Mizzou unveils Power the Roar, its ambitious $2 billion campaign to empower students, drive innovation and build resilient communities. Page 16
FIRST LOOK
FINDING STORIES IN SECONDS Photojournalist Owen Ziliak, BJ ’24, first learned speed and care at Mizzou and the Columbia Missourian, where as a freshman during the 2020 election he had “an editor breathe down my neck for photos on deadline.” Now working at The Wisconsin State Journal, his recent honors include the 2025 NPPA Emerging Vision Photojournalist of the Year (second place) and best portfolio at the 2023–24 Hearst Journalism Awards. Ziliak shot this image at Skagen’s Grey Lighthouse while studying abroad in northern Denmark.
FROM THE EDITOR
M I ZZOU
A Legacy in Stone, A Future in Action
In 1925, J.C. Jones, who was leading the University of Missouri’s fundraising, sent a note to alumni. He admitted things weren’t moving as fast as anyone hoped on campus construction projects. Only one derrick was available to lift stone onto the rising Memorial Tower. Patience was running thin. But he urged supporters to keep sending what they could.
“We are always well repaid for our hard-earned patience by the beauty of the Tower as it rises,” he wrote in the September 1925 issue of The Missouri Alumnus. You can see a photo of that very progress in Semper Mizzou on page 80.
A century later, those words still resonate. Jones was reminding Tigers that great things take time — and that every gift, large or small, matters. The result of that 1925 campaign continues to define campus in the form of Memorial Union and Memorial Stadium, built stone by stone and pledge by pledge. Every walk through the archway or Saturday spent at Faurot Field is a reminder of what a united community can accomplish.
This fall, the call goes out once more. Power the Roar is the largest fundraising campaign in Mizzou history, with a goal of $2 billion. The scale is bigger, but the idea remains the same as it was in 1925: Each contribution shapes what comes
The foundation of Memorial Union in 1923. J.C. Jones, then Mizzou’s head of fundraising, wrote, “We are always well repaid for our hard-earned patience by the beauty of the Tower as it rises.”
next. The stones may be metaphorical this time, but the effect will be just as lasting.
The features in this issue highlight how that vision comes alive through the campaign’s five priorities. Readers will meet alumni and faculty educating future leaders, researchers saving and improving lives, innovators working toward a sustainable world, neighbors strengthening communities and Tigers developing champions on the field and beyond. Together, these areas of impact outline a vision for Mizzou’s next century.
Jones believed supporters would one day feel pride in the Memorial Union they helped build. The same will be true of this moment. A hundred years from now, the legacy of Power the Roar will be measured not only in buildings but also in opportunities, discoveries and stronger communities made possible because Tigers once again answered the call.
RANDALL ROBERTS, BA ’88 Editor
Editorial and Advertising
Executive Editor Robert D. Waller
Editor Randall Roberts, BA ’88
Art Director
Blake Dinsdale, BA ’99
Class Notes Editor
Jennifer Manning, BJ ’18
Advertising Scott Dahl: 573-882-2374
Mizzou Alumni Association
123 Reynolds Alumni Center 704 Conley Avenue Columbia, MO 65211 573-882-6611
Executive Director, Publisher Todd A. McCubbin, M Ed ’95
Mission
The Mizzou Alumni Association proudly supports the best interests and traditions of Missouri’s flagship university and its alumni worldwide.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Kim Utlaut, BS ’89
President-elect Morgan Corder, BA ’18
Immediate Past President
Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, BS HES ’89, BS Ed 90, M Ed ’91
Treasurer Kevin Gibbens, BS BA ’81
Secretary Todd McCubbin, M Ed ’95
Directors Adrienne Barber, BA ’01
Joanna Russell Bliss, BA, BS Ed ’97; Eric Braverman, BA ’87; Brent Buerck, MPA ’05; Clarissa Cauthorn, BS ’15; Adam Gafke, BS ’97; Chris Hurt, BA ’88; Ashley Hutcheson, BS CiE ’01
Cheryl Jordan, BA ’84; Emily Kueker, BS ’02; Col. Pete O’Neill, BA ’00; Daniel Pierce, BA, BJ ’99; Gabriela Ramirez-Arellano, BS BA ’91; Jermaine Reed, BGS ’06
Amber Rowson, BS ME ’99; BS ’07; Nick Ruthmann, BS ’05, MD ’13; John Twitty, BS Ed ’75 Vanessa Vaughn West, BA ’99 Justin Wilson, BS CoE ’07
Mara Reinstein, BJ ’98, is a New York–based writer and longtime film critic for Us Weekly. She contributes to outlets including Vulture, The Hollywood Reporter, Parade, The New York Times and more. For this issue, she wrote about the experiential bridge connecting Champion and Mizzou’s Department of Textile & Apparel Management.
Alex Schiffer, BJ ’17, is a breaking news reporter for Front Office Sports. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets for The Athletic and the Missouri Tigers for The Kansas City Star. Schiffer tackled this year’s preview of the Tiger football season and Coach Eli Drinkwitz’s approach to winning.
Owen Ziliak Slideshow Want to see more photographs by awardwinning School of Journalism alum Owen Ziliak, whose work is highlighted in First Look? Visit our online gallery. mizzou.us/ziliak facebook.com/mizzou x.com/mizzou
Tony Rehagen, BA, BJ ’01, is a writer whose work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, GQ and Men’s Health and has been anthologized in Next Wave: America’s New Generation of Great Literary Journalists. Rehagen profiled MU Extension field agent Justin Keay and former Tiger football star and NFL standout Jeremy Maclin.
Chris Blose, MA ’04, is a freelance writer, editor, musician and amateur adventurer based in Bethesda, Md. He got his start on staff at MIZZOU magazine in the early 2000s. He founded and operates The Narrator, an editorial services company. Blose wrote about lutetium-177, a microscopic isotope on a monumental journey.
1 First Look
Missouri School of Journalism alumnus Owen Ziliak captured the Skagen’s Grey Lighthouse in northern Denmark while studying abroad.
6 Around the Columns
A grand kickoff for Mizzou’s $2 billion Power the Roar campaign; Reddit-approved weddings; President Mun Choi signs on until 2031; and more.
62 Mizzou Alumni News
Two esteemed St. Louis journalists remembered; a DJ entrepreneur’s ascent; and the new Mizzou Alumni Association president introduced.
Class Notes About the cover
Tim O’Brien’s tiger joins a career roster that includes more than 30 TIME covers, the artwork for The Hunger Games trilogy and U.S. postage stamps. He also has illustrated for the United Nations and created portraits for the National Portrait Gallery. His paintings have been featured in exhibitions across the United States and Europe.
instagram.com/mizzou @mizzou
Mizzou grads keep making news: new jobs, new places and new faces. An update on what’s happening.
65 Alumni Bookshelf
From Character Matters to Fifteen Cents on the Dollar to Reviving Rural News, the latest from Mizzou authors.
80
Semper Mizzou
Nearly a century ago, Mizzou completed Memorial Union as a tribute to World War I service. A lot has changed in the interim.
Council for Advancement & Support of Education Awards
2024: District VI Award: General Interest Magazine
2022: Bronze, Periodical/Magazine Design
2021: Gold, Feature Writing (“Who Was I in College?,” Winter 2020)
2020: Bronze, Feature Writing (“Forever Young,” Spring 2019) 2019: Bronze, General Interest Magazine
Society for Publication Designers Awards
2025 silver medal: “The Invisible Networks,” Fall 2024
2025 medal finalist: “The Guardians of Silent Worlds,” Spring 2024
2024 merit awards: “Vlad Has Stories,”(2) Winter 2023; “The Cosmochemist’s Guide to the Galaxy” Spring 2023 2023 medal finalist: “A LIFE in Focus,” Spring 2022
2022 merit awards: “The Long Quiet,” Winter 2021; “International Reach,” Spring 2021; Spring 2021 cover
Moments that Shape Centuries
A new era at Mizzou begins as Power the Roar launches with a $2 billion vision.
18 16
The Isotope’s Journey
From the very center of the MU Research
Reactor to a patient’s room in Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, follow the steps of the lifesaving radioisotope lutetium-177. story by chris blose, ma ’03
30
The Plot Fixer
From county to county, MU Extension specialists carry the university’s promise. story by tony rehagen, ba, bj ’01
The Prototype
After a star-studded NFL career, Jeremy Maclin returns home to transform young lives through coaching and mentorship.
story by tony rehagen, ba, bj ’01
System > Stars
Guiding Mizzou past Kansas and introducing Beau Pribula, Eli Drinkwitz has built early momentum in a season that began with questions. story by alex schiffer, bj ’17
Mizzou Homecoming
2025
A guide to CoMo eats, libations and experiences; a homecoming enthusiasm matrix; info on schedule, parade route and more.
The Alchemy Beneath Our Wheels
Sustainable asphalt research at Mizzou is reshaping roads, one recycled tire at a time. story by dale smith, bj ’88
Black. Gold. Bold. Sold.
Mizzou Textile & Apparel Management students develop their designs from classroom concept to retail. story by mara reinstein, bj ’98
Tiger Nation powered a roar through Memorial Stadium as Mizzou toppled Kansas in the Border Showdown. Players surrounded the storied war drum to mark a fourth straight win, six of the last seven, and a 58–54–9 series lead in college football’s oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi.
AROUND THE COLUMNS
A Weekend Written
MIZZOU LAUNCHES HISTORIC CAMPAIGN
The University of Missouri set its sights higher than ever the weekend of Sept. 5, unveiling Power the Roar, a $2 billion philanthropic campaign that stands as the largest in the history of Missouri public higher education.
The launch unfolded across campus events, from an evening gathering on Carnahan Quadrangle to halftime fanfare at Faurot Field and a dazzling drone show above the Columns. Together they marked the public debut of an effort that will shape Mizzou’s future in education, research, health care and community engagement.
“With this campaign, we are amplifying the vital contributions of our land-grant mission,” said Todd Graves, chair of the University of Missouri Board of Curators. “We are grateful for the incredible support this campaign has received, and we are confident that Power the Roar will continue to build on this university’s mission to benefit all Missourians.”
in Gold
CAMPAIGN STEWARDS
Clockwise from top left: A sparkling Friday night kickoff event at Brewer Field House; SEC Nation firing up Carnahan Quad; Chris Smith, vice chancellor for Advancement, rallying the gala attendees; and a dazzling drone show that culminated in a performance by Marching Mizzou.
Power the Roar is guided by a volunteer committee of alumni and friends, co-chaired by Paul Vogel, BS Acc ’89, M Acc ’90, JD ’93, and his wife, Lynn Ann Vogel of St. Louis.
“Alumni know firsthand the value of a Mizzou education and the lasting connections it creates for students, families and communities,” Paul Vogel says. “Through Power the Roar, we extend that legacy, ensuring Mizzou remains a leader in education, discovery and service far beyond our campus.”
Lynn Ann Vogel says Mizzou is part of her family’s traditions and shared memories, “and it is deeply meaningful to give back. It is an honor to serve alongside so many passionate alumni and supporters who share our love for this institution and our commitment to ensuring it continues for generations of Tigers to come.”
Committee members include Brett Begeman, BS Ag ’83 (Chesterfield, Missouri); Roger Harris, BS BA ’73, and Jane Harris, BS Ed ’90 (Naples, Florida); Patricia Hummel, BS Ed ’86, and Robert C. Hummel II (Leawood, Kansas); Reuben Merideth, BS BA ’70, DVM ’78 (Fayette, Missouri); Richard Miller, BA ’70, LHD ’00 (Pittsburg, Kansas); and Frank Shelden, BS Ed ’77, and Val Lawlor, BA ’89 (Dallas).
FROM THE PRESIDENT
The Next Era Starts Now
As I begin my ninth year as president, I’m proud to say that Mizzou is back! It’s so gratifying to hear from you about the great pride that you have for Mizzou. Every measure of success indicates our strong performance as a worldclass research university. We could not have done it without you.
In this environment of success and goodwill, we are launching a transformative $2 billion capital campaign: Power the Roar. Power the Roar unites all Tigers and celebrates Mizzou’s 186-year legacy of excellence and plans for the future. We have ambitious goals to transform the world, and our success starts with your support.
At the University of Missouri, individuals have the freedom to speak, freedom to learn and freedom to discover. Power the Roar will invest in these objectives through teaching, research and meaningful engagement in five key priorities:
· Educate future leaders
· Save and improve lives
· Build a sustainable world
· Strengthen communities
· Develop champions
These priorities reflect emerging strategic opportunities for growth and innovation. Tigers are the leaders and visionaries who make a difference in many ways, from developing lifesaving radioisotopes at MU Research Reactor, to supporting civil discourse through the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, to creating first-of-a-kind vaccines for animal health. Power the Roar will prepare our students, faculty and staff to build on our incredible accomplishments and deliver even more impact.
In this issue, you’ll learn more about the ways we serve all of you and how you can get involved with the campaign. I encourage you to discover the programs that best reflect your passion for Mizzou’s mission and legacy.
Thank you for your dedication to your fellow Tigers. We’re launching a new era of excellence. I invite you to join us in building a better future together.
M-I-Z!
MUN Y. CHOI, PHD President, University of Missouri
Curators Double Down on Choi
University of Missouri President Mun Choi roots for the Tigers with Truman. In early September, the Board of Curators extended Choi’s contract through 2031.
“We have incredible faculty, staff and students who transform lives,” he says.
The University of Missouri Board of Curators voted Sept. 5 to extend the contract of University of Missouri President Mun Y. Choi through 2031. The move, announced during the board’s public meeting in Columbia, secures his leadership for the next six years.
Choi became Mizzou’s chancellor in 2020 and has led the four-campus UM System since 2017. In that time, the university has expanded its research profile, raised student success measures and strengthened public engagement. Board Chair Todd Graves said the system is thriving under Choi’s direction and pointed to growth in academics, research and athletics.
Gov. Mike Kehoe praised the extension. “All Missourians should rejoice at the news that President Choi will continue to elevate the university and the state,” he said.
Choi thanked the board, state leaders and the university community. “We have incredible faculty, staff and students who transform lives, create research breakthroughs and support Missouri’s economy,” he said. “I am very excited for the opportunity to continue leading the University of Missouri System and Mizzou.”
THE EMOTIONS OF A CITY
Mizzou researchers are using AI to chart the emotional pulse of urban life. By analyzing geotagged Instagram posts and pairing them with Google Street View images, architectural studies assistant professor Jayedi Aman and geography and engineering Professor Tim Matisziw have built a digital “sentiment map” that tracks where people feel happy, calm or stressed — and why. The tool decodes how city features such as parks, green space or crowded intersections shape real human emotion. “We can now connect those feelings to what people are seeing and experiencing in these places,” Aman said. Next up: creating real-time emotional “digital twins” of cities that help leaders design places that not only work but feel good. The study appears in Frontiers in Computer Science.
This Center Fights Blackouts
As artificial intelligence drives energy use into uncharted territory — with global demand projected to double over the next 25 years — Mizzou researchers are turning their attention to the systems that keep power flowing. A new Energy Innovation Center, scheduled to open in 2028 just north of Lafferre Hall, will serve as a research hub focused on how energy is generated, stored and distributed in a rapidly shifting world.
Recently approved by the University of Missouri System Board of Curators, the 116,000-square-foot facility will unite faculty from engineering, physics, chemistry, computer science and other disciplines to address rising threats to the grid — including cyberattacks, outdated infrastructure, inconsistent access — and the growing strain on existing systems.
“Diversifying energy resources will be critical,” says Marisa Chrysochoou, dean of the College of Engineering, when the center was announced. “With our strengths in nuclear and materials science, AI, and cybersecurity, Mizzou is positioned to make significant contributions in the energy domain. This is about integrating research, education and community engagement to create transformative solutions that will drive the future of energy.”
Research priorities will include nuclear power, advanced energy materials, AI systems and grid resilience. Policy questions will play a central role, too: Who benefits from innovation? Who’s left behind? How can regulation keep pace with technology?
“The Energy Innovation Center is essential to addressing our nation’s security, workforce and economic growth,” University of Missouri President Mun Choi says. “This facility aligns incredible resources with world-class faculty to transform energy production and policy for the future.”
The center will draw on seven academic units across campus. Leading the effort are the College of Engineering; the College of Arts and Science; and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. They’re joined by the School of Law, the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business and the Missouri School of Journalism. Combined, the teams will partner in a crossdisciplinary push to rethink how energy works and is governed, financed and communicated.
The 116,000-squarefoot Energy Innovation Center will unite faculty from engineering, physics, chemistry, computer science and other disciplines to address rising threats to the electrical grid.
FROM PETALS TO PAPER
For more than 25 years, Mizzou’s campus has quietly bloomed as the University of Missouri Botanic Garden, a certified living landmark of beauty, research and reflection. Now, Missouri artist Jenny McGee has captured the garden’s spirit in a new art collection at The Mizzou Store and its online shop. Inspired by McGee’s hand-cut designs adorn totes, T-shirts, notecards and more are inspired by native blooms, historic trees and monarch butterflies. Each piece is crafted from artisanal papers layered to echo the textures of the garden itself. A portion of every sale supports the garden’s future and helps its legacy continue to grow for the next generation of Tigers.
