Changes

| birth_date=September 4, 1943

| birth_date=September 4, 1943

| birth_place=Lavaca County, [[Texas]]<br>

| birth_place=Lavaca County, [[Texas]]<br>

'''Residences''':<br>

'''Residences''':<br>

Bryan, Brazos County, Texas<br>

Bryan, Brazos County, Texas<br>

'''Children''':<br>

'''Children''':<br>

Brooke M. Mladenka<br>

Brooke M. Mladenka<br>

Lauren Elizabeth Mladenka<br>

Lauren Elizabeth Mladenka (last names unavailable)<br>

'''Parents''':<br>

'''Parents''':<br>

Joe, Jr., and Della Valiguva Mladenka<br>

Joe, Jr., and Della Valiguva Mladenka<br>

[[Rice University]]

[[Rice University]]

| religion=[[Christian]]

| religion=[[Christian]]

| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]

| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]<ref name=mylife/>

|branch=[[United States Army]]<br>

|branch=[[United States Army]]<br>

4th Infantry Division and the 716th Military Police Battalion  

4th Infantry Division and the 716th Military Police Battalion  

|battles/wars=[[Vietnam War]]

|battles/wars=[[Vietnam War]]

|serviceyears-1967-1968

|serviceyears=1967-1968

|awards=[[Bronze Star]]

|awards=[[Bronze Star]]

}}

}}

'''Kenneth Ray Mladenka''' (born September 4, 1943) <ref name=mylife>Kenneth Ray Mladenka, 79 - Georgetown, TX .</ref> is a retired [[United States|American]] [[political scientist]] who spent the bulk of his academic career at [[Texas A&M University]] in [[College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[Texas]], and is known for his research on the urban political process, [[bureaucracy]], local government, and the distribution of public services, rather than the more traditional study of parties and elections.

'''Kenneth Ray Mladenka''' (born September 4, 1943) <ref name=mylife>My Life, Kenneth Ray Mladenka, 79 - Georgetown, TX.</ref> is a retired [[United States|American]] [[political scientist]] who spent the bulk of his academic career at [[Texas A&M University]] in [[College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[Texas]], and is known for his research on the urban political process, [[bureaucracy]], local government, and the distribution of public services, rather than the more traditional study of parties and elections.

==Background==

==Background==

Of [[Croatia]]n descent, Mladenka (pronounced MAH DEEN KA, was born to Joe Mladenka, Jr., and the former Della Valiguva (a [[Latvia]]n name) in  Lavaca County, Texas<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&new=1&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=angs-g&gsfn=Kenneth+Ray&gsln=Mladenka&mswpn__ftp=College+Station%2c+Texas&msbdy=1943&uidh=upc&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=3839453&db=TXbirthindex&indiv=1&ml_rpos=4|title=Kenneth Ray Mladenka|publisher=search.ancestry.com|accessdate=January 13, 2015}}</ref> and reared in Sugar Land in Fort Bend County in suburban [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. In 1958- to 1959, he was the Texas state oratory champion n  high school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uil100.org/archives/academics/am-event-gender.php?event=Declamation|title=UIL Declamation|publisher=uil100.org|accessdate=October 20, 2010}}</ref> Mladenka is a veteran of the [[Vietnam War]], having served as a [[Captain]] in the [[United States Army]] in the 4th Infantry Division and the 716th Military Police Battalion from 1967-1968. He was stationed in the former [[Saigon]] during the [[Tet Offensive]] and was awarded the [[Bronze Star]] Medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cushing.library.tamu.edu/temp/collections/oral-history-collection/agricultural-history/military-history|title=Military History|publisher=cushing.library.tamu.edu|accessdate=October 21, 2010}}</ref> He received his master's degree from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas,<ref>Statement of Mladenka colleague Kim Quaile Hill.</ref> and his [[Ph.D.]] in 1975 from [[Rice University]] in Houston. His dissertation, available full length on-line, is entitled ''The Distribution of Urban Public Services.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/8299/browse?value=MLADENKA%2C+KENNETH+R.&type=author|title=Kenneth R. Mladenka, Theses and Dissertations: Kenneth R. Mladenka|publisher=scholarship.rice.edu|accessdate=October 17, 2010}}</ref> After completing his graduate studies, Mladenka was appointed in 1975 as assistant professor of government and foreign affairs at the [[University of Virginia]] in [[Charlottesville]], [[Virginia]]. He also spent a year at [[Northwestern University]] in Evanston, [[Illinois]]. In 1979, he joined the TAMU faculty.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=418959|title=Faculty appointments|publisher= | volume=11|pages=296–300}}</ref>

