60 minute read
Class Notes
RETHINK, RETOOL, REBOOT
In what I hope will be my final column dealing with a worldwide pandemic, I want to celebrate the announcement that Mizzou will honor recent graduates with safe, in-person commencement ceremonies. This is great news not only for the class of 2021 but also for the class of 2020 and their families. The campus is planning three commencement weekends spanning late April through mid-May to accommodate graduates and their guests. We all recall how important commencement was to our Mizzou experience, so I appreciate the time, effort and coordination in making it a reality this spring.
In many ways, the commencement news exemplifies the fruits of all the rethinking and retooling that have taken place during the past year. In March, I interviewed President Mun Choi for a MIZ Talk (mizzou.com/ MIZTalks) on the first anniversary of campus moving to remote work. Looking back, it’s remarkable what the Mizzou family has been able to accomplish together as campus colleagues went above and beyond to serve our students. The adjustments were considerable, and I’m confident that we have leveraged this experience to make Mizzou stronger moving forward.
Commencement might look a little different this year — the safety of the Mizzou family will be our priority — but carrying out this rite of passage in person is a hopeful milestone. As next steps, President Choi has announced plans for campus to be at full capacity for in-person classes this fall, and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is planning for the same at Memorial Stadium to cheer on our Tigers. These are exciting moments to anticipate as we emerge from the pandemic. Onward and upward, Tigers!
TODD MCCUBBIN, M ED ’95 executive director, Mizzou Alumni Association Email: mccubbint@missouri.edu Twitter: @MizzouTodd
Class Notes
1940
HHOrville Brauss, BS BA ’48, of Austin, Texas, will celebrate his 100th birthday in September.
1960
HWilliam D. Tammeus, BJ ’67, of Kansas City, Mo., wrote Love, Loss and Endurance: A 9/11 Story of Resilience and Hope in an Age of Anxiety (Front Edge Publishing LLC, 2021).
1970
HDavid B. Bray, BA ’73, of Brattleboro, Vt., wrote Mexico’s Community Forest Enterprises: Success on the Commons and the Seeds of a Good Anthropocene (University of Arizona Press, 2020).
Steven C. Wiegenstein, BJ ’76, MA ’82, PhD ’87, of Columbia, Mo., was nominated for the 2021 PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction for his collection of short stories, Scattered Lights (Cornerpost Press, 2020).
HHMargaret Ewing Buckler, BA ’78, MPA ’91, of Columbia, Mo., retired after 22 years of service with the city of Columbia, most recently as human resources director.
1980
HJudy L. Stiles, BJ ’80, of Joplin, Mo., retired after 35 years in the mass communication department of Missouri Southern State University.
Shari Coulter Ford, BJ ’83, of Kansas City, Mo., founded the wellness brand Tohi Ventures.
Susan Frances Donsky, BJ ’84, of Brookeville, Md., is managing editor for the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Martha Engber, BJ ’86, of Santa Clara, Calif., wrote Winter Light (Vine Leaves Press, 2020). HJennifer Joy Herner, BJ ’87, of St. Louis was one of 23 lawyers in Missouri to receive the Missouri Lawyers Media 2020 InHouse Counsel Award.
HGregory Rottjakob, BS Acc ’87, of Chesterfield, Mo., is principal and national leader of the state income and franchise tax practice at Ryan.
HKevin Worley, BJ ’88, of Kansas City, Mo., published the Penguin Park Coloring & Activity Book (Kevin Worley, 2020).
1990
Lance Fuhrer, BJ ’91, of Naperville, Ill., is assistant principal at Neuqua Valley High School.
HGabriela RamirezArellano, BS BA ’91, of O’Fallon, Mo., is director of entrepreneurship and executive director of the Center for Emerging Technologies for Cortex Innovation Community.
Steve Scanlon, BA ’91, of Kansas City, Mo., is head of group retirement at Equitable.
HHAngela K. Baysinger, DVM ’92, of Bruning, Neb., was awarded the 2021 American Association of Swine Veterinarians Meritorious Service Award.
HLance Moll, BS BA ’92, of Eads, Tenn., is president and CEO of FedEx Freight.
HHCatherine Senderling-McDonald, BJ ’93, of Sacramento, Calif., is executive director of the County Welfare Directors Association of California.
Stacey Kamps, BS Acc ’95, of St. Louis is the CEO of Koch Development Co.
Christopher S. Briggs, BS Acc ’96, of Kansas City, Mo., is managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Decoding History
Nancy Thompson Tipton had her nose in a book at Ellis Library when she heard about Pearl Harbor. She wanted to go overseas with the Red Cross, but, at the request of her mother, she stayed in the states and completed her journalism degree (her great-uncle Walter Williams would have been proud). So when “two cute lieutenants” from the Army came to Columbia later that fall to recruit female college graduates with math and language skills to work in the civilian branch in Washington, D.C., Tipton, BJ ’44, applied for the job. What job? She didn’t know, nor did it matter. “We didn’t ask,” Tipton says. “We just did.”
For two years, Tipton took an unmarked bus to Arlington Hall in Virginia where she worked for the Signal Intelligence Service decoding messages that had been intercepted from Japan and South America. “I would try to match numbers and letters,” recalls the 98-year-old. “It was a puzzle. If you got a hit, then you gave it to the captain.” The codes Tipton and her fellow cryptanalysts deciphered helped lead the U.S. to victory — but they were sworn to secrecy.
Nancy Tipton the code-cracker at 19 and at 97.
Only recently were the code breakers permitted to break their silence. In 2016, journalist and author Liza Mundy interviewed Tipton for her book Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, and in 2019, Tipton spoke at the Library of Congress as part of the first national celebration for the female code breakers of World War II. “To be recognized that way was meaningful,” Tipton says. — Kelsey Allen, BA, BJ ’10
HHAngela D. Jackson, BA, BJ ’97, of Brookline, Mass., is managing partner of New Profit’s Future of Work Initiative.
HHKaren Maureen Jordan, BS BA ’97, JD ’00, of St. Louis is managing partner of the St. Louis office of Dentons.
Kelly A. Aylward, BFA ’98, of Braintree, Mass., is president of the Boston Estate Planning Council.
Melissa Busso, BS BA ’99, of Fenton, Mo., is compliance and operations manager with Jumet Financial.
Allyson Witherspoon, BS BA ’99, of Addison, Texas, is chief compliance and privacy officer at MPOWERHealth.
2000
Michael Lewis, PhD ’01, of St. Louis is provost of Saint Louis University.
