Three Kansas University alumni will be honored later this week with Fred Ellsworth Medallions.
The annual awards, given by the KU Alumni Association, recognize extraordinary service to KU.
The winners will be honored at a dinner and reception Friday, in conjunction with the association’s board of directors meeting.
The awards have been given since 1975 in honor of the Alumni Association’s longtime executive secretary, Fred Ellsworth. Ellsworth, a 1922 graduate, retired in 1963 after 39 years.
Winners are selected by representatives of the chancellor and the alumni, athletics and endowment associations.
This year’s winners:
l William P. Bunyan III, a 1961 KU graduate, has served as Dodge City’s unofficial ambassador to KU. He is a retired elementary schoolteacher.
He’s chaired the Dodge City alumni chapter, hosted many KU events in western Kansas and was an Alumni Association board member from 1987 to 1992. He chaired the local Kansas Honors Program event, which honors the top 10 percent of high school seniors.
Bunyan also has served as a member of Jayhawks for Higher Education, which lobbies the Kansas Legislature. He’s worked with Hawk to Hawk, a KU mentoring program.
For the KU Endowment Association, he was a member of the National Council and leadership donor for Campaign Kansas, KU’s fund-raising drive from 1988 to 1992.
l Barbara Burkholder Nordling, a 1951 graduate, has been especially active in the arts scene at KU. She has served on the School of Fine Arts advisory board and the Lied Center board of governors.
Her focus has been supporting the arts for school children.
Nordling, Lawrence, also was involved in Jayhawks for Higher Education. Before moving to Lawrence, she and her husband, Bernie, a 1949 KU graduate, chaired the Kansas Honors Program event in Hugoton. The couple also assisted with Campaign Kansas.
l Linda Bliss Stewart, a 1960 graduate, is another arts advocate. She has been instrumental in shaping the programming philosophy at the Lied Center.
Stewart, Wellington, is on the advisory board for the School of Fine Arts. She also has worked to form a partnership between the school and the Lied Center.
She has chaired the Kansas Honors Program in Wellington and is a member of Jayhawks for Higher Education. She and her husband, John, were involved in Campaign Kansas, and she was on the National Council Constituent Committee for the Endowment Association.
