UCM Magazine: Vol. 15, No. 1

速 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MAGAZINE

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not what you think

contents This issue of UCM Magazine brings you a cover story unlike any we have published about a timely, yet decades’ old, social issue essential to American democracy.

Let us know what you think.

Please email us at ucmmagazine@ucmo.edu or 660-543-8000.

4 cove r story

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full spectrum: not what you think With the largest enrollment and the most diverse student population in our history, are we making progress to look beyond stereotypes to learn from each other as individuals? A professor known as Dr. Love and four students – an African-American female, an African-American gay, a Saudi Arabian male and a United Arab Emirates female – share their UCM experiences, and it’s not what you might think.

fe at ure s

10 the brigadier general

Since starting his military career with the university’s ROTC program, Troy Kok now holds a rank held by fewer than one percent in the U.S. Army.

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a leader in global finance In today’s interconnected global economy, Ashvin Vibhakar has used his MBA degree to help shape a forward-thinking industry focused on better serving society.

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reaching out with service Politics and volunteerism grabbed Tom Wyrsch at a young age, interrupting his college plans while leading to lifelong friendships and community involvement. find us online at ucmo.edu/ucmmagazine

S ect i o ns

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Campus Currents

16 central yesterday 18 interactions 19 Class Notes 21 Awards & Honors 22 In Memoriam

p resid ent ’s message

MAGAZINE Vol. 1 5 No. 1 Su m m e r 2 01 5

executive Editor

Dalene Abner ’09 Designer

Julie Babcock Photographers

Bryan Tebbenkamp ’03

Published by Alumni Relations and Development. © 2015 by University of Central Missouri.

All rights reserved.

Find us online: ucmo.edu/ucmmagazine Contact the editor at ucmmagazine@ucmo.edu or 660-543-4545. Submit your address updates online to ucmo.edu/mynewaddress, by email to alumni@ucmo.edu or telephone, 660-543-8000 or toll-free, 1-866-752-7257.

UCM Magazine (USPS 019-888) is published quarterly by the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093. Printed by Lane Press, 87 Meadowland Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403. Periodicals postage paid at Warrensburg, MO, and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to UCM

Magazine, Smiser Alumni Center, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093.

To view the University of Central Missouri’s Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity Statement, visit ucmo.edu/nondiscrimination.

Forward Momentum Includes Appreciation for More Diverse Campus

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rowth with quality is a byproduct of the University of Central Missouri’s focus on student success. Our momentum comes through initiatives aimed at increased student engagement, college affordability, reduced student debt and more timely graduation. It resulted this fall in the largest enrollment in our 144-year history, 14,395 students, and the fifth consecutive increase in students, up 7.6% from last fall.

Over the past five years, UCM has enjoyed a 23.7% increase in overall enrollment, with a 33% increase in Hispanic students, 6% increase in Asians, 5.9% increase in African Americans and a 48.6% increase in students who identify with two or more races.

Additionally, the university is enjoying a 46.6% increase in international students. This is due, in part, to exceptional programs but also reflects the excellent relationships UCM has with many international alumni and organizations who encourage students to come here.

Certainly, an influx of students from across the globe contributes to a more diverse campus, which benefits our students by providing them with a worldly perspective. Everyone benefits through their exposure to individuals who have backgrounds and cultures different from their own. The many forms of diversity provide a vibrancy to our campus that makes the UCM experience richer for all students.

As you read this issue of “UCM Magazine”, you will learn more about what it means to value differences from a seasoned professor who instills an appreciation for diversity and teaches students to see others as individuals. The article, titled “Full Spectrum: Not What You Think,” also provides an opportunity to hear about valuing differences from four students’ perspectives.

We hope you enjoy this article, while also reading about other happenings at UCM and the work of our exceptional alumni. Keep sharing your stories with us.

We look forward to telling them.

Joining you in service,

Chuck Ambrose P r e si d e nt

University of Central Missouri Magazine

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Thrive Program Draws Regional, National Attention

First it was a Kansas City television news crew. Then came a national visit from the U.S. Department of Education. The UCM THRIVE program is drawing lots of attention.

THRIVE, an acronym for Transformation, Health, Responsibility, Independence, Vocation and Education, was founded in 2010 to provide people, ages 18-25 with developmental disabilities, the opportunity to grow through independent living and academic opportunities.

“We are learning that many of our existing programs are woefully inadequate for the developmentally disabled student,” said Melody Musgrove, DOE director of special education programs. “Too often, special education has focused on what students can’t do rather than helping them overcome obstacles from a strength-based position,” she said. “This program focuses on what the individual student is good at, and helps him or her make the most of it.”

Learn more about UCM’s THRIVE program at ucmo.edu/thrive.

Watch the KMBC video at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=x5cEKscThe4.

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Seeing Veterans Like Never Before

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o one speaks in these photos yet a message comes across that is more realistic than any words could communicate. Raw, painful and often touching. The Veterans Vision Project is a revealing look into the lives of veterans unlike any most of us have ever seen.

The brainchild of amateur photographer Devin Mitchell of Los Angeles, the project’s first visual exhibit is on campus through Nov. 12 thanks to a Sunday morning habit of Christian Cutler, director of the UCM Gallery of Art & Design, to watch Charles Osgood.

“I was watching the show and his story, the Veterans Vision Project, was featured,” Cutler said.

“I was compelled by it and knew immediately there would be a really strong connection between UCM and this project. It made perfect sense.”

Cutler got with Delilah Nichols, coordinator of military and veteran services, and together the two successfully obtained funding to bring the project to campus.

Mitchell uses a unique mirrored approach to develop photos of veterans both in uniform and another that represents their experiences. He found the mirrored image worked extremely well to capture the heart and soul of the veteran.

“Without speaking, a veteran can tell a story through a visual image,” Cutler said. Once Mitchell started creating the images, getting more press attention, he realized the project was a lifelong one.

His goal is to photograph 10,000 veterans and to produce two books.

“When we started discussing the project and bringing him here, Devin and I said together ‘let’s photograph here,’” Cutler added. “Let’s make this specific to the region. Devin said, after his second day in Missouri, how creative the subjects were.

He has photographed some elaborate images of people wanting to show Post Traumatic Stress or TBI, but when he got here he was very surprised at the creative ideas some people had, such as the Buhrmanns.”

Michael and Rebecca Buhrmann, both in the U.S. Air Force, set up a wooden table, rocking chairs and a mirror in their rural yard and had their photo made sipping lemonade.

Dustin Johns, a current UCM student, came to the project differently. He was visiting the Military and Veterans Services Office when Cutler brought in Mitchell for a meeting. They discussed the project and “Johns felt it was so important that he was willing to show off his two prosthetic legs and put his face back to military code.”

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The image of Johns shows a Marine in uniform looking from the mirror at the civilian version of himself standing on prosthetic legs. “On one side he’s the way you see him walking across campus and on the other side he’s in his fatigues, shaven and as he would be seen on base,” Cutler said. “One poignant part of that image is the fact that he is a double-amputee, and he still has a sense of humor, with a shirt that says, ‘Not running sucks.’”

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Michael and Rebecca Buhrmann Dustin Johns

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The Honors College Getting Bigger

“Ask yourself, what am I willing to stand for? We know that change is driven by people. Real palpable change occurs when people show up, roll up their sleeves and say ‘I’ll help.’” — Gregg Favre, 2015 Patriot Day speaker c l assroom e xtra

Science of Selflessness and Heroes Author Elizabeth Svoboda discusses the sciences behind “What Makes a Hero: the Surprising Science of Selflessness” in her book chosen for the One Campus, One Book discussions this semester.

“This program engages our students with a text addressing a contemporary social issue and encourages them to extend critical and rhetorical analysis to their lives beyond the classroom,” said Shari Bax, vice provost of student experience and engagement.

Svoboda will speak on campus at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Nov. 12, in Hendricks Hall. That’s after two months of campus discussion on literary, science fiction, big screen and real-life heroes.

Anyone can become a hero, Svoboda claims. Ordinary persons can learn to build on their natural biological traits to become models of selflessness and service. Her answer winds from evolutionary biology and neuroscience to educational philosophy and psychology via anecdote and personal reflection.

An incoming class of 155 new students has given The Honors College its largest first-time, fulltime freshman enrollment since 2008.

