Fall 2020 - The Talon

The Legacy Of The Class Of 2020

The Spirit of Central Shines During Pandemic

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s the pandemic continues to change that’s what it took to feed students who were the way we teach and learn, I want quarantined, and some great people found a to reflect on gratefulness this fall. way to make it happen.

While Central Methodist University has faced Over the years, folks connected to CMU monumental challenges, thanks to the global consistently talk about the “spirit of Central.” pandemic, I am glad to be I’ve seen it in surrounded by an army of operation so many selfless, caring people at this times. I’m happy to proud college. I’m talking say today that the about alumni and trustees “spirit of Central” is who invested countless shining brighter than hours into one of the most ever. I am grateful for comprehensive COVID-19 not only the unsung responses in the country. heroes whose stories And, I’m talking about staff we tell in this edition and faculty who haven’t just of the, but also for gone the extra mile, they’ve the others who have run extra marathons to make gone far beyond sure our students are healthy their job duties to and safe so they can do what help during COVID they are here to do – learn. testing, or perhaps Dr. Roger Drake, President While many of us were meal delivery. making tough decisions to The same unsung create distance and reduce heroes developed a physical contact with our family and friends socially distant outdoor graduation ceremony and community, these unsung heroes this summer, making up for the postponed of Central became the newest frontline May graduation. They figured out how to have champions, meeting the needs of students socially distant athletic competitions with head-on. Never in my wildest dreams did I a few hundred fans in the stands. We even imagine that in higher education we would be figured out a way for our theatre department delivering more than 150 meals per day. But, to put on plays in the Little Theatre, with

Your Board

of

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Trustees - Virtually

limited in-person seating and livestreaming.

The “spirit of Central” is commonly discussed when talking about the warmth of our alumni, who despite not getting to come back to Fayette for Homecoming, stepped up this year to raise a sizable sum to support the hard-hit businesses of Fayette. The alumni made their presence felt in a BIG way, donating thousands of dollars to fund gift cards for our students—gift cards purchased at those same businesses to help offset their losses in some way. I’m grateful.

When it comes to learning, I must also express gratefulness for our incredible faculty members. Their flexibility, compassion, and adaptability has never been so evident and so needed. I am grateful for their commitment to student learning—in any environment.

Their high rankings for student engagement have been integral to Central navigating the pandemic.

Please join me this holiday season in expressing gratitude for the unsung heroes of Central Methodist University.

Sincerely,

CMU Senior Staff Dr. Roger D. Drake, President Chad Gaines, Vice President for Technology and Planning Dr. Rita Gulstad, Provost

Fall 2020 magazine

Dr. Joe Parisi, Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Bill Sheehan Jr., ’84, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Julee Sherman, Vice President for Finance and Administration Natasha Wilson, Vice President for Student Development and Athletics

Talon Staff Scott Queen, Editor Executive Director for Marketing and Communications 660-248-6238 | squeen@centralmethodist.edu Joe Waner Assistant Director for Marketing and Communications 660-248-6629 | jwaner@centralmethodist.edu Emily Kesel Media Content Specialist 660-248-6684 | ekesel@centralmethodist.edu Rachel Moore Assistant Athletic Director / Director of Athletic Communication 660-248-6358 | rmoore@centralmethodist.edu Andrea Waner Director of Advancement & Operations 660-248-6260 | awaner@centralmethodist.edu Deanna Cooper, ’15, Director of Development 660-248-6397 | dcooper@centralmethodist.edu Stasia Sherman Director of Alumni Engagement 660-248-6239 | ssherman@centralmethodist.edu

On The Cover: Last year’s student government president and vice president Taylor Rumsey, ’20, and Rachel Buyck Hahn, ’20, celebrate CMU’s new eagle statue with Dean of Students Brad Dixon, ’07, far left, and President Roger Drake. Story, Page 7.

Cover Photo by Joe Waner

Kirkendoll Helps Navigate Pandemic..........................................4 Central’s Unsung Heroes..........................................................5 High Tech for Student Health....................................................6 International Students’ Home Away from Home.......................8 Faculty Spotlight: Dori Waggoner.............................................10 Assistant AG Credits Alma Mater.............................................12 Alumnus Flew Rescue Missions in Air Force.............................14 Homecoming..........................................................................16 Spring Commencement..........................................................18 T. Berry Smith Hall Spills Secrets..............................................22 Flanders Impacted Student Success..........................................23 Yancey’s Inspiration Lives On..................................................24 Central’s ‘All in the Family’.......................................................25 Campus News........................................................................26 Alumni News and Notes.........................................................27 In Memoriam..........................................................................32 New Staff and Faculty..............................................................34 Central Adds Cybersecurity Degree........................................36 Scholarships............................................................................38 Sports.....................................................................................44 Our Mission CMU fosters a diverse and caring community, empowering students to become lifelong learners, committed to academic excellence, prepared to engage in a complex world.

Masks At Central Central Methodist University has a mask policy. Please know that some photographs in this magazine were taken before the pandemic and some were taken because masks were not required in that particular setting.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 3

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t’s 11 p.m., well past the traditional working hours of a university employee, and Director of Student Health Chrissi Kirkendoll, ‘09, and Dean of Students, Brad Dixon, ‘07, are deep in the weeds of health guidelines and testing schedules. Since March, this has been the routine for the team of employees leading the Central Methodist University oncampus response to COVID-19.

In between the late-night emails and early-morning consults, Kirkendoll, a CMU nursing alumna, spearheads the bi-weekly, campus-wide COVID-19 testing program. Each morning, from 8:30 a.m. to as late as 3 p.m., Kirkendoll conducts COVID-19 antigen testing for the students of Central. She dons her personal protective equipment (PPE) and spends hours each day talking through the testing, quarantine, isolation, and recovery process with students, faculty, and staff. She helps students discern between symptoms that are “just allergies” and symptoms that are something more concerning, all because keeping the campus community healthy is

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at the heart of all she does. nurse practitioner when the position was “It has been an adventure since day vacated in early 2020. one,” Kirkendoll said, “I feel like I am able But she was no stranger to public and to make a difference on campus and work community health. In 2017, she obtained to make it possible for everyone to stay on her Master of Science in Nursing in campus for as long as possible, despite the the Family Nurse Practitioner program circumstances. It from Maryville is really a team University.

For effort, and our the better part of “IT IS REALLY A TEAM the last decade, success wouldn’t EFFORT AND OUR Kirkendoll assisted be possible without the SUCCESS WOULDN’T health efforts in efforts of every care BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT long-term ro c k s t a r — f ro m facilities, labor THE EFFORTS OF EVERY and delivery and those in the Office of Student postpartum units, ROCKSTAR.” Development to and public health – Chrissi Kirkendoll ‘09 those running and primary care contact tracing settings.

Her and all the others who devote their time position at Central has served not only as to make the process run as smooth as an opportunity to return to her alma mater possible.” to teach and lead, but also an opportunity Kirkendoll didn’t anticipate becoming to—quite literally—meet everyone on Director of Student Health in the middle campus. of a global pandemic. She began her “The most surprising thing about this role at Central with a request from Dean work has been the level of detail and time Dixon to simply fill in as a temporary required for the testing, contact tracing,

SOME OF CENTRAL’S

UNSUNG HEROES Schwellenbach Steps Up, Saves The Day When a crying mother found out her daughter’s roommate had tested positive for coronavirus, she was worried about her daughter entering the dorm room. She called Central Methodist University and expressed her worry. But the cleaning crew was occupied, and sanitizing the room wasn’t going to happen for several hours, until Jordan Schwellenbach stepped in.

Jordan is CMU’s coordinator of residential life. He felt the mom’s pain, and he made the 9 p.m. entrance to plant operations and procured the special “robogun,” or Protexus sanitizing spray gun, and sanitized the room immediately.

The daughter was safer, and mom’s anxiety leveled off.

That is just one of the stories that demonstrates Jordan’s commitment to CMU and it’s students.

His countless hours and middle-of-the-night texts and phone calls are truly appreciated.

Waner Gives Her All For Eagle School

the quarantine and isolation process, and then the follow-up with active and new cases,” Kirkendoll said. “I think at this point, I have met everyone on campus, many times over.”

Though the longevity of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown, students at Central can expect a continuation of the expert health care they’ve encountered from Kirkendoll and team thus far. Regularly scheduled surveillance testing will continue, students will be asked to adhere to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and all members of the campus community will continue to adjust to an ever-evolving “new normal.”

The late nights of questions from students and parents, contact tracing, meal delivery processing, and virtual student accommodations are only a fraction of the work that goes into keeping Central open. But without Kirkendoll, the current environment would be very different.

“We are not where we are today if she’s not here,” Dixon said. “Period.”

Four-year-old Henry Waner is so excited to see his mother at the end of each day. And, he tries his best to be patient when, after dinner and his bath, Mom ends up getting on the phone for the next couple of hours helping students at ‘The Eagle School.”

Mom is Andrea Waner, and the “Eagle School” is Central Methodist University. Andrea’s day job is in the Advancement Office, but her past public health training and her Johns Hopkins contact training certification made her an ideal candidate to pitch in and help with contact tracing at Central. She was happy to help.

Central is one of just two schools in Missouri testing its students multiple times, and when the positive tests come back, Waner’s phone calls and emails begin. She tirelessly traces CMU students’ contacts and is the bearer of bad news when a student must be quarantined.

Her efforts to slow the spread and keep “The Eagle School” safe are invaluable.

Resident Hall Directors Keep Hustling One of the new sounds of Central is not necessarily pleasing, but it is welcome. It often happens around 8 a.m., then again at noon and 5 p.m. too. It’s the sound of a golf cart accelerating across campus. And, because of the pandemic, the trips are frequent.

The golf carts share the sidewalks with students and are driven by CMU’s honored resident hall directors – Nikole Walker, Rose Bennett, Marco Blanchard, Darren Jones, ’16, and Adrian Sias, ’19. They race carefully packed hot meals from the cafeteria to individual dorm rooms to serve students who are in quarantine.

Not only do the RHDs handle meal delivery, but they also have the honor of “moving” students who test positive to isolation facilities for recovery.

Frink Masterminds Meal Delivery When Central Methodist University created its plan to have in-person classes for the 2019-2020 year, feeding students – particularly those who are isolated/quarantined – required significant discussion. But, it also required some special people, like Cassie Frink, ‘11.

She is one of the institution’s quarterbacks--a planner who takes charge and direct the troops when quarantine meals are delivered.

Much happens behind the scenes before the RHDs drive the meals across campus. That’s where Cassie comes in.

She is the liaison with the cafeteria. The number of meal deliveries at Central changes almost hourly as students get out of or enter quarantine. Cassie coordinates not only the meal deliveries but the student and staff volunteers to help the RHDs. Her “regular” CMU job is director of civic engagement, so coordinating the efforts of lots of people is what she does best. This new mom also managed to assemble an amazing CMU yearbook in her “spare” time.

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Central Methodist’s safety measures – including rapid antigen testing, temperature checks, and virus-killing ionization machines – are among the most comprehensive nationwide.

CENTRAL Going High-Tech to Safeguard Student Health

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s higher education stood at a crossroads this fall, Central Methodist University rose above its peers with safety measures among the most comprehensive nationwide.

At the center of Central’s efforts was extensive cleaning. CMU added a third-shift cleaning crew and relied heavily on the use of a Protexus electrostatic spray gun for widespread sanitization.

Cleaning, however, was just one part of a six-point plan that includes COVID-19 testing for all students and employees, a face covering policy, facial recognition temperature monitoring, virus-killing ionization machines in buildings, and distancing that includes additional class sections and classroom technology for remote learning.

“We are doing everything we can for our students and our community,” said President Roger Drake, who praised the advice he received from his Board of Trustees’ Pandemic

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Response Committee.

Central purchased an antigen testing machine over the summer, and COVID-19 testing started in earnest this summer with staff and faculty. Multiple rounds of testing continued through the fall semester. Central was one of just a handful of schools nationwide with a universal testing program.

Simultaneously, CMU implemented a face covering policy requiring students, employees, and guests to wear face coverings indoors.

Students and employees were provided with masks from the university.

The university installed multiple facial recognition stations to monitor temperature.

The monitors also detect whether someone is wearing a face covering and reminds them of our policy if they’re not wearing one.

Planning efforts to achieve better distancing began in the spring, Drake said, and changes were significant in student dining, where Central has added a second dining area on

the fourth floor of the Inman Center. In the classroom, Central added additional sections of courses to reduce class sizes and technology in each classroom to allow for in-seat and online learning simultaneously.

A final and significant piece to Central’s safety efforts included the purchase of several ionization air cleaners for buildings. Drake said much discussion has occurred surrounding air recirculation in buildings, and Global Plasma Solutions’ ionization air purifiers achieve a 99.4 percent reduction of COVID-19 in just 30 minutes of use.

“I can’t guarantee we’ll be COVID-free,” Drake said at the beginning of the semester.

“But I can guarantee that our efforts to protect the health of our CMU community are absolutely the best we can produce.

“I think that is what families expect of us, along with providing a top-notch educational experience that positions our students well for employment and for life.”

Bronze Eagle Sculpture Marks Sacrifices, Struggles of Class of ‘20

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entral Methodist University’s class of 2020 overcame unimaginable obstacles and challenges and faced disappointment with grace. Their classes moved online, their sports seasons were halted, and they went home without proper goodbyes. Even their graduation was delayed.

Yet, these courageous alumni wanted to leave a mark. They came up with a unique and fitting class gift to commemorate their struggles – a bronze eagle that now stands outside of T. Berry Smith Hall, symbolizing the class’ resilience, tenacity, and valiant spirit.

The majestic sculpture was dedicated September 13, just after graduation.

“The students wanted to do something everlasting and leave a legacy,” said Brad Dixon ‘07, dean of students.

Dixon and President Roger Drake gave credit to Taylor Rumsey ’20 and Rachel Buyck Hahn ’19, the student government president and vice president for the 201920 school year. They developed the idea for the statue after the COVID-19 pandemic forced Central to cancel an on-campus concert appearance by hip hop artist Bryce Vine. The SGA leadership proposed that the unused concert funds be applied to the statue.

President Drake loved the innovative idea and, “I approved it right away. They’ve (class of 2020) gone through so much. This

will be a very special place and will help our campus forever remember what this class went through.”

Drake told the crowd at the dedication ceremony that the eagle is a perfect symbol for the class of 2020.

“All other birds seek shelter during a storm,” he said. “Only the Eagle rises above it.”

Rumsey said she hoped the sculpture would be an icon on the campus for many years to come, representing strength, bravery, and perseverance during difficult times.

“We want it to be more than just a sculpture of bronze that you can see from many places on campus,” she said. “(We want it to be) representative of the core values of CMU students.”

The 72”x57”x40” sculpture stands approximately 50 feet from the granite stone representing the class of 1920.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 7

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Have Home Away From Home

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By SCOTT QUEEN

ne Sunday, Mark ’76 and Rebecca ’77 Harbison saw a young man from Uganda attending their church, Linn Memorial United Methodist. They knew the normal struggles for a college freshman and imagined the difficult transition for someone who traveled more than 8,000 miles to get to Fayette.

His name was Arnold Mukisa. The Harbisons befriended Arnold and helped him settle into Fayette and to Central Methodist University.

The relationship strengthened over the years, and Arnold’s Fayette family — the Harbisons — were beaming with pride when Arnold received his degree at graduation and earned the Selecman Award – the most prestigious honor for any graduate, given to someone who demonstrates extraordinary citizenship, scholarship, religious leadership, spiritual qualities, and achievement.

Little did the Harbisons know that their act of kindness would coincide with the development of an entire program at Central Methodist University – the International Friendship Family program.

The year after they met Arnold, Becca Harbison noticed an item in her church bulletin about the program and called Cathy Baxter, ‘09, CMU’s assistant dean for international students and study abroad.

“She (Cathy) said she had a couple of girls she would like us to consider,” Becca said. “I told her we had already ‘adopted’ Arnold but would like to ‘adopt’ both of the girls. We added Ivet Rodriguez from Catalonia and Felixhy Dominguez from Mexico. Our family grew when we added the men’s soccer team and several other girls from Spain.”

Baxter is quick to explain that the International Friendship Family program isn’t about “adoption” or housing. It’s really about being in contact at least monthly to help expand social support, ease the impact of culture shock, and enhance the sense of community and belonging.

Mark said one of the most impactful times over the past four years was in 2018, when Ivet’s parents and other family members came to visit.

“We had them all of at the house one evening for supper,” said Mark, who works as chief executive officer of Commercial Trust Bank in

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Fayette. “We really enjoyed each other’s company.

The conversation was challenging, since neither Becca nor I spoke Spanish and they spoke no English. With Ivet and Feli’s help, we managed quite well.”

The Harbisons’ volunteer spirit was recognized last year when Mark was the guest speaker at the International Week banquet.

He spoke of the growth of the international population at CMU over the years and the welcoming spirit that exists now.

“Arnold and Ivet don’t know this, but during that first year through our conversations and getting to know them better, they helped me realize something that all of you international students have in common,” he said. “You made a decision, a leap of faith of sorts, to leave your families

Want to Learn More?

and home country to come to a small dot on the globe called Fayette, Missouri, to pursue your educational goals. Most of you probably never visited Fayette before you enrolled, but you were optimistic and knew that it would all go well.”

Mark said his hope for opening up their home to international students is “to provide them a home away from home and a place to get away from campus and enjoy each other’s company.”

He said oftentimes they end up communicating with the students’ parents and providing reassurance.

Some of the most popular activities for the Harbisons and their “adoptees” include taking them shopping, having them over for meals, cookouts, and swim parties, as well as fishing from their dock.

Visitors often include the men’s soccer team, and they share conversation with Mark, who played on one of CMU’s first soccer teams many years ago.

“We go to their sporting events, host them for the Super Bowl, and have watch parties for their away games,” Becca said.

