The recent decision to have former Kansas University law Dean Mike Davis accept an interim deanship until a new full-time selection can be made called attention to how blessed KU has been through the years by people willing to do what seems best “for the good of the order.” Davis was a solid choice for the assignment and KU was lucky to have him available. Law Dean Stephen McAllister filled in as head of the Dole Institute of Politics while a full-time director was sought.

Time and again when there have been administrative needs, excellent and able people who already had enough to do have been willing to step up and fill in even if the extra load was heavy and often inconvenient.

Nobody tops the service and unselfishness of microbiologist Del Shankel, of course. In his time in Lawrence he has served as acting chancellor, chancellor, twice as acting athletic director along with other athletic department assignments, interim president of the alumni association and, somewhere in there, has been an outstanding professor in his field. He was the first executive vice chancellor at KU and it might take a large room with a lot of big racks to store all the hats he’s worn as a Jayhawk.

Consider, too, the long and devoted service that Raymond Nichols gave KU, first as executive secretary, then as acting chancellor in a time of need and then, for a while, as chancellor, an honor he so richly deserved.

When Dutch Lonborg’s tenure as athletic director was ended due to the state’s mandatory retirement policy, he was granted special dispensation to remain on the job for as long as it took to find a successor. Lonborg’s period in the office was one of the most effective the school has ever seen.

Fred Pawlicki, associate director of the Lied Center, has just finished a stint as acting director of the Spencer Museum of Art. He did what many consider an outstanding job of handling the museum assignment during a difficult changeover period. Pawlicki also filled in to run the Lied Center after Jackie Davis left for a position in New York City and did a superb job.

Over the years, such KU luminaries as Francis Heller, John Nelson and E.B. Stouffer have filled important gaps. Howard Mossberg long was head of the School of Pharmacy and even though he had finished that assignment, he served willingly and well as interim vice chancellor for research after Frances Horowitz left.

Don Alderson was long the KU dean of men and then became interim vice chancellor for student affairs. Laurence Woodruff was a noted biology professor who handled a number of assignments such as dean of men and dean of students. Diana Carlin was an interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and now is dean of the graduate school. Richard Konzem handled a wide range of “interim” duties when he was with the athletic department.

The danger of relating a list of great interim servants to the university, such as this, is that someone, probably a number, of deserving people have been left out. It is only hoped they will let the others carry the banner for them and know they are appreciated even if they are not noted here.

Mike Davis, then, is just one in a long line of outstanding, unselfish and dedicated people who have heard the call to help their university. Such people are one of the many reasons KU enjoys its status as the great educational experience it is.