TODAY - Summer 2010

summer 2010, vol. 10 no. 1

Ready to Engage New President’s Friendly Smile Mirrors People Focus

Show your support for UCM’s 15th president, Charles Ambrose, by becoming a member of the Presidents Society.

The Presidents Society, UCM’s most prominent group of donors, was formed by President Ed Elliott in 1986. Since then, members have helped advance the university through amazing growth. Your gift of only $1,000 a year can make a difference in UCM’s future, impacting the lives of thousands of students!

Make a gift at www.ucmo.edu/giveonline or call 660-543-8000 or toll-free 866-752-7257.

Published by the Office of Alumni Relations and Development. © 2010

by University of Central Missouri.

All rights reserved. Contact the editor at today@ucmo.edu or 660-543-4545.

Send address updates by email to alumni@ucmo.edu or telephone 660-543-8000 or toll-free, 1-866-752-7257.

Editor Designer Photographer Class Notes

Dalene Abner ’09 Kathleen Robertson Bryan Tebbenkamp ’03 Jody Ritter

Today (USPS 019-888) is published quarterly by the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093.

Printed by Greystone Graphics, 101 Greystone, Kansas City, KS 66103. Periodicals postage paid at Warrensburg, MO, and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Today, Smiser Alumni Center, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093.

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COVER STORY Ready to Engage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 As Charles Ambrose sits in front of a television camera fielding interview questions in the music room of his new residence, an aura of comfort and familiarity surrounds the University of Central Missouri’s 15th president. It’s no wonder. Having spent the past 12 years as president of Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, NC, he’s had plenty of experience with media. He also never shies away from conversation, no matter who asks the questions.

FEATURES Inspiring Aviation Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Larger than Life Story of a World War II Pilot Looking Out for Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Downing Fills Roles as Educator, Administrator, Innovator Twirling Champ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stark in Final Year of UCM Performances Central Yesterday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Remembering War Veterans Doing Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cleveland Balances Design Prowess, Social Causes

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SECTIONS Campus Currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Philanthropy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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University of Central Missouri · Today 1

Uncovering Lost Literary Giants Wayne Miller, left, and Kevin Prufer talk about their latest venture to start a new literary series featuring once prominent authors.

Central Missouri’s literary magazine, Pleiades, is known for publishing early works of poets and writers who later gain national popularity. Now, it’s taking an opposite approach, uncovering prominent writers lost in time, with the launch this summer of the Unsung Masters Series.

“Part of the ethos of Pleiades has been trying to figure out what’s missing essentially in the literary world,” says Wayne Miller, associate professor of English, who succeeded Kevin Prufer as editor-in-chief this summer. Prufer has joined the University of Houston’s creative writing program faculty but continues with Pleiades as an editor-at-large.

With this new venture, Miller, Prufer and fellow assistant professor, Phong Nguyen, are reintroducing authors who are out of print and impossible to find. Miller made a comparison to once obscure author, Kate Chopin, whose book, The Awakening, he says, is now one of the most taught novels in college English departments throughout the country.

“The idea is to bring back to light authors who are almost impossible to find,” adds Prufer, who explains how the series started with a call he received from Doug Powell, a professor at the University of San Francisco. A gift from a student inspired Powell to rediscover the works of Dunston Thompson, once one of the most celebrated young poets in America. His poems, which were published during and shortly after World War II, 2

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were frequently set on the battlefields and in the hospitals of the European Theater.

The book on Thompson was a five-year effort that included not only gaining funding from the National Endowment for the Arts but also searching for the rights holder for 2½ years.

When they located Thompson’s executor, Philip Trower, they learned Thompson made a deathbed request to never reprint his books. They came to an agreement to publish selected poems from his earlier books, along with poems from a book collected and published by Trower, plus several essays from literary critics. The result is Dunstan Thompson: On the Life & Work of a Lost American Master, available on Amazon.com and Small Press Distribution.

Miller has started work on the next book in the series, which features Ryuichi Tamura, universally regarded as one of the most important poets of post-World War II Japan and out of print in the United States. Nguyen has begun the third book, bringing back Nancy Hale.

“She was a fiction writer who published some 100 stories in The New Yorker from 1930 to 1950 and is totally out of print,” says Miller.

“And totally forgotten to date,” Prufer adds.

With their efforts, three lost masters will make a comeback, one year at a time.

New Degrees Available This Fall

KMOS Wins Broadcast Award

No other university in Missouri or Kansas provides a degree like the Harmon College of Business Administration’s new bachelor of science in business administration in entrepreneurship and social enterprise.

“This new major is unique for its focus on promoting new ventures from the ground up with practical, innovative or sustainable approaches to benefit society,” says Christine Wright, associate professor. Social enterprises are a new breed of organization, she adds, creating long-term social change by combining the passion for social change with an efficient marketing plan.

The entrepreneurship degree is one of four new academic degree programs that start this fall. Others include a bachelor of science in health studies, a bachelor of arts in international studies and a master of science in computer science.

Central Missouri’s public broadcasting station, KMOS-TV, won second place in special programs from the Missouri Broadcasters Association for its program, Grillin’ and Droolin’ with Giuliano. The student-assisted production featured Warrensburg restaurant owner Giuliano Monetti who gave tips for outdoor grilling.

“He was entertaining and provided a fun, informative program,” says Don Peterson, director of broadcasting services. “This is the type of programming we will continue to produce here in our studios in our ongoing efforts to bring the local community to all of our viewers.”

Inaugural MIAA Hall of Fame Welcomes UCM Legends Five of Central Missouri’s most famous athletes, as well as the 1937 and 1938 men’s championship basketball teams, were selected for the MIAA Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.

The individuals honored were: • Forrest “Phog” Allen, who coached basketball and football at UCM from 1912-1919, before becoming a legend at the University of Kansas.

• Vernon Kennedy, a football and track standout from 1926-1929, most known as a Chicago White Sox player who pitched the first no-hitter at Comiskey Park in 1935.

• Earl Keth, 1936-1961, considered the star player on the 1937 and 1938 teams that won the first two National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball championships.

• Mildred “Millie” Barnes, Jennies basketball coach from 1971-1980, respected nationally as one of the earliest women’s sports proponents.

• Kathy Anderson, who helped bring the Jennies program into prominence during her playing years from 1976-1980, most known as a member of the USA women’s national basketball program.

Nance Items Selected for International Exhibit Artifacts from UCM’s Nance Middle East Collection are part of an exhibit of more than 400 objects in A Gift from the Desert: The Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse. The show runs through Oct. 15 at the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Objects are on display from England, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Turkey and Uzbekistan, many of which have never before left their native countries or been on display in the U.S.

Intensive English Accreditation Is First in Missouri Accreditation of the University of Central Missouri’s Intensive English Program by the Commission on English Language Program is a first for a Missouri university.

Rachel Herman, director of UCM’s English Language Center, notes the recognition resulted from 2½ years of work to analyze and improve upon the 52 standards in 10 general areas that the CEA team reviewed. CEA is the only specialized accrediting agency for university-level English language programs in the United States. Central Missouri’s one-year accreditation makes it a member of a select group of 80 such programs around the world.

Father-Son Duo Is Faculty Rarity A rare father-son faculty combination, perhaps the only in Central Missouri history, came to an end this summer when Jim Wilson, professor of communication disorders, retired after 34 years of service. His son, John, is a professor of theatre, having joined the faculty in 2000.

Sharing the same city, campus, even the same academic building, have bonded the two who had grown apart.

“This past decade, sharing not only a town, but also a building with my dad, has defined who we are to each other in respect to father and son,” says John. “I have come to love my dad in a way I never realized and I consider him one of the greatest heroes in my life.”

The elder Wilson is one of 10 faculty members who retired in May or August. Others were Karen Haase, Learning Center; Doug Underwood, communication; Omer Frank and Larry Ferguson, both in safety sciences; Jim Mansfield, career and technology education; Andrew Katsourides, art and design; Kenneth Stone, accounting; Billy Hu, sociology; Margaret Kantz, English; and Barbara Rhodes, academic enrichment.

University of Central Missouri · Today 3

Ready to Engage New President’s Friendly Smile Mirrors People Focus

By Jeff Murphy

A

s Charles Ambrose sits in front of a television camera fielding interview questions in the music room of his new residence, an aura of comfort and familiarity surrounds the University of Central Missouri’s 15th president. It’s no wonder.

Having spent the past 12 years as president of Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, NC, he’s had plenty of experience with media. He also never shies away from conversation, no matter who asks the questions.

“I like people,” he says, smiling. “As my family would say, I will talk and introduce myself, almost anytime, anywhere. That’s where I get my energy. If my tank gets low, I would rather sit down and talk to someone and engage with them.”

Known to his friends and colleagues as Chuck, UCM’s top administrator was selected in April 2010, following a nationwide search conducted by the university’s Board of Governors. Although Ambrose’s duties officially began Aug. 1, the new president was already thinking about the tasks that lie ahead when he and his wife, Kristen, and 15-yearold daughter, Kathryn, made a two-day visit to campus and a brief stop at Selmo Park, the president’s official residence, in late June. The couple also has an 18-year-old son, Charlie, who starts college in Kentucky this fall.