Before Regret, the Internet
“Am I making a huge mistake?”
Weddings are built on promises, but behind many Instagram-perfect engagements lurks a murmur of uncertainty. A growing number of anxious fiances turn to Reddit to sort out their fears before saying “I do.” A new University of Missouri study reveals the social media platform as a digital confessional for people quietly asking themselves, “Am I making a huge mistake?”
Reddit, a sprawling online forum where users post pseudonymous, has become a safe space for unfiltered questions about commitment, compatibility and cold feet.
“People seem more comfortable being honest about their unease on Reddit,” says Kale Monk, associate professor in Mizzou’s College of Education and Human Development. “They’re not just venting. They’re actively seeking advice from strangers who aren’t wrapped up in their personal lives.”
Monk and his team, including Mizzou students and alumni, built a program to flag posts with keywords such as “cold feet” and “left at the altar.” Then they analyzed submissions from users grappling with real-time doubt.
“In earlier research, we talked to people after they had already called off their weddings,” Monk says. “But with Reddit, we’re catching them midcrisis, while they’re still weighing whether to stay or go.”
The study builds on Monk’s previous work interviewing people who ended engagements. That research found that taking a break, returning a ring or pressing pause often helped individuals gain clarity by imagining life on the other side.
The new study, “Lifting the Veil,” appears in the Journal of Marriage and Family. Co-author Tyler Jamison, MS ’08, is now a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire.
Mizzou researchers in the College of Education and Human Development found Reddit often serves as a digital confessional for people quietly asking,
BLACK MIRROR, FRONT CAMERA
While perusing social media, Makenzie Schroeder, MA ’22, a graduate student in Mizzou’s College of Arts and Science, kept seeing a trend: people posting filtered selfies — slimmer, sleeker, unreal — tagged with captions like “my motivation.” These weren’t influencers. They were regular people reimagining themselves as digital ideals.
That raised a deeper question: What happens when we stop comparing ourselves to others and start comparing ourselves to a filtered version of us?
To find out, Schroeder partnered with Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, professor and chair of the Department of Communication. Together, they explored what they call “social self-comparison,” the psychological effect of measuring your real self against your curated, airbrushed digital twin.
In an online experiment with 187 participants ages 19 to 66, the researchers split people into three groups. One group used a slimming filter on their own selfies.
Another watched other people else use the same filter. A third used a neutral color filter. The results were stark: Those who used slimming filters reported a stronger desire to lose weight, greater body fixation, and more negative views of people with larger bodies.
The study, “Digitally curated beauty: The impact of slimming beauty filters on body image, weight loss desire, self-objectification, and anti-fat attitudes,” was recently published in Computers in Human Behavior
“Filters that make someone look slimmer create what many perceive to be a more perfect version of themselves that’s easy to reach with just a few clicks,” Schroeder says. “That makes the comparison feel very personal and even more powerful than when seeing an Instagram model, for example.”
“Being real is sometimes the healthiest option,” Behm-Morawitz added.
HOPE, ACTUALLY
A new University of Missouri study suggests hope isn’t just for dreamers. In fact, it might be the single most powerful emotion when it comes to feeling that life has meaning. Led by Megan Edwards and Laura King of Mizzou’s Department of Psychological Sciences, researchers found that across six studies and more than 2,300 participants, hope stood out as the emotion most strongly linked to meaning in life — even more than happiness or gratitude.
“Experiencing life as meaningful is crucial for just about every good thing you can imagine in a person's life,” says King, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor.
The findings reposition hope not as pie-in-the-sky optimism, but as a deep emotional current that shapes how we see our place in the world. The study, “Hope as a meaningful emotion,” appears in Emotion, with co-authors from Peking University.
Chris Smith has been named vice chancellor for Advancement at Mizzou after serving as its interim. Previously assistant vice chancellor for constituent units, she led the university to its highest fundraising year in school history last fiscal year and now leads the $2 billion Power the Roar campaign.
Mark Horvit, professor and chair of the journalism professions faculty group at the Missouri School of Journalism, has been named Teacher of the Year as part of the Scripps Howard Journalism Awards for his leadership, innovative teaching and dedication to training the next generation of investigative reporters.
KBIA-FM, the Mizzou School of Journalism’s terrestrial radio station, won first place in the series category of the Public Media Journalists Association Awards for “The Next Harvest,” a sevenepisode exploration of Midwest agricultural challenges. Due to unanticipated funding shortfalls, KBIA is holding pledge drives to finance the gap.
AROUND THE COLUMNS
A Walnut First for Mizzou
Missouri is taking a major step in tree nut agriculture with the debut of a new black walnut cultivar, the first patented by Mizzou. Known as the Hickman — for trademark purposes, its legal name is the UMCA™ Hickman — the tree was developed over more than 25 years through the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA) and offers clear advantages over wild black walnut varieties.
The Hickman’s features include a much higher kernel yield and earlier fruit production. Nuts from wild trees often produce just 6–14% kernel by weight, but the new cultivar has shown yields around 36% in favorable years. It also produces nuts within five years, roughly half the time of an average wild tree.
The rollout is guided by Ron Revord, director of the UMCA, whose research advances breeding programs for black walnut, Chinese chestnut and northern-origin pecan. His lab also partners on hazelnut expansion and Ozark chinquapin conservation, connecting long-term genetic research to practical results for growers. “The UMCA™ Hickman walnut represents a significant milestone for Missouri’s black wal-
A new cultivar developed by the Center for Agroforestry represents “a significant milestone for Missouri’s black walnut industry,” says Ron Revord, director of the center, above.
nut industry,” Revord says, stressing its importance to the state’s timber trade. “It’s the center’s first patented cultivar and offers promising economic opportunities for the state’s agricultural sector.”
Missouri’s fertile soils and hilly terrain make it ideal for growing black walnut trees. According to the Walnut Council and state forestry records, the state has about 41 million black walnut trees of marketable size, leading the nation in sawlog inventory. The nut harvest is a separate market, dominated by Hammons Products Company of Stockton, which each fall buys millions of pounds of wild-harvested walnuts from Missourians.
The Hickman is now being propagated for commercial planting, with grafted trees available through Forrest Keeling Nursery. More production is underway using micropropagation to meet expected demand.
@MizzouAlumni
Ready to Power the Roar? Mizzou has launched the largest campaign in university history! Learn more: powertheroar.com
@MizzouTFXC NATIONAL. CHAMPION.
On her final throw, Valentina Barrios wins Mizzou's first individual javelin national title with a personal-best throw of 62.00m (203-5) #MIZ
@SenEricSchmitt
Grateful to @UMSystem President Choi for giving me a tour of the @Mizzou Research Reactor which plays a critical role in providing cancer treatment and supporting our national defense.
@KCSNMizzou
Beau Pribula’s first pass attempt as a Missouri Tiger is a 51-yard touchdown
@ToddPGraves
A lot of higher education is in a political food fight because they don’t like the flavor of the current leadership. At Mizzou, we keep our head down, we educate the students, we conduct the research, and we don’t try to tell people how to live their lives. We try to make people’s lives better.
@ChaseDaniel
I’m ready to run thru a brick wall for Mizzou. I have a really good feeling about this year #MIZ
MASCOT GOES LONG
In June — on National Mascot Day, fittingly — longtime Kansas City Chiefs entertainer Dan Meers, BJ ’90, BA ’90, announced his retirement after 35 years as KC Wolf. A St. Charles, Missouri native, Meers embodied Truman the Tiger for four years in Columbia, where he twice finished as runner-up at the National Collegiate Mascot Championships before being named the nation's top collegiate mascot in 1989. After a brief stint as Fredbird with the St. Louis Cardinals, he took on the role that defined his career. Since becoming the Chiefs’ first KC Wolf in 1990, Meers has appeared at more than 300 games and 10,000 events, which makes him the NFL’s longest-tenured mascot. He will remain with the Chiefs as a consultant.
GOLD TRIM, GAME ON
This season, Mizzou once again appears in EA Sports College Football, the second installment in the video game franchise that returned in 2024 after more than a decade away. Released in July, College Football 26 features 136 FBS teams, updated rosters and full stadium environments, including a digital Faurot Field complete with gold trim, the M-I-Z chant and the Rock M.
The Tigers enter the game ranked No. 21 nationally with an overall team rating of 84. Running back Ahmad Hardy and offensive lineman Cayden Green lead the roster at 92, followed by safety Jalen Catalon at 91.
WHEN BRAD WAS JUST BRAD
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz appears in Dynasty mode with his real name, likeness and coaching tendencies intact. His presence influences in-game play-calling, sideline behavior and long-term strategy as players manage Mizzou’s season or compete against it. Thanks to NIL and school licensing agreements, the university earns revenue when players select Mizzou in-game. Student-athletes are also paid for their participation through an agreement with EA. For alumni, it is a simple way to support the program. Pick the Tigers on screen, and real dollars follow.
As the real season plays out on the field, fans can follow along by playing Mizzou in the game. They can recreate matchups, test lineups or just stay connected between Saturdays.
MIZZOU tends to highlight researchbased stargazing, but celebrities occasionally make the cut. One of our most famous alums, movie star Brad Pitt, recently has been lighting up Tiger social media feeds thanks to a newly surfaced party photo and an illuminating podcast appearance. The photo, labeled “Riverboat Riot Fall ’83,” captures 19-year-old Pitt mid-laugh, yellow cup in hand, looking like your average fraternity brother. Nearly 42 years later, while promoting the blockbuster racing film F1, Pitt joined Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert and looked back on his Mizzou years, especially the circumstances that led to him not getting his diploma. “I actually went through graduation,” he said. “I just didn’t finish my last week of classes and actually graduate.” Pitt’s parents were already coming, he added, so for the School of Journalism graduation ceremony, he “walked the line, hat and all.”
From Chalk Dust to Stardust
Gymnastics is a sport of incremental progress, with success or failure riding on minor fluctuations on the right side of a decimal point. Understandably, the pursuit of the next tenthof-a-point occupies most of Coach Shannon Welker’s time.
But now and then, he pauses to appreciate how far Mizzou has come in his 12 years at the helm — a climb that reached new heights in 2025.
“When I first started, I went into some of the club gyms where we recruit around the state of Missouri, and these kiddos would have leotards on for different colleges from all over the country,” Walker says. “Very few of them had University of Missouri leotards. You know what is really cool now? I go into gyms all over our state, and 90% of the kids are wearing University of Missouri leotards. Little things like that signify tremendous progress in what we’re doing.”
It wasn’t a quick fix. The Tigers didn’t win a Southeastern Conference dual meet until his third season as coach. But Welker says that despite the early results, the athletes from those teams helped establish the positive culture that attracted subsequent stars, including all-time scoring leader Sienna Schreiber and national
champion Helen Hu.
Mizzou Gymnastics Coach Shannon Welker celebrates a program-best performance at last season’s NCAA gymnastics championship final.
For the last five years, the Tigers have advanced at least to the NCAA Regional Finals. In 2025, they made their first appearance in the NCAA Championship Final, the gymnastics equivalent of the Final Four. Led by Hu, who won the balance beam national title, Mizzou placed third as a team.
All that incremental progress added up to a historic season that likely will inspire the purchase of many more Mizzou leotards.
“We got on the plane after that Final Four and immediately I’m getting text messages about recruiting,” Welker says. “I was like, ‘Oh, boy, 2026 is starting today.’ But you need to step back every once in a while and reflect on what we’ve accomplished and be grateful for that opportunity. I really feel gratitude to our coaches, our student-athletes and the University of Missouri for giving us this opportunity to compete at the highest level and really embracing the vision we walked in the door with back in 2013.”
— Joe Walljasper, BJ ’92
Former Mizzou wrestler, national champion, Olympian and UFC star Ben Askren, BA ’07, is home after a double lung transplant in late June, following pneumonia and a staph infection that struck in May. Hospitalized for 59 days, he says he “only died four times” during the ordeal, and lost 50 pounds. Askren now begins a long rehabilitation.
Gold in the Air
At the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in June, Valentina Barrios was in fifth place and down to her last attempt in the women’s javelin competition. She picked the perfect time to deliver the longest throw of her life — a heave of 203 feet, 5 inches — to win gold.
“She was the best technician in the field, and when the time came, it was like, ‘Hey, here’s your opportunity. Go win this thing,’” Mizzou Coach Bret Halter says. “And she did.”
That performance, along with Callan Saldutto’s third-place finish in the men’s javelin, was the culmination of a concerted effort to emphasize the event at Mizzou.
In college track and field, where rosters are large and scholarships are limited, athletes who can do multiple events indoors and outdoors are the most highly sought after. Javelin throwers don’t fit that mold. The event is held outdoors only, and javelin throwers compete sparingly — like starting pitchers in baseball — because it’s so taxing on the body.
Halter saw an opportunity to zig where the competition zagged and establish Mizzou as a destination for the javelin. It is the only event he coaches personally. Plus, Missouri is one of only 21 states that allows the javelin as a high school event, which provides Halter a good recruiting base.
“The javelin thrower feels a lot more valued here,” Halter says. “We’re just trying to keep it going: The Javelin Project.” — JW, BJ ’92
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM’S BREAKOUT YEAR
In the spring issue of MIZZOU, we reported Sophie Cunningham’s move to the Indiana Fever — a transition that has helped her flourish. Until her August injury, the WNBA star’s breakout 2025 season mixed career-best play, a viral moment and soaring visibility on and off the court. Cunningham, BS ’20, tallied some impressive stats.
8.6: Her points-per-game average, the best of her career.
30: Games played alongside Indiana Fever teammate Caitlin Clark before a torn MCL ended Cunningham’s season; she’s expected back in 2026.
1M: Followers gained after her viral June 17 “enforcer” moment defending Clark, which also sparked a rush on her jersey.
1M+: Her midseason follower totals each on TikTok and Instagram, among the WNBA’s largest.
$1M: Estimated brand boost from new deals with Adidas, Ring and Arby’s, which her agent called “very new territory.”
Scoreboard
2 Medals won by Collier Dyer at the 2025 USA Diving National Championship. Dyer, who is entering his senior year, placed third in the 1-meter and second in the 3-meter competitions.
6 Members of the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The inductees are Mike Alden, athletic director (1998–2015); Bob Brendel, administration (1980–2000); Sophie Cunningham, women's basketball (2015–19); Alyssa Munlyn, volleyball (2015–18); Brock Olivo, football (1994–97); and Kareem Rush, men’s basketball (1999–2002).
24 Number of seasons Andy Hill served as an assistant football coach at Missouri. Hill, who spent the past five years as an assistant special teams coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, announced his retirement from coaching on June 11.
27 AllAmericans in Mizzou softball history after catcher Julia Crenshaw earned Thirdteam honors in 2025. Crenshaw hit .361 with 14 home runs and 26 stolen bases in her senior season.
89 Number of Missouri student-athletes who recorded 4.0 GPAs in the spring 2025 semester. Overall, Tigers posted a 3.4 GPA in the spring.
Tiger javelin thrower Valentina Barrios, left, won women’s gold at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. Callan Saldutto placed third in the men’s competition.
Moments That Shape Centuries
A new era begins at the University of Missouri as Power the Roar launches with a $2 billion vision for education, discovery and service.
EVERY GREAT UNIVERSITY reaches a turning point when past, present and future meet. For Mizzou, Power the Roar is that moment: a $2 billion effort that channels alumni’s, donors’ and friends’ generosity into classrooms, labs and communities and invites donors to shape priorities.
“From its inception, Mizzou has been an institution built on generosity, and it’s inspiring to see donors, alumni and volunteers sustain that legacy through Power the Roar,” says Chris Smith, Mizzou’s vice chancellor for Advancement.
Power the Roar’s quiet phase launched July 1, 2022. As of press date, more than 61,000 donors across 50 states and 21 countries have given nearly $760 million — resulting
in Mizzou’s best fundraising year and fueling research, scholarships and partnerships.
Across 186 years, Mizzou has carried a land-grant promise not only statewide, but worldwide. Now, with Power the Roar, the university asks its community to imagine the next century and help build it.
In the stories that follow, glimpse that horizon. They outline a university in motion, guided by ambition, grounded in service, sustained by belief its finest chapters are ahead.
Priorities for Progress
Educate Future Leaders
Mizzou is where leaders are made. Preparing the next generation of changemakers, problem solvers and community builders is at the heart of our mission. With exemplary academic programs for more than 31,000 students and a global network of more than 370,000 alumni, we lead by example — teaching, volunteering and showing up for each other and the causes we believe in.
Save and Improve Lives
Bringing together top researchers and innovative facilities, Mizzou is driving lifesaving breakthroughs and delivering tomorrow’s treatments. By expanding our research power and investing in bold discoveries, our faculty and students are improving care across Missouri and creating solutions with global impact — bringing hope, healing and a healthier future for generations to come.
Build a Sustainable World
Every day, our faculty and students prove their power to reshape the world in extraordinary new ways. By harnessing strengths in engineering, agriculture and the sciences, they’re forging resilient, transformative solutions to the planet’s most urgent challenges — advancing sustainability, sparking new industries and driving economic opportunity.
