Spring 2008 - The Talon

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SUMMER 2008

THE MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL METHODIST UNIVERSITY

CSI TEAM WINS NATIONALS LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AT CMU

To Alumni and Friends of Central Methodist University:

“The road to success is always under construction.”

This is the theme of the 2007-2008 Ragout. It was chosen, according to student editor Robin Harman, because of all the projects taking place on the Fayette campus. Indeed the number of campus upgrades in recent years is most impressive, and, if you haven’t been on campus for a while, you should plan a trip or attend one of our special celebrations.

Following the dedication in October 2005 of our Student and Community Center, which has become the symbol of the “new” CMU, many more changes have taken place here at Central. The Campaign for Eagle Athletics has resulted already in a totally new look—inside and out—for Puckett Fieldhouse, in a beautiful new Davis Field with turf for football, soccer, and the marching band and in a wonderful competition-level eightlane all-weather track, and in the brand new Cox Softball Complex.

Yet to come is an addition to the north side of Puckett Fieldhouse that will contain a large weight room, meeting and classroom space, and coaches’ offices. There will also be a new look inside Clingenpeel and upgrades to the Estes Baseball Complex.

Right at the end of the spring 2008 semester we opened the Garst Information Commons, which is a conversion of the second floor of Smiley Memorial Library.

This entire space has been opened up for greater visibility and much more flexible use. There are two small group study rooms, a classroom or larger group study space, and computers throughout the floor to access electronic learning resources. The Aletha Lewis reading room continues to invite learners to its comfortable furniture, and the

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entire floor is now focused on collaborative learning rather than on individual study in closed spaces. There are longer-range plans for moving the Center for Learning and Teaching to a larger space and for consolidating our distance learning capabilities. We must also provide appropriate rehearsal and performance spaces for our band and choral activities and modify some existing classrooms and labs so that these learning spaces are designed to match students’ preferred learning and study styles. There is no end to the visions and plans that we are developing, and prospects for future growth and development are most exciting.

A major goal for the last dozen or so years has been to bring the quality of the learning and living environments up to the quality of our academic programs. Central has always been a university of real opportunity and has always offered first-rate educational experiences to a broad range of learners. There has never been any question about the quality of the academic preparation that students have received here. With each upgrade to our beautiful, historic campus we narrow the gap between students’ expectations for the physical environment and its amenities and the reality of their experience.

We are all deeply grateful for the broad-based participation from our alumni and friends in planning for the future and in assuring quality in the present as well as in the days to come. Central Methodist University students and graduates are indeed making a difference in the world and are bringing credit to themselves and to Central in the process. Please join us on that “road to success that is always under construction”!

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THE MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL METHODIST UNIVERSITY Table of Contents President’s Message.........................2 Commencement, Fayette................... 5

3

Selecman Award Winner...................7 Honors Convocation.........................8 Commencement, Park Hills...............9 Campus News ...............................10 Cost of a College Education..............11

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Alumni Reunion............................12 Three Rivers Campus......................17 CJ Team Wins Nationals..................19 Living the Mission.........................30 First Semester at Second City............35 Morton Hall of Sponsors................. 40

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Gift Educational Fund.....................41 Brown Hall of Sponsors...................41

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Goessling Merit Scholarship ............42 Legacy Giving................................42 Athletics.............. .........................45 Jeff Sherman: 400 and Counting....... 48 A Family Affair..............................58

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Alumni News. ...............................60

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Senior Administration Dr. Marianne E. Inman, President

Technology at CMU Jenny Martin Anspach

Dr. Rita Gulstad, Vice President and Dean of the University Kenneth R. Oliver, Vice President for Campus Life, Dean of Students, and Director of Athletics Julee Sherman, Vice President for Finance and Administration Theresa M. Davis, Vice President for Advancement Chad Gaines, Vice President for Information Services

On the cover: The CSI team from CMU took first place in national competition. See article p.19. Photo by Cathy Thogmorton.

