Lingenfelter, Coble honored for service
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Kay Lingenfelter and Emporia State student Kelli Coble have been honored by Emporia State University for their service to women.
On Wednesday, ESU gave Lingenfelter the Mary Headrick award, given to those who help women reach their full potential. Coble was given a $1,000 Susan B. Anthony scholarship.
In 1983, Lingenfelter was ESU’s first sexual abuse counselor. In addition to counseling and advocating for abuse victims, she also successfully lobbied for better lighting on campus to reduce the chance of attacks. She has worked with SOS since 1984 in a number of capacities and has headed up the agency’s rural outreach program since 2001.
“Kay’s passion for promoting the rights of women does not allow her to stop working,” said Susan Moran. SOS’s executive director.
“I’m looking forward to working another — my gosh, has it been 20 years?” Lingenfelter said as the audience in the Kanza Room of the ESU Memorial Union giggled. “I’m looking forward to another 20 years of working with SOS. Thank you very, very much.”
Coble, who plans to teach middle school in her home town of Galena, is a frequent volunteer. Among many other things, she has been a Girl Scout leader, worked with at-risk teenagers and recently volunteered for SOS as a child advocate.
“It’s great to see them realize that someone thinks they’re worth something,” Coble said of her work with children and teens. “It’s great to see them do something they didn’t think they could do.”
State Aging Secretary Kathy Greenlee also spoke at the event. She quickly took issue with Susan B. Anthony’s quote that “Failure is impossible.” Failure is quite possible, she said. All you have to do is be set in your ways, lack vision, fail to show up, take no risks and be unbearably arrogant.
“It’s not about you,” she said. “It’s not about me. I’m Kathy. I will be Kathy again. I wasn’t born secretary.”
By contrast, she said, if you want to avoid failure, find your passion. Then live it.
“Find something in your life you can wrap your arms around and celebrate,” Greenlee said. “In that way, you really will not fail.”