MAKE YOUR MARK
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THE MIZZOU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WELCOMES 2020’S NEW LIFE MEMBERS
Annalise Acuff Jeffrey Adams Shalyce Adamson Lee Ammer Susan Angell-Walker Rusty Antel, J.D. Josh Arnold Taylor Ashcraft Anita Autrey Jennifer Aven Natalie Ayers Zachary Ayers Emily Baker Kitty Baker-King Adam Barnes Kristen Barnes Danielle Barnette Stuart Barudin, Ed.D. Lt. Col. Eric Bass, USAF (Ret.) Amber Baughman, D.V.M. Christopher Baughman, D.V.M. Alex Beattie Paul Beck, Ph.D. Nancy Guyton Bedan Kirsten Orrill Berry Ronald Berry Namratha Bhagvandoss Katherine Bickhaus Robin Morgan Billups Dan Blackburn Allen Blair Elizabeth Dallmeyer Blair Carla Nielsen Blanton Madeline Bloss William Bloss Eric Boewe Pamela Marx Boewe Brock Bondurant Matthew Bormann Douglas Botner Emily Boyd Rodney Boyd Charlotte Bishop Bradley Douglas Bradley, M.D. Melissa Brewer James Brostrom M. Kathleen Brown Nathaniel Brown James Browning, Jr. William Bucker Mollie Buckler Zach Buckler Thomas Buescher Brandon Bunch Christie Bunch Matt Burkemper Caroline Burnett 60 MIZZOUMAGAZINE Drew Burnett Sharon Burnett Caitlin Busch Kathleen Horrigan Butler Daniel Campbell Eve Cann Trey Casella Joyce Cavanagh, Ph.D. Renee Charrier-Willis Jacquelyn Christ Kendra Christians James Clark Katherine Clark Dorothy Clayton Guy Clayton Christine Cochran Larry Cohen Ryan Cohen Scott Collins Emily Lockyear Collop Richard Collop Kimberly Combs Elena Conaty Cale Connors Ben Conrad Stacey Conrad Jeffrey Cook Laura Cordell Shane Cox Todd Crawford Jessica Curl Mark Curtin Ashley Leon Cytron Caroline Dade Chris Dade Emily Dahlbeck Allison Davis Gabe Davis Ian De Smet Ellie DeBeer Jill Diener Esther Digh, Ph.D. Ned Digh Nicholas Dischbein Frankie Dissinger, Ph.D. Laticia Dittrich, CPA Adrienne Doebelin Adam Dohrman Margaret Donohue Elizabeth Dorssom Janice Rimmer Douglas Don Downing Tracy Toft Downing Constance Duncan Sean Earl Denise Padgitt Easley James Easley Cole Eason Ashton Edwards Dr. Justin Ehrhardt Julie Engelbrecht Ethan Enrooth Stephen Erickson Kristina Essig Bryson Ferguson Keith Fischer Holly Flandermeyer Travis Flandermeyer Jana Flynn Julie Flynn Kelsey Flynn Patrick Flynn Emma Fordyce Robert Fortney, D.V.M. Wayne Fowler, Jr., M.D., Ph.D. Larry Franke Dylan Frazier Paige Fredrickson Julie Freebersyser, D.V.M. Nancy Freeman Rob Freeman Richard Frieden Caroline Frizzell Shannon Wall Frost Deborah Gash Euphemia Gerdts Kale Gerstner Eric Gibbs Hunter Gilbert Kelly Gillespie Anna Goldman Makena Gonzalez Caroline Gooden Arndt Gossel Barbara Gossett, Ph.D. MaryAnn Gowdy, Ph.D. Jack Graham Todd Graves Tracy Graves Sascha Greenberg Daniel Greenwell Andrea Greiner, M.D. Holly Grgurich Kacy Grommesh Jennifer Guenther Todd Gurnow Matthew Haffer Carol Hagen Mark Hagen Debbie Hanna Michael Hanna Susan Hanners-Stead Emma Harper Alisha Harris Brad Harris Cara Harris Warren Harris Ken Haughney Craig Hayden JoAnn Hayden Clayton Hayes Joseph Hayes, Ph.D. Gregory Hebbeler Melanie Hedrick Michael Heithaus Dr. Hope Heller Kaeli Helmich Roy Hendin Lauren Hines Dr. Hubert Allen Hoffman Amy Holland Eric Holland Brently Holman Darla Holman David Hopkins Kelli Hopkins Deborah Garrison Howell Richard Howell Janel Huelskamp Patricia Hummel Nancy Hurst Darrell Hutchinson Fatima Hyder Taylor Hyndman Julia Igel Nicholas Ingala Arnold Jacobson, D.D.S. Jonathan Jain Jessica Janorschke Charles Javors Jason Jiang Christine Milne Johnson David Johnson Josie Johnson Patricia Jones Elizabeth Joslyn Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes, Ph.D. Devin Kane Bert Kembitzky Laurie Kembitzky Charles Kennedy James Kerr Mary Kiso-Afentakis Augustus Klemp Jillian Klemp Dr. Amy Knopps, DMA Joshua Koenig Erin Egan Koenigsfeld John Koenigsfeld Richard Kolb
Benjamin Krakow Lynn Kreul Koteswara Kunda, M.D. Julia LaHue Jeffrey Lampe Jennifer Lampe Mark LaRue Cathy Laster Gaylen Laster Lindsey Lehman Homer LeMar, Jr., M.D. Keith Leu Ethan Levy Jackie Lewis Madison Lewis Jeanne Locklear Jennifer Logiudice David Lohe Elizabeth Long Barbara Lord Gail Hanson Lueker Michael Luetkemeyer Luke Magnante Charles Mai, Jr. Joseph Malan CPA Cheri Marks Shannon Martin Casey Martinez, M.D. Diane Masciale Carol Bradish McAllister Paul McAllister, Ph.D. Michelle McClay Jennifer McClendon Nicholas McCoy Erin McCurry James McCurry Roger McKinney Tammy Steinle McLain Dr. Sarah Mediavilla Hannah Mefford Jaime Mendez Jenny Merlo Patty Aholt Messer Maxwell Metter CeCe Carter Meyers C. Bradley Miller, D.D.S. Jessica Miller Matthew Miller Mark Milosovich, Sr. Patricia Milosovich Niki Mitchem Julie Moberly Michael Moerer Brooke Montgomery Charles Montgomery Lisa Montgomery Miranda Moore Nathaniel Moore Sara Scholes Morgan William Morgan Diane Eschmann Morie, M.D. Raymond Morley, Ed.D. Erin Morris Kimberly Morris, M.D. Nicole Morse Tara Morts Jason Mott Dr. Rebecca Mott Jeffrey Mueller Sophia Mullineaux Andrea Murphy Nathaniel Nagy Christopher Neal, M.D. Katee Barber Neal Kim Nentwig Kayna Nicholas Dr. Gary Niehaus Christopher Norris, M.D. Patrick Nowak Nnamdi Okoli Margaret O’Leary Melanie Pancoast, M.D. Byron A. P. Parham, Ph.D. Derek Parker Lee Parker Brian Pawlowicz David Peck Julie Kuklenski Peck Nicholas Pellegrini Dennis Peterman Julie Peterman Juanita Phelps Allie Pigg Lora Plattner, M.D. Steve Polk Gina Pontius Jared Pontius D. Shawn Poore Lori Popejoy, Ph.D. Sidney Popejoy Sheridan Powell Chase Powelson Erin Powelson Mary Catherine Quinlan Michael Quinlan, M.D. Donald Quinn Thomas Race Hannah Rademacher Regan Ragsdale Hector Ramos, M.D. Carrie Raney David Ransin Dennis Redel Kelley Chadwick Reetzke Randy Reichard Bridgette Reilly Laura Remy, Ph.D. David Reynolds Abigail Ries Rodger O’Dell Riney Linda Roaseau Christina Beigel Roberts Dennis Roberts Lee Roberts Dane Robertson Denise Roesler-Cunningham Andrew Rogers Kenneth Rogers Sheryl Rogers Isabella Rolfes Garrett Romines Michael Roper Monica Roselli Rachel Rost Harrison Roth, Jr. Kathryn Rothermich Sara Russo Chase Scanlan James Schlegel Eva Scholfield Stephen Scholfield Jeffrey Schwaneke Shane Searcy Ruthmae Sears, Ph.D. Timothy Sellmeyer, D.V.M. Mark Shank Hannah Sherman Mark Sherman, Ph.D. Eric Siemens Christian Simmons Adam Sindecuse-Hayden Ulai Sirisee, Ph.D. Scott Sleyster Sherry Sleyster Erin Slusher Dean Small Vincent Smart Daryl Smith David Smith Fred Smith Holly Smith, D.V.M. The Honorable Joe Smith, Ph.D. Lorisa Smith Sidney Smith Earl Spurgeon Renna Stallings Mollie Stallman Dr. Crystal Steen Anne Ward Stevens, Ph.D. Jennie Funk Steyaert Gerald Stimson Al Strada Daniel Street Scott Strothmann Karen Struemph Karl Suchman Zakiya Summers Dr. Nate Swift Mike Taylor Tandy Thompson James Tighe III Laurie Tighe Gary Tompkins, Ph.D. Molly Harris Tosh Pritish Tosh, M.D. Christopher Trunell Huong Truong Christine Tucker-Key Ernest Van Hooser Shauna Vandedrink David Vandever, D.V.M. Emma Veidt Jody Cox Verrengia Justin Volker Lewis Wagner Kristin Walker-Smith Christopher Wappel The Honorable David Warren Christopher Watkins Dawn Watkins Nicole Webber Jack Weil Robert Weil Andrew Weinstein Kristen Welborn John Wells Janet Wheatley Lauren Wheeler Eric White Garrett White Stephanie White Marilyn Forby Whiteside Wesley Whiteside Cynthia Niemann Wilkinson Deborah Williams Jeffrey Williams Llana Williams Robert Williams Joel Witt Nicole Morse Witt Joanna Witte Chris Woehle Julie Carroll Wood Thomas Wood, Sr. Anthony Wright Katherine Wright David Yarger Brenda York Brian York Victoria Yu Kelly Zabilka
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REMEMBERING
LOVING MUSIC
Michael Budds made a mission of visiting great musicians’ gravesites. To the historian in him, they were hallowed ground. During his 73 years, Budds toured the final resting places of dozens of artists, from famous sites like that of Jim Morrison in Paris’ Père Lachaise cemetery and Elvis at Graceland to all three of the mythical unmarked graves of blues legend Robert Johnson in various corners of the Mississippi Delta. “It was important to him that he pay homage to people who made a difference,” says Gregory Fuller, MM ’86, PhD ’00, a former student and friend who traveled with Budds to such places across North America and Europe. Teaching others to appreciate music was Budds’ life’s work right up to his own passing in November 2020. For 37 years, he was a beloved professor of music history at Mizzou. He was a world-renowned musicologist who wrote several books and edited many more. He won honors including the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching and the William H. Byler Distinguished Professor Award. In 2019, a year after retirement, he donated a large sum to the university to endow the Budds Center for American Music Studies.
But his biggest influence might turn out to be the thousands of undergraduates who took his legendary course — Jazz, Pop and Rock. Many walked in looking for an easy A and walked out with a hard-earned grade and a much deeper understanding of 20th-century American music. “He wanted people from all walks of life, particularly nonmusic majors, to have an enhanced experience listening to music,” says David Rayl, former MU music faculty and longtime friend. “The more you know about something, the more you can love it.”
Few knew and loved music more than Budds. In paying his respects at a musician’s tomb, he practiced a three-part ritual. He would have his photo taken, smoke a Marlboro 100 and then talk to anyone who’d listen about the artist, their life and their contribution to the world. — Tony Rehagen, BA, BJ ’01
Our family ties to Mizzou go back nearly 130 years. I love knowing that our contributions support Mizzou now and for future generations.
–Julie Corley
The Columns Society recognizes donors whose annual support plays a critical role in MU's success.
Grace, BJ '20; David; Julie, BS BA '86; Catherine, Class of 2023
HHRodger Oakes, BA ’01, of Pickerington, Ohio, created the card game Lil’ Piggies.
Meghan Litecky, BA, BJ ’02, of Kansas City, Mo., is a shareholder and director at Dysart Taylor.
Charles Green, MA ’03, of Cortland, N.Y., wrote Feral Ornamentals (Finishing Line Press, 2021).
Andrew Bailey, BA ’04, JD ’14, of Herman, Mo., is general counsel for the Missouri governor’s office.
Jeff Jobe, BS CiE ’04, MS ’05, of St. Louis is a railroad bridge project manager at Burns & McDonnell.
TJ Sweet, BHS ’05, MHA ’15, of Columbia, Mo., is the cancer service line director at Lake Regional Health System.
Daniel Buoniconti, BJ ’08, of Chicago is a partner at Reed Smith LLP.
Sean Crotty, BA ’08, of Washington, D.C., is associate counsel in the White House counsel office for the Biden administration.
David R. Russell, PhD ’08, of Columbia, Mo., is interim president of Columbia College.
2010
Derrick Christian, BJ ’10, of Florissant, Mo., compiled a list of 100 Black Mizzou alumni-owned businesses in partnership with the Mizzou Black Alumni Network, which can be found at NoirMizzou.com/BuyBlack.
Shannon Koenig, MPA ’10, of Ballwin, Mo., is executive director of the Housing Authority of St. Louis County.
Chris Limbaugh, JD ’10, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., was appointed associate circuit judge for the 19th Judicial Circuit.
HRachel Schallom, BS ’10, MA ’12, of New York is digital editor at Fortune.
Nathan Carroz, JD ’11, of Montgomery City, Mo., was appointed associate circuit judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit.
Lt. Alexis Kingery, BS CiE ’11, of Stanberry, Mo., was selected as Military Engineer of the Year by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic.
HJustin C. Myers, BJ, BS EE ’11, of Chicago is data editor for The Associated Press.
Bria Burk, BA, BJ ’12, of Plano, Texas, is director of digital marketing at Androvett Legal Media & Marketing.
Patricia Downey, PhD ’13, of Vermillion, S.D., received the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 5 Gold Medallion Award.
Joanna Eleftheriou, PhD ’15, of New. York wrote This Way Back (West Virginia University Press, 2020).
2020
HNicole Schroeder, BJ ’20, of Columbia, Mo., had her essay “Guide and Guard” published in Kaleidoscope magazine, which explores the experience of disability through literature and the fine arts.
Births
HHBen Terrill, BJ ’96, and Shannon Terrill of St. Louis announce the birth of Joseph Finn Jan. 4, 2021.
HJacob Thomas, BS BA ’05, MBA ’06, and HNatalie Thomas, BA ’08, of Columbia, Mo., announce the birth of Margaret Rose Dec. 11, 2020.
Faculty Deaths
HHWilbur R. Miller, BS Ed ’54, M Ed ’55, EdD ’60, of Auburn, Ala., Jan. 1, 2021, at 88. He was a faculty member in the Department of Industrial Arts and Technical Education and dean of the College of Education from 1986 to 1991.
Sue Mitchell Crowley, of Dublin, Ohio, Feb. 20, 2021, at 87. She was an instructor in the English and religious studies departments.
Deaths
HSybil Harrison Davison, BJ ’50, of Christopher, Ill., Sept. 7, 2020, at 91. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta.
Robert M. Wachter, BS Ed ’50, of Liberty, Mo., Dec. 28, 2020, at 95. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and lettered in baseball and basketball at MU.
