that would pay for the construction of the school's first building. But one of the delegate members, Pittsburg mayor Clarence Price, apparently broke the rules by not exiting the floor before the session began (in some versions of the story, it was the namesake of Russ Hall, R. S. Russ, who performed the gaffe). The legislators good-naturedly fined the Pittsburg delegation a barrel of apples before awarding them the appropriation. And when the men returned to Pittsburg, the students were so amused by the story that they decided university administrators and faculty who had missed work and class in order to lobby in Topeka should have to pay the same fine. In those days, students were penalized for truancy. Because members of the faculty left their classrooms in order to attend the legislative session in Topeka, the students reasoned that faculty members should be penalized for their absence. Twelve months later, on March 6, 1908, classes were dismissed for the entire day in honor of the first Apple Day (officially titled Commemoration Day). During an afternoon program in the assembly room of the Central School building, the students once again fined the faculty a barrel of apples. Thus began the unique, annual, tradition at Pittsburg State of the teachers bringing apples for their students. Notable people Fira Basuki, Indonesian novelist John Brown, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills Gary Busey, film actor (attended, did not graduate) Terry Calloway, former Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives Willie Fritz, current head football coach at Tulane University Eldon Danenhauer, Offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos Ralph Earhart, former NFL halfback, Green Bay Packers Dennis Franchione, former head football coach of Texas A&M University (and former coach of Pittsburg State) Eugene Maxwell Frank, Bishop of the United Methodist Church Kendall Gammon, former NFL longsnapper, Kansas City Chiefs and current Chiefs radio analyst (currently employed by Pittsburg State) Don Gutteridge, Major League Baseball player and manager (Chicago White Sox) Jay W. Hood, Major General U.S. Army, Commander 1st U.S. Army East, Ft. Meade, Maryland, former commanding general JTF Guantánamo Bay, Cuba David P. Hurford, psychologist and researcher in dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder John E. Jacobs, Interim president of Emporia State in 1953; Director of Special Education for the Kansas State Department of Education from 1953–1957 Jennifer Knapp, Grammy-nominated Christian music artist; sold over 1 million albums Inez Y. Kaiser, the first