Occasionally, they’ll go out to breakfast or lunch, text them to get an update on studies, or even make up care packages during finals.

“The relationships we have built with these young men and women are indescribable,” Becca said. “They are family.

It brings us joy sharing what we have with them and hoping we have made a small difference in their CMU experience.”

Fourteen Fayette-area families participate in the International Friendship Families program, which matches international undergraduate students with local American families to facilitate crosscultural friendships. There are about 90 international students on the Central Methodist University campus.

The program provides the students with a more personal experience of American culture. In return, the American families learn about another country and culture.

Cathy Baxter, ’09, who runs the program at CMU, said the commitment can be as little as sharing email addresses and phone numbers and one visit per month.

“But most of the time it is more,” Baxter said. “Relationships strengthen, and the hosts want to help with the transition into American culture.”

Adjusting to American culture isn’t easy, Baxter said. Sometimes, students feel isolated, miss their families, friends, food, and other things. She said the program helps ease anxiety by providing a “cultural navigator.”

For more information: 660-248-6665 cbaxter@centralmethodist.edu

Current International Friendship Families • Larry ’67 & Terri ’98 Anderson • Casey & Traci Ballew ‘19 • Dana Battison • Doug & Susan Chambers • Sally Hackman • Rebecca ’77 & Mark Harbison ’76 • Denise Haskamp • Ashley Hassiak • Stephanie Hayes • David & Suzanne Hickman • Kevin & Barbara Oeth • Rhys & Sharon ’85 Thomas • Amy & Eddie Valencia • Matthew ’07 & Jennifer Vandelicht Fall 2020 | The Talon 9

(file photo)

Waggoner Named 2020 Perry Fellow Recipient Proud to Continue Tradition of Music Excellence

By EMILY KESEL

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r. Dori Waggoner, ’92, says she was surprised to learn that she had been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Carolyn and Tad Perry Fellow Award at Central Methodist University. The Fine Arts Division chair and professor of music just completed her 10th year as a Central professor and sees herself as more of a team player than a standout.

“We have so many strong faculty that are really invested in education on campus,” Waggoner said. “I don’t know that I do anything that is significantly different or stronger than many of my colleagues. I was surprised, very flattered, very honored.”

Her dedication to the success and wellbeing of her students, however, has not gone overlooked by anyone, from her freshman students to the university provost.

“Dr. Waggoner has worked tirelessly this summer to support her undergraduate and graduate students [as they] continue to stay engaged and meet their educational goals,” said Dr. Rita Gulstad, CMU provost.

While Waggoner’s work in that regard has certainly had to change in light of the

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COVID-19 pandemic, her tireless commitment Day and Music Fest – but eventually felt the to helping students meet their academic goals call to higher education. is nothing new. She’s known she wanted to “It came to a point when I was ready for be a band director ever a different challenge,” she since eighth grade, when said. another current CMU After earning her faculty member was her doctorate, Waggoner’s teacher. first teaching job was at “Skip Vandelicht was Kansas State University, my middle school band a four-hour drive from director, and after being where the rest of her part of such a successful family still resided in program and enjoying Fayette. She taught there making music so much, I for a year, commuting just decided, ‘That’s what between the two states and I want to be when I grow living four days a week up,’” she said. in an apartment, before And, so she did. a position opened up at Waggoner went on Central. She applied and to attend Central got the job, cutting the Dr. Dori Waggoner Methodist and receive length of her commute an undergraduate degree from four hours to four in music education, then became a middle minutes, “and that’s if I have to stop and and high school band director herself. She wait for traffic as I cross Highway 5.” enjoyed the job – especially when she was It wasn’t just Central’s proximity to her able to bring her students to CMU for Band loved ones that made returning to her alma

mater such a welcome experience, though.

Waggoner cites the music education program’s long history of excellence as something that both prepared her to be successful as a teacher and something she’s proud to help carry on as a member of the faculty herself.

“I think one of the things that I bring to the table is keeping a strong sense of collaboration, a strong sense of teamwork, in the department. At a lot of universities, you can look at their music department and it’s pretty fractured because there’s some sort of perceived competition,” Waggoner said. “And that’s just not the way we do things at Central.

We work really hard to work together, because every student interacts with all of the different spheres. We try to have an environment where it’s not about the professor and the wonderful things they’re doing, it’s about the students and how the professors can help the students move to the next step in their life. That has been the tradition for many, many years, and I’m just trying to continue that philosophy.”

In her role as a professor of music theory and the freshman survival skills courses, she notes that studying music can help students in crucial ways.

“I am most interested in helping students develop their critical thinking and problem-

solving skills, and music is my tool to do that,” Waggoner said. “I wholeheartedly believe that music is an important part of our lives and is worth our time and investment for study. But, my number-one goal is to help young people unlock their ability to think, to thrive, and to be successful.”

That commitment to students’ individual success is shared by the entire staff of the Conservatory, where Waggoner says faculty members have the privilege of being able to teach students both in the private lesson setting and the larger classroom setting.

“We get to know our students very well,” said Waggoner, who likened the music faculty’s relationships with their students to that of the coach/player relationship in sports.

“We do so many things together with all of our performances. We’re with the students in the evenings and on the weekends and in that time before and after concerts and recitals.

Those are wonderful opportunities to get to know them as individuals and learn about their dreams.”

Waggoner is confident that the faculty has been able to continue that tradition of connecting on a personal level with students, even while social distancing measures and other aspects of life at CMU have been

different this year. She and the other fine arts professors worked hard all summer to not only prepare themselves for being able to teach in different ways, but also preparing students to accept that things weren’t going to look the way they always have.

Under Waggoner’s leadership, they sent around an iBook outlining how the semester was expected to go and held Zoom meetings where students could ask questions and discuss different topics. They planned little adaptations and big changes. They did all they could to try to reassure students that the special experience that is a music education at Central isn’t going anywhere.

“We’re still going to make music together.

We’re still going to have fun together. We’re still going to have Chicken Strip Friday,” Waggoner said before the semester, citing a favorite weekly tradition among the students.

“Some things just have to be different. We will still make music; we will just do it differently.

The Carolyn and Tad Perry Fellow Award goes annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated a genuine commitment to student experiences, growth, and achievement beyond normal teaching and mentoring engagement.

Commercial Trust Donates $100,000 Toward COVID-19 Effort

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here is a symbiotic relationship between the Fayette community and Central Methodist University, and it has become even more evident during the global pandemic. Central’s proactive and assertive approach toward universal COVID-19 testing and keeping students safe has been a model in the state of Missouri, and it has had a positive influence on the health and safety of the community in general.

That positive impact was recognized in November when Commercial Trust Company generously donated $100,000 to help defray COVID-19-related expenses.

Commercial Trust President Janet Jacobs, ’77, said CMU’s “proactive and protective actions…helped the entire community feel safer in unsure times.”

Jacobs said Central is a major economic driver in the community and in “many ways the ideological soul of Fayette was well.”

She said the Commercial Trust family recognizes and applauds the efforts of the CMU administration, faculty, staff and students to continue the educational, cultural, and social missions of the University in these challenging times.

President Roger Drake expressed Central’s sincere appreciation for the gift, and particularly for the university’s longtime partnership with Commercial Trust.

“We’re so grateful that not only Central but the entire community has such a dedicated partner in Commercial Trust,” Drake said.

“There’s a reason the word Trust is prominent in their name.”

Pave the way.

The 1854 Society recognizes those who are committed to supporting the Central Annual Fund by giving $1000 or more in a fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).

Members of the 1854 Society affect every aspect of Central and contribute directly to the experiences and success of each student.

Join today!

To learn more, contact Andrea Waner at 660-248-6260 or email 1854society@centralmethodist.edu

Fall 2020 | The Talon 11

Former Central SGA president Goefrey Bilabaye, ‘15, now serves as an assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan.”

Assistant A.G. In Michigan Credits His Alma Mater Everything About Me Comes From Central

By ANDREA WANER

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he legal career of Geofrey Bilabaye, ’15, started with a check and a prayer.

The Tanzania native was a few months shy of graduating from Central Methodist University when he met with his prelaw professor, Dr. John Carter, about the prospects of attending law school after graduation. Bilabaye had found he had a penchant for public service after serving as president of CMU’s Student Government Association and wanted to

12 The Talon | Fall 2020

make a career out of his love for sequence, logic, and service. But, he encountered a stumbling block – cost.

“I told Dr. Carter that I was considering law school, but at that moment I couldn’t even afford to take the LSAT, that maybe I would take it in the summer,” Bilabaye explained. “I went back to my dorm and thought nothing of it until I received an email the next morning from Dr. Carter instructing me to go to his office.”

There, Bilabaye found an envelope with

his name on it. Inside was a check and a note from Dr. Carter, telling him to use the money and register for the LSAT. Within a few weeks, Bilabaye’s college best friends J.P. Jacks, ’14, and Keely Jacks, ‘16, were driving him to Columbia for the exam.

In the car, before he could walk into the exam room, J.P. and Keely put their hands on his shoulders and prayed. After months of 12-hour days spent studying, Bilabaye earned acceptance at Western Michigan University – Cooley Law School.

“When I was first in the law library, I remember an older student telling me that I must have been in the honeymoon phase of law school and that it would wear off. But, for me, it never did. I am still excited to do my job every day,” Bilabaye said.

After graduating top of his class from Cooley Law in 2018, his first attempt at the Michigan Bar exam was a successful one. Bilabaye was hired as a pre-hearing research attorney with the Michigan Court of Appeals, assisting with the writing of judicial opinions until March 2020, when he was offered an opportunity to serve as an assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan in the criminal trials and appellate division – a success he credits to his start at Central Methodist University.

“Everything about me comes from Central,” Bilabaye said. “Central allowed me to be who I wanted to be. I was a black kid from Africa, and they elected me student body president and continued to push me to do and be more. After seeing what I am capable of, I’ll never go for anything small ever again. Why go small when you can dream big?”

Even in Michigan, he thinks of his time at Central often. Whether it be the memories of purchasing the international flags to display in the rotunda of the Inman Student Center to ensure every student felt a sense of belonging, or the memories of discovering mac and cheese after feeling homesick and missing his mom’s pilau (a traditional African rice dish), Central has deeply shaped his character and his path forward.

“I learned how to work hard at Central; it is truly the birthplace of all my pursuits,” Geofrey stated. “I remember interacting with the Board of Trustees and seeing doctors, successful business folks, and pilots, all who walked the same hallways that I did, and thinking to myself ‘I can do the same thing. I can be just like them.’”

And if the best predictor of future success is past accomplishments, he will be. “I truly see myself being a 97-year-old lawyer, still showing up to court and doing the work. That’s my goal.”

The views in this article are of Bilabaye, and they do not represent the views or opinions of the Michigan Attorney General.

Selling Missouri: Alumnus Foutes Serving As State’s Tourism Director

By SCOTT QUEEN

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ourism probably hasn’t been on the mind of many Missourians over the past year. But there’s at least one exception.

Stephen Foutes, ’99, thinks about it all the time. After all, it’s his job.

Foutes was hired as the director of the Missouri Division of Tourism in February-just as the pandemic started to slow not just the tourism business but the economy in general.

“It has been an interesting challenge,” Foutes said. “We’ve had to recognize and respect the public health emergency we’re in.”

While Foutes said travel promotion has stalled across the nation and in Missouri, there has been popularity for visiting sites in-state.

Foutes said that while his office’s mission is to bring in travelers from outside the ShowMe State, there has been a “pivot” toward local trips and a focus on destinations that have COVID-19 safety protocols in place.

“We’re very focused on research, and the consumer sentiment changes from week

to week and month to month,” Foutes said.

“But we’re definitely seeing travelers focusing on museums and outdoor venues like state parks, Lake of the Ozarks, etc...”

Foutes said an indicator of that interest is shortages in pockets around the nation of the ability to rent campers and get into popular campgrounds.

Foutes previously served the Division of Tourism as a travel guide and website editor in 2010, communications manager in 2012, and public relations specialist in 2015. Most recently he was director of marketing for the Missouri State Medical Association.

Prior to his marketing and tourism work, Foutes worked in the newspaper business.

He spent nearly five years as an editor and four years as a reporter at the Jefferson City News Tribune.

Foutes earned his communications degree at Central and still remembers his work as editor of the Collegian his junior and senior year. He lives in rural Callaway County with his wife of 20 years, Brenda, and their two daughters.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 13

Air Force Vet Flew Rescue Missions

By JEREMY P. AMICK

W

alter Shull became interested in aviation after his parents purchased for him and his twin brother flight training hours at the airport in Jefferson City while they were still in high school. A few years later, when attending college at Central Methodist University in Fayette, he went on to finish the requirements to earn his civilian pilot’s license, which was a decision that soon influenced the direction of his military career.

Graduating from college in January 1967, Shull soon received notice to report for the military draft. In an effort to have some choice in his service branch, he tested for the U.S. Air Force and was soon accepted into their pilot training program.

“My initial officer’s training was at Medina Air Force Base in San Antonio, followed by pilot’s training at Williams Air Force Base south of Phoenix,” he said. “While in Arizona, they brought in all different types of aircraft, and that’s when I became interested in the HC-130 because of the various types of missions it could perform.”

The HC-130 is an airframe based upon the Lockheed C-130 and was designed to refuel helicopters and conduct search and rescue operations and was even employed to assist in the retrieval of the Apollo astronauts once they returned from space.

“Since I finished second in my class, I had the choice of the type of aircraft I wanted to fly, so I chose the HC-130, and I am sure glad that I did,” he affirmed.

Following several months of training on the C-130 at Seward Air Force Base near Nashville, he completed rescue school at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The young pilot then volunteered for service at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. While there, he flew missions to rescue downed pilots off the coast of South Vietnam.

“My first 18 months of flying was primarily over water instead of the land,” he said.

During these rescue missions, the HC130 would serve as the airborne mission commanderwhilejetsflewinformationoffering

14 The Talon | Fall 2020

protection.

A helicopter accompanied the group, which could be refueled by the HC-130 and could enter the area where the downed pilot was located.

While in the Philippines, Shull met an Air Force nurse named Libby. After he was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base in California in November 1970, he continued to maintain contact with Libby, who had been transferred to an Air Force base in Arkansas.

“We were engaged to be married but had to delay the marriage because I got orders for Vietnam in December 1971,” he explained.

“I spent about a year in Vietnam doing rescue missions over the land. When I came back, Libby and I were married in December of 1972 and decided it would be best if she left the Air Force, since we would probably not be stationed together while we were both on active duty.”

Shull went on to complete a number of Air Force assignments throughout the U.S. during the next few years that included the rescue of fishermen stranded at sea, searching for lost hikers, and retrieving weather balloons in descent so the information collected could be analyzed before being contaminated by certain elements present at lower altitudes.

“After we were married, I was transferred to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and flew rescue aircraft while also serving as an instructor pilot,” he said. “In 1977, I was transferred to Elmendorf Air Force Base,

Alaska, where I worked in the rescue coordination center.”

In Alaska, the center coordinated more than 400 missions a year, including the rescue of the passengers and crew of the MS Prinsendam — a Dutch cruise ship that suffered an out-of-control engine fire in October 1980 off the coast of Alaska.

Although the Coast Guard took the lead in the rescue of the more than 500 people aboard, the Air Force helped coordinate and provide resources for the effort.

During their moves, Libby often worked part-time at local hospitals while raising their two sons. The family moved to Scott Air Force Base in 1981, remaining there for the next six years, where Shull worked as director of operations command and control for Headquarters Air Rescue and Recovery Service and later the 23rd Air Force.

Editor’s note: This is a portion of a story written for the Jefferson City News Tribune and published on September 13 on behalf of the Silver Star Families of America. The full article can be found at https://www.newstribune. com/news/news/story/2020/sep/14/air-forceveteran-flew-rescue-missions-stateside-andvietnam-war/841283/

Stafford Grant Brings Assembly Hall Closer To Finish Line

T

he renovation of the Central Methodist University Assembly Hall is one step closer to completion. In early fall 2020, Central received word that the institution would be awarded funding from the Stafford Family Charitable Trust in the form of a $10,000 grant. These funds will provide the resources necessary to outfit the office spaces, conference rooms, and entry way of Assembly Hall as the Center for Faith and Service takes up residence.

According to the organization, the trust was established in 1988 by the late J.W. “Stan”

Stafford and Lois Smith Stafford and has generously distributed over $1.5 million in gifts to local charitable organizations that benefit the Central Missouri community.

The renovation of Assembly Hall has been a labor of love for many months, and as the project nears completion, excitement over the possible uses of the space has grown. Not only will the Center for Faith and Service call Assembly Hall home, the space will be utilized to further engage with community organizations through music ministry outreach.

“Community outreach and recruiting are vital pieces of our Music Ministry program,” Dr. David Witter, director of CMU’S Music Ministry program explained. “Part of our outreach mission has been engaging with local nursing homes and residential care facilities to provide them with uplifting praise music. In the age of COVID, however, we need to expand our normal video and recording practices to enable a connection with those places.”

The benefit of the Center for Faith and Service Assembly Hall project will extend well beyond the Howard County area and into other parts of central Missouri, ensuring Central Methodist continues to give back to the community that has sustained the institution since 1854.

Plan In Works To Update Bandstand For 50th Anniversary

T

he bandstand on the grounds of the Howard County courthouse is definitely one of the most photographed structures in Fayette. It has been the backdrop for community bands, CMU bands, and individual performances for half a century. And, it’s starting to show wear.

So, in stepped Murph Tetley, ‘71, and some of his classmates to do something about it.

“I got married the summer it was built,” said Tetley, who lives in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.

“And I helped the contractor build it. Makes perfect sense that I get involved again.”

As the 50th anniversary of the current bandstand approaches, Tetley has enlisted some assistance to help with repairs. He’s already contacted Howard County about a dedication ceremony next year, and he’s busy raising funds. Tetley still has the program from 1971 when Phi Mu Alpha filled the courthouse lawn for a dedication ceremony in honor of Keith Anderson ‘57 and Thomas Birch IV, two former band directors.