HGordon A. Leiter, BS EE ’51, of Rome, Ga., Jan. 11, 2021, at 90.
HHWalter D. McQuie Jr., BA ’51, JD ’53, of Montgomery City, Mo., Jan. 17, 2021, at 91. He served in the U.S. Army and practiced law for more than 40 years.
HHNancy Lewis, BS Ed ’52, of Columbia, Mo., Nov. 6, 2020, at 90. She was an elementary physical education teacher for 27 years.
HRichard Schuchhardt, BS Ed ’52, M Ed ’56, of Ballwin, Mo., Jan. 2, 2021, at 90.
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HHJean S. Stauffer, BS Ed ’52, of Altoona, La., Feb. 1, 2021, at 91. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
HAnthony Sweeney, BS BA ’52, of Overland Park, Kan., Feb. 19, 2021, at 91. He was a member of Sigma Chi and served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Russell A. Mann, BJ ’53, MA ’59, of Morgan City, La., Feb. 21, 2021, at 89. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.
HHThomas L. Stribling, BA ’53, BS Med ’55, of Palm Desert, Calif., Jan. 15, 2021, at 88. He practiced obstetrics and gynecology for almost 40 years.
HRobert “Bob” Brown, BS BA ’55, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., Dec. 19, 2020, at 87. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi and served in the U.S. Air Force.
HMargaret E. Curtis, BJ ’55, of Houston Nov. 17, 2020, at 87.
HHWilliam Wilt, BS BA ’56, of Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 16, 2020, at 92. He served in the U.S. Navy.
HQuincy Edward Crider, BS Ag ’57, of Bland, Mo., Nov. 22, 2020, at 84.
HLorinda Mathew Dodge, BS Ed ’57, of Des Peres, Mo., Feb. 2, 2021, at 85. She was a member of Delta Gamma and taught elementary school.
HCharles J. Dysart, BS BA ’57, of Columbia, Mo., Dec. 25, 2020, at 90.
HHJo F. Dickson, BA ’58, of Milan, Mo., Nov. 16, 2020, at 86.
HMilton Denis Overholser, BS EE ’58, of Columbia, Mo., Feb. 6, 2021, at 85.
Robert E. Hawkins, BA ’59, of Kane‘ohe, Hawaii, July 25, 2020, at 82. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order.
Walter G. Heid Jr., BS Ag ’59, MS ’60, of Butler, Mo., Jan. 20, 2021, at 89. He served in the U.S. Air Force.
HHSherman Miles Dickson, BS Ag, DVM ’60, of Milan, Mo., Nov. 24, 2020, at 85. He served in the U.S. Army.
Jerome Granrud, BA ’60, of Golden, Colo., March 18, 2020, at 82. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta and served in the U.S. Army.
HCharles H. Henke, BS Ag ’61, of Concordia, Mo., Feb. 3, 2021, at 81. He played basketball at MU, was drafted by the LA Lakers and toured with the Harlem Globetrotters.
HEarl Gayle Kennett, BS IE ’61, of Duluth, Ga., Feb. 15, 2021, at 82. He was a member of Pi Kappa Phi and served in the U.S. Army.
HMarvin L. Wafel, BS EE ’61, MS ’63, of Wright City, Mo., Jan. 10, 2021, at 83.
HHNathaniel B. Wess, BJ ’61, of Eden Prairie, Minn., Jan. 14, 2021, at 81. He was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi.
HPatrick T. Dougherty, PhD ’63, of Columbia, Mo., Dec. 19, 2020, at 87. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. HHPaula Susan Mulvania, BS Ed ’64, M Ed ’65, of Columbia, Mo., Jan. 11, 2021, at 78.
HHJohn R. Wright, BS ’64, of Alexandria, Va., Jan. 17, 2021, at 78. He was a member of Delta Upsilon and a pilot in the U.S. Navy.
HHEugene A. Adams, BA ’65, of Palm City, Fla., Dec. 20, 2020, at 80. He served in the U.S. Air Force.
HTed H. Funk, BJ ’65, of Bloomington, Ill., Nov. 28, 2020, at 81. He was a travel photographer.
HHJudith Wilkinson Klinginsmith, BS Ed ’65, of Kirksville, Mo., Dec. 29, 2020, at 80. She was a kindergarten teacher.
HHFrank P. Fotis, MS ’66, of Lexington, Mass., Oct. 20, 2020, at 79.
Mary Sandmeyer Knickmeyer, M Ed ’67, of St. Louis April 13, 2020, at 97. She taught first and second grade.
HHWilliam “Bill” Lawrie, BA ’67, JD ’70, of Seattle Jan. 11, 2021, at 75. He served in the U.S. Navy and practiced law for 44 years.
HTerry K. Meek, BS BA ’67, of Linton, Ind., Jan. 3, 2021, at 76.
HJ. Michael Mowrer, BS Ag ’67, JD ’76, of Kennett, Mo., Nov. 23, 2020, at 75. He was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho and served in the U.S. Army.
HHJerome Imming, MBA ’68, of St. Louis Jan. 8, 2021, at 78. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves.
HLawrence D. Manser, BS Ag ’68, of Ridgedale, Mo., Jan. 13, 2021, at 74. He was a member of Farmhouse.
HCharla A. Kleopfer, BA ’69, MA ’79, of Columbia, Mo., Jan. 19, 2021, at 73. She was a member of Marching Mizzou and one of the first Golden Girls.
HGregory Carter, BS BA ’71, of Spring Hill, Tenn., Nov. 27, 2020, at 71. He
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THE PRIZE IS RIGHT
Velma McBride Murry didn’t get into academic research for the honors it bestows, though she just received one of the most prestigious in her field. She’s spent her 30-plus years in human development and family science chasing a question, fueled by a belief born during her graduate studies at Mizzou.
McBride Murry, MS ’85, PhD ’87, wanted to know how Black families successfully navigate difficult life situations and raise healthy children. Her research approach took shape while working under husband-andwife collaborators Larry Ganong and Marilyn Coleman, now professors emeriti of human development and family science. These mentors pioneered research documenting remarriage and stepfamilies.
“Researchers were going into their studies assuming stepparents and children would be at a deficit to first-married, nuclear families,” says Ganong, who had created a stepfamily with Coleman. That framework didn’t sit right with them. “We thought scientists could learn as much by studying effective relationships as they could from ones that are troubled.”
Focusing on the positive struck a chord for McBride Murry. So, she set out to find what processes successful Black families used to overcome challenges. But she didn’t stop there. She used those results to create a family-centered intervention program and, through two groundbreaking longitudinal studies, showed that any family could achieve those same successful results.
For her contribution to improving the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities, the Vanderbilt University professor was elected last fall to the National Academy of Medicine, one of 100 new members to join the three National Academies. Although not her goal, the honor still feels nice. It was a thrill to win the award, she says, but “the prize is doing good work to achieve social change and justice.”
After hearing the news, she immediately told her spouse, Acie C. Murry Jr., PhD ’87, and then emailed Ganong and Coleman. She’s never forgotten their part in her career, even as their relationship has evolved into one of collegiality and friendship. “Mizzou will always have a special place in my heart,” she says. — Erik Potter
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To advertise in MIZZOU, call MAA at 573-882-6611 was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. government for over 30 years.
HHGus H. Kolilis, BS Ed ’76, of Columbia, Mo., Feb. 4, 2021, at 79. He was a St. Louis city police officer and worked in law enforcement for 43 years.
HHCharles Richard Troy, BA ’73, MA ’74, of Wallace, N.C., Dec. 29, 2020, at 72. He served in the U.S. Army and worked for the U.S.
DEGREE DESIGNATIONS 101*
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
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 HJudith Adams Kraybill, M Ed ’83, PhD ’91, of Overland Park, Kan., Jan. 8, 2021, at 79.
HHSteven P. Goetz, MD ’88, of Coralville, Iowa, Feb. 16, 2021, at 58.
Doctoral degrees
PhD, doctorate EdD, education JD, law MD, medicine DVM, veterinary medicine
Did not graduate
Arts, arts and science Bus, business Educ, education Engr, engineering Journ, journalism
*For a more detailed list of current degrees, visit catalog.missouri.edu/ degreesanddegreeprograms.
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FAN GEAR OF THE WEEK
On Parenthood and Place
As much as you try to give your Columbia to your kids, they’ll make it their own. BY WRIGHT THOMPSON, BJ ’01
For two long stretches during the pandemic, my family and I relocated to Columbia to be close to my wife’s family. Sonia went to Hickman High, and her parents still live in town. We settled into a magical rhythm for someone who went to Mizzou: Tiger Stripe ice cream by the gallon, lazy afternoons of free time and Shakespeare’s delivery. I got to walk around town and campus and do some damage at the bookstore.
Our 3-year-old daughter, Wallace, started to really explore the world around her and make memories. She spent her days working with her grandmother Gigi in the garden. She ate tomatoes off the vine and fed chickens and got her hands dirty in the backyard. Watching Wallace water plants, it occurred to me that, for her, Columbia would always be the place where her grandparents lived, not the town where Mama and Daddy went to college a long time ago. And while I loved that her Columbia would always have little to do with a place that means so much to me, that idea also caught me a bit by surprise.
A confession: I spent a good bit of the pandemic talking in public about my new book, which is named Pappyland. It’s ostensibly the story of the family that makes the world’s most sought-after bourbon, but really, it’s a meditation on fatherhood and on inheritance. And yet, even though I talked and talked about those things, to an annoying degree even to my own family, I somehow didn’t see this driving theme of my book manifest itself in my own life until I watched Wallace in the garden.
I always knew this day was coming. A long time ago, I used to wonder what my children would think about Mizzou, if they’d have the same emotions for the place that I still feel for my father’s alma mater, Ole Miss. I liked to think about the stories I’d tell them. Then I went to visit campus with my best friend from college and his young daughter. We wanted to tell her stories, and she could not have cared less. We took her to Booches with our friend, the former head Coach Barry Odom, who was at the time perhaps the most well-known person in town. At one point, my friend and I went up to the bar and left his daughter with Barry. She told him about dinosaurs or whales or whatever she was currently obsessed with, and because Barry’s a good guy (and a parent), he sat there patiently and nodded. It’s hilarious and perfect that a child’s world belongs to them and the things you remember about a place won’t be the memories that are special to them. I was reminded of this anew watching Wallace in the garden with her grandmother or standing on a stepstool kneading dough or baking bread.
My Columbia will always be a hodgepodge of bottomless cups at The Fieldhouse and Shake’s and Booches and the ’Berg and Widmans and the classrooms of Lee Hills Hall and the old rural soc building. My kids will remember sun flares through tall trees in summer and a thick blanket of snow in the winter. Wallace couldn’t believe how much snow she got to play in. She and her new sister, Louise, will remember a wide backyard and tall heirloom tomatoes and fists of herbs and a basket of fresh eggs. And Shakespeare’s. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure both girls love Shakespeare’s. M Wright Thompson’s latest bestselling book, Pappyland, is a generational boom-and-bust (and boom again) saga centering on Julian P. Van Winkle III, distiller of what may be the finest Kentucky bourbon ever made. History — on the rocks with a twist — never tasted so good.
MIZZOU
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE SPECIAL SECTION | Spring 2021
The Middleton Center leads critical conversations. 80
At Mizzou, art knows no boundaries. 82
Meet three doctoral students who are expanding human knowledge. 86
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The Power of Arts and Science
GO DEEP, GO WIDE
Here in the College of Arts and Science and across the nation, a liberal arts education is generally designed with a dual focus: Expertise — learning the skills and knowledge of a particular discipline — is highly valued, but so, too, is breadth of knowledge and experience. For us, an educational experience that values depth and breadth ensures that students are ready for whatever the future holds, even a future that we can’t yet imagine.
Although the benefits of expertise are widely understood, the concept of breadth is not often championed. David Epstein’s recent book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a
Specialized World provides a compelling argument for this principle. As Epstein explains, humans’ “greatest strength is the exact opposite of narrow specialization. It is the ability to integrate broadly,” and his book is filled with examples of people like Steve Jobs, who credits a college course in calligraphy with the success of Macintosh computers.
Epstein’s analysis of Nobel laureates offers a particularly fascinating example. As he notes, scientists are about as likely as anyone to have a background in the arts, but scientists who have won Nobel prizes are 22 times more likely to have artistic hobbies. Case in point: Our very own
Professor George P. Smith, who won the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry in 2018, happens to be an accomplished musician.
The features in these pages give us more examples of how an A&S education embodies the value of range. You’ll meet an accomplished student vocalist who is also a stellar chemist, a faculty member whose undergraduate students discover their sociology research can also help solve the real-world challenge of food insecurity, people devoted to making art accessible to all, and so much more. Each is a chapter of our overall story.
It’s not just students, of course, who benefit from nurturing a wide range of interests and passions. It’s been years since I’ve studied science in a formal way, but what I learned about the scientific method as an undergraduate continues to inform my approach to ideas and evidence. Likewise, I’m convinced that my method of reading spreadsheets is influenced, in part, by my study of narrative theory in graduate school. Even my hobbies — running and weightlifting or even my love of
Bruce Springsteen’s music — creep into my professional life in sometimes surprising but always rewarding ways. For me, this is a reminder that an A&S education is, at its core, preparation for a rich life, full of mysterious connections that teach us what it means to be human.
RENAISSANCE MAN
John Shaw is a Kansas City attorney who loves the law and poetry. But don’t ask him which matters more. As both a lawyer and lover of literature, Shaw sees himself as a well-educated person.
In addition to Shaw’s Mizzou law degree (’77), he earned bachelor’s (’73) and master’s degrees (’77) in English. As an undergraduate, he reveled in sampling the works of great thinkers, and he loved learning about varied cultures “without having to travel around the world.” Shaw emerged from Mizzou with a love of liberal arts and the desire and ability to make a case for the value of an arts and science degree. Exhibit 1: Proving the practical purpose of having a college degree — entry to a career and betterpaying work — is a necessary but not sufficient outcome of earning a college diploma. “A liberal arts degree not only helps you make a living; it also helps make your life worth living,” he says.
He shares his appreciation of poetry with his colleagues and family, circulating a poem each year for all to share at their Thanksgiving gathering. And on occasion, he’s used poetry to connect with strangers and witnesses. Once during a trial break, Shaw approached a key witness, a British hunting guide from Kenya who had driven his injured client over the Limpopo River. Recalling one of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So stories, Shaw asked in a mock-serious tone, “Is it true the elephant got his trunk on the banks of the great grey-green greasy Limpopo River?” And with that, an instant bond was established.
