A Phillipsburg native and former teacher in Ellis, Agra and Great Bend has been named Young Alumna of the Year by York University in York, Neb.
Adrianne
“Annie” (Keesee) Johnson came to York University in the fall of 1997
out of Phillipsburg. Annie majored in K-12 music education and
was a member of the Concert Choir all four years at York and served as
the alto section leader. Annie was an active member of Omega Phi social
club which routinely won the Service Award for outstanding service to
the campus and the community. Annie was broadly respected by her peers,
evidenced by her selection as junior class secretary as part of Student
Government in 1999-2000. Annie also fondly remembers being a part of
Cocoa and Carols and Chamber Singers.
After
leaving York, Annie taught music in the small Kansas towns of Ellis and
Agra. Annie went on to earn a master's degree from Wichita State
University in special education music and also taught in Great Bend.
Annie
has been a consistent donor to the York scholarship fund for many
years, giving back each month so other students can have the same
life-changing experience she had while at York. In addition to that
commitment, it was while teaching in Ellis, and a faithful member
of the Hays Church of Christ, her humble life of service, love and joy
caught the eye of Donald Kraus, an elderly farmer and longtime member of
the congregation. Kraus would often hear Annie tell of her York
experience, and it was that testimony and her faithfulness that led him
to include York University in his will. That decision resulted in an
estate gift of nearly $5 million dollars, providing restoration funds
for the University’s Prayer Chapel as well as countless student
scholarships over the years.
Annie,
who lives in Wichita, Kan., with her husband, Dr. Jared Johnson, and
their children Lilly (11), Will (9), and Jemma (7), is being honored for
her consistent dedication and outstanding support for her alma mater.
Republished with permission