Half-dozen cousins forsake Tiger heritage for the Hill

Front row (l to r): Sara Peppes, Sydney Hirsekorn and Emily Hirsekorn; back row (l to r): Steve Peppes, Matt Peppes and Jake Hirsekorn.

Most families expect to cope with their fair share of teen-age rebellion, but the Hirsekorn-Peppes clan in Lenexa has endured a veritable mutiny—with plenty of grace and a mere modicum of teasing.

Lynda Hirsekorn, a University of Missouri alumna, wrote the Kansas Alumni Association this summer to inform KU loyalists of a family trend: This fall, her three children and their three cousins, all of Missouri lineage, will call the Hill home. Lynda and her husband, Howard, a UMKC graduate, are the parents of Sydney, a senior; and Emily and Jake, both sophomores.

Not to be outdone, Lynda's sister, Mickie Peppes, and her husband, Greg, both Mizzou alumni, are the parents of Steve, a KU senior; Matt, a junior; and Sara, a freshman.

Lynda and Mickie's parents, Sheldon and JoAnn Hollub, have watched six of their seven grandchildren become Jayhawks. The seventh, 8-year-old Jordan, is the Tigers' last hope.

Through it all, the family has persevered. In fact, Lynda says, the Hirsekorn-Peppes saga merely proves that KU and MU folks can get along.

But not without a few gentle jabs. Freshman Sara Peppes reports that the family's KU-MU flag flies above the porch on game days, and her parents dutifully cheer for both teams, except when the two face each other. Then, Sara says, "My brothers and I like to tease my parents that, no matter who wins the game, the KU part of the flag is always on top."

Sara says following her siblings and cousins to Lawrence was the natural choice; after visiting her brothers, she felt most comfortable in Lawrence. "My parents let us make our own choices, and supported whatever we decided," she says, "but they did ask each of us to just send in an application to MU."

Aside from emotions, economics influenced the cousins' choices, says senior Sydney Hirsekorn. All six grew up in Kansas, and the in-state tuition at KU made the rebellion easier for their parents to tolerate, she says. "Our parents all thought it hilarious that we'd all end up going to their rival school." Her dad shows off his KU-MU license plate ("A House Divided"), and he occasionally wears a Jayhawk shirt, but her mom reportedly remains true to Tiger fashion—down to the Tiger tail on her car.

Only time will tell whether the six Jayhawks will be as generous as their parents when it comes to future rivalries. If Sara's comment is any indication, perhaps they'll need to mellow with age: "By the way," she says of the cousins' college choice, "K-State was never an option!"