Alumni News

FHSU’s 102nd Homecoming an unforgettable success

Fort Hays State University’s 102nd Homecoming welcomed new and familiar faces to our beautiful campus. Classmates from the 50- and 60-year reunion classes exchanged memories and stories of their time at FHSU. Faculty and staff cheerfully greeted alumni returning to campus and showed off both new and renovated spaces, like the recently updated Rarick Hall.

Golfers participating in the annual Homecoming tournament teed off Thursday morning with more than 40 teams on the course. As the sun set that evening, Tiger fans gathered for the annual bonfire and pep rally and celebrated Homecoming’s commencement with music and food from local vendors.

Friday welcomed guests for a full slate of events, including walking and bus tours of campus and Hays, a Half Century Club induction and luncheon, the Oktoberfest, and the annual Alumni and Friends Awards Banquet celebrating this year’s six alumni award winners. Several on-campus entities invited alumni back to their individual areas, including Criminal Justice, Forsyth Library, FHSU Wrestling, and Geosciences. Political Science celebrated a milestone in its history marking 85 years since its inception.

President Tisa Mason welcomed community members for a campus update and breakfast on Saturday. The classes of 1962 and 1972 gathered together for reunion breakfasts before heading off to the Homecoming Parade. Fully warmed up from tailgating festivities, Tiger football fans cheered on FHSU as they faced off against the Washburn Ichabods.

Year after year, the warmth and camaraderie of Homecoming demonstrates the strength of our extended FHSU family and what a special place Fort Hays State University truly is. FHSU Homecoming 2023 is set for September 28-30, so mark your calendars!

We want to hear from you! Share your news, whether it’s new employment, honors, appointments, or births.

VISIT: FHSUalumni.com/alumni-update

MAIL: FHSU Alumni Association, One Tiger Place, Hays, KS 67601

EMAIL: alumni@fhsu.edu.

Jack Heather

Fort Hays State University faculty impact students’ lives so profoundly that the effects ripple across generations. Jack Heather came to FHSU in 1950 and built the radio curriculum and training programs for Fort Hays State students from the ground up. This curriculum trained, educated, and inspired generations of award-winning broadcasters, including Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame member Tad Felts.

Felts came to FHSU in 1951. He had never considered a career in broadcasting until he took a class taught by Heather that changed the course of his life. Felts enjoyed the curriculum of that particular class so much that he proceeded to take every course in radio broadcasting, leading to a more than 70-year career in broadcasting.

Felts became a familiar voice on radio stations across Kansas but landed in his hometown of Phillipsburg full-time in 1972, where he became an announcer, news, and sports director. His show, The Tadpole, an interactive question-and-answer program, became his most popular segment. Felts is a multiple award-winning broadcaster who inspired further generations, including current Voice of the Tigers sportscaster Gerard Wellbrock.

Wellbrock, also an FHSU alumnus, worked with Heather and Felts early in his career.

“I feel extremely fortunate to have had Jack Heather as an instructor for my first two years at FHSU. Couple that with having Tad as a mentor; I feel, in some small way, I’m able to carry on the tradition that Jack started at FHSU.” Wellbrock said.

Harold G. Palmer

The familiar swell of music fills Palmer Hall at Fort Hays State University each summer for the annual High Plains Music Camp. Harold G. Palmer established the camp more than seventy-five years ago.

An FHSU music alumnus and band instructor at Fort Hays State Teachers College, Palmer trailblazed music instruction and band direction for generations to come. When Palmer came to FHSU as an instructor in 1943, the band started with only nine members. After two years, Palmer’s band size increased to more than a hundred.

He began the High Plains Band Camp in 1947, with more than 250 high school students from across the state attending. Years later, the camp was renamed the High Plains Music Camp with the addition of orchestra and choir. Bruce Siemsen, FHSU alumnus of ’56 and ’66, played in Palmer’s clarinet choir for four years and recently recounted how this experience, and Palmer, shaped his life.

“[Palmer] worked us hard, but we enjoyed it,” Siemsen recalled. “He left a lasting impression on thousands of lives.” Following his participation in Palmer’s clarinet choir, Siemsen played in the United States Army Band. He now resides in Holyrood.

Palmer guided generations of students and cultivated an environment where young musicians could learn and thrive. His years of service led him to receive the FHSU Alumni Achievement Award in 1979, three years after he retired from his 29-year tenure. The Hays native passed away in 1990 after decades of dedication to his students and the university.