Shaw is more than an aficionado of the arts. He is also a supporter of the College of Arts and Science, serving on the English Department Leaders Board as well as on the dean’s Strategic Development Board.
— John Shaw
A MARRIAGE OF MUSIC AND MATH
Fine-art singer and pharmaceutical researcher Michelle Peters didn’t choose between art and science.
Michelle Peters is a physical embodiment of the overlap of arts and science. Her mother is a music teacher; her father an aeronautical engineer. In high school, Peters distinguished herself as a gifted singer, and a favorite instructor also sparked a love of chemistry. When Peters applied to Mizzou four years ago, the pragmatist in her pushed away from a vocal performance degree and toward a more scientific major. Still, she had no intention of giving up on music. “I auditioned for the music program with no expectations,” she says. “The School of Music ended up offering me a great scholarship, but only if I majored in music. I decided, well, then I’ll just do both.”
This summer, Peters is poised to graduate with bachelor’s degrees in both vocal performance and chemistry. Along the way, she’s learned that, despite the apparent difference between the two fields, there is more overlap than just the broad umbrella of arts and science. Electives for both majors in sociology and anthropology also offered valuable human perspective on her disparate fields. “One of the things I love is that both math and music transcend language and cultural barriers,” Peters says.
She also believes that her musical education has been bolstered by her core classes in math and science, which form the bones of musical composition, from scales and time signatures to frequency and pitch. “Music is really a lot of math,” she says. “Math also requires a lot of critical thinking, and that’s what music is all about — applying new perspectives to older pieces and creating new music altogether.”
The overlap might also explain why Peters has found that so many of her fellow musicians understand math and so many scientists appreciate music, including faculty in both the School of Music and the Department of Chemistry. For instance, her radiochemistry teacher plays cello in a community orchestra, and her accompanist teaches music theory and other humanities courses. In general, Peters says, her instructors and advisers in both units not only understand the demands each major puts on her focus and time, but they also seem genuinely interested in making sure all the branches of arts and science are working in concert.
After graduation, Peters’ primary ambition is to one day join a major opera company. Until then, she’ll enjoy a day job working in pharmaceutical research while waiting out the pandemic for more performance opportunities to open up.
There is no one better to talk to potential future Tigers than you — you’ve been there. Help A&S fill communities with graduates who are bright, creative and good citizens. Visit admissions.missouri.edu. Blending Scholarship and Experience If Joan Hermsen’s students want to pursue work outside the classroom, she’ll make it happen. That’s how seniors Max Staab and Meaghan Lee wound up researching food insecurity for U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler.
“Max and Meaghan are both such self-starters,” says Hermsen, an associate professor of sociology. Last summer, Hartzler’s office contacted Mizzou’s Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security (ICFS), requesting information on the congresswoman’s district. Staab and Lee got to work writing a summary document called a white paper based on information reported in the Missouri Hunger Atlas and other sources.
“I have found a great deal of meaning in this work, knowing that it is actually being seen by people who have the power to change policy that can better people’s lives in Missouri,” Lee says. She received an Arts and Science Career Development Scholarship, which allowed her to work as a paid assistant with Hermsen and the ICFS team.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO NEXTGEN
As the long-standing foundation of undergraduate education, the College of Arts and Science is a significant source of mind power behind the NextGen Precision Health initiative. “It’s not a question of which of the college’s departments are integral to NextGen; it’s more of a challenge to find a department that isn’t,” says J. Chris Pires, Curators Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and associate dean for research in the college.
This multidisciplinary and multicampus initiative is gearing up to develop new and better personalized medical treatments and devices. Pires expresses the ambitious scope of the initiative in a simple catchphrase: “First in mouse, first in pig and first in humans.” By leveraging the University of Missouri System’s unique set of resources, the initiative will reduce the time it takes to move an untested hypothesis through animal studies and on to clinical trials. “We can create radiopharmaceuticals at the nuclear reactor, then drive them down the street to the NextGen building, where they can begin testing their effectiveness,” Pires says.
The clinical components of the initiative will be complemented with population studies and analyses of immense data sets from medical studies. Whether researching the most effective communications for encouraging vaccinations or determining if treatment efficacy varies by gender, the college is helping build the future of 21st-century medicine.
NextGen at A&S
NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH Biological Sciences Cognitive Neuroscience Systems Core Psychological Sciences Missouri Center for Addiction Research & Engagement
CANCER RESEARCH Molecular Imaging Theranostics Center Chemistry Biological Sciences
CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISORDERS RESEARCH Physics Biological Sciences
POPULATION HEALTH RESEARCH Anthropology Statistics Communications Women’s & Gender Studies Economics Truman School of Public Affairs Institute of Public Policy
BASIC AND EMERGING SCIENCE Statistics Anthropology Mathematics/ Data Science Physics Biological Sciences Chemistry
HEALTH CARE DELIVERY RESEARCH Psychological Sciences Mathematics Missouri Center for Addiction Research & Engagement Statistics
Help us find cures for cancer, addiction, neurological diseases, heart disease and more. Call Kristen Maier, executive director for advancement at 573-882-5518.
ALUMNI TOUT VALUE OF LIBERAL ARTS DEGREES
Business owner Beth Snyder, BFA ’02, is all about the unboxing experience. When a customer opens a package from her 1canoe2, she wants them to feel like they are unwrapping a gift. Every purchase shipped from the company’s Fulton, Missouri, warehouse arrives with a hand-painted postcard in a branded box. Due to the pandemic’s effects on warehouse operations, many boutique brands on the coasts are struggling to do the same. So, Snyder founded Court St. Custom Fulfillment, hiring 15 people to help get other businesses’ products out the door quickly yet thoughtfully. “It’s a whole different set of problems to solve,” says Snyder, who attributes her success, in part, to her liberal arts courses at Mizzou. Check out what Snyder and other arts and science alumni have to say about their education at MU.
Andy Bryant, BA ’72
Retired chairman of the board at Intel
“My economics degree set me up for my whole life. It taught me fundamental financial relationships, logical thinking, how to analyze data effectively. In my career, those were the things that always mattered most. The liberal arts part offered a chance to learn about different concepts you don’t get in a more narrow field: I took philosophy, psychology, computer programming. I’m a firm believer that to build the career I built, I had to build breadth.” Beth Snyder, BFA ’02
President of 1canoe2 Letterpress, Hemlock Goods and Court St. Custom Fulfillment
“People with liberal arts degrees are creative thinkers and problem-solvers. To have somebody who doesn’t go by the book, who thinks every day on their feet, that’s the kind of person we need. As a small business, I need somebody who can look at all the disciplines within our company and contribute to lots of different departments. Everyone I hire is curious and focused on lifelong learning.”
Anna Aydt Doyle, BA ’83
Health care and entrepreneurial consultant “When we hired people, we hired them based on the soft skills: Can you think? Can you think differently? Can you think beyond what you’ve been taught? They had to be able to write. If you can’t communicate, you can’t share the ideas you come up with. And you’ve got to be able to see it from lots of people’s perspectives. Learning how to think, learning how to be open to new ideas, learning how to communicate — that’s all arts and science.” Daniel Willis, BA ’08
Film and TV writer and director
“I enjoy working with folks with a liberal arts background. Usually, if you come from the liberal arts, you have a broad background in terms of interests and things you’ve been exposed to. They make for wellrounded collaborators. If you’re going to be an artist, someone who is a creator, you’re pulling from a lot of different references, different mediums. If you have that broad arts education, it gives you an advantage.”