As Ambrose discusses his immediate goals for UCM, he stresses the value of the collegiate experience for students. He emphasizes his desire for graduates to be able to look back at the time they spent on campus and say, “this is the place that made me who I am, what I believe and what I value in the life ahead.

“I want to be actively engaged with students because that’s the extra benefit of being in a leadership position at a college or university,” he says. “An engaged student should have an experience that gives them useable knowledge and a co-curricular experience that rounds it out so that they can say, ‘not only did I learn something, but I learned how to do

“I like people. As my family would say, I will talk and introduce myself, almost anytime, anywhere. That’s where I get my energy.”

(continued on page 6) 4

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Selmo Park, a national historic landmark and official campus home of UCM’s presidents, welcomes a new first family: Chuck Ambrose, UCM’s 15th president, with his wife, Kris, and their teenage daughter, Kathryn. The Ambroses’ 18-year-old son, Charlie, will be a college freshman this fall in Kentucky.

Ambrose (continued from page 5) something in a place that really cared about me.’”

Ambrose knows about people who care. He speaks fondly of the positive relationships with individuals who helped shape his own career. His recollections travel back to college presidents with whom he formed active friendships at Furman University in Greenville, SC, where he earned his undergraduate degree and met his wife, and to higher education presidents he knew at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

While he was working from 1988-1990 as executive assistant to the president of AASCU in Washington, D.C., he formed friendships that now span 20 years. The experience also allowed him to cross paths with college leaders he admired, some who are well known to the UCM community. Names of Ed Elliott, former UCM president, and James Appleberry, a UCM alumnus and former AASCU president, are spoken respectfully by Ambrose as he shares insight into the kinds of individuals who had careers he hopes to emulate.

“That was really where I first became relationally connected to the University of Central Missouri. As executive assistant at AASCU, I had the opportunity to work directly with about 400 college presidents across the country,” Ambrose says. “It was those relationships that opened doors and really put me in Warrensburg today.”

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Strong professional connections may have helped him in his education career, but strong values like a good work ethic, a commitment to education and a desire to help others didn’t hurt. He cherishes and credits the development of such qualities to his parents whom he says were his greatest influences.

An only child, Ambrose is the son of a minister and a nurse anesthetist, who moved from the small furniture town of Drexel, NC, to the bustling, diverse suburb of Cherry Hill, NJ, where he graduated from high school. He speaks admiringly of his father and how he returned to college at age 63 to pursue a doctorate so that he could make a stronger contribution to his community. The gesture left a lasting impression on Ambrose about the value of lifelong learning and giving of oneself.

“Both of my parents were in caring vocations. They had a real sense of service to others, so I grew up in a home where there was a heart for those in need, a heart for reaching out beyond. It was a home with a sense of partnership with my folks making it a better place to live,” Ambrose says. Such life lessons followed him to college and into his professional career.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Furman, Ambrose continued his education, earning a

master’s degree from the University of Louisville in Kentucky and a doctor of education degree in higher education administration from the University of Georgia, Athens. His rapid rise up the professional higher education ladder took him from AASCU to Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, where he served as an assistant professor, assistant to the chancellor for university advancement, and as a special assistant to the president between 1990 and 1993.

He left WCU in 1994 to become vice president for advancement at Carson-Newman College, a private liberal arts school in Jefferson City, TN. Four years later, at age 36, Ambrose accepted the top leadership post at Pfeiffer, making him the youngest sitting president in North Carolina.

Pfeiffer is a private comprehensive institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It has three permanent locations across central North Carolina. The university offers educational experiences with a strategic vision known as The Pfeiffer Initiative that emphasizes service and leadership.

Under Ambrose’s direction, this initiative yielded outcomes that included an increase in enrollment by more than double, increases in operating revenues by nearly 90 percent, doubling the total level of annual support, enhanced academic profiles of students, and the implementation of service learning programs across the curriculum.

Richard Phillips, president of the UCM Board of Governors, noted that the institution is getting a tremendous team when he publicly introduced Ambrose and his family to the campus community during a May gathering. Kris Ambrose, a golf professional, has been an active supporter of university students and the community where her husband served.

Ambrose laughs, confessing that he has never won a golf game against his wife in 26 years of marriage, while he emphasizes the value of their strong marital partnership. He speaks proudly of his wife, their children and the special interests they share, such as bicycling and their faith.

Knowing that he will soon be tackling a tough state budget outlook for higher education and other issues that go with being a university president, Ambrose approaches his new job with a youthful sense of passion as he looks to the future of UCM and living at Selmo Park.

As he puts it, “Coming to the University of Central Missouri is much more than just another lap on the track. This is an opportunity to have a different horizon with an institution that has a very strong public sense of purpose and mission.

That makes me feel 36 again.”

Knowing that he will soon be tackling a tough state budget outlook for higher education and other issues that go with being a university president, Ambrose approaches his new job with a youthful sense of passion.

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University of Central Missouri · Today 7

Philanthropy

Recalling Own Hardship, McLaughlin Creates Scholarship LeRoy McLaughlin experienced firsthand the financial struggles of college. He well remembers scrubbing kitchen floors, a job he relished because it paid 25 cents an hour more than other work he found, including developing classroom syllabi for then professor, T.R. Gaines.

Attending college after serving in the Korean War, he recalls that the GI Bill wasn’t much help. “Some months I would get $70, some months $90, some months nothing. And I wasn’t about to go out and borrow money,” he notes.

Mostly, he found work and lived and ate cheaply. He recalls going downtown and buying soup for a nickel. “I had a lot of nickel soup. You could go into the bathroom, set it on the heater and warm it up a little bit. It was rough, though.”

Remembering the hard times both he and his wife experienced as college students, McLaughlin of Bates City, MO, has made a gift to the UCM Foundation Scholarships NOW initiative. His contribution is funding the LeRoy and Doris McLaughlin Endowed Scholarship for a full-time sophomore, junior or senior student pursing a degree in mathematics education and demonstrating financial need.

The scholarship was awarded for the first time this spring to Jamie Riegel, a mathematics education major from Leslie, MO. “Throughout high school, I had a very successful math career.

I always enjoyed math classes and earned good grades thanks to my wonderful and helpful teachers. While sitting in one of 8

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those classes, I decided that I wanted to be one of those helpful wonderful teachers. So, that is exactly what I plan to do,” Riegel says.

Teaching was the lifelong career of both Leroy and his late wife, Doris. Between them, they accumulated a century of teaching experience. They also hold six academic degrees, three each, from UCM. Leroy completed a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts and technology in 1957 followed by a master’s degree in industrial arts in 1960 and an education specialist degree in industrial arts and technology in 1967. Doris earned a bachelor’s degree in business education in 1956 followed by a master’s degree in special education in 1960 and an education specialist degree in junior high mathematics in 1967.

They spent most of their careers in the Raytown school district, retiring from there in 1986. They taught another 20 years at St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School. Leroy, now married to a former high school girlfriend, hopes the scholarship will encourage more students to become math teachers.

Returning home to teach high school math is Riegel’s career goal. “After graduating from UCM and receiving certification to teach high school mathematics, I plan to move back to my hometown so I can still be involved in the agricultural aspects of my life. Either there or in a neighboring town, I plan to utilize my degree to the very best of my abilities,“ she adds.

Scholarship Honors Ehrichs An annual gift from an anonymous donor is honoring a couple whose interest in gardening has resulted in a scholarship for a UCM horticulture student.

The W.H. “Bill” and Helen Tunison Ehrich Scholarship in Horticulture will help a full-time junior or senior in good academic standing, pursuing a degree in horticulture, earning an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above, demonstrating high potential for a successful career in horticulture, and living in Missouri.

Hannah Hannekan of Independence, MO, received the scholarship this past academic year. She graduated in December with a bachelor of science in agriculture technology. With a career goal to own a greenhouse and become a wholesaler of native plants, she says, “I would like to educate the public about native species of grasses and flowering plants and the benefits of using them to landscape.”

Sweet Names Central MiSsouri in Scholarship Bequest Dorothy Sweet has named Central Missouri as the beneficiary of a $2.7 million bequest in memory of her husband, Robert A. Sweet Jr., a 1941 UCM alumnus. Through the gift, Sweet will establish the Robert A. and Dorothy S. Sweet Endowed Scholarship in Physics.

Robert Alfred Sweet, Jr. died in 2007 at age 87. He grew up in Warrensburg and graduated from UCM with a bachelor’s degree in physics. After a stint as an officer in the U.S. Navy and service in the Pacific during World War II, he enrolled at Northwestern University in Chicago and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering.

In 1961, while working for Bendix Corporation in Maryland, he was transferred to Los Angeles to serve as national sales manager of the Military Computer Division. When Bendix merged with a competitor in 1963, he accepted a position on the technical staff with The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA. He retired Nov. 1, 1991.

The Sweets were married for 27 years. Mrs. Sweet is a graduate of the University of Richmond. She served many years as a civilian employee with the U.S. Army, including working with the 441st Counterintelligence Corps in Austria during the Korean War. Robert Sweet’s connections to campus include his mother, Ruth, a 1923 Central Missouri graduate who had a public education career and also taught on campus, and his brother, Grove, who was a student on campus three years before joining the Army in World War II. In 1875, Robert Sweet’s grandfather, Edwin Gilbert, was in the first four-year class of graduates in what was then known as the State Normal School for the Second District. He went on to medical school and became a practicing physician in Warrensburg.

Woolleys Create Biology Scholarship Citing friendships and educational quality, Pat and Kay Woolley of Lee’s Summit, MO, have made a gift in support of Scholarships NOW. The H. Patrick and B. Kay Woolley Scholarship in Biological Science will help either an undergraduate or graduate student who lives in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, shows financial need and is pursuing a degree in biology.

“Both Kay and I think a scholarship is an excellent way to express our gratitude to the university,” says Pat, a 1962 alumnus who retired as chair of the biology department at East Central College in Union, MO. “We received an excellent educational foundation at UCM. We also thoroughly enjoyed the social environment and our interaction with peers who remained good friends throughout our adult lives.”

McClain Gift Establishes Nutrition Scholarships Erin Plumberg has ambitions to fight today’s most rapidly growing chronic disease. “Diabetes has affected my life through my family members, and I have a passion to help the many others who struggle with this complication,” says the UCM dietetics major.

She was selected this spring as the first recipient of the Regina Myers McClain Distinguished Scholarship. Criteria for the $5,000 scholarship includes being a dietetics or nutrition major, having active membership in the Student Dietetic Association, volunteering a minimum of 50 hours, earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and minimum of 3.75 GPA in the student’s major, and demonstrating financial need.

She’s the type of student who the scholarship benefactor, Regina Myers McLain, intended her gift to help. The 1935 English alumna lived in Rolling Hills, CA, prior to her death in 2001. She devoted most of her life to teaching and spent many years after World War II living and working in Europe, where she became an astute businesswoman.

“With these scholarships, our well-deserving students are presented incredible opportunities; I am confident Ms. McClain would be proud of how many students benefit from her extraordinary gift,” says Lance Ratcliff, assistant professor of dietetics and nutrition.

Through her estate, McClain not only provided funds to establish several scholarships, but she also helped to fund the renovation of Morrow-Garrison. When finished in 2011, the building will become the new home for the Department of Nutrition.

University of Central Missouri · Today 9

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Inspiring Aviation Students

The Larger than Life Story of a World War II Pilot

By Mike Greife

G

rowing up in rural Johnson County, Warrensburg resident Wayne Thomason was fascinated with flying. As a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, he made his dream come true, flying 141 missions over North Africa, Corsica and Italy and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Thomason enjoys recounting his experiences as a military pilot. He has made it possible for future generations of aviation students at the University of Central Missouri to follow their dreams of flying through the Kenneth Wayne Thomason Aviation Opportunity Scholarship.

He created the scholarship through an initial gift of $100,000 to the UCM Foundation and a pledge of the remainder of his estate. The endowment will provide annual scholarships to Central Missouri aviation students who demonstrate financial need, with preference given to first-year students. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years.

“Our aviation students have a dream. They want to fly, but some feel they cannot,” says Alice Greife, dean of UCM’s College of Science and Technology.

“Mr. Thomason knows that their dreams are important and can be realized.

He is a true friend of our aviation program.”

Thomason’s lifetime achievements tell a bigger story — of someone who isn’t afraid to try something new while enjoying life to the fullest.

He bought his red Corvette convertible when he retired at age 80, not too long after he took up woodcarving. By then he had already mastered ham radio. The lawn and flowers in his front yard showcase his green thumb talents. He has mastered long distance bicycling, something he took up after he sold the last in a series of Harley Davidson motorcycles, and has rebuilt antique tractors.

The passion that grabbed him early in life, though, was flying. As a child in Clinton, MO, his family lived close to a small factory that made balsa wood toy airplanes.

“I used to take the scraps of balsa wood, the tissue paper from shoe boxes and a rubber band and make my own,” he says. “They weren’t as pretty, but they were what I could afford, and they flew. I read everything I could get my hands on about flying.”

Thomason’s family eventually moved to Chilhowee, where his father found work in a feed store. The elder Thomason eventually bought the store and expanded the inventory into groceries. After high school, Thomason moved to Kansas City. He was working for Sears and Roebuck when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Like most young men of his generation,

Thomason enjoys recounting his experiences as a military pilot.

He has made it possible for future generations of aviation students at the University of Central Missouri to follow their dreams of flying through the Kenneth Wayne Thomason Aviation Opportunity Scholarship.

(continued on page 12) University of Central Missouri · Today 11

Thomason (continued from page 11) he went to enlist, hoping to train as an aircraft mechanic.

While waiting for his test scores, he received his draft notice.

After basic training, he contacted his recruiter about his scores and found himself headed for flight school instead.

His training advanced as he qualified for larger and more advanced aircraft. He was assigned to the 350th Flight Group, the 347th Squadron in the 12th Air Force, first in Casablanca, then Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. He served from August 1942 to July 1945.

He recalls one particular mission, Christmas Eve, over the Po Valley in Italy, where his squadron destroyed an enemy fighter airstrip and planes, crippling the enemy’s air power.

On another occasion, he bailed out over the ocean when an engine malfunctioned, qualifying him as a member of the Caterpillar Club, or those who had “hit the silk” in a bailout and survived.

From a small fish carved in intricate detail to the lifelike features of early Americans and other subjects, Thomason’s carvings bear the mark of a skilled craftsman.

Discharged as a captain when World War II ended, Thomason returned to Chilhowee to help his father in business. “I had a few opportunities to fly again after the war at the old Warrensburg air field south of the city,” he says. Instead, he turned his attention to building Thomason Grocery into a family business that he ran for 42 years. After his father’s death in 1956, he expanded the business.

“I moved the store to the old Downing Garage building in Chilhowee in 1962,” he adds. “It gave us a lot more room.

But times change.” He closed the store in 1986.

A friend told him they were hiring at an aluminum foundry nearby and encouraged him to fill out the application. He then began a career as a machinist and tool crib operator for Stahl Specialty Company in Kingsville, where he formed strong friendships with fellow employees, some of whom represented the third generation of their families to work for company founder Glenn Stahl. A co-worker convinced him to try a woodcarving class in Pleasant Hill one evening.

Thomason still has the small, wooden goose that was his first woodcarving. During the next several years, he completed dozens of woodcarvings, some small enough to hold in the palm of his hand and others standing several feet tall. From the small fish with each scale carved in intricate 12

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detail to the lifelike features of Native American busts, each bears the mark of the skilled craftsman. His works are displayed in the living room of his home.

Thomason also displays ham operator postcards from around the world on the wall of his home, along with the original artwork he has done in a variety of media. As a ham radio operator, Thomason needed a tower for his antenna.

He located a 120-foot tower that was lying in the grass in a Missouri community a few hours away. With the help of fellow ham operators, he brought the tower home to Chilhowee. Getting the tower erected wasn’t easy, but it served him well, bringing the world to him until a lightning strike damaged his equipment.

Thomason bought his first motorcycle in the mid-1960s and eventually worked up to a Harley Davidson. His trips took him to the Atlantic Ocean in Florida and through the Black Hills to California. When his last motorcycle, purchased in 1974, turned out to be a disappointment, he turned to bicycles. It was not uncommon for him to ride 70 to 80 miles in one day.

Thomason has moved to a new home in Warrensburg, and he takes out the Corvette, parked in his garage, on special occasions. He keeps busy, spending much of his time with friend Harvey Howell at his woodshop, Harvey’s Specialties, in Warrensburg. The photos on his walls tell the story of his family and the relationships that formed his life.

While explaining many of the items that document his life, Thomason retrieves a small silver bell, almost hidden in a bookcase behind his woodcarvings.

“I carried this with me all through the war,” he says.

In fact, you can see the lucky keepsake in the photos of Thomason taken during his service in World War II. “It’s kind of worn now. You can’t really see the writing on it. But I’ve still got it. It’s still here. So am I.”

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Nationally Nominated Duo Industry leaders think so highly of KTBG-FM 90.9 The Bridge and Jon Hart that they have nominated them for national Station of the Year and Program Director of the Year, respectively.

Other nominees are stations in the major cities of Minneapolis, Louisville, New York and Philadelphia. Known as the place to find emerging artists and the best new music, KTBG-FM serves its audience with a trend-setting mix of soon-to-be discovered artists and the best public radio programs.

Own THESE Original Mule Sculptures Bidding is open for a pair of Missouri mules designed and created by award-winning artist Elizabeth “Libby ” Ritter. You may have seen her Today’s Quest, Tomorrow’s Destiny sculpture on the UCM campus. Known for her meticulous craftsmanship and boundless love for nature, this Missouri sculptress generously offered to design and create the pair in support of Central Missouri’s public broadcast stations.