Collectively, the students average an ACT score of 27 and a grade point average of 3.97.

cri mi nal j u st i ce

u n i v e rs i t y f o cu s

Criminal Justice Online Program Makes Top 25

Campus Adopts National Green Dot to Prevent Violence

Having an outstanding reputation for quality criminal justice programs, the University of Central Missouri recently received recognition for its online master’s degree in the field. Following a review of similar programs for academic quality and student satisfaction, BestColleges.com named UCM 23rd on a list of 25 for the nation’s Top Online Master’s in Criminal Justice programs.

BestColleges.com said UCM has demonstrated “a dedication to building a quality program for working professionals who seek more flexibility than a traditional online campus can provide.”

BestColleges.com notes that an online degree is a convenient way to earn a college education, offering students access to experienced faculty members, flexible degree tracks and the same information and resources they would find on campus. To learn more, visit ucmo.edu/cj.

Green dots have been showing up all over campus as the university adopted a national model this fall as part of a strategy to use cultural and peer influence to promote a bystander approach to prevent power-based personal violence.

To understand how the strategy works, people might visualize a map with red dots representing individual cases where violent acts occurred. Now, imagine those points as green dots or moments in time where somebody chose to use their actions, words or behaviors to prevent violence.

“What makes this program different is that it is focused on the majority of the population,” said Amy Kiger, director of the Office of Violence and Substance Abuse Prevention. “Thankfully, most people are not going to be victims or perpetrators, but the majority of individuals will at some point in their lives encounter some form of personal violence. So we are trying to empower those people to be able to change the culture.”

Back by Demand Music ensembles return March 29 to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City to once again present the President’s Gala.

Visit the Department of Music website: https://www.ucmo.edu/music/

Would you believe a

452%

increase in the number of Central Missouri students who are traveling to and studying in other countries?

In 2014-15, that meant 232 students who gained greater perspectives of the world through UCM’s Study Abroad programs.

“

My family is my roots, my rock that helps mold my existence.

We watch each other grow and support each other. They believe in the beauty of my dreams and treat them like their own.

”

Keyontae Richardson 2015 Family of the Year Award

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not what you think

By Ashli Harris and Dalene Abner

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profiles With the largest enrollment and the most diverse student population in our history, are we making progress to look beyond stereotypes to learn from each other as individuals? Asked to provide an honest assessment of their UCM experience, one professor and four students shared their stories, and they are not what you might think. “ I tell them you have to engage with people face-to-face,

eyeball-to-eyeball. Put down your electronic devices. Research is showing that we spend so much time with electronic

instruments that we have lost our sense of empathy. Losing our sense of empathy is problematic especially in the pressing and challenging times we are looking at right now. We’ve taken one step forward and three steps back when it comes to race in this country. It’s disappointing because I lived through it the last time, and I’ve been involved in peace and justice issues for 40 years,” said Steve Ciafullo, assistant professor, Vietnam veteran and political activist who has taught the class, Valuing Differences, for more than two decades.

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Sociology professor Steve Ciafullo, called Dr. Love by his students, walks his own path.

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dr. love

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When you put a face to people and you start knowing them, that’s what melts down those barriers and knocks down the assumptions and stereotypes.

When we had the Quiet Day Riots April 30, 1992,

I was on campus. It was in the wake of the Rodney King verdict when they acquitted the police officers. There was unrest all around the country, even Warrensburg. They were called the Quiet Day Riots because after our last day of classes, we had a day off, called a Quiet Day, before finals started.

The response was not so much to King, but the verdict was a spark that created awareness that minority needs weren’t being met on campus. We had 200 to 300 students, black and white, marching across campus breaking windows, marching downtown breaking windows, creating a quarter of a million dollars worth of damage. Police had checkpoints at all the entrances into town.

I got a call from students to be with them to make sure that no one got hurt and I became a go-between the students and administration. Out of those days and with significant support from President Ed Elliott, this course [Valuing Differences] originated. We offered scholarships to our first 30 students. You could have cut the tension with a knife. We’re now going into our 23rd year and have had 8,000 students through the course.

The entire range of differences is represented in this experiential class. We don’t talk about concepts. They experience them. The first step toward constructive change is dialogue. I encourage students to get out of their comfort zones, take some risk and have a conversation with someone.

You find out you have more in common than not. Perception is reality. If you perceive something to be real, you have the same emotions. It finds its way into your thinking and into your behavior. Someone once said we find comfort with those who are similar; we find growth with those who are not.

I don’t fit neatly into a little pigeonhole. I believe in authentic, genuine living. You be yourself. You practice what you teach. I work for the students (period). But you know I believe in the competent deviant theory. The

more competent you are, the more deviant you get to be. So I am just really good in the classroom. I’ve got my own style. I believe in it. I’ve fought for it over the years. You know I don’t back down. Kids are always taking in things. They are watching you whether you realize it or not. Everyone is a role model on campus. They watch you, what you do and say. Are you somebody who is true to your words? Do you have the courage and conviction of your beliefs? Do you seize opportunities to change things in a positive direction?

Yes, I have my own style. I wear Birks 365 days a year. I’m probably the only male faculty member with painted toenails. I have long hair although it’s the shortest it’s been. Students relate to you. They know when you are telling a lie. You have to be honest, authentic and genuine with them.

listen “You change people one mind at a time, one generation at a time, and I always tell my students, your grandchildren will look back and say, ‘Those were the issues?’ At least, I’m hopeful.” Listen to Steve’s interview at ucmo.edu/alumni.

University UniversityofofCentral CentralMissouri MissouriMagazine Magazine 77

ASHLI

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Not just a black girl from the “hood”

MOHAMMED

I will always remember

Mohammed Hindi’s gregarious nature belies the media stereotype.

As I continue to study in America, I’ve learned that the media plays a big part in influencing people’s opinions about the Middle Eastern region of the world, which includes my country, Saudi Arabia. Because people tend to only see these negative headlines, they develop the fallacy that all people from the Middle East who have facial features that resemble the images that they see in the media are terrorists and that is not true.

Some people do feel like that. I have a best friend from Kansas City who was very honest with me. He told me, “I’m not going to lie to you; the stereotype for international students from the Middle East is that you are all terrorists.” I told him, “Okay, I understand that, but come around, let’s chill together and I’ll show you,” and now he has become my best friend.

They feel that way because the movies and media show us all as terrorists. They show us living in deserts and things of that nature but in all actuality, we don’t live like that. We have towers, streets and lots of lights and things like that.

Fortunately, I don’t have those problems at UCM. I have gained friends from all around the world including Europe, Spain and America among several others.

However, it has not always been easy.

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receiving my acceptance letter to UCM. I lived in one of Kansas City’s roughest neighborhoods surrounded by drugs, robbery, violence, murder and corruption. The schools were 99 percent filled with students with the same ethnic background, socioeconomic status and intelligence level as me. Most of them barely make it out of high school. When I opened that letter, I was overjoyed to be a black woman who did not perish from the negative effects of living in “the hood.”

When I set foot on campus, I envisioned diversity to be much more than just people from different ethnic backgrounds, all under one institution. I expected to see individuals communicating and interacting with one another. Instead, I witnessed international students sitting

secluded in one area. I noticed blacks and whites who generally stayed away from each other. It was a strong dose of reality.

Black women tend to get the “angry black woman” stereotype if they speak boldly and fearlessly about issues. It is a sad reality that does not just take place in college but in the real world as well. However, my experiences at UCM have equipped me to handle that misperception. As I prepare to graduate, I believe diversity and racial inequality have improved tremendously, yet patterns of segregation are still present. I wonder will UCM ever become fully diverse and racially equal or will the issue remain hidden, only to come as a shocking reality to incoming students?

really value my time at UCM. Whether it’s with blacks, whites, gays, straights or international students, UCM’s atmosphere is filled with the ability to not only coexist with others but also to develop these incredible, college friendships that can last forever.

However, being at a predominantly white institution and joining a predominantly white fraternity, there are instances where I noticed I was the only black male. In my eyes, color does not define friendships but there have been times when I understand why blacks feel they are stereotyped.

Sometimes, when I am around my friends who are white, they tell me that I am a really cool guy because I don’t act ghetto, ’hood or don’t use much jargon or slang terminology. In a joking manner, they tell me that I’m one of their cool black friends. In some ways, it makes me feel uncomfortable because I feel that I have passed a test. In order to be as close as I am with them, I have to act like them.