Tetley says a plaque was later added to remember the late band director Keith House

’49 as well as Nancy ’52 and Ken ’51 Seward.

But alumni want to add a plaque for former band director Paul A. Montemurro ‘58, as well.

“Central has had some incredible band directors for many years,” Tetley said.

A public Facebook group, “The Howard County Bandstand,” has been created to keep up with plans. Tetley said date for the dedication ceremony is Saturday, April 17.

Start time is 2 p.m.

The original bandstand, constructed in the 1888, fell into disrepair in the 1930s and was torn down in the 1940s. Phi Mu Alpha members noticed an old photograph of the bandstand and launched a campaign to replicate it, according to Fayette historian Jim Steele ’64. The bandstand was dedicated in 1971. Co-chairman of the fundraising committee was, of course, Tetley, along with Robert Bray, ’70.

This time around, Tetley is working with numerous alumni.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 15

Homecoming 2020 Central made every attempt to have Homecoming activities for students this year, but it just wasn’t the same without our alumni.

Students still managed to paint windows on the Square. The football team played, and the marching band performed. And we continued the Homecoming royalty tradition. We hope to see EVERYONE next year.

16 The Talon | Fall 2020

Zeta Psi Lambda won this year’s window decorating contest on the Fayette Square with their work at The Attic.

Stasia Sherman, director of alumni engagement, and Dr. Bill Sheehan, vice president for advancement and alumni relations, purchased gift cards from Fayette business owner Leremie Shaffer (top) and Amanda Dodson Brand, ’10, (right).

Alumni Step Up To Support Business Community, Students

W

hen the pandemic caused the cancellation of an in-person Homecoming this fall at Central Methodist University, alumni across the country were forced to change plans. The typical crowd of 3,500 people in Fayette didn’t materialize.

Not only did it mute the weekend, but it hit the pocketbook of Fayette businesses.

So CMU and its alumni base stepped up to help out.

A unique fundraising campaign was developed to benefit students as well as the hard-hit business community, said Bill Sheehan, ’84, vice president of advancement and alumni relations.

“Some of these businesses lost thousands,” Sheehan said. “An alum pointed out the impact and asked if we could do something.”

Mike Dimond, ’85, executive director of Fayette Main Street, Inc., said the economic climate has been difficult on the Fayette square, and this effort was a big boost.

“It means a lot,” Dimond said. “This is truly what it means to be community— supporting one another. It was a great gesture of support. Homecoming is a time they all count on.”

Sheehan sought donations from alumni, and CMU’s advancement office would then

take the funds and purchase gift cards for needy students and for student rewards and incentives.

Lasting from Sept. 19-28, the campaign was a big hit.

“We raised $6,500,” Sheehan said.

“We had gifts from $20 all the way up to $1,000. And, true to the spirit of Central, every decade from the 1950s forward was involved.”

Sheehan, who purchased the gift cards from a variety of Fayette businesses, said the proprietors were appreciative.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 17

18 The Talon | Fall 2020

Fall 2020 | The Talon 19

Graduation During A Pandemic The global pandemic presented countless chal-

to four guests per graduate, we made it work.

lenges at Central, and one of the big ones was

Chairs were distanced, masks were worn, and

graduation. How could we have a ceremony

Central’s proud 2020 graduates got their cer-

for our graduates and keep everyone safe? The

emony! The next challenge was winter gradua-

postponement of graduation in May gave way

tion. Outdoors was out of the question, so we

to a blessed outdoor celebration at Davis Field

doubled up with two socially distant ceremonies

in September. While attendance was limited

November 21 in Puckett Fieldhouse.

Recipients of the annual awards for outstanding student achievement were honored at the outdoor commencement ceremony on September 13. Taylor Rumsey was named the Human Relations Award winner, Arnold Mukisa received the Selecman Achievement Award, and Rachel Buyck Hahn came away with the Victoria Award.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 21

Fran reflected on memories of her father and the time that they spent in what was then Science Hall. Frances, the oldest daughter of the Brown children, was in eighth grade when she went up the stairs of T. Berry Smith Hall to scribble her name on the wall, a memory that she has nearly forgotten at the age of 86.

Fran Brown recalled that it was not common practice for people to go up the tower, although the names inside tell a different story. She reminisced about her father and that he was a very popular teacher and took many trips with students. She remembered that as a freshman she joined in on a trip to the Bahamas. The Brown family spent ten years in Fayette, and in that time, Fran graduated high school and enrolled at Central in September of 1952. She had plans to become a nurse and took many pre-med classes. However, The door to the T. Berry tower is covered in names of she took advice past Central students, including that of Frances Brown from her father (McNemee) ’56 that, “Wherever you live, there will always be a school.” She changed her focus and became a teacher.

Frances graduated from Central in the spring of 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She spent many years teaching seventh- and eighth-grade science and English and to this day still teaches Sunday School at over the past 124 years, but the memories that have been made inside its walls. The top of the her church.

As we think about the memories that were tower provides a stunning view of Howard County and is now closed off to visitors and made inside this tower and on the Central students, but it is full of names—names of Methodist University campus, we reflect on Greek sororities and fraternities and names of the names inside the T. Berry Smith tower— students from many graduating classes dating names of classmates from years gone by, names like W.L. Thorpe, class of ’32, Ben “Old Baldy” back as far as 1914.

One of the names that stands out belongs Henke, class of ’54, Doug Downing, class of to Frances Brown (McNemee), who wrote her ’63, Betty Cockrell (Stacey), class of ’72, Mike name, along with, “The daughter of the great Jackman, class of ’79, Bill and Susie, who wrote Dr. W.H. Brown,” on the door leading up the in the tower on October 26, 1983, and Jim Arnold, class of ‘98. tower stairs on a Saturday in March of 1949.

If walls could talk, what would the walls Dr. Brown was a biology teacher at Central from 1946 to 1956. Just two years after World of T. Berry Smith Hall tell us? What changes War II, Dr. Brown had relocated his family has the building been witness to, and what from Oklahoma City to Fayette after being conversations have the halls heard? Many of hired by then-president Dr. Ralph Woodward. these answers are held by the amazing people The newest member of the science division also that have entered through its doors. Let us served as the head of biology with a focus on never forget the friends and fond memories we have made on the campus of Central Methodist botany.

More than 70 years after making her mark, University.

T. Berry Smith Spills Its Secrets; Names in Tower Go Back To 1914

By TRACI BALLEW

“A

pply thine heart unto instruction and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”

You may notice this inscription at the entrance of the iconic T. Berry Smith Hall on the Central Methodist University campus, a place where heart has certainly been applied unto instruction for more than a hundred years.

The Victorian building is complete with a tower parapet with brass spindles and a hexagon roof over the tower with slate ribs.

The cornerstone of Science Hall, later renamed T. Berry Smith Hall, was laid on June 17, 1893, and the occasion was such an extraordinary event that bands, lodges, and clubs marched in a parade from Main Street to the building site.

Doors to T. Berry Smith Hall opened in 1896, and it was home to all college classes as well as the library, chapel, museum, and laboratories.

But the most interesting part of T. Berry Smith Hall is not what this building has housed

22 The Talon | Fall 2020

Joy Flanders speaking at commencement in fall 2020

Flanders Impacted Success of Countless Students

By EMILY KESEL

A

fter more than 35 years of working at Central Methodist University, it took some time for Joy Flanders ’83 to clear out her office, her home away from home. It’s probably going to take a while longer for Central students to adjust fully to life without her.

Though she’s now working in customer service in the corporate world, the former student success coordinator has already been fielding emails and texts from students since stepping down from her role in August. One student told her he was thinking of dropping a class because he had already missed multiple assignments, and Flanders advised him not to give up.

“I said, ‘Okay, you know you won’t get an A in the class, but you can still get a C.

Quit being lazy and do your homework,’ and he [told me he would],” Flanders said. Over the years, she’s learned how to motivate these students. “I will really miss helping the students see that they are, and can be, more than they think they are.”

Flanders has undoubtedly helped a great number of students to reach their potential.

She remembers one in particular from about 20 years ago, when she was teaching CMU 101 for freshmen. At the end of the class, she was to reassign him to a new advisor in his major, as is the practice, but she thought it wouldn’t make a difference. He hadn’t shown much interest in school or the possibility of graduating. The following year, they met again and he asked about where the summer school classes he’d taken

would fit into his track for graduation, he got “pretty angry” when she told him they only really counted toward his eligibility for football.

“He really kind of sat up and took note, and he eventually graduated,” Flanders recounted. “And he knows. He is now a Young Alumni Award-winner from a few years back, and he and I joke about that.

“If you talk with people and you keep them looking towards a goal, they’re much more likely to meet that goal. What I tried to do was keep putting stuff in front of somebody so they’ll reach further and they’ll do more.”

As the student success coordinator – Flanders’s most recent title after spending time in several different areas in many different roles at Central – she helped individuals and groups do just that.

Everyone from sorority members to the baseball team has benefitted from her guidance. It was a responsibility she always took seriously, given how committed she was to upholding the values of the institution.

“Many can tell the story of the way Joy changed their lives: a conversation, a degree plan, a meal arranged, a friend in time of need,” said Maryann Rustemeyer, ’86, director of the Center for Learning and Teaching. “Her understanding of the history and the heart of CMU is at the core of the mission and values of the university.”

“Central felt like home to me because Central’s values matched my values so closely,” said Flanders, who noted that she felt as if she could have written the mission statement for the university herself. “I knew what was important [to the statement], because it closely aligned with my values and closely aligned with who I am and what I do.”

Central also felt like home in that it was a place she and her husband, business and economics professor John Flanders, met and worked together for years.

But what it all came down to, both for Flanders and for Central’s mission, was preparing students to have an impact after they moved on from the university.

“It’s 35 years, but there’s just not much story to tell,” she said humbly. “To me, the story’s about the students that were there and the students that were impacted and where they are and what they’re doing and how they’re making a difference in the world. My ministry was working at Central to impact lives, so they can go out and make a difference.”

Fall 2020 | The Talon 23

Dr. Joe Geist and Denise Haskamp oversee the installation of the newest sculpture outside Classic Hall, Inspiration.

Tom Yancey’s Inspiration Lives On

By SCOTT QUEEN

O

n a fall afternoon in Fayette, a gentle breeze sweeps through campus. The orange and red leaves glide purposefully to the ground. And as the sun tries to hide behind Classic Hall, it dispatches its remaining warmth across Central Methodist University’s newest sculpture – Inspiration.

Without fanfare, Inspiration was installed in early October. The sculpture stands nearly eight feet tall, and its painted steel exudes both strength and peace at the same

24 The Talon | Fall 2020

time. Inspiration was commissioned by the Ashby-Hodge Gallery Board with memorial funds from the friends and patrons of the Gallery to honor the contributions and legacy of a strong and peaceful man, Tom Yancey ‘54, one of Central’s most iconic and longest-tenured faculty members. Yancey died in 2019.

“Tom would have liked Inspiration,” said Joe Geist, registrar of the AshbyHodge Gallery of American Art and Yancey’s companion of 45 years. “He was

very inspirational himself, and it fits his character, and personality and dedication.”

Geist said the placement of the sculpture is “just perfect” near the sidewalk outside of Classic Hall.

“It’s like an invitation to the gallery and to Classic Hall,” said Geist. “It’s beautiful, warm, and welcoming.”

Inspiration was created by Rita Blitt, an international award-winning painter, sculptor, and filmmaker from Leawood, Kansas. Geist said she was a perfect choice to do the sculpture, given that “her thinking is very in tune and aligned with Central’s mission.”

Inspiration’s installation was without fanfare, thanks to the worldwide pandemic.

Geist said the sculpture was scheduled to come to the grounds of Classic Hall in April 2020. But “things pretty much shut down in March. We had been thinking about quite a dedication ceremony. Now, we’re just happy it has arrived.”

Yancey joined the faculty at Central in 1958 and served as a beloved teacher and mentor to hundreds of students at the Swinney Conservatory of Music – covering six decades. Besides being an accomplished musician, he was a well-known artist.

“Professor Tom Yancey made a lasting impression on Central,” said President Roger Drake. “Tom frequently mentioned how lucky he was to have the best job in the world – music and art. We were the lucky ones to have him in our presence.”

Jim Steele of Fayette contributed to this article

New Eagles Jen Huelsmann, Kyleigh VonBorries, Scott Boston, and Melody Key are making their Central education a family affair with CMU Softball coaches, Pat, ’90, and Gene Reardon.

Central Methodist Has Its Own Version of ‘All In The Family’

By EMILY KESEL

C

entral Methodist University’s history is chock full of families that have passed on from generation to generation the tradition of attending the beloved school. Kyleigh VonBorries’ family is not one with a long legacy, but the family is certainly well-represented at Central this year.

This fall, VonBorries began her career as a CMU Eagle as a freshman on campus, and her mother, her aunt, and her mother’s fiancé began their Central journeys as well.

“We all have different majors, but the four of us are all full-time students,” said Jen Huelsmann, VonBorries’ mom.

While her daughter is an on-campus student and a softball player, Huelsmann, along with her fiancé Scott Boston and sister Melody Key, is attending Central online as a student in the College of Graduate and

Extended Studies (CGES).

Not long ago, though, Central wasn’t even on their radar. VonBorries was attending a softball camp last year and considering other schools before being introduced to the Eagle program and Coach Pat Reardon, and soon enough she told her mother she wanted to attend CMU. “I didn’t really register what CMU was at the time, and then she sent me some stuff later and I said, ‘Oh, Central Methodist?

That’s the school you’re talking about?’” said Huelsmann. “I’m a youth director for a Methodist church in St. Louis, so I was very excited then that that’s the school she was looking at.”

VonBorries signed with Central and was preparing for her first year as a college student when the COVID-19 pandemic sent the country into lockdown, and with that

lockdown, her family began doing “some self-reflection.” Huelsmann says she has been successful and happy in her career without a degree, but she realized she wanted more.

“I wanted to be a good example to my daughter as well as pursue my real passion, which is to be a licensed counselor and major in psychology,” she said.

Before long, she was working with the CGES admissions team and getting registered for online courses in psychology. Huelsmann says she didn’t even tell her daughter about it until she was fully registered, “because, you know, every first-year college student wants their mom with them in school.” And, while the two won’t actually be on campus together, the family affair didn’t stop there.

Boston soon registered for the online master’s degree program in education, and Key began classes this fall for elementary education.

Throughout the process, the family has been impressed with and inspired by the helpfulness and hard work of the admissions staff, especially CGES admissions representative Caryn Jeffries ‘13, who Huelsmann says “really sold us on CMU.” “Part of why I have not gone back to school in almost 30 years is because I always felt that the enrollment and admission process just stressed me out,” she said. “So, on the very first call when I talked to Caryn in admissions, I just thought, ‘Wow.’ They are so friendly, so helpful. Everything has been so easy. . . It’s just been amazing.”

The process was equally enjoyable from the perspective of Jeffries, a Central alumna in her own right.

“This recruitment sequence was so much fun and so heart-warming,” said Jeffries.

“It truly speaks to the value of CMU being family and family-oriented. With everything going on this year, this was a real win for both this family and for Central.”

Fall 2020 | The Talon 25

New Sculpture Arrives on Campus Joins Another Piece by Same Artist

T Family members joined Rick ’03 and Shelby ’97 Alexander with daughter, Virginia Claire (seated front row) as she made it official and signed on to become an Eagle.

Top left to right: Dr. Joe Parisi, Barbara Alexander, Brad Burkhardt, Camille Dovin, Sally Michael, Max Michael, Sarah Dovin, Charles Alexander, Bruce Dovin.

Alexander Legacy Getting Stronger

O

ne of Central Methodist University’s biggest legacy families is adding one more to the list. Virginia Claire Alexander has announced she will be attending CMU next fall. The Fayette High School senior has earned a top academic scholarship and will study biology and be a cheerleader.

Her parents are Rick ’03 and Shelby ‘97 Alexander.

“We’ve been recruiting her since she was a freshman in high school,” said Dr. Joe Parisi, vice president for enrollment management. “VC has been extremely sought after because of her top academics and her cheer background.”

26 The Talon | Fall 2020

CMU President Roger Drake said that legacy families such as the Alexanders are “incredibly important and a part of Central’s fabric. They help create our family spirit and strengthen the lifelong love of the institution held by our alumni.”

VC’s father is a civic leader in Fayette, and her mother, is a senior registered client service associate and serves on the CMU Board of Trustees. Her grandfather, Fred Alexander ’58, is a farmer and developer and the longest serving Central Methodist board member ever, and grandmother Barbara is an alumna from 1956. Others include cousins, aunts, great aunts, greatgreat aunts, and her great grandfather.

he sculpture garden outside Central Methodist University’s Classic Hall just added a new piece of art to its collection.

Vianney Red, a 1989 abstract sculpture by Brother Mel Meyer, S.M., has been donated to the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art by the previous owners, Jack ’60 and Gail Jones.

The sculpture is the second piece by the late Brother Meyer to be featured in the garden, joining another painted steel work known as King and Queen. The pieces are just two of the more than 10,000 works Meyer created throughout his career.

Born in 1928, Meyer became a brother in the Catholic Community of the Society of Mary, the Marianists, in 1949. He became a full-time artist in 1960, and later opened his studio on the campus of Vianney High School in Kirkwood, Mo., from which the new sculpture gets its name.

Following Meyer’s death in 2013, the AshbyHodge Gallery was bequeathed a number of his works, including the King and Queen sculpture, six acrylic paintings, and eight watercolors.

Prior to its arrival on campus in July, Vianney Red spent many years at the Jones family home.

When the family made the decision to move and were not able to bring the sculpture with them, they decided to donate the piece in honor of Earl ’61 and Sunny Bates. Jack Jones and Earl Bates are longtime friends, having gone to high school and Central together.

