For the 14th consecutive year Wednesday, community members showed up in waves to support students of Emporia State University and honor the memory of a beloved figure in the university’s athletic training department.
The 14th annual John “Doc” Baxter taco feed, supporting the Baxter Athletic Training Student Scholarship program, was held at the Didde Catholic Campus Center Wednesday afternoon, welcoming hundreds of hungry customers and dozens of local volunteers, including community members and students in the athletic training department. Director of Athletic Training and taco feed organizer Matt Howe says the lengthy list of volunteers who step up to support the program is important for two reasons: one, “many hands make for light work,” and two, it shows the students in the department that the community is fully behind them.
Howe adds that he is always pleased to see his students getting involved and seeing the support they have up close and personal, calling it an eye-opening opportunity.
One of the individuals helping to prepare and serve Wednesday was Larry DeDonder, who has been involved with the taco feed for well over a decade. DeDonder says he is always happy to jump in and assist with the fundraiser, saying he has seen the value of an ESU education firsthand.
DeDonder also says he firmly believes every student should have an opportunity to receive an education and “make a better future for themselves,” and he doesn’t want finances to be a barrier to that opportunity.
Baxter, whose career at Emporia State spanned 45 years, served as the head athletic trainer and instructor from 1966 to 2012. Baxter passed away back in 2016.
In addition to the taco feed, Baxter’s memory is also kept alive through the John “Doc” Baxter athletic training and human performance lab located inside ESU’s Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) building, which was opened back in September of 2024.
Fundraising totals from the taco feed are currently pending.
