33 Years of Service to FHSU
1928-1961
Nita M. Landrum embodied Fort Hays State University’s values of hard work and service to others. Landrum enrolled at FHSU in 1924 with her husband, Charles H. Landrum, a history professor at the college. She became an Alpha Gamma Delta sorority member and graduated in 1926 with a Bachelor of Science in history. After graduation, Landrum joined the FHSU Alumni Office as its executive secretary in 1928.
When the Great Depression struck years later, Landrum, now widowed and the mother of two young daughters, supported her family by leading the National Youth Administration project on campus, arranging student loans and jobs while working with the Alumni Officee. Landrum’s leadership and participation in the Alumni Association and various on-campus committees shaped the university and its Alumni Office as we know it today.
Although Homecoming began at the university in 1919, well-known celebrations, including the annual banquet and awards, started under Landrum’s leadership. Her dedication to our students, even those at war, led to the Alumni Office’s successful record-keeping and contact with its alums. She furthered that commitment by editing the Alumni News, a quarterly magazine she founded to establish communication with all Fort Hays State alumni. In 1960, Nita received the Alumni Achievement Award for her accomplishments and dedication to FHSU.
In 1961, after 33 years of service, Landrum retired from her position as executive secretary of the FHSU Alumni Office.
Landrum’s name echoes throughout campus, with the Alumni Office annually awarding the Nita M. Landrum Award. This award was established in Nita’s honor in 1994 and recognized an alum or friend of Fort Hays State who has provided sustained volunteer service for the Alumni Office and/or FHSU.
Nita was also recognized for her service to FHSU through the dedication of the Landrum Lounge in Custer Hall. The space was named in honor of Landrum in 1988, only one year before she passed away in 1989.
She will be remembered as a valued community member whose contributions to the university shaped its legacy and whose friendship reminded those close to her how valued they truly were.