Haumont/Cooksley family to receive Alumni Family Tree Award

The Nebraska Alumni Association will present the Alumni Family Tree Award to the Haumont/Cooksley family of rural Custer County during the All-University Celebration and Salute to Alumni Achievement at the Nebraska Champions Club May 6.

The Alumni Family Tree Award honors a family who has a tradition of attending the University of Nebraska. The recipient family must include a minimum of three generations of graduates. At least two of the family members must have records of outstanding service to the university, the alumni association, their community or their profession.

The Haumont/Cooksley family has a long and deep history of public service to the local area as well as the state of Nebraska. The ancestors of those who have attended and graduated from UNL settled in Custer County in 1878. That homestead, now known as "Cooksley Clear Creek Farms Inc.," has been the home of 10 people over four generations to date who have chosen to attend the university. Among the family's notable achievements: Frank J. Haumont, was the founder of public power in central Nebraska; Leo Cooksley (B.S. 1941) was president of the Nebraska Thoroughbred Breeders and the Nebraska Association of Fair Managers; Mary Bell Haumont-Cooksley (B.S. 1942) was the first woman in the state to serve as an exalted ruler in the Elks organization; and Kevin Cooksley (B.S. 1972) is treasurer of the Broken Bow Public Schools board and active at the state level for the Nebraska Cattlemen, the Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska State Grange.

Reservations for the All-University Celebration and Salute to Alumni Achievement may be made by calling the Nebraska Alumni Association, (888) 353-1874 or (402) 472-4250. The cost is $25 per person and the deadline for registrations is April 29.

CONTACT: Marti Paquette, Nebraska Alumni Association, (402) 472-4250