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| Rowena Ahlberg, 1916-2002 |
A devoted wife and mother, Rowena (Osborn) Ahlberg described her years as presidential partner to the ninth Wichita State University president, Clark Ahlberg, as the best years of her life.
In her role as First Lady, friends saw her not only as the president’s wife, but as an individual who genuinely cared for the students, the faculty and the staff at wsu. She loved to entertain and believed it was better to entertain in the home than in a public place.
Clark and Rowena (who had met while both were attending the University of Wichita) were married on Aug. 8, 1941. As Clark’s career was progressing, Rowena concentrated on the family. They traveled little except to return to Wichita to see their parents. In September 1968, when Clark became president of wsu, the Ahlbergs “came home” to be welcomed by family and friends.
As First Lady for 14 years, from 1968 until 1983, she spent much of her time involved with university-related events. She actively participated in the Rotary Anns and attended many community functions, but she believed she should be most involved in wsu activities. She was active in the Dames and spoke most fondly of her memories of individual students and of student groups. She hosted many social activities for the university community in her home. Students appreciated being invited to the president’s home. Rowena was known for her special cookies, which were made from molasses prepared from a friend’s home-grown sugar cane. These cookies were a trademark, and when time was short and she occasionally needed to buy cookies, students were never fooled.
Rowena was proud of the accomplishments of her husband during their tenure as first couple. High on the list of achievements is the construction of seven campus buildings. The Ahlbergs championed campus beautification projects and encouraged the development of the university’s world-renowned outdoor sculpture collection. Also during the Ahlberg years, university enrollment increased, as did the level of private funding, and a number of new program initiatives, including cooperative and continuing education, were undertaken. Rowena’s saddest memory as First Lady was of the 1970 plane crash that killed a number of student members of the Wichita State football team, as well as some faculty members and friends of the university. Experiences such as this often bring communities closer together, and Rowena dealt with the tragedy by listening and consoling family members and friends of the team. She also helped Clark as he attended to the complex issues following the crash.
Through the good times and the sad, Rowena saw her role as one of augmenting Clark’s vision for the university in every way.
— Martha Miller Shawver, from Presidential Partners: First Ladies of the University
Rowena Erle (Osborn) Ahlberg died Jan. 26 in Wichita. A memorial has been established with WSU for the Clark and Rowena Ahlberg Scholarship.