Talon Editorial Staff and Contact Information Don Cullimore, Executive Editor Phone: 660-248-6238 E-mail: dcullimo@centralmethodist. edu Cathy Thogmorton, Editor/Graphic Designer Phone: 660-248-6391 E-mail: cthogmor@centralmethodist. edu

Central has been upgrading technology available not only to students but to alumni as well. In April CMU launched the CMU Eagle Connection, an online community for alumni to better communicate with each other and the school. It offers personal profiles to all members of the CMU Alumni Association as well as an online directory, message boards, blogs, photo albums, and many more features.

For more information and login instructions for the CMU Eagle Connection see the ad on page 67.

Central has also recently upgraded the second floor of the Smiley Library in Cupples Hall into an information commons.

The work began over Christmas break and renovations were just completed in late April. The Information Commons now offers meeting rooms, 40 computer stations, periodicals and comfortable reading and studying spaces.

Correction: The Fall 2007 Talon erroneously identified the authors of the book Voices of the Chincoteague. The correct authors are Dr. Linda S. Hartsock ’62 and Dr. Martha A. Burns. For a review of the book, see page 66.

Tracy Crowe Jones, Director of Alumni Relations Phone: 660-248-6234 E-mail: tjones@centralmethodist.edu Jenny Martin Anspach, Web Manager/Graphic Designer Phone: 660-248-6629 E-mail: jmartin@centralmethodist.edu Robin Harman, Editorial Assistant CMU work/study student

Central Methodist University prepares students to make a difference in the world by emphasizing academic and professional excellence, ethical leadership, and social responsibility.

– Mission Statement

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Commencement at Fayette campus

Commencement marked the culmination of years of study for more than 180 CMU students on May 10.

Baccalaureate was held in Linn Memorial United Methodist Church on the Fayette campus in the morning.

The same afternoon in Puckett Field House, 151 students from the Fayette campus received undergraduate degrees and 17 received Master of Education degrees.

Fifteen more students from CMU’s Extended Studies Program, including its regional campuses in Sedalia and Columbia, also received undergraduate degrees during commencement at Fayette. Approximately 250 more students are receiving undergraduate or graduate degrees in the next two months from CMU’s regional campuses in Union and Park Hills and from Central’s program at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Louis.

Dr. Ginny Barnes, current pastor of St. Paul UMC in Fayette, delivered the Baccalaureate address. She recently accepted United Methodist Church appointment to pastoral ministry after more than 40 years in both the corporate and education world as a teacher, consultant, author, trainer and nationally recognized motivational speaker.

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Her clients included such well-known organizations as AT&T, Bank of America, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Borg Warner, Barnes Jewish Christian Hospitals, Kraft Foods, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Department of the Army and many more. She received the Telly Award for her educational video on diversity entitled “Can You See Me Now?” and is the author of the book entitled Eight Steps to Highly Effective Negotiation: Letting the Other Person Have YOUR Way. After retiring in 2006 and then attending Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo., Dr. Barnes served in a variety of ministerial settings in several churches, including as a director of Christian Education and as campus pastor.

Dr. Barnes received her bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University, a master’s degree from Purdue University, and a doctorate in education from Oklahoma State University.

During the Commencement program at Puckett Field House, emeritus status was conferred on two CMU professors, Dr. M. Rebecca (Becky) Enochs, professor of biology and chemistry, and Dr. Gale “Hap” Hairston, a 1971 CMU graduate who has been Central’s chairman of the Division of Professional Education. Dr. Enochs brought the Commencement address to the graduating seniors in Fayette; Dr. Hairston brought similar greetings to graduates at the CMU-Park Hills regional campus May 17.

Dr. Enochs, who retired this spring, has taught at CMU since 1985. She has served as a professor of biology and chemistry and as director of the Pre-Med Advisory

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Program. She has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Exemplary Teacher Award in 1999, given by the Board of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church to faculty who show “excellence in teaching, civility and concern for students and colleagues, commitment to values-centered education and service to the institution, community or church.”

Other honors she has received include the Glen C. Riegel Faculty Award in 1991, Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1993, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Chester Hanson Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1994, and ODK Gold Chalk Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1995.

Dr. Enochs received her bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in chemistry, from Oklahoma City University and her doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. She completed her post-doctoral training in physiology at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School.

Dr. Hairston had been with the University since 1999 prior to leaving to join Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as director of educator preparation. Before joining Central’s faculty, he had a 28-year career in public schools in Missouri. (see related article p. 9) Central Methodist University’s highest student award, the Selecman Award, was bestowed by President Marianne Inman on graduating senior Christina M. Thompson. (see related article next page)

Photos above, President Marianne Inman confers emeritus status on Dr. Becky Enochs and Dr. Gale “Hap” Hairston.

Lower left, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Staten (USAF Retired) commissions John R. Bodkins, who received a B.S. degree in Computer Science, as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army.

Lower right, Anna Compton and her parents (l) and Christina Thompson and her mother receive extra merit for having completed their Honors Theses.

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Christina M. Thompson honored with Selecman Award The Selecman Award is the highest honor that a graduating senior can receive from Central Methodist University. The annual winner is selected by vote of the faculty, based on the criteria of exemplary scholarship, outstanding leadership, exceptional service, and commitment to the values and ideals of Central Methodist University. The award is named in honor of Bishop Selecman, Central alumnus, who established it many years ago.

This year’s winner, Christina M. Thompson, graduated with honors in history and the Bachelor of Arts degree.

She interned last summer with the Missouri Supreme Court Historical Society, and spent the summer prior to that working to restore and preserve archival materials in New Orleans. A native of Kansas City, Mo., she will conduct research at the Truman Library in Independence this summer.

Here at CMU, Christina has worked as assistant archivist and library clerk, as well as research assistant for her faculty advisor, Dr. Robert Weigers. She has presented papers at professional conferences, and she wrote her honor’s thesis on “Missouri’s Muddied Reputation: A Look at the Controversy of Using Citizen-Soldiers at the Battle of Okeechobee.“ Christina has served as president of Central’s chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, the national service fraternity, and of Theta Alpha Kappa, national honor society for religious studies. She has also been active in Pi Gamma Mu, international honor society for the social sciences, Alpha Chi, national college honor society, the Wesley Foundation, and campus ministry. She has received numerous honors for scholarship, leadership, and service. In both 2007 and 2008 she received the Dr. Harold Sunoo Award for Excellence in History and Political Science.

This fall Christina will pursue graduate studies in history and archival science at Simmons College in Boston.

Clockwise from upper right: Christina can’t hold back tears of surprise and joy upon being named the Selecman winner; Pres.

Inman gives her a hug and a gift; as a brand-new alumna, Christina enjoyed visiting the alumni gettogether at the Les Bourgesois AFrame; with her major professor, Dr. Robert Wiegers.

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Campus news

Honors Convocation

The best and the brightest of CMU students were honored during the 2008 Honors Convocation in April, along with several outstanding faculty and staff. Nearly 100 students were praised for exceptional work in their fields of study and for supporting the lives and activities of all students on campus.

Two of the university’s three highest general honors were presented. The third, the Selecman Award, was presented to Christina Thompson at Commencement. (see related article) The Victoria Award, which recognizes exceptional academic achievement and representation of the ideals of CMU, was bestowed on senior music education major Mallory James. She also earned the Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) College Honor Award, the SAI Scholar Award, the Red Apple Award for future teachers, and recognition in Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities (Who’s Who).