Strengthen Communities
As a land-grant institution, we’re delivering real-world solutions across Missouri with a goal of doubling the state’s ag economy by 2030. Using advanced technology, research expertise and strong local partnerships in rural and urban communities, Mizzou is driving innovation in agriculture, rural health, workforce development and economic revitalization that reaches far beyond state lines.
Develop Champions
Life in the nation’s premier athletic conference means embracing competition, but it’s about more than winning. Through investments in coaching, facilities and student-athlete development, we’re preparing Tigers to excel on the field and in life, fostering leadership, determination and the skills needed to succeed and make a lasting impact in their communities.
THE ISOTOPE’S JOURNEY
From the very center of the MU Research Reactor to a patient’s room in Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, follow the life of lutetium-177 — a microscopic isotope with monumental impact.
When patients with prostate cancer first received a dose of Pluvicto at MU Health Care in 2023, they weren’t just getting one of the latest targeted cancer therapeutics. They were benefiting from decades of work performed by researchers, clinicians and technicians across the University of Missouri’s campus who made lutetium-177 (Lu-177) — the radioisotope in Pluvicto — a therapeutic reality. Lu-177 is a microscopic isotope on a monumental journey, from its production at the MU Research Reactor (MURR) to labs and treatment sites across campus, around the country and beyond. From its creation in the reactor to a patient’s bedside within about a week, Lu-177 has already changed lives.
STORY BY CHRIS BLOSE, MA ’03
At the Reactor: Birth of an Isotope
Power Core
AS OF 2025, MURR is the sole U.S. producer of Lu-177. Its roots with the isotope run much deeper: Mizzou researchers were among the first to identify its clinical potential in the early 2000s.
Since 2017, MURR has produced Lu-177 for:
• Academic researchers in the discovery phase, on campus and beyond
• Companion animal studies at Mizzou’s College of Veterinary Medicine
• Pharmaceutical partners developing therapies
• Clinical trials from preclinical through phase 3
Lu-177 is used in two FDA-approved targeted therapies available at MU Health Care and Ellis Fischel Cancer Center: Lutathera (2018) for neuroendocrine tumors and Pluvicto (2022) for metastatic prostate cancer. Both exist thanks to Mizzou’s work.
Molecular Promise
CAROLYN ANDERSON has been at Mizzou since 2020, with an office across the street from MURR. But her connections to Lu-177 go back decades. “Lutetium-177 is a fascinating story, and I get to be a part of it,” she says.
When Anderson — the Simón-Ellebracht Professor of Chemistry and associate director of Ellis Fischel Cancer Center — was at Washington University in St. Louis in the early 2000s, a colleague at a medical development company flagged Lu-177 as an intriguing therapeutic target. That colleague soon learned MURR was already producing and studying the isotope for the same reason.
Anderson’s lab began receiving shipments of Lu-177 from Rotterdam, Netherlands, where her team performed the dosing studies that would eventually lead to Lutathera. “It is a really interesting isotope for a researcher,” she says. “It’s very easy to produce, and it has a perfect half-life. It also has the perfect beta-minus energy, which is something we look for.”
MURR Snapshot
500,000
patients treated each year with MURR isotopes
59 years 10 megawatts
Now at Mizzou, Anderson is one of several researchers analyzing the potential of theranostics such as Lu-177 — treatments that combine therapeutics and diagnostics. Although it is primarily used in therapy, Lu-177 also has imaging capabilities for diagnosis. medical radioisotopes produced exclusively in the U.S. at MURR designated a Nuclear Historic Landmark of power — highestpower university research reactor in the nation of continuous operation
BACK-TO-BACK ACCOLADES
The Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award is one of the top prizes in nuclear medicine — and MU researchers have won it two years in a row:
2024: Carolyn Anderson, for her three decades of work on theranostics including Lu-177
2025: Wynn Volkert, Emeritus Distinguished Curators Professor, for a long career of invention and radiopharmaceutical development
Preparation and Targeting
From Molecule to Medicine
The half-life of Lu-177 is 6.6 days, so production, delivery and research all happen within about a week. At Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, those steps culminate in innovation trials and approved therapies.
MU Research Reactor
Academic labs, where Mizzou researchers are advancing cancer treatments, with Anderson’s team at the Life Sciences Center exploring new treatments and Jeffery Bryan leading early companion animal studies on Lu-177 in the 2000s.
MURR uses a high-flux neutron reactor to turn ytterbium-177 (Yb-177) into Lu-177 in a few hours via radioactive decay. The Lu-177 is separated from the Yb-177 and prepared for delivery to:
Clinical trial centers, which can range from early phase trials to post-approval trials to expand treatment options. For example, Gregory Biedermann, a radiation oncologist, helped lead “innovation track” trials for Pluvicto at Ellis Fischel in 2023.
Pharmaceutical partners, for development, clinical testing and eventually commercialization and distribution to medical centers. In some cases, those partners are co-located on campus at a place such as MURR’s incubator space.
Medical centers, including MU Health Care and Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, where Lutathera and Pluvicto — both FDA-approved targeted cancer therapies that use Lu-177 — are available. Together, they bring cuttingedge therapies from the lab to patients.
Theranostics is a field that combines therapy and diagnostics. Its treatments are built to attack cancer cells while sparing healthy ones, using two parts: a radioisotope and a targeting molecule that steers it to the right place.
Lu-177 works well because its 6.6-day half-life allows time for use, its beta-minus decay is
effective in treatment, and MURR can produce it at scale.
In Lutathera, Lu-177 is paired with dotatate, a small protein that latches onto receptors common in certain tumors, to treat neuroendocrine cancers. In Pluvicto, it’s paired with PSMA-617, which seeks out markers found on prostate cancer cells, to treat prostate cancer.
Cancer Cell
Clinical Delivery
Distribution for Discovery
MURR isotopes reach Missouri, the nation and the world.
From the heart of Missouri, MURR isotopes radiate outward in a constellation of discovery that spans the world. Each yellow point marks a place touched by their reach — more than 4,000 radioactive shipments in a year, including 1,000 that cross oceans and continents, alongside 2,000 non-radioactive packages. Together they carry cures, knowledge and possibility, transforming a single reactor in Columbia into a global engine of progress and hope.
A Select History of Lu-177
1907: Lutetium discovered by Georges Urbain, Carl Auer von Welsbach and Charles James
EARLY 2000S: MURR researchers and others identify the therapeutic potential of Lu-177
2001: Carolyn Anderson conducts toxicity studies with dotatate at Washington University
2000S–2010S: Studies confirm safety and efficacy, including work at Mizzou’s College of Veterinary Medicine
2017: MURR begins large-scale production; Lutathera approved in Europe
2018: Lutathera approved by FDA and offered at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center
2022: Pluvicto approved in the U.S. and Europe
2023: Pluvicto innovation trials held at Ellis Fischel
2025: More than 50 trials under way; MURR remains sole U.S. producer
Global MURR shipments
Patient Treatment and What’s Next
Nuclear Medicine’s Future
Demand and Supply
More than 50 trials are under way with Lu-177 and more than 2,000 with radioisotopes overall, which means rising demand for production.
Radioisotopes
MURR is the sole U.S. source of four cancertargeting isotopes, including Lu-177. The proposed NextGen MURR, rendered in the illustration above, will more than triple production capacity.
Talent
Mizzou’s infrastructure has attracted researchers such as Carolyn Anderson, and continued growth
Expanding the Path
The journey of lutetium-177 at Mizzou doesn’t end with today’s therapies. It continues with new capacity for the future. The university has broken ground on two additions to the MURR that will expand the nation’s supply of cancerfighting isotopes.
Together adding more than 29,000 square feet, the new wings will streamline operations and boost production of Lu-177. One will house three new production lines; the other will support further isotope manufacturing.
“MURR’s continued growth is essential to
will require experts across chemistry, nuclear medicine, veterinary medicine and data science.
Partnerships
From Lutathera and Pluvicto to Therasphere, Quadramet and Ceretec, MU partners with industry to bring discoveries to patients. NextGen MURR would expand incubator and commercialization space.
Infrastructure
Meeting demand means updated labs, expanded facilities and a true lab-to-clinic model for nuclear medicine.
Lu-177 and Beyond
Many isotopes are in focus at Mizzou, including:
• Lutetium-177 (Lu-177): Beyond approved therapies, researchers are testing the isotope for melanoma, blood cancers and more.
• Terbium-161 (Tb-161): Produced at MURR and studied by Carolyn Anderson and Heather Hennkens, with strong cancerfighting potential.
meeting the national demand for radioisotopes used in lifesaving, theranostics and cancerfighting drugs,” University of Missouri President Mun Choi said. “This investment will allow us to help many more patients across the country and around the world.”
“As the only reactor in the world that runs 52 weeks per year, we are a reliable source of these much-needed radioisotopes for patients, medical providers and the pharmaceutical industry,” said Matt Sanford, executive director of MURR. “The demand continues to grow, and these new additions will provide more capability to meet the needs of the nation.” M
• Copper-64 and Copper-77: Cu-64 is used mainly in imaging, while Cu-77 shows promise for treatment.
• Yttrium-90 (Y-90): A microspherebased therapy now in trials abroad aims to treat liver and colorectal cancers.
At the Missouri Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab, waste materials like tires and plastic are transformed into resilient roads with a brilliance that belies their origins.
the alchemy htaeneb
STORY BY DALE SMITH, BJ ’88 • PHOTOS BY ABBIE LANKITUS
Every year, contractors in the United States lay nearly 500 million tons of asphalt pavement. That’s enough to cover a two-lane road from New York to Los Angeles and back 20 times over. Hot, black and endlessly flowing, the asphalt migration is among the most massive material movements on the planet.
Another mass movement? Waste. Americans toss out roughly one tire per person annually and more than 35 million tons of plastics, including the grocery bags, thin wrap and lightweight bottles that pile up in bins or end up in landfills.
Punya Rath, PhD ’20, oversees research at the Missouri Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL). He describes such waste as “a huge mover of raw materials,” explaining that most discarded plastics and tires are polymers — which happen to be the same broad class of materials engineers use to strengthen asphalt mixtures. “We’ve worked toward replacing the virgin polymer with ground tire rubber and waste plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills,” Rath says, noting the lab’s philosophy of using finite materials judiciously and exploring “new ways of doing things that are not harming the planet.”
Rath’s mentor and colleague, MAPIL Director Bill Buttlar, is a leading pavement engineer and Glen Barton Chair in Flexible Pavements at Mizzou. Buttlar’s students know him as an award-winning teacher and guide. He shapes pavement practices worldwide through his research and organizational leadership, including at the International Journal of Road Materials and Pavement Design, where he is editor in chief at large. Under his leadership, MAPIL’s efforts range from developing sustainable materials and regional supply chains to testing, field trials and performance evaluations that support smarter road design and maintenance.
Rewriting the Recipe for the Road
The dark layer atop our roads consists of two main ingredients. Inexpensive and plentiful rock, referred to as aggregate, makes up about 95% by weight. The characteristic black binder is the costlier part. Asphalt, a thick and sticky byproduct of gas and oil production, glues the gravel together, but making a durable pavement requires additional ingredients. Depending on how engineers design the recipe, additives contribute to the pavement’s critical characteristics. Chief among them is resistance to forming ruts in the heat of summer and cracks in winter’s brittle cold. Asphalt binder is made at regional terminals, where it’s blended in large, heated tanks and trucked to asphalt plants for mixing with aggregate. Recycled materials such as plastic or rubber can be added in two ways: at the terminal with the binder (wet process) or at the plant with the aggregate (dry process).
MAPIL has advanced the dry method, which allows contractors to add recycled material directly to hot aggregate before the binder goes in. It’s often less costly and easier to manage. “Dry process is simpler logistically and generally cheaper,” Rath says. “It’s a low-bid industry, so dry process usually wins the job.” Much of the lab’s output focuses on helping contractors do better, more affordable and more sustainable work.
The Afterlife of Everyday Things
Recycling tires as a binder additive has been around since the 1960s. It fell from favor in the 1990s but has been making a comeback over the past decade or so, partly because of the dry process technology that MAPIL advocates, Rath says. Rubber suppliers remove the steel belts from old tires, then grind them into sand-sized particles and add a coating that helps the material combine with asphalt binder. One plant dedicated to this
process recently opened in Springfield, Missouri. Although tire rubber wears down somewhat after thousands of miles on the road, it remains a tough, durable material, Buttlar says. “When we add it to the hot gravel, now it has this really sturdy ingredient that reconstitutes, so we get more adhesive and a tougher adhesive.” Beyond that, rubber creates a smooth-riding surface that is far more durable than traditional blends. Buttlar says pavement typically has a 15- to 20-year life cycle before requiring substantial maintenance, but rubberized pavements can last twice as long before cracks and potholes need tending. That saves the governments that maintain the roads, and ultimately the taxpayers, money.
Waste-stream polyethylene plastic, which flows from plentiful sources — including hundreds of millions of grocery bags a year — has long seemed a natural choice to become the next big binder additive. It resists summer rutting well but is prone to cracking in winter. Helmut Leodarta, a MAPIL doctoral student with expertise
Stadium Boulevard features experimental pavement placed as part of MODOT’s evaluation process. “The proof is in the pudding,” says Punyaslok Rath, assistant research professor.
in chemical engineering, tackled the problem. “It needed another ingredient,” Buttlar says, “so we looked at soybean oils that were not food grade but perfect for industrial uses.”
Missouri is a big soybean producer, so the oil was handy. The supply chain for plastic, however, is still evolving. While Leodarta was doing his research, Buttlar got a tour of Aurora Organic Dairy in north Columbia. His son, Josh, BS BA ’23, is on Aurora’s management team.
Buttlar quickly discovered the plant sent its waste plastic to the landfill, so he pitched the idea of collecting and recycling it into local roads. Now the lab has developed a process (and a patentpending technology tentatively called Tiger Plas) to create blocks of plastic that are ground and incorporated into binder. Buttlar points out the closed-loop efficiency of transforming inexpensive local waste into Missouri roads. Lab results for the longevity of plastic are comparable to rubber, but plastic is far more plentiful, Buttlar says. “In a process similar to that used for rubber, let’s add recycled plastic to the asphalt mixture to save cost and divert waste from landfills while lengthening the roadway’s life. If we can stretch our money this way, maybe we can improve more infrastructure than we would otherwise.”
There’s no time to lose, he says. Even with less costly, higher performing pavements, fixing a massive network of roads could take a generation.
“We need to keep our chin up while we innovate and take joy in the null hypothesis. That’s a dead end you just closed. ”
Standards Written in Stone and Tar
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) typically spends up to five years evaluating new pavements before issuing specifications for contractors. “The proof is in the pudding,” Rath says, pointing to realworld tests on neighborhood streets in Kansas City and on MODOT projects along Columbia’s Stadium Boulevard and I-155 near Hayti, Missouri.
Jen Harper, BS CIE, ’99, MODOT’s research director, says these early-stage projects look promising. When her department needs information, MAPIL is one of only three labs in the state that can offer research-based answers. She adds that Mizzou’s expertise includes not only asphalt through MAPIL but also traffic, safety and hydrology elsewhere in the College of Engineering.
She likes that MAPIL’s approach considers both cost and sustainability. “MODOT has a strong interest in environmental responsibility that also helps make Missouri’s tax dollars go farther,” Harper says. “It appears we may be able to recycle plastic in asphalt binders. That’s attractive, and I hope we will be able to develop a specification contractors can use for this.”
Evaluating the success of new approaches has long meant sending people out to eyeball roads, score their condition and theorize about reasons for degradation. The possibility for human error is substantial.
One of Buttlar’s students, Hamed Majidifard, PhD ’21, set out to harness the ability of artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and details — anything from faces of people in an airport to power poles along the side of a road. Majidifard and the lab developed a suitcase-sized system (and a spinoff company called Tiger Eye
At Mizzou’s Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL), Bill Buttlar, Glen Barton Chair of Flexible Pavement Technology (left), and Punyaslok Rath, work side by side with MODOT to test and refine the pavements that shape Missouri’s roads.
Engineering) that can be attached to an SUV as its camera charts cracks, ruts, holes and other flaws it drives over.
Tiger Eye’s AI measures road flaws against international standards and presents the results for review. “The data create heat maps of problems,” Buttlar says. “Green means the road is nearly perfect. Red represents more severe cracking and rutting, and there’s yellow and orange in between.”
Engineers like to review individual sections — sometimes even frame by frame. “You could locate every pothole in a city or spot all of the cracks,” he says. The data also feed into sophisticated software for asset management, planning and budgeting. It greatly accelerates the process of evaluating roads and deciding what to do next.
Beyond serving the lab’s projects, Tiger Eye has clients across the U.S. and Canada. It also helps test new materials and building methods, Buttlar says. How does asphalt hold up compared to concrete? How thick a layer of pavement best balances cost and durability? Can contractors maintain quality when adding wax or other ‘warm mix’ compounds to the binder to lower the heat required, as well as emissions of volatile organic compounds?
