August 16, 1999

SAN ANTONIO FRESHMAN TO PASS TORCH AT KU TONIGHT

About 2,500 students are expected to watch Stephanie Lynn Aenchbacher of San Antonio, Lindsay Nicole Alleman, Leawood, and John Michael Stephenson, Leawood, receive the torch in a traditional passage of knowledge ceremony. Aenchbacher's family history includes KU Chancellor James Marvin.

Traditions Night is part of Hawk Week, a weeklong series of day-and-night events acquainting new and returning students with KU traditions, tips for academic success and services on and off campus. Presidents of two senior honor societies lead a processional of student representatives in the torch passing ceremony, which begins at the cairn located midway between the Campanile and Memorial Stadium.

Tonight Erin Kay Carlson, Beatrice, Neb., senior, representing Mortar Board, and Luke Wyatt Pfannenstiel, Hutchinson senior, representing Omicron Delta Kappa will carry the torch from the cairn to Sofia Galarza Liu, Lawrence, senior class representative.

Liu proceeds down the hill to the stadium to pass the torch to Ryan B. Dyer, Lawrence, junior class representative, who passes it to Elizabeth Anne Boldridge, Lawrence, sophomore class representative. Boldridge passes the torch to freshman class representatives Aenchbacher, Alleman and Stephenson. The freshmen representatives were selected from KU families with fivc generations attending KU.

Decades ago, in ceremonies similar to today's Traditions Night, a torch was carried annually from the Mortar Board Fire Basket at North College, KU's first building, to the Rock Chalk Cairn, a stone heap created through efforts of Omicron Delta Kappa members. The fire basket is on a commemorative plot near Gertrude Sellars Pearson and Corbin halls, the site of the Old North College. The cairn, now a fire grate, sits near the flagpole between Memorial Stadium and the Campanile.

The torch passing ceremony was re-introduced at KU in the 1980s as part of Traditions Night. The program introduces some university history, KU's alma mater and a stadium cheer known as "waving the wheat."

Students participating in the 1999 Traditions Night ceremonies:

DOUGLAS COUNTY

From Lawrence

Elizabeth Anne Boldridge, freshman majoring in psychology, daughter of Florence E. Boldridge, 5000 Clinton Parkway No. 1210.

Ryan B. Dyer, junior majoring in physics, 1216 Prospect Ave. Sofia Galarza Liu, junior majoring in art history, is the daughter of John Simmons, 936 Maine St.

JOHNSON COUNTY

From Leawood

Lindsay Nicole Alleman, freshman in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Robert E. Alleman, 12808 Glenfield Drive. She is a graduate of Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park. Her father is a 1976 KU medical school graduate and earned a master's degree in 1999; her mother, Kay Kitzman Alleman, is a 1975 nursing school graduate.

Her paternal grandparents, Helen Gardner Alleman of Bartlesville, Okla., and the late Stanley A. Alleman, were KU graduates. Her grandmother graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1936 and her grandfather from the School of Education in 1939. Her maternal grandparents, Warren T. and Deloris Kitzman of Bonner Springs are also KU graduates. Warren Kitzman attended KU with the class of 1959 and Deloris Kitzman with the class of 1977.

Her great-grandfather, M.E. Alleman, was a 1923 graduate of the graduate school and her great-great-grandfather, John A. Alleman, attended with the class of 1880.

John Michael Stephenson, freshman in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, son of Mr. And Mrs. John Stephenson, 12729 Catalina. He is a graduate of Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park. His father is a 1975 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; his mother, Kathy Gamet Stephenson, is a 1974 business school graduate.

His paternal grandmother, Patricia Haas Murphy of Birmingham, Ala., attended KU with the class of 1953. His paternal grandfather, the late Donald Stephenson, was a 1952 graduate of KU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His maternal grandparents, Donald Garnet of Overland Park and the late Leah Fleming Garnet, are KU alumna. Donald Garnet received degrees from the Graduate School in 1939 and the School of Law in 1941. Leah Garnet attended with the class of 1939.

His maternal great-grandparents, Albert E. and Marjorie Evans Haas were KU alumna. Albert Haas was a 1925 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Marjorie Haas was a 1927 graduate of the School of Fine Arts.

His great-great-grandfather, Richard W. Evans, was a 1904 law school graduate.

RENO COUNTY

From Hutchinson

Luke Wyatt Pfannenstiel, senior majoring in biology, son of Mr. And Mrs. Gary Pfannenstiel, 808 Joshua.

NEBRASKA

From Beatrice

Erin Kay Carlson, senior majoring in communication studies and in political science, daughter of Mr. And Mrs. John Carlson, 1505 S. Fourth St.

TEXAS

From San Antonio

Stephanie Lynn Aenchbacher, freshman in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. "Jack" Aenchbacher Jr., 20604 Idyllwild. She is a graduate of Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio.

Her father is a 1970 graduate of KU's School of Business; and her mother, Mary Kunkel Aenchbacher, a 1970 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is the sister of Patty Aenchbacher, a KU senior.

Her grandmother, Lida Fincham Aenchbacher of Wichita, attended KU with the class of 1945. Her great-grandmother, Marion Barnes LeSuer Fincham, attended KU with the class of 1918. Her great-great-grandparents, Owen Cyrun LeSuer and Sarah McFarland LeSuer, were KU alumna. He was an 1888 graduate of KU's School of Education and she attended with the class of 1883. LeSuer's great-uncle was James Marvin, KU's third chancellor

The Aenchbachers were a KU 1996 Family of the Year.