WICHITA, Kan. – Freddy Simon will be honored as the recipient of the Wichita State University Alumni Achievement Award during a ceremony this evening. As noted on the Shocker Alumni website, the Alumni Association’s highest honor recognizes “outstanding achievement in a chosen profession or outstanding contributions to society-at-large.”
Simon, a 94-year-old World War II veteran, is a self-proclaimed “regular guy” who served his country in the military and received a Purple Heart for injuries sustained, as well as a Bronze Star for valor. After being honorably discharged from the service, he graduated in 1949 from the University of Wichita with a degree in accounting and started a family raising six children with his wife Norma Jean. He spent the rest of his professional career in sales for the hospitality industry until becoming the face of Freddy’s in his late 70s.
“I am proud to watch as my father joins a long and distinguished list of past award recipients including Wichita-based entrepreneurs Dan and Frank Carney of Pizza Hut and Tom Devlin of Rent-A-Center,’ said Simon’s son and 1971 WSU graduate, Randy Simon, co-founder and CEO, ‘Dad has always appreciated the warm and supportive nature of WSU and the Wichita community that he calls home.”
4/18/2019