Though I do not participate in the racial arguments and discussions between blacks and whites, I admit that those comments make me feel uncomfortable. I don’t want to feel that I am passing a test to be considered worthy of being called a friend. Color has never been a factor in deciding my friendships.

Personality, similar interests and genuine communication and chemistry create everlasting friendships. For me, it is those things that matter.

Out there as a gay black male

Jazzmon

My interpersonal relationships with people are the reasons I

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Life is more than studying for Spoorthy Prakash from the United Arab Emirates

Spoorthy

As much as I want to

make friends from other countries, it hasn’t happened yet. There’s this one girl who spoke to me on Facebook when I got accepted. She sent me a message and I had no idea who she was so I didn’t respond. She said, “I contacted you, but you didn’t reply.” My dad said I was rude. We ended up being really close friends.

I’m really surprised we need a car to get anywhere. I thought there would be lots of public transportation. In Dubai, we would go every weekend to movies and that doesn’t really happen much here. That’s different from my lifestyle at home.

We don’t really have the restrictions in Dubai that women face in Saudi. We have laws but they aren’t enforced that much. You can’t wear shorts but leggings and skinny jeans are OK. Some families

are really traditional but my parents are not. Families here don’t seem that close. At home, I know all my cousins, their cousins and their kids. You know all those connections, and at weddings, they all show up.

I miss not working and having those responsibilities. I miss my mother’s home-cooked food. I get questions from students when they need to write a paper on another culture. It’s funny they find me fascinating. They ask me questions about India but I really can’t tell you what it’s like. I studied in Dubai but it’s not fascinating to me.

It’s like New York Times Square or Beverly Hills.

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Culture of Acceptance UCM places a high priority on creating a culture to accept individuals as they are. With the largest enrollment and most diverse student population in our history, it’s become everyone’s responsibility to value differences, ranging from personal accountability, to academic curriculum to specific offices coordinating campus efforts.

University of Central Missouri Magazine

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Troy Kok

holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism.

He is hard-working, honest to a fault, unassuming and competent. He has successfully commanded an Army aviation company, battalion and brigade.

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THE

Distinguished

BRIGADIER GENERAL

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID BABCOCK

A L U M N I AWA R D

of AH-64D Longbows, the most advanced BRIG. GEN. TROY KOK, who earned a attack helicopters in the world. In addition to bachelor’s degree in aviation maintenance holding a military rank, possessed by less than technology in 1986 and a master’s degree in one percent of those who serve in the Army, aviation safety from UCM in 1987, is being honored as the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus. Kok has received numerous military honors, including six Meritorious Service Medals, two He currently serves as deputy commanding Bronze Stars, the Legion of Merit and the general of support for the U.S. Army Defense Superior Service Medal.

Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, KY. Kok, also a senior aviator in the U.S. Army Reserves, has TROY KOK HAS SERVED AS AN OFFICER been responsible for 215 aircraft I N T H E U. S . A R M Y F O R N E A R LY 3 0 and more than 4,500 soldiers and civilians in 14 states, YEARS. AN AMERICAN SOLDIER WHO providing executive level advice R E CO M M E N D E D H I M F O R T H E AWA R D to senior members of the U.S. N OT E D H I S P R O F E S S I O N A L I S M , Army Reserve and leadership on aviation-related matters.

SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE, INTEGRITY “Today’s Army reserves is part A N D D E D I C AT I O N . “ T H E S E Q UA L I T I E S , of the best trained, best led and CO M B I N E D W I T H S U P E R B L E A D E R S H I P most capable military force in the world,” he said. “We can do and S K I L L S , H AV E R E S U LT E D I N H I M will do what is asked of us today, B E CO M I N G O N E O F A R M Y AV I AT I O N ’ S tomorrow and in the future.”

M O ST I M P O R TA N T G E N E R A L S .”

Kok’s military career started at UCM, where he was In addition to his military service, Kok commissioned through the ROTC program continues to stay engaged with the current as a second lieutenant in 1984. Following Army ROTC students at UCM and his his graduation, he became a platoon leader fraternity, Delta Chi. for the 219th Transportation Company at Proud of his connection to the university, Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, then went particularly the ROTC program, Kok on to attend flight school at Fort Rucker, noted, “The impact that the UCM AL. In addition to his UCM education, he education has had on the success of my advanced his military career by completing career, in both my military and civilian life, the Master of Strategic Studies program at has been insurmountable. The five years I the United States Army War College. spent at UCM thoroughly prepared me for During his career, Kok has managed the challenges I would face as I progressed more than $1.5 billion of aviation assets and commanded seven times, including a battalion through my career in the military.”

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Ashvin Vibhakar is known as a passionate teacher, striving to improve his communities and an industry under national and global scrutiny.

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Distinguished i n t e r n at i o n a l

A Leader in Global Finance

a l u m n i awa r d

illustration by david babcock

the 2015 distinguished International

Alumnus is Ashvin Vibhakar, Ph.D., a resident of Little Rock, AR, who came to the University of Central Missouri from India to complete a Master of Business Administration in Finance degree in 1973.

Since August 2015, he has served as the Joe T. Ford Chair of Finance at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, having recently retired as managing director and senior advisor, executive sponsor for the Future of Finance Project, CFA Institute, in Charlottesville, VA. This global effort was launched in 2012 to shape a forwardthinking financial industry focused on better serving society.

Before coming to UCM to earn an MBA, he completed a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India.

During the next 30 years, he became a “ When I came to prominent professor CM S U , I wa s i n m y and administrator at the short sleeve shirt University of Arkansas, Little Rock, where wi t h t h e o u t si d e he earned numerous t e m p e r at u r e b e l o w teaching honors freezing. I found an and developed the abundance of goodInstitute for Economic hearted people ready Advancement in the to help students College of Business Administration. He also su c h a s m y s e l f.”

obtained a doctorate in finance from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

As the Joe T. Ford Chair of Finance, Vibhakar has returned to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s College of Business Administration to help the continued expansion of strong working relationships with the banking, financial services and investment communities.

In 2007, Vibhakar joined CFA, an organization with 128,000 members in 149 countries and territories, to serve as the managing director of its Asian-Pacific Operations, based in Hong Kong. He more than doubled the market size in his 18-country territory and operated with the philosophy that by putting investors’ interests first, markets function at their best and economies grow.

Talking about his experiences at what was then CMSU, Vibhakar noted that the university provided him “many learning opportunities beyond academics that I cherish today.” He added that the value of creating a learning environment that makes learning easy and enjoyable was something he took away from his university experience.

“It is that experience that guided my behavior in my job.”

Vibhakar is the recipient of many teaching awards, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, that he attributes to what he learned at UCM.

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T o m W y r s c h m a k e s vo l u n t e e r i s m t o h i s a l m a m a t e r a p e r s o n a l p r i o r i t y. h i s s u p p o r t o f s t u d e n t s , s t u d e n t g r o u p s , at h l e t i c t e a m s a n d a l u m n i i s u n m a t c h e d b y v e r y f e w, i f a n y, UCM a l u m n i .

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Reaching Out with Service Distinguished a l u m n i awa r d

illustration by david babcock

for service

the 2015 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Service is Tom Wyrsch, a Kansas City resident who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCM in 1978 and is currently director of contract compliance for Jackson County, MO. An active and loyal university supporter, Wyrsch has been a member of the UCM Alumni Board of Directors, including serving in leadership posts as president and executive committee member. The longtime Kansas City resident has been involved in government and politics for more than four decades.

“When I look back at my student days at UCM, I smile. My education at the time was not a priority once I caught the political bug.”

He quit in his second year to campaign for presidential candidate George McGovern, setting a pattern that balanced his college dreams and political passion. Following his graduation from UCM, he worked on the state and national levels for many congressional staffs and is currently chair of the Jackson County Democratic Committee.

He also is active in his community and has been involved in many Kansas City competitions, celebrations and sporting events. In addition to raising funds for groups such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, over the past 34 years he has been involved with the Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, including serving as grand marshal in 2001.

