoll, and a son, Corbin ’96, and two grandchildren.

Jeffrey Peier ’80 BS Finance
’80 BA Economics
Wichita
Managing Member & Attorney, Klenda, Mitchell, Austerman & Zuercher, LLC

Jeffrey Peier graduated from FHSU with bachelor degrees in finance and economics, both in 1980. He furthered his education at the University of Kansas School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate. Peier is a senior member and managing partner of the Wichita law firm Klenda Austerman LLC, where he has spent his entire legal career. He also serves as a member of Klenda Austerman LLC’s Management Committee. In 2013, Peier received the Wichita Medical Research & Education Foundation “Jiggs” Nelson Quality of Life Award and was named a Kansas Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2006. He has served on the FHSU Foundation board of trustees since 2001, and was named vice chairman of the board in 2013. Additionally, Peier has served on the FHSU College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Dean’s Executive Advisory Council and the Economics, Finance, and Accounting Advisory council since 2005. He is a former member of Alumni Association Board of Directors, and served as board president from 1991-1992. Peier and his wife, Dianne ’81, live in Wichita. They have one son, Grant.

Gene Schmidt
’61 BS Chemistry
’62 MS Chemistry
Tulsa, Okla.
Owner, Groundwater/Soils Environmental Consulting

Gene Schmidt received a B.A. in geology from the University of Missouri, Columbia; a B.S. in analytical chemistry (organic chemistry) and an M.S. in organic chemistry (aqueous chemistry) both from Fort Hays State, in 1961 and 1962, respectively; as well as an M.S. in geochemistry/inorganic and organic (hydrogeochemistry of Gulf Coast Sands & Shales) from the University of Tulsa, Okla.. His career began as a district geologist with Kansas Board of Health’s Oil Field Section, later serving as senior research chemist for Pan American Petroleum. Next, he served as a research associate with Amoco Production Company, followed by director of groundwater/soils management services in the Environmental Affairs and Safety Department of Amoco Corporation, and, finally, senior technical consultant. Upon retirement, he opened Groundwater/Soils (GW/S) Environmental Consulting, in Tulsa, where he currently specializes in hydrocarbon contamination of groundwater and soils and petroleum hydrocarbon fingerprinting and age dating. Schmidt has given more than 100 expert testimonies or depositions in court cases, and has experience in more than 5,000 petroleum-related investigations with clients in the United States, Caribbean, and Europe, among others. He has authored more than 40 publications and holds a U.S. patent for a method of using dissolved hydrocarbons to prospect for petroleum. Schmidt and his wife, Thelma, reside in Tulsa, Okla. He has three sons, Gary, Timothy and Terry (deceased) and eight grandchildren.

The Young Alumni Award is granted to graduates of 10- through 15-year reunion classes to recognize those early in their career for significant business or professional accomplishments, or for service to the university and the Alumni Association.

Justin McClure
’00, BFA Art
Wichita
Owner and Executive Creative Director, Justin McClure Creative
Owner, Duct Tape & Glitter

Justin McClure graduated from FHSU in 2000 with a B.F.A. in art and immediately went to work for Leo Burnett, Chicago, ranked one of the top 10 advertising agencies worldwide. He has also been a lead designer and animator for CMT/MTV Networks in Nashville and started an in-house motion graphics department at Barkley Advertising, Kansas City. Today, he is the owner and executive creative director at Justin McClure Creative, which he founded in 2008. Located in Wichita, the studio specializes in motion design, broadcast animation, video production and new media technologies. McClure’s portfolio includes work from national television networks ABC, CMT, the Discovery Channel, Disney, National Geographic and Syfy. He has also worked for national consumer brands American Airlines, Beechcraft, Cessna, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Dell, MLB, NFL, Old Navy, Sonic, Sprint and Whole Foods. His work with these clients, as well as being the creator of Rerendered.com, a company that was purchased by Envato, Melbourne, Australia, and now boasts over 4 million users, has led him to become one of the most recognized motion design artists in the industry. Recognitions include awards from the Graphex 41 Competition, PromaxBDA, Telly Awards, Omni Awards, ADDY and the 2010 Wichita ADDY’s Rising Star award. McClure and his wife, Shelly, have two sons, Bradyn and Charlie, and two daughters, Madelyn and Liliann. They live in Wichita.

The Nita M. Landrum Award recognizes alumni or friends who have provided sustained volunteer service for the betterment of the Alumni Assoc &/or FHSU, especially in their home communities or at any local levels.

Patricia “Patty” (Rhoades) Baconrind, Ph.D.
’93 MS Communication
Hays
Certified General Appraiser, Baconrind Appraising Services Inc.
President, Center for Professional Betterment, Inc.

Dr. Patricia (Rhoades) Baconrind earned a B.B.A. in business education from Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb., an M.B.A. in business from the University of Nebraska-Kearney; an M.A. in communication from FHSU in 1993; and a Ph.D. in community and human resources from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She is a certified general appraiser and owner of Baconrind Appraising Services Inc. and president of the Center for Professional Betterment Inc. She served as assistant professor of business administration at FHSU, beginning in 1976, and was promoted to associate professor in fall of 1981 until 1995. Since then, Baconrind has taught as an adjunct instructor in the FHSU Department of Economics and Finance for several semesters, most recently in spring of 2008. She was named the FHSU Pilot Award recipient in 1979, recognizing her as the outstanding faculty member of the year. Her recognitions include six different Who’s Who categories: Women, Advertising, Finance, in the Midwest, Educators, and in American Education. She is a strong supporter of FHSU, having served two terms on the Alumni Association board of directors from 2002-2006 and 2006-2010. Baconrind lives in Hays and has one son, Chad, and four grandchildren.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes alumni or friends who have demonstrated a continuing concern for humanity on a universal, national, state, or community level; who support spiritual, cultural, & educational objectives; & who endorse & exemplify the highest standards of character & personal attributes.

Mike Karl
’72 BS Physical Education
’74 MS Education Administration
Hays
FHSU Director of Field Experiences – Clinical Experiences/Student Teaching
Retired High School Educator and Coach

Mike Karl came to Kansas to play football for the College of Emporia, but transferred to FHSU where he received a B.S. in physical education in 1972 and an M.S. in education administration in 1974. Karl taught at USD 489 in Hays immediately following graduation. After four years of teaching and five as assistant principal at Hays Junior High, now Hays Middle School, he spent nearly a quarter century as assistant principal and athletic director at Hays High until his retirement in 2003. In 2004, Karl joined FHSU as director of field experience in the College of Education and Technology, a position he holds to this day. He is responsible for coordinating with K-12 schools regarding the placement of education field experiences including student teaching. He also assigns and trains supervisors of clinical experiences. In 2008, Karl was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association’s Hall of Fame because of his accomplishments in 28 years of work in administration. Karl received the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award and State Award of Merit for Kansas in 1999, as well as 1990 Kansas Special Olympics Distinguished Service Award. Karl and his wife, Val ’74, ’96, live in Hays. They have one son, Scott ’99, two daughters, Summer ’04, ’05, and Stacey ’06, ’12, and eight grandchildren.