Colby Community College Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
Colby Community College is hosting fall Homecoming 2013 activities Nov. 4-9. The slogan for this year’s event is “Forward to 50.” The public is invited to attend and participate in all events.
Lady Trojan Basketball Game
The women’s basketball team will begin the week’s activities with a game against the Tabor College JV. Game time is 6 p.m. in the Community Building.
Community-Wide Talent Show
Everyone is invited to attend the Community Talent Show on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The competition, beginning at 7 p.m., will be held in the Northwest Kansas Cultural Arts Center. Prizes will be awarded to the top performers. There is no charge to attend.
Bonfire
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, CCC will host a pep rally in the campus gymnasium beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by a bonfire located east of the college residence halls. T-shirts and other items will be given away; the pep band, cheerleaders and coaches will be featured. In addition, the inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame and Sports Hall of Fame will be recognized.
Ambassador Classic
The annual Ambassador Classic Basketball tournament is Nov. 7-9. All games will be played in the Community Building beginning at 2 p.m. each day. The Colby Lady Trojans will play each night at 6 p.m., followed by the CCC men at approximately 8 p.m.
Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at half-time of the women’s game on Saturday, Nov. 9. Homecoming Royalty will be announced at half-time of the men’s game that evening.
Homecoming t-shirts and other items will be given away during the CCC games.
Hall of Fame Luncheon
Saturday’s activities start at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Union with a special luncheon to honor Hall of Fame inductees Darvin Strutt, Dr. Larry and Joyce Washburn, Bruce Siemsen and Joyce Hansen. Chef Brian Stohs will prepare a special meal for the event. Cost is $10 each. To allow for preparation of the meal, those who plan to attend are asked to call Kathy Britton at 460-5550 or Penny Cline at 460-5404 by Nov. 1, 2013.
Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees
Darvin Strutt is a long-time supporter and graduate of Colby Community College. Darvin graduated from Oakley High School in 1975. He was recruited by first-year Head Wrestling Coach Steve Lampe to wrestle for the Trojans. After graduating in 1977 from CCC with an Associate’s Degree in Accounting, he transferred to Fort Hays State University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting in 1979.
Darvin returned to Colby after college and accepted a job as an accountant for Paul Steele, CPA. He also worked as a Cost Accountant for Western Services Pipeline Company located in Oakley.
He began his career in insurance in 1983 when he started working for Bill Hopper at the Farm Bureau Office in Colby. It was during that period of time that he met his wife Tammi. They were married in July 1985.
In May 1986, Darvin went to work for Trauer Insurance Agency in Hays. The job required that he and his family move to Hays. They returned to Colby a few months later when he was recruited by Farmers and Merchants Bank of Colby to manage their insurance agency—a position he held until June 1992. At that time, Darvin made an offer to buy the agency from the new owners of the bank. They accepted and he continued to work at the same location until September 1992 when he moved his agency to 990 South Range. In January of this year the agency moved to its current location at 1675 West 4th Street.
Darvin began with one agency and three employees in Colby. He acquired Trauer Insurance of Hays in January 2000. At that time he added three additional employees. In January 2007 he purchased the Peoples State Agency of McDonald and his workforce grew to eight employees. In 2009 he expanded by purchasing the Prairie Land Insurance Agency in Brewster and the number of employees increased to 10. Most recently, Darvin purchased the Cersovsky Insurance Agency in Colby and added an additional two people to the current work force of 12.
His wife Tammi is the Vice President of Operations for Peoples State Bank. He and Tammi have two children. Kirstie is the owner of Essential Bliss Day Spa in Colby. Trevor is a student at Kansas State University in Salina studying Aviation.
“I have a great fondness for CCC because it is where I got my start in college and with the people of Colby,” said Strutt. “People like Doyle Zimmerman, Paul Chase, Francis Dible and Dave Jennings made me welcome in this community. That is why when I have a chance to help the college, I like to do so. The college is so vital to the survival of the area and I am glad to help and promote the school.”
Dr. Larry and Joyce Washburn graduated from Colby Community College in 1967 and 1968, respectively. Both were selected as members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honorary Society. Phi Theta Kappa is recognized as the official honor society for community colleges by the American Association of Community Colleges. The group recognizes academic excellence and leadership qualities.
While attending CCC, Larry ran track under Coach Ford Farber.
Both Larry and Joyce graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1972. Larry earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Science. Joyce earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education.
Joyce continued her academic career at Emporia State University earning a Master’s Degree in Curriculum with a Certificate in Reading in 1976. Larry earned a Doctorate in Optometry from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn. in 1977.
Joyce has been instrumental in many significant accomplishments at the college. She began working at CCC part-time in 1980 and agreed to accept a full-time position in 1986.
“I’ve been the Director of the Comprehensive Learning Center, Adult Education Director, Developmental Reading Instructor, Division Chair and recently retired as Dean of Academic Affairs.”
During her career Joyce has been recognized numerous times for her commitment to student learning. In 1990 she was elected President of the Kansas Adult Education Association and President of the College Endowment Board. She was also chosen to receive the Missouri Valley Adult Education Achievement Award in 1991. In addition, she served on the Dr. Max Pickerill Lecture Series committee.
Because of her calm demeanor, ability to build consensus, her extensive experience in higher education and her work ethic, Joyce was selected as co-chair of the Higher Learning Commission Self Study in 2004. She and Division Chair Bob Selby worked together to organize and chair the study which included the entire campus. The efforts were successful with a 10-year reaccreditation for the College.