MAPIL’s research philosophy blends innovation with real-world demand. To better understand what industry wants, lab members complete a seven-week National Science Foundation course on testing market interest and shaping ideas to fit. In 2022, the Tiger Eye team won its class in the competition.
Building Minds, Not Just Roads
Buttlar leads with more than four decades of know-how, but it’s his approach to bringing along young engineers that expands and perpetuates the lab’s accomplishments. Buttlar jokes that, as a student at Penn State in the 1980s, “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up.” He started in nuclear engineering, then realized he preferred physics over chemistry and pivoted to civil engineering.
That early shift informs how he mentors graduate students. “I’m receptive to them trying out various directions to discover where their interests and abilities lie.” He often forms teams of students who take on various roles as they identify real-world problems, write proposals for possible solutions, seek funding, analyze markets and test ideas in the field.
Creativity is a central feature at MAPIL, Buttlar says: “Engineers are by nature clever. They want to tear open the radio, tinker around and fix it.” But when the answer is unclear, it can be difficult to see the next step. The master has a deft touch at such moments, says Rath, who began studying under Buttlar a decade ago at the University of Illinois. “If you ask him about a problem, he can talk you through 20 ways to solve it. But he doesn’t micromanage. He gives you the creative freedom to figure things out yourself. That’s the only way you can develop your own style.”Sometimes, Buttlar’s job is to help young engineers recognize subtler forms of progress. “We need to keep our chin up while we innovate and take joy in the null hypothesis,” he says, referring to a test that shows nothing new. “That’s a dead end you just closed.”
The road ahead will demand more of these insights. For instance, take platooning: automated truck convoys that save fuel but strain pavement. With less time to recover between loads, today’s binders won’t hold up against it.
Buttlar isn’t worried, and he’s certainly not about to retire. “I’ve got plenty of fuel left in the tank, and there are too many problems.” What’s more, he says, his field is developing in exciting ways. Rather than looking at individual components, “We are starting to engineer whole systems. And AI is offering exciting possibilities. The pace of discovery is increasing rapidly.” M
STREET VIEW
University of Missouri researchers are using advanced technology to enhance the safety of the nation’s roads. This approach, focused on the most vulnerable road users — pedestrians and cyclists — could be used to help improve driver awareness, reduce accidents and better understand behavior in work zones.
In a recent study, a team led by Associate Professor Yaw Adu-Gyamfi and graduate student Linlin Zhang at Mizzou’s College of Engineering created a new method to understand how pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles interact, especially at traffic signals. This innovative approach, using a combination of light detection and ranging (lidar) and artificial intelligence, aims to addresses key issues in transportation safety and mobility.
Lidar uses a camera and a system of lasers to create a 3D view of objects, enabling experts to measure the distances and speeds of different objects, such as bicycles, cars and people.
“By having a better understanding of how pedestrians and cyclists interact with each other on the roads, this study will help us design advanced systems that will allow vehicles to better understand and avoid other road users. This is important especially as autonomous vehicles become more common,” Adu-Gyamfi said.
The information provided helps address a lack of available industry data on the interactions between cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles at traffic signals.
This technology can help spot close calls between cars and pedestrians, allowing experts to better understand how to prevent accidents. As it becomes more widely available, it could track how people and cars approach intersections and share that data with vehicles to improve safety.
PLOT FIXER THE
From county to county, MU Extension specialists such as Justin Keay carry the university’s promise into fields and families, planting knowledge that lasts.
Story by Tony Rehagen, BA, BJ ’01
Photos by Nicholas Andrusisian
Justin Keay, right, is a field specialist in horticulture for University of Missouri Extension in Pike County. Growers such as Peter Raith of Blue Skies Farms in Hannibal, Mo., rely on Extension specialists to promote sustainability, improve soil health and keep farms viable.
SMALL FARMING FAMILY IN WARREN COUNTY, just west of St. Louis, had a growing problem. They had developed a reputation among local consumers for their organically grown lettuce, and they generated significant revenue selling the leafy greens at area markets. Every year, the farmers would plant their lettuce on the same acreand-a-half patch of their 10acre property.
The problem? They couldn’t afford to rotate the crop or leave the land fallow. So with each passing year, the population of plant diseases increased as yields decreased. Because the farm was organic, the farmers couldn’t use soil fumigants of synthetic pesticides to keep pathogens at bay. They needed help. They called Justin Keay.
improving lives and strengthening communities, turning that reach into relevance.
Keay is a horticulture field specialist for MU Extension in nearby Pike County, where he provides research-based education and resources to farmers throughout a nine-county district.
The horticulturist is one of hundreds of specialists embedded in communities across Missouri through MU Extension, a statewide network that reaches all 114 counties and the City of St. Louis. Each year, its programs serve more than one million Missourians with guidance on everything from agriculture and health care to small business, disaster preparedness and youth development.
Together, these experts form a responsive, science- and data-driven infrastructure dedicated to
“How do we use this behemoth university to address local challenges?” says Chadwick Higgins, vice chancellor of extension and engagement at Mizzou. “You have to know what those challenges are. We ask. Then we match those challenges with academic expertise. Extension makes it the University for Missouri, not just the University of Missouri.”
Upon hearing the lettuce-grower’s problem, Keay remembered a report he had read recently about a process called anaerobic soil disinfestation. Essentially, the farmer tills a carbon source, such as wheat or rice bran, into the soil, saturating it and creating an oxygen-free environment, then sealing it up beneath a tarp.
The microbes that thrive on those anaerobic conditions break down that organic material and release different acids into the soil that kill the pathogens. “It’s not something I created, but I had heard about it,” Keay says. “So, when they came to me getting this disease pressure, I was like ‘This could be an option for you, if you can find a way to fit it into your system. It could be the thing that is make-orbreak for you to be able to keep doing what you’re doing.’”
The farmers were interested, so Keay called a researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Together, they worked through the particulars and formulated a plan that the lettuce farmers could implement to try and salvage their business.
SMALL FARMS, BIG STAKES
Thirty percent of Missouri farms are smaller than 50 acres in size, according to the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture. Roughly 20% of those are 10 acres or less. Because of increasing demand for fresh, locally grown food at restaurants, supermarkets, farmers markets and roadside stands, small farmers are finding a foothold with their produce, as well as a substantial secondary revenue stream — and in some instances, a significant primary income — from as little as one or two acres of land.
Large row-crop farms have built-in support from suppliers, co-ops, consultants, and seed and pesticide reps who constantly pitch new technology and research to boost yields. That kind of infrastructure doesn’t exist for small fruit and vegetable growers. “There are no consultants, crop scouters or company reps knocking on the vegetable grower’s door with solutions,” Keay says. “And Google can’t give them the answers they need.”
That’s where MU Extension comes in, connecting the university’s expertise with farmers, growers and agricultural communities throughout the state.
“We work with farms of all sizes, but we also know that food is medicine,” Higgins says. “We can help producers be more profitable and still take care of the land, air and water. If they say they want to be profitable at the farmers market, Justin can open those doors. If they want to be better gardeners, they can sign up for our Master Gardener program. If they just want to be better in tune with nature, we can help people make better decisions on their farms.”
More than just sharing the latest agricultural science, techniques, and philosophy, Keay also serves as a conduit through which these entrepreneurs can gain business insights that help
Where MU Extension Goes, Missouri Grows
This is how a landgrant university keeps its promise: local offices, trusted experts and hands-on help that works. Since 1914, MU Extension has carried university knowledge into Missouri communities.
1914 County Agents
Hit the Road
Agents ride trains and dirt roads to help farmers grow more with less. Today, they rely on satellite maps, climate data and ag tech.
1927
4-H Comes to Mizzou
Rural youth learn canning and judging. Today’s members build drones, lead civic projects and code.
1933 Missouri’s First Fire School
Fifty firefighters meet in Columbia for hose and pump training. More than 1,000 now attend each year, and today they prepare for realworld disasters.
1948 Law Enforcement Training Begins
One of the nation’s first police science programs has grown into today’s Law Enforcement Training Institute, which prepares officers statewide.
1955
County Councils Made Official State law gives citizens a voice in MU Extension priorities through elected councils in every county. Today those councils still guide the mission.
1984 Master Gardeners Take Root
Volunteers share horticulture knowledge in schools and neighborhoods. Today, they lead pollinator projects, compost clinics and community gardens statewide.
improve the financial and environmental sustainability of their farms. He often directs these farmers to grant and funding opportunities. And unlike Google, all Keay’s information is backed by research.
Keay says he often helps farmers identify tough problems, and when he doesn’t know the answer, he can call the researchers who do. “I can start with a question from a grower and go down the line to get the best answer they could get from anybody.”
“I have growers that I’ve worked with over the years, and I’ve seen their farms grow,” he adds. “The fact that I get to play a role in that growth is really rewarding.”
ROOTS AND ROUTES
Keay has marveled at watching things grow since he was a child. His great grandfather ran a produce wholesale business. At his Spanish Lake home just north of St. Louis, he had a truck-patch garden where he grew vegetables, some of which he sold from a little roadside stand. The rest he cooked in the Sicilian tradition of his ancestors.
The time spent outdoors instilled in Keay a keen sense of stewardship. After attending St. Louis Community College for two years, he transferred to Washington University in St. Louis and earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. Focusing on ecology and environmental policy but without a clear career trajectory, Keay started working for natural foods grocers, including Whole Foods and Wild Oats Market in the St. Louis metro area. He also had a friend who gardened a lot, and Keay often ended up in the dirt helping him.
“There’s something extremely rewarding about growing food in sync with nature and providing people with a freshness and quality they’d never experienced before.”
sold shares of his harvest and distributed them to members through the season. He quickly fell in love with farming.
This was around 2007, when a local food movement was taking root across the country, especially in urban areas, where people were planting gardens, keeping bees and raising chickens. Those who couldn’t grow their own packed farmers markets and joined Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. Keay and a friend saw an opportunity.
They rented land in Ferguson, Mo., bought a beat-up pickup and a tiller, and planted organic vegetables — carrots, peppers, eggplant, kale, collard greens, broccoli and beets — to sell at the local market. After he and his wife bought a house with land in Florissant, Mo., Keay expanded with his own CSA, where he
“I love learning, and with farming, you’re learning every day just through observation,” he says. “I was turning to university publications, and my bookshelf was insanely filled with different farming books; there’s something extremely rewarding about growing food in sync with nature and providing people with a freshness and quality they’d never experienced before.”
Keay’s pursuit of farming knowledge led him to Lincoln University Extension in Jefferson City, where he attended events, conferences and training workshops. He saw how academic research and networks could make a meaningful difference in the lives of small farmers like himself. He earned a master’s
degree in sustainable agriculture from Lincoln and worked as a research technician on one of the university’s farms until the commute from St. Louis became too much.
In 2018, one of MU Extension’s horticulture positions opened in St. Louis. He took the role, then transferred in 2022 to Pike County. His St. Louis work focused on home gardeners and MU Extension volunteer groups, while his new position put him in the middle of Missouri farming country, where he helps commercial growers—some generational, others new— solve real-world problems.
THE LAND-GRANT PROMISE
The University of Missouri was founded as a land-grant institution with the mission of improving lives, communities and economies through, in part, extension services. The state’s farmers face different problems than those in the 19th century.
Keay says one of the biggest challenges is competition from unreliable online sources and modern “farm influencers” on social media. He reminds growers that the information
Tomatoes thrive on a small Missouri plot. Roughly 20% of the state’s farms are 10 acres or less, and with growing demand for local produce at restaurants, supermarkets, farmers markets and roadside stands, many small farmers are turning just a few acres into steady income.
1997 Show-Me-Select
Heifers
Hit the Market
Farmers learn to improve herd genetics. Today, verified heifers set the statewide standard at auction barns each season.
2019
he and MU Extension provide is backed by research and expertise, with no agenda beyond the university’s land-grant mission to improve the stability of their farms.
He also uses technology to reach farmers. Sometimes that means corralling 180 growers into a Zoom class about a new method, other times sending regulatory updates or pointing them toward grants and funding opportunities. He created the Missouri Produce Growers Video Newsletter to connect farmers to education and resources. “Many growers don’t have other produce growers in their area,” Keay says. “MU Extension creates networking opportunities that no one else can.”
Still, he prefers being in the field. His favorite part of the job is running on-farm workshops on topics such as pest management, climatesmart practices and soil health. He also values one-on-one visits, where he can hear growers’ goals and help them build knowledge and confidence. For Keay, it’s another way to watch seeds he’s planted flourish.
“Mizzou is everywhere — we take the programs to where they are,” Higgins says. “One of the main reasons we are so successful is that we’re not just distributing unbiased scientific information, but that our faculty and staff also live in these communities. They raise their families there, go to church there. They are invested in helping their neighbors.” M
The Broadband Initiative Launches Counties map internet gaps and chase infrastructure funds. Those maps today unlock millions in federal support for rural broadband projects.
2020 The Pivot
When the pandemic halts face-to-face programs, MU Extension shifts to Zoom classes, drive-up demos and online field days across Missouri. Today, that adaptability is ingrained.
2025
Nutrition Education Reaches 1.2 Million Missourians Extension delivers classes statewide and supports 800+ school and community gardens.
H E P R O T O T Y P E
Jeremy Maclin didn’t just put Mizzou on the map. He put it in the minds of recruits.
TONY REHAGEN, BA, BJ ’01
PAUL NORDMANN
DEEP
IN THE WINDOWLESS maze of Kirkwood High School’s athletics building, Pioneers head football coach Jeremy Maclin strides down the hallway with a plastic shopping bag in his grip. He cuts through the gym and ducks into the musty football locker room. There, outside his office, two assistants wait with several dirt-caked footballs and a handheld power drill armed with a stiff-bristled brush. The appliance appears to be out of juice.
The assistants are “mudding” the footballs, a process in which they pack new pigskins in a thin layer of special clay-like rubbing mud. Once the balls are dry, the assistants brush the dirt off, leaving the once shiny and slick leather softer, tackier, and easier to grip. In essence, the process makes the balls tougher and more durable. Maclin reaches into the bag, pulls out a replacement battery for the drill and his assistants get back to their task.
Sitting behind a printout-strewn desk in his cluttered closet of an office, Maclin shows no scars or outward signs of wear. But at 37, he has endured his own breaking-in process to get to this position. As a student at Kirkwood High, Maclin grew up without his biological father. He relied on the generosity of a surrogate family, the selflessness of a caring but overwhelmed mother and the guidance of two older brothers to become a two-time All-American at Mizzou and an NFL Pro-Bowler.
Then he started over, in a sense, returning to his high-school alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach who worked his way up to the top job. “Everything just kind of fell into place,” he says. “Our head coach retired. I said, ‘You know what?
I love it. Let’s full send it.’ Now I’m heading into my fifth year.”
Returning to Missouri also has helped Maclin reconnect with his alma mater, where he was enshrined to the Football Ring of Honor in 2023. He’s excited about the direction of Mizzou Athletics, he says, especially the football program.
Maclin is a living symbol of the program’s own “mudding” process. He played in an era when Tiger coaches were trying to convince athletes, particularly kids from the talent hotbed of St. Louis, that Mizzou had transitioned from an NFL afterthought into a viable launching pad for top prospects to pursue a professional career. In this way, Maclin might be as important to today’s Missouri football team as he was when he was catching passes and returning kicks.
“To build a program, you need athletes to sell it,” says Cornell Ford, assistant coach at Mizzou from 2001 to 2019. He recruited Maclin and dozens of Tigers after him. “You can go anywhere in the country and talk to recruits about our players, but you have to have a name. That name was Jeremy Maclin. A lot of kids out of state don’t know anything about Missouri. But they know Jeremy Maclin.”
MACLIN UNDERSTANDS how a young football player growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s might not have known much about Mizzou. He was one of them.
Living barely 90 minutes east of Columbia, Maclin was aware of the Tigers and their Big 12
rivalries with Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas. But those were the days when fans tore down the goalposts in celebration of beating a 2-9 Baylor team (1997) to clinch eligibility in a throwaway bowl game. The arrival of head coach Gary Pinkel in 2001 started a change in culture, but it was a gradual shift.
Meanwhile, Maclin was more of an NFL fan. His interest in football came through two older brothers, who both played. It was just one of many things he learned through his siblings as the three Maclin boys grew up without a father. “I had a lot of uncles who were very constant in my life, but when it came down to it, it was me and my two brothers,” Maclin says. “We were fending for ourselves, learning the ropes, and learning how to carry ourselves and be men.”
When Maclin was 15 and entering high school as a standout athlete in basketball and football, he came to a crossroads. He had grown close to another family, Jeff and Cindy Parres and their two sons. Maclin was friends with the boys, and Jeff had coached them in Pee Wee football when they were 9. Maclin’s biological mother saw the opportunity for her youngest son to focus on his future with a bit more stability and safety.
With her blessing, Maclin moved in with the
Jeremy Maclin — from Kirkwood to Columbia to the NFL. Opposite page: Maclin as a standout wide receiver for the Kirkwood Pioneers. Top: He starred as a Tiger before leaving for the NFL after two years. Right: Maclin went on to earn Pro Bowl honors with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“You can go anywhere in the country and talk to recruits about our players, but you have to have a name. That name was Jeremy Maclin.”
