BVU National Alumni Association Presents Awards at Homecoming Game

Related Media

E. Hendrickson

STORM LAKE, IA (10/08/2018) (readMedia)-- The Buena Vista University (BVU) National Alumni Association honored individuals and couples for their service to BVU and to their communities at a special luncheon and at half-time of the Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Those who were honored are:

Landon and Alicia (Heiland) Roth, Class of 2000, are the recipients of the 2018 Keith Briscoe Alumni Award. The award is named in honor of BVU's 16th President, who led the campus from 1974 to 1995 and recognizes recent graduates for their past student achievements and present career success.

During their time at BVU, Alicia was a two-sport student athlete where she was a member of the 1996-1997 women's basketball conference championship team, Sweet 16 Tournament team, and was team captain her senior year. She was also a member of the 1998 softball team. Alicia earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar All-American honors, as well as the Harriet Henry Dedicated Athlete Award.

Landon was a member of the men's basketball team which won two conference championships. In 1999-2000, he co-captained the winningest team in BVU basketball history that went 27-2 and advanced to the Sweet 16. Additionally, Landon earned First Team and Second Team All-Conference honors and garnered national recognition, earning the NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship. Landon also served on the student leadership team.

Alicia and Landon continued their education at the University of Iowa where Alicia earned a master's in education and Landon earned both law and MBA degrees. Landon started his legal career as an associate as Husch & Eppenberger in Kansas City before becoming a partner in the firm Friend Cooper, LLC from 2005-2012. In 2012, Landon left the full-time practice of law to become the CEO of AVK Capital, a single family office in Overland Park, Kansas, where he is responsible for multiple investments, businesses, and real estate projects. As an alumnus, Landon has hosted a BVU intern and served on BVU's National Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Alicia worked at Kansas City Kansas Community College as a women's basketball coach and exercise science instructor for more than a decade before returning to the home to raise their children. Alicia is currently involved in BVU's Beaver to Beaver program where she mentors incoming freshmen, and Landon has participated in BVU's Career Symposium. The couple is also loyal annual supporters of BVU.

They reside in Kansas City, where they are active in their local church. They have four children, Gannon (12), Abbie (11), Mason (7), and Emmett (4).

Edward Hendrickson, Class of 1955, of Ames and Okoboji, is the recipients of the 2018 Henry Olson Distinguished Service Alumni Award. This award is the highest honor presented by the BVU National Alumni Association. The award is named in honor of the University's 13th president and recognizes former students who have made significant contributions to society and/or the University and for their exceptional effort, dedication, and self-sacrifice in service to others.

Hendrickson played right field on the 1952 Buena Vista College baseball team, setting a home run record (9 in 17 games) and tying for first place in the former Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he played on the U.S. Army baseball team and coached basketball for the company team. He was drafted by the Yankees in 1954, but played for the Storm Lake White Caps and complete his degree at BVC. He also started forward on the basketball team his senior year and took home the conference trophy for baseball.

Upon graduation, Hendrickson married Mary (Legried) Hendrickson and moved to Ames in 1956. They purchased a hotel, and Hendrickson received a real estate license which turned into a rewarding career buying and building apartments in Ames. During the 1980s-90s, Hendrickson coached and sponsored an AAU basketball team and was inducted into the Iowa AAU Hall of Fame.

He discovered his passion for singing while spending time driving a tractor, and he has performed at many weddings, funerals, and church services for more than 70 years. He also performed "The Lord's Prayer" in the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California and the national anthem at a BVU Homecoming game. Hendrickson is a loyal, annual Order of the Arch donor and great supporter of the baseball field renovation project.

Hendrickson and his wife had four children together and enjoyed 55 years of marriage before her death in 2010. His first child, Edward, is a retired software engineer; David manages JLL in Chicago; and Melinda works as a veterinarian. Lynn, born in 1958, died of Leukemia in 1966.

Today he enjoys retirement, golfing, and spending time with his companion Patsy Huenecke, originally from Holstein. Henricksen owns 10 classic cars (including a 1954 Corvette), has won many car shows, and tells classic Norwegian jokes. He and Patsy split their time between Okoboji in the summer and Palm Desert, California and Florida in the winter.

