Donna Shank

is honored with a Medium Paver from Sally Shank Luallen.

A.A., Seward Bounty Community College, Liberal, KS
B.A. in Political Science, 1998, Summa Cum Laude

Donna Beene Shank of Liberal, Kansas, did it the hard way and did it with flair and excellence. She returned to school with three children, a husband, and a plate full of civic and statewide projects. Recipient of the Wesley McCarty scholarship and Best Undergraduate Paper (1998) while at Wichita State University, she drove back and forth from Liberal to Wichita: three nights a week in Wichita, 4 nights at home or in Topeka on various panels.

She served on the Kansas Council for the Future of Post Secondary Education at the Governor's request and a panel to make decisions on mental health matters, including mental retardation facility closings. Donna has served as Governor Graves' Seward County Chair and Southwest District Director, and on other campaigns. A licensed insurance agent in her husband's insurance agency, she is a graduate of Leadership Kansas and serves on numerous local boards in Liberal.

She is astute and attractive, a true gift to our family. Donna is married to Albert Isaac Shank, Jr., and has three children: Megan, Marc, and Miranda. It was a marvel to see her picture on the front page of USA Today as a 1994-95 All-USA Community College Academic Team, first team. From a slate of 900 nominees, she was one of twenty chosen. We weren't even surprised!

Submitted by Sally Shank Luallen and Cyndee Shank Baker

September 18, 1998