Each Friday, The Gazette salutes those who make Emporia and the surrounding area a better place to live and work. Give these folks a pat on the back ...
FORMER EMPORIAN Christina Harbaugh, who is filling out her career as a music teacher with a degree in computer science and who spent part of the summer as an intern at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
• Angel Food Ministries, for coming up with a new offering — a box of heat-and-eat meals aimed at the nutritional needs of the elderly.
• The brave souls who kept the Great American Sale going last Saturday in spite of a cold rain and chilly wind. The crowd was light and sales were slow, but a number of booths soldiered on.
• The Sertoma Club, for using the miniature train at Soden’s Grove to help restock the Salvation Army’s food pantry. The club offered free rides on the train to all who brought donations of food.
• The Emporia State University football team, for its strong showing in the season opened. The Hornets beat the Augustana Vikings 27-14.
• The Granada Theatre Alliance, which is on track to complete the renovation of the historic Emporia theater before October’s scheduled grand opening.
• Heather Lake, who has been hired as the new director of quality and risk management at Newman Regional Health.
• All of the people who have stepped forward to apply for the vacant slot on the Emporia Board of Education. Only one of them will be appointed, but all of them have shown their willingness to serve the community.
• ESU volleyball player Ting Liu, who was named MIAA specialist of the week in her sport.
• And, while we’re at it, Skyler Delmott, an ESU runner, who was named MIAA male cross country runner of the week.
• The anonymous donor who gave two parcels of marshland County to ESU. The Chase County and Morris County sites will provide real-world laboratories for biology students at the university.
• Ellen Powers, for opening a new thrift store in town to help support her church’s ministries.
• The administration and safety officers at ESU for their handling of the bomb scare at the Memorial Union on Wednesday.
• Elaine Edwards and James Starr, who will be honored Saturday night at the ESU music department’s Gala Benefit. They are true Emporia treasures.
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor