Emporia State to honor archivist and author Martin Mack Teasley

Emporia, KS (10/09/2026) — Martin Mack Teasley, whose career has helped scholars and the public examine the records of American history, will receive a 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award at Emporia State University's Black & Gold Gala on Oct. 23. The award is Emporia State's highest honor for alumni.

Reservations are required for the Black & Gold Gala by Wednesday, Oct. 14. Tickets cost $100 for the elegant evening that features a reception and dinner in support of Emporia State. Information and registration is at emporia.edu/homecoming.

Teasley (MLS '72, Library Science) is a retired Air Force Reserve colonel, archivist and author. His career included work at the National Archives, the White House and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas.

His connection to Emporia State began with a letter sent to him in South Vietnam in 1971, near the end of his active-duty Air Force service. Within weeks of returning to the United States, Teasley moved to Emporia with his wife, Ingeborg, and their two children. He completed his master's degree in library science in 12 months.

"The Emporia degree was the professional degree that got me my position in the National Archives," Teasley said. "My first two degrees were liberal arts education; I treasure them. They made me a better person. But the library degree from Emporia is the one that opened the door for me. I'm forever thankful for that."

A class trip to the Eisenhower Library introduced Teasley to archival work. After graduating, he joined the National Archives in 1972. His first assignment placed him with the Office of Presidential Papers at the White House during the Nixon administration. He later directed the Boston Federal Archives and Records Center.

In 1979, Teasley returned to Kansas as deputy director of the Eisenhower Library. For 26 years, he helped oversee its archival work and assisted researchers, journalists and members of the public. After leaving the federal government, he served eight years as executive director of the nonprofit Eisenhower Foundation.

The questions he encountered throughout that career inspired his book, "The Real Ike: Eisenhower Fact and Fiction," published by the University Press of Kansas in 2025. In it, Teasley returns to historical records to examine familiar stories about the former president and distinguish documented events from accepted lore.

Teasley and Ingeborg live in Abilene, their home since 1979. The opportunity that brought him to Emporia State University led to a lifetime of making historical records available and helping others understand what they reveal.