Additionally, Wyrsch has been a judge of the Great Lenexa BBQ Contest, was logistics chair for the American Royal Parade and

helped with the Kansas City Zoo’s Jazzoo Festival. The seventh of eight siblings, he is passionate about his family’s heritage and values his work with the Irish community, efforts in which he takes great pride.

In discussing his UCM experiences, Wyrsch values the lifelong friendships he made, particularly through his involvement with Delta Upsilon fraternity. He credits UCM for the disciplines and lessons taught by great professors that carried Tom Wyrsch is a him through his g r e at e x a m p l e career. “I’m like of someone a lot of graduates who enjoys life, who leave school people and and get into life fights for the without thinking about their college right causes. experiences until they get older. When I have an opportunity to give back, I do.”

He not only shares his time and abilities but also made a gift to the UCM Foundation toward the Guillermo “Bill” Davila Scholarship for Criminal Justice. Wyrsch, who minored in criminal justice, said he wanted to honor the professor “who helped make our criminal justice program one of the best in the country.

“My involvement in Student Government Association, theatre and other activities was invaluable,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t realize it at the time, but, later, you realize it when something comes up, and you understand that you learned it or were first exposed to it through your classes.”

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central yester d ay

World war i ambulance crew inspires fraternity Serving together on the front lines redefined brotherhood for these four men.

T

hey call it the Great War. World War I, from 1914-1918, was without precedent. The first manmade catastrophe of the 20th century introduced chemical weapons, massive air bombardments and genocide. The war also

created special bonds, especially for four Central Missouri students who served with Ambulance Company 355 in France.

When they returned to Warrensburg to finish their degrees, they found that Normal School #2 had become a four-year college granting bachelor’s degrees. They also

discovered they were no longer satisfied with the literary societies whose members stayed solely to themselves. As social status was changing throughout society in general, these men, who had fought together, started discussing the idea of a fraternity that would cross these barriers. Their names were Emmett Ellis, Leland Hoback, Edward Grannert and William Parsons.

Their goal was to found a fraternity that would sustain a “sense of service, responsibility and affection for their companions.” They wanted the most desirable men from each literary society to join. On the morning of June 28, 1920, “at an unusually early hour,” Ellis posted a list with the names of 30 men on the college bulletin board to request they attend a meeting that afternoon, for what was, to them, an unknown purpose.

According to the minutes, “the notice had the proper effect and, as requested, there appeared a goodly number of men to learn

This photo from the Library of Congress illustrates an ambulance, which was part of the American Red Cross, used during World War I in France. r ight: The four students who served with Ambulance Company 355 recruited 13 more students on campus. The petition, signed by these 17 male students, resulted in the campus’ first fraternity, Sigma Tau Gamma. a b ov e :

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what was in store for them.” Allen Nieman, who had become familiar with fraternities while attending William Jewell College, was the principal organizer. He explained the purpose of the meeting and told them what such an organization could mean. The men elected Hoback as temporary chair and Ellis as temporary secretary. They agreed to begin crafting the organization and adjourned until July 7, 1920.

On that date, accompanied by the campus’ most popular professor, Wilson C. Morris, they presented their petition to the faculty. Morris was a Sigma Nu in his college days and his influence for the new “Greek Letter Fraternity” was significant to receiving official recognition.

In the fall of 1920 a ceremony for initiation of new members was written and the chapter of 17 grew to 31 by its first anniversary in 1921. Founder Edward H. McCune recalled later that, “from the very beginning, Sigma Tau Gamma prospered, both in membership and service. Its challenge to students to live well and promote the spirit of brotherhood was continually being met by those who were seeking membership.”

Today, the Sigma Tau Gamma’s national headquarters resides at the location where the Trotter Rooming House stood at 101 Ming Street.

Sigma Tau Gamma’s Founding Members

central yesterd ay

Billy Billings

Carl Chapman

A.B. Cott

Emmett Ellis

Frank Gorman

From Urich, MO, he turned down a contract to play baseball with St. Louis, eventually becoming a teacher, coach and athletic official.

Raised on a family farm near Adrian, MO, Chapman became a dentist, practicing in Nevada and founding the Association of Institutional Dentists.

Born in Saline County, MO, he was a lieutenant during the war and pursued several careers, including education and the federal government.

Born on a farm near Windsor, MO, Ellis became a professor at UCM. The Ellis Housing Complex is named for him.

Born near Carrollton, MO, he, too, became an educator, organizing the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals.

Edward Grannert

Robert Herndon

Leland Hoback

Edward Hoffman

Edward McCune

Born in Hope, MO, Grannert became a highly respected school administrator.

Raised near Marshall, MO, Herndon roomed with Hoffman and also taught industrial arts. Together the two designed a coat of arms and pin for the fraternity.

Originally from California, MO, Hoback served 25 years as superintendent in Windsor.

From St. Charles County, MO, Hoffman became an industrial arts teacher, becoming a professor at Oklahoma State University.

Born in Adrian, MO, he earned acclaim for his work in vocational rehabilitation with disabled veterans.

All-greek reunion B.A. McDaniel

Allen Nieman

From Linn, MO, he served in the 138th Field Hospital Unit and become a teacher, nationally recognized for innovations in driver education programs.

Considered the fraternity’s inspiring force, he bridged social gaps with his engaging personality. He also became a school administrator.

Put this date on your calendar to return for what may well be our largest reunion in decades. It’s an All-Greek Reunion during Homecoming, Oct. 23-24. Visit the University of Central Missouri Alumni Facebook page for a schedule of events.

William Parsons

C. Willard Salter

George Hartrick

A.O. Fisher

Dan Fisher

From Bosworth, MO, he was bugler for Company 355, becoming a teacher and later a grocery store manager.

From Camden County, MO, Salter was a teacher and principal, before he became an occupational therapist helping veterans.

Raised in Illinois, Hartrick became a teacher, then an agronomist, introducing soil and water conservation improvements to Kansas farmers.

Born near Urich, MO, A.O. taught 44 years in Kansas City schools and helped to charter the Kansas City Federation of Teachers Local 691.

A.O.’s younger brother, Dan played professional basketball and baseball, before becoming a teacher and coach of several conference and state champion teams.

University of Central Missouri Magazine

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interactions

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MAGAZINE

we invite

your thoughts and responses about our stories, photos, graphics or any other aspect of our magazine. Let us know about stories you would like to see in future issues. We want our magazine to be your favorite!

Just email ucmmagazine@ucmo.edu.

These responses came from emails.

Just received the current issue of “UCM Magazine.” I wanted to reach out and personally thank you for the wonderful job you did with “Meet Internationally Popular ‘Art-Reprenuer’ Alumnus Brad Forsythe.”

Thanks and aloha from the beautiful north shore of Maui.

– Brad Forsythe ’76

I am a goal-setting expert, social media strategist, keynote speaker and educator, and a proud Mule ’80, ’91, ’09. I completed my doctoral degree in educational leadership at UMKC in 2011. My awardwinning, goal-setting book, “Dreams to Action Trailblazer’s Guide,” empowers others with tools to define purpose, align vision and mission with core values and create tangible goals. My study about minority student perceptions is a model of research at UMKC and UCM. I did not allow a brain injury that impacted my short-term memory to slow me down. I continue to motivate and inspire schools, churches, nonprofit organizations and business throughout the country. I appreciate this opportunity to submit my information. Have a wonderful day!

– Julie Conner I enjoyed seeing the photo of Flat MO and me in front of the Taj Mahal. He travels with me, safely inside my camera bag, wherever I go. I have another shot of us in Athens, Greece, at the site of the first modern Olympic Games. I will forward that in hope of making a future edition of the magazine.

– Eric Hallerud ’95

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ucmmagazine@ucmo.edu

I’ve retired from Bayer Corporation after 30 years as an environmental technologist.

At present, I’m an auxiliary officer with the Cass County Missouri Sheriff’s Office and work with the Central Missouri Police Academy as a firearms training assistant.

– Robert L. Kilp ’62 I was just recently promoted to creative design manager for Burns & McDonnell. I joined Burns & McDonnell after graduation and have been with the company the entire time. I started as a graphic designer with the firm and, throughout the years, have contributed to winning various awards.

On another note, I wanted to say how well done the last issue of “UCM Magazine” was laid out. I’ve read the magazine since its inception, and this was one of the best-designed layouts. Keep up the fantastic work.

– Lee Orrison ’04 I recently retired as vice president of corporate security and audits after 15 years with J. B. Hunt Transport, Inc. in Lowell, AR. Prior to that, I served eight years as a regional operations director and managed technical teams, including a white hat hacker team. I served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years and retired as a

major in the security police career field. In my career, I’ve been a police inspector and security director.

– Johnie Wood ’80 I’m upset as it appears I now have to do a password and sign in to read the “UCM Magazine”. I use to be able to just click at the edge to turn the pages. What a shame you now require more!

– Barbara Kuzma Editor’s Note: You should never have to enter your password to access “UCM Magazine” online. The platform that we use, Issuu, is the most popular digital magazine publishing site in the world with more than 21 million publications and 85 million active readers. It’s free but there are a lot of ways, buttons and arrows that are easy to click, that can take you away from our magazine. If that happens, simply do a search for “UCM Magazine” and it should bring up our publication. Once the magazine opens, click the arrow on the right or left of the pages to go forward or backward. To jump to a specific page, on the bottom right hand corner, click on the icon that looks like a grid. Zoom in or out on the page by using your mouse or the enlarge icon on the bottom right hand corner.

Do you know a UCM alumnus was once president of Starbucks?

Yes, it’s true. Paul Davis ’79 also has held top executive positions with Frito Lay, Barilla America, Kettle Foods and Coinstar/Redbox.

He currently is leading Popchips.

class notes

Mike Waller ’83 has been named senior associate athletics director for business operations at San José State University.

Previously he worked in the Mountain West Conference office where he served as senior associate commissioner and chief financial officer. His career includes 24 years in the Boise State University athletics department, during which he coached volleyball, oversaw a $25 million budget, and assisted in the construction, expansion and renovation of 10 athletic facilities.

Steven Petty ’88 has accepted the position of chief economist with FloridaTaxwatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute and government watchdog, that for over 35

Jody Miller ’90 has been appointed executive vice president of General Finance Corporation and chief executive officer of GFN North America Leasing Corp. Headquartered in Pasadena, CA, GFC is a specialty rental services company offering portable storage, modular space and liquid containment solutions. His 25-year career in the rental equipment business includes vice president positions at Mobile Mini, Mobile Storage Group and RSC Holdings.

2000–2009

Carl Rauh ’94 exhibited art at Fresh Gallery in Springfield, MO. His work making wands and wizard walk sticks and canes is in demand at Vision Con, Missouri’s version of Comic Com.

Tim Ryan ’01 has been named superintendent of schools for the Dallas County R-1 Schools in Buffalo, MO. He was previously assistant superintendent of human resources and operations in the Harrisonville Cass R-IX School District. He began his education career as a biology and chemistry teacher and swimming coach at Lee’s Summit North High School. He’s also been a school administrator for Lee’s Summit North High, Pleasant Hill High School and Harrisonville.

Jennifer Hanes ’97 is the new medical director of the

Blake Studley ’04 of Grand Island, NE, has joined Marquette

g n i m o c y t e r a m p hit’soour bigges4 t

It’s

2 r e b o oct

th

e

da

te now

els

Karen (Helge) Dewey ’77 ’78 ’83 and her husband, John, have been married 30 years. They celebrated last summer with a trip to Hawaii, marking the 50th state they have visited

Denise McDowell ’81 retired in June as dean of enrollment management and registrar at Kansas City Kansas Community College. She developed a program known as The GPA Recovery Process, aimed at extending a lifeline to students with GPAs below 2.0. She also helped create Fringe Benefits of Education, a program designed to position men from ages 17-24 years to compete for a family sustainable wage and lifestyle.

1990–1999

ot

Mark Davis ’79 retired in September after 35 years with Union Pacific Railroad as director of corporate relations and media.

Rebecca Todd ’80, ’86 retired in June after teaching German more than 30 years at Lebanon (MO) High School, earning her the nickname “Frau” Todd from her students.

h

Barbara (Conte) Dater ’77 welcomed her first grandchild May 16, 2015. Her grandson, Garrett Richmond weighed 7 lbs.

15 oz. Barb spent two weeks in his hometown of Plainville, MA, with her daughter, Jenny, and son-in-law, Sean, and is ready to go back again.

1980–1989

Sienna Plantation in Missouri City, TX, which is part of First Choice Emergency Room, the largest network of independent freestanding emergency rooms in the United States. Previously, Hanes served as an emergency physician at the Heart Hospital of Austin, North West Hills and Austin Surgical Hospital and as a family clinic and urgent care physician at Texas Hills Urgent Care and DeWitt Family Medicine.

She founded Empowered Medicine, PLLC, a health and allied services company, in 2009.

r

r

David Feingold ’75 was named

by Western North Carolina Public Radio Inc. as chief executive officer and general manager of station WCQS in Ashville, NC. He was previously assistant general manager for content at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications. In his career, he has served as executive editor of Reuters Television, Ltd. in London and held several senior positions at CNN, including business news editor in New York, national editor in Atlanta and London bureau chief. His love of radio began at his college station, leading to a career in broadcast journalism at NPR stations in Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio and Nebraska.

Stephen Miller ’79 retired after 35 years in the health and safety field. He lives in the Seattle area.

years has worked to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government.

Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on citizens and businesses. Petty and his family reside in Tallahassee, FL.

th

J.B. Hogan ’71 launched his fourth book, “Losing Cotton” (Liffey Press Imprint, Oghma Creative Media) at the Fayetteville (AR) Public Library.

He has published more than 250 stories and poems, including a book of fiction, “The Apostate,” and a local baseball history, “Angels in the Ozarks.”

as a married couple. They also traveled to Florida and the Bahamas.

s av e

1970–1979

es

o erve y

u

University of Central Missouri Magazine

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class notes

a Baseball story about a us president and a ucm alum

When Ken Retzer reminisces about his major league baseball career, one game stands out in particular. The date was Sept. 6, 1963, and Retzer was starting his third season with the Washington Senators. D.C. Stadium was filled with people waiting for the celebrity who would throw out the first pitch.

For Retzer, born in 1934 in Wood River, IL, it was a moment to remember. An all-around three-sport athlete in high school and at Central Missouri, he chose to pursue a career in professional baseball.

The Cleveland Indians signed him in 1954 but he played his entire major league career with the Washington Senators.

In his first season for Class D Tifton of the Georgia-Florida League, he hit .307 and led the league in assists. He followed that in 1955 hitting .302 with Fargo-Moorehead. He spent 1956 and 1958 with Reading, sandwiched around one year in the US Army.

In 1961, he got called up to the big leagues, specifically to the Expansion Senators, where he hit .340 in 16 games. Another memorable day was Sept. 21, 1961, when his sixth-inning single scored Willie Tasey for the Senators’ last run in the history of Griffith Stadium.

The year 1962 began with a bang as Retzer caught the opening day pitch from then U.S. President John F. Kennedy, continuing an annual ritual that had started in 1911 with President William Howard Taft. The year was good to Retzer, who hit .285 in 109 games and earned the honor, Rookie of the Year.

league teams in Toronto, Denver, Oklahoma City, Rochester and Portland.

One other piece of interesting trivia: Retzer caught in the 100,000th game in major league history. A ball from that game resides in the Hall of Fame.

Even how that game happened is a baseball quirk.

A Hall of Fame committee, after researching the issue, determined that the 100,000th game would be played at New York, Philadelphia or Washington. As it turned out, the Senators had a pre-game attraction scheduled for that date, a two-inning contest for charity between a team of Hollywood stars led by Jerry Lewis and a team of local press and TV personalities. The pre-game fun delayed the start of the game, which caused the game between the Senators and Indians to be baseball’s 100,000th.

Retzer shared memorabilia from his baseball career with the UCM Museum and Archives, including photos, cards and news articles pictured in this feature.

Some other interesting facts about Retzer: He played semi-regularly for Washington in 1962 and 1963, starting 91 and 72 games, respectively. He was a defensive catcher with a lifetime fielding percentage of .983. He threw out 48 of 126 baserunners making stolen base attempts, which is 38.1 percent.

He finished his career with a lifetime batting average of .264, 14 home runs, 72 runs batted in and 65 runs scored in 237 ball games. Before calling his baseball career quits, he played for minor

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President John F. Kennedy laughs as Washington Senators catcher, Ken Retzer, grasps his hand during opening day of the 1963 baseball season at D.C. Stadium in Washington, D.C. The Senators hosted the Baltimore Orioles.