The Human Relations Award went to senior Benjamin Tyler Holt, an English and religion major. The award recognizes the graduate who shows the most promise in the area of human relations. Tyler also took home the Hern Award for Excellence in Religious Studies; the T. Cecil Swackhamer Award, for a student holding promise in the ministry; the CMU Alumni Outstanding Senior Award; and recognition in Who’s Who. Other top award winners included Steven King, a senior banking and finance major, who was honored as a Library Fellow, with The Estill Award for Total Business Excellence, with the CMU Alumni Association Outstanding Senior Award, and with inclusion in Who’s Who; and Dane Nelson, a senior music education major, who received the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Collegiate Honor Award, the Raney-Winter C-MENC Award, and the CMU Alumni Association Outstanding Senior Award, as well as inclusion in Who’s Who. On the faculty side, the Glen C. Riegel Faculty Science Award was presented to Dr. John Bellefeuille, who is in his second year of teaching chemistry for CMU. The Exemplary Teacher Award from the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry was presented to Dr. Nancy Hadfield. Dr. Hadfield, the former chair of the Department of English, this year assumed the reins as the chair of the Division of Professional Education. She has taught at Central since 1990.

Two Harold Momberg Omicron Delta Kappa Gold Chalk Awards, chosen by students, were presented: one to Dr. Daryl Jefferies, assistant professor of religion since 2003, and one to Greg Thurmon, who joined the CMU science faculty this year as visiting professor of biology.

Assistant Professor Maryann Rustemeyer was presented the ODK Master Teacher Award. One of only three to have won this award (along with Dr. Dan Elliott and Dr. Berre Robinson in former years), she received it for having won a total of six teaching awards through the 18 years she has taught at Central.

She teaches English and mathematics and is the director of the Center for Learning and Teaching.

Above, clockwise from upper left: Mallory James, Steven King, Tyler Holt, and Dane Nelson

Above, clockwise from upper left: Greg Thurmon, Dr. Nancy Hadfield, Dr. John Bellefeuille, and Dr. Daryl Jefferies

Right, Dr. Dan Elliott presents the ODK Master Teacher Award to Maryann Rustemeyer.

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Campus news

CMU at Park Hills holds 17th annual Commencement Dr. Rita Gulstad, vice president and dean of Central Methodist University, and Dr. Shirley Peterson, CMU associate dean of the College of Graduate and Extended Studies, conferred degrees May 17 at the Central Methodist University-Park Hills 17th annual Commencement exercises in the Mineral Area College (MAC) field house. Central Methodist UniversityPark Hills began classes in 1989 on the MAC campus.

One hundred fifty-two Baccalaureate degrees and one Master of Education degree were conferred.

Bachelor of Arts or Science degrees were awarded in Accounting, Accountancy, Business, Child Development, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, General Studies, Mathematics, Public Administration, Psychology and Sociology. Degrees in Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Bachelor of Science in Education – Elementary Education and Early Childhood were also conferred.

This year’s commencement saw the first class of 21 students receiving a Master of Science degree in Clinical Counseling from Central Methodist University. This is a graduate-level degree program first offered on the CMU/Park Hills campus in the fall of 2005.

Veteran Missouri educator Dr. Gale “Hap” Hairston was the keynote speaker. Hairston is director of educator preparation in the Division of Teacher Quality and Urban Education with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Dr. Hairston has held his current position with the Missouri

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Department of Elementary and Secondary Education since September 2007. As a professor of education at Central Methodist University from 1997 to 2007, Hairston served as director of clinical experiences, teacher education and graduate studies in the Division of Education and later as chair of the Division of Professional Education.

Between 1978 and 1999, he served as an elementary- and middle-school principal at several public schools, including Rock Bridge Elementary School in Columbia; New Haven (Mo.) Elementary School; and William N. Clark Middle School and Laurence J. Daly

Elementary School, both in Fayette.

From 1972 to 1978, he served as a sixth-grade teacher at Westran (Mo.) R-I Public Schools in Huntsville.

Active in numerous professional associations, Hairston served as president of the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals and as president of the Missouri Council of School Administrators. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Central Methodist University in 1971, a master’s degree in education from Northeast Missouri State University in 1978, and an education specialist and education doctorate from the University of MissouriColumbia in 1981 1984, respectively.

Above, Dr. Gale “Hap” Hairston gves the Commencement address for the Park Hills graduates.

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Below and left, graduating seniors celebrate Commencement with their friends and family. For some, kisses are reward enough.

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Campus news

CMU offers 50 percent tuition reduction to qualified high school students Central Methodist University is offering a