Place your bid today to own these one-of-a-kind mules at www.ucmo.edu/auction.

We will announce the winner this fall.

University of Central Missouri · Today 13

Looking Out for Others Downing Fills Roles as Educator, Administrator, and Most Importantly, Innovator

By Matt Bird-Meyer

J

oyce Downing walks into the waiting area wearing a pleasant smile and cheerfully tells the mother of a little boy that he’s channeling dinosaurs today and they’ll have to continue observations before moving on to testing.

Downing, professor of special education and associate dean of the College of Education at the University of Central Missouri, works Fridays with a team of professionals at the Welch-Schmidt Center for Communication Disorders. That’s when the Midwest Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders opens for business, observing and testing children and young adults to confirm or diagnose autism spectrum disorders.

The boy’s mother was apologetic, but Downing assured her everything was fine. She encouraged the mother to continue her “homework,” which was a sort of questionnaire, and they would try testing some other time. The ease and grace with which Downing handled the potentially stressful situation characterize her personality and style. She’s patient, thoughtful and effective.

Kate Duffy, Downing’s former roommate at the University of Missouri Kansas City and co-author of Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, calls her a tinkerer and a good teacher.

“She’s kind of like a scientist and an artist,” Duffy says. “She has the qualities of both. They both look at the world in a different way.”

Downing is the brains and grant-writing expert behind two innovative UCM programs — the autism center and THRIVE. THRIVE (Transformation, Health, Responsibility, Independence, Vocation, Education) is a two-year certificate program that gives special-needs students a chance to live and learn on the campus of a four-year college. The teacher and author of a special education textbook led the successful charge for state and federal reaccredidation of UCM’s professional education programs, was promoted from associate to full (continued on page 16)

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University of Central Missouri 路 Today 15

About the Midwest Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders Central Missouri’s Midwest Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders is fulfilling an acute need for parents who often waited six to 12 months before their children could be seen by professionals at the closest facilities that diagnose the disorder, the University of Missouri in Columbia or Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

The center operates Fridays inside the Welch-Schmidt Center for Communication Disorders. In addition to confirming or diagnosing autism, the center corrects misdiagnoses and offers training to help schools provide services for students with autism.

The center utilizes a multidisciplinary “tag-team” approach where a psychologist, two to three special education specialists, a speech-language pathologist and licensed occupational therapist work with the clients.

For parents whose child is diagnosed with autism, Associate Dean Joyce Downing says the center is developing a diagnostic packet about available services and questions to ask their pediatricians. “Figuring this out can be a maze,” she says.

Autism is believed to affect one in every 110 births in the United States and almost one in 70 boys. Nearly 1.5 million Americans live with the effects of autism spectrum disorders, a number that is rising every year.

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Downing (continued from page 14) professor last year and has delivered national presentations.

“My bucket list is getting shorter,” Downing says, with her characteristic grin. “It’s kind of like I’ve really been fortunate I’ve been in the right place at the right time to do what I want to do.”

There’s much more outside UCM that defines this innovative teacher and program creator. Downing is a musician, a Sunday School teacher for adults with developmental disabilities at Blue Ridge United Methodist Church in Raytown, a board member at the Shepherd’s Center of Raytown, and a board member off and on for the past 30 years with CrossCurrents — a Kansas City music and theater nonprofit organization. Downing also likes to make jewelry from the glass beads her husband, Michael Downing, produces.

“I’ve always been eclectic,” she says.

“I don’t think I could have a job where I did the same thing day in and day out.”

Splitting her professional life between teaching and what she calls “programming,” Downing thrives on creating new programs, finding and satisfying existing needs. Teaching is satisfying, but she says there’s something more fulfilling about creating new programs, such as the autism center and THRIVE, where she can see the programs function over time.

“I split 50/50 between teaching and other things that have long-lasting impact on the quality of life of kids,” Downing says. “I’m saving the world one child at a time.”

She has music to thank for her career. After graduating from high school in Joplin in 1969, Downing attended the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. She studied both vocal and instrumental arts. Downing plays oboe, but she’s also a guitarist and a member of Rosy’s Bar & Grill, an all-female folk

band founded in early 1977. The group celebrated its 30-year reunion in 2007 with a show in Kansas City and has three CDs. Downing started her career teaching music in the Kansas City School District, where she stayed for seven years. Working with a tight budget, Downing says she helped supply her students with clarinet and saxophone reeds, violin strings and bridges and even made minor repairs herself.

As a public school teacher, Downing

Splitting her professional life between teaching and what she calls “programming,” Downing thrives on creating new programs, finding and satisfying existing needs. worked with all types of students, including those with special-needs and behavior issues. She felt a personal attachment to students with behavior disorders, saying her personality matched theirs. The key is you can’t be surprised, offended or afraid, she says, and you must think fast on your feet.

Downing’s colleague, Theresa EarlesVollrath, UCM associate professor of special education, agrees. “You’re a lot like them,” she says. “You get it.”

Downing says a fellow teacher in Kansas City noticed her affinity for teaching special-needs students. This helped open Downing’s eyes to her future career, but the catalyst for her switch centered on some life-changing issues. First, the school where she

About THRIVE

taught in Kansas City was slated to close, and she was going to have to change schools. She also was getting a divorce. Downing decided to take a break and spent the summer touring with her band.

She later took a job with a youth services group in Wyandotte County, KS, to teach juvenile offenders who were third-time felons and could not return to high school. Downing taught these students functional life and academic skills, and some made their way to the GED program.

“I learned a lot from those guys,” she says. “It was an interesting group to work with.”

Eventually, Downing returned to school and earned a master’s degree in 1988 followed by a doctorate in special education in 1993, both from the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

She learned how to write grants while at KU, a skill that came in handy when she started working for Crittenton Children’s Center in Kansas City. She helped Crittenton bring in some $5 million in grants for children’s mental health and education programs.

Her first grant at KU was used to create

a peer coaching program for rural Kansas teachers.

Downing worked at Crittenton for nine years before joining UCM in 2000.

She worked primarily in administration at Crittenton and came to UCM to get back into teaching.

“I’m a sort of dabbler,” she says. “I was ready to come back to my first love, which is teaching.”

A reunion of sorts between two college roommates led to a pioneering, post-secondary program starting this fall at UCM. The invitation extended to UCM Associate Dean Joyce Downing came from her former roommate, Kate Duffy, author and college instructor, who was presenting a workshop on her book, Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and HighFunctioning Autism.

Duffy steered Downing to the Kansas City nonprofit group, EXCEL, a group of parents seeking a way for students with disabilities to live independently while attending school at a four-year university.

The result of that connection was a grant awarded UCM to launch THRIVE (Transformation, Health, Responsibility, Independence, Vocation, Education). The closest similar program is in Iowa.

“From the beginning, when we met Joyce, you could just tell she got our vision right away,” says EXCEL president Shelley Stander. “She understood what we were trying to do and was eager to do it. To be honest, some people thought we were crazy.”

THRIVE will help 10 to 12 students, ages 18 to 25, who have intellectual, cognitive and developmental disabilities. The students will live on the ground floor of South Ellis and work to achieve a two-year certificate of completion.

“I got to be a match-maker and I was so thrilled,” Duffy says. “It’s a match made in heaven.”

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University of Central Missouri · Today 17

Twirling Champ

Stark in Final Year of UCM Performances

By Matt Bird-Meyer

T

he University of Central Missouri’s exclusive twirler, Shelby Stark, returns for her senior year with another big-time award in her grasp, 2010 Collegiate Miss Majorette of Missouri.

This is the second consecutive year the Carrollton, MO, native earned the state collegiate title. Stark, who has the university’s only twirling scholarship, was the 2007 World Open Strut champion and Miss Majorette of Missouri in 2006 and 2008.

Asked why she twirls batons, which entails either leading the Marching Mules or performing solo, Stark says it’s difficult to put her feelings into words.

“It’s just so unbelievable. It’s a creative art,” she says. “It’s a competitive athletic sport that I love. Not many get a chance to represent a university. It’s worth all the hard work.”

Stark’s venues for performances include parades, the Multipurpose Building, where she puts on a solo halftime show during basketball games, and Audrey J. Walton Stadium at Vernon Kennedy Field. Stark will be a senior this year, and this fall will be her final performances for UCM football fans. The 2010 football season also brings the added excitement of new Mules head football coach Jim Svoboda.

Twirlers are sort of like jugglers with ballet training.

Sometimes Stark will have up to four batons going at once.

Other times she’ll roll batons around her body, neck and elbows or she’ll execute the “toss illusion,” a move where one baton is tossed into the air while the twirler does a sort of cartwheel only with one leg still on the ground. And when she tosses the baton and spins, Stark whirls up to five times.

“You have to be technical and an athlete,” says her mother, Jill. “You have to have training in dance and perfect timing.

It’s a very difficult thing.”