Of [[Croatia]]n descent, Mladenka (pronounced MAH DEEN KA, was born to Joe Mladenka, Jr., and the former Della Valiguva (a [[Latvia]]n name) in  Lavaca County, Texas<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&new=1&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=angs-g&gsfn=Kenneth+Ray&gsln=Mladenka&mswpn__ftp=College+Station%2c+Texas&msbdy=1943&uidh=upc&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=3839453&db=TXbirthindex&indiv=1&ml_rpos=4|title=Kenneth Ray Mladenka|publisher=search.ancestry.com|accessdate=January 13, 2015}}</ref> and reared in Sugar Land in Fort Bend County in suburban [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. In 1958- to 1959, he was the Texas state oratory champion n  high school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uil100.org/archives/academics/am-event-gender.php?event=Declamation|title=UIL Declamation|publisher=uil100.org|accessdate=October 20, 2010}}</ref> Mladenka is a veteran of the [[Vietnam War]], having served as a [[Captain]] in the [[United States Army]] in the 4th Infantry Division and the 716th Military Police Battalion from 1967-1968. He was stationed in the former [[Saigon]] during the [[Tet Offensive]] and was awarded the [[Bronze Star]] Medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cushing.library.tamu.edu/temp/collections/oral-history-collection/agricultural-history/military-history|title=Military History|publisher=cushing.library.tamu.edu|accessdate=October 21, 2010}}</ref> He received his master's degree from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas,<ref>Statement of Mladenka colleague Kim Quaile Hill.</ref> and his [[Ph.D.]] in 1975 from [[Rice University]] in Houston. His dissertation, available full length on-line, is entitled ''The Distribution of Urban Public Services.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/8299/browse?value=MLADENKA%2C+KENNETH+R.&type=author|title=Kenneth R. Mladenka, Theses and Dissertations: Kenneth R. Mladenka|publisher=scholarship.rice.edu|accessdate=October 17, 2010}}</ref> After completing his graduate studies, Mladenka was appointed in 1975 as assistant professor of government and foreign affairs at the [[University of Virginia]] in [[Charlottesville]], [[Virginia]]. He also spent a year at [[Northwestern University]] in Evanston, [[Illinois]]. In 1979, he joined the TAMU faculty.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=418959|title=Faculty appointments|publisher= | volume=11|pages=296–300}}</ref>

==Scholarly work==

==Scholarly work==

==Later life==

==Later life==

After leaving TAMU, Mladenka and his wife, Linda Marie Mladenka (born 1947), moved to the resort community of Crested Butte in Gunnison County in west central [[Colorado]]. Mrs. Mladenka operates a business there called At Home in Crested Butte.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crestedbuttenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1251&Itemid=40|title=Mark Reaman, "Big Air on Elk will return to Crested Butte this March," February 18, 2009|publisher=''The Crested Butte News''|accessdate=November 17, 2010}}</ref> The Mladenkas have two daughters, Brooke M. Mladenka (born 1976) and Lauren Elizabeth Mladenka (born 1982). The couple divorced, and Mladenka moved first to Hollywood, [[Florida]], and later in Georgetown in Williamson County near the capital city of [[Austin]].<ref>People Search and Background Check, on-line</ref> In the fall semester of 2010, Mladenka was teaching the Texas state government course, required in most college major fields in Texas, at the Rio Grande campus of Austin Community College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.austincc.edu/schedule/s210f/gove210Ffac.htm|title=Fall2010 Course Schedule|publisher=austincc.edu|accessdate=October 20, 2010}}</ref>

After leaving TAMU, Mladenka and his wife, Linda Marie Mladenka (born 1947), moved to the resort community of Crested Butte in Gunnison County in west central [[Colorado]]. Mrs. Mladenka operates a business there called At Home in Crested Butte.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crestedbuttenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1251&Itemid=40|title=Profile: Linda Mladenka|date= March 12, 2014|publisher=''The Crested Butte News''|accessdate=February 8, 2023}}</ref> The Mladenkas have two daughters, Brooke M. Mladenka (born 1976) and Lauren Elizabeth Mladenka (born 1982). The couple divorced in 2000 after twenty-eight years of marriage, and Mladenka moved first to Hollywood, [[Florida]], and later in Georgetown in Williamson County near the capital city of [[Austin]].<ref>People Search and Background Check, on-line</ref> In the fall semester of 2010, Mladenka was teaching the Texas state government course, required in most college major fields in Texas, at the Rio Grande campus of Austin Community College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.austincc.edu/schedule/s210f/gove210Ffac.htm|title=Fall2010 Course Schedule|publisher=austincc.edu|accessdate=October 20, 2010}}</ref>