Mary Ellen Taggart

is honored with a Brick from Rhatigan Student Center, C/O Rich Renollet

Mary Ellen Taggart
Mary Ellen Taggart was hired by the WSU Campus Activities Center on January 26, 1984. For the next eleven years, she worked in various capacities in the Dining Services Department. Her most notable role during this period was that of Manager of the Union Station Pub, a popular hang-out at the time for many students, faculty and staff. She was instrumental in the development of a recipe which resulted in the “best pizza in town.” On March 15, 1995, she left Wichita State University to become the food service manager at the Emporia Country Club in Emporia, KS. On January 6, 1997 she returned to the university to work as the Assistant Rec Center Manager for the Rhatigan Student Center, formerly the Campus Activities Center. She retired from this position on January 15, 2002, having served the WSU community for a total of sixteen years. During her years of service, Mary was most admired and respected by the students whom she supervised. Former student employees who had graduated and left the university often made Mary’s office their first stop when coming back to campus for a visit. She has had associations with and held offices in the Council of University Women, The American Business Women’s Association and Daughters of the Nile. Over the years, Mary has demonstrated unmatched generosity to those in need. On one recent holiday season, Mary organized a collection of cash and gifts which was presented to a single mother who was working to get her education at Wichita State. Additionally, she never hesitated to put in what ever hours necessary to get her job done for the Rhatigan Student Center. It is her generosity, dedication and service to Wichita State University and the Rhatigan Student Center which has earned her a place in the WSU Plaza of Heroines.