| 2013 Pro Rege Inductees |
Cindy and the late Bobby Gottsch
Cindy Gottsch and the late Bobby Gottsch have stood for the values of rural Nebraska and the Midwest. Led by Bobby, a man of immense energy, vision and wit, and sustained by Cindy, this couple’s contributions will impact Hastings College for generations.The late cattleman and agri-business leader, Bobby, gave freely, and often quietly, of his time and resources to Hastings College. For 16 years, he served as a Trustee, including nearly seven years as the board’s Vice Chair, and pushed Hastings College to think in terms and opportunities as vast as Nebraska’s skies.
Bobby left an outstanding legacy of investing in hard-working students with the potential to be difference makers in their communities. He provided strong leadership and contributed significantly to all major Hastings College building projects in recent years. With Jack Osborne, he founded the Hastings College Bronco Rodeo team.
In 2010, the College awarded Bobby the President’s Award, and, in 2011, posthumously inducted him into the Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Following Bobby’s death in 2011, Cindy has continued the family legacy, honoring her husband with the Bobby Gottsch Difference Makers Campaign’s lead gift of $5 million.
During 28 years of marriage, Cindy and Bobby forged a life in Hastings, Neb. Bobby became President of Gottsch Enterprises, Inc. and affiliated companies including cattle and swine operations, ranches, farming, real estate and land development. His success led to his induction into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.
Cindy and Bobby have five children, one son-in-law, and one granddaughter.
Dr. Ladd Cochrane ’58
For more than 60 years, Dr. Ladd Cochrane ’58, professor emeritus of teacher education, has been moving the ball down the field for his alma mater. As fullback on the 1954 Hastings College Bronco Football Team, he helped propel the team to a 9-0 record, including a Mineral Water Bowl victory. As Chairman of the Teacher Education Department, he pushed Hastings College into new territory by spearheading the College’s creation of a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree.
Before enrolling at HC in 1953, Ladd attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a year and served in the United States Air Force. He played football and sang in the Touring Choir. Ladd earned his Registered Physical Therapist certificate from the Mayo Clinic School of Physical Therapy, then returning to HC in 1958 to complete his degree in Secondary Education and Biology.
After graduation, Ladd taught in Michigan and Wyoming. He earned degrees from Western Michigan University and Arizona State University and served on the University of Northern Colorado’s faculty.
Ladd’s tenure on the Hastings College faculty included leading his colleagues in the Teacher Education Department through three state accreditation reviews and two national accreditations.
In 1989, Ladd was inducted into the HC Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1954 Bronco Football Team.
Ladd married Delores DeJarnett ‘55 in August 1955. Since Ladd’s retirement from HC in 1996, they have made their home in Greeley, Colo.
Ladd and Dee have two children, five grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
Pepsi Cola Bottling of Hastings
The origins of Pepsi Cola Bottling of Hastings date to 1946 when Frank C. Boyd Sr. and Phil Bonahoom sat at the Hastings Elks Club, discussing post-World War II business opportunities. Initially, they formed the Grapette Bottling Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, the company expanded its offerings to include the Pepsi Cola franchises and brands, became known as Pepsi Cola Bottling of Hastings. As the industry changed, the company focused on soft drink distribution, ceasing local beverage production in 1984. Throughout the changes, the employees of Pepsi Bottling of Hastings, through their hard work, have made the company’s success and generosity possible.
In 1960, Frank C. Boyd Jr. purchased Bonahoom’s share of the company, continuing a career path he had not envisioned as a student attending Hastings College. The World War II Army Ranger had been accepted into medical schools but deferred entry to help his father start the company. He married Norma Becher, who also had studied at Hastings College, in 1949. Together, they raised five sons: Tim, Bill, Frank, Mike and Pat. At various times, all worked at the family business which Tim and Pat lead today.
Through Pepsi Cola Bottling, the Boyds have given generously to Hastings College. They have provided funding for academic and athletic scholarships, including the Frank and Norma Boyd Endowed Scholarship, and contributed to capital projects.
Tim, whose wife Trish is a 1986 Hastings College alumna, served on the Hastings College Board of Trustees and remains an honorary trustee.
| Previous Inductees | ||
2013 Cindy and Bobby* Gottsch Dr. Ladd Cochrane Pepsi Cola Bottling of Hastings
2012 Thomas C. Jorgenson
2011 Phillip Dudley Jr.
2010 Kenneth Rhodus Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc.
2009 Charles Gardner Fred Hawkins, Jr.
2008 Clayton Anderson
Charles Hermes | 2005
2004 2003 Lloyd Jones*
2001 Elinore Barber | 2000
1999 |
