Fred Ellsworth Medallion
Fred Ellsworth, c’22, led the Association staff as executive secretary from 1924 to 1963. Since 1975 the Fred Ellsworth Medallion has honored individuals "who have provided unique and significant service to the University."
Fred Ellsworth Medallion recipients are honored by the Association at a special dinner in conjunction with the fall Board of Directors meeting and introduced during the home football game that weekend.
Past winners of the medallion have been honored for their leadership in Kansas higher education, as chairs and members of University boards and committees, as consultants for special KU projects, and as donors to the University.
View biographies of the 2011 recipients below:.
Rich Clarkson, j'55
Clarkson, a nationally acclaimed photographer, owns Rich Clarkson & Associates, a multimedia firm that produces original photography, books and exhibitions. Major clients include the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team and the NCAA. Clarkson began covering sports as a KU student and went on to a distinguished career that included the Topeka Capital-Journal, The Denver Post, Sports Illustrated and National Geographic.
American Photo Magazine named him one of the 50 most influential people in American photography. He received the 2007 William Allen White National Citation from the KU School of Journalism; that year he also was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
For the Association, Clarkson is a Life Member and a member of the Presidents Club. For KU Endowment, he is a member of the Chancellors Club. He has provided scholarship funds and other suppport to the journalism school as a member of the Dean's Club. He has served as a trustee of the William Allen White Foundation.
Linda Ellis Sims, e'79
Sims manages U.S. third party basestock sales for the ExxonMobil Corp. She began her career with Exxon in Houston, where she was a longtime KU volunteer, leading the Association's Houston Chapter. She served on the national Board of Directors from 1991 to 1993. She is a Life Member and a member of the Presidents Club.
Her involvement also continues through KU Endowment as a trustee and a member of the Executive, Development and Campaign Steering committees. She has served as a member of the advisory board for Women Philanthropists for KU, and she is a member of the Chancellors Club.
She has helped guide KU through recent pivotal transitions as a member of the search committees for athletics director and chancellor. As a student, she was a varsity swimmer, and she is a K-Club member and donor to the Williams Educational Fund. For the School of Engineering, she is immediate past chair of the School of Engineering advisory board; she also served on the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering advisory board.
Kurt Watson, d'75
Watson is president and chief operating officer of The IMA Financial Group Inc. He is a former Wichita chapter leader and volunteer for the Kansas Honors Program. He was part of the Wichita team that created the Jayhawk Roundup, an annual fall event. He and his wife, Sue Shields Watson, d'75, are Life Members and members of the Presidents Club.
In 2010, he concluded a four-year term as chair of KU Endowment, where he remains a trustee and member of the Executive Committee. He and Sue co-chair the Campaign Steering Committee. They are members of the Chancellors Club and the Williams Educational Fund for KU Athletics, where Kurt served on the Chancellor's Advisory Committee to Athletics. He also served on the School of Business Board of Advisors and the search committees to hire the chancellor and the dean of the KU Medical Center-Wichita.
