WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE
Spring 2017

Dharma's Garden

BY CONNIE KACHEL WHITE

Dharma deSilvaAlthough his work plate was more than full with the duties that came with his positions as Rudd Foundation Distinguished Fellow at WSU’s Barton School of Business, director of the Center for International Business Advancement, and chair of the World Trade Council of Wichita, which he co-founded in 1976, Dharma deSilva still found time to enjoy and share the tastes of his native Sri Lanka.

Widely recognized for his expertise in international management, marketing and business administration, deSilva also knew his way around a garden – and a kitchen. “I enjoy, very much, gardening and cooking for people,” he said one evening at his Wichita home in 2003, as he put the finishing touches on the mango chicken curry dish he was preparing for members of a WSU international student group. 

He earned his doctorate in international trade and business from Indiana University and held degrees and certifications from Southern Illinois University, the University of Evansville, Stanford, Harvard and Ohio State.

Arriving at Wichita State in 1975, deSilva taught courses in international business, global business and competitiveness, international marketing, and comparative and international management strategy. His research interests were many, and included marketing in a global context.

This teacher and scholar who advocated tirelessly for global trade and the internationalization of business education died April 1, 2017 in Wichita.


IN MEMORIAM

Dave The Rave

Dave Stallworth fs ’65 is a Shocker basketball legend. His No. 42 jersey, one of only five to be retired, hangs high from the rafters of Charles Koch Arena.

Grace Under Pressure

Linwood B. Sexton ’48 wore jersey No. 66 as a record-breaking halfback for the University of Wichita Shockers.

Patterns of Change

Variety was the spice of John D. McBride’s professional life.

Artful in Business

Linda L. (Howard) Brantner ’74/90 was one of those key Wichita people almost everyone knew.

Building Bridges

Reza Sarhangi ’89/94, professor of mathematics at Towson University in Maryland, is said to have had an obsession: connecting the fields of mathematics, science and art.

Dharma's Garden

Although his work plate was more than full, Dharma deSilva still found time to enjoy and share the tastes of his native Sri Lanka.

In Memoriam

Leaving lasting legacies are these Wichita State University alumni and friends.