Dane G. Hansen Educational Scholarships

When Dane G. Hansen died on his 82nd birthday in 1965, he left the bulk of his fortune to a charitable foundation. Among his many charitable interests during a long and active lifetime were young people and education. Recognizing his concern for people, the Trustees of the Hansen Foundation authorized a "Hansen Scholarship Program" which will annually offer scholarships to be used for students from this area. The full details of this program are explained in this site. Any student who meets the general criteria is eligible to apply. There will be no distinctions drawn on religion, color, creed, or station in life.

That is the way Mr. Hansen would have wanted it. As a son of immigrant parents who came from Denmark to establish a home on the Kansas frontier in 1872, Dane G. was born to Peter and Alpha Gray Hansen at Logan, Kansas, January 6, 1883. He lived and worked all of his life within a stone’s throw of this birthplace, and it is fitting that the magnificent Dane G. Hansen Museum is built on the block where he was born.

Dane G. Hansen joined his parents in the mercantile business in 1905, and later branched out into ranching, cattle breeding and raising mules. Since earth moving was done by mule teams, he started an earth-moving business which evolved into road and bridge construction. In this field, his business spread over a wide area of Northwest Kansas—the 26 counties from which Dane G. Hansen Scholarship recipients will be chosen.

In the 1930’s Mr. Hansen went into oil development and was one of the largest independent oil producers in Kansas at the time of his death. Most of his oil production was concentrated in Norton, Phillips, Graham, and Rooks counties.

Although Mr. Hansen never sought or desired public office, he was civic minded and served with distinction in many ways. As a personal friend of former President Dwight Eisenhower, Mr. Hansen was a member of the President’s Commission on Inter-Governmental Relation in 1954 and 1955 and a Vice-President of the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Foundation.

Mr. Hansen was always interested in young people. He established the Dane G. Hansen Boy Scout Camp at Kirwin and maintained scholarships for graduates of Logan High School. His generosity toward church, civic and school related activities in his home community were legendary. In addition to being active in civic organizations in his home community, Mr. Hansen served as Vice-President and Director of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association, Chairman of the Kansas Contractors Association Pension Trust Plan, and Past President of the Kansas Day Club.

Dane G. Hansen was a man who amassed an enormous fortune without losing the common touch. He was sincere and industrious. He was an astute businessman who knew the value of a dollar and insisted on honest workmanship. At the same time, he was generous in his personal relationships and had friends - good friends - in all walks of life.

Mr. Hansen stood tall among his fellow men -dignified but never austere, straight but not unbending, forthright but compassionate. He was an outstanding citizen in every sense of the word, and the Trustees of the Hansen Foundation believe he would be pleased that his fortune can now be used to help others.

Certainly, the improvement of educational opportunities for students in the area he loved ranks high among these objectives of the Trustees of the Hansen Foundation. It is the purpose of the Scholarship Committee appointed by the Foundation Trustees to make selection of the award winners without discrimination in any form. Students in stipulated areas will be chosen for their future potential based on the factors touched upon elsewhere in this site.

The Trustees of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation hope that good citizenship and good scholarship will be encouraged and that the attributes of the late Dane G. Hansen will provide guidance for outstanding careers of service to its honorees.

To carry out the program, a Scholarship Committee comprised of five members will determine the scholarship recipients. These members are: Gary Hulett, Chairman, Hays; Gerry Anschutz, Colby; Delbert Stanton, Hays and Glennys Doane, Downs. All have superior backgrounds in civic and public service and are well qualified to judge the future potential of applicants for scholarships.