Stark says her mother inspired her to start twirling when she was nine. The 21-year-old nursing major puts on clinics and teaches a seven-year-old protégé from Warrensburg. Her

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student, Madeleine Vessar, recently was named Beginner Miss Majorette of Missouri in her age group and will join Stark at the national competition this year. Madeleine’s mother, Kristi, describes Stark as patient and caring.

“She’s real technical,” Kristi says of Stark. “She teaches her but she wants her to do it correctly. Her patience with Madeleine is just amazing.”

Stark’s mother, a twirler in high school, later partnered with a dance teacher and eventually branched off with Theresa Etler to start Jillian’s Angels, a Carrollton-based studio. Stark credits Etler, a former twirler at Iowa State University in Ames, IA, for introducing her to the world of competitive twirling.

This is Stark’s sixth year of competitive twirling. She practices about 20 hours a week during football season.

During the summer, without the burden of school, she practices four to six hours every day. Summer culminates in the national competition at Notre Dame University in South Bend, IN. “I call it the Olympics of twirling,” she says. “It’s the only national twirling competition.”

Stark is the sixth generation of her family to attend UCM, which helps to explain the large following of friends and family who watch her perform. Her mother notes she’s also impressed with the response from the community.

“I’ve been so grateful for the Warrensburg and university community,” she adds. “What a wonderful place for Shelby to be able to twirl.”

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Look for excitement this fall at Walton Stadium and Kennedy Field when Shelby Stark, now a senior, performs in her final year as UCM twirler and Jim Svoboda, new head coach, launches his era of Mules football.

University of Central Missouri 路 Today 19

Central Yesterday

By Mike Greife

Remembering War Veterans

T

he dedication of the University of Central Missouri’s Navy V-12 Memorial in October 1997 brought alumni and veterans of the World War II officertraining program back to campus to renew friendships.

World War II brought the nation together in a unified effort. UCM, then known as Central Missouri State Teachers College, joined that effort along with college and university campuses across the nation with the

introduction of the Navy V-12 College Training program.

As World War II progressed, the U.S. military found itself in need of commissioned officers with college degrees to take leadership roles. The Navy V-12 program offered students enrolled in reserve officer training programs, enlisted men recommended by commanding officers or high school graduates who could pass entrance exams the opportunity to gain an officer’s commission while earning a college degree.

Navy V-12 programs were approved for 131 campuses across the

Veterans Reunion In addition to a Navy V-12 reunion planned this fall from Sept. 16-17, the Office of Alumni Relations is hoping to eventually have a reunion for all alumni veterans.

To do so, they need to build a database of UCM alumni veterans. They are especially hoping to learn about UCM alumni vets who died serving their country. If you are both an alumnus and a veteran or know of one, please email alumni@ucmo.edu or call 660-543-8000.

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country. More than 60,000 men were commissioned as Navy ensigns or Marine Corps second lieutenants. The V-12 class at UCM welcomed 372 men from 26 states who studied year-round in four, three-month terms between January 1942 and October 1945.

V-12 students were on active duty and subject to the same rules of conduct and disciplinary procedures as any soldier or sailor on a military base. They quickly became a part of the campus and Warrensburg communities. The V-12 Navy Ball was considered the campus social event of the year, with V-12 participants wearing full-dress uniform.

The V-12 unit was housed in Yeater Hall, then a new residence hall on campus. The men observed all rules of military conduct and a military schedule of activities throughout the day in addition to classes.

Lt. Irvin L. Peters was named to lead the CMSTC V-12 unit. When the unit was deactivated, Peters accepted the position of dean of administration and instruction, spending the remainder of his career at UCM in administrative roles.

Doing Good Cleveland Balances Design Prowess, Social Causes

By Emily A. Michael

I

magine walking through Piccadilly Circle in London with dozens of taxis, hundreds of people and bright lights of billboards circling around you. Among this dizzying array of motion and colors, one thing captures your eye. It’s a London taxicab, but its color is not your typical yellow; it’s orange and covered in polka dots.

The unique taxicab that stopped you in your tracks is the visual product of Cleveland Design, a company founded in Boston and owned by Jonathan Cleveland, a 1984 Central Missouri alumnus. The weekend brainstorming session that inspired the striking cab (more than 70 on the streets of London) paid off for his firm — winning an international design award and accomplishing the mission of bringing the global brand of Thomson Reuters, one of his largest clients, to the streets of London.

(continued on page 22)

University of Central Missouri · Today 21

UCM alumnus Jonathan Cleveland ’84, founder and principal of an award-winning graphic design firm in Boston, balances commercial work for clients, ranging from multi-national corporations to start-up companies, with a strong personal commitment that design can drive social change.

“Central Missouri has been central to my family’s life in many perspectives. my father taught there for many years, my siblings and their spouses all attended, and now many of the latest generation of family members attend as well.”

Cleveland (continued from page 21) With clients ranging in size from multi-national corporations to small startups, Cleveland is known for not only his creative talent but for a deep commitment to use design to make a difference. Take, for instance, his work on the community project, Fidelity FutureStage, a music and theatre program sponsored by Fidelity Investments that inspires children in the arts. Queen Latifah hosted the playwriting contest, Elton John was honorary chair, and the winning plays were produced on Broadway.

Considering Cleveland’s enthusiasm for nonprofit and cause-related marketing, it comes as no surprise that he co-authored Designing for the Greater Good, published by Harper Collins in 2010. Cleveland and co-author, Peleg Top, produced the book to serve as a resource for designers, creative professionals, marketers, corporate communications 22

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departments and non-profit leaders. The first of its kind, the book features a compilation of nonprofit campaigns developed by firms whose outstanding branding and design work has received praise and national recognition. The book had one of the highest entry rates with more than 3,500 submissions from designers throughout the world.

The groundbreaking book is typical of Cleveland’s inventiveness, a trait that surfaced during his UCM days. He actually invented his own major in his first year.

“I was lucky enough to know exactly what I wanted to do for a career at that young age,” he says. “UCM didn’t offer the exact degree I was looking for, so I developed my own curriculum and went through the approval process of creating an individualized degree in marketing-advertising.

I knew I was a good artist, but I wanted the business degree

over a graphic arts degree.” That combination has paid off according to his success.

Eight years after graduating from UCM, he formed Cleveland Design, acclaimed as one of the top 20 design firms in New England by the Boston Business Journal. He has kept his firm small to build closer relationships with his clients and to give them more personal attention.

“Through the years we have maintained a sold client base, and even though we are small, we keep big clients,” says Cleveland.

He is enjoying his much-deserved success from Designing for the Greater Good as well as developing campaigns for his own clients and local nonprofits. His career has led to speaking engagements teaching nonprofit leaders about the importance of design for their marketing, including a workshop he’s conducting this fall for the American Marketing Association’s Nonprofit Conference.

“It just makes sense to give back with your talents,” he adds. “Successful design for nonprofit organizations relies on a true partnership, where the designer is connected to the cause, and the organization has accurately portrayed its culture and clientele.”

When asked what the best moment of his career has been, Cleveland replies, “The book is a great high point, but I think the constant satisfaction of doing great design for the ‘greater good’ is always a high point. I love my job.

I started my company 18 years ago and every day is something new and different and exciting.”

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University of Central Missouri · Today 23

Class Notes 1960-1969 Joe Jadlow ’64, ’65 retired in June after 42 years as a member of the economics faculty of the Spears School of Business of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. He served as department head and was executive director of the Southern Economic Association.

Joe Wikoff ’64 has been elected for a two-year term as chair of the board of the American Cancer Society Hawaii Pacific Inc. He and his wife, Lynne, reside in Honolulu.

Jane Bartlett ’69, ’76 delivered the 2010 baccalaureate sermon May 8 at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, MO. She received the John McCallum Excellence in Teaching Award in 1993 and was named one of the 50 Outstanding Teachers in Missouri by Governor Carnahan in 1994. She retired from Missouri Valley in 1999. She and her husband, Bruce, reside in Richmond, MO. 1970-1979 Dale Spillers ’72 and his wife, Lynne, retired in 2004 and are living on their farm near Sedalia, MO. They enjoy traveling and spending time with their grandchildren.

Garry Graves ’73 has written a personal development book.

Character Happens! The 5 Most Important But Fleeting Virtues. The book encourages better decision-making by discussing the five virtues of honesty, integrity, courage, compassion and humility. For more information, go to www.characterhappens.com.

Mark H. Hargens ’74 was appointed to the Northwest Missouri State University Board of Regents. He retired in 2006 after 27 years with the St. Joseph School District, including the past 13 years as associate superintendent.

Randy Boehm ’75 retired from the Columbia Police Department in July 2008 after

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serving 32 years, including the past eight years as chief. He is now manager of security at University Health Care Systems in Columbia,MO. Gregory Cecil ’75 has been re-elected chair of the Columbia Regional Airport Advisory Board.

He and his wife, Michelle, reside in Columbia, MO. Susie (Hammond) Blood ’76 is a communication therapist at a local state school for the severely disabled. She and her husband, Mike, an inventor, have seven children and seven grandchildren.