Joyce is currently teaching part-time for the College and is a member of the Colby Rotary Club and the Foundation for Hope. She is a past member of the Colby Diplomats.
The family tradition continued with the Washburn’s two children. Daughter Taylor is an infectious disease doctor and faculty member at the University Of Colorado Hospital in Denver. Their son Drew works at VIP Research, Inc. in Kansas City. While attending the College, both siblings were awarded the Phi Theta Kappa All-Kansas Academic Award. Taylor was also recognized as the Mosier Award winner for the outstanding sophomore at CCC. Drew was active in athletics at CCC and earned Academic All-American honors in track.
Larry is the son of Druscilla Washburn, a long-time and well-known resident of Colby.
“We are certainly CCC Proud,” said Joyce. “This is an unexpected honor. Both Larry and I have great memories of our time at CCC. I have the distinction of saying I’ve worked for all five Presidents at the College. I was a work study while attending school when Dr. Mosier was President, and I worked as an instructor for Dr. Tangeman, Dr. Ary, Dr. Kreider and Dr. Vacik. The College has been a large part of our lives here in Colby. We look forward to continuing our involvement in the coming years.”
Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
Joyce Hansen
Joyce Hansen began teaching when the Colby campus was built in 1967. She taught two mornings a week in the Physical Education Department. The two days a week turned into three days a week and then became a full-time position. In 1967 the campus consisted of the Administration/classroom building, the library, gymnasium and the Student Union was built that year.
“Sometime shortly after, Vic Oelke asked me to be volleyball coach,” said Hansen. “I told him I knew nothing about coaching. He assured me there was nothing to it so I agreed to help out for one year. At the end of the season he agreed that I knew nothing about coaching and Bruce Siemsen was hired to develop a very successful volleyball team.”
When Siemsen was hired, Joyce assumed the responsibility to plan the volleyball season and assist the athletic director in several different areas. In the next few years, Joyce was the cheerleader sponsor and helped Mary Mayta develop a drill team.
“Our first and second administration encouraged creativity so we tried new things. Most of my classes were activity classes and a few regular physical education classes. The ones I enjoyed the most were those that emphasized healthy living. We developed a curriculum of lifestyle classes that encouraged healthy living for life,” said Hansen.
In addition to on-campus classes, she developed outreach classes and taught aerobic dance in Oakley, Winona, Sharon Springs, Goodland, Atwood, Oberlin and Rexford.
Her dedication to fitness was recognized statewide and she was invited to be part of the Kansas Governor’s Council on Fitness as well as the community college representative on the Kansas Physical Education Curriculum Committee.
“Because of my interest in fitness, several older persons in Colby asked if I would teach classes appropriate for that age group. So ‘Conditioning and Aerobics for Older Americans’ was born. At about the same time the swimming pool was completed and we taught many classes for fitness at the pool,” Hansen explained.
Hansen remains a familiar face on the CCC campus. She has enrolled in a fitness class at the college every semester since her retirement in 1989. In addition, she served on the community Wellness Committee for many years.
“It seemed there was a need in our community to coordinate wellness offerings. So a Wellness Committee was organized. The membership included representatives from the city, public schools, Thomas County Extension, CCC, the hospital and other interested persons in the community. Our big project was a Wellness Fair each year. The dream of the Wellness Committee was a Walking Trail. Although I am no longer a part of this group, it is exciting to know that the Walking Trail project came true this year. In fact, friends and I walk the trail several times a week,” Hansen said.
Hansen also serves on the Dr. Max Pickerill Lecture Series committee at the college.
“It has been a privilege to be a part of Colby Community College and to live in a community that has this educational opportunity,” said Hansen.
Bruce Siemsen
After teaching in three high schools for a total of eight years, Bruce Siemsen began his 21-year career at Colby Community College in 1975. During his tenure he taught over 20 different business classes.
In addition to teaching, coaching young adults was a passion for Bruce. He is the only coach in Colby Community College history to place first in Region VI in two sports--volleyball and track. He achieved this remarkable honor in the same calendar year (1977).
Bruce was the Lady Trojan Volleyball Coach for 14 years (1975-1988). During his tenure, CCC placed 1st one year and 2nd three times in Region VI competition.
Siemsen recorded 318 wins, had four All-Americans from the immediate Colby area and 18 Region VI All-Stars.
His teams played in the National Tournament in 1976 and 1977, placing 11th and 13th. In 1977 his team set 12 school records.
Bruce’s contributions to Colby College increased when he began coaching the women’s track team—a position he held for five years. From 1977-81 he had 10 All-Americans and 16 All-Region VI players.
The women’s track team placed fourth at Nationals in 1977. His track teams placed 1st and 2nd in Region VI during his tenure.
Bruce was a very familiar face at CCC basketball games. He kept score for the Trojans at home games for 25 years.
The Holyrood native graduated in 1952 from Holyrood High School where he was a four-year letterman. He continued his education at Fort Hays State where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1956 and his Master of Science degree in Business Administration in 1966.
Bruce served in the Army from 1956-58, was a member of the National Guard from 1958-60 and the Army Reserve from 1960-62.
In addition to his coaching and teaching duties at CCC, he coached Little League and K-18 Baseball in Colby for several years.
Bruce and his wife Donna have been married for 27 years. He has three children, three step-children, 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
“Since retiring in 1996, I have enjoyed fishing, hunting and especially travelling in our RV several months each year,” said Siemsen. “In addition, I’ve been bowling for 50 years.”