Ike and Letty Evans

Ike and Letty Evans

Ivor “Ike” Evans graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1965 and attended Harvard University’s program for management development. At K-State, he was a Mike Ahearn baseball scholar athlete. Ike met his wife, Letty, while a student at K-State. Letty Evans was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. Letty attended Kansas State and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. She devoted her time to raising her children, being a volunteer to many charitable organizations and owning a business. Ike and Letty have been married for 55 years. They have two sons, three granddaughters and two great-granddaughters. They are avid supporters of K-State, the college and the Academic Success Center — in particular the latter’s mentoring of women and its focus on diversity.

Ike retired as president and COO of Union Pacific Railroad, one of America’s leading transportation companies and North America’s premier railroad franchise covering 23 states across the Western two-thirds of the United States. He was also chairman and CEO of Meritor, a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets. Ike is currently a director at Meritor, and a past director at Textron, Spirit AeroSystems, Roadrunner Transportation Systems and Cooper Industries. He began his career with the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Corporation and spent 21 years in positions of increasing responsibility. He went on to become a senior vice president of industrial components at Emerson, a multinational company that manufactures products and provides services for a wide variety of industrial, commercial and consumer markets. Ike was also an operating partner for HCI Equity Partners, a private equity firm that invests in growth-oriented industrial, transportation and services companies.