New Member Introduction John Buckwalter

John Buckwalter grew up in a military family, the oldest of 6 kids.  He was born in Montana.  The family also lived in California, the Philippines and eventually settled in Jacksonville Arkansas where he graduated from high school.  He attended Centenary College in Shreveport LA on a basketball scholarship.    He graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Health and Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish.

While an undergraduate student he studied abroad in Costa Rica and met his wife Amalia. They have 3 children.  Matthew (19) is a junior Mathematics Major at Dallas Baptist University and plays on the soccer team.   Amanda (18) is a senior at Manhattan High and 3 year-varsity letter winner in swimming. Mark (16) is a sophomore at Manhattan High and is on the school soccer and swim teams. 

After earning his undergraduate degrees, John enrolled in graduate school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  He earned a Master Science degree in Kinesiology and a PhD in Kinesiology with an emphasis on Exercise Physiology.  

Upon completion of the PhD in 1995, he accepted a position at the Medical College of Wisconsin where he began as a Post-Doctoral Fellow and rose to the rank of Associate Professor of Anesthesiology.   During his time in Wisconsin, he developed a research expertise on how nerves control the constriction and dilation of blood vessels.   This research has been supported by grants from both the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.  He also taught Cardiovascular Physiology to first year medical students and served on the medical school admission committee.

In 2007, John moved his family to Mansfield (Dallas/Fort Worth) Texas after he accepted an administrative position at the University of Texas at Arlington.  John is relatively new to Manhattan having moved here in July of 2013.  Currently he serves as the Dean of the College of Human Ecology at Kansas State University. 

John enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and camping and is an avid fisherman.   He enjoys sports and spent many years coaching youth sports (soccer, basketball, and baseball). He is certified swim official and volunteers officiating high school and club swim meets.