Hal and Phyllis Broadie of Manhattan K-State's Honorary Family

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Source: Lori Goetsch, 785-532-7492, lgoetsch@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415, ebarcomb@k-state.edu

Monday, October 30, 2006

HAL AND PHYLLIS BROADIE OF MANHATTAN K-STATE'S HONORARY FAMILY

MANHATTAN -- The Wildcats may have plenty of fans in the stadium, but Kansas State University supporters Hal and Phyllis Broadie, Manhattan, also appreciate the value of a K-State education.

The couple is this year's K-State Honorary Family, chosen by members of Chimes, the junior honorary. The Broadies were nominated by their grandchildren, siblings Weston and Bethany Fox. The Foxes, both of Manhattan, are K-State students. Weston Fox is a sophomore in electrical engineering, and Bethany Fox is a junior in pre-nursing.

"Values of unconditional love, faith and the importance of an education were always present," the Foxes wrote in their nomination. "Hal and Phyllis were always good role models for family values and the importance of education."

The Broadies will be honored at several events Saturday, Nov. 4, as part of K-State's Family Day celebration. Chimes will have a brunch to recognize the Broadies, and the group also invited the couple to attend the Taste of K-State dinner that afternoon. The Broadie family will be presented a plaque and honored as K-State's Honorary Family at a presentation between the second and third games of the K-State volleyball match against Texas A&M. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Ahearn Field House.

According to the Foxes, Hal Broadie and Phyllis Burns, both born in Ashland, were high school sweethearts and lived next door to each other at K-State; their grandfather was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and their grandmother was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. The Broadies married in 1950 and graduated in 1951, Hal Broadie with a degree in agricultural economics and Phyllis Broadie with a degree in home economics.

All four of the couple's daughters attended K-State and married fellow K-Staters. All of the Broadies' grandchildren so far have attended K-State. Along with Weston and Bethany Fox, they include: Brian Platt, a December 2005 graduate in electrical engineering, and Laura Platt, senior in psychology, both of Junction City; and Grant Hamilton, who attended K-State and transferred to study nursing, and Jeff Hamilton, sophomore in kinesiology, both of Kansas City, Kan.

In their nomination, the Foxes said their grandparents have lived in various places across the state. Phyllis Broadie returned to Ashland and taught while her husband was overseas serving in the Korean War. The couple then lived in Hugoton, where Hal Broadie was a Stevens County extension agent. In Caldwell, Hal Broadie pursued a career in banking, and Phyllis Broadie returned to teaching. The family moved to Larned, where Phyllis Broadie worked as a school librarian while Hal Broadie continued banking. The couple also lived in Hays before moving out-of-state for 10 years. They eventually returned to Manhattan, where the Foxes said their grandparents' "loyalties truly lie." The Broadies attend K-State games and other events whenever possible. They also enjoy reunions with former classmates.