Parreses. “His mom was a hard-working lady doing the best she could,” Ford says. “I think the move gave him a foundation to transition out of the rough upbringing he’d had, where he could grow up and be a kid. [The Parreses] weren’t trying to replace his family, they were just trying to give him a good home life.”
On the field, Maclin blossomed into a top wide receiver prospect: a two-time First-team AllState player, listed as one of the Top 3 Missouri recruits in 2005, sought after by every major football school. The suitors included Ohio State, Nebraska and Notre Dame, but he initially declared his intent to become an Oklahoma Sooner. Ford, however, never gave up on the hopes of keeping this St. Louis blue chip in-state.
“We were just starting to turn a corner as a program,” Ford says. “A lot of in-state kids felt like they couldn’t stay in Missouri and be successful. Top programs like Oklahoma felt like they could come in and take whoever they wanted. I kept chipping away at Jeremy. He kept coming to games. Eventually, he started wearing Mizzou colors. I knew we had him when I saw him in black-and-gold Air Jordans. Kids don’t put that much money into Jordans if they’re not serious.”
Maclin arrived in Columbia in 2006 with high expectations, but he injured his knee during a drill in the last practice of the summer. His freshman season ended days before it was set to begin. When he debuted the following year, Maclin wasted no time in making his presence felt with two
At 15, Jeremy Maclin moved in with the Parres family, who, along with his mother and brothers, gave him stability as he rose at Kirkwood High. At Mizzou, he became a two-time consensus Firstteam All-American before NFL scouts came calling. Top right: Now head coach of the Kirkwood Pioneers, he has 31 wins in four seasons. Above: On the field, Maclin draws on lessons from Mizzou to coach, mentor and guide his players’ futures.
touchdowns in the season opener against rival Illinois, including a dazzling 66-yard punt return. Maclin was just one standout in a stellar cast that also featured quarterback Chase Daniel; tight ends Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman; safety William Moore; wideout Danario Alexander and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon.
The team went on to win 12 games, the first time Mizzou had won more than nine since 1969, culminating with a victory over Kansas that vaulted the Tigers to their first No. 1 ranking in 47 years. Maclin compiled 2,776 all-purpose yards, the most ever by a freshman in NCAA Division I-A history. He earned consensus First-team All-American honors.
He received the same honor the following year after helping Missouri earn a 10-4 record, back-to-back Big 12 North Division titles and a second-straight bowl win. By now, Maclin’s talent was getting the attention of NFL scouts, many of whom pegged him as a potential firstround pick. Maclin, a redshirt sophomore, had a decision to make. “I didn’t want to leave,” he says. “Mizzou was a place I could call home, a place that meant a lot to me.”
Maclin went to Pinkel for advice. Riding high on his recent success, with everything personally to gain by keeping his star receiver in Columbia for one more year, his coach was honest. “Maclin’s decision was not an easy one,” says then assistant coach Andy Hill, who was in the room. “He came in and asked if he should leave. Coach Pinkel told him, ‘If you were my son, I’d tell you to go. You’re ready.’ ”
Maclin returned to his high school alma mater as a volunteer coach and worked his way to the top job. “Everything just kind of fell into place,” he says. Back in Missouri, he’s also reconnected with Mizzou, where he was added to the Football Ring of Honor in 2023.
THE FOLLOWING SPRING, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Maclin as the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was only the second first-rounder out of Mizzou since 1987. He’d go on to build a nine-year professional career, highlighted by a Pro Bowl selection in 2014. Meanwhile, Mizzou’s in-state recruiting, especially in St. Louis, gained momentum,
Human Highlight Reel
Despite playing only two seasons, Jeremy Maclin’s career numbers rank among Mizzou’s all-time best.
with top prospects such as Sheldon Richardson, Dorial Green-Beckham, Terry Beckner, Jr. and Luther Burden III choosing to stay close to home and become Tigers. All except GreenBeckham (Springfield) came from the St. Louis metro area, as did other standouts including Brady Cook and Cody Schraeder.
Career receptions
Single-season receptions
Single-game receptions
Career receiving yards
Single-season receiving yards
Career receiving touchdowns
Single-season receiving touchdowns
Part of this is because of the program’s return to national prominence; part is because, since Maclin’s playing days, Mizzou has produced eight first-round NFL picks and nine secondrounders. Maclin deserves partial credit for these accomplishments. “When you go out to recruit and you haven’t done much, you tell players, ‘You’ll do this; you’ll do that,” Hill says. “When you’ve had a Jeremy Maclin, you can tell them, ‘You can do this, because we’ve done it. This could be your path as well.’”
Since taking up the head job at Kirkwood, Maclin has seen his own success, with 31 wins in just four seasons — quite an accomplishment for a public high school in a St. Louis football scene dominated by private schools that cherry-pick talent. Maclin draws on his experience at Mizzou when shaping his student athletes, whether he’s teaching them to run a route, encouraging them in their studies, or teaching them the proper way to “mud” footballs. And when it comes to helping his stars decide on their future, Maclin does his best to emulate his own coaches at Mizzou.
“Mizzou was right for me, but I want what’s best for them,” he says, back in his office, drillbrush whirring in the background. “I want them to go where they feel most comfortable, where they can not only excel as an athlete, but also excel as a young man.” M
MIZZOU MAGAZINE FALL 2025
STORY BY MARA REINSTEIN, BJ ’98
| PHOTOS BY ABBIE LANKITUS
IfKerri McBee-Black, MS ’96, PhD ’20, assistant professor of Textile & Apparel Management, says classroom lessons come alive through industry partnerships.
“This opportunity went way beyond theory and lecturing from a textbook. You’re working with people in the industry.”
YOU HAPPEN TO be in The Mizzou Store this season, be on the lookout for Textile & Apparel Management assistant professor Kerri McBeeBlack. She’ll be in a special section scooping up the Champion-brand sweatshirts, hoodies and T-shirts that feature ret-
ro-looking Mizzou graphic designs and patchwork.
“I have to buy it all,” she says. “And I have an inside line because my son works there, and he can tell me when they all arrive.”
She’s not just speaking as a proud longtime faculty member. Students in her fall 2024 Textile & Apparel Management (TAM) 3480 Technical Design class created all the Champion graphics for the apparel. The project was part of Mizzou’s partnership with the popular sportswear brand.
A literal hands-on learning experience, the program — unique to Mizzou — offers students the chance to work on everything from conceptu-
alization to designs to distribution plans. At the semester’s end, they present their ideas to a panel of judges that picks the winning designs. The reigning champs: just-graduated TAM alumni Sabra Brockhouse, BS ’25, and Chloe Horstman, BS ’25, and Emma Volk, BS ’25.
The student-designed limited-edition items, part of Champion’s College Vault Collection, are available in The Mizzou Store under studentmade signage. They can be bought online as well. The designs feature an elevated chenille patch showcasing a satin twill “1839” and a chenille tiger, applied across a range of apparel. The first wave of the collection debuted in the spring; new clothes will be rolled out throughout the fall season.
From Champion’s perspective, the collaboration serves as an opportunity to teach students invaluable business skills. “We’re giving them a taste of a very niche part of the fashion market,” says Brooke Stafford, BS ’16, a Champion product analyst who served as a liaison between the students and her staff. “We can update our vintage looks with a student’s eye and see what they’re looking for because we’re giving them the reins.”
The vintage line also fosters some old-fashioned school spirit. “I already have a closet full of stuff from previous years,” boasts McBee-Black, MS ’96, PhD ’20. “And then I’ll post everything on my social media channels, and my friends will ask me to help them get a T-shirt or sweatshirt. It all just makes me so happy.”
From Pitch to Production
The Champion partnership initially was conceived by Sonja Derboven, the director of licensing and brand management at Mizzou. “We have a really great Textile & Apparel Management program here,” she explains. “And I wanted to create an experience that would make the connection between the classroom and one of the biggest global fashion brands.”
In 2022, she pitched her idea to the powersthat-be at Champion, “the obvious idea because they’re one of our apparel partners and very recognizable.” Much to Derboven’s delight, the company was receptive and jumped aboard.
As Stafford explains it, she and her team were intrigued by the prospect of working with a specific demographic — and, as a bonus, activating the brand on campus. “We saw the value in it because we like to connect back to universities,” she says. “And the students could understand the business that we’re trying to sell into.”
Indeed, Champion, which launched in 1919, has drawn interest from Millennials and Gen Zers riding a wave of nostalgia for retro sports brands in recent years. Selena Gomez posed in a cozy Champion crewneck sweatshirt in 2023.
With a firm “yes” in hand, Derboven then approached McBee-Black. The two brainstormed how to incorporate the program and decided to offer it to the upper-level students in her Technical Design class starting in fall 2020. “This opportunity went way beyond theory and lecturing from a textbook,” McBee-Black says “You’re working with people in the industry and seeing what they deal with every day.”
The 2024 iteration began with a project launch day in which all 17 students in the class visited Champion headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas to see where the magic happens. Not only did they tour the renowned company’s graphic design studio, decorations facility and showrooms, but they also learned the ins-and-outs of how to create a successful product. “We gave them a whole presentation,” Stafford says. “What is it we do? What is our process? What are we asking them to do with this project?”
The Champion team also officially tasked the students with their mission: Take blank garments and design a series of retro Mizzou-logo styles across men’s, women’s and youth clothes that would be onbrand. The goal, Stafford adds, was
to give these styles a fresh look.
“I wanted to create an experience that would make the connection between the classroom and one of the biggest global fashion brands in the world.”
Throughout the semester, Stafford — along with the brand, tech design and creative design teams — met with the students over Zoom every few weeks to see their works-in-progress, answer pressing questions and offer constructive feedback. “This is a real-world setting,” she says, “so our graphics designer would say something like, ‘I like it, but the design needs to be pushed up higher above the belly.’ Or, ‘That’s cool, but the art is too big for the garment.’ ”
The Champion staffers delivered honesty with good reason: “The process teaches the students how to receive a critique and not take it personally,” Stafford says. “It just
Brooke Stafford, BS ’16, a product analyst with Champion, partnered with Mizzou students to give them hands-on experience in a niche part of the fashion market. “We can update our vintage looks with a student’s eye and see what they’re looking for because we’re giving them the reins.”
Mizzou students kicked off the 2024 project with a visit to Champion’s headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas, where they toured design studios, showrooms and production facilities before being tasked with creating retro Mizzoulogoed apparel.
helps better the product to meet what we’re looking for. It’s a mirror as to what it’s like to work in our industry.”
McBee-Black supported the students as their de facto project manager.
“I wanted to make sure they were learning the proper terminology so that they could communicate effectively and efficiently with the folks at Champion,” she says. During her own communications with the company, “I wanted to manage expectations because sometimes they wanted to do things that students didn’t have the ability to do in their time frame. So it was a constant negotiation and mediation to accommodate both parties.”
Judgment Day
In December, the students presented their final logos and designs to a panel that included Derboven, Stafford, Champion lead designer of graphic design Brittany Lewis and Champion senior technical apparel designer Erin Reilly. Cristy Allmeyer, BS BA ’06, the senior associate director of merchandise management for stores in
the University of Missouri System, sat in as well. (McBee-Black recused herself from judging and observed for grading purposes.)
“The presentations were awesome!” Derboven says. She describes the students as being “excited about the opportunity to have their product in The Mizzou Store, so they’re engaged and really creative. It’s so fun to see.” McBee-Black is still raving about her students’ work: “I was blown away. As a professor, I just get chills knowing they were so committed and serious to the project.”
Together, the group made their selections based on current trends. “The winning designs have a vintage feel because throwback types of sports like tennis and pickleball are really in right now,” McBee-Black says.
Derboven explains that store buyers were so impressed by the options that they ended up choosing an assortment of selections from many of the class participants because they anticipated the products would be “embraced by the Mizzou crowd.”
There’s certainly a lot to cheer about. Stafford says ever since the special Mizzou-branded
“No other university offers this specific program or this specific
collaboration.
It’s become a major part of the students’ classroom experience.”
clothes first appeared in The Mizzou Store in 2023, multiple styles sold-through completely and required re-orders from Champion. Derboven notes that sales have progressively increased overall. “The bookstore has continued to buy in at bigger inventory levels than the year before,” she says. “So there’s been obvious success.”
And beyond the numbers? “The project has taken on a life of its own,” Derboven boasts. The students are excited, and we try to highlight them as much as we can on social media and show that Mizzou can collaborate with a global brand name.”
Designs on the Future
The current Student Made Collection will carry fans through next year as Champion takes a planned pause during the 2025–2026 academic calendar to strategize and enhance the program. Derboven anticipates the partnership will relaunch in fall 2026 with an even more dynamic experience for students.
“No other university offers this specific program or this specific collaboration,” she says. She adds that Mizzou’s licensing office has won industry awards for the program. “It’s become a major part of the students’ classroom experience. And it’s a great opportunity to tell prospective students about
it and elevate us, because we’re leading the way in putting together this kind of cutting-edge project.”
For Stafford, the project’s triumph occurs every time young consumers proudly wear that black and gold. “The success comes from the students. I think it’s really cool to have students who have designed things for you,” she says. “They know what they want to see on campus and have the pulse on the university and the student body. There’s a deeper connection to real people wearing our products.”
After all, the right design will never go out of style.
“Our entire discipline is focused on an industry that is very real-world,” McBee-Black says. “Everybody has to wear clothes.” M
Mizzou students showcased their designs during the final competition in December, presenting to a judging panel that included Champion designers, alumni and university staff. “I was blown away,” says McBee-Black.
Eli Drinkwitz’s sixth season as Missouri’s football coach has been full of firsts.
It’s his first season in college sports’ revenue-sharing era, his first time playing — and defeating — rival Kansas and his first year without quarterback Brady Cook on the roster.
Over the past three seasons, Cook and Drinkwitz became intertwined after the QB landed the starting gig in 2022. He signed with Mizzou a month before Drinkwitz was hired, and in 2023 and 2024 the duo took the program to some of its greatest heights.
Cook held onto his starting job despite several transfer quarterbacks competing for the spot. He finished his career No. 2 in wins for a Tiger starting quarterback, trailing only Chase Daniel. Drinkwitz, who had just one year as a head coach at Appalachian State before coming to Columbia, proved the job wasn’t too big for him, and that he could adapt to the ever-changing college landscape.
He’s had to adjust to life without Cook, but so far, it’s been a smooth transition. Beau Pribula has the Tigers off to a hot start and recently led the Tigers biggest comeback win in a decade. And it was versus Kansas.
“There’s a lot to improve on, but in the biggest moments, in the toughest times on fourth down, he was nails,” Drinkwitz said of Pribula after the Kansas game.
The team is looking to make history by pursuing its third consecutive 10-win season for the first time ever. It’s doing so with a mix of familiar faces and transfers, including a few former recruits who got away the first time. “Something to Prove” has been the program’s mantra under Drinkwitz, and despite going 21–5 the past two seasons, the Tigers were picked to finish 12th in the Southeastern Conference’s preseason poll.
For Drinkwitz, it’s just another form of motivation.
“There’s also something to prove at the University of Missouri,” he said during a
July news conference. “Whether you’re proving that to yourself or proving that to outside noise or you’re proving it to your brothers that they were right to believe in you.”
The Tigers started the season 2-0 with a 61-6 trouncing over Central Arkansas followed by that victory over Kansas, 43-21. After the win, the squad eked into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time this season.
New Faces, Familiar Formula
Although Mizzou has a new quarterback in Pribula, the Tigers’ offense
boasts plenty of returning players, with a handful of impact transfers mixed in.
To protect Pribula, the Tigers have returned center Connor Tollison, who tore his ACL nine games into the 2024 season, and lineman Cayden Green, a preseason All-SEC choice who hails from Lee’s Summit.
At wide receiver, Josh Manning, another Kansas City-area product, and Marquis Johnson, a proven deep threat, hope to offset the loss of Luther Burden III, who is now a Chicago Bear. To replace Burden, Missouri landed another wide-
out from St. Louis in Kevin Coleman Jr. Missouri has been ahead of the curve nationally in name, image and likeness as former Tiger Kurtis Gregory, BS ’08, MS ’09, helped pass a state law in December that allows high school recruits to start getting paid immediately upon signing with an in-state school. It helped Missouri secure player commitments, but the Tigers’ NIL operations also have allowed them to be aggressive in the transfer portal.
The Tigers landed running back Ahmad Hardy from Louisiana-Monroe
University and Coleman from Mississippi State. Coleman hails from St. Louis and committed to Deion Sanders and Jackson State out of high school but has returned to his home state to finish his college career.
Even with these high-impact transfers, a true freshman might end up turning heads at receiver.
“I think Donovan Olugbode is going to be a guy that we’re going to be really excited about and can’t wait to watch him continue to grow,” Drinkwitz says.
The Tigers have the offensive talent,
Above left: Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz, now in his sixth season leading the Missouri Tigers. Top right: Senior defensive end Zion Young anchors the Tigers’ front. Above: Junior wide receiver Marquis Johnson brings his playmaking speed to the offense.
but who would lead them after Cook’s departure remained a question going into the season. The team entered camp ready for a QB battle between Pribula and Sam Horn, a redshirt junior. Before committing to the Tigers, Pribula backed up Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar on a team that won two games in the College Football Playoff.