Bernie Patterson ’76, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Oklahoma City University, has been named chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He joined Oklahoma City University in 2002 after serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia College and State University. He previously served as assistant dean at Valdosta State University, where he began his career in higher education as an instructor in 1977.

Suzy Barcomb fs ’79 has been named the head women’s basketball coach at Cal State East Bay. She is the all-time winningest women’s basketball coach at Puget Sound and the reigning Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division III West Region Coach of the Year. Barcomb was ranked among the top 50 active coaches in Division II in career winning percentage. She was also named a WBCA All-American Honorable Mention selection and was one of 12 finalists for Jostens Trophy. She began her collegiate playing career at UCM as a two-year middle hitter on the volleyball team.

She also played small forward for the Jennies basketball team for one season before moving on to Washington.

1980-1989 Ronald Walker ’81, ’84 had his artwork shown in a two-person exhibit at the Chico Art Center in California May 26-June 20.

Terry Jarrett ’82 and Sharon Pohlman were engaged 30 years before being married March 4, 2010, in Jefferson City by Chief Justice Ray Price of the Missouri Supreme Court. Jarrett is a commissioner on the Missouri Public Service Commission. The couple resides in Jefferson City.

Steve Pattison ’82 is serving as the Seniors and Care Pastor of Rock Springs Congregational Methodist Church in Milner, GA. He also is teaching music for the Rock Springs Christian Academy and is an adjunct faculty member of Luther Rice University in Lithonia, GA. Dean Hutson ’84 recently completed the Czech Army Paratrooper Course in Pribram, Czech Republic. The course included paratroopers from the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Italy and Germany.

Hutson is a captain of police with the Grandview Missouri Police Department and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Bill Jensen ’84 was project manager for a recently completed $1.7+ million contract for the inspection of the Point Beach Nuclear Plant’s two reactor vessels.

This was done by a specialized vendor using underwater robotic tooling. He and his wife, Kathryn, reside in Manitowoc, WI. Tony Lawson ’85 has been appointed to the Ascension Parish Louisiana Tourism Commission.

He promotes tourism and business with new ideas for tourism to plantation homes, waterways and swamps and by rebranding and promoting the parish to the TV and movie industry. Lawson is the personal appearance agent for Sonny Shroyer, better known

as Enos, from the Dukes of Hazzard television series. He has appeared in more than 60 movies and television productions.

Vicki (Creech) Saitz ’85 currently serves as director of undergraduate admissions for the OPTIONS department at Fontbonne University. She and her husband, Michael, reside in St. Louis, MO. Cheryl Rose ’86 was promoted to the position of deputy chief of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. This is the third time in the department’s history a woman has been promoted to this position. Cheryl was promoted from commander of the South Patrol Division to deputy chief May 20. In her 22 years with the department, she has worked undercover in the drug enforcement unit, taught children in the D.A.R.E. section, written policies in the planning and research division and investigated robberies.

Andrea Kent ’87 received a master of science degree in conflict mediation dispute resolution from Baker University. She is employed as a human resources business partner with the Hertz Corporation at KCI Airport in Kansas City.

1990-1999 Jim Miles ’90 is controller for True Media. He resides in Columbia, MO. Tom Turner ’90 is interim director of the American Bonanza Society based in Wichita, KS. Turner is manager of technical services and a flight instructor; he speaks and writes about aviation safety for a variety of aviation safety magazines. He and his wife, Peggy and son, Alan, reside in Rose Hill, KS. Bill Richardson ’93, associate professor of music at Northwest Missouri State University, taught this past spring as a Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor of trumpet at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, Latvia. His wife, Niki ’93, and their two daughters, Sarah and Leah, joined him for the five-month experience. Their blog address is

http://nwtrumpet.blogstpot.com.

Richardson credits his musical experience in Warrensburg as crucial in his musical and academic development.

Ernest Rockwell ’93, ’95 received his Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He resides in Hobbs, NM, with his wife, Achala.

Tracy Wood ’93 married Michael O’Connor April 10, 2010, at Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, TX. The couple resides in Arlington, TX. Brian McRoberts ’94 is vice president of operations for Advantis Medical in Greenwood, IN, where he and his wife, Susan ’95, reside.

Stephanie (Williams) Stevic ’95 and her husband, Michael, announce the birth of Parker Austin March 11, 2010. The family resides in Dallas, TX. Brenna (Swaters) Macias ’96 and her husband, Doug, announce the birth of Zane Douglas April 9, 2010. He joins brother, Cade, 2. The family resides in Lee’s Summit, MO. Scott Burnett ’97, co-owner of The Guitar Syndicate in Kansas City, is receiving national attention about e-commerce on social media sites, including a recent feature in the Wall Street Journal. Burnett uses an e-commerce shopping cart that allows visitors to purchase gear from Guitar Syndicate’s Facebook page, an approach the newspaper says is potentially revolutionary for direct sales in the digital age.

Toriano Porter fs ’97, a former all-conference football player and minor league football All-American for the St. Louis Bulldogs, has published his first book, The Pride of Park Avenue.

Amy (Harmon) Jackson ’98 and her husband, Chris, announce the birth of Drew Harmon March 18, 2010. He joins sister, Cameron Grace, 5. The family resides in Brunswick, MO. Jennifer LaNier ’98 and her husband, Wesley, announce the birth of Matthew Lane May 12, 2010. He joins brother, Cody. The family lives in Independence, MO.

2000-2009 David Howlett ’01 graduated with his Ph.D. in religious studies from the University of Iowa. He will be a visiting assistant professor of religious studies at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, for the 2010-2011 school year.

Carrie (Payne) Gilbert ’02 and her husband, Lee ’02, along with daughter Ally, welcomed Easton Lee April 27, 2010. The family resides in Grain Valley, MO. Trisha (Carver) Guffey ’02 graduated with a specialist degree in 2009 and education doctoral degree in May 2010. Both degrees are in educational leadership and superintendency from St. Louis University. Guffey is an assistant principal at Maple Park Middle School for the North Kansas City Schools. She and her husband, Bobby, reside in Kansas City, MO. Sam Stokes ’02, ’05 has been accepted in the Ph.D. program in music theory at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He has a graduate assistantship along with a supplement and an enhancement award to help with his studies.

Stokes received his bachelor of music and a master of arts in music composition from UCM and a master of music in music theory from Florida State University in 2006. He served as the composer for the original music performance in the State Fair Community College production of Macbeth in Sedalia, MO, in April. He continues to do freelance music composing and arranging through his web site at stokesmusic.tripod.com.

Amanda Boyle’04 is working on a master of arts in theatre at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Benjamin Hyatt ’04, a federal agent for two years, is also an accomplished musician whose music is being played on the radio.

He can be found at Amazon.com, Napster and I-Tunes. He may also be found on My Space and Facebook.

Sara Reed ’04 married Shannon Flaherty March 13, 2010.

The couple resides in Menomonee Falls, WI.

UCM Graduate Leads FBI Chem Lab Using science to solve crimes is what Marc LeBeau does — and has built a national reputation for doing — in his job as chief of the FBI Laboratory’s Chemistry Unit in Quantico, VA. LeBeau, who graduated from UCM in 1988 with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and criminal justice, visited campus as part of the annual 2010 Science Day for middle and high school students. He shared examples of cases, then talked about how advanced techniques in analytical chemistry are used to solve cases.

A high school counselor in Hermann, MO, sparked LeBeau’s interest in the FBI when he was a sophomore by giving him a catalog of possible future careers. He stopped at criminologist, learning more when he checked out a book on the FBI Laboratory from the school’s small library.

“I knew right then and there that’s what I wanted to do,” he says. He chose UCM for its reputation, which he describes as “fabulous throughout the Midwest.”

Over the years, LeBeau developed expertise in investigating and analyzing evidence in drug-facilitated crimes that often involved sexual assaults, robberies and other crimes. He found many of these criminals were not being prosecuted and helped develop a training program for investigators. LeBeau says he’s trained thousands of law enforcement officials, scientists and prosecutors worldwide in how to properly collect evidence.

His work has put him in the spotlight many times. He’s appeared on Dateline, Court TV, the Discovery Channel, A&E and the BBC to talk about forensics. LeBeau participates in professional organizations focused on forensic toxicology as a way to advance the science.

“In those organizations, as well as in my role at the FBI Laboratory, we’re trying to continue to improve our field so that we can do more and more and do it better than we could do it yesterday,” he adds. — By Matt Bird-Meyer ’97

WE WANT YOUR Have you moved? Been married? Changed jobs? Retired?

Gotten a new email? Received an award? We want your news! cmo.edu/alumni Go online to www.u mo.edu uc i@ Email us at alumn i Association, mn Alu M Write us at UC Missouri, University of Central 64093 r, Warrensburg, MO Smiser Alumni Cente

University of Central Missouri · Today 25

The Invention of Yardening When Will Hodge retired from the Lake City Munitions Plant as a project auditor in 1985, he had time to enjoy gardening. His interest and skill became evident in the lawn and gardens of his Higginsville, MO, home. As the 1958 Central Missouri alumnus turned to his gardening, he found he needed one tool he couldn’t find at the hardware store or garden center.

