September 23, 1999
LAWRENCE -- Recipients of this year's Kansas Alumni Association Ellsworth Medallion are Philip F. Anschutz of Denver, Colo., and Dane Bales of Logan.
The two will be honored Sept. 24 at a dinner of the alumni association's board of directors and University of Kansas leaders.
The Ellsworth Medallion has been given since 1975 to honor the association's longtime executive secretary Fred Ellsworth, a 1922 KU graduate who retired in 1963 after 39 years of service. Winners are chosen for their service to KU by representatives from the chancellor's office and the alumni, athletics and endowment associations.
Anschutz, a 1961 KU graduate and recipient of KU's 1992 Distinguished Service Citation, is chairman and CEO of The Anschutz Corporation of Denver. A contribution from Anschutz and his wife, Nancy, funded acquisitions at all KU libraries and in 1989 the Marian and Fred Anschutz Science Library was named in memory of Philip Anschutz's parents. Philip and Nancy also established the Jordan Haines distinguished professorship in business.
Since 1992, Anschutz has served as an endowment association trustee. He also has participated on the Greater University Fund Advisory Board and is a Chancellors Club life member. The School of Business recognized Anschutz as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1998.
Bales, a 1941 KU graduate, manages Hansen Trust, a philanthropic organization established by and named for his uncle, Dane G. Hansen. Through the Hansen Foundation, Bales provides scholarships for students at KU and other Kansas institutions, as well as concerts that bring national artists to KU.
KU's Bales Organ Recital Hall honors a gift from Bales and his wife, Polly, an Ellsworth Medallion recipient in 1985. The two have accompanied the Flying Jayhawks on more than 30 trips and have sponsored their area's Kansas Honors Program for 20 years.
Bales frequently travels to Lawrence to give promising students grand tours and take in a football or basketball game. He is a Williams Education Fund member.
Bales is a friend of the Lied Center, KU Libraries and the Spencer Museum of Art. He volunteers for the alumni association's Jayhawks for Higher Educatiom. He and his wife are members of the association's Jayhawk Society.
An endowment association member for more than 30 years, Bales is a Chancellor's Club life member and a member of the Elizabeth Watkins Society.
Contact: Todd Cohen, (785) 864-8858.