Retired Kansas farmer who sent Gov. Cuomo an N-95 mask granted bachelor's degree from KSU

Dennis Ruhnke (AP photo by Charlie Riedel)

They say one good turn deserves another, and that's exactly what's happening to a retired Kansas farmer who tried to do his small part to help an area hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic, Christina Walker reports for CNN.

Dennis Ruhnke, who lives near Troy, Kansas, sent an N-95 mask to New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo in late March along with a letter asking him to pass the mask along to a nurse or doctor who could use it. Cuomo mentioned the letter during one of his daily briefings: "It's that love, that courage, that generosity of spirit that makes this country so beautiful."

Now Ruhnke has been awarded with a college degree, a goal he sought when younger but wasn't able to achieve. He was two credits shy of graduating in 1971 when his father died, but he decided to leave school to look after his mother and run the family farm, Walker reports.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly wrote in a Facebook post: "Dennis' kindness and lifelong career in agriculture make him more than qualified to receive a degree."

"Kelly and Kansas State University President Richard Myers presented Ruhnke with the degree Tuesday during a ceremony," Walker reports.