Horn, out of Collins Hill High School
in Georgia, excelled as a pitcher for the baseball Tigers before being drafted in the 17th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in July and signing soon after. His bid to be the Tigers’ starting quarterback, however, ended in the first quarter of the season opener against Central Arkansas when he injured his right leg.
“Sam has an injury that’s going to keep him out for an extended period of
Left: Cayden Green, offensive lineman, entered 2025 as Mizzou’s highest-rated player in Madden ’26, a preseason All-SEC pick and a name to watch on several national award lists. Right: Quarterback Beau Pribula has the Tigers’ offense humming after earning the starting job.
time,” Drinkwitz said before the Kansas game. “I’m not going to get into specifics, but he will be out.”
Pribula managed the offense without issue through the first two games. He threw for 617 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns, making it look easy in the process.
“When you see that guy staying calm, you got no worries,” Coleman said after the Jayhawks victory. “Confidence is everything. We saw the confidence he was coming with, the energy he was bringing. So we all just stayed poised.”
Pribula has kept the offense humming despite the loss of Burden. Against Kansas, Coleman emerged as the quarterback’s favorite target, hauling in 10 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. Olugbode started to make Drinkwitz’s comments seem prophetic with a spectacular one-handed catch on fourth down, to say nothing of tight end Brett Norfleet’s pair of touchdowns.
“There’s a lot of trust with all the tight ends, receivers and running backs because they work extremely hard, and we have a really good connection,” Pribula said after the Kansas game. “I have a lot of belief in them, and vice versa, and anytime you have that it’s really big for the connection.”
It was a hard-fought game, the quarterback added, “and we got better today as a team. Anytime you play a good opponent like Kansas — props to them for battling through — I think it just makes us better.”
The Strength Up Front
On the other side of the ball, the Tigers keep seven starters from a defense that ranked in the top 20 a year ago, headlined by experienced seniors on the line in Zion Young, Chris McClellan and Sterling Webb. With them is a pair of Georgia transfers, Damon Wilson and Darris Smith. Wilson was one of the
most sought-after players in the transfer portal. Linebacker Josiah Trotter is behind the linemen. He was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year at West Virginia before transferring to Missouri.
“I think our front seven players are going to be the strength of our team,” Drinkwitz said during the preseason. “I think obviously we’re going to have the ability to affect the passer with our defensive end position, stop the run with our D tackles and linebackers. I think Josiah Trotter has really had a great summer as far as leadership and establishing himself as somebody that we can count on.”
Playing alongside Trotter is a linebacker the Tigers didn’t expect to see again. Triston Newson exhausted his eligibility with the team at the end of the 2024 season, but Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s successful lawsuit seeking to eradicate junior college time from a player’s NCAA eligibility clock gave Newson another year with the Tigers.
He’s joined by another fifth-year Tiger in Daylan Carnell, who will anchor the team’s secondary alongside Marvin Burks, another St. Louis native. Drinkwitz also speaks highly of safety Jalen Catalon, who will finish his career at Mizzou after playing for Arkansas, Texas and UNLV. The safety was a first-team all-conference selection in both the SEC (2020) and the Mountain West (2024).
“ This is the Missouri that I’ve always dreamed of and believed in. This should be the expectation moving forward. It’s not just about beating Kansas. It’s about being like this all the time.”
— Eli Drinkwitz
Cook, Burden, Johnny Walker and Kristian Williams were among the team’s most prominent recent leaders, and Drinkwitz says it’s been a collective effort to replace the Tigers’ main influences in the locker room.
“I’ve been really proud of Khalil Jacobs, Josiah Trotter, Daylan Carnell, as he continues to emerge,” Drinkwitz says. “I think all the quarterbacks have done a really good job. Brett Norfleet, Jamal Roberts, Josh Manning — their consistency shines through.”
Rivalry Reignited, Standards Raised
When the Border Showdown returned on Sept. 6 for the first time since Mizzou left for the SEC, it unfolded at Faurot Field. From 2007 to 2011, the rivalry had made its home at Arrowhead Stadium.
Drinkwitz started preparing for the game early in the season. He had Jim Spain, Mizzou’s longtime provost of undergraduate studies, speak to the team about the rivalry’s history while former player and longtime assistant coach Andy Hill spoke about its emotional significance.
The stands at Memorial Stadium donned the black and gold Tiger stripe to welcome the school’s long-time rival for the first time in a decade and a half. The reduced stadium seating for renovations did nothing to subtract from the rowdiness of the crowd.
The Tigers trailed 21-6 at the end of the first quarter but outscored the Jayhawks 36-10 the rest of the game. KU cashed in on Pribula’s early fumble, but he more than made up for it, throwing three touchdowns and totaling 334 yards passing. Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts combined to rush for 255 yards and Coleman emerged as Pribula’s favorite target. Roberts’ 63-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes served as the game’s dagger and kept the War Drum trophy in Columbia.
“This is the Missouri that I’ve always dreamed of and believed in,” Drinkwitz said after the game. “This should be the expectation moving forward. It’s not just about beating Kansas. It’s about being like this all the time.”
Kansas was the second of eight home games for a Tiger team that hopes to break through to the College Football Playoff for the first time after finishing on the outside looking in the past two seasons.
The win over Kansas is the most recent of Drinkwitz’s many triumphs, a run that has taken the program to unprecedented heights — from top-20 recruiting classes to a record eight Tigers invited to the 2024 NFL Combine. Now he’s pushing to raise the program’s ceiling and do what no Missouri coach has ever done: Earn three consecutive 10-win seasons.
At the SEC press conference in July, defenseman Carnell said Drinkwitz had already started using the three straight double-digit seasons in conversations with the seniors such as him and Tollison. If they pull it off, it will make Drinkwitz’s 2021 recruiting class the winningest in school history.
The rest of Missouri’s season will be defined by the coach’s ability to mesh the transfers with his returners and manage Pribula’s skills in and outside of the pocket. Although the coach and the Tigers are chasing history, he believes the next step for the program is to make its recent success routine.
“It’s all about consistency,” Drinkwitz says. “The next step is to try to replicate the success and do it just a little bit better. What you did last year doesn’t translate to success this year. You have to continue to apply that process.” M
Friday Night
EAT
Addison’s: Co-founded by a Mizzou alumnus, a downtown mainstay that serves inviting American fare in a lively, welcoming atmosphere.
Barred Owl Butcher & Table: Local meats, sharp cocktails and a menu that rewards curiosity.
in CoMo 48 Hours
Your weekend playbook for eating well, catching up and soaking in Columbia’s Homecoming spirit.
Columbia always rolls out the black-and-gold carpet for Homecoming weekend, but it shines brightest when old friends come back to town. From Friday night cocktails and zero-proof pours to Sunday morning bagels, the city’s restaurants, bars and gathering spots feel like one big reunion party. This year marks Mizzou’s 114th Homecoming since the tradition began in 1911, continuing one of the longest-running celebrations of its kind.
RECONNECT
Endwell: Moody lighting, inventive Italianaccented plates and a vibe that hits just right.
Mahi’s Ethiopian Kitchen: Warm, welcoming and rich with spice. Serves injera platters piled with stews, lentils and greens tucked within the lovely Alley A.
Bud’s BBQ: Classic, downhome barbecue with smoky flavor and local charm.
Kinkao: A bold, regional Thai kitchen tucked right on Broadway. Sticky rice, curries, crispy mango rice and chili heat.
Loud & Rowdy Booches: Cash only. Burgers on the grill. Snooker tables ready for a game. History hangs in the air, and on the walls.
Fieldhouse or the Heidelberg: Pick your poison. Or bounce between both.
Quiet & Classy Top Ten Wines: Nice pours, big flavor. An easy place to reminisce.
Vault: Candlelight, classic cocktails and a real bank vault door. Columbia’s best speakeasy vibe.
Uprise Bakery: Located in the Hittsville complex, its bar and dining area become a relaxing evening hangout as the sun sets.
Saturday
BREAKFAST
Ernie’s Cafe & Steakhouse: Since 1934. Counter and booth seating, hot coffee, crispy hash browns.
Broadway Diner: Order the Stretch. Don’t ask what’s in it. Just trust that it will fuel your day.
Main Squeeze: Fresh juices, tofu scrambles and sunshine on a plate. A downtown classic for the plant-forward crowd.
Sunday
BRUNCH
Glenn’s Cafe: Cajun brunch in an art deco jewel. Bloody Marys with backbone.
Cafe Berlin: Archetypal college-town breakfast spot, local, funky and satisfying.
Goldie’s Bagels: Best bagelry in Missouri, full stop. Grab a dozen for the road.
HOMECOMING PARADE
Downtown Columbia, 9 a.m.: Marching bands, floats, Truman on a four-wheeler. Stake out a spot early and bring a chair.
TAILGATE
Lot X: Classic. Noisy. BYO everything.
Reunion HQ: Check your college’s tent. Chances are there’s coffee, swag and old friends waiting.
GAME TIME
Memorial Stadium: Coach Drinkwitz leads the charge. Black. Gold. Noise.
Harpo’s: Not at the game? Watch it on the big screen with old and new friends.
Beet Box: Laid-back and flavor-forward, just off College in the Arcade District. A local favorite for brunch without the downtown bustle.
SOUVENIRS
The Mizzou Store: Stock up on gear. Old logo? New logo? Doesn’t matter — you’re family.
MADE in Missouri store: Local artists, makers and snacks to take home
WITH KIDS?
Museum of Art and Archaeol ogy: Ancient coins, statues and a real mummy shroud — plus free admission and zero crowds.
LATE NIGHT
Shakespeare’s Pizza: You already know. Nostalgia hack: Order the 32-oz reusable cup of whatever you’re drinking and take it home when you’re finished.
Pizza Tree: The walk-up window is clutch. Slices fly fast and hot. Macaroni and cheese pizza is life-changing. No, really.
The Roof: Handcrafted cocktails, live music and panoramic views on the roof of the Broadway Hotel.
Candy Factory: Watch chocolate get poured, dipped and swirled downtown. Yes, they give samples.
Sara Kate Burnett Journalism Memphis, Tenn.
Blake Schrand Business Management O’Fallon, Mo.
Ryan Berardelli Film Production and Communication Mokena, Ill.
Answering the Call
Each year, three Tigers lead the Mizzou Alumni Association’s student Homecoming Steering Committee, a 30-plus-member team that spends months planning one of the university’s most beloved traditions. As they gear up for the big weekend on September 27, we caught up with the tri-directors to talk campus spirit, surprising college moments and the songs that never miss.
What’s been the most meaningful part of your Homecoming experience so far?
RB: Being a part of something much bigger than myself and making an impact on so many people in the community.
SKB: Seeing firsthand how Homecoming is such a positive force in building and sustaining our special campus culture. It touches and brings together so many different facets of our Mizzou community.
BS: On campus decorations night, seeing everyone come together through a tradition that our team put on was pretty cool.
What’s your favorite thing about Homecoming?
RB: All the close friendships that I have made along the way.
SKB: The excitement during the morning of the parade and seeing so many generations of Tigers come out to celebrate Mizzou!
BS: Seeing all the alumni reconnect through their love for Mizzou.
If your life had a three-word title, what would it be?
RB: Adventure never stops.
SKB: Made in Memphis.
BS: Flow with purpose.
Describe your college experience so far using only emoji.
RB: ������������
SKB: ����������♀️️��
BS: ️️����️��☝️����
Which class has made you think, “Yeah, this is why I’m here?”
RB: Screenwriting
SKB: Documentary Development taught by Robert Greene. The Murray Center for Documentary Journalism reminds me every day why our journalism school and documentary program are the best in the nation.
BS: Business Law.
Who’s your dream dinner guest, and what are you serving?
RB: Betty White. I would serve a chicken and pesto pasta dish.
SKB: Dolly Parton, and I would serve her sweet tea.
BS: Teddy Roosevelt, shrimp fried rice.
What’s something about college that turned out very different than you expected?
RB: I did not expect to meet my best friends during Welcome Week freshman year — and I did just that.
SKB: How the people you surround yourself with become your family.
BS: I thought getting involved would lead to fewer social events — then I realized involvement is social.
What’s the one show you’d force your friends to watch just so you can talk about it?
RB: Severance.
SKB: Veep always makes me laugh.
BS: The Sopranos. Let’s talk about it.
What’s your personal anthem — the one that hits every time?
RB: “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus.
SKB: “Glory of True Love” by John Prine.
BS: “Paper Planes” by M.I.A.
2025 Homecoming Events
SEPT. 12
Tiger Food Fight
Reynolds Alumni Center
Circle Drive
All day
Stock the shelves and show how Tigers turn competition into generosity.
SEPT. 15–18
Homecoming
Blood Drive
Mizzou Rec
11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Roll up your sleeve and prove Tiger pride runs deep.
SEPT. 21
Dome Lighting Ceremony
Traditions Plaza
6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Gather as Jesse Hall glows gold and Homecoming week officially begins.
SEPT. 22–24
Talent Show
Missouri Theater
6:30 p.m.–9 p.m.
From comedy to song, see students bring the house down.
SEPT. 26
Homecoming Headquarters
Reynolds Alumni Center Circle Drive
12 p.m.–9 p.m.
Pick up your Homecoming gear and get rally-ready.
Campus Decorations
Greektown
5 p.m.–9 p.m.
Stroll the streets as Greek houses light up the night.
Spirit Rally
Traditions Plaza
8:30 p.m.
Join the roar, pack the plaza, and feel the countdown begin.
SEPT. 27
Homecoming Parade
Campus & Downtown Columbia
9 a.m.
Marching bands, floats, and Tiger tradition on parade.
Game
Faurot Field
Time TBA
The Tigers take on the U Mass Minutemen at
Homecoming 2025 Insider’s Checklist
Grab a slice from Shakespeare’s
Snap a photo at the Columns
Pat the stone lion under the
Point out your old dorm room window
Catch part of the Homecoming parade
Slowly cruise past your East Campus rental
Two words: Face paint
Visit a tailgate you weren’t invited to
What’s your Homecoming vibe — nostalgic or new, heartfelt or high-energy? This matrix charts rituals across four poles: Traditional, Trendy, Sentimental and Rowdy.
SENTIMENTAL
Buy more Tiger gear than
coming from the shuttered basement McDonald’s
Visit the reconstructed Shack at the Student Center
Laugh uneasily at grandpa’s panty raid stories
go Tigers” while stuck in traffic
Overhear someone complain about parking
High five a stranger after a touchdown
Shout “M-I-Z” and get a response
Post matching outfits with your kid in Mizzou gear
Spot hacky sack guy, still undefeated
Face the reality that the Sub Shop is gone
Post a throwback pic of your first dorm room, lava lamp and all
Attempt a selfie with Truman
Hit the Friday night step show
Text your old roommate a photo from the roof of the Heidelberg
Post a “How it started / How it’s going” from your favorite old haunt
Revel in the Faurot Field tiger statue’s majesty. Try not to blink
Photobomb someone else’s party pic
Crowd around someone streaming a replay on their phone
Thank your GPA that gummies weren't graband-go back in the day
Make a TikTok on the Memorial Stadium expansion
Check out the Egyptian mummy shroud and cast gallery at the Museum of Art & Archaeology
Recreate your freshman year group photo
roll around campus.
Try to get on the stadium Jumbotron (unless you’re having an affair)
Call an Uber from Harpo’s
Neff Hall archway
HELP OUR STUDENTS ANSWER THE CALL.
Homecoming is more than just a weekend — it’s a feeling. One that calls our Tigers back, year after year.
Your gift to the Homecoming Endowment Campaign will ensure future generations of Tigers get to enjoy the same experiences as those who have gone before them.
SUPPORT THE ENDOWMENT
Scan to give or visit Mizzou.us/HoCoEndowment25
Brand Builder on a Mission
The new president of the Mizzou Alumni Association, Kim Utlaut, grew up on Tiger football Saturdays and Homecoming parades: “I wanted to be part of that. I never thought of going anywhere else.”
When Kim Utlaut arrived at Mizzou as a student, she was a small-town farm girl moving to the bigcity school. But she found that she could quickly make the campus feel small. “You could do as much or as little as you wanted,” she says. “You just had to find what worked for you and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Utlaut, BS ’89, made the most of her time at Mizzou and used her education as a launching pad for a marketing career that spanned four decades at some of the globe’s most iconic brands, including Anheuser Busch, Sprint, Coca-Cola and Build-A-Bear Workshop. Now, as Mizzou Alumni Association president, Utlaut is looking to bolster the organization. “The MAA’s brand is about connection and engagement,” she says. “We want to be the global leader in alumni engagement.”
The most important Mizzou engagement of Utlaut’s life might have been her parents’ — the two fell in love as students in the early 1960s. They shared a passion for the school, which their daughter inherited. They would take her to football games, and at Homecoming, she’d sit on the curb across from the Heidelberg and watch Marching Mizzou parade down the street. “I wanted to be
part of that,” she says. “I never thought of going anywhere else.”
