The 2021 Mid-America Education Hall of Fame recognized several honorees on Friday, April 23.
Sponsored by the Kansas City Kansas Community College Foundation, the Hall of Fame not only recognizes those who have made contributions to education, but it also raises funds for scholarships for Kansas City Kansas Community College.
The 2021 event was held virtually.
The honorees included:
Alan Hoskins. The public information supervisor at KCKCC for 30 years, Alan Hoskins continued his service to the college after retirement in 2013 as sports information director.
Inducted into the KCKCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015, he received the KCKCC Employee of the Year Award in 2009 and the NISOD Excellence Award in 2008. In his role as a public information supervisor, Hoskins’ stories on KCKCC events, achievements, Hall of Famers, retirees, athletics and more filled pages of area newspapers and in-house publications “Profiles,” “Alumni and Friends” and “On Campus.”
He also regularly helped organize KCKCC trips abroad for students, faculty and staff, making nearly 40 trips abroad in a 20-year period starting in 1999. A graduate of the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Hoskins worked for newspapers in Muscatine and Ottumwa, Iowa, and The Kansas City Kansan and most recently Tee Time Golf magazine. He is the author of coffee-table size books, “Warpaths,” the only history of the Kansas City Chiefs; “The First 25 Years of Wolf Creek Golf Course.” Named Iowa Sportswriter of the Year in 1969, he’s the only two-time recipient of the O.P. Smith Media Award given by the Greyhound Track Operators.
Leavenworth Public Schools Education Foundation. For the last 20 years, the Leavenworth Public Schools Education Foundation has existed to support the students, staff and faculty of the Leavenworth School District. It serves as an advocacy group for public education, preparing students for future successes and ensuring a strong community.
With donations from local businesses, alumni, community members and staff, the foundation continues to invest in students by using resources for a variety of programs that enhance the teaching and learning environment in Leavenworth including Bridging the Summer Reading Gap, the LHS Pioneer Mentoring Program, the “Teacher of the Year” Award, Girls on the Run, Great Western Manufacturing Backpack Buddies and the Carol Dark Ayres Music Program, among many others. The foundation facilitates the Horizon Kids Before and After School program, which is located at each elementary school in the district, providing families with affordable child care options.
In addition, each fall, the foundation awards nearly $60,000 to support innovative teacher grant applications. These grants are used to fund special projects, field trips and equipment purchases that expand beyond the traditional offerings of a classroom. Since it was created 20 years ago, the foundation has raised more than $2.5 million.
Maxine Drew. A native of Wyandotte County, Drew is a recent past president of the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education. Her passion for her community stems from her upbringing, love for education and willingness to work.
A product of the KCK School District, she attended Grant Elementary School, Northeast Junior High School and Sumner High School, before attending what was then KCK Junior College. She then earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Park University and a master’s degree in teaching curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth.
She served as a social studies teacher at West Middle School for more than 35 years, working closely with parents as a family advocate to help set goals for the academic and emotional success of their children and believes that every child should have a right to and be given the opportunity to receive a quality education. Drew was trained in the Behavior Intervention Support Team program and implemented a variety of changes for middle school students while a part of the program.
In addition to her dedication to education, she has been involved in other community programs including assisting in providing a safety-net for victims of domestic violence and as a leader in the State of Kansas Kaw Valley District Youth Department.
Mary Ann Flunder, posthumously. A committed leader in the community, Flunder was known for her tireless efforts to help the community she cared deeply about.
For the last 50 years of her life, Flunder served on more than 50 boards either locally, statewide or nationally. She spent more than 20 years as a member of the KCKCC Board of Trustees and was the director of the Office of Minority Affairs for the University of Kansas. It was in this role that she was challenged to recruit high caliber minority students in the fields of engineering and health and was instrumental with the creation of the Upward Bound program, which still exists and supports college-bound students from lower socio-economic households.
She has received numerous awards including the Outstanding Service Award from the State of Kansas Federation of Democratic Women, the NAACP Humanitarian Award and the Merit Award from Turner House, among others. Her most notable achievement was in 2015 when she was invited to attend the State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C., during President Barak Obama’s term. She continued to be an advocate for education until her death in March 2016 and her contributions to the education community as well as students will have a long-lasting impact.
Pamela M. Louis-Walden. A long-time educator at KCKCC, Louis-Walden has “blessed the KCKCC community with her guidance, commitment and absolute support.”
After earning a bachelor of arts in English education from Kansas State University and a master of arts in English literature from Emporia State University, Louis-Walden held positions at the high school level as well as ESU before coming to KCKCC in 1967, where she was a member of the English Department until her retirement in 2002.
She was instrumental in the creation of both the ESL and Honors Education programs, was adviser of the Mu Delta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and helped to establish the Henry Louis Center in 2014, which empowers women, families and communities in Nigeria and Liberia through education. Louis-Walden also helped to organize more than 35 trips globally for KCKCC faculty and staff, helping to increase their knowledge of other cultures.
She has received numerous awards including the Phi Theta Kappa’s “Giles Most Distinguished Advisor Award,” the Spirit Award from the KCKCC Intercultural Center, the KCKCC Certificate of Appreciation for contributions to education and the Chair Academy’s Outstanding Regional Leadership Award, among many others.
Louis-Walden was also instrumental in rehoming the Cooper-Foreman Heirloom Garden to the KCKCC Campus. She continues to work tirelessly on its educational value, maintenance, and garden volunteers. She continues to demonstrate a commitment to education through her volunteer efforts and has blessed the community with her guidance, commitment and support.
A video of the Mid-America Education Hall of Fame program is online at https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityKansasCommunityCollege/videos/1642232285973341.
To donate funds for scholarships to the KCKCC Foundation, visit https://www.kckcc.edu/foundation/.