Photo courtesy of JFK Library.

class notes

Awards & Honors University as an online adjunct instructor in the speech pathology and audiology program in the College of Health Sciences. A board-certified doctor of audiology and owner of Audiology and Hearing Center, Studley has been practicing audiology since 2003 and has been at his current practice since 2011.

Christopher Miller ’06 graduated with a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in May. The master of divinity is a three-year graduate degree that is the basic professional degree for ministry.

Rachael Karr ’09 has been hired as enrollment services coordinator for East Central College in Rolla, MO. Previously she was program coordinator for a mentoring program at Prevention Consultants of Missouri.

Kris Wheeler ’09 is the new president of U-Turn Sports. He is primarily responsible for strategic operations, fundraising, community development and staff enrichment. Wheeler will also be re-branding U-Turn’s

We’re going to

Cuba!

image and vibrancy within the City of Richmond, VA. Previously he was sales manager at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, KS.

2010–2015 Ashley Mobley ’12 is visitor services coordinator for the Humboldt Botanical Garden, a 45-acre site south of Eureka, CA, known for its educational and special events. Mobley, a new member of the Nature Printing Society, uses her UCM studio art printmaking degree to share her love of nature with students to inspire their personal art.

Shane Nicks ’13 is district sales manager and yield specialist for AgVenture Wehmeyer Seed Co. in Mascoutah, IL. The company, which produces and distributes high-quality seed for farmers in the Midwest, is expanding into east central Missouri.

Robert O. Green ’15 graduated from the Missouri Highway Patrol’s 100th recruit class in June and has been assigned to Troop A, Zone 11 and will serve the citizens of Cass County.

Be part of our 25-person group traveling to Cuba, March 3 –11, 2016. We can offer this exclusive travel opportunity through our partnership with Go Next, Inc. This nine-day adventure goes beyond the tourist surface to reveal the rich culture, compelling history and architectural majesty of this long-forbidden island on the verge of great change.

Download the brochure at www.ucmo.edu/travel and make your reservation now.

Spaces are going fast!

Phil Sumrall ’61 has been named a Senior Research Fellow and member of the Technology Team for the American Leadership & Policy Foundation. The rocket scientist, honored as a UCM Distinguished Alumnus in 2007, joined the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in 1962 as a member of the Wernher von Bruan team that developed the Saturn family of launch vehicles used in the Apollo program. He later worked on Saturn improvement studies and other advanced concepts, including launch vehicles, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Skylab Space Station and the Space Shuttle concept definition.

Since retiring in 2011, he has worked as a consultant to NASA and various aerospace companies and as a part-time employee of Zero Point Frontiers Corp., a small engineering and research company in Huntsville, AL.

both instructors and pilots in the techniques of flying Beech aircraft, drawing on the collective experience of American Bonanza Society instructors over the past three decades. He has been a FAASTeam Lead Representative since the program’s inception and in 2010 received the Safety Team Representative of the Year Award. He also serves on the National Business Aviation Association safety committee, has presented forums at Sun ’n Fun and EAA AirVenture and is a founding member of EAA’s Type Club Coalition. Turner is the author of three books: “Weather Patterns and the Phenomena: A Pilot’s Guide,” “Cockpit Resource Management: The Private Pilot’s Guide,” and “Controlling Pilot Error: Checklists and Compliance,” all published by McGraw-Hill. He also writes the FLYING LESSONS weekly safety eNewsletter.

Dave Noble ’67 was awarded 15 gold medals in swimming at the Missouri State Senior Games in Columbia, MO, this past June at the age of 71. He broke six records, all of them his own. The former All-American CMSU swimmer, started swimming again after a hiatus of 42 years. He enlisted his former swimming coach for help and now listens to Lady Gaga songs through waterproof earbuds as he trains by swimming 2,000 meters a day, five days a week.

Nicole Cooke ‘13 was named the William E. James Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year by the Missouri Press Association. She officially received the award in September during the association’s luncheon in Columbia. Cooke was interim news editor at the “Sedalia Democrat” and now is city and police reporter, covering local government and crime.

Thomas Turner ’90 was inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame. He has been a flight instructor since 1988, after serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. He has served aviation in several roles, most recently as executive director of the ABS Air Safety Foundation. In his tenure there, he developed programs such as the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program and the ABS Flight Instructor Academy to educate and standardize

Melissa Newmaster ’14 has been named the Vaden Scholarship recipient by the Kansas Dietetic Association Foundation. This scholarship is given to a graduate student in a Kansas college or university who intends on practicing dietetics. Applicants were judged based on academic achievement, professional promise and leadership in dietetics. Newmaster was presented her award during KDA’s Awards Banquet held April 24 in conjunction with their annual conference in Wichita, KS.

University of Central Missouri Magazine

21

in memoriam

1930-1939

1960-1969

1980-1989

Former Students

Mary Krohn Powell ’35

Cecil Early ’60 Roland Ohrenberg ’62 Jack W. Austin ’63 Carol Anderson Fisher ’63 Charlie Walker ’66 Carl Gregg ’67 Larry Marshall ’68 Tim McKinney ’68

Leslie “Earle” Conner ’80 Juanita Slavens Williams ’80 Tom Burmeister ’81 Ann Hales Poindexter ’81 Michael Steger ’82 Galen Sweet ’83 Jerry Walker Moore ’86 Cindy McFadin ’88

1970-1979

1990-1999

Floyd Self ’72 Ronald Mantle ’73 Robert “Bob” Shields ’74 Ina Barrows Wray ’79

Wayne Buisman ’93 Terrence A. Arnold ’96

Walter W. Caldwell Robert Campbell William “Bill” Crowder Mary Brunk Diesing Lawrence Greene Chris Johnson Sherri Jones Robert Schulz Carolyn Sutton Spain Emmagene Barnett Thomas Jeryl Yates Vaught Laymon Walker Donna Silsby Weddle Leona Butcher Whitney Natha Wilkison Mary Gordon Wilson

1940-1949 Robert G. Becker ’40 Nell Young Evans ’41 Kathryn Powell Bondurant ’47

1950-1959 Francis V. Bishop ’50 James Price ’50 Bill Jesse ’52 Betty White ’52 Leon Ogilvie ’53 Harlan Saxton ’53 Richard “Dick” Edwards ’54 Gary Robertson ’55 Mike Ford ’57 Elaine McDaniel Griffith ’58 Donald Massey ’58 Judith Gowing-Bailey ’59

2000-2009 Deborah Lancaster Kammerdiener ’02 David Kartsonis ’04 Chris L. Brandsberg ’06

Friends Mary O. Coe Aurora Doherty Connor Pogemiller

2010-2019 Victoria Jacobs Moore ’12

R. “Les” Anders Jr. Ray Leslie Anders Jr., professor emeritus of history and famed author of a book chronicling the university’s first 100 years, died July 6, 2015, at the age of 93.

He was born Jan. 22, 1922, in Admire, KS, the son of the late Ray L. and Bertie Hasson Anders. He grew up on a farm in Reading, KS, where he graduated as high school valedictorian. While serving in the U.S. Regular Army from 1940-1945, he married Mardellya Mary Soles in 1942. He served in the 63rd Infantry Division, European Theatre and was discharged as a technical sergeant.

After earning a degree from the College of Emporia, he completed an A.M. and a Ph.D., both in history, from the University of Missouri. The Anders family moved to Warrensburg where he became a history professor on the faculty of then CMSC. He attained full professor status in 1963.

Anders’ career as a teacher, scholar and writer spanned 60 years. His students number in the thousands, from all majors, especially military history. In class, Anders acted as generals, statesmen, citizens, soldiers and scoundrels, re-enacting their words and moments with energy, accuracy and humor. Throughout his life, he could

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usually remember each student’s name, their grades and seating choices in his classrooms.

In addition to the university history, “Education for Service,” now out of print, Anders was the author of seven books, including “The Ledo Road” (University of Oklahoma, 1965); “The Eighteenth Missouri” (Bobbs Merrill, 1968); “The Twenty-First Missouri” (Greenwood, 1975); “Gentle Knight”(Kent State University Press): the career of Major General Edwin Forrest Harding, First Chief of Military History of the U. S. Army; and other books. His works on the Civil War have been used as primary sources for battle re-enactments.