After initial aspirations to be a sports journalist, Utlaut returned to her farming roots and majored in agricultural economics. She quickly got involved with extracurriculars, such as serving on the executive committee of her Pi Beta Phi sorority, the Homecoming Steering Committee, Greek Week Steering Committee, the Student Athletic Board and the Alumni Association Student Board.
As president of the MAA, Utlaut wants to take big swings to influence her fellow 370,000plus Tiger alums, ignite their passion and deliver meaningful Mizzou moments. She cites 2024, when the MAA rented out the major-league baseball stadium in Arlington, Texas, to host 11,000 Mizzou alumni and fans for a Cotton Bowl tailgate blowout. “I want to be big, bold and visible to our alums,” she says. “And I want to think big and bold in how we connect and engage with them.” The goal, she says, is to make the large, far-flung group of Tigers “feel more like family.” In other words, she wants to make the world of Mizzou alums seem a little smaller.
— Tony Rehagen, BA, BJ ’01
Utlaut’s four-decade marketing career fuels her new role as Mizzou Alumni Association President.
Why the Roar Keeps Getting Louder
As we launch Power the Roar, Mizzou’s bold new campaign, I’m reminded of something I’ve seen time and again: Our greatest strategic advantage is the strength and commitment of our alumni and friends.
The campaign’s priorities will guide transformative investments in students, research and communities. They will build champions across fields — whether classrooms and clinics or courts and stadiums. But our real momentum comes from something deeper. From the front row at Homecoming to leadership roles across every sector, Mizzou alumni continue to show up, speak out and step forward. They channel the loyalty, passion and pride of Tigers around the world.
Our alumni are not only generous with their financial support, but they also invest their time, energy and expertise. They mentor students, hire fellow Tigers, serve on advisory boards and proudly share Mizzou’s story wherever they go. Having one of the most engaged alumni networks anywhere gives Mizzou a real edge in a time of growing competition and scrutiny.
At the Mizzou Alumni Association, we see this dedication every day. We hear from graduates eager to give back, to pay it forward and to ensure the next generation of Tigers has every opportunity to thrive. As we Power the Roar, that spirit of engagement will be essential to reaching our goals.
To our alumni and friends: Thank you for being Mizzou’s strategic advantage. Your support drives this campaign and helps secure a bold, bright future for our university and everyone who calls it home.
TODD MCCUBBIN, M ED ’95
Executive Director, Mizzou Alumni Association
Email: mccubbint@missouri.edu
X: @MizzouTodd
Class Notes
1960
Bill Brown, BJ ’69, of Cypress, Texas, wrote Wartime Athletes (independently published, 2025).
1970
HMarsha Hayslett Miller, BS Ed ’72, of Manhattan, Kan., received the 2025 Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising from NACADA, The Global Community for Academic Advising.
Mark S. Ravis, MD ’73, of Woodland Hills, Calif., wrote Burned Alive (Archway Publishing, 2025).
Ann Roecker-Crantson, BJ ’73, of Denver wrote The Revelation of Emery Audubon (Apologetics Lit Press LLC, 2025).
1980
HKevin Berry, BA ’83, of Tulsa, Okla., was inducted as a fellow to The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.
HFaye Fairchild, BSN ’85, MS ’89, DNP ’19, is full professor and senior coach at Nightingale College, Nightingale Education Group. In addition, she was awarded the I Am Nightingale award at the annual Flame Forward Gala Event in August 2024 in Salt Lake City.
Jonathan Hickman, BS Ed ’86, of Kirkwood, Mo., wrote Hello, My Name is Louisiana Purchase O’Leary (Henschelhaus Publishing, Inc., 2024).
1990
Dan Meers, BA, BJ ’90, of Kansas City, Mo., retired after 35 years as the Kansas City Chiefs mascot, KC Wolf.
Marcus Long, BA ’91, MA ’07, of Yankton, S.D., retired after 10 years as president of Mount Mary University.
H Michael Wilcox, BS HES ’92, of St. Louis is mayor of the City of Glendale.
HChuck Kaiser, BA, BJ ’93, of Downers Grove, Ill., is chief communications officer at Zurich North America.
David Sprague, BA ’94, of Columbia, Mo., is content strategy director at Williams-Keepers LLC.
Diana Ahmad, PhD ’97, of Oak Creek, Wis., received the Missouri S&T Women’s Hall of Fame Award.
Denise Rehrig, BJ ’98, of New York is an executive producer at ABC News.
Jessica Norris, BA ’99, JD ’02, of Overland Park, Kan., is a partner in the corporate department at Fox Rothschild.
HDaniel Pierce, BA, BJ ’99, of Detroit is senior director of marketing and communications for Mayo Clinic.
2000
HSteffani Lautenschlager, BA ’00, of St. Louis is vice president of strategy and development at Gateway Early Childhood Alliance.
HAshley Hutcheson, BS CiE ’01, of Kansas City, Mo., is assistant general counsel at Quanta Infrastructure Solutions Group.
Beau Musser, B Acc, M Acc ’01, of Kansas City, Mo., is director at Crown CFO, LLC.
HRob Edwards, BJ ’05, of St. Louis is managing editor of news at St. Louis Public Radio.
Katy Hornaday, BJ ’06, of Kansas City, Mo., is chief executive officer at BarkleyOKRP.
ALUMNI BOOKSHELF
The Latest from Mizzou Minds
Looking for your next great read? These Tigers have penned everything from engaging narratives to poignant personal essays for bookworms of all ages. By Mara Reinstein, BJ ’98
1 Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H. W. Bush, by Jean Becker, BJ ’78. The former chief of staff for the 41st president has compiled warm personal stories from his colleagues, friends and family, including former Secretary of State James A. Baker and comedian Dana Carvey (Twelve, 2024).
2 Fifteen Cents on the Dollar, by Louise Story and Ebony Reed, BJ ’00. With meticulous research and vivid examples, the authors trace the economic journey of the Black diaspora in America, placing it within a broader historical perspective on the nation’s evolving financial system (Harper, 2024).
3 Reviving Rural News, by Teri Finneman, MA ’10, PhD ’15, Nick Matthews and Patrick Ferucci. The authors studied rural publishers extensively to offer guidance on how to adapt the financial strategies of weekly
newspapers to the habits of modern readers (Routledge, 2024).
4 Drought, by Scott Alexander Hess, BJ ’84. For this novel, lonely New Jersey-living Parnell inherits his estranged uncle’s farm in rural Kentucky. He takes this surprise development as an opportunity to start over and find his purpose (Rebel Satori Press, 2025).
5 Prompting Originality: The A.I. Handbook for Humans, by Norty Cohen and Delaney Ehrhardt, BJ ’23. This International Book Awards finalist shows how to maximize the ever-growing AI landscape to enhance human creativity and productivity (Ideapress Publishing, 2024).
6 The Monk, the Trunk & the Junk, by Alan D. Harris, M Ed. A spiritual parable, Harris’s book blends Benedictine wisdom with practical guidance to help readers discern what to keep, what to release and how to live
more meaningfully by letting go (Eckhart & May, 2023).
7 Loving Someone with a Mental Illness or History of Trauma, by Michelle Sherman, MA ’97, and DeAnne Sherman. A clinical psychologist and her mother offer research-based guidance, practical tools and personal stories to support those caring for loved ones with mental illness or trauma (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024).
8 Birth Behind Bars, by Rebecca M. Rodriguez Carey, BS ’11. An associate professor of sociology and criminology at Emporia State University, Rodriguez Carey draws on interviews with formerly incarcerated women to reveal how overlapping justice and confinement systems disrupt motherhood, endanger health and fracture families during and after pregnancy (University of California Press, 2024).
9 No Less Strange or Wonderful, by A. Kenra
Greene, visiting assistant professor in 2025. In 26 sublime essays, the renowned writer ruminates on love, connection, death and grief through a series of everyday encounters (Tin House Books, 2025).
10 The Routledge Companion to American Journalism History, edited by Melita M. Garza, Michael Fuhlhage, M.A., ’07 and Tracy Lucht. The book explores media history across several platforms in sections that cover the origins of American journalism in the United States, as well as pivotal moments, personalities and key issues (Routledge, 2025).
11 Home Fires, by Claire Booth, BJ ’96. This is the sixth book in the mystery series about Missouri Sheriff Hank Worth. Here, he investigates an explosion at the local fireworks distribution warehouse, as well as the possible murder of his mother-in-law (Severn House, 2024).
When you’re MizzouMade, anything is possible. As Tigers, we start our journey here — inside classrooms, laboratories and athletic facilities — and emerge transformed, ready to shape our communities and the world.
Our roar resonates as our influence reaches out, pushing boundaries, fostering innovation and empowering leaders for generations to come. It drives us to do more and be more, not only for ourselves but for the good of others.
Your generosity fuels our roar — not a solitary sound, but a powerful chorus of Tigers past and present, united to propel Mizzou to new levels of excellence.
Being an alum has lifelong perks.
Your education and hard work should be rewarded — especially now. As a University of Missouri graduate, you and qualifying family members may be eligible for exclusive senior living discounts at Brookdale. Whether you’re considering independent living, assisted living or memory care, including Alzheimer’s, Brookdale offers the comfort of choice and the confidence of compassionate care.
You’ll enjoy a lifestyle with less to manage and more to enjoy — housekeeping, laundry and restaurant-style dining included. And with staff on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you’ll have peace of mind, too.
* The
*** A
assisted living or memory care community admitting under an executed respite agreement. Discount applies to the daily rate. Call us at (866) 749-7445 or
MIZZOU ALUMNI NEWS
FAST-TRACK TIGERS
The Mizzou R.A.H. Award honors alumni 35 and younger who are already making a mark. From classrooms and clinics to boardrooms and creative spaces, recipients push boundaries, lead in their fields and give back to their communities. Known formally as the Recent Alumni Honorees Award, the program opens for nominations each January, with winners announced in June. Together they form a growing roster of young leaders whose accomplishments reflect Mizzou spirit, ambition and drive.
Dr. Rokeshia AshleyMcNamee, PhD ’18
Associate Professor, Florida International University, Miami FL
Carley Esser McLean, BS ’17 Professional Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Maria Kuhns, BS ’19, MS ’21 Executive Director, Hannibal, Mo. Regional Economic Development Council
Executive Vice President, Estate Five
Breanna Bredehoeft, BHS ’15, MHA ’17
Project Management Officer, Ray County Hospital and Healthcare
Jessi Farris, DVM ’17
Associate Professor, Florida International University, Miami Fla.
Language Access Senior Manager, NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
Executive
Breanne Harmon,
Business Education Teacher, Brunswick R-II School District
Alex Lindley, BA ’15 Partner, McCarthy Leonard Kaemmerer, L.C.
J’den Cox, BA ’17 Resident and Development Coach, USA Wrestling
Lillie Heigl-Dorsino, BJ ’18, BA ’18 Senior Policy Advisor, Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Sophia Mullineaux, BS BA ’14 Associate, McKinsey & Company
Jeremy Terman, BS BA ’16 Director, Midmarket and Business Development, 7shifts
Eskijian, BS ’19 Program Manager, Investor Relations & ESG,
Sapna Khatri, BJ ’14, BA ’14 Legal Consultant, Educate US
Abas Pauti, BJ ’19 VP of Artist Development, Range Media Partners
Lindsay Pierce, BJ ’15
Phelan Simpkins, BS ’16, JD ’21 Counsel, State Farm
Darius Caffey, BA ’17, MPA ’21
Founder/Chief
Officer, The Closet Unlocked
BS ’14, MS ’17, EdSp ’21
Jordyn
H&R Block
Katie Yaeger, BJ ’15, MA ’17 Content Design Manager, Meta
REMEMBERING
They Brought the World Into Focus
With clarity, commitment, and craft, Linda Lockhart and William Greenblatt spent their lives telling the stories that needed telling. By Tony Rehagen, BA, BJ ’01
Linda Lockhart (BJ ’74), career journalist and pioneer of St. Louis’s Black press corps, was passionate about language. Throughout her 45-year career, she built a reputation for being exacting about grammar and clear communication.
The staff at the St. Louis American, where Lockhart was interim managing editor in 2021, put it this way in her obituary: “A stickler for straight-forward writing and AP style, she did not pass away or transition. She died on May 4, 2025, of complications associated with cancer. She was 72.”
“She could be firm about the right word and spelling,” says her daughter, Rachel Seward. “But it came from a place of love and care. She wanted to help everyone, and part of that was informing the citizenry, making sure everyone had access to the truth.”
In 1970, Lockhart became the first Black student to graduate from Lutheran High School South in suburban St. Louis. She studied journalism at Mizzou on a full-ride scholarship from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where she began her career covering police and education.
Longtime Post-Dispatch colleague Margaret Wolf Freivogel remembers Lockhart as someone who loved being a journalist and thrived in collaborative work she believed in.
“She was better than anyone I know at doing both things at the same time,” Freivogel says
Lockhart held editing jobs in Wisconsin and Minnesota before returning to St. Louis, where she worked at the PostDispatch, the St. Louis Beacon and St. Louis Public Radio. A founding force in the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists, she welcomed new hires with a tour of the city.
“She always wanted to bring people together,” Seward says, noting her dedication “to putting politics and personal feelings aside and helping everyone know the real story.”
Photojournalism is much more than pointing a camera and clicking a button. It’s about knowing when and where to be and placing oneself in the right position. Such intuition often involves patience — waiting as a moment unfolds. More than anything, it takes an eye, empathy and the ability to capture human emotion in the perfect shot that tells a story.
All those traits applied to William Greenblatt, BS Ed ’70, who died in December at age 70 because of complications from cancer.
Greenblatt perhaps was best known for his sports photography for United Press International. During a career spanning decades, he captured virtually every St. Louis team — the Cardinals, Blues and football Cardinals included — as well as countless Mizzou rosters and players. The first photographer inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, he also was recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the National Football Hall of Fame.
But Greenblatt was more than a sports nut. At Mizzou, he studied education and music alongside journalism. He was a disc jockey at St. Louis classic rock powerhouse KSHE (94.7 FM) before shifting to photojournalism, which included shooting breaking news and government affairs.
“He enjoys watching the democratic process, and he saw it all, the highs and lows,” former Missouri Gov. Bob Holden told the St. Louis Business Journal.
Greenblatt was also the official photographer for public agencies including multiple Missouri and Illinois governors and the St. Louis Fire Department. “When Bill entered a room,” Julius Hunter, former KMOV anchor and journalist, told the St. Louis American, “he made a point of not lighting up the room until his camera light flashed to bring us all closer to see important events and newsmakers in our city we might have otherwise missed. Bill will be missed.”
MIZZOU ALUMNI NEWS
Byline to Baseline
Eric Thibault went to Mizzou to be a journalist. He wound up being a WNBA head coach.
Thibault, BA ’09, is the son of former NBA assistant and WNBA head coach Mike Thibault, who got his start as an assistant on Magic Johnson’s Lakers and later helped draft Michael Jordan. While living in Connecticut, the younger Thibault gravitated to reporting and committed to Mizzou for journalism without any thought of being a coach.
Eric Thibault, BA ’09, was a practice player for Mizzou women’s basketball and helped the Tigers prepare for Big 12 opponents before becoming head coach of the Washington Mystics. He’s currently associate head coach of the Minnesota Lynx.
“I had done the typical high school journalism stuff,” Thibault says. “Wrote for the school paper, was an editor for the school paper.” A student TV morning show offered broadcast journalism experience. He loved to write and hoped to land in sports media.
As a student, Thibault, who played guard in high school, served as a practice player for the Mizzou women’s basketball team under then-head coach Cindy Stein. He helped the Tiger squad prepare for games by impersonating some of the Big 12’s best players. It was a lifealtering decision.
“I always loved being around a team, and I think that probably is, not coincidentally, what I ended up doing with my career,” Thibault says.
Between semesters, he’d hop on a plane to serve as a practice player for the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, where his dad was head coach. At Mizzou, Thibault switched his major from journalism as he set his sights on coaching.
After graduation, he stayed in the women’s game, working in various capacities at St. John’s University and Virginia Commonwealth University before moving to the Washington Mystics, where he was an assistant coach. Named Mystics head coach in 2023, he helmed the team for two seasons. He’s now associate head coach of the Minnesota Lynx. — Alex Schiffer, BJ ’17
Jennifer Sorenson, BS HES ’06, of Golden, Colo., is chief donor engagement officer at Rise Against Hunger.
David Golub, BS ME ’08, of Mequon, Wis., is a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP.
Trevor Flannigan, BS BA ’09, of Fairway, Kan., was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2025.
H Eric Hobbs, BA ’09, of Denver was named to the Denver Business Journal’s 2025 40 under 40 list.
Jonathon Reinisch, BJ ’09, of Winnetka, Ill., is a litigation shareholder at Vedder Price.
2010
Mike Burden, MA ’10, of Columbia, Mo., is chief executive officer of Local Motion.
HMark Davidson, BS Acc, M Acc ’10, of Leawood, Kan., was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2025.
Connor McCambridge, BS BA’10, of Kansas City, Mo., is a staff data scientist at Shopify.
