Replacement documents free for storm victims

Kansas victims of the May 8 tornadoes may request replacement copies of certified vital records at no cost.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has authorized the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to waive fees for certified copies of birth certificates and marriage licenses for tornado victims in Allen, Anderson, Douglas, Linn, Osage and Woodson counties.

Above, Duane Bruna, foreground, and Joe Wetter haul a piece of broken fence from a home damaged May 8 in the tornado in Lawrence.

Eligible residents who need Kansas birth or marriage records are encouraged to call the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics in Topeka at (785) 296-1405.

Education: KU awards scholarship in memory of student

A senior from Roeland Park will receive the first Shannon Martin Memorial Scholarship from Kansas University.

Katharine Speer will use the $1,000 scholarship to study Portuguese and anthropology this fall at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose.

KU established the scholarship last year in memory of Martin, a former study abroad student who was killed during a research trip in May 2001. It will go annually to a female KU student accepted into KU Study Abroad in Costa Rica.

Kansas University: Business school honors deceased developer

Lawrence developer Bob Billings, who died in February, was honored posthumously Friday by the Kansas University School of Business.

Billings was given an Honorary Distinguished Alumni Award by the school at its annual graduation recognition ceremony at the Lied Center. His widow, Beverly Billings, accepted on her husband’s behalf.

Bob Billings, who graduated from KU in 1959, was responsible for much of Lawrence’s development west of Iowa Street, including the Alvamar area.

The School of Business also awarded Michael Beatty, Salina, with a Distinguished Alumni Award. Beatty, a 1960 KU graduate, was a managing partner and CEO of Kennedy and Coe Certified Public Accountants in Salina until he retired in 1995.