A prolific correspondent, he composed manuscripts, class notes and letters at a manual typewriter, with carbon copies. With his ability to type at nearly 100 wpm, untold thousands of pages of letters hold his social commentary, humor, satire and wit. His letters have been collected and celebrated by family, colleagues, friends, acquaintances, reviewers, editors and former students the world over.

In the 1990s, as honorary Johnson County historian, he wrote a “Centennial History of Johnson County Courthouse.” He also contributed to a radio conversation on KOKO called “Tidbits,” historical essays about Johnson County.

He was a frequent contributor of articles and reviews to “Military Affairs,” “Military Engineer,” “Military Review,” “The Missouri Historical Review,” “Civil War History,” “Civil War Times Illustrated,” and “Parameters.”

Among his many honors were the Patriotic Award of Curtis-Warner Camp, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (1975); Order of Mark Twain; Governor’s Advisory Commission, Missouri Sesquicentennial (1971); Missouri American Revolutionary Bicentennial Commission (1974); Co. H, 17th Regiment, National Society of Scabbard and Blade (1972); Merit Award, American Association of State and Local History (1976); Author’s Award, Missouri Historical Review (1975); First Allen Cook White Fellow, University of Missouri (1950); Trendholme Prize (best master’s thesis, University of Missouri, 1950); Distinguished Faculty Award, College of Arts and Sciences, CMSU (1977); Distinguished Service Medical, State Historical Society of Missouri (1976); William H. Byler Distinguished Faculty Award, College of Arts and Sciences, CMSU (1987).

Memorial gifts are suggested to the UCM history department in care of the UCM Foundation, Smiser Alumni Center, Warrensburg MO 64093 or made at ucmo.edu/giveonline.

in memoriam

Marilyn Boyd Marilyn Mae (Mansur) Boyd, a 1964 alumna who provided decades of support to KMOS, theatre, the Performing Arts Series and Repertory Theatre, died Wednesday, July 15, 2015.

She was born Jan. 12, 1937, in rural Ray County, to Alva Bowen and Sara Pence Mansur. She attended Warrensburg public schools, graduating in 1955. She married William E. Sparling in 1956. In 1961 he joined the business faculty at then Central Missouri State College.

She continued her education, obtaining a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Science in Education from CMSC. In 1972, she started teaching with the Knob Noster School District, specifically at Whiteman Air Force Base Elementary School. After her husband’s death in 1975, she continued her teaching career.

In 1978, she married Robert G. Boyd of Warrensburg. She continued teaching until she retired in 1997, with the distinction of having taught in the same second grade classroom for 25 years.

Memorials are suggested to her UCM areas of interest, including KMOS and the theatre department, by going to ucmo.edu/giveonline.

Dorothy Brewster Dorothy Marie Brewster, 89, of Independence, MO, died May 7, 2015.

She was born April 28, 1926, and grew up in St. Louis, MO. She and her husband, William, a 1949 alumnus, met when she was 14 and married when he returned safely home from serving his country in World War II. They settled in Warrensburg, having four children, including a daughter, Nancy, and her son, who also graduated from UCM. Dorothy worked as a teacher’s aide for the Kansas City School District and as a secretary for the Queen City Athletic Association. The Brewsters generously started a scholarship at UCM to help nontraditional students pursuing careers in physical education. Her husband and daughter preceded her in death.

Memorials are suggested to the William and Dorothy Brewster and Nancy Saunders-Cromer Scholarship, UCM Foundation, Warrensburg, MO 64093 or at ucmo.edu/giveonline.

Leslie Conner Leslie Earle Conner, 78, of Sugar Creek, MO, a 1980 alumnus and decorated lawenforcement official, died July 28, 2015.

He was born Dec. 18, 1936, in Independence, KS, the son of Daniel and Lucile Conner. A graduate of Independence (KS) High School, he served eight years in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

He joined the Sugar Creek police department in 1962 as a reserve officer and municipal court clerk. He became a full-time officer in 1967.

He graduated from the FBI Academy’s 118th session in 1979 and had major roles in forming the Kansas City Metropolitan Metro Squad and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.

Among his many honors were Police Officer of the Year in 1981 by the Kansas City Metropolitan Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, the Clarence M. Kelly Meritorious Service Award from the FBI National Academy Associates in 2002 and Citizen of the Year Award in 2004 from the Truman Heartland Community Foundation.

Robert Eastin Eugene Robert “Bob” Eastin, 76, of St. Louis, MO, died May 21, 2015. The 1962 alumnus loved nothing better than reminiscing about his alma mater.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with an English major and social science minor, he lived three years in Raytown, MO. He liked to share the detail that for the next 47 years, he lived on the same street where he was born in 1939.

He taught English and chaired the department at Raytown South Junior High after which he earned a master’s degree in English at the University of Missouri. He taught composition at Webster Groves High School, then returned to MU for two years where he trained future English teachers, chaired the lab high school’s English department, taught and developed new English courses, and created and catalogued the English curriculum library. In 1971, he returned to Webster Groves and taught there until he retired in 1993.

Two particular interests absorbed his life: the Transport Museum in St. Louis where he lectured on transportation history and served as a trustee, and his European travel that started on the UCM campus with President Warren Lovinger and SGA President Ed See. As a student ambassador with People to People, he was a guest at the White House, visited 38 towns in nine European countries, and was among the first American citizens to visit West Berlin, 10 months after the wall was built.

In addition to being a fervent UCM alumnus, he served several years on the UCM Alumni Board of Directors.

Nell Evans Nell Elizabeth Evans, 95, formerly of Warrensburg, died March 25, 2015, in Mansfield, TX, where she had resided since 2001.

She was born March 7, 1920, in Warrensburg to Jessie O. and Gertrude Elizabeth Young. She married Richard Paul Evans on March 17, 1946; he preceded her in death in 1999.

The 1941 alumnus was a graduate of College High School and CMSU. She retired from a civil service career spanning 44 years at Whiteman Air Force Base, beginning when it was the Sedalia Glider Base. She taught school briefly and was secretary to the dean at Central Missouri State.

James R. McDowell, Jr. James R. “Jim” McDowell, Jr., 74, of Kansas City, MO, who earned national prominence as an advertising executive and was an emeriti member of the UCM Foundation Board of Directors, died July 30, 2015.

He was born in 1940 in Warrensburg to Helen Louise and James R. McDowell. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1962 where he met his wife Donna Jean “Jeanne” McDowell.

McDowell worked at Hallmark Cards from 1962 to 1995, where he helped to create tearjerker commercials and award-winning children’s programs for activities that ranged from Macy’s parades to dancing wih Oprah.

Following his retirement, he formed McDowell Marketing. In addition to his clients, he was drawn to many civic, nonprofit and educational institutions. His service included being president of the board of Advertising Club of Kansas City and Advertising Foundation, Variety Club of Kansas City, Midwest Ear Institute, The New Theatre Scholarship Guild and Theta Chi Fraternity.

He served on executive boards for Heart of America Council of Boy Scouts of America, American Royal Board of Governors and Starlight Theatre, and boards of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Heartland Academy, The Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri Commission on Ministry, Episcopal Community Services, St. Peter and All Saints Vestry and Kansas City Hospice Foundation and many advisory boards and civic committees. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Wayside Waifs and a former member of the Saddle and Sirloin Club.

Among his honors were the 1987 UCM Distinguished Alumni Award, the 1989

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in memoriam

Communications Alumni Achievement Award and 2003 Theatre Department Distinguished Patron. A proud Eagle Scout, he was a member of the tribe of Mic-O-Say. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard and Reserves.

Survivors include his wife, Jeanne; daughters Lynn McDowell Harmon (Richard) of St. Louis and Kathleen McDowell Robbins (Scot Wells) of Sunrise Beach, MO; three grandchildren, a brother Richard A. McDowell (Beverly); and nieces, nephews, cousins. His parents preceded him in death.

Memorials, suggested in his name to help musical theatre students, may be sent to the UCM Foundation, Smiser Alumni Center, Warrensburg, MO 64093.

Jonna Merritt Jonna Merritt, Blue Springs, MO, an exemplary alumnus and generous friend of UCM, died June 7, 2015.

