KU News Release

Wichita-area KU alumni to welcome freshman Jayhawks from 8 counties

LAWRENCE -- More than 360 recent graduates of south-central Kansas high schools and community colleges and their parents have been invited to attend a University of Kansas Senior Sendoff at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 14, for students who will be freshmen at KU this fall. The event will be in the Wichita home of Thomas R. and Jill Docking. The Dockings are KU alumni, and Jill Docking is the Wichita chapter leader.

Recent graduates from high schools and communities in eight counties -- Barber, Butler, Comanche, Greenwood, Harper, Marion, McPherson and Sedgwick -- have been invited to attend.

Senior Sendoffs provide opportunities for incoming freshmen to meet one another, along with other KU students and alumni. Parents of freshmen also can meet other KU families. Current KU students have been invited to share their experiences and to serve as mentors after the freshmen arrive in Lawrence. KU's fall term begins Aug. 18. Freshmen arrive on campus Aug. 14 for orientation and enrollment activities.

The sendoff evening will include grilled picnic fare, and each student will receive a KU T-shirt. Entering freshmen and their parents and returning KU students may attend as guests of the Kansas Alumni Association. There is a $6 charge for KU alumni to attend.

Wichita chapter leaders Jill Docking and Sue Watson, both of Wichita, helped coordinate the event. Alumni Association representatives Mike Davis, senior vice president for alumni programs; Heath Peterson, director of Kansas chapters; and Jill Simpson, director of chapter development, also will attend.

For more information or to make reservations, please contact Heath Peterson at (800) 584-2957, or reserve space at http://www.kualumni.org, under "alumni events."

KU freshmen invited to attend are listed below by their hometowns, counties and zip codes.

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