by Howard Keim Few programs capture the imagination of Hesston College alumni and friends more than the aviation program. Flying carries a feeling of adventure and seems to embody the spirit of “Start Here, Go Everywhere.” The program started in the fall of 1970 with one rented single-engine airplane. I flew in that plane along […]
by Rachel Schlegel There are at least two key elements for climbing the professional ladder: connections and experience. At Hesston College, these simple lessons are ones the Aviation Department begins instilling in students from day one. Hesston College aviation graduates, friends and former roommates Markus Hess ’07 and Travis Pollock ’07 paid attention to the […]
Hometown: New Providence, Pa. Parents: Glen & Jean Lengacher Major: Aviation How did you choose Hesston? I grew up in a Mennonite home and my parents encouraged me to attend a Mennonite college. I knew I wanted to fly, and since Hesston is the only Mennonite college with an aviation program, it was a natural […]
Senior Safety Analyst for the National Transportation Board, Washington, D.C. Education after Hesston: B.A. in psychology and Ph.D. in human factors psychology from Wichita (Kan.) State University Tell us about your career. After graduating from Hesston, I was hired as a flight instructor for the college. In 1995 I left to fly for Air Midwest, […]
Homecoming 2011 was Sept. 23 to 25 with a focus on Aviation. The premier event for the weekend was a symposium featuring professional aviation alumni presenting on various aspects of the aviation industry. Keynote speakers were Ben Savanick ’97, captain for Atlantic Southeast Airlines, and Roger Yoder ’79, captain for American Airlines. Other events included […]
by Rachel Schlegel Jason Miller ’92 always wanted to fly. His wife, Monica (Diener) ’93 Miller, has a photo of him sitting in a cockpit when he was about six years old. She has another photo of him piloting a plane at the age of 28, his childhood dream realized. It wasn’t long after that […]
by Rachel Schlegel Dorine (Smith) ’91 Fahnestock had a goal in mind when she first arrived on the Hesston College campus. She wanted to fly, and Hesston could teach her how. Little did she know, Hesston would also be the place she would discover a career path she hadn’t planned. Dorine didn’t visit campus before […]
by Cris Rodriguez ’71 A Hesston College education is founded on Christian teachings and values. Over four decades ago, a person with the same vision thought that I would benefit from the Hesston Experience and education. A former junior high school teacher, who is still an active Partner, made it possible for me to go […]
by Rachel Schlegel One seemingly typical June evening of golf turned into something extraordinary for Greg Bontrager ’86 (Newton, Kan.), when he scored a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bontrager and his men’s league partner were golfing against Justin Presnall and his partner at the Hesston Golf Park. Bontrager and Presnall were neck and neck as they approached […]
by Andrew Sharp Kenny Graber ’12 (Stryker, Ohio) and Jacob Landis ’13 (Sterling, Ill.) are two of the top men’s cross country runners at Hesston College. A generation ago, their fathers also ran on the Hesston campus. Collectively, their competiveness, ties to family and faith, and support of Hesston College have led to four similar […]
Due to ongoing generous support of Hesston College, college officials announced in July that the Annual Fund goal was met. About 750 households from 36 states and three countries are members of the Partner program and are a primary reason for the success as 80 percent of the $1.24 million goal came from Partner gifts. […]
by Amy (Bachman) ’01, faculty, Birdsell Homecoming this year was extremely special to me. I graduated from the Hesston College Aviation program 10 years ago, so not only did I reconnect with my former classmates, I also had the opportunity to help showcase the program that developed me as a person, an aviator and now […]