Janice (Hunt) Vander Pol, Class of 1988, is the recipient of the 2018 John Fisher Alumni Award. Established in 1970 and named in honor of the University's 14th president, the John Fisher Award recognizes BVU graduates who possess a consistent and persevering dedication to the qualities for which the University stands.

Since graduating from BVU with her bachelor's degree in accounting, Vander Pol has spent 30 years in public and manufacturing accounting as a CPA. She currently holds the title of senior accountant as a Chartered Global Management Accountant for Den Hartog Industries, Inc. in Hospers. She is a member of the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Vander Pol and her husband, Brad, are loyal Order of the Arch donors with a desire to embody BVU's motto of Education for Service. Thanks to donors, Vander Pol received BVU scholarships for the equivalent of two years as a BVU student, and she strives to provide the same opportunities to students today. Vander Pol represented BVU as a delegate for the presidential inaugurations at Northwestern College in Orange City and Dordt College in Sioux Center. She also served on the BVU National Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2000-2007.

Vander Pol volunteers in various capacities at First Reformed Church in Sheldon, and she recently began leading the Congregational Vitality Pathway Strategic Ministry Planning Team with Brad. She served on the development team and organizational board of her local affiliate of Love in the Name of Christ (Love INC), a national organization whose mission is to mobilize churches to transform lives in the name of Christ. She is a certified instructor of Faith & Finances curriculum through the Chalmers Institute and continues to serve as a volunteer mentor coordinator for Loving Help budget ministry through Love In the Name of Christ of Greater O'Brien County. Vander Pol conducts trainings and provides support to other volunteer mentors as well.

Janice and Brad live in Sheldon, enjoy spending time and making memories with their nieces and nephews, and ride motorcycles in their free time.

John Cotton, of Spencer, is the recipient of the 2018 Wendell Halverson Outstanding Friend Award. The award is named in honor of BVU's 15th president and recognizes individuals who, although not alumni of the University, have demonstrated a commitment to Buena Vista University and its students.

Cotton was raised on a farm near Lone Rock and graduated from Iowa State University in 1960 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business. He spent five years in Fort Dodge as a farm manager with Farmers National Company of Omaha. He began his own farm management and farm real estate business in Spencer in 1965 and remains an active partner in Cotton-Grave Farm Management & Realty managing farms in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Cotton also served as a bank director for 43 years and in 1997 he became a founder and part owner of Community Bank in Spencer, Albert City, Sioux Rapids, and Webb.

Over the years, Cotton has enjoyed serving on various boards including: chair of the Board of Regents for Luther College, chair of the Mid America Region Board of the YMCA and a member of the National Board of the YMCA, chair of the Spencer Municipal Hospital Board, and chair of the Grace United Methodist Church Foundation Board.

Cotton was a former chair and is a continuing member of the Iowa Public Television Foundation Board. He served as past president of the Iowa Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and was past president of the Spencer Rotary Club, of which he remains an active member.

In 1995 he was named Spencer's Citizen of the Year. He was a recipient of the Iowa State University Key Award and also received the 1998 ISU Professional Agri Business Award. Most meaningful to Cotton was being named Sports Broadcaster of the Year by the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association after several years broadcasting Spencer High School baseball games. He also served as secretary-treasurer of the Spencer Cardinals amateur baseball team for 28 years.

Cotton has been married to Carole Lea for 58 years, and they are loyal Order of the Arch donors, as well as members of BVU's ZZ White Heritage Society. Together they have three children who are living in Minnesota, Washington, and Kansas. The couple has had a love for backpacking in Europe and has also visited 45 U.S. National Parks on their ongoing quest to see all the national parks.

About Buena Vista University

Since 1891, Buena Vista University has prepared students for lifelong success and blends liberal arts with real-world applications. Our traditional campus on the shores of Storm Lake hosts students in a variety of majors and pre-professional programs, including elementary, secondary, and special education; business and accounting; and biological and chemical sciences. Our 16 degree-completion locations, online, and graduate programs expand student potential with a pace and academic rigor designed for working adults and a variety of class formats that make scheduling even more convenient. With an average scholarship of more than 50 percent off of tuition, BVU is an affordable option for all students. Visit www.bvu.edu.

###