Emporia State University recognized five outstanding graduates Friday at its distinguished alumni luncheon.
“These are the best of the best,” interim president John Schwenn said. “Having them back to campus allows our students to see what they can aspire to in the future.”
This year, the university recognized Jeremy Kohomban of New York, Marshall McNott of Maryland, Jacqueline Snyder and Russell Meyer of Missouri, and David Robertson of Wichita. Robertson and Meyer were unable to attend the ceremony.
Kohomban, a 1989 graduate, now heads up The Children’s Village, a child welfare agency that has helped more than 80,000 children since its creation in 1851.
Born in Sri Lanka, Kohomban said he had wanted to come to the United States since he was 5 years old. When he finally came to attend college in Emporia, he learned more than he expected.
“Before I came to Emporia, nobody had told me of poverty in the U.S.,” he said. “Those were difficult issues and ones I still struggle with to this day.”
The mission of his agency, he said, is much the same as when it was founded: help get children off the streets and teach them the skills they need to be responsible citizens.
“This is still a land of opportunity for those willing to make the necessary sacrifices,” he said. “I finally have some answers to the questions I first asked at Emporia. I may have more as time goes on. But it all began here.”
McNott recently retired as president of the Los Angeles Mission, which offers a one-year rehabilitation program for the homeless in L.A. The program addresses both immediate needs, such as substance-abuse therapy, and longer-term ones such as job training and transitional housing.
McNott, a 1957 graduate, started out as a musician and is considered a founder of the ESU dance band the Pastels. He enjoyed a lot of success and even played with Jimmy Dorsey’s band. But after coming back home to Emporia one day, he found himself wondering “Is that all there is?”
That’s when he put down the horn and went to work. Besides heading the mission (where he supplemented his “President” ID badge with one saying “Servant”) he also helped bring two other non-profit agencies back from near bankruptcy to success.
“I learned that giving back is really life’s true blessing,” McNott said. “And I have been truly blessed.”
Snyder, a 1969 graduate, now serves as the chancellor of The Metropolitan Community Colleges — five community colleges around Kansas City, Mo.
“Every day, I’m more and more thankful for what I learned here,” she said. “And what I learned here was how to be a teacher.”
Snyder taught for 16 years at Johnson County Community College before going into administration. She opened the Business and Technology College at MCC and also served as president of Penn Valley Community College, where she tightened the relationship between the college and community.
“Everyone in Emporia helped me discover not only the ability to teach but also the ability to learn,” she said.
Meyer started his own company, Meyer Supply, by selling cleaning supplies in rural areas of Missouri 15 years ago. Today, the company operates in 16 states and recently expanded into Canada. A former minor league baseball player, he coaches a traveling boys’ baseball team, “The Sluggers.” He graduated from ESU in 1968.
Robertson is now the president and chief operating officer of Koch Industries, the largest privately held company in North America. He graduated from ESU in 1984.
In a written acceptance statement read by John Rich, the associate dean of the business school, Robertson thanked the university for everything it had done for him.
“I learned there are many smart people in the world, many smarter than I, and I want those smart people on my team,” Robertson wrote.