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Alumni Awards List

Through their personal and professional activities and interests in education, organization and philanthropy, Howard and Sharon Kessinger have advanced the concept of community development in Kansas.

Both Howard and Sharon received degrees in journalism from K-State, Howard in 1957 and Sharon in 1959. The Kessingers first came into contact with the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design in the 1960s when, as residents of Oberlin, Kansas, and co-publishers of the Oberlin Herald, they asked College administrators for ideas concerning downtown improvements. Several faculty took on the project in their design studios, with Howard quietly providing financial support for supplies and field trips to Oberlin. Eventually, an innovative downtown plan was developed using insight and input from the faculty and student work. Also, with the Kessinger's behind-the-scenes encouragement as well as supportive editorials, the community brought in Pete Felton, a well-known sculptor, to create the "Pioneer Family" at the entrance to Oberlin's downtown.

When the Kessingers moved to Marysville in 1975 to co-publish the Marysville Advocate, the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design was asked to use Marysville's downtown redevelopment as the subject for a design studio project. A number of the College's faculty and students from several disciplines subsequently became heavily involved in the project.

Sharon has been chair of a Marysville city advisory board working on restoration of the Koester House Museum, including successful fund raising to restore garden sculptures as well as seeking federal and state grants to help restore buildings in the historic Koester block. Last year, the advisory board started a long-range project to restore the Charles F. Koester flower garden to its original glory. She oversees funds provided by a local charitable trust for scholarships, community projects and other uses, and she has also headed development and maintenance of the Marysville water tower hill flower garden.

Howard has served on the K-State Alumni Association and Foundation advisory boards, helped raise money for K-State's A. Q. Miller School of Journalism, and been a trustee of the William Allen White Foundation at the University of Kansas. He is a member of the Marysville Main Street and Marshall County Habitat for Humanity boards, the Marysville Rotary Club, and was chair of the Marysville Planning Commission.

Both Sharon and Howard are members of the K-State President's Club, attend St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and are avid fans of the K-State women's basketball team. The couple has four adult children: Hannah Malotte, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees from K-State and teaches at St. Gregory's School in Marysville; Sarah Kessinger-Chavarria, who holds a bachelor's degree from K-State, a master's degree from the University of Kansas, and covers the Kansas Legislature for the Harris News Service; Mary Kessinger-Wassom, who holds a bachelor's degree from Bethel College, a master's degree from Wichita State University, is working on a doctorate at K-State, and is a teacher and head girls' basketball coach at Marysville High School; and Michael, a journalism student at Fort Hays State University.

In both Oberlin and Marysville, the Kessingers have provided extensive, thoughtful and substantial coverage in their newspapers of community development events. Howard's editorials are often works of art--carefully considered and thoughtfully presented. He writes extensively on community development and politics. Sharon's columns on community development tend to focus on softer but nonetheless important human interest aspects.

Howard and Sharon have devoted their lives to community service by developing two outstanding small-city and regional newspapers that provide a thorough and thoughtful forum to present all sides of a debate to the public. We are extremely pleased to present the Kessingers with a Kansas State University Distinguished Service Award.