Sixty Years of Love and Learning

By Robyn Murray

When Alan Stanek interviewed for his first teaching job in Ainsworth, Nebraska, he expected to discuss music education. Instead, the superintendent introduced him to a fellow teacher and made an unexpected prediction.

“Alan Stanek, this is Janette Swanson. Your future wife.”

Three years later, that prediction came true.

Alan, a Burnett Society member, still marvels at the unlikely beginning of what became a 60-year marriage and partnership.

“She chased me until I caught her,” he said with a wry smile.

Alan and Janette built their lives rooted in a shared love of music and family and a strong belief in education. Their conviction inspired them to establish scholarships at multiple institutions, but their giving was led by Janette’s own scholarship at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

After her passing in 2024, Alan continues to remember and honor his wife, ensuring that her love for UNK lives on.

Two Lifelong Educators

For both Alan and Janette, higher education offered a chance to pursue their passions and build rewarding careers.

Janette grew up on a farm in Wilcox in central Nebraska and attended what was then Kearney State Teachers College as a first-generation university student, earning a degree in education before beginning her teaching career.

Alan was raised in Denver, Colorado, where he saw his parents working hard to make ends meet. His father was a self-employed salesman who worked long hours delivering products to small grocery stores. His mother taught in a one-room schoolhouse before becoming a full-time homemaker. Neither parent had extensive educational opportunities, but they firmly believed their children should.

“My parents always supported education,” Alan said. “They put all three of us through college. My dad never made a lot of money, but they thought education was important.”

For Alan and Janette, education was foundational. Together they raised two children while pursuing careers in education. Alan, who is a professional clarinet performer, was a music educator and department chair. Janette later returned to school, earned a degree in special education and spent 17 years teaching students in Idaho’s public schools.

A Family Tradition of Giving Back

As a student at the University of Colorado, Alan received a modest scholarship of about $50 annually. Though small by today’s standards, it covered the cost of his books and eased the financial burden on his family. He never forgot the impact of that scholarship, but that was not the only one he received. Alan’s grandfather, who earned a modest income selling vegetables from the back of a pickup truck, set up an educational trust funded by small investments in the stock market that continues today. All five of his children received a scholarship from the trust to attend college, and their children and grandchildren did the same.

The family tradition of giving back continued with Alan’s mother, who established a scholarship in her parents’ honor at Hastings College. In 2017, Janette established a scholarship at UNK, where she directed support to Nebraska students from Kearney, Phelps and Franklin counties, near her hometown. Alan set up three additional scholarships — at his alma mater in honor of an influential instructor; at Hastings College, where he taught and served as orchestra director; and at Idaho State University, where he served as chair of the music department.

While each scholarship is special to Alan in its own way, none is more so than Janette’s at UNK. After her death, Alan inherited her IRA and now, each year, directs distributions from the account back into Janette’s scholarship fund and contributes additional funds of his own.

“The legacy giving is my gift in Janette’s name,” Alan said. “So being a member of the Burnett Society says to me that this will go on forever.”

In Alan’s home, resting above the fireplace is a small metal cardinal that sits atop the words “Miss you.” It’s a small reminder of Janette, who Alan said he thinks of every day.

“We had a wonderful life together,” he said. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”