She was born Sept. 26, 1934, in Paducah, KY, to Alice and J.U. McKendree. She moved with her parents and older sisters, Sue and Rebekah, to Kuttawa, KY, at age 3, where she lived until her sophomore year of high school. She moved with her mother to Sedalia, MO, and graduated from Smith-Cotton High School in 1952. She earned a degree from UCM in elementary education in 1956.

She met and married Robert Merritt in college and they began married life in Raytown, where she taught second grade at Southwood Elementary until 1959, when she left to start their family.

She raised three daughters before returning to teaching, completing her master’s degree in reading. She became a full-time remedial reading teacher at Franklin Smith Elementary in Blue Springs and later became coordinator of reading for the school district. She became certified in adult education and was the director of adult education after 18 years as reading director. She retired in 2001.

She was an active member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and obtained the Golden Violet level in 2014, representing 50 years as a member. She served for several years on the UCM Alumni Board of Directors, including one term as president. She and her husband’s generosity in support of UCM predates the beginning of the UCM Foundation in 1979.

She was active in Delta Kappa Gamma as treasurer and the International Reading Association on both local and state levels, including four years as state treasurer. Jonna belonged to Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church

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and served as a deacon two times, and worked with the Worship and Music Ministry for 12 years, helping to prepare for worship each Sunday.

Her parents, sister and nephew preceded her in death. Survivors include her husband, daughters, Melissa (Paul) Beal, Amy Merritt and Julie (Bob) Kelly and several nieces and nephews.

Memorials are suggested toward Jennies Basketball or Softball, UCM Foundation, Smiser Alumni Center, Warrensburg, MO 64093.

Barbara “Babs” Ostermeyer-McNeel Barbara Lucille “Babs” Ostermeyer-McNeel, 66, of Knob Noster, MO, long-time office professional for the Department of Criminal Justice, died June 25, 2015.

She was born Feb. 11, 1949, in Kansas City, MO, the daughter of Lester Rolland and Pearl Cecil Gilkey Ostermeyer. She grew up in Pleasant Hill where she graduated from high school. On March 14, 1970, she was united in marriage to Bruce McNeel, who survives.

She started working at the university in 1974 and served as the criminal justice office professional for 37 years. She was a member of the Eastern Star where she served in many roles, including Worthy Matron and District Deputy Grand Matron.

Survivors include her husband, sons Ron (Angela) of Troy, MO, and James (Hillary) of Warrensburg and one grandson.

Memorials are suggested to the Fund for Excellence, UCM Foundation, Smiser Alumni Center, Warrensburg, MO 64093.

Robert Patrick Robert Patrick, 86, former assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for Mules Football, died Dec. 28. 2014.

He was born June 2, 1928, in Pittsburg, KS, to Lydia Gaye and Lloyd Patrick and graduated from Pittsburg High in 1945.

He was a four-year starter in football with the Pittsburg State Gorillas and was all conference in 1954.

Robert served in the U.S. Army with the Battery A, 195 Field Artillery Unit from 1950 to 1953. He served 21 years combined active service in the Army and the National Guard, retiring in 1968 with the permanent rank of captain.

He used his college degree to coach football and track at Sarcoxie, MO, after which he coached football at Ft. Scott Community

College, after which he came to Warrensburg.

He left UCM in 1974, moving to Branson, MO, where he developed land in and around Taney County. He built more than 200 homes and a dozen resorts and motels.

His parents and a brother preceded him in death. He is survived by a sister-in-law, two nephews and three great nieces.

Allen Sapp Allen Deryl “Doc” Sapp, 82, of Warrensburg, professor emeritus of criminal justice, died May 14, 2015, at the Missouri Veteran’s Home.

He was born Oct. 9, 1933, in Conroe, TX, and graduated valedictorian from the Columbus, TX, high school in 1952. In 1956, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he had a distinguished career.

During his military service, he served tours in New York, Texas, Washington DC, Japan, Germany, Pakistan and Spain. He was a Russian linguist, intelligence analyst and reporter with the USAF Security Service and the USAF Intelligence Service and received numerous decorations, citations and commendations.

While in the Air Force, he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Southern California.

Following his retirement in 1977, he attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX, where he earned a doctorate in criminal justice.

During his 23-year teaching career at UCM, he received several awards for outstanding research and scholarship. He served as the regional trustee of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences where he represented 12 states and two Canadian provinces on the Academy Executive Board.

He was the author or co-author of more than 135 publications, including books, monographs, book chapters and articles, as well as several hundred technical reports. He was a certified law enforcement instructor in several states and a training, research or case management consultant to more than 100 municipal, county, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies.

He was a frequent lecturer at the FBI Academy and for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He received several national appointments, including the U.S. Attorney General’s Working Group on Reducing Violence in America. He also was designated

in memoriam

a Research Fellow by the Police Executive Research Forum for outstanding contributions to professional policing.

He served as a research consultant to the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Crime and to the Critical Incident Response Group.

He was one of five members of the FBI Select Commission on Critical Incidents and later selected by the FBI to serve as the behavioral scientist-futurist.

Survivors include his wife, Carla MahaffeySapp; son Allen Jr. (Barbara) of Huntsville, TX; daughter Katherine (Mark) Eaker of Blue Springs, MO; son Patrick of Palestine, TX; daughter-in-law Letha of Huntsville, TX; son Michael (Jennifer) Parks, of Golconda, IL; son Jeremy (Julie) Parks of Centerview, MO; 17 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; multiple nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. Other survivors include sisters Shirley Druschke of Longview, TX and Patsy (David) Tooney of Dubai. His parents and two children preceded him in death.

Memorials are suggested to the Allen Sapp Criminal Justice Graduate Student Scholarship, UCM Foundation, Smiser Alumni Center, Warrensburg, MO 64093 or at ucmo.edu/giveonline.

Shela Snyder Shela Jo Snyder, 84, professor emerita of education, died Friday, July 10, 2015.

She was born July 26, 1930, in Lefors, TX, to Joe and Marie Duby. When she was nine, her family moved to Stratford, TX, which she always considered her hometown. There she attended school through 11th grade after which she attended Virginia Intermont High School and Junior College in Bristol, VA. She graduated in 1951 and returned to Stratford that fall to wed Marion Moss. Next she attended Oklahoma State University and after earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree, she began a 44-year teaching career.

In 1954 her only child, Joe Steven Moss, was born. After divorcing her husband that same year, she and her son moved to Fayatteville, AR, to be near her parents and to work on a doctorate degree. She taught at the University of Arkansas Laboratory School and was also the director of Fulbright Hall, the dormitory for freshmen female students.

She moved to Warrensburg in 1972 to become a member of the College of Education faculty. Her 24-year UCM career included service as a member of the Faculty Senate,

secretary of the Athletic Committee, and chair of the Teacher Education Committee. She was the faculty adviser for Sigma Kappa Sorority and for Kappa Delta Pi (Student Teacher Association of MSTA) and ACEI. In 1995 she was honored as UCM Adviser of the Year.

She was awarded the College of Education and Human Service’s Teaching Award twice during her career, and in 1995, was honored with the Missouri State Governor Carnahan Award for Excellence in Teaching. She retired in 1996.

She married Don Snyder in 1976 and her family suddenly included four teenagers: Liz, Glenna, Don, Jr. and Doug.

Among the survivors are her husband, Don; her son, Steve; her four stepchildren and their families, two granddaughters.

Ashley Rackers and Aubrey Moss and their families, and numerous grandchildren and greatgranchildren.

Memorials are suggested to the Shela D. Snyder Teacher Education Scholarship, established to honor her 44 years of dedication to teaching, including 24 to UCM. Gifts may be sent to the UCM Foundation, Smiser Alumni Center, Warrensburg, MO 64093 or made at ucmo.edu/giveonline.

u n d a ti o n b e q u e s t s ucm fo

e

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way Voncile Huffman died in 2002 but her teaching legacy survives. Through a will bequest she made to the UCM Foundation, she found a way to continue her love of teaching through an endowed scholarship that has helped more than a hundred students follow in her footsteps.

Now is an excellent time to create or review your will.

Contact Joy Mistele at 660-543-8000 or mistele@ucmo.edu to discuss this and other estate giving options that can benefit both you and UCM.

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