Lindsay Mullenger, BS BA ’10, of St. Louis received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Oghosa Iyamu, BS BA ’11, of Tucker, Ga., wrote Forever Welcomed (Moody Publishers, 2025).
HAlly Cunningham, JD ’12, of Hartsburg, Mo., was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2025.
Quinn Damon, BS BA ’12, of Kansas City, Mo., was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2025.
Lauren Guinta, BS BA ’12, of Westwood Hills, Kan.,
was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2025.
Derek Klein, BJ ’12, of Dallas is vice president of marketing at The Dallas Foundation.
Paul Orscheln, Ed D ’12, of St. Joseph, Mo., is vice president of enrollment and student services at Park University.
Alexis Johnson, BJ ’15, of Los Angeles received the Patricia L. Tobin Media Professional Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.
Morgan Scott, BS BA ’15, M Ed ’17, of Columbia, Mo., is the women’s basketball coach at William Woods University.
Kyle Friedman, BS CiE ’16, MS ’18, of Denver received the Ralston Young Trenchless Achievement Award.
DaRon McGee, MPA ’16, of Kansas City, Mo., was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2025.
HMaddie McMillian Green, BA ’16, JD ’21, of St. Louis was selected as one of Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity’s 35 under 35 alumnae for 2025.
Jacob Feist, BA, BS BA ’19, of Washington, D.C., is a data scientist at McDonalds.
Antoinette Miller, BJ ’19, of Atlanta is a producer and on-air talent for the Tino Cochina Morning Show at iHeartMedia.
2020
Hailey Markt, BA ’20, of Washington, D.C., is a staff attorney at Legal Aid DC.
HRaven Smith, BHS ’20, BS ’23, of Chicago is the founder and designer of the clothing brand Straight From The Go.
Income for life. Impact forever.
“We want to be a part of offering students superior opportunities for growth and change.” For more than 30 years Mizzou has been home for Chuck and Lori Franz, impacting students’ lives as educators and administrators.
Chuck and Lori have found a way to give back while securing a lifetime income for themselves. By creating a charitable gift annuity, they both receive income and ensure future Tigers will receive scholarships to help them attain their dream of a degree from Mizzou.
A life income gift offers a reliable income to you while empowering students to achieve.
Explore how you can give with confidence. Contact a gift advisor at 573-882-0272 or giftplanning@missouri.edu.
“We have the flexibility to share our estate with others, but like many retirees, we also want enough for a rainy day. A charitable gift annuity gives us that security.”
EVERY dream NEEDS A team
Discover how soybeans support the Mizzou Tigers through biodiesel at MOSOY.ORG.
Preston Herman, MA ’23, of Kansas City, Mo., was named to Ingram’s Magazine’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2025.
Steffi Roche, BJ ’23, of San Diego is a news reporter and anchor for CBS 8 San Diego.
Zach Zeman, BJ ’24, of St. Paul, Minn., is a game day PR staff member for Minnesota United FC.
Anesa Kajtazovic, MHA ’20, of Waterloo, Iowa wrote Anesa, No Skola Today (Here Now Publishing, LLC.).
Anniversaries
Charles Talmage, BJ ’72 and Karen Corley Talmage, BSN ’75, of Columbia, Mo., celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary May 11, 2025.
Faculty Deaths
Billy Glenn Cumbie, of Columbia, Mo., July 7, 2025, at 95. He was
a professor emeritus of biological sciences.
Cyrus Harbourt, of Columbia, Mo., April 4, 2025, at 93. He was a professor emeritus of electrical engineering.
HJenice Prather-Kinsey, of Mount Moriah, Mo., June 3, 2025, at 72. She was an associate professor emerita of accountancy.
Deaths
HPaul Jaffe, BS BA ’50, of Naples, Fla., April 27, 2025, at 96. He was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi.
Dorothy Meyerson, BS Ed ’50, of St. Louis March 14, 2025, at 96. She was a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi.
Katherine Seigfreid, BJ ’50, of Naples, Fla., April 25, 2025, at 96. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
LICENSE TO ROAR
Thomas Donner, Jr., MS ’51, of Webster Groves, Mo., Jan. 29, 2025, at 96.
HLester B. Vier, BA ’51, of Hendersonville, N.C., March 31, 2025, at 96. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta.
HMartha Fowlkes, BS Ed ’53, of Caruthersville, Mo., June 12, 2025, at 93.
HLinda Holman Atkins, BS Ed ’56, of Columbia, Mo., March 2, 2025, at 90. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
HC. William Caldwell, BS BA ’56, of Oro Valley, Ariz., March 23, 2025, at 90. He served in the U.S. Army.
HRichard T. Bennett, BS AgE ’57, of Downers Grove, Ill., June 14, 2025, at 89. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi.
Marvin Brandt, M Ed ’57,
of Columbus, Ind., April 13, 2025, at 96.
H Bob Gooch, BS Ed ’57, M Ed ’67, of Mexico, Mo., Feb. 28, 2025, at 90.
Edward Mullen, Jr., BS BA ’57, of Sequim, Wash., April 30, 2025, at 89. He served in the U.S. Army.
HAlvin Clark, Jr., BS Ag ’59, of Kirksville, Mo., June 18, 2025, at 91. He served in the U.S. Army.
HDavid L. Knight, BA ’59, JD ’62, of Columbia, Mo., Jan. 24, 2025, at 88. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi and served in the U.S. Army.
HGlen Reed, BA ’59, MD ’63, of Mesa, Ariz., April 18, 2025, at 91. He served in the U.S. Navy.
HKarl Yehle, BJ ’59, of Overland Park, Kan., March 25, 2025, at 88.
He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi.
HBerton Leach, MA ’60, PhD ’63, of Cumberland, Md., March 9, 2025, at 92. He was a member of Kappa Sigma and served in the U.S. Army.
HDiane Berry O’Hagan, BA ’61, MA ’66, of Columbia, Mo., April 22, 2025, at 86.
Richard “Dick” Keister, BA ’61, of Blaine, Minn., Jan. 6, 2025, at 85. He was a member of Delta Upsilon.
HJohn G. Adams, BS Ag ’62, DVM ’70, of St. Louis March 3, 2025, at 85.
HAlvin K. Rosenhan, BS ME ’62, of Jefferson City, Mo., March 29, 2024, at 83. He worked for the Oktibbeha Count fire service for more than 31 years.
MIZZOU ALUMNI NEWS
FROM DANCE FLOORS TO DIVINITY
Broc Barton’s Elevate Entertainment stands out as a business with two missions: one to grow, the other to give. What Barton, BS BA ’09, launched in 2017 as a one-man DJ operation has grown into a leading regional entertainment company. Now staging more than 800 events a year, Elevate offers not just DJs but also live musicians and photo booths.
Barton’s roots in music trace back to Thayer, Missouri (pop. 2,201), where he played drums and guitar at church and school events before landing a job at southern Missouri’s K-Kountry 95 (KAMS-FM).
While studying international business at Mizzou, Thayer treated DJing as a side gig, earning extra income alongside part-time ad sales for a radio network. Then came a pivotal sales call to a bridal show. “This bridal show was the first time I realized weddings could be a big deal,” he says. Soon he was packing dance floors for a national DJ company at receptions in Columbia, St. Louis and beyond.
After graduation, Barton became the company’s top performer while pursuing a master’s degree in divinity in Springfield, Mo. His vision
crystallized in 2013, when a bride from New Hampshire flew him across the country to DJ her wedding. When he learned he was her biggest budget item, something clicked: “Wow. This is more meaningful than I ever thought possible. Maybe this is what I’m meant to do.”
He launched Elevate in Springfield and opened a Kansas City office in 2019. The company quickly scaled and now serves a 300-mile radius from both cities. It has earned honors including Missouri Magazine’s Best in Missouri for four years running.
Barton attributes the company’s momentum to a dual-bottom-line model that values both revenue and impact. “Beyond making money, our mission is to serve people in one of life’s biggest moments and leave an indelible memory of full joy, celebration and goodness,” he says. Elevate backs that promise with a 50% discount for nonprofits. The company donated more than $59,000 in services in 2024 alone. Barton now has his sights set on national expansion and aims to operate in 20 to 50 cities over the next decade.
September 19 CAFNR Tiger Classic Golf Tournament, Lake of the Woods Golf Course
27 114th Tiger Football Homecoming Game: Mizzou vs. U Mass, Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium
October 1 Mizzou Football vs. Alabama, Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium
9 “Blippi: Join the Band Tour,” Jesse Auditorium
17 Natural Information Society, Whitmore Hall
25 Kam Patterson, The Blue Note
November 11 Sevendust, The Blue Note
15 Mizzou Women’s Basketball vs. Kansas, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City
21 SEC Volleyball Tournament, Savannah, Georgia
December 7 Mizzou Men’s Basketball vs. Kansas, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City
22 Mizzou Men’s Basketball vs. Illinois, Enterprise Center, St. Louis
More choice. More savings.SM
Welcome to Traditions Circle
With appreciation for our record number of donors who preserve our traditions, support students and strengthen Mizzou’s future!
Ben & Jessica Jackson Angelette
Mark Bauer
Andrea & Norman Berger
Gloria & Titus Blackmon
Patricia & Bryan Breckenridge
Maria & Frank Casella
Julie & David Corley
Elizabeth & Matthew Davis
Deborah & Robert Dolgin
Julie McKittrick Engelbrecht & Scott Engelbrecht
Cordelia (Dee) Esry
Sherri & Randy Gallick
Whitney & Kevin Gibbens
Edwin Gladbach
Karen Grace
Janae Gravitz
Jan & Ron Kessler
Christine Ladd
Cheryl & Craig Lalumandier
Lynn & Paul Malir
Beth & Dudley McCarter
Debbie & Todd McCubbin
Sabrina & Eric McDonnell
Teresa & Bruce McKinney
Virginia & Bruce McMillan
Richard Miller
Sandra & Paul Moentmann
Rebecca Morton
Sonya & Mark Nistendirk
Pam and Randy Oberdiek
Paula & Rodger Riney
Lisa & Frank Rodman
Allison Girvin & Nicholas Ruthmann
Naishadh & Saroj Saraiya
Kate & Bill Schoenhard
Valerie Lawlor & Frank Shelden
Gema & James Simmons
Melodie Powell & Jerry Short
Jean & Larry Snider
Carol & Gary Smith
Cheryl & Joseph Stephens
Kim Utlaut
Julie & Jeff Vogel
Robin Wenneker
HWilliam Miller, BS BA ’63, of Centralia, Mo., May 5, 2025, at 87. He served in the U.S. Air Force.
Michael Miner, BJ ’63, of Chicago May 1, 2025, at 81.
HWilliam Rinehart, BS CiE ’63, of Chillicothe, Ill., June 15, 2025, at 83. He served in the U.S. Navy.
Harold B. Diemer III, BS BA ’64, of Wilson, N.C., Nov. 12, 2024, at 82.
HLoren Floto, BSF ’64, MS ’65, of Rockton, Ill., June 14, 2025, at 82.
H E. Owen Jackson, M Ed ’64, Ed D ’73, of Tempe, Ariz., March 17, 2025, at 89.
HJohn Michael “Mike” Shannahan, BA ’64, MD ’69, of Fitchburg, Wis., June 5, 2025, at 82.
HDavid Fisher, MBA ’65, of Palisades, Calif., March 21, 2025, at 85.
H Bruce Hendin, BS Ed ’65, of San Antonio, May 27, 2025, at 83.
DEGREE KEY
Bachelor’s degrees
BS Acc, accounting
BS Ag, agriculture
BA, arts
BS BA, business administration
BS Ed, education
BFA, fine arts
BS FW, fisheries and wildlife
BGS, general studies
BHS, health sciences
BS HE, home economics
BS HES, human environmental sciences
BJ, journalism
BS Med, medicine
BSN, nursing
BS, science
BSW, social work
Robert E. Boczkiewicz, BJ ’66, of Denver July 3, 2025, at 80.
HLawrence “Larry” Burton, BA ’66, of Denton, Texas, March 23, 2025, at 82.
Ralph Fearon, MBA ’66, of Kansas City, Mo., March 16, 2025, at 89. He served in the U.S. Army.
James “Jim” Jennett, BJ ’66, of Purchase, N.Y., May 24, 2025, at 80. He was a director at ABC Sports and won nine Emmy Awards.
HRichard Tomhave, BS BA ’66, of Lakeway, Texas, April 27, 2025, at 80. He served in the U.S. Air Force.
HGary W. Bell, M Ed ’67, Ed Sp ’74, Ed D ’78, of Columbia, Mo., April 12, 2025, at 82.
Leslie Crocker, MA ’67, PhD ’71, of La Crescent, Minn., Feb. 16, 2025, at 82. He was a professor for 32 years.
V. Kenneth Rohrer, BS PA ’68, JD ’72, of Berkeley, Calif., April 16, 2025, at 78.
Bachelor’s degrees in engineering
BS ChE, chemical
BS CiE, civil
BS CoE, computer
BS EE, electrical
BS IE, industrial
BS ME, mechanical
Master’s degrees
M Acc, accounting
MS Ag Ed, agricultural education
MA, arts
M Ed, education
MS, science
MSW, social work
MPA, public affairs
MIZZOU ALUMNI NEWS
He served in the U.S. Army National Guard
HBlandford Smith, BJ ’68, of Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 18, 2025, at 78.
HTerry McDonald, BA ’69, of Columbia, Mo., Jan. 26, 2025, at 77. He served in the U.S. Army.
HNancy Valentine Wille, BS Ag ’69, of Tuscon, Ariz., June 14, 2025, at 78. She served in the U.S. Navy.
Duane Martin Voskiul, PhD ’69, of Bismarck, N.D., Feb. 20, 2025, at 86.
HJames “J.T.” Oliver, BS ChE ’69, MBA ’71, of Chattanooga, Tenn., June 17, 2025, at 78. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and served in the U.S. Army.
HMarion Nagle Snare, BS EE ’69, of Gravois Mills, Mo., June 7, 2025, at 83.
HD. Douglas Westhoff, MD ’69, of Gerald, Mo., March 23, 2025, at 87.
James Mayhew, MS ’70, of Madison, Wis., March 13, 2025, at 80.
HThomas McCarthy, BS EE ’72, JD ’72, of Town and Country, Mo., May 2, 2025, at 77.
HKatie Burkhalter, BJ ’71, of Kirkwood, Mo., March 21, 2025, at 76. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
HHerbert LeMoyne, BS BA ’71, BJ ’72, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., April 27, 2025, at 78. He was a member of Kappa Sigma and served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
HRobert “Bob” Pauley, BJ ’74, of Fulton, Mo., June 11, 2025, at 78. He served in the U.S. Army.
Neal Jones, BJ ’75, of Jefferson City, Mo., March 6, 2025, at 71.
HJohn S. Pletz, JD ’76, of Jefferson City, Mo., April 17, 2025, at 81. He served in the U.S. Air Force.
Doctoral degrees
PhD, philosophy
EdD, education
JD, law
MD, medicine
DVM, veterinary medicine
Incomplete degree
Arts, arts and science
Bus, business
Educ, education
Engr, engineering
Journ, journalism
Wesley Bond Vincent, BS BA ’80, of Hillsboro, Mo., April 1, 2025, at 66.
Jodi Krantz, BJ ’83, of Blue Springs, Mo., May 23, 2025, at 64.
HJudith W. Grimes, MA ’85, PhD ’91, of Indianapolis, April 28, 2025, at 80.
Judy Ann Parsons, M Ed ’85, of Columbia, Mo., April 2, 2025, at 84.
Sandra Tompkins, MSW ’86, of Independence, Mo., Dec. 10, 2024, at 81.
HCheryl D. Cobb, BJ ’88, of Holts Summit, Mo., April 6, 2025, at 59.
Betty Masters, JD ’91, of Jefferson City, Mo., April 23, 2025, at 84.
HLeo Downey, BS Ed ’93, M Ed ’95, of Columbia, Mo., April 16, 2025, at 76. He served in the U.S. Army.
Darden Rhodes, BS ’95, of Fayetteville, N.C., March 10, 2025, at 51.
Donald Ehlers, Ed D ’04, of Maryville, Mo., April 21, 2025, at 74.
SEMPER MIZZOU
The Long View
In 1925, Columbia counted 12,700 residents. St. Louis neared 800,000 and Kansas City topped 360,000, while all of Missouri held 3.5 million. As this cover of the Missouri Alumnus shows, Mizzou was strutting through the Roaring Twenties with grand designs. Memorial Union was half-finished, and Memorial Stadium construction planning was underway, both tributes to Missourians lost in the Great War. Enrollment had just topped 2,900, a number that seemed bustling at the time. What was then a sweep of forest east of College Avenue is now student rentals and shared houses. A century later, Mizzou educates more than 31,000 in a state of 6.2 million. Columbia’s population has swelled to about 130,000. It’s a scale of change unimaginable in 1925.
CONNECTIONS THAT
The MizzouMade Business Network helps entrepreneurs connect, partner and grow.
Join for free at mizzou.us/MMBN.
Our thanks to these MizzouMade businesses, whose premium memberships Make Mizzou Stronger.
