It’s a summer morning in St. Libory, Nebraska — an unincorporated community just north of Grand Island, population 300. The sun has barely crested over the fields, and a young John Placke is already at the watermelon stand, talking with customers who have become like family.
He doesn’t know it yet, but those long days of hauling melons and chatting with the same elderly neighbors who stop by for fresh fruit and conversation are shaping the person he’ll become – a future doctor who believes in the power of connection.
“I really like old people,” Placke said. “Working at the melon stand and talking to all of the old people that come by — it’s just being able to interact with people on a personal level that’s a lot of fun.”
That personal connection, paired with his small-town work ethic, has carried Placke far from those watermelon fields, though not too far.
Today, he’s a junior at UNK, studying biology with a health science emphasis on the pre-med track. A member of the Kearney Health Opportunities Program, Delta Tau Delta fraternity, Newman Center and a New Student Enrollment leader, Placke has built a reputation for leadership and connection.
But his path to UNK wasn’t always clear.
“I originally didn’t want to come to Kearney,” Placke said. “Both of my older brothers went to Lincoln, and I thought that’s where I’d end up. But financially, it made more sense to come to Kearney, and once I toured, I realized it was where I was supposed to be.”
Once here, Placke dove headfirst into campus life. From serving on the student-leadership board for the Newman Center to serving as recruitment chair for Delta Tau Delta, he’s made a mark on nearly every corner of campus.
“John’s one of those guys people can really get behind,” said Sam Kramer, one of Placke’s lifelong friends, fraternity brothers and roommates. “Whatever role he’s in, he puts so much work into it. I’ve never seen him stress so much over something until this summer when he was doing recruitment.”
That drive, Kramer said, comes straight from St. Libory.
“When you grow up in a small town, you’re involved in everything.” Kramer said. “John’s the same way now. He’s just learned to connect with everyone so easily.”
Placke’s other close friend and fellow KHOP peer, Brodie Mitchell, describes him as “a background leader.”
“He likes to give other people the tools to succeed,” Mitchell said. “He even changed Delt’s bylaws to add two positions under the recruitment chair so he could train guys to take over when he graduates. He’s very focused on helping the people around him — that’s who John is.”
Mitchell said what sets Placke apart is how effortlessly he connects with others.
“John’s an anomaly,” Mitchell said. “He is just someone who genuinely cares about people, which I think is something rare to come across in today’s world. In any aspect on campus, you’ll just find John surrounded by people, just because how can you not? He’s just someone who brings people together.”
Those qualities trace back to his roots. Placke’s mother, Donna Placke, said he’s always been “go, go, go,” wanting to be involved in everything his older brothers were doing. By age nine, he was already working in the watermelon fields.
“The weeds were taller than he was,” Donna Placke said.“But that taught him work ethic, punctuality and doing the job right. These lessons have really stuck with him.”
While his parents both have degrees in engineering, Placke’s curiosity and compassion steered him toward medicine. After dislocating his shoulder in high school, countless doctor and therapy appointments gave him a front-row seat to healthcare and an idea.
“I thought it was so cool,” Placke said. “Every time I met a doctor or nurse, I’d ask them, ‘Do you like your job?’ That experience really shaped me.”
He also remembers Dr. Dan, his dad’s high school best friend and a doctor in nearby St. Paul, as a powerful influence.
“He was the nicest guy out there,” Placke said. “He was always the first one to help if someone got hurt at a basketball game or passed out at a choir concert. After he passed away, it showed me just how deeply invested he was in the community. It was beautiful.”
Though he’s unsure exactly where he’ll end up practicing, Placke knows one thing – that he wants to stay close to home.
“Omaha and Lincoln probably aren’t for me,” Placke said. “I’d love to live and work somewhere like Grand Island, North Platte or Kearney. I love home and want to be close to home, but just maybe not practicing right in my hometown because I know too many people.”
For Donna, that small-town connection is what grounds him.
“John loves Nebraska, and I don’t think he sees himself anywhere else,” Donna Placke said. “I’m proud of him for managing his time, taking every opportunity and just being a kind kid through everything he does. That’s what matters most.”
For Placke, being remembered for his character means more than anything else.
“I just hope people think I’m genuine,” Placke said. “Maybe I come off as too much sometimes, but I want people to see me as a breath of fresh air. A trustworthy, nice guy you can’t find anywhere else.”
