The former First Lady of Wichita State University has died at age 69.   Deborah J. Davis Bardo was married to Wichita State’s 13th president, Dr. John Bardo, for 44 years until his death in March, 2019.   She is survived by their son, Christopher.

Mrs. Bardo served as WSU’s First Lady from 2012 to 2019, and she established the Deborah J. Bardo Scholarship, which is presented to freshmen with a preference for those who are the children of university faculty or staff.

Born in 1953 in Lowell, Massachusetts, Mrs. Bardo’s family moved to Wichita when she was a child.  She graduated from Wichita West High School and attended WSU, where she met Dr. Bardo in 1974 and married in 1975.

Mrs. Bardo volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America, various schools, Meals on Wheels and she was a strong supporter of public and university libraries.