Jim Simón, MA ’78, PhD ’80
Radiochemist and co-founder of IsoTherapeutics “It is a common misconception that a scientist’s only task is to stay in the lab and gather data. That could not be further from the truth. Communication and interactions with management, funding agencies and customers are imperative for success. If you can clearly communicate both orally and in writing, then you are more likely to succeed. Scientists that come out of school with a broad background have an advantage in both communications and the ability to connect with others.”
CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS
Launched in 2020 and led by the College of Arts and Science and the School of Law, the Middleton Center is dedicated to scholarly discourse and analysis of race, citizenship and justice. Illustration by Peter Strain
As Stephanie Shonekan watched rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, she sat in shock, but only for a moment. The co-director of the Michael A. Middleton Center for Race, Citizenship, and Justice quickly rattled off an email to fellow co-director and law Professor S. David Mitchell.
“Seeing images of the Confederate flag being waved in the Capitol, it raised a lot of questions — the kinds of questions that the center was created for,” says Shonekan, associate dean of the College of Arts and Science and professor of music. Led by a partnership between the college and the School of Law, the center launched in 2020 to help students, scholars and community members engage in conversations about its three pillars — race, citizenship and justice — which are grounded in research and empirical data. “We couldn’t let this moment pass.”
They didn’t. A week after the attack on Capitol Hill, the center convened professors from political science, Black studies, religious studies, communication, journalism and law to offer varied scholarly perspectives in a panel discussion attended by over 200 people. “Academics value hearing from other perspectives,” Mitchell says. “Listening to panelists discuss a particular issue from a different theoretical academic interdisciplinary lens allows all of us to explore how siloed we might be in our own academic world but, more importantly, reach out beyond those bounds.”
The center has since hosted the Democratic Boone County Clerk and Republican Greene County Clerk for a discussion on Missouri’s voting policies and practices as well as jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams’ biographer for a conversation about gender issues in jazz, among other topics. “These are not 140-character conversations,” Mitchell says. “The center recognizes the nuances and the complexity of the issues. It gets us past a reductionist model of what conversations around race, citizenship and justice have become.”
Shonekan hopes the center, with its intellectual roots in the College of Arts and Science and the School of Law, can help Missourians understand the context for race, citizenship and justice and reinforce Mizzou’s role as a land-grant institution: “We can point to the history. We can point to the sociology. We can point to the political science research and legal precedents. These fields allow us to see different experiences and consider the historical trajectory that has led us here. They give us a lens for the discussion. I hope that people can learn, or at least get curious, about the scholarship that forms the foundation for these conversations.”
The center also offers fellowships for faculty, graduate and undergraduate scholars who propose theoretical and applied research projects aimed at helping communities affected by disparities in education, health and economic opportunity. Fellows will meet to workshop their ideas and gather feedback before presenting their findings to the public. The center will also participate in collaborative programs with other units across campus. “We want to start connecting our dots,” Shonekan says.
Living Legacy
The center might not exist if not for the man it’s named for — two-time Mizzou graduate Michael Middleton, who dedicated his life’s work to fighting for a more just and equal world. Middleton, BA ’68, JD ’71, grew up in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era. In high school, he participated in Freedom Summer and protested for racial equality. As an undergraduate at Mizzou, he helped start the Legion of Black Collegians, fought for the rights of Black students and was instrumental in the creation of the Black studies program. After becoming the third Black graduate of MU’s law school, he worked as a civil rights attorney trying discrimination cases for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. Before returning to the law school as a faculty member in 1985, he worked at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Department of Health, Education and Welfare; and the Department of Education. At the university, Middleton has served as professor of law and deputy chancellor as well as interim president of the University of Missouri System.
Sign up to receive Middleton Center news and event invitations at mizzou. us/middletoncentersignup.
SHOW-ME THE ARTS
SHOW-ME THE ARTS
Whether it’s a musical production making its way to Broadway or a 4,000-year-old artifact attracting visitors to a vast collection of antiquities, art has no boundaries. Departments across the College of Arts and Science enrich not only campus life but also communities statewide and beyond. The goal is to reach increasingly broader audiences.
In 2019, the Department of Theatre teamed up with the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders to create a sensory-friendly production of the children’s book Corduroy. That’s the kind of partnership theatre Chair Heather Carver fosters on and off campus to make the magic of theater accessible to all. The play brings to life a story about teddy bear Corduroy and his owner, Lisa, one of the first Black characters in children’s literature. To make the show accessible to children with autism, the allstudent crew softened the sound and lighting, created a zero-level stage, and allowed the audience to come and go as they pleased. “Part of our mission is that we don’t want to leave anyone behind,” Carver says.
Theater is just one of numerous ways MU builds bridges through the arts. Campus opens its doors through classes in art and instrumental music, a variety of performances, and exhibits at museums and galleries. The
Artist in Residence program, a collaborative initiative through the School of Visual Studies, Museum of Art and Archaeology, School of Music, Department of English and Department of Theatre, hosts artists from across the globe who connect with all aspects of campus life. And, true to the mission of a land-grant university, engagement extends well beyond
Columbia’s city limits.
“Sometimes when people think about the arts, they imagine a select group that goes to galleries, museums and concert halls,” says
Pat Okker, dean of the College of Arts and Sci-
Students delight in their performance based on the children’s book Corduroy. The theatre department partnered with the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders to offer a sensory-friendly performance for children with autism spectrum disorder.
Arts Programs
Larry D. Clark Summer Repertory Theatre: A program with professionals and students alike that has been entertaining audiences for over 50 years
Art on the Move: School of Visual Studies students and alumni returning to home regions, sharing their artwork and fostering opportunities for professional development
Mizzou on Broadway: Established in 2001 with an initial gift from alumnus Gary Tatlow followed by the support of additional alumni and friends to bring exceptional Mizzou performances to the big stage
Artist in Residence: Invites emerging and established artists to cultivate creativity across disciplines
Mizzou New Music Initiative: Creating an incubator for new music composition and performance, with support from the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation
The Missouri Review: A nationally recognized literary magazine known for finding and publishing emerging authors
Arts Programs
Museum of Art and Archaeology: Open to students, scholars and the community to experience significant art and artifacts
Museum of Anthropology: Broadening the understanding of human behavior through research, interpretation and preservation of ethnographic and archaeological materials
Chancellor’s Art Showcase: A celebration of the arts at Mizzou featuring outstanding student performances
George Caleb Bingham Gallery: The only contemporary gallery on campus, bringing high-quality exhibits, events and visiting artists to Columbia
Visual Art and Design Showcase: A venue where undergraduates display and discuss their work in an exhibition setting with an $8,000 prize for the most outstanding entry
ence. “All of those things are really important, but we have to expand on those traditional places to make sure people have real opportunities for significant engagement with the arts.”
School of Music Director Julia Gaines has been working toward this goal by offering classes such as the popular Jazz, Pop and Rock; Introduction to Soul and Country; and Songwriting and Beat Making. The latter offers students a chance to explore the combination of lyrics and melody and provides an avenue into the widely popular freestyle world where lyrics typically accompany only rhythm, or beats.
“We need to get out of our bubble,” Gaines says. “I’d like students to know the School of Music in a more robust way all across campus.” This priority complements the school’s strong community presence. Students perform at most local religious institutions and teach instrumental lessons through the Community Music Program.
