Ken and Canda Warner Named Citizens Of The Year

This year’s Citizens of the Year are not native to Ulysses, but they have certainly made Ulysses home. Ken Warner was born in Wichita and attended school at Wichita South and Wichita State University. After graduation, he spent 3 years in active duty, and then served in the Army Reserves for 29 years, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Canda Warner was born in Healy, Kansas and went to school in Healy, Dighton and attended Garden City Community College. After graduation, she moved back to Healy to open her own hair salon. She was a Sunday School teacher at the Healy Methodist Church.

Ken was teaching in Healy when he was called into service. During his deployment, Canda thought it would be nice for her Sunday School kids could write the local service members letters and become Pen Pals. Through this process, they became friends and wrote back and forth during Ken’s deployment and started dating when he returned home.

Ken and Canda married August 28th, 1976, and they took the term “through sickness and health” literally, as Ken was running a 104 temperature and was sicker than a dog during the ceremony. Canda also soon found out that getting married in late August to a sports official often meant they would not always be spending their anniversary together.

In the summer of 1978, they moved to Big Bow, Kansas. Ken was teaching and coaching at Joyce School. In 1987 when Ken was hired as Principal at Hickok School, they moved to Ulysses. Canda stayed home to take care of the young boys, and as they grew more independent she went to work at Karen’s Sheer Magic and then Chat N Curl for 25 years.

Many people in Ulysses know Canda for the wonderful pies she makes. She has baked thousands of delicious pies for events and fundraisers in Ulysses. She is an active volunteer for the First United Methodist Church here in Ulysses. Ken and Canda were both Youth Fellowship leaders when their sons were involved in the program.

Together, they were the founders and back bone of the Hickok School Carnival. They poured all they had into it for 27 years, spending countless hours in preparation with prizes, building games, baking pies and counting tickets.

Ken became involved in the Boy Scouts when his sons joined the program, becoming first an assistant Scout Leader and then in 1993, and later became the Scout leader, serving until 2004 when his youngest graduated. During that time, Ken was awarded the F Troop award which is an honor bestowed on top Scout leaders. He was instrumental in growing the Scout program from 4 boys to 35-40 boys, and had several boys reach the rank of Eagle Scout and the order of the Arrow Sashes.

Family time in the summer was spent at the baseball field. Their boys played ball, and Canda ran the concession stand for many summers as Ken was busy as an umpire in charge for Grant County Recreation. Ken had started umpiring summer baseball at the age of 11, working 5-6 year old T-Ball games, getting paid $1 a game and free food at the end of the summer picnic. He also played and umpired Semi-Pro baseball in Wichita, which adds up to 64 years of umpiring summer baseball. Ken was an official for basketball, and continues to referee Junior High and JV football for Ulysses.

Canda volunteered her time with Grant County Recreation, serving on the youth soccer board. They were both involved in 4H when their sons were a part of it and were the 4H sponsors for the rifle and archery groups and put on the 4H spook house on Main Street during Moonlight Madness.

Ken has been recognized as Outstanding Principal of the year and was selected to be entered into the Kansas Teacher Hall of Fame in 2011. If you ask Ken, those awards don’t hold a candle to the number of hugs he got from his students, or when they came back as they grew up sharing memories of time spent under his care. Ken was well known for his school pride as he wore his orange pants every Friday.

The holiday seasons are important to Ken and Canda’s family. The Halloween decorations at their home are something to behold. The whole community enjoys going by, and brave trick or treaters are awarded with delicious candy. It has been rumored that Santa Claus has them helping at Christmas time, making appearances when he isn’t available.

They are active in the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary. Ken was appointed to Commander in 2020. Ken and Canda have raised 3 sons, and their family has grown to include 5 grandchildren.

This couple has been a blessing to Ulysses, and we are happy that they decided to make it their home.

The 2022 Citizens of the Year, Ken and Canda Warner.