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Today's Featured Biography

 
Leanne Hitt Irsik

I was born during a raging blizzard in November 1952 in Northwest Kansas at the hospital in Wakeeney. My parents lived on a farm near Collyer and because the country roads were closed after the snow, I was driven home from the hospital on a tractor. Maybe that is why I hate the snow! My parents were Gene and Rita Struckhoff Hitt. Both of them were born in NW KS, Dad in Collyer and Mom in Grinnell. I was the oldest of eight; Rhonda 1954, Becky 1956, Nancy 1960, Ray 1962, Joe 1964, Jeff 1965, Pat 1970. We were the “Hitt kids” on Stout Street then Haskell Street and frequented the tennis courts and swimming pool nearly every day of our life in Pratt.

My Dad was the Game Warden in Pratt Co. until he retired. My Dad died in 2002 but my Mom still lives in Pratt. Mom was a caterer most of the time I was growing up and we had to help when she had events. That is probably why I hate to cook. She also was a seamstress and did tailoring for the Miss Kansas Pageant so we always got to see the new Miss Kansas is her gowns before we watched the Miss America Pageant on TV.

I spent my first two years of elementary school in Grinnell, KS which is also in NW Kansas, along I-70 – or Hwy 40 when I was there. During Christmas break of my second grade, we moved to Pratt, KS. I started school at Sacred Heart School on Oak Street. I loved going to school there and to this day have fond and not so fond memories from there. Playground fun and standing in the hallways singing after recess along with helping Mrs. Davidson in the cafeteria were great times. Not so fun was all the scoldings by the Sisters (I might have been a bit headstrong) and one particular Sister taking away the “initial” ring that had just been given to me by Danny Mosier in the 6th grade. She thought we were too young for such visible commitments. I was heartbroken and cried all day. Donny Blasi felt so sorry for me; he sneaked into the classroom during Boy Scouts and recovered the ring from out of her desk. That just changed the bad memory to a great memory.

The Sacred Heart kids joined our new classmates for 9th grade at Liberty Junior High. It didn’t take us much time to make good friends. During the three years at Pratt Senior High school I have great memories. Although some of them during my Junior and Senior year are a bit hazy – it was still the 60’s afterall! I loved sitting out under the big tree on the South edge of the front of the school on nice days or on the front steps. I loved French class although I never really learned much French. I sat next to Darrell Soeken and I doubt that he learned much French either. Outside of school, it was great fun going to the dances at the Armory or hanging out at Charlie’s playing pool or eating pizza tacos. When the Chapeau opened we couldn’t wait for our 18th birthday so we could actually buy beer in public. Since my birthday is not until November, I had to have a fake 18th birthday party at the Chapeau just so I could get a head start. I had my birthday party not too long after Connie Pina’s – we had some great times. If we didn’t want to go to the Chapeau, we would just roll up to the ice plant and buy the beer there and head out to the party. One night, Connie and the Letholt girls tried to take me snipe hunting out near the Letholt farms. I might have been a bit gullible in those days. I tried to date different guys from our school but it was hard to get a second date – on several occasions my Dad sent the police looking for me when I was late for curfew. I think that scared off a few good prospects.

After High School, I attended PCC for two years and then moved to Salina, KS. I got a degree in Nursing from Marymount College in Salina. I went back to grad school to get a degree in Health Administration and spent two years in a weekend program through Central Michigan University; meeting in Hutchinson. I just never finished the requirements for the last 6 hours and never got the degree – procrastination. In 2006 I finally got my Masters Degree in Management from Friends University. I was honored in 2009 to be awarded the PCC Alumni of the Year. It is a recognition I share with fellow 1970 classmate Larry Beamer who received the award several years before me.

I moved to Garden City from Salina and worked as a psychiatric nurse for three years. I decided to join the Air Force to “see the world”. I spent three years, 1978-1981, on active duty at Andrews AFP outside Washington DC. I worked as a mental health nurse and drug/alcohol treatment nurse during that time. I was in Active Reserve Duty for three additional years at McConnell AFB after we returned to Kansas. I left the Air Force with a rank of Captain.

When we returned to Kansas, I worked briefly at the Pratt Co. Hospital and then we settled back in Garden City. I worked for 25 years at St. Catherine Hospital in various roles including Education Coordinator, Associate Director of Nursing, Vice President of Patient Care, and Sr. Vice President. In 2007 we moved from Garden City to Lenexa, KS where I went to work for BE Smith, a healthcare recruiting company. After a year and a half, it was clear that long term recruiting was not for me so I went out on my own to work as a consultant. I took a position as an Interim CEO/Administrator for a hospital in Oregon in November 2008. The job was supposed to last 4-6 months but I am still here after almost 18 months. I have been here to assist with a change of ownership and merger for this hospital from Catholic Health Initiatives to Trinity Health. That took place on April 1, 2010 so now the recruitment for the permanent CEO has begun. I hope to be finished with this role in the next 4-6 months and after taking a bit of time off, find another interim/consulting engagement. I travel back to Kansas at least twice a month for a long weekend. My husband works for Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) as a shop supervisor at the Olathe KDOT shop.

After I signed up for the AF but before I left Garden City, I met my current husband Bill Irsik. I had no intention of getting involved with anyone then but I was doomed. Actually, I met Bill one night that I went out with Larry Beamer who was in Garden City as a Surgical Resident from KU. Bill met my best friend who was with us and joined our table. Bill came to Maryland me after I settled in at Andrews and we were married there in 1978. We have three grown children and 5 ½ grandchildren: Sarah (1979) is a Quality/Risk Manager at the hospital in Lakin,KS, Jon (1981) is a firefighter/EMT in Garden City, and Jason (1984) works for UPS in Lenexa,KS. While we lived in Garden City, Bill was involved with a country-western band, Twin Country with his twin brother and other family members and friends. We had almost 20 years playing in clubs in western Kansas and eastern Colorado.
Now, in our spare time, we love to play golf and fish and enjoy the activities of the grandchildren when we can. They range in age from 12 yr. to 18 months with another one on the way so we will have many years ahead of gymnastics, t-ball, Scout & school fundraisers (more magazines than I can read), school open houses, etc. We still enjoy music and attending performances and concerts; we make a trip to Nashville, TN every couple years just for fun.

I can’t wait until our reunion to see everyone. No matter how many years we have been away from PHS, we are all still connected as the Class of 1970.

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