Medal of Excellence honorees Steve and Cathy Lacy cherish their K-State friends and opportunities
From childhood pals to college companions, to neighbors and coworkers, friends add a wonderful dimension of enjoyment to our lives. But part of having good friends is being a good friend to others.
That’s been the experience for Steve Lacy and Cathy Wiltfong Lacy of Des Moines, Iowa, who were awarded the 2024 Kansas State University Medal of Excellence in recognition of their outstanding service, leadership and financial contributions to K-State.
Lifelong connections
“My favorite memories at K-State start with the groups I belonged to — my dorm, concert choir and dietetics classes,” Cathy said. “Now as an alum, it’s the games, bringing family to campus and enjoying K-State activities, be it football, basketball or some other event.”
For Steve Lacy, that pivotal group was his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
“I learned what it was like to live together and get along with more than 60 young men,” Steve said. “We had the opportunity to run our own business, leading to us being a bit more financially savvy. I learned how to work hard and play even harder with that group of friends. It really fared well for me when I got into business because of my experience at the SAE house.”
Both K-State graduates, Steve obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1976 and his Master of Business Administration in 1977. Cathy earned a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and institutional management in 1979 followed by a Master of Public Administration from Drake University in 1986. Steve went on to become chairman and CEO of the Des Moines-based media and marketing company Meredith Corporation, while Cathy served as a sales and marketing dietitian at Tone’s Spice Company.
“The one experience at K-State that changed me the most was my opportunity to work as staff at Goodnow Hall,” explained Cathy. “It honed my skills and made me understand how to be a leader, a mentor and to work collaboratively with people. When I graduated, I wanted to serve people. That opportunity gave me the skills and the chance to do that.”
Opportunities for excellence
Helping others is the driving factor of the Lacys’ philanthropic investment in K-State.
“We have supported K-State through our time and through philanthropy with the simple belief that we could make it better for the next generation of students,” Steve said. “We hope by that experience and by those leadership opportunities, another generation will follow us by helping others and paying it forward.”
Campus leaders have worked collaboratively with the Lacys to ensure their investments of time and resources provide the intended benefit.
“Steve and Cathy have had a huge impact at K-State, and it’s easy to point to a lot of their financial contributions they’ve given or their philanthropy — the College of Business building, Lacy’s Fresh Fare and Catering in Justin Hall, the scholarships they’ve created, and the SAE house that Steve is involved with,” said Keven Gwinner, Edgerly family dean of the College of Business. “But I think beyond that, it’s really about the people they’ve touched,”
“They’re not beholden to the way that K-State was in the past,” said Brad Behnke, interim Betty L. Tointon dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. “They’re not afraid of change to a university, as long as it’s intentional change and the outcome reinforces student education and opportunities. That makes them good ambassadors.”
“There’s truly something special about Kansas State University, but what really shines in everything we do is the people,” said K-State President Richard Linton. “Our students, faculty and alumni, like Steve and Cathy Lacy, are helping us make K-State the next-generation land-grant university.”
And that land-grant mission of making education accessible is something the Lacys strongly believe in.
“We are tremendous supporter of the land-grant mission, and we are, in fact, products of that mission, as we both came from fairly modest circumstances,” Steve said. “We hope that the work we have done along with many others will inspire the next generation of leaders and philanthropists to create opportunities for students to launch successful careers and to have happy lives.” “We feel privileged to be able to give back the way we do and that’s all because of Kansas State,” Cathy said. “A K-State education gives you a good foundation for a career. You can go out with a K-State degree and impact your community, whether it’s urban or rural. Through K-State, we’ve made lifelong friends and have had the opportunity to give back to the institution we both care deeply about.”