AASU Announces New Executive Team Club Emphasizes Diversity on Campus

Precious Kamudzandu

T

he officers of the 2020-21 African American Student Union at Central Methodist University were announced in the fall, with senior Precious Kamudzandu once again leading the organization.

A nursing major from Kansas City, Kamudzandu also participates in CMU’s College Democrats.

“My favorite thing about AASU is all the

new faces we get to meet,” she said. “I also enjoy meeting all the new, diverse personalities that AASU brings.”

Joining Kamudzandu on the executive team will be La’Kiah Wilson as vice president.

Also a member of the class of 2021 and native of Kansas City, Wilson is majoring in criminal justice and political science. Aside from AASU, her campus involvement includes Civic Engagement, College Democrats, Mock Trial, Student Government Association (student life chair), and Metaphysical Club (secretary).

“One thing I love about being a leader of AASU is that it allows me to spread knowledge and understanding to my fellow peers,” said Wilson.

Chely Stratton, a junior biology (pre-med) major from Kansas City, will be this year’s secretary. Stratton is also involved with the chapel bands, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Beta Beta Beta, and College Democrats.

Amy Blair

Shannon Peters

Peters, Blair Begin Term as Student Government President, VP Officers Hope to Provide ‘Normalcy’

C

entral Methodist University’s newest Student Government Association officers have an unprecedented task ahead of them in promoting student involvement while navigating a pandemic. But Shannon Peters and Amy Blair are up to the task.

Peters and Blair were selected as SGA president and vice president, respectively, in the spring and are now hard at work preparing safe and engaging activities for their fellow students.

Peters, a senior biology major from Waverly, Mo., called her position as president “a huge

responsibility but a very big honor.”

“It’s my best opportunity to really have a voice and make a difference here on campus,” she said. “It would be great to look back and see that I accomplished something or that I offered something to the school that future students can appreciate years down the road.”

Blair, a junior majoring in biology and hailing from Maywood, Mo., also is excited to begin her stint as vice president, as she believes student government is a perfect segue into her goal of bringing empathy and compassion into

“My favorite thing about being a leader with AASU is the many opportunities that I have to learn from people with diverse backgrounds, as well as helping create a safe space to voice opinions and foster a welcoming community within this campus,” said Stratton.

This year’s treasurer for AASU is Marina Florido, another senior from Kansas City. In addition to her AASU role and majoring in political science and comparative religion and philosophy, Florido serves as the Metaphysical Club president, Mock Trial team captain, and College Democrats communications director and legislative agenda executive.

“The most rewarding part of being a leader with AASU is the emphasis placed on diversity,” Florido said. “Diversity enriches communities by producing a plurality of opinions based on differing perspectives. Thus, AASU highlights that diversity is a vital component of a strong campus community.”

Rounding out the executive team as this year’s public relations representative is Marchya Jackson. Jackson is a senior from Salisbury, Mo. She is majoring in sociology.

real-world politics.

“I have always had a heart for community service and also the political side of things,” she said, adding, “I have always loved Fayette and treasure the experiences I have had here so far, and being a part of bringing that to a new group of students is amazing.”

Both officers are active on campus aside from their roles within SGA. Peters is in her fourth year as a varsity volleyball player and has been a member of Theta Chi Epsilon, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Beta Beta Beta, Champions of Character, and the Heart Athlete Student Association. Blair serves as a residential assistant in Holt Hall and is a member of Zeta Psi Lambda.

As for their goals within SGA this year, both agree that providing “a sense of normalcy” is one of the most important things they can do for their fellow students.

“We’re going to try to make this school year as normal as we can and make it a good experience for people,” said Peters. “I know we’re encouraging people to stay [socially] distant, but at the same time we want to encourage people to be active on campus while also being safe. It’s a hard balance to find, but I’m hoping we can figure out some ways to do that throughout both semesters.”

Fall 2020 | The Talon 27

Alumni News & Notes Central Unites Us 2020 is winding down, and in the words of the Grateful Dead, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” I don’t think any of us could have predicted how crazy this year would be. I hope that this note finds you and yours healthy and whole.

I know we were all disappointed that in-person Homecoming was cancelled this year. However, Bill Sheehan, Stasia Sherman, and the Advancement team really did an outstanding job of pivoting and coming up with a super-creative approach to make Homecoming a virtual event.

It was great to have Coffee with the President, watch an exciting game, and even do a little shopping in the bookstore. The decision to cancel in-person Homecoming this year wasn’t a decision made lightly. It was the right thing to do to protect our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and townspeople.

After a year of pandemic, economic challenges, a contentious election, and so many other frustrations, disappointments, divisions, and setbacks, I want to remind you of the thing that unites us, Central. As you find new ways to celebrate the holidays and connect with friends and family, hold the spirit of Central in your heart.

Laura Blair, Class of 1986 President, Alumni Association Board of Directors

David Starkey ‘56 received his BME (voice) and LHD from Central. He has also received several other degrees in music from Indiana University. He’s appeared in operas, on Broadway, in Broadway tours, on all major TV networks, on recordings, and in concerts in the U.S. and Europe. He has two former students at the Metropolitan Opera, and a former student is vice president and COO of the Cleveland Institute of Music.

1960s

Robert Britton ‘67 received the Federal Aviation Administration’s most prestigious award, the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

1970s

Alan Yount ‘70 published his 143rd poem in the spring of 2020 in JerryJazzMusician (a national online jazz journal). This was his 23rd poem published there.The title of the poem was “Night Train.”

Clayton Smith ‘70 retired after 50 years of

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Linda Brown ‘74 retired from the University Hospital in 2017. She is currently working part-time as a medical transcriptionist for Occupational Medicine of Mid-Missouri.

Richard Parker ‘74 was elected in June to serve a six-year term as a member of the Board of Trustees for State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo. Robert “Bob” Schoene ‘74 retired and shares gardening duties with Annette. When not gardening, they are renewing a 114-year old farm house and “front porch sitting.”

Peace, safety, and love,

1950s

at McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and Booz Allen Hamilton, Parl has begun retirement.

Since his retirement, he has toured the US western states national parks for 30 days in an RV and toured Belize, Greece, and Cuba.

He plans to resume his travels when the pandemic is under control.

ministry serving the Missouri area United Methodist Church. He coauthored a new book, Growing Through Disaster – Financial and Trauma Recovery Tools for Your Faith Community, with Abingdon Press.

John Owen ‘71 started his law enforcement career as an ATF special agent in Des Moines, Iowa. After 16 years with ATF, he transferred into TIGTA (Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) as the resident agent in charge of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota and served another 16 years prior to retiring. After two years of retirement, the Dept. of Homeland Security requested that he come out of retirement to take the position of assistant federal security director for law enforcement for Iowa. He served in this position for an additional four years before retiring. He still resides in the Des Moines area with his wife of 49 years. They have three children and nine grandchildren.

Parl Hummel ‘73 After Central Methodist University, Eastern Kentucky University, University of Cincinnati, University of Missouri—St. Louis, and a 42-year career

Donald Pesek ‘74 retired in March after having served for 30 years as director of audit and rating services for Cass Information Systems, Inc. Mark Harbison ‘76 will retire from Commercial Trust Bank on December 31, 2020, after 44 years of service.

1980s

John Schultz ‘80 retired from State Farm Insurance on November 1, 2020, after almost 37 years of service.

Timothy Jackman ‘81 was appointed to Commercial Trust Company’s Board of Directors.

Cheryl Lynn (Wofford) Hill ‘82 received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who. Rob Caldwell ‘84 and Kim (Stoll) ‘82 became grandparents on May 13, 2020. Louis Joseph Caldwell was born in Tulsa, Okla. to their son, Tyler, and daughter-in-law, Caitlyn.

Tony Whitson ‘84 is the new superintendent for the Salisbury R-IV School District in Salisbury, Mo.

Kimberly (Hill) Wayland ‘99 has announced that her husband, Dale “Big Daddy” Wayland received a long-awaited kidney transplant.

He is doing well without any complications and no signs of rejection.

2000s Chairman of the Central Methodist University Board of Trustees Tad Perry ‘65, right, with alumnus Dan Widhalm ’85 in Spearfish, South Dakota, representing their alma mater and staying safe with Central Eagles facemasks. Widhalm was a star basketball player at Central and is a 1996 inductee into the Hairston Hall of Fame.

Daren Dean ‘01 has a Civil War novel, The Black Harvest, forthcoming from the University of West Alabama’s Livingston Press in fall 2021. His latest short story, “The Ears Of Lyndon Baines Johnson”, is in the current issue of Louisiana Literature as a special online feature. He was an English Fellow at Central Methodist University ’01. Currently, he is an assistant professor of English at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo. Cheris Whitney ‘02 is one of 17 students who joined the Doctor of Education program at Webster University this fall.

Lindy Hern ‘03 authored a book on the history of the grassroots movement for health care reform in the United States, Single Payer Healthcare Reform.

A group of Mokers masked up for golf recently in Springdale, Arkansas near Mark ’83 and Leslie ’84 Driver’s home. From left, Terry Henderson ’83, Terry Ohlms ’83, Mark Driver ’83, Larry Layden ’83, Tony Livingston ’82 and Ron Mills ’83 Mary Ella Thomasson ‘85 was elected to the Mark Phillips ‘95 is an associate pastor of Northwest R-1 School Board on June 2, 2020. children’s ministries at the First Baptist Church in Farmington, Mo. Mark and his son, Griffin, Fred Smith’s ‘85 2016 Boonville baseball provided music and songs to the Women’s team was voted KRES’s Baseball Team of the Connection meeting on July 14, 2020, at the Decade by voters at Centralmoinfo.com.

Farmington Presbyterian Church.

1990s

Dori (Thomas) Waggoner ‘92 was the 2020 recipient of the Carolyn and Tad Perry Fellow Award. The Carolyn and Tad Perry Fellow Award goes annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated a genuine commitment to student experiences, growth, and achievement beyond normal teaching and mentoring engagement.

Kenneth Oliver ‘93 is the vice president of Institutional Advancement, Admissions, and Marketing at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kan.

Jenny Martin ‘03 is the director for web and digital communication at the University of Missouri– St. Louis.

Margaret (Morris) Richard ‘04 received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Robert “Rob” Cowsert Jr. ‘05 is currently working for Subaru of America. He oversees the body fit team and makes sure that all vehicles are Nathan “Nate” King’s ‘96 2019 Salisbury Lady meeting a high-quality standard. He currently Panther’s softball team was voted KRES Team lives in Lafayette, Ind., with his wife, Melissa, and of the Decade by voters at Centralmoinfo.com. their 7-year-old daughter, Lexi.

Nathan stepped down as varsity head softball coach to be head coach of the Salisbury Junior Kathryn (Ramsey) Bachtel ‘06 was named High softball team and coach his daughter. the new head softball coach for the Salisbury Lady Panthers softball team.

Jessica (Beckwith) Creedon ‘97 graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a Sarah (Wehrman) Hessenius ‘06 received master’s degree in special education. the Teacher of the Year award at Spring Branch Elementary school in Independence, Mo. She Travis Day ‘97 is head basketball coach at was also promoted to chair of the Elementary Hayti High school in Hayti, Mo., where his Music Department for the Independence team won the conference championship.

School District.

Robert “Deacon” Windsor ‘93 is the new Krista (Nelson) Greenwell ‘99 was named Elizabeth “Libby” Wood ‘06 was elected to principal at Mark Twain High School in Popular Bluff Early Childhood Center Teacher the Board of Trustees for the Madison Medical Center, Mo. of the Year for 2020.

Center in Fredericktown, Mo.

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Patrick Pyle ‘13 is the assistant principal at Heber Hunt Elementary School in Sedalia, Mo. Zachary Russell ‘13 was one of 28 state employees who graduated from the Missouri Leadership Academy – a program that develops the next generation of state government leaders.

Nicole Schulz ‘13 joined the Sports Medicine Department at DePaul University in Chicago, Ill., were she will be an assistant director and will be the primary sports medicine contact for the women’s basketball program.

Samuel Gaddy ‘15 recently obtained a Master of Arts in music and will be teaching 6-12 band and choir at Santa Fe R-X School in Alma, Mo.

Kylar Broadus ’85 spent some time at his alma mater this fall shooting a TEDWomen Talk on his non-aggressive battle against transgender and African-American bias in the courtroom.

Broadus is a pioneer attorney in trans rights and additionally has more than two decades of experience teaching at a historically black college/university.

David Hutchison ‘07 was elected to the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of Greater Arkansas.

Kaniela Aiona ‘08 is the men’s basketball coach at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in Hilo, Hawaii.

John Bodkins ‘08 is an assistant soccer coach with the Southern Boone boys’ soccer team.

Nancy Sikobe ‘08 is the volleyball coach at Saint Mary of the Woods College in Indiana.

Cory Cuzan ’09 and Esther Macias Cuzan ’11 met 10 years ago at CMU. They now have three children and live in Kansas City.

2010s

Hannah (Kiddoo) Frevert ‘10 received the Fisher Family Good Samaritan Award, selected by Redemption Inside the Walls and the News Tribune.

Andrew Green ‘10 was hired to be the parttime assistant men’s basketball coach at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo. Sam McMahon ‘10 is the assistant men’s basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

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Joseph Taylor White ‘11 received the Diamond 9 award at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Baseball and Softball Luncheon September 3, 2020, in Springfield, Mo. Dalton Armontrout ‘12 is the new boys’ basketball coach at South Shelby High School in Shelbina, Mo. John Coleman ‘12 is a registered nurse in the Labor and Birth Department at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Margaret “Maggie” Gebhardt ‘12 is the communications and marketing assistant director for Accurity Valuation, LLC, in Chicago, Ill. Evan Lavery ‘12 is an assistant coach at Emporia State and was named one of the 50 impactful D2 assistant coaches in NCAA Division II men’s basketball.

Zeb Wallace ‘12 is the new assistant principal at Ozark Middle School in Ozark, Mo. Addie Layne ‘13 has been selected to co-chair the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri’s largest fundraiser Holiday Mart. The fourday shopping event benefits women- and children-focused philanthropic work in the Kansas City metro area.

Collin Sizemore ‘15 is a coach for the Truman Patriots football team at Truman High School in Independence, Mo. Vivian “Vicky” Whited ‘15 is a case manager for The Kitchen Inc. in Springfield, Mo. Gretchen (Nanneman) Atkinson ‘16 is a paraprofessional at the Salisbury Elementary School in Salisbury, Mo. Stacey Easter ‘16 is the Park Hills Council member for Ward 2 in Park Hills, Mo. Savannah Schaefer ‘16 is the new events coordinator for the admissions office at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. Dana (Thompson) Goosen ‘17 was named Staff of the Year at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo. Hannah Selsor ‘17 is a 4th-6th grade math teacher at the Salisbury Elementary School in Salisbury, Mo. Mickayla Spaulding ‘17 accepted the position of head of marketing and public relations for Post 0218 Pediatric Therapies in Arkansas.

Melody (Hanson) Stegeman ‘17 graduated in May with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. Scott Stegeman ‘17 graduated in May of 2019 with his Master of Science in athletic training from Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., and is working as the head athletic trainer at Nixa High School.

Chelsey and Layne Crump were married June 13, 2020, at Linn Memorial United Methodist Church. Layne ’19 is employed as an admissions counselor at CMU. Chelsey is studentteaching at Southern Boone Middle School and will graduate in December. The couple lives in Columbia.

Camille Dovin and Brad Burkhardt were engaged September 26 in Linn Memorial church this fall – at the very spot they met during chapel.

DaJonee Hale ‘18 signed a one-year contract on August 13, 2020, to play professional basketball in Bamberg, Germany.

Kiona Sinks ‘18 was the recipient of the 2020 Gold Stevie Award for “Multicultural Communications Campaign of the Year” from The Stevie Awards for Women in Business program.

Aubrey Thompson ‘18 is the English language arts teacher at the Intermediate School and Abilene Elementary School for the Valley Center Unified School District in Valley Center, Kan.

Rachel Buyck Hahn ‘20 is now the digital marketing assistant at Rokusek Marketing in Quincy, Ill.

Taylor Rumsey ‘20 is now a project accountant at Black and Veatch in Overland Park, Kan.

Katherine “Kadee” Dempsey ‘20 is attending New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Jonesboro, Ark., studying to receive a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine.

Regan Sullivan ’20 of Slater, Mo., is now an autism specialist with Easter Seals Midwest in Columbia, Mo.

Matt Fohn ‘20 is now the head cheerleading coach at Lebanon R-111 High School in Lebanon, Mo. Brenna Germann ‘20 is attending the University of Missouri School of Law studying to receive a Juris Doctor (J.D.).

Devin Henderson ‘20 is attending Cleveland University in Kansas City, Mo., studying to receive her Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

Births, Marriages, Engagements 2020s

Rachel Buyck Hahn ’20 and Jordan Hahn were married August 8, 2020.

2010s

Brittanee Jacobs ’12 and Joey Rinehart were married August 8, 2020.

Turner Middendorf ‘19 is the interim residence life director for the 20-21 academic year at Newman University in Wichita, Kan.

Colin Horn ‘20 is attending Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., studying to receive an MBA.

Novy Foland II ’15 and wife Valerie (Kimball) ’15 welcomed daughter Emery Nicole on August 12, 2020.

Joseph Penno ‘19 is the new sports information director at Dodge City Community College.

Tayler Huffman ‘20 is an early childhood special education teacher with the Crystal City School District in Crystal City, Mo.

Julia Weber ’16 and Bryce Oswald were married January 25, 2020.

Abby Roach ‘19 is the third-grade teacher at the Salisbury Elementary School in Salisbury, Mo.

2020s

Corneille “Cori” Bryan ‘20 is a music teacher at Hosea, Carden Park, and Charles A. Lindbergh elementary schools in St. Joseph, Mo.

Rian Soares Marques ‘20 signed a three-year deal with the Kansas City Comets soccer team.

