How often, do you suppose, does a Kansas University athletic director show up in Garden City?

Perhaps even more important, when was the last time KU’s AD ran into a distant relative and his own second-grade teacher while touring the state?

Being a Kansas native who knows his way around the western half of the state is one of the special intangibles Sheahon Zenger brings to his new job. The new athletic director made good on a pledge he made when he was hired by spending three days last week traveling around the state, getting reacquainted with some old friends and making some new ones.

Hopefully, he’ll make many similar trips in the future. Having former KU football star Gale Sayers with him might have boosted Zenger’s crowd, but the people who showed up also were impressed with Zenger’s ability to listen and connect with his audiences. In addition to meeting with people one-on-one, he gave a short speech and then answered questions.

“It’s somewhat arrogant,” he said, “to think you can go and deliver a speech and answer all their questions in a speech.”

What a refreshing attitude. “Arrogant” is a term that too often is applied to KU and Zenger’s predecessor as AD. It’s especially prevalent in the western part of the state, where both the geographically and philosophically distance to KU is particularly apparent. And yet, according to news reports, even a dedicated fan of Kansas State University in Salina gave Zenger a positive review for his interactions with the crowd and friendly demeanor.

Another indication of Zenger’s personality came during an interview last week with J-W reporter Andy Hyland, who asked the question that has been on the minds of many people associated with KU. That is, what plans does the new AD have for retaining or replacing staff members who were hired by his predecessor and were on board during events that led to the athletic ticket scandal.

His simple response: “I think you should treat people the way you want to be treated.” That is to say that no house-cleaning is planned and staff members will be given a chance to prove themselves to their new boss. He expects to have some opportunities to bring in new staff members when positions open up for a variety of reasons, but there’s no hurry.

It appears that Zenger’s philosophy about how to treat people applies not only to his staff but to the people of Kansas as well. His first trip across the state seemed to open the door for him becoming one of KU’s most effective ambassadors.