Community involvement is key to Art on the Move in the School of Visual Studies, where students, faculty and alumni exhibit artwork statewide, often in their hometowns. The goal is to reach every Missouri county, says Lee Ann Garrison, the school’s director. In another Art on the Move initiative, Art in Empty Storefronts, a collaboration with MU Extension, students display their work in the windows of vacant buildings, increasing art exposure while fostering economic development. “Someone might look at that storefront and think, ‘I can do something with that space,’” Garrison says.
Okker is grateful to communities for sending their artists to Mizzou: “The high school teachers have nurtured these kids in the arts. They trust us to continue their development, and then we send them back to their communities.”
Art creates culture and helps us understand the world around us, Garrison says. “When we look back historically, we always study what the artwork looks like. Artifacts left to us bear witness to a time and place and to who we are.” M
The MU Artist in Residence program projects poetry onto the sides of buildings around campus as part of its In Focus: Poetry project. The outdoor event, held during September 2020 as a creative way to enjoy art during the pandemic, featured poems by Mizzou alumni.
Top: How does one view artwork safely during a pandemic? Art in Empty Storefronts, a collaboration with MU Extension, displayed students’ art, including this textile by Erin McFarland, along with other work in the windows of vacant buildings. Above: Alarm Will Sound rehearses during the 2019 Mizzou International Composers Festival.
Fonda Music
You don’t expect a composer to hang around dusty corrals in Reno, Nevada, while creating a film score, even one about horse trainers. But for Grant Fonda, who earned a master’s degree in music composition at Mizzou in 2012, immersion in a film’s location and personalities is his creative path.
For a new documentary about the University of Montana’s famed women’s basketball coach, he incorporated sounds of net swishes and shoe squeaks. In Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton, Fonda’s captivating music surrounds the story of an Irish priest whose message, “The family that prays together, stays together,” was beamed to millions worldwide in the 1940s–’70s via rosary rallies and celebrity-studded TV and radio shows.
Hollywood generates most of Fonda’s commissions. He’s worked in the music departments of such films as Minions, Finding Dory and Bridge of Spies as well as fully creating the soundtracks for a dozen feature and documentary films. In addition to composing the score, he’s usually responsible for selecting an orchestrator, sound engineer and contractor for the musicians. He’s learned to tap into various directors’ styles.
He often must work fast, as television producers can expect 30 minutes of music to be created in less than 10 days. Feature films can require 70 minutes of music or more in three months.
Fonda was given a full ride to Mizzou under its New Music Initiative, which encourages composers. A perk of the program offers composers access to musicians. “Being able to have your pieces workshopped with phenomenal musicians at your disposal was such a gift,” Fonda says. “Mizzou put a lot of tools in my compositional tool belt.”
After working with Mizzou composition Professors W. Thomas McKenney and Stefan Freund and percussionist Julia Gaines, Fonda, now 36, returned to his native California. He gained admittance to the highly selective screen scoring program at the University of Southern California and to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ film scoring workshop.
His music is found on Apple, Amazon and Spotify, including a song that’s been streamed 3.5 million times: “A Million In-N-Out Burgers,” part of a romantic comedy that’s meant to be watched exclusively on phones. “Music today requires a lot of versatility,” he laughs.
WHEN GRADUATE STUDENTS PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS, EVERYONE BENEFITS
Mizzou’s largest academic unit, the College of Arts and Science, strives for a breadth in teaching and research that reflects human diversity and complexity. Its programs draw students from around the world whose academic achievements not only cement careers as teachers and researchers but also advance the understanding of our world and ourselves.
These three students are nearing the pinnacle of education: a PhD, or Doctor of Philosophy. Not necessarily in the study of philosophy itself, but from Greek for “love of wisdom.” To get there takes years of study and producing original work that expands human knowledge.
TYLER JIMENEZ >
Psychologists want to understand why people do what they do. For Mizzou graduate student Tyler Jimenez, that includes why today’s authorities dispatch armored cars to confront peaceful American Indian protesters.
Tribal members on horseback faced militarized police in a 2016 protest over a new pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in South Dakota. “It’s hard to look at those images and not think of colonialism,” says Jimenez, MA ’19, a doctoral candidate in social psychology.
Jimenez studies how psychology research can help improve human health. He’s focused on public policy, partly because of a four-year association with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which researches health policy.
His research into police militarization arose from wanting to reduce gun violence. “There’s a strong connection between police militarization and police use of force,” he says.
A member of New Mexico’s Nambé Pueblo, Jimenez starts in the fall as an assistant professor at the University of Washington, where he’ll continue an emphasis on health issues for Indigenous peoples. He’s interested, for example, in programs that help tribal youth connect with their cultural history. Participants describe the cultural programs as pivotal to healthy living. “They seemed more motivated to take care of themselves,” Jimenez says, “and the people around them.”
PATRICKA WILLIAMS-SIMON >
When growing up on the Caribbean island of Grenada, Patricka Williams-Simon dreamt of finishing high school, which would be a first for her family. Then she dreamt of attending college, never imagining graduate school.
Now she’s finishing a doctoral degree in biology, having contributed award-winning research on the genetics of learning and memory and of pediatric neurodegenerative diseases. “That I’m getting a PhD is a big deal for my family,” she says, adding with a laugh: “Most of the time, they think I’m a medical doctor. When someone gets a headache or a backache, I’m the one they call.”
Williams-Simon came to MU for its Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program, designed to increase diversity in the biomedical sciences. “PREP does what it promises — it prepares students for graduate school and to be competitive in the market,” she says.
Competitive, indeed, as Williams-Simon’s research earned a prestigious fellowship with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and an award from the Genetics Society of America, among other recognitions. She, in turn, has helped start several organizations aimed at encouraging minorities in STEM. “It’s incumbent on me to give back to my community,” she says.
Meanwhile, Williams-Simon weighs four offers to continue her research in a postdoctoral position. She hopes to have her own lab one day, with teaching also a priority.
ANDREW OLDEN
History often describes Pruitt-Igoe, a public housing complex in St. Louis, as having failed because of its high-rise architecture. Digging uncovers a more human story — management’s unwillingness and inability to understand the needs and desires of its residents.
“Many tenants were actively organizing to better their living situation,” says Andrew Olden, MA ’17, a doctoral candidate in history. His research includes oral histories of residents who unsuccessfully sought to improve conditions.
The project illustrates one theme in Olden’s research: a long history of African Americans in St. Louis unable to determine their own fate, including the destruction of successful Black neighborhoods in the name of “redevelopment.”
He emerged from an Illinois high school wanting to study history, and now he wants to teach it as a career. His grandmother helped kindle that interest as together they visited St. Louis museums, including the Missouri History Museum. There, Olden found himself drawn to the story of African Americans in St. Louis, partly because of how little he learned about Black history in high school.
ARTISTIC CHOICES Coming to Mizzou was a no-brainer for Ryan Fangmann, a bachelor’s in fine arts student from Oak Grove, Missouri. When the College of Arts and Science commissioned a piece of art that alumni could cut out and keep, deciding which nostalgic icons to include was a no-brainer, too. The other elements — the roses, the paint color strip, the white border — are specific to Fangmann’s style, which is a blend of pop art and romanticism. “Everything I make is in reference to digital commercialization and corporate marketing strategies. I like taking things we’re familiar with and reproducing and reappropriating those things into fine art.”
The Heart of Mizzou
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