Kate Randolph ‘20 is a patient care associate in the Medical Progressive Care unit at Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur, Mo.

Catherine (Catie) Dovin ’19 and Gabriel Dudley were married May 2, 2020.

2000s

Molly (Teague) Mereness ’08 and husband Bryce welcomed daughter McKinley on March 2, 2020.

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In Memoriam

Keith Jennings Keith Jennings, 79, of New Franklin passed away unexpectedly August 25, 2020, at his home in New Franklin. Funeral services were August 29 at the Immanuel United Church of Christ with Rev. Tim Fairley officiating.

Burial followed in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

Keith was born October 22, 1940, in Fayette, Mo., the son of Oscar C. Jennings and Marvel Struchtemeyer Jennings. He was a lifelong resident of New Franklin and a pillar of the community.

He attended Central Methodist University, where he continued his basketball career and fell in love with Carol Sue Harper. They were married during Spring Break of 1964 at the Immanuel United Church of Christ in New Franklin.

He finished his degree in secondary education and went on to teach and coach at Malta Bend schools. While at Malta Bend, he coached boys and girls baseball/softball and basketball and track and drove a school bus.

Although he was there only three years, the students he impacted continued to reach out to him throughout his life. In 1968, his father convinced him to come back to New Franklin and join him at the New Franklin

1940s

Marian March Kuster ‘43 of Jefferson City, Mo., died May 23, 2020.

Stanley K. Thurston Jr. ‘44 of Virginia Beach, Va., died Apr. 3, 2020.

Eva L. Hensley Steger ‘47 of Urbana, Ill., died Oct. 27, 2020.

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Locker Plant.

Keith’s ambitions led to several expansions of the plant in order to offer retail and wholesale services along with custom processing. In December of 1992, the plant burned and was a total loss. True to his character, Keith was determined to rebuild in New Franklin, and with the help of the plant’s staff and community, the plant was rebuilt as Jennings Premium Meats.

Keith retired in 2006, but he continued to be ever-present at the plant, gladly lending a hand whenever help was needed.

For those who knew Keith, he was always busy, whether coaching multiple youth baseball or softball teams, working in his yard, or walking his beloved dog, Oliver. Throughout his life, he was an active participant in the New Franklin community. He served as president of the New Franklin Businessmen’s Association and was instrumental in the first Santa Fe Trail Days. He served numerous terms on the UCC Church Council and was a long-term member of the New Franklin School Board.

He was also active in the meat processing industry serving as President of the Missouri Association of Meat Processors in 1980 and inducted in the Missouri Association of Meat Processors Hall of Fame in 1996.

Keith is survived by his wife, Sue, of the home, son, Jason (Stephanie) Jennings of New Franklin, and daughter, Reachel (Doug) Beichley of Prairie Village, KS. He will be dearly missed by his grandsons, Grant Beichley, and Tyler Jennings.

Everett D. Johnson Everett D. Johnson ’86, a former Central Methodist football player, passed away Friday, October 30, 2020. Visitation and services were Monday, November 9, 2020, at Layne Renaissance Chapel in St. Louis.

He will be cremated.

Helen L. Johnson Matkins ‘48 of Meadville, Mo., died Oct. 30, 2020.

Patricia N. Sasse Kirby ‘48 of Columbia, Mo., died Oct. 15, 2020.

Mary Emily Story ‘48 of Dodd City, Tex., died Apr. 19, 2020.

Nora Hebel Brizendine ‘49 of Jefferson City, Mo., died Aug. 28, 2020.

Gerald M. Hoxworth ‘49 of Pasadena, Calif., died Jul. 8, 2020.

Ralph E. Knowles Jr. ‘49 of Pensacola, Fla., died Jul. 18, 2020.

1950s

Margaret Rich Cook ‘50 of Wilmington, N.C., died Apr. 6, 2020.

Robert L. Sears ‘50 of Fennville, Mich., died Oct. 18, 2020.

Mary E. Brady Smith ‘50 of Ozark, Mo., died Sep. 16, 2020.

Marshall William Gillette ‘50 of Middletown, R.I., died Aug. 24, 2020.

Mary E. Brady Smith ‘50 of Ozark, Mo., died Sep. 16, 2020.

Rosemary Vineyard Richardson ‘51 of Desloge, Mo., died Apr. 3, 2020.

Dorothy Storer Schnell ‘51 of Fayette, Mo., died Aug. 29, 2020.

Robert Edward Swafford ‘51 of Richmond, Mo., died Apr. 27, 2020.

James Lanier Byrd III ‘52 of Charleston, Mo., died Oct. 9, 2020.

Doris Wilkerson Viertel ‘52 of Boonville, Mo., died Oct. 31, 2020.

Robert R. Zahnweh ‘52 of Kirkwood, Mo., died Jul. 16, 2020.

Cleo Robert Colville ‘53 of Amazonia, Mo., died Oct. 11, 2020.

Robert L. Hemmerla ‘53 of Wentzville, Mo., died Jul. 1, 2020.

Lloyd Oliver Summers ‘53 of Huntsville, Mo., died Sep. 12, 2020.

Eugene Joseph Westhues ‘53 of Jefferson City, Mo., died May 15, 2020.

Velma Fae Ragsdle Felt ‘54 of Saint Charles, Mo., died May 17, 2020.

Paula Moore Ludwick ‘54 of Kahoka, Mo., died May 1, 2020.

Barbara A. Steele Bregant ‘55 of Manchester, Mo., died Sep. 18, 2020.

Mary Lu Graves ‘55 of Wellman, Iowa, died Apr. 29, 2020.

Henrietta June Marshall ‘55 of Pilot Grove, Mo., died Aug. 13, 2020.

Lorene Joan Tappmeyer ‘55 of Owensville, Mo., died Aug. 19, 2020.

Donald K. Lemon ‘56 of Tampa, Fla., died Jun. 22, 2020.

Alvin Lee Mershon ‘56 of Kansas City, Mo., died Apr. 25, 2020.

Robert D. Hunsaker ‘57 of Gainesville, Fla. ,died May 5, 2020.

C. Alan Brueggemann ‘59 of St. Louis, Mo., died Aug. 19, 2020.

1960s

Daniel R. Omer ‘60 of Jefferson City, Mo., died Sep. 22, 2020.

Patricia R Burdick Falkenrath ‘61 of Rolla, Mo., died Jun. 6, 2020.

Barbara Madden Wright ‘61 of Tulsa, Okla., died Jun. 3, 2020.

Kenneth Paul Heltibrand ‘62 of Union, Mo., died Aug. 17, 2020.

William Paul Totty ‘62 of Independence, Mo., died May 13, 2020.

James Eric Haddock ‘63 of Neosho, Mo., died Apr. 17, 2020.

Leslie Ray Grimes ‘65 of O’Fallon, Mo., died Oct. 10, 2020.

Keith Jennings ‘65 of New Franklin, Mo., died Aug. 25, 2020.

Larry Leo Buck ‘68 of Saint Joseph, Mo., died Jun. 24, 2020.

Larry K. Duren ‘68 of Great Falls, Mont., died Jul. 20, 2020.

Connie Heimsch Orear ‘68 of High Ridge, Mo., died Apr. 10, 2020.

Thomas J. Hopkins Jr. ‘69 of Russellville, Mo., died Jun. 21, 2020.

1970s

Muriel Frances Caldwell ‘70 of Columbia, Mo., died Jul. 14, 2020.

Thomas W. Kimberlin ‘70 of St. Louis, Mo., died Oct. 5, 2020.

John McElyea Nash III ‘71 of Seguin, Tex., died Aug. 8, 2020.

M. E. Bartholomees ‘72 of Overland Park, Kan., died Jul. 22, 2020.

Levern Gaskins Jr. ‘72 of Bridgeport, Conn., died Oct. 19, 2020.

1980s

Cynthia Moon Garrett ‘80 of Fayette, Mo., died Aug. 17, 2020.

Henry G. Steinbrenner ‘81 of Tampa, Fla., died Apr. 14, 2020.

Karen A. Marshall ‘82 of Angola, Ind., died Jun. 17, 2020.

David P. Springmeyer ‘86 of Blue Springs, Mo., died Jun. 30, 2020.

1990s

Anton J. Gerke ‘92 of Brunswick, Mo., died Oct. 17, 2020.

Vicki Kahler Spence ‘93 of Brunswick, Mo., died Jun. 18, 2020.

Marilyn Eloise Fry Hurt ‘94 of Salisbury, Mo., died Jul. 27, 2020.

Cristina Lynn Nelson ‘98 of Boonville, Mo., died Apr. 9, 2020.

Shawn Douglas Sanders ‘98 of Fayette, Mo., died May 8, 2020.

2000s

Tammy Jean Fischwick ‘00 of Union, Mo., died Jul. 25, 2020.

Jeremy Lynn Hodges ‘08 of Jefferson City, Mo., died Apr. 22, 2020.

2010s

Karen K. Strait ‘11 of Farmington, Mo., died Jul. 12, 2020.

Matthew Milton Cross ‘16 of Park Hills, Mo., died Jul. 28, 2020.

Alyssa Nicole Webb Schell ‘16 of Higbee, Mo., died Apr. 14, 2020.

CMU Friends, Former Faculty, Staff

Marjorie K. Baskett of Columbia, Mo., died May 24, 2020.

William E. Brame of Warrensburg, Mo., died Sep. 15, 2020.

Wanda Sue Carr of Fayette, Mo., died May 20, 2020.

Veronica M. Cox of Bartlesville, Okla., died May 24, 2020.

Edward M. Emery of Brentwood, Mo., died Apr. 12, 2020.

Jean Glauert of Rockford, Ill., died Sep. 1, 2020.

Ruth R. Handy of Brentwood, Tenn., died Jul. 20, 2020.

Winston E. Harrison of Columbia, Mo., died Jun. 18, 2020.

Nora L. Hulse of Columbia, Mo., died Jul. 24, 2020.

Jane Jacobs Inglish of California, Mo., died Aug. 1, 2020.

John R. Lewis of Lee’s Summit, Mo., died Oct. 17, 2020.

David J. Malmo of Goodyear, Ariz., died Apr. 20, 2020.

Lucille Mounter of Fayette, Mo., died Aug. 16, 2020.

Mary Pannier of Cape Girardeau, Mo., died Oct. 7, 2020.

Ina Schowengerdt of Saint Joseph, Mo., died Sep. 16, 2020.

Emily Sheets of Annapolis, Md., died Apr. 17, 2020.

Frederick C. Spiegel of Columbia, Mo., died May 20, 2020.

Ruth L. Svoboda of Saint Paul, Minn., died May 27, 2020.

Donald Ralph Sipes, M.D. Donald Ralph Sipes, ’56, M.D., 85, passed away Saturday, October 17, 2020. He was born November 3, 1934, in Ottawa, Kan., to Rev. John Ralph Sipes and Mary Laona Sipes.

He is survived by a sister, Lily May Klase (Longmont, Colo.), his son and daughter-inlaw, Donald R. Sipes II, M.D., and Jennifer Sipes (Green Bay), and five grandchildren: DJ (Monica) Sipes of Stoughton, Wis., Alyssa Sipes (Chicago, Ill), Isabella Bartel (Orlando, Fla), Noah DeBruyn (Chicago, Ill), and Elizabeth DeBruyn (Ellensburg, Wash.). He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Sharon (Mark) Patterson of Scottsdale, Ariz., and his families, who adopted him as their own: the Smits Family (Pat, John, Tracy, Johnny, and Robby) and the owners and staff at Tender Hearts Assisted Living, especially Nikki, who came in for him even when she wasn’t working on the weekends. Also, thanks to Jen from Heartland Hospice, who helped in his transition to eternal life.

His family stayed at one church for the four years he was at high school in Holden, MO. He lettered for four years in football, three years in basketball, and three years in track before graduating in 1952. He continued at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., where he lettered in football as a guard and punter.

He was the eighth best punter in the nation among smaller schools with a 40-yard average.

After college, he attended the University of Missouri Medical School. That is where he met Janet, who was at a research position in dietetics at the same hospital. On their first encounter there, she taught him to draw blood. After seven months of courtship, they were married on July 19, 1958, and remained married until Janet’s passing in 2016.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 33

New Employees Join CMU Team Katrina Hopkins - Business Office Central Methodist University’s newest Business Office employee is Katrina Hopkins, a Slater native and mother of three. She began her tenure as the new collection specialist at the end of July.

After graduating from Slater High School, Hopkins traveled the world with her husband. His Air Force job took them to various countries across the globe, including to England for more than three years, which she called “the best place I’ve lived.”

Upon returning to Missouri, Hopkins has worked as a driver and production worker in the area, but now she is enthusiastic to serve the CMU community.

“I am excited to do something different,” she said. “I’m excited to see all the students and just looking forward to seeing what the future holds here.”

Leisha Nakagawa - Admissions The newest admissions representative for Central Methodist University’s Enrollment Management team is Leisha Nakagawa, a native of Hawaii.

Nakagawa first moved to the middle of the country in 2015, when she attended Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan., on a softball scholarship. After playing two years for the Broncbusters, she transferred to Missouri Valley College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit agency management with concentrations on human services and recreation administration.

Prior to joining the CMU staff, Nakagawa worked as a developmental assistant for elderly individuals with mental disabilities.

While her day-to-day responsibilities in her new job will be quite different from that work, she is excited for the opportunity to continue to “make a positive impact” on people’s lives.

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Janice Perkins - Financial Services The newest member of the Financial Services staff at Central Methodist University comes in with plenty of experience in the higher education realm.

Janice Perkins began her new job as the documentation coordinator on July 6, following 20 years of employment at the University of Missouri.

After receiving her degree in consumer affairs from the university, Perkins was employed by MU from 1999 until this year, serving in roles such as business support specialist, executive assistant, and advancement associate.

In her new role, Perkins will be responsible for the collection of documents necessary for securing students’ financial aid. She says she is excited to be “helping families” as their children enter college at CMU. A mother of three adult children whose youngest is also preparing to go to college, Perkins lives with her husband in southern Howard County. They enjoy going on walks outside with their dogs, she said.

Savannah Schaefer - Admissions After a two-year stint living out of state, Central Methodist University alumna Savannah Schaefer, ’16, has come home to Howard County and her alma mater. As the new events coordinator in the Admissions Office, she begins her second run of employment with CMU. “I’m very excited to be back on campus,” Schaefer said. “I missed it while I was gone.”

Schaefer worked as a leasing consultant at an apartment community in Tampa, Fla., for the last two years, but began her newest job at Central on July 9. She previously served as a resident hall director in Holt Hall from 2016 to 2018.

In her new role, Schaefer will be responsible

for coordinating prospective student tours and other events in the Admissions Office, as well as overseeing the student ambassadors when they return to campus.

Rhonda Senor - Business Office In her role as the billing specialist, Rhonda Senor will be responsible for coordinating billing processes for programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). She will assist students and parents with billing questions, provide transcript verification, and process third-party paperwork and invoicing, among other primary duties and tasks.

Prior to joining the CMU team, Senor was in management and customer service with Missouri Cotton Exchange in Columbia. She ran the front end for the screen printing and embroidery business for 17 years and spent almost 30 years total in the industry.

Now that she is a member of the Central staff, however, she says she is excited about being close to home and in a different environment.

“It is very much family-oriented, and that’s something I’ve not really had before,” she said of the campus environment. “It’s a nice feeling to be here.”

As a wife and mother who describes her family as her “driving force,” it’s no surprise that the Central family has already made her feel at home in her new job. Senor has four children, Emmalen (11), Alden (17), Kellen (19), and Maclaren (22), who graduated from Central last year with a degree in middle school social science education.

Dr. Patrick Dill - Choral Director Perhaps no new faculty member coming in to Central Methodist University has bigger shoes to fill than Dr. Patrick Dill, the new director of choral activities and assistant

professor of choral music education. Dill was selected this spring to take over the role following the retirement of Dr. Claude Westfall, who helmed the Conservatory Singers and Chorale for 12 years.

Taking over for such a beloved instructor as Westfall comes with its own challenges, but Dill’s task has been made even more daunting by the ever-present threat of COVID-19.

He’s up to those challenges, however.

“I find myself in a remarkably unique situation and am having to be incredibly realistic about what we can hope to accomplish,” said Dill. “My first and foremost priority is the well-being of my students, so my focus has been on finding a way for our choirs to make beautiful choral music in a manner that minimizes the possibility for transmitting the virus, thereby protecting the health of our singers and the CMU community as a whole.”

Much of the day-to-day operation for faculty in the Swinney Conservatory of Music has been affected by the pandemic, but because of the respiratory nature of the virus, Dill says, singers in particular are prone to transmission through their more “athletic” breathing. He worked tirelessly all summer to make sure the students can have the best, safest experience possible.

Dill has been in music education ever since he graduated from Millikin University with a degree in choral music education.

After a ten-year run in Texas as a high school teacher, he pursued graduate studies at the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J., then returned to Texas for his doctoral studies at the University of North Texas in Denton.

Alaina Mayfield - Assistant Professor of Education After a four-year stint in elementary school administration, Alaina Mayfield is returning to the teaching realm as the newest assistant professor of education at Central Methodist University.

Born and raised in Moberly, Mayfield stayed in the mid-Missouri area for her undergraduate studies, attending Moberly Area Community College and then the University of Missouri. She went on to receive her Master of Education degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., before returning to the Show-Me State to pursue her doctorate.

Mayfield’s teaching experience has taken her to multiple schools as an early-childhood educator. She worked in St. Louis, Boston, and Kansas City before moving back to central Missouri to serve as an assistant principal at Columbia Public Schools for four years.

As a CMU professor, Mayfield uses her experience both in the classroom and in administration to teach early-childhood education courses.

Outside of work, Mayfield is kept busy by her nine-year-old son, Zaque, whom she adopted this February. Together, they like to ride bikes, swim, and take walks with their dog. She also enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Kristin Newbegin - Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Voice The Swinney Conservatory of Music has welcomed a new visiting assistant professor of music and voice for the fall, Wisconsin native Kristin Newbegin.

