Buddy and Jan Oden Scholarship
Arthur H. (Buddy) Oden was born July 29th, 1936 in Lyons, KS. He was raised on a farm northeast of Sterling, KS and spent most of his life there.
Buddy graduated from Sterling High School in 1954. During his time there he was involved in football, basketball, and track. His senior year he was captain of the football team and crowned the Homecoming Queen. He attended Hutchinson Community College playing football both years. Following that he went to Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia. It is now called Emporia State University. He met his wife Janice L. (Jan) Winterstein Oden the first day of school. He was in the Phi Sig fraternity. Buddy worked 40 hours a week at Tiechgrabers Milling Company During his two years at Emporia.
Follow his graduation from KSTC in 1958 he taught history and driver’s ed in Harper, KS. During the year his draft number came up, so he joined the Air National Guard. He spent the summer at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. A week after he returned, he married Janice (Jan) Winterstein on August 22nd, 1959. For three months he was a drivers ed instructor at the Schilling Air Force Base in Salina, KS. Schilling had the worst driving record at that time in the country. Then he went to work for Drive-O-Ed company in Topeka. During this time, he traveled all over the state of Kansas with a trailer that held 6-8 simulators. With the simulators students could learn to drive without being in an actual car.
Then he went to K-State to work on his electrical engineering degree for 2 years and 2 summers. His father had some eye problems, so Buddy returned to the farm. He spent the rest of his life farming. Right after he got back to the farm K-State had a 3-month short course for farmers that he took. Since Jan was still teaching in Manhattan that worked out well.
Buddy and Jan were married in 1959 and had four children, Art, Todd, Jon, and Sue. All four of them graduated from a Kansas college. Todd and Jon are involved with their own farms in Sterling, Art is an occupational therapist in Las Vegas, NV and Sue is a Junior High School science teacher in Salina, KS.
During his farming years Buddy was on the Ark Valley Electric Board, helped with second grade Sunday school, Boy Scouts, and was a County Commissioner.
He lost his leg to cancer in 1992, but this did not slow him down. He was on his way home from KU Medical Center within 4 days. He was ready to leave the hospital before they could show him how to use crutches. After arriving home, he was on a tractor within a week, climbing grain bins as soon as he received his prosthesis and was skiing in Colorado within 4 months.
Needless to say, he was a very determined man. He firmly believed everyone should continue their education. After his passing in 1998, the family decided to set up a scholarship in his memory.
Janice L. (Jan) Winterstein Oden was born in Omaha, NE on August 4, 1938. She was raised in Clear Lake, IA and gradated from Liberal High School in Liberal, KS in 1956. Jan had polio in 1952 that affected her legs. When she started back to school someone had to carry her books for her to be able to climb stairs. In high school she was president of her 4-H club and Girl Reserves. She was also involved with choir and Madrigals. At Emporia she was a member of Alpha Sigma tau sorority and worked in the school library, graduating with a degree in Business Education in 1959.
Following graduation, she worked as a secretary for an oil company in Salina and later in Topeka at Kansas Power and Light. When Buddy went back to school in Manhattan, she taught second grade.
After going back to farming, she taught first grade in Lyons. She stayed home for 17 years to raise her children. During that time, Jan could operate any kind of machine on the farm from a lawn mower, combine, tractor, grain cart or truck. She also took meals to the field and did all the book work for the farm. The only thing she never drove was a semi-truck.
In 1985 Jan went back to teach second, third, and fourth grade in Sterling. Then on to the high school to teach special education. When she retired in 2002, she was in charge of the 7-12 special education program. After she retired Jan returned to be a substitute teacher for another 13 years. Then did some volunteer work in the grade school reading and math program for the lower grades.
Jan was active in the United Methodist Church, singing with the choir, playing bells, helping with Wednesday meals for the community, volunteering in the church office, and being on several committees for the church. When her children were growing up, she was a Sunday School teacher and Boy and Cub Scout leader. She also helped with Vacation Bible School during that time and later when her grandchildren were involved in the program.
In her retirement years she had a very active social life. Jan loved to travel and was in all 50 states and over 30 countries. She hosted Hand & Foot (a card game), dominoes, and bridge at her home almost every week. Jan and several ladies tried to go out to eat at least once a month. She was a member of PEO, life member of AAUW and Beta Sigma Phi.
Jan was very interested in furthering the education of young people. Thus her name was added to the scholarship.