A retired farmer from Kansas is now receiving an honorary degree from a university in his state for his recent act of kindness.
On Tuesday afternoon, Kansas State University held a ceremony for Dennis Ruhnke of Troy, Kansas. He was honored with a bachelor’s degree presented by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D).
Following the ceremony, she took to Facebook with candid photos of the momentous occasion.
In a detailed Facebook post, Kelly explained that Ruhnke was just two credits shy of earning a bachelor’s degree in agriculture when he opted to forego attending school after his father passed away.
Instead of returning, he moved on to care for his mother while running their family farm, as the post reads. Now, he is receiving the degree he was working toward.
“In 1971, Dennis was two credits away from earning his degree in agriculture when his father passed away,” Kelly wrote on Facebook. “He chose to leave school to take care of his mother and the family farm. Dennis’ kindness and lifelong career in agriculture make him more than qualified to receive a degree.”
See Kelly’s Facebook post below:
Ruhnke’s honorary degree follows his act of kindness toward New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).
In March, Ruhnke penned a letter to Cuomo. At the time, New York was rapidly becoming the United States epicenter for the coronavirus so he decided to lend a hand.
With the letter, he included an N95 mask and asked the governor to pass it on to a frontline worker in need. The unused mask was reportedly leftover from Ruhnke’s agricultural days on the farm, according to ABC News.
“If you could, would you please give this mask to a nurse or doctor in your state?” Ruhnke wrote to Cuomo.
Cuomo took to Twitter with an image of the letter to thank Ruhnke for his kindness, deeming it “humanity at its best.”
Cuomo tweeted, “I received this letter from a farmer in northeast Kansas. His wife is ill and he is aging. He sent me 1 of 5 N95 masks he has from farming to pass on to a doctor or nurse in New York. This is humanity at its best. I share his letter as inspiration.”
I received this letter from a farmer in northeast Kansas. His wife is ill and he is aging.
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 24, 2020
He sent me 1 of 5 N95 masks he has from farming to pass on to a doctor or nurse in New York.
This is humanity at its best. I share his letter as inspiration. pic.twitter.com/Fa4h5LH9rL
Thousands of Facebook users have reacted to Ruhnke receiving his honorary degree, commending him for his act of humanity.