Dr. Kenneth W. Brenner

Dr. Kenneth Warden Brenner was born December 30, 1920 to Walter E. and Lillian D. Warden Brenner. Kenneth was a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps during World War II, serving in Okinawa, Tinian, Saipan, and Nagasaki. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Wisconsin State College-Stevens Point before pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his doctorate in education from Indiana University. He then served as the associate dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Science at WKU.

Bette J. Owens Brenner was born September 3, 1922, to William and Leona Owens in Brandon, Wisconsin. She graduated from Waupun High School in 1940. She and Kenneth married on February 14, 1946. Like him, she came to WKU and worked as secretary to the dean of Scholastic Development for 20 years. After retiring in 1986, Bette and Kenneth moved to Florida to be nearer to their family. The couple had a daughter, Kathleen Brenner Garrison. They were married for 62 years until his passing on July 6, 2008, and hers July 21, 2013.

To give back to the university, the couple established the Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Brenner Student Aid Fund in 1972. The fund assists deserving full-time WKU students in pursuing their academic goals. Through this fund, Kenneth and Bette’s legacies on the Hill live on in perpetuity.