John P. St. John Memorial High School
Class of 1952

(Nov. 2, 1934 — Nov. 21, 2020)

Nancy was a high school athlete and later coached little girls softball. There were no interscholastic or city teams for girls in Gardner at the time, so she started a softball league for girls ages 13-15 and a girls’ basketball team. This later grew to include more sports, for girls and boys, and other age groups. She was a 4-H leader and served on the Johnson County 4-H Board from 1965-1979. In 1967, she became a school bus driver and was named R.W. Harmon’s first driver trainer in 1978. She wrote training manuals for the bus company. Nancy’s awards include the National Safety Council’s Distinguished Service Award, the Kansas State Pupil Transportation Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and First Student’s “Woman of the Year” in 2010. In 2011, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the National School Transportation Association. In 2002, First Student opened a metro area training center which Nancy manages.