“I needed a good power edger to maintain the edges of flower beds,” he says. “I came up with one, made it myself, and used it for 10 years.” His power tool allows the home Will Hodge and Vern Godfrey gardener to create clean, symmetrical flowerbeds with crisp edges that don’t require plastic edging. The idea caught on. Hodge’s flowerbeds caught the eye of an employee of Powell Gardens, and before long, he found himself teaching others how to do the same. “Yardening” was born.

As yardening became more popular, Hodge needed more of the implements he had created. A friend introduced him to another UCM alumnus, Vern Godfrey ’67, a semi-retired farmer and inventor from Warrensburg. Godfrey holds three patents, two for implements for handling both square and large round hay bales, and a third for his design of the BeeLine zero-turning radius lawn mower.

Hodge and Godfrey buy plow discs from a salvage yard next to Godfrey’s shop, turning each disc into a set of hand tools. Hodge gives occasional classes on yardening at Powell Gardens and has written an illustrated book on the topic.

Standing in the open doorway of Godfrey’s shop, the two discuss the potential for their partnership. Mostly they agree on what appeals to them most. “We do it because we want to,” Godfrey says, “and if we don’t want to, we don’t have to.” — By Mike Greife ’74

MULE CALL

Alumni, expect a Mule Call from a student thanking you and asking for your support.

Starts Sept. 12.

Ireland, Dublin and Killarney Sept.17-25, 2010 Learn more about this and other alumni trips at ucmo.edu/alumni/benefits/travel.cfm

Crystal Tyler ’04 married Danny McLain Oct. 3, 2009. The couple resides in Raytown, MO. Drew Burkeybile ’05 and his wife, Tiffany (Clevenger) announce the birth of Weston Gage Dec. 5, 2009. The family resides in Richmond MO. Erika Koike ’05 owns a tapas-style Asian restaurant, One Bite Japanese Grill, in Overland Park, KS. Brooke (Sledd) Villigram ’05 and her husband, Richard ’07, announce the birth of Maxwell Robert March 19, 2010. The family resides in Lee’s Summit, MO. Erin Davis ’06 married Jeremy McCurdy ’07 June 27, 2009. The couple resides in St. James, MO. Tommy Neal ’06 is living in Colorado Springs and running as part of the Adidas-sponsored team, Colorado Running Company.

In 2009 their women’s team won the USATF National Club Cross Country Championship, and their men’s team came in second. The competition featured more than 1,000 athletes from America’s top post-collegiate club teams. Neal organized the Nightfall 4 Miler, a four-mile race and one-mile walk Aug. 20 in downtown Warrensburg

to raise money for Eagle Divers and local high schools’ sports programs.

Stanley Parham ’06 and his wife, Sharon, announce the birth of Brianna Elizabeth Jan. 28, 2010. She joins sister, Lauren, and brother, Christopher. The family resides in Sutherland, VA. Alison Fazel ’08 married Andy Welch Oct. 10, 2009, in Negril, Jamaica. The couple resides in Independence, MO. Kelli Wofford ’08 has been promoted to business developer for interactive services at Callis and Associates, an interactive, marketing, advertising and public relations firm.

Amber Johnmeyer ’09 is employed by Ideaman, Inc., American Expedition as a sales representative in Union, MO. 2010 Nate Taylor ’10, former Muleskinner sports editor, is doing a post-graduate internship on the sports staff of the Boston Globe. His first two published stories were about the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals.

DON’T MISS

2010 HOMECOMING

It’s everything you’ve come to expect and more.

OCT. 18-23

Meet new UCM President Charles Ambrose, new Mules Head Football Coach Jim Svoboda and join us for a reunion, including: Alumni Band

American Marketing Association Black Alumni

Construction Management Elliott Union Employees Omega Psi Phi

Pecan Bowl

Sigma Sigma Sigma Tau Kappa Epsilon Theta Chi

Yeater Hall

Plan also to attend Harmon College Business Days, Oct. 21-22.

For details, visit www.ucmo.edu/homecoming

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Awards &Honors Staffy (Stafford) Forbes ’54 received the Woman of Achievement Community Award from the American Association of University Women for her numerous community involvements. Forbes has been featured in newspaper articles and given a Rotary Club award for community service. She resides in Redding, CA. Ruthie (Davis) Wornall ’63, ’71, ’76, who taught in Raytown, MO, for 17 years, is now president of Wornall Publishing Company.

She has authored a series of threeingredient cookbooks and four culinary murder mystery novels, including her just published, Murder at the Wornall House. She also writes a column, “Reluctant Chef” in Weston, MO. Wornall has been honored with Who’s Who of America 2007 & 2008 and Who’s Who of the World 2009.

Tony Mercurio ’72 was voted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame in Virginia. He will be inducted Oct. 26 at the Norfolk Scope Arena. Mercurio has hosted a show in Virginia Beach since 1986 as the play-by-play announcer for the Old Dominion University Lady Monarch’s basketball team and broadcasts Norfolk Tides Triple A baseball. Mercurio has won 14 Sportscaster of the Year Awards in Virginia and the area.

Larry Lewis ’76 received the Supervisor of the Year Award at the annual Dallas Police Awards banquet held in November 2009.

He is a member of the police department’s homicide cold case squad. He and his wife, Debi, reside in Grapevine TX. Ron Tabb ’76 made the top 10 All-Time U.S. Men’s Marathoners in the April 2010 issue of Running Times magazine. He came in 10th with a time of 2:09:31, which he set in 1983 at the Boston Marathon.

Also on the list is Ryan Hall at #2; he broke the long-standing American record in the half marathon held by UCM runner Mark Curp ’81.

Max Corbet ’79 was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame at its annual convention in San Francisco July 6. He is assistant director for media relations at Boise State University. During his career at Boise State, he served as the media coordinator at several NCAA championship events. He served as president of CoSIDA in 1999-2000 and received its 25-year award in 2005. He and his wife, Belinda ’78, have a son, Nicholas, 27, a graduate of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and a daughter, Natalie, 23, a graduating senior at Mesa State College.

Kathryn (Moore) Giangreco ‘84 was inducted into the Lee’s Summit High School Hall of Fame April 24. She has taught in the Lee’s Summit School District since 1987 and was honored as the Outstanding American History Teacher in Missouri in 2008. She co-authored two books with her husband, D.M., and was the sole author of The American President. She writes articles for various historical magazines and newspapers and is writing a book on Martha Jefferson entitled First Lady of Monticello.

Lori (Schussler) Merrigan ’85 was named Lee’s Summit R-7 School District 2009-10 Teacher of the Year. She is a fifth grade teacher at Underwood Elementary School. She co-chairs the Professional Development Committee, serves on the Partners in Education Committee and Spelling Bee Committee, is the school’s representative for the Young Authors Conference and is a member of the International Reading Association, PTA and Missouri State Teachers Association. Merrigan won the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce Award in 2003 and was nominated again this year. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration, a second bachelor’s degree in elementary education and early-childhood education and her master’s degree

in reading, all from the University of Central Missouri.

Dale Pasley ’88, a preschool teacher at Auxvasse Elementary School, received the 2010 Early Childhood Educator of the Year award from the Missouri State Teachers Association. The award acknowledges excellence in teaching with the recipient receiving $500. Pasley has taught at Auxvasse Elementary School for 14 years and has been involved in the preschool program for four years.

He and his wife, Susan (Love) ’86, reside in Auxvasse.

Jeremy Underwood ’03 has won another award, the Photo District News Top Knots, his second

in three years. He lives and works in northern California. His web site is www.jeremyunderwood.com Heather (Goede) Gander ’06 a teacher at North Shelby Schools, received a 2010 Spirit Award March 16 from the Missouri Federation of Republican Women as part of the group’s Legislative Day and My Favorite Teacher Summit in Jefferson City. Gander, who completed a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a minor in art from UCM, says her favorite thing about teaching is seeing how creative her students can be. She and husband, Scott, and their two-year old son, Grady, live in Shelbyville.

Musical Journey of Distinction For Garik Pedersen, music is a lifelong journey that started when he was five years old, leading to his achievement as the UCM Department of Music 2010 Outstanding Alumnus. He received the honor this spring at a concert featuring he and his wife, acclaimed vocalist Patrice Hogan Pedersen ’77.

It began when Pedersen’s older sister unwillingly practiced playing the piano every day.

“I was fascinated by what she was doing. The piano called to me from an early age,” Pedersen recalls. “As a younger brother, I was motivated to keep playing by the fact that it made my sister mad to watch me catch on so quickly,” he says with a chuckle.

His journey includes a vast array of experiences from performing around the world including Canada, Central America and Scandinavia, to teaching piano in Taiwan and working with young pianists at summer camps.

One fond memory stands out among many. In 2008, he spent a morning at the Steinway piano factory in New York City. There he met Henry Steinway, the last living and now late member of the family in the business.

