Terry Huffman arrived at K-State in 1974, a little shy and a lot anxious about moving to a place where he knew so few people. Those nerves were short-lived, though, because Huffman soon received the No. 1 lesson of a K-State education: We’re all part of the same Wildcat family. The instant campus camaraderie he found grew into a solid network, and Huffman saw the value of those connections from day one.

“Every school says they have a unique family atmosphere, but I'm telling you right now — K-State is different,” Huffman said. “I could name 50 people right now who, after a single text or email from me, can be counted on for support. That’s a direct result of the K-State brotherhood that really broadened my world.”

Fittingly, it was a relationship Huffman made as a student that ultimately led to a successful career and profoundly shaped his life.

While working part time at the former Aggieville Pizza Hut location, he found an unexpected mentor in Bernie Butler, the owner. He discovered a head for business development and traded his nearly finished education degree and teaching career for a life of steering companies toward record-breaking efficiency, profitability and sustainability.

“I went from reporting sales performance to spending an hour with him each week to full management of the franchise,” Huffman said. “So when it came time for me to graduate, I realized I’d found my calling and Bernie arranged for me to interview at the corporate headquarters in Wichita.”

Huffman sold the business he’d owned for 30 years in 2022 and currently splits his time between Rhode Island, where he serves as a board member at Charlestown’s Shelter Harbor Golf Club, and Florida. Huffman and his wife, Glynis, have three children and five grandsons.

As a member of the Kansas State University Board of Trustees and the university’s Business Advisory Council Board, he pays it forward as a mentor himself. He enjoys guiding students through academic struggles or selecting a major or even dining etiquette, watching the ways mentorship can make a difference. Huffman established the Terry Huffman GLS Scholarship Fund in 2024.

You never know where life will take you, but it helps to have a little guidance from someone who has navigated that uncertain journey themselves. Through the brotherhood, mentorship and scholarship provided by the GLS, Huffman hopes to help more students carve their own unique leadership roles.