A memorial service for former University of Kansas chancellor Robert Hemenway is set for next Sunday at the Dole Institute of Politics.
Hemenway died Friday, he was 73.
Among his other achievements at KU, athletics reached a high point under his leadership in 2008.
That year, the Kansas Jayhawks became the fourth in major college history to win a BCS bowl game and play in the Final Four the same year. In January of 2008, the Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl.
“We think that our athletic program can be strong in both basketball and football and in other sports as well,” said Hemenway. “That all came together in the Orange Bowl. That’s why I think you saw so much excitement and pride in the University of Kansas.”
Just a few months later, Hemenway saw the Jayhawks basketball team win the national championship. Before that title, Hemenway supervised the hiring of Bill Self to succeed Roy Williams as the KU men’s basketball coach.
Hemenway died in Lenexa, Kansas of complications from Parkinson's disease.