Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson died Dec. 10, 2010, at his home in Lawrence.
He was born Jan. 30, 1955, in San Diego, the son of Everett William and Carol Ann (Lindgren) Anderson. He grew up in McPherson, Kan., and he earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Kansas in 1977, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He later earned a dual master’s degree in history and art history from the University of Minnesota, and a master’s of business administration in marketing and finance from Columbia University.
Survivors include his twin son and daughter, Alexander and Cassandra Anderson; and his former wife, Joan Sinopoli, all of Pennington, N.J. He was predeceased by his parents.
Anderson worked at KU Endowment as director of planned giving from 1995 to 2004. He later worked for the Nature Conservancy in Kansas City, Mo., the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation and National Headquarters, and Manion’s International Auction House.
While Anderson was an avid fan of KU sports, he also was fascinated by ancient sports; he conducted scholarly research on combative sports and wrestling. This aligned with his interest in Greek and Roman classical studies. At the time of his death, he was expanding into a book his thesis on the history of bodyguards. His research looked at the bodyguard as a symbol or icon in popular literature.
Anderson was proud of his Kansas Swedish heritage, and of being a descendant of a Civil War veteran. He was an active member of the Lawrence chapter of Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. He collected military memorabilia, including toys, uniforms and medals. He was an avid hunter and fisherman who particularly enjoyed spending time outdoors in Minnesota.