Newbegin comes to Central Methodist University after serving for two years as an assistant professor of voice at Missouri Western State University. In her role at Central, she will be teaching courses in applied voice and guitar tech.

The professor brings an extensive list of both teaching and performing experiences, including roles in various operas throughout the Midwest. In addition, she holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s and a doctorate from the University of Kansas.

Outside of the classroom and other professional duties, Newbegin says she loves to spend time being active outdoors. A certified personal trainer and competitive cyclist, she and her husband – also a professional musician – often go on rides together and attend concerts. They also open their home to foster dogs and have a Weimaraner named Bently.

Joshua Nickell -­­ PTA Director of Clinical Education Central Methodist University’s new PTA director of clinical education has both the experience and the enthusiasm to help shape the next generation of physical therapy assistants at CMU. After being hired this spring, Joshua Nickell will take over in his new role as the fall

2020 semester begins.

Born and raised in Beatrice, Neb., Nickell earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He later pursued and received an Associate of Applied Science degree as a PTA from what is now State Technical College of Missouri.

Since earning his PTA degree, Nickell worked for eight years providing therapy services in a skilled nursing facility.

“My past work experience in a clinical setting often allowed me to train PTA students,” Nickell said. “I am extremely excited to be able to transition to this position, which will allow me to assist in shaping the career paths of many future therapists.”

Nickel, whose past work experience also includes 12 years working in and directing employment and training service programs, will be responsible for overseeing clinical coordination and placement of students in clinical settings for educational purposes. He is also slated to teach Essential Skills for the PTA and Pathophysiology for the PTA this fall.

Nickell lives in Columbia with his wife, Angie, their two sons, AJ and Evan, and two dogs.

Madison Presley - Assistant Professor of English Central Methodist University’s new assistant professor of English is Madison Presley, a Kentucky native with teaching experience at multiple institutions of higher education.

Presley, who will be teaching a variety of English courses at Central, received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, a master’s at North Carolina State, and a PhD from Florida State University. Her teaching experiences began in Florida and North Carolina, but most recently she served as a visiting professor of English at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kan. In her final year at the school, she also worked as an advisor for students majoring in English.

She has also recently become a member of the Columbia community, after moving with her family from central Kansas. Presley is a mother of two and says her life outside of work is centered around her children, Abilene (2) and Sadie (1). In her free time, she enjoys reading as much as she can, watching PBS shows with her husband, and delving into true crime and reality TV.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 35

Univeristy Adds Cybersecurity Degree Available as Major or Minor

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ne of the newest offerings in the available as a major and minor, and that makes Central Methodist University it even more flexible for our students.” program list is one well-suited As a major, cybersecurity is intended to today’s increasingly online society: to prepare students for employment Cybersecurity. As one of the in corporations and fastest-growing industries government intelligence of the modern world, branches playing different cybersecurity jobs are in security roles. Studies high demand, with more in cybersecurity include than 8,000 openings in network essentials, Missouri and half a million law, risk compliance, throughout the country, operations, incident according to Cyber Seek. response, and forensics.

Offered as a webMajors will receive based program for ontheoretical training classes campus students, majors in and obtain practical, cybersecurity will be able to hands-on experience take full advantage of both through exercises and the online program and the research.

Fayette campus experience.

Part of what makes Adding this major to CMU’s the CMU program unique tAno Mateu online catalog will not only is that the school has open those doors to students, but it is also partnered with every community college in expected to prop up other programs as well. the state to allow students to transfer credits “Bringing cybersecurity to CMU was from their institutions upon joining the important to make our criminal justice and program. Students who have already begun computer science programs stronger,” said studies in computer science, criminal justice, tAno Mateu, CMU’s cybersecurity program networking, and cybersecurity will be able to director and lead instructor. “Cybersecurity is finish their degrees online with CMU.

36 The Talon | Fall 2020

Additionally, the program will provide the type of hands-on learning experience synonymous with Central Methodist.

Advanced classes in the major will have the opportunity to take advantage of labs and other resources in the government’s cybersecurity realm, including the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Labs.

For Mateu, and CMU Provost Dr. Rita Gulstad, bringing the cybersecurity program to Central has been a long but worthwhile endeavor.

“It’s been a fun ride,” Mateu said. “A couple of years ago when I started my master’s in cyber and information security, I envisioned bringing cybersecurity to CMU. It’s been a long process. I designed the study plan with learning outcomes and, once approved, I started designing the courses online. After working with our provost and her fantastic team, the cybersecurity program is ready to enroll students and benefit our current criminal justice and computer science programs.”

To learn more about the cybersecurity degree, visit the program page on the CMU website or like the Facebook page.

Enrollment Continues To Climb

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entral Methodist University is celebrating record enrollment metrics for the third consecutive year. University officials say that four CMU enrollment records were shattered this fall – total enrollment on the main campus, freshman class size, residential population, and new students.

There were 1,170 traditional undergraduate

students enrolled this fall – up two percent; 361 freshmen, up seven percent; 821 students living on campus, up five percent; and a new record of 469 new students.

“The bottom line is we have a great product,” said Dr. Roger Drake, CMU president. “Students love the quality of our education, the faculty engagement, and the beautiful campus.”

Besides overall student satisfaction with the product at CMU, Dr. Joe Parisi, vice president for enrollment management, said other big factors in Central’s growth include the Digital U initiative that provides iPads to all Fayette campus students and the institution’s commitment to safety during the pandemic – investing in COVID-19 testing for all students, ionization air cleaners for buildings, facial recognition software, expanded cleaning, and expanded staffing.

“Adaptability is key right now,” Parisi said. “Not only have we had to adapt over and over again to engineer this class, but our students, faculty, and staff are having to adapt constantly. It’s the society we are in now.”

Parisi said Central’s strategic enrollment planning has been well-executed over the past three years, and the institution builds upon the prior year’s success.

“I am so proud of this community and its dedication to our enrollment planning efforts,” he stated. “This is a huge #Central Victory!”

As Museum Director, Shutt Encourages Learning Hard Truths

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n her 2017 Gaddis Lecture, Central about them and making a difference in trying Methodist University alumna to push the needle forward.”

Christina Shutt, ’08, Shutt by no means emphasized the need to thinks that the work learn some of the harder is done now that more truths of race in American people are rethinking history. what it means to talk Three years later, a about our past, but many national movement in believe this summer was support of Black lives an important step in the has sparked an even direction toward real wider call for that sort of change. education, and the 2008 “I often say that if CMU grad says it’s making you don’t experience a difference. oppression, it might be “I definitely think because your belly is there’s more of an interest too full of privilege,” in wanting to talk said Shutt. “You’re not about those things and hungry for justice. incorporating those hard And so we have to get truths and difficult history hungry for justice in our Christina Shutt into museum exhibits in communities.” ways we haven’t seen before,” said Shutt, Even as a student at Central, Shutt was who in her own right is the director of the interested in engaging with the history of Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, a museum her community. She and her mentor, Dr. in Little Rock, Ark. “You have people talking Bob Wiegers, worked together to design a

museum for the Howard County Historical Society. The project ultimately never came to fruition, but the lessons learned and the work put in were not for nothing, and Shutt says getting to know the local history of the area is still one of the first steps students at CMU can take in becoming equipped in a fight for equality and justice.

Other advice she has for the social justiceminded includes getting involved on campus with a wide variety of people, as well as speaking out “when people do things that you know are oppressive.”

“As [Martin Luther] King would say, our lives begin to end when we become silent about the things that matter,” Shutt said, paraphrasing the civil rights leader. “Stop being silent about the things that matter and demand better, demand something more.”

What it all comes down to, though, is making sure we recognize as individuals and institutions the ways we’ve failed in the past.

“The only way we’ll get hungry for justice is if we continue to see injustice and allow it to move us,” said Shutt.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 37

Each year we celebrate, honor, and award our Hall of Sponsors Scholarships to deserving students. Each year, we also unveil newly-funded scholarships. However, in light of COVID-19, we have chosen to display the entirety of our Hall of Sponsors catalog for the 2020-21 academic year. As always, we are grateful for commitments that withstand the test of time.

Trustee

Hall of Sponsors Scholarships

Anderson-Garst / honoring Kathryn Garst Gray and Henry Gray, awarded to Kayla Keeton, pre-nursing; Anderson-Garst / honoring William E. “Gene” Garst and Berniece Garst, awarded to Whitney Pascoe, biology; Anderson-Garst / honoring Judith Garst Brown, awarded to Catherine Bernard, nursing; Anderson-Garst / honoring Robert Garst Jr., awarded to Daniel Yarbrough, chemistry; Anderson-Garst / honoring Edith Garst, awarded to Kevana Middleton, biology; Buell / Buell UMC Endowed, awarded to Kaitlin Larison, marine biology; Class of ’29 / Class of 1929 Scholarship, awarded to Annika Kallash, health administration; Connell / Berenice Fuller Connell, awarded to Felixhy Dominguez Nava, communication studies; Connell / Berenice Fuller Connell, awarded to Antoinette Flowers, psychology; Connell / Berenice Fuller Connell, awarded to Marchya Jackson, sociology; Connell / Berenice Fuller Connell, awarded to Svenne Anderson, sports management; Connell / Berenice Fuller Connell, awarded to Mark Csongradi, sports management; Cresswell / Creswell-Graff, awarded to Joseph Heffron, computer science;

Daniel / Frances E. Daniel, awarded to Nicholas Vick, music education; Gray / W.L. and S. Gray, awarded to Grace Hundley, nursing; Hahne / Barbara Hahne, awarded to Kylie Avery, mathematics; Hairston / William Hairston, awarded to Lisa Sauter, exercise science; Hairston / William Hairston, awarded to Caroline Weatherford, exercise science; Hairston / William Hairston, awarded to Keighlan Cronin, health care administration; Hairston / William Hairston, awarded to McKendra Fischer; Inman / Dr. Marianne E. Inman, awarded to Peyton Warren, biology; Inman / David Inman, awarded to Emily Lawler, biology; Lambier / George R. and Adah L. Lambier, awarded to Carlie Baldus, nursing; Lee / Frank and Margaret Lee, awarded to Hannah Adams, business; Lee / Frank and Margaret Lee, awarded to Ingrid Colle Kuhle, business; Neville / June Chon Neville, awarded to Alyssa Yung, nursing; Pape / Miss Eulalie Pape, awarded to Yeukai Gwanzura, nursing;

name is one of several family names that will forever remain synonymous with Central history, such as the Besgrove-Hodge Wildlife Sanctuary the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art, in addition to their legacy of leadership and philanthropy.

The Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Hodge Hall of Sponsors Scholarship was established in November 1988. The Hodge family values, character, and desire to make a difference in

Hodge: A Legacy Continued The late Dr. Robert H. and Anna Mae Besgrove Hodge created a legacy at Central Methodist University through their extraordinary efforts of philanthropy and engagement on so many levels. The Hodge

38 The Talon | Fall 2020

$175,000 and above

June Chon Neville Ross Gillet / Dr. Ralph and Very Ross Gillet, awarded to Felixhy Dominguez Nava, communication studies; Ross Gillet / Mrs. Ralph Ross Gillet and Paul and Helen Shuck Ross, awarded to Radovan Kemboi, BSN general; Mathewson / Luerena Mathewson See, awarded to Murphy Quint, exercise science; Thompson / Jasper and Katherine F. Thompson, awarded to Joseph Slattery, social science education;

the lives of others, would continue through with their sons, Dr. Richard M. Hodge of Kansas City and Dr. Robert H. Hodge of Charlottesville, Va. Drs. Richard and Robert Hodge, Jr. graciously contributed an additional $50,000 to the scholarship, elevating the scholarship to the Presidential level of Hall of Sponsors Scholarships.

The scholarship recipient must present an established academic performance record, financial need, community service, and good character. The 2020 recipient of the Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Hodge Presidential Hall of Sponsors Scholarship is Ms. Kylie Campbell, a biology major from Cameron, Mo.

Presidential

Hall of Sponsors Scholarships

Adkins / J.L. and Cora E. Adkins, awarded to Brooke Teeter, early childhood education; Ahmann / Kenneth R. & Mary Louise Ahmann, awarded to Jennifer Durbin, marine biology; Anderson-Garst / honoring Mr. and Mrs. Lester H. Garst, awarded to Lauryn Jones, undeclared; Anderson-Garst / honoring Mr. and Mrs. Luther Anderson, awarded to Hannah Bailey, physical education; Anderson-Garst / honoring Jack and Shirley Anderson, awarded to Taylor Dial, undeclared; Bates / Earl Bates honoring Military Service, awarded to Tristan Riggs, interdisciplinary studies; Baylor / Philip E. and Phyllis B. Baylor, awarded to Odmund Bautista, computer science; Bell / Ferguson and Addie Hyatt Bell ’21, awarded to Janai Jennings, biology; Buckner / Everett C. Buckner, awarded to Lindsey Gantz, chemistry; Burch / Jim and Edna Burch, awarded to Janie Leathers, chemistry; Carmichael / Marie and Emmett Carmichael, awarded to Jessica Mowry, mathematics; Chenoweth / Paul H. and Mary Ellen Chenoweth, awarded to Maura Drew, biology; Dalton / Dick and Ginny Dalton, awarded to Hayden Hackman, chemistry; Dean / Thomas Dean and Mary Bush Adams Memorial, awarded to Grace Stumbaugh, professional writing and publication;

Drakesmith / Anna W. “Billie” Drakesmith, awarded to Martina Florido, political science; Glendinning / Esther C. Glendinning, awarded to Paloma Ybarra, nursing; Heyssel / Robert M. Heyssel, awarded to Kaitlin Head, exercise science; Huston / Mary Janette Huston, awarded to Jodi Mootz, biology; Jacobs / Lew Wallace Jacobs III, awarded to Kaitlyn Weber, nursing; Kies / Dr. Benjamin Kies, awarded to Grace Turilli, biology;

Dr. Benjamin Kies

Klinghammer / Kermit W. Klinghammer, awarded to Kelsey Brown, nursing;

Hall of Sponsors Scholarships Adams / Rodgers and Ruth Windsor Adams, ‘59: awarded to Jacob Keller, criminal justice; Akers / Rev. W.E. and Laura Corbin Akers, awarded to Mitchell Crofton, music ministry; Alexander / R. Fred and Virginia Alexander, awarded to Addylyn Gabriel, music ministry; Hendrix / Ronald Hendrix Alexander, awarded to Carliss Howell, pre-education; Anderson / Lawrence Kevin Anderson, awarded to Alexis McClure, accounting; Armitage Memorial / Richard E. Armitage, awarded to Chase Dombowski, political science; Bailey / Bailey grandchildren, awarded to Jackson Rotert, sports management; Bailey, Louis C. / honoring A. Guy and Ann Bradley Daniels, awarded to Rachel Smith, accounting; Bailey, Louis C. / honoring Carlton L. and

$75,000 to $175,000 Lawrence / Kenneth and Johnnie Lawrence, awarded to Cassidy Pachner, elementary education; Logan / Lynn Harland and Donna Morris Logan, awarded to Nataline Guerrero, pre-education; Hansbrough / Byrniece Reigel and E. Edwin Hansbrough, awarded to Madison Williams, biology; Meyer / William Armine and Veta Groce Meyer, awarded to Madeline Wieseman, undeclared; Mitchell / Mitchell Family, awarded to Ashley McGovern, marine biology; Nunning / Charles H. and Jeanne A. Nunning, awarded to Jensen Lake, mathematics; Perry/Bayley / Perry/Bayley, awarded to Craig Brinkman, criminal justice; Rich / E.E. and Maude Adkisson Rich, awarded to Aliyah Ashby, marine biology; Schinke / Dr. David and Arlene Schinke, awarded to Cassidy Kallash, undeclared; Shoemaker / Shoemaker Family, awarded to Emma Stone, pre-health; Shoup / Shoup Family honoring Donald Shoup, Sharon Shoup, and Corrine Kay Shoup Smart, awarded to Joseph Brickey, mathematics; Siler / Dorothy Kendrick Siler, awarded to Elise Dewey, biology; Sisson / Rita Sisson, awarded to Holly Barney, education; Tebbetts / Georgianna Wilson Tebbetts, awarded to Emma Randolph, athletic training;

$30,000 to $75,000

Lucille Turner Bailey, awarded to Michael Watts, education; Bailey / Richard D. and Gina Winn Bailey, awarded to Audrey Brandon, mathematics; Baker / Mr. and Mrs. Charles Baker, awarded to Erin Williams, pre-physical therapy assistant; Ballard / David G. Ballard, awarded to Taylor Allen, middle school education; Barker / Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Barker, awarded to D’Yanna Kloog, sociology; Bartley / Rev. Elbridge W. Bartley, Sr., awarded to Macy Block, religion and church leadership; Basket / Basket-Wells-Alexander, awarded to Mohammed Nyaoga, business; Basler / Roy P. and Mary Olsen Basler, awarded to Myah Salas, communications; Bates / Drew C. Bates, awarded to Jimmie Washington, accounting; Comer / Norma Comer Bates, awarded to

Joshua Hearst, business; Bergsten / Dr. C. Fred and Virginia Wood Bergsten, awarded to Danielle McQueen, undeclared; Bergsten / Carl and Halkaline Kirk Bergsten, awarded to Abbigayle Danner, nursing; Biermann / Eugene Biermann, ’59, awarded to Nathan Overbay, marine biology; Bingham / Harold and Sarah Denneny Bingham, awarded to Darrell Sharp, athletic training; Birkhimer / Elizabeth Petrie Birkhimer, awarded to Emily Moody, accounting; Bradley / Judge Nick M. and Marie Bradley, awarded to William Bowers-Delius, history; Botkin / O. Wayne Botkin, awarded to Madeline Duren, nursing; Brame / Nannetta Brame, awarded to Hannah Marshall, nursing; Brandt / Beverly Seehorn Brandt, awarded to

Fall 2020 | The Talon 39

Clayton Gochenour, physical therapy assistant; Brewer / Julia Bayley Brewer, awarded to Brea Hindersmann, pre-nursing; Bridwell-Kidwell / Wayne Kidwell and Elaine Bridwell-Kidwell, ’59, awarded to Shea Luby, pre-nursing; Bristol / James T. Bristol, awarded to Teagan Howell, exercise science; Bristol / Joan Davidson Bristol, awarded to Joshua Morrow, communication studies; Brooks / Nanna Mae and Glenn Brooks, awarded to Matthew Klusmeyer, environmental science; Brown / Agnes Griffin Brown, awarded to Shelby Fugate, pre-nursing; Brown / Mr. and Mrs. T.A. Brown Sr., awarded to John Schnell, computer science; Brown / Robert Craig Brown UMC Scholarship, awarded to Jacob Wheeler, nursing; Brueggemann / Mr. and Mrs. Alan Brueggeman, ’59, awarded to Dorothy Powell, marine biology; Bryant Jr. / Dr. Nelson Bryant Jr., awarded to Curtis Johns, computer science; Burgess / Samuel W. and Stella Burgess, awarded to Fernando Jimenez, pre-education; Cannon / Dr. John L. Cannon, awarded to Alissa Malone, nursing; Caples / William Goff Caples, awarded to John Fender, music ministry; Carnes / Catherine Naegelin Carnes, awarded to Madalyn Bartholomew, music education; Centenary / Centenary United Methodist Church of Cape Girardeau, awarded to Jacob Barks, undeclared; Chaney / Rev. Sara Chaney, awarded to Brittany Dush, religion and church leadership; Chase / Lena S. Chase Memorial, awarded to Benjamin Pilger, music education; Chenoweth / Tully B. and Maurene Richardson Chenoweth, awarded to Parker Yager, environmental science; Clarahan / Rose and John Clarahan, awarded to Hannah Criswell, biology; Class of ’43 / Class of ’43 50th reunion, awarded to Rachel Muniz, accounting; Clatworthy / Clatworthy Family, ’59, awarded to Jimmie Washington, accounting; Clingenpeel / C.A. Clingenpeel, awarded to Maria Cervello Sanjrujo, business; Clough / Candace M. and Arthur Clough, awarded to Dominique Jordan, music; Cole / Rev. Dr. Elbert C. and Virginia Cole, awarded to Shea Luby, nursing; Cole / Troy D. Cole, ’93 Memorial, awarded to Hunter Phillips, exercise science; Crisler / Dr. Andy Crisler, ’59, awarded to Kathleen Wheeler, pre-health; Crowe / Robert D. Crowe, awarded to Madisyn Parks, pre-physical therapy assistant; Crowe / Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Crowe, awarded to

40 The Talon | Fall 2020

Andrea Villar, sports management; Cullen / Dr. Arthur J. Cullen, professor of foreign languages, awarded to Natalie Quinteros, communication studies; Curry / Dick and Becky Curry, awarded to Kooper Wilson, physical therapy assistant; Cunningham / Charles Lee Cunningham, awarded to Elyse Travis, religion and church leadership; Cutler / William L. and Martha O. Cutler, awarded to La’Kiah Wilson, criminal justice; Dees / Jason and Sarah Dees Memorial, awarded to Annikah Kallash, health administration; Dimond-Schofield / Marilyn Dickinson and Dimond Schofield Family, awarded to Hailey Gorman, music education; Dow / Bethel C. Dow, awarded to Emily Hall, nursing; Downing / John A. and Marion Eberhard Downing, awarded to Jerome Simpson, pre-education; Drake / Celia Utlaut Drake and Wanda Melton Wilson, ’59, awarded to Nathaniel Marshall, biology; Drakesmith / John W. Drakesmith, ’58, awarded to Nelida Martinez Hernandez, business; Drakesmith / Margaret Woodward Drakesmith , ’59, awarded to Trey Gaedke, undeclared; Dreyer / Linda H. Dreyer, awarded to Connor Rich, pre-education; Duren / Elaine Hull Duren, awarded to Macy Block, religion and church leadership; Easterday / Robert and Mary Easterday, awarded to Maci Hardwick, pre-health; Edwards/Scarborough / Edwards-Scarborough, awarded to Shailey Townlain, pre-education; Eidson / Donald R. Eidson, awarded to Sarah King, English; Enochs / Dr. Rebecca Enochs, awarded to Lance Swaters, biology/pre-health sciences; Elliott / Dr. Dan and Maggie Elliott, awarded to Abigail Perry, exercise science; Epple / John A. and Elizabeth Epple, awarded to Alexander Smith, biology; Estes / Wellborn Estes, awarded to John Polk, physical education; Estill / Susan and Gentry Estill, awarded to Ingrid Coll Kuhle, business; Evans / Rev. Louis and Margaret Evans, awarded to Alli Muri, pre-education; Fawks / Lawrence R. Fawks, awarded to Devyn Armstead, pre-education; Finlayson / Christina Finlayson Dana Hall, awarded to Katelyn Streeter, criminal justice; Fleece-Devaney / Fleece-Devaney, awarded to Abby Sorrell, chemistry; Forderhase / Mary Lee Forderhase, awarded to Brooke Hackman, English; Foster / Lucille F. Foster, awarded to Ethan McBain, music; Furnish / Dr. and Mrs. J.A. Furnish in memory

of Virginia Furnish, awarded to Caden Wilburn, biology; Gillette / Lena and Marshall Gillette Teaching Scholarship, awarded to Jaren Vanmeter, pre-education; Ginn / Ginn Family Memorial, awarded to Jacob Keller, undeclared; Ginn / Rev. Edward Y. and Suzette O’rear Ginn, awarded to Mikayla Kinkead, music ministry; Golding / Jennie Carlisle Golding, awarded to Hope Howser, English; Gray / Charlotte Head Gray, awarded to Nathanial Quick, computer science; Guenther / Dr. Ralph R. and Lavonne Guenther, awarded to Anna Geurkink, music education; Guerri / William G. Guerri, awarded to Emma Thoeni, physical therapy assistant; Hairston / Judge John R. Hairston, awarded to Chase Rankin, undeclared; Hairston / William Hairston, awarded to Rebecca Hanson, marine biology; Hall / Anita Patt Hall, awarded to Aaron Barefield, computer science; Hamilton / Lt. Colonel and Mrs. Marvin C. Hamilton, awarded to Cora Johnson-Woessner, psychology; Hargrove / Wilma Hargrove, ’39 Scholarship, awarded to James Wilkson, exercise science; Harris-Patton-Guyton / Harris-Patton-Guyton, awarded to Montana Bohannon, criminal justice; Hart-Shelton / Hart-Shelton Family, awarded to Matthew Dylan Allred, computer science; Hawks / Kay Kendricks Hawks, ’59, awarded to Sebastian Colbert, accounting; Hayden / Sydney Louise Hayden UMC Scholarship, awarded to Jennifer Nelson, biology; Brown Herndon / Kramer C. and Grace Brown Herndon, awarded to Connor Sanchegraw, music education; Heslar / Dr. George Heslar Leadership Service Memorial, awarded to La’Kiah Wilson, criminal justice; Hilgeman / Fred and Patricia Hilgeman, ’59, awarded to Addison Crider, chemistry; Hodge / Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Hodge, awarded to Kylie Campbell, biology; Holden / Dr. Raymond Holden, awarded to Micah Blankenship, physics; Rogers-Holman / Rogers-Holman Family No. 3 Scholarship, awarded to Connor Sanchegraw, music education; Rogers-Holman / Daniel C. and Emma Dixon Rogers Holman Scholarship No. 2, awarded to Jacob Moore, mathematics; Rogers-Holman / William S. and Martha Rogers Holman, awarded to Emily Engemann, elementary education; Holt / Dr. John and Nancy Holt, awarded to Logan Anderson;

Holt / Leland Burks Holt, awarded to Elyse Travis, religion and church leadership; Hon / Ralph C. Hon, awarded to Jonathan Loden, biology; Hope / Louise Morris Hope, awarded to Carlie Milz, pre-education; Howell / Joe A. and Pan Howell, awarded to Evan Howard, exercise science; Huddelson / C.F. and Sylvia Huddelson, awarded to Brenden Shelton, biology; Huddleston / Victor Huddleston, awarded to Grace McIntosh, marine biology; Hughes / Margaret Steiner Hughes, awarded to Lexie Harper, business; Humphrey / R. Harvey and Ethel Van Scoyoc Humphrey, awarded to Austin Bristow, music; Hutcherson / Dr. John D. Hutcherson, awarded to Amanda Lewis, music education; Innes / Innes Family, awarded to Paige Lakenberger, biology; Jackson / Alice Jo Jackson, ’59, awarded to Avery Hays, biology; Jacobs / Amelia Taubman Baskett Jacobs, awarded to Hope Howser, English; Jacobs / Daisy McKee Jacobs, awarded to Alexandria Sauer, English; Jacobs / Lenora Belle Harris Jacobs, awarded to Rachel Guilford, nursing; Jacobs / Lew Wallace Jacobs, Jr., awarded to Grace Turnbow, business; Jacobs / Lew Wallace Jacobs, Jr., awarded to Cole Horstman, business; Jacobs / Mary Caroll Lawrence Jacobs, awarded to Ross Nelson, business; Jenkins / Kay Fothergrill Jenkins and William Jenkins, ’59, awarded to Noah Kirby, computer science; Jenkins / Leonard Rush Jenkins, awarded to Kayla Bailey, accounting; Jenkins / Margaret Clyde Jenkins, awarded to Abby Littrell, business; Jenner / Edwin A. and Elizabeth May Brown Jenner, awarded to Elise Hardesty, communication studies; Johnson / Leslie M. Johnson, awarded to Carlie Baldus, nursing; Kendrick / Mary Janette Huston Kendrick, awarded to Jodi Mootz, biology; Kessinger / Kessinger Family, awarded to Precious Abumchuckwu Ezeji, nursing; Kimbell / Sidney J. and Ardis Wehrli Kimbell, awarded to Andrew Adams, music education; King / Everett Marshall King, awarded to Joni Lehman, elementary education; King / Paul W. King, awarded to Forest Dodge, accounting; Kingsbury / Jeremiah Kingsbury, awarded to D’Yanna Kloog, sociology; Kingsbury / Lilburn Adkin Kingsbury, awarded to William Bowers-Delius, history;

Kingsbury / Lillian Edmonston Kingsbury, awarded to Emily Gann, music-vocal; Kingsbury / Warren Taylor and Madeleine H. Kingsbury, awarded to Martin Hynick, sociology; Kintner / Treva C. Kintner Nursing, awarded to Brooke Hogard, nursing; Knight / Carlton and Ailene Knight, awarded to Hailey Sage, music; Kountz / William B. Kountz, awarded to Kaitlyn Kiser, biology; Kountz / Robert and Suzanne Kountz, awarded to Micah Blankenship, physics; LaMore / Jenny LaMore, awarded to Kristin Stockhurst, English; LaTurno / Patricia Simpson LaTurno, awarded to Isabella Stoneking, elementary education; LaTurno / Rev. Ivan Lee LaTurno, awarded to Elyse Travis, religion and church leadership; Lawrence / Dr. Bertram I. Lawrence, awarded to Tayler Allen, middle school social science; Lawson / James Frederick Lawson Memorial, awarded to Elyse Travis, religion and church leadership; Leach / Dr. Maurice P. and Jean Leach, awarded to Madeline Duren, nursing; Lewis / Joseph W. and McMillan Lewis, awarded to Josh Derendinger, music education; Lewis / Dave Lewis, ’59, awarded to Alexander Lemmer, political science; Lewis / Martrom D. Lewis Memorial, awarded to Wesley Spargo, religion and church leadership; Lisle / Donna Moore Lisle, awarded to Ethan Cupit, political science; Long / Robert E. and Mary Katherine Pieper “Bunny” Long, awarded to Jessica Seaton, pre-health; Loomis / Terry L. Loomis, awarded to Tyler Proctor, marine biology; Luck / Martha Smith Luck, awarded to Felixhy Dominguez Nava, communication studies; Maier / Virginia Maier, awarded to Mikayla Sturm, biology; Marshall / Dr. J. Brewer and Winifred Olendorf Marshall, awarded to Jessica Arnold, education; Martens / Jayne Ginn Martens, awarded to Alexis Dillon, pre-health; Martin / James O. and Lone McCormick Martin, awarded to Lauren Roche, pre-health; Marvin / Rev. Fielding Marvin, awarded to Zane Parnell, mathematics; Mather / Dr. Thomas B. and Frances F. Mather, awarded to Alexis Carrasco, psychology; McAllister / Brian McAllister Pre-Law, awarded to Britlyn Sparks, political science; McDaniel / Dennis Wilson McDaniel, awarded to Katelyn Moeller, pre-nursing; McGuire / Uncas M. McGuire and William C. VandeVenter, awarded to Anna Wolf, biology;

Dennis Wilson McDaniel McGuire / Franklin Wesley McGuire, awarded to Tyler Jenkins, exercise science; McGuire / Judith Kapp McGuire, ‘59, awarded to Rebecca Cavazos, exercise science; McKee / Margaret White McKee, awarded to Kalena Oots, business; McKinney / Mary Rogers McKinney, awarded to Bryce Daugherty, biology; Means / General Lewis Manning and Evangeline Boggs Means, awarded to Meaghan Faust, biology; Meyer / Samuel and Martha R. Meyer, awarded to Lane Moody, biology; Meyer / W. Darrell and Shirley Swisher Meyer, ’59, awarded to John Autry, music education; Miller / Milton S. Miller, awarded to Tanner McFatrich, communication studies; Momberg / Dr. Harold L. Momberg, awarded to Lauren Payne, biology; Morris / Dr. Louse Morris Hope, awarded to Carlie Milz, pre-education; Morton / Dr. Berry Ezell and Florence Puckett Morton, awarded to Kristin Stockhorst, English; Newnam / Clara D. and Charleston Newname UMC Scholarship, awarded to Kaylee Schmohe, biology; O’Quinn / O’Quinn Scholarship, awarded to Catherine McGlone, undeclared; Orear / Edwin L. and Nadine Taylor Orear, awarded to Katarina Morris, criminal justice; Palmer / Linda Addison Palmer, awarded to Abagail Burns, nursing; Parsons / Robert G. and Judy Martin Parsons, awarded to Fernando Jimenez, education; Parsons / Robert G. and Judy Martin est. 2005; awarded to Isaiah Johnson, business; Peery / Larry Peery, awarded to Hunter Hamilton, physics; Perry / Mary Louise Perry, awarded to Hailey Sage, music education; Perry / Dr. Thomas A. and Lora M. Perry, awarded to Sheila Sanchez Agramunt, education; Perry / Tim and Leslie Perry, awarded to Cole Horstman, Business;

Fall 2020 | The Talon 41

Philips / Vodra Wright and Emma Lee Godbey Philips, awarded to Jacob Wheeler, nursing; Plaster / Robert W. Plaster, awarded to Mason Fitzgerald, biology; Pruess / Donald G. Pruess, awarded to Ashlyn Mitchell, nursing; Proett / Charlotte and Tony Proett, awarded to Alyssa Niehaus, biology; Puckett / Dean E.P. Puckett (by Dr. Berry E. ’37 and Florence Puckett ’37 Morton), awarded to Grady Mattson, business; Puckett / Erastus Paul Puckett, awarded to Zoe Jenson, exercise science; Puyear / Robert and Donna Puyear, awarded to Hannah Mitchell, exercise science; Radtke / Jonathan Radtke Memorial, awarded to Isabelle Stoneking, elementary education; Renner / John E. and Lucia Foster Renner UMC scholarship, awarded to Molly Reynolds, biology; Rethwisch / Braxton Rethwisch, awarded to Kelli Gorman, education; Rich / John A. and Jennie Reynolds Rich UMC scholarship, awarded to Layla Beyer, music education; Rinker / Levi C. and Virginia Rinker, awarded to Hunter Melugin, religion and church leadership; Roberts / Sherman and Naomi Roberts, awarded to Angel Chastain, psychology; Robinson / Mr. and Mrs. James Robinson Memorial, awarded to Hayden Hackman, biology; Robinson / Marian Vogt Robinson, awarded to Calyssa Plymell, pre-nursing; Robinson / Nola D. Quisenberry Robinson, awarded to Grace Pinkerton, business; Robinson / O.A. (Doc R) and Anne Robinson, awarded to Kylie VanGundy, biology; Saunders / James L. and Barbara Saunders, awarded to Garrett Mattson, business; Scruggs / G.A. Scruggs Ministerial Student Aid Fund, awarded to Hunter Melugin, pre-health; Selah / William D. and Naomi Selah, awarded to Carter Bailey, exercise science; Shackelford / John F. and Lucy Eason Shackelford, awarded to Matthew Hahs, business; Shackelford / Sydney and Gretchen Shackelford, awarded to Zyshonne Cowans, undeclared; Shell / Dr. Lester C. Shell, awarded to Janie Leathers, chemistry; Shirley / George Will and Harriet Shirley, awarded to Madalyn Bartholomew, music education; Shirley / George Will and Harriet Shirley, awarded to Kelly Briggs, music education; Shuck / Dr. Arthur Shuck, awarded to Abagail Jefferies, physical therapy assistant; Sigmund / George F. Sigmund and Florence Rosine, awarded to Ingrid Coll Kuhle, business;

42 The Talon | Fall 2020

Smart / John D. Smart, awarded to Aeris Barton, biology; Smith / Claude T. Smith, awarded to Austin Schaedler, music education; Smith / Dr. Huston C. Smith, awarded to Hunter Melugin, religion and church leadership; Smith Jr. / James Virgil Smith Jr., awarded to Tate Hanners, chemistry; Smith / Mr. Burton P. and Mrs. Elnora Smith, awarded to Benjamin Miller, undeclared; Smith / T. Berry Smith Memorial, awarded to Tessa Maidens, biology; Spalding / Donald Spalding, awarded to Emilia Schleper, biology; Spayde / Dr. Luther T. Spayde Music Scholarship, awarded to Madalyn Bartholomew, music education; Spiese / Sydney Spiese, awarded to Mikayla Kinkead, music ministry; Steinbrenner / Henry G. Steinbrenner, awarded to Sara Ratliff, history; Steinbrenner / Henry G. Steinbrenner for soccer, awarded to Allesandro Lacerti, business; Stewart / Dr. David and Lee Stewart Class of ’59, awarded to Lorna Meyer, nursing; Strehlman / Dr. Benjamin G. Strehlman, awarded to Genna Nickelson, business; Summers / Fleeta McElroy Summers, awarded to Peyton Schafer, biology; Swanson / Robert B. and Ruth Winter Swanson, awarded to Kennedy Schmohe, biology; Swinney / John R. and Eleanor B. Phillips Swinney, awarded to Wesley Spargo, religion and church leadership; Tedrow / Martha Payne Tedrow, awarded to Chloe Cole, communication studies; Thogmorton / James P. and Helen Puckett Thogmorton, ’59, awarded to Jakob Gentry, communication studies; Thornton / Fred and Lynn Thornton, ’59, awarded to Damian Walker, mathematics; Tiley / C. Paul and Addie Louise Downey Tiley, awarded to Kennedy Walker, music education; Tschudy / Leona Schinke Tschudy, awarded to Will DiStefano, biology; Tucker / Elnora Cunningham Tucker, awarded to Hunter Hamilton, physics; Turnage / Mitchell Jacob Turnage, awarded to Zachary Severns, accounting; Uphaus / Edna B. Uphaus, awarded to Katherine Bangert, pre-nursing; V-12 Navy Scholarship, awarded to Emily Schoonover, nursing; Vaughan / George and Louise Vaughan Memorial, awarded to Montana Stangel, physics; Vinita Park / Vinita Park UMC scholarship, awarded to Kyliegh Vonborries, pre-education; Ward / Joe W. Ward Memorial, awarded to Brittany Dush, religion and church leadership;

Wert / Helene Hornback Wert, awarded to Nathaniel Quick, computer science; Westen/Myers / Westen/Myers, awarded to Isaiah Studer, biology with interest in pre-health; Whitener / Paul R. and Annah C. Whitener, awarded to Colton Skyles, pre-education; Whitworth / William Dean and Jacquelyn Hawker Whitworth, ’59, awarded to Tyler Calvert, criminal justice; Wilson / Dorothy Orr Wilson, awarded to Philip Brown, music; Wise / Eula Willis Wise, Gerald W. Wise, Patricia Wise Wilson and Mary Vickars Wilson, awarded to Kristin Stockhorst, English; Wise / Eula Willis Wise, Gerald W. Wise, Patricia Wise Wilson and Mary Vickars Wilson, awarded to Brooke Hackman, English; Wise / Eula Willis Wise, Gerald W. Wise, Patricia Wise Wilson and Mary Vickars Wilson, awarded to Hope Howser, English; Wise / Eula Willis Wise, Gerald W. Wise, Patricia Wise Wilson and Mary Vickars Wilson, awarded to Grace Stumbaugh, professional writing and publication; Wise / Eula Willis Wise, Gerald W. Wise, Patricia Wise Wilson and Mary Vickars Wilson, awarded to Keagan O’Riley, professional writing and publication; Wood / William E. Wood and Esther Wilson Wood, awarded to Kaitlyn Philips, occupational therapy; Woodward / Dr. Ralph L. and Beulah Sutter Woodward, awarded to Addison Butler, mathematics; Wright / Rev. J.K. and Fern Wright, awarded to Garrett Nimmo, exercise science; Wright / Don and Barbara Madden Wright, ’59, awarded to Lucas Grammer, computer science; Yancey / Professor Thomas L. Yancey and Joe Geist, awarded to Timothy Nowlin, theatre arts.

Joe Geist and Thomas Yancey

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Fall 2020 | The Talon 43

file photo

Women’s soccer coach Dan Schmidlin.

Women’s Soccer Win Conference Title

By RACHEL MOORE

The CMU women’s soccer team faced several challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic this fall, dropping two out of their first three games of the season. Afterwards it was full steam ahead for the Eagles, as they rattled off nine straight wins to finish the year with a 10-2 overall record. With a victory over Clarke on Nov. 14, the women clinched their second-straight Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season championship.

Senior forward Anika Kallash became the program’s all-time leading goal scorer, passing teammate Judith Sainz (71) for the most goals scored all-time. Kallash now has 77 career goals in 72 games. She also becomes the program’s career leader in assists, collecting 33 total during her four-year playing career.

Like the men’s team, the women have solidified their spot atop the regular season standings and will host throughout the duration of conference tournament, which is set to begin on April 3, 2021.

Football Eagles Climb Above .500 The Central Methodist football team concluded the 2020 season with a 5-4 record.

It marks the first time since the 2014 campaign that the Eagles have been above .500. Signature wins included a season opening victory at Graceland and a thrilling 14-12 win over William Penn on Homecoming weekend. The Eagles also defeated arch rival Missouri Valley College 23-13 on Oct. 17 in Marshall, marking the third-straight win over the Vikings.

44 The Talon | Fall 2020

Central closed out the regular season with back-to-back wins over Evangel and MNU on senior day, putting an exclamation point on the year with a convincing 45-2 win over the Pioneers on Nov. 14, sending its senior class out on a high-note.

in Fayette, before falling in five sets, (25-15, 25-16, 25-27, 22-25, 13-15). CMU has earned the No. 2 seed in the South Division for the conference tournament and will host the No. 3 seed from the North, William Penn on Tuesday, March 2 in the quarterfinals.

Kemboi Qualifies For Cross Country Nationals First year head coach Kenny Anderson completed his inaugural season with the CMU men’s and women’s cross country teams, as the men competed in five races while the women participated in four. Both squads concluded the regular season at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, hosted Nov. 7 at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. The women posted an eighth place finish out of 14 teams, and the men were 10th. Senior Radovan Kemboi became a three-time AllConference runner, placing fifth out of 122 runners in a time of 26:49.48 in the 8K. The fifth place finish was good enough to qualify Kemboi for the NAIA Cross Country National Championships, set to take place on April 9, 2021.

Golf Makes Noise In Return to Links The men’s and women’s golf teams returned to the course for the first time since the 2016-17 season. On the men’s side, CMU posted a Top-3 finish at the MVC Invitational on Sept. 15 and wrapped the fall season with a firstplace finish at the Trojan Fall Tri Match on Oct. 17 in Hannibal, Mo. Junior Matias Baccola recorded two Top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish at the Quincy Country Club Shootout on Sept. 21. Freshman Aaron Teece steadily improved as the season went along, earning a Top-2 spot at the Trojan Fall Tri Match, good enough to earn Heart Men’s Golfer of the Week honors. For the women, the Eagles finished in second place as a team at the Spring Lake Country Club Invite on Sept. 28 in Quincy, Ill. Freshman Cassandra Contreras earned Heart Women’s Golfer of the Week honors after placing fifth in the MVC Invitational Sept. 15 with a two-round score of 164, just seven strokes back from the top spot.

Both teams will continue play in the spring of 2021.

Volleyball Wraps Up Regular Season 11-3 CMU volleyball finished the 2020 fall season 11-3 and 9-3 in Heart action. Ten of the Eagles’ wins came in straight set sweeps, and Central nearly upset the top team in the conference, Heart newcomer Park University on Oct. 30

Soccer Building For A Three-Peat During COVID-19

By RACHEL MOORE

W

hen Central Methodist University’s men’s soccer team came off the program’s second consecutive NAIA national championship in 2019, it seemed like another target had been painted on its back. The challenges of COVID-19 and the unknown of the 2020 season have taken the spotlight off the national championship and put it elsewhere.

The new challenges are dealing with a split season, staying in shape during the split, and an absence from campus for at least six weeks between semesters.

Two-time NAIA national coach of the year Alex Nichols said the pressure of trying to repeat in 2019 did put a target on the team’s backs.

However, this season, the Eagles had to replace 10 seniors who posted a 47-3 overall record and a 20-1-1 mark in the Heart of America A t h l e t i c Conference

Alex Nichols, CMU men’s soccer coach

the last two years. Of the challenges facing the two-time defending national champions, Coach Nichols said, “There are a lot of new faces to this year’s team. We have a good culture here.

It takes time and effort for a new team to gel.

We’re fortunate to have athletes that are very dedicated to this program and their teammates.”

This year’s squad not only faces the challenges of having a plethora of new players, including 11 freshmen, but also the prospect of playing the postseason in the spring instead of late November. The coaching staff sees several benefits to a split season.

“It’s great that we have a fall and a spring,” Nichols said. “That sets us up well. But we must have a good non-conference in the spring if we’re going to be successful. We have to take advantage of the six or seven non-conference games we have and make sure we use the conference tournament to prepare us for the national tournament. I think the split season will turn out to be beneficial for us. But it will still take a lot of maintained discipline.”

COVID-19 continues to challenge the fluidity of most fall sports schedules, and men’s soccer is no exception.

“It’s on and off; it’s been a battle,” Nichols said. “COVID has caused a great deal of challenges, not only for CMU but for every university in the United States. There are extra things daily that we must think about, extra processes we must implement. We have to adapt, and while it’s not all perfect, we are getting better each day.”

The layout of the spring season continues to remain fluid. The national tournament has been moved to the spring as well as the conference tournaments for the men’s and women’s programs. While the minimum number of games to qualify is less than in year’s past (8), there is less room for error, and it serves as a pressure cooker for the team to be at its best every game.

“There are many good teams in our conference, and if you have a hiccup or two in the fall, you may not be guaranteed anything,” Nichols said. “We definitely have to stay focused every day. If we continue to play well in the fall and are fortunate enough to get a bid, that will put us in the driver’s seat.

We need to make certain we continue to get better and prepare the same way as teams that are playing their entire season in the spring.”

Another hurdle for many NAIA teams is student-athletes who left campus during the Thanksgiving break and will not return until the spring semester. The onus on many of those student-athletes is to stay fit and ready, with a plan in place so they are prepared when spring season begins again.

“Our returners embrace this challenge,” Nichols said. “But the target on our back was last year, and that was really tough and really difficult. This year, a lot of our guys have already experienced that. It is a new team, and our challenges now are getting better in what we do, learning the system, despite the COVID hiccups, breaks, and the stops. We are getting to know each other and understanding the system and expectations. There are a ton of challenges this year, and as weird as it sounds, having a target on our back is irrelevant.

“All of our new guys and all of our returning guys are up to the challenge. That’s really all you can ask for, and we’re excited to see how far we can go.”

Since our interview with Coach Nichols, his team continues to meet the challenge, notching Nichols’ 100th CMU victory with a 3-1 win over Missouri Valley College on Oct. 29. The Eagles then followed up with a 2-1 win over Park on Nov. 7, clinching their third-straight Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season championship. This earns an automatic bid to the national tournament. The conference tournament will be held April, 10-17. The national tournament opening round games will be April 22-24 on campus sites. CMU will try to claim its third-straight red banner in Columbia County, Ga., May 4-10.

Fall 2020 | The Talon 45 45

Central’s men’s cross country team.

Cross Country, Track & Field: Starting Anew

By RACHEL MOORE

F

or the first time in almost a decade, practicing with the team,” said Anderson. “It the Central Methodist cross country just kind of grew on me and was a part of my and track & field programs has a new life growing up.” leader. That new leader is Following high school, first-year Head Coach Kenny Anderson continued to run Anderson, hired in July of in college in the sprints 2020. He brings a wealth of and hurdle events. After knowledge and experience his freshman season, he to the CMU athletics chose to put his focus on community. completing his degree.

Of his first few months He continued, however, in Fayette, Anderson said, “I to work with local high say this all the time, but it’s schools as an assistant another day in paradise.” coach.

Originally from Florida, Once his degree was Anderson graduated from completed, Anderson Florida A&M with a degree continued to work with in electrical engineering. He local high schools and spent the last two seasons served as an assistant as an assistant track and women’s basketball coach Coach Kenny Anderson field coach and recruiting for Division I Stetson coordinator for Johnson C. Smith University.

University and Division II Lynn University.

JCSU is an NCAA Division II university in He then joined JCSU as the assistant track and Charlotte, N.C. field coach and recruiting coordinator.

His passion for the sport runs all the way When Anderson stepped on to the CMU back to his childhood. He molded himself campus, he hit the ground running. after his father, who was a high school track “The biggest thing for me, once I got here, and field coach and a collegiate runner. was recruiting and building the culture. I “After school, I was always around and believe there are three types of people in

46 The Talon | Fall 2020

the world. You have your quitters, your survivors, and thrivers. What we want to do here at Central Methodist is thrive. I want the program to be a top-10 nationally ranked program on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Getting that buy-in from the current studentathletes as well as bringing new talented student-athletes, to accomplish that goal, is our mindset.”

The culture change of moving to midMissouri from the Sunshine State didn’t blind Anderson from seeing the qualities that a small campus community offers.

“The family atmosphere and environment, the people out here are great,” said Anderson.

“I feel at home. I think what we can do with the facilities and with the support of Dr. Drake and Natasha Wilson, we can be very successful here.

“The opportunity, the resources and the visions align. President Drake is very big on athletics and wants a winning program. I wanted to be somewhere where the administration supported athletics. I eat, sleep, and breathe track, so having the resources available makes this job very appealing. We have all the resources and tools to be successful.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic running

rampant across the nation, Anderson stepped into an unusual situation as a first-year head coach. Many limitations were placed on recruiting and training.

“COVID has been challenging, just because of the restrictions placed on a head coach,” he said. “We’ve learned the systems and restrictions; I think we have a handle on it so far. As it pertains to recruiting, there were no high school meets last year, so we have been getting out when we can or when folks are having events.”

Anderson said he looks for specific kinds of athletes when out on the recruiting trail.

“A diverse athlete, multifaceted, athletes that do multiple things,” he said. “Someone who is driven and competitive. The mindset has a lot to do with it. We intend to recruit studentathletes who want to be the best versions of themselves, in the classroom and on the track. Someone who can take care of the little things is who we want. If you do the little things well, the big things come easy. When it comes to recruiting, it is about the mindset and the ability to learn, adapt, and grow.”

As Anderson continues to build up his program, we asked where he sees the program heading within the next couple of years.

Anderson offered some thoughts on how he would like to see the program grown and evolve over the next couple years. “Recruiting-wise, we have a great start to the 2020-21 class. We’ve got some great pieces on campus right here, right now. Within the next year or two, I think we will be on the cusp of building that foundation. My saying is, the empire wasn’t built in a day, it’s built every day.

Every day, we are working to accomplish that goal. It is important to bring people in who want to help us achieve that and who want to be the foundation of something great. Long story short, in two years, the number of athletes that we qualify for the national meet will definitely increase. Three to five years from now, we are contenders, bringing 10-plus athletes on each side, being competitive and bringing back All-Americans.”

After visiting with Anderson, both cross country programs wrapped up their seasons at the conference championships in Baldwin City, Kan., on Nov. 7.

Esports Team Continues To Thrive Finding Success in School and Competition

By EMILY KESEL

T

he Central Methodist University Esports team began humbly with just 10 recruits in its first year of competition in 2018. Only two years later, the team has grown so much that it has had to expand its special facilities – twice.

The team begins the 2020 fall season with 54 athletes on the roster, spread over six online games for competition – Hearthstone, Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege, and Rocket League. In his second year as the head coach of the Eagles, Aaron Shockley, ’12, says he identifies a number of factors that have contributed to the team’s rapid growth.

“First and foremost is our recent success, having reached 10 playoff appearances, three national rankings, and one league title, which has built our reputation of competing within the collegiate realm at a high level,” he said. Under Shockley’s leadership, the program finished the 2019-2020 season with an overall record of 61-62, securing an undefeated League of Legends campaign for an ECAC Gold Division League championship.

Aside from the team’s early success, the coach also credits the growth to the dedication of everyone involved and the relationships they’ve formed with high schools in the recruiting process.

“I will be the first to say it takes more than a coach to grow a program to this magnitude and success,” said Shockley. “It takes countless hours of our coaches, players, and entire Enrollment Management Department to successfully achieve recruiting metrics and achieve success in matches.”

The Esports athletes aren’t just finding success in competition, however. As a program, they have earned a total of 40 All-Academic awards, reflecting the students’ dedication to succeeding in the classroom.

“I instill in the Esports players from the first meeting that academics will be our focus and Esports second,” Shockley said. “Having

the amazing resources here at CMU – the Center for Learning and Teaching, the amazing tutoring staff, and the dedicated professors – fosters an academic culture that our Esports players buy into when they attend our university.”

Shockley says the players are allotted study hall ours in addition to their regular game training, as well as weight training and other wellness activities to make sure they are “focused and ready” to compete.

In a world gone virtual due to the need for social distancing, Shockley’s team has something of a leg up over other sports on campus that have seen big changes to the way their practices and competitions are run.

“I think this is a prime time for Esports to get a bigger push in the collegiate scene due to the fact that even if universities decide to go virtual, this allows Esports teams and universities to still have engagement with their student life to cheer on a team,” he said. “I also think this will allow more students who are unsure what Esports is to have a better understanding of how much time and effort these players put into their game to compete at such a high level.”

While more traditional sports are restricted to playing certain competition, often within their own division or conference, Esports teams are able to compete against anyone, something Shockley sees as a great opportunity for small programs to level the virtual playing field with bigger universities.

The Central team is well on its way to doing just that, but Shockley isn’t one to settle with what has already been done.

“We’ve had a great start, but we aren’t satisfied,” Shockley said.

Esports player, Tyler Molnar

Fall 2020 | The Talon 47

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