KEARNEY – Kearney businessman Tom Henning is a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Medal of Service, which celebrates Nebraskans’ support and advocacy for the University of Nebraska.
Henning, president and CEO of Cash-Wa Distributing, was recognized by University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen and NU interim President Susan Fritz at a recent luncheon.
Created in 2018, the Presidential Medal is the highest honor the NU president can bestow upon a community member.
“One of the extraordinary blessings of serving at the University of Nebraska is being part of a community that truly cares about the success of the institution,” said Fritz. “So many Nebraskans are willing to lift up their voices in support of an affordable, accessible, competitive university.
“Thanks to their efforts, we are in an even stronger position to serve our 51,000 students and people around the world. We are honored to publicly recognize their service.”
Henning, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, has been active in civic causes in Kearney and across the state for decades. He is a member of the UNK Alumni Association, Loper Athletic Club and UNK Chancellor’s Circle. He is a past member of the University of Nebraska Foundation Board of Directors and served on the UNK committee for Campaign for Nebraska, the foundation’s most recent comprehensive fundraising campaign.
As a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for UNK’s College of Business and Technology, Henning played a role in helping develop the college’s supply chain management emphasis – a program with a 100% job placement rate. In 2012, Henning received the Ron & Carol Cope Cornerstone of Excellence Award from UNK.
Henning and other medal recipients will be recognized at the next NU Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 7, 2020.
OTHERS RECOGNIZED
Other honorees of the Presidential Medal of Service include the Nebraska Association of County Extension Boards and Michael Yanney and Dr. Gail Walling Yanney of Omaha.
The Nebraska Association of County Extension Boards is the primary advocacy partner of Nebraska Extension at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The 47-year-old nonprofit comprises more than 550 Extension board members, representing all 93 counties.
The Yanneys are champions of a variety of youth education, arts, health and other causes in Omaha, Kearney and across the state. Their support for the University of Nebraska includes leadership of recent fundraising for the renovation of a new home for the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Fritz called Henning and the others recognized “champions of the university and the vital role education plays in growing the state’s economy and well-being.”
