Erin Valentine Youngs Class of 2007
Dr. Bruce Maier Class of 1965
Erin Valentine Youngs is CMU’s 2016 Young Alumni Award recipient. The award was established in 1988 to honor alumni of high personal achievements within 15 years of their CMU graduation or attendance, and who have strong commitments to community and university service. A 2007 graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Youngs already has built an enviable career in the genetic counseling field. At present she is clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, and assistant director in the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling program, both at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. The Olathe, Kan., native was previously a genetic counselor at the Hereditary Cancer Program of Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and before that she held a similar position in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. Youngs has a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center. She is married to Central Methodist alum Kyle Youngs (Class of 2006).
What began as a flourishing career as an educator transitioned into a noteworthy career as an inventor and entrepreneur for 1965 Central Methodist alumnus Dr. Bruce Maier of Columbia, a 2016 CMU Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. A pre-med student and Biology major from the St. Louis area who was active in vocal and instrumental music at Central Methodist, Maier earned a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas and his doctorate from the University of Missouri Medical Center, where he taught and lectured to medical professionals and medical school students. He was a lead investigator on a National Cancer Institute Study while at MU, but in 1973 Maier chose to leave the academic world. A devout audiophile, he developed a revolutionary cleaning product for vinyl records called Discwasher, which he owned and developed into the largest audio accessories firm in the world at the time. Maier later worked with Philips DuPont Optical, originators of the compact disc, and provided technical consulting services for Union Carbide on a marble and stone treatment project. In 1993 he established ATG Labs Inc., manufacturing high quality sealers and colorants for industrial, commercial, and military use. Maier has 16 patents in the areas of audio equipment, transformer oils, recoil protection, and industrial coatings. He and his wife, Kathleen, donated equipment to establish CMU’s state-of-theart Maier Listening Room in Classic Hall. Their hope with the gift is to create a cutting-edge listening studio for both CMU students and faculty as well as the greater community, and also represent the beginnings of a professional-level recording studio on campus.