Pedersen soon received a call saying he was nominated to become a Steinway artist and took a second trip to NYC to play a recital and receive the honor. “I had dreamed of going to New York to select a piano someday. It had never occurred to me that I might go back to play a solo recital and become a Steinway Artist!

“Receiving the Outstanding Music Alumnus Award is a rich opportunity to remember my experiences at UCM,” says Pedersen ’75, ’77. “Those learning opportunities provided the foundation for everything I have accomplished since.” — By Danielle Myers ’11 University of Central Missouri · Today 27

In Memoriam 1930-1939 Ruby F. Landes ’33, ’37 Marian K. Patton ’37, ’41 Wilma O. McGurren ’38, ’41 1940-1949 Lucy J. Papen ’40 H. Carroll King ’41 George W. Wood ’41 Kathryn H. Owings ’44 Herman F. Son ’44 Janie L. Uhler ’45 Gladys O. James ’46 Eulah L. Lowe ’46 William C. Wiegers ’46 Francis M. Coogan ’47 Everett E. Draper ’48 Ernest Norcross ’48 Robert D. Joy ’49 Beulah L. Krager ’49 1950-1959 Marjorie W. Helvey ’50 Janet Irwin ’50 Ruby M. Owen ’50, ’74 Twylia J. Preston ’50

William L. Eckelberry Jr. ’52 Thurman L. Stone ’52 Eleanor Kivett Wessley ’54, ’58 Theola Bradley ’56 Thelma D. Blank ’58 Kathryn V. Blumhorst ’57, ’86 Martha L. Johnson ’57, ’72 Robert Lee Briggs ’58, ’62, ’69 Frederick J. Kiehl ’58 Sue Noble Markham ’58 Don E. Phillips ’58 Paul R. Sheridan ’58 Willis R. Arnold Jr. ’59 1960-1969 Jack P. Cummins ’60 David E. Kerr ’60 John E. Murphy ’60 Beverly Phillips Bunch ’61 Robert E. Motsinger ’61 Margaret W. Means ’62

CORRECTION: Tom Boland In our Spring 2010 Today, we incorrectly listed Tom Boland ’70 as deceased. We’ve since learned that UCM alumnus Tom Boland is very much alive and that it was another Tom Boland, not affiliated with our university, who passed. We regret the error and apologize to both Tom and our readers.

Russell Ireland Russell Ireland, U.S. Air Force retired colonel and a 1975 UCM graduate who helped establish the university’s flight instruction program, died Dec. 25, 2008.

Ireland was in the ROTC program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and later joined the Merchant Marine.

He entered the Army Aviation Cadet training program in 1940 and when ordered to active duty, became a flight instructor in AT-6s at Mather AFB in Sacramento, CA.

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spring 2010

George C. Newton Jr. ’62, ’68 Dimple B. Brown ’64 Gordon L. Corson ’64 John T. Duncan ’64 Barbara C. Miller ’65 Roberta K. Finnie ’66 Michael Chambers ’69 1970-1979 Janice S. Barnes ’70 Mary E. Harrison ’70 Julia E. Baysinger ’71 Joseph M. Rinehart Sr. ’71 Kathryn J. Schieszer ’71 James L. Tipling ’71 Virginia G. Anthony ’72, ’73 Paul M. Ackley ’73 Mary C. Frye ’73 Thomas O. Scholle ’73 Billy J. Brown ’74 Robert G. Haning ’74 Pierre J. Gramlich ’75 Vernon L. Meinders ’76 Shirley J. Feeback ’77

He flew bombing missions in B-29s on the Pacific Front until the end of World War II. He flew air refueling operations out of Japan in the Korean War and helped establish the 320th Air Refueling Squadron.

He established the UCM flight instruction program after he retired from the military in 1966 and remained an active flight instructor well into his 70s.

Ronald Long Ronald Long, professor emeritus of English, died May 6, 2010.

During his 35-year career at Central Missouri, he designed the master of arts program in Teaching English as a Second Langauge and successfully guided its official approval through the state.

He was one of the first UCM faculty members to embrace computer technology in the early 1980s and developed one of the campus’ earliest microcomputer labs.

Before he began his career at UCM in 1975, he taught in Uganda for two

Beula H. Neuhart ’77, ’81 Helen F. Gestaut ’78 Mary E. Eblen ’79 Darlene Williams ’79

David A. Ulett ’93 Mark R. Logsdon ’94

1980-1989 Janice K. Blankenship ’81, ’92 Stephen T. Sanders ’81 Bill Patrick Colvin ’82, ’88 Mary Elizabeth Wilkie ’82 Ted J. Berberich ’83, ’87 Raymond L. Moore Sr. ’83 Scott Jackson Wenger ’83 John G. Siriano ’84 Stephen D. Spears ’84 Jane C. Bishop ’88 Kyle K. Kuda ’88

College High Alumni Garland Riddle ’40 Gladys Kidney ’41 Richard Feldman ’58 Mary Ann James ’60 Dorothy Jean Kropp ’63

1990-1999 Kari D. Wright ’90 Rebecca J. Weyrauch ’92

2000-2009 Kent D. Shilling ’05

Former Students Beverly Belle Carter Augustine Mildred Dodd Davis Friends Arnold R. Adler Billie H. Bagby Shirley J. Bechtold Dorothy A. Benson Robert B. Benson Richard M. Collins Alfred D. Cowan Mary Burt Dee Mildred O. Dobson

years and was an adjunct faculty member at the University of TexasPermian Basin and California State University-Long Beach.

Memorials are suggested for the TESOL students in honor of Ronald Long through the UCM Foundation, Smiser Alumni Center, Warrensburg, MO 64093.

Lucille Meverden Lucille Meverden, 89, a long-time Warrensburg teacher, died Dec. 13, 2009. She received a master’s degree from UCM in 1979 and taught remedial reading at Southeast Elementary School for 20 years.

Her husband, Merville, preceded her in death in 1985. He taught math and science at the secondary level, was a superintendent, taught at the university level and served many years as a Central Missouri administrator.

The two established a scholarship encouraging students to become secondary education teachers.

Memorials are suggested to the Merville L. Meverden Scholarships through the UCM Foundation.

John D. Hartmann Roberta Ireland Don Jeffries Wesley B. Johnson William Kimberlin Ben Kinnaman Dolfrine Korff Paul L. Laffey Orval Lenger Eric W. Logeman Harvey Lovewell Mary J. Murphy Dana L. Schaadt Mary P. Schlotzhauer Patrick J. Seifner Alan D. Skouby Helen M. Smith Mary Dee Spears Dan D. Stuart Vivian L. Sutton Shirley Underwood Patricia W. VanderLinden Ima M. West Thelma Marie White Mildred Wilcox Doris E. Yager

Colleen Nance Colleen L. Nance, who with her husband, Paul, donated an extensive collection of Middle East art and artifacts to UCM, died March 26, 2010.

She married Paul Nance 64 years ago. They moved to Saudi Arabia in 1953 where he worked for Aramco for 31 years.

During that time, they traveled to 50 countries and gathered what became the largest collection of Middle East items in the U.S. After opening and operating a private museum for many years at their home near Lone Jack, MO, they donated their collection to UCM in 2003. The Nance Collection is exhibited in James C. Kirkpatrick Library, where it has attracted viewers from throughout the world.

A source of global education and cross-cultural understanding for people of all ages and cultures, it spans the history of a culture from the Stone Age to its transformation by the discovery of oil.

How Smart are YOU? Graduating from college and proving yourself smarter than a fifth grader have some things in common beyond often-missed, tough questions.

It’s hard to win the show, and it’s hard to graduate from college. At UCM, the odds of graduating within four years is one in four. Read more in our fall cover story.

Fall Today Exclusively online Look for your fall issue of Today at ucmo.edu/today. Like most areas on campus, our magazine also is dealing with budget cuts.

We are addressing that by reducing our format and changing paper. While we will continue to produce four issues, only three will be mailed to our 71,000 readers. So, look for our fall Today online to find all of the features you’ve come to enjoy as well as a PDF file of the entire issue that you can download.

Be sure you’ve given us your email address so we can notify you when it’s published this fall. Go online to www.ucmo.edu/alumni to update your information.

Periodicals Postage PAID at Warrensburg, MO and Additional Mailing Offices

100 W. South St. Warrensburg, MO 64093-2324

Find out about upcoming university events at www.ucmo.edu/calendar.

These alumni aren’t just posing, they are working hard.

The four newest members of the UCM Alumni Association Board of Directors show how easy — and important it is — to volunteer and help the university. Their ideas include: Wear UCM clothing Attend or host an alumni event Speak proudly about UCM Join our Facebook page Send your children to UCM Influence legislative issues Make a gift Return for Homecoming

From left: Stacey Hodges ’94, Jim Gray ’89, John Fay ’70 and Deric Heislen ’95, ’96

Easiest of all, stay in contact with us.

Visit www.ucmo.edu/alumni or call 660-543-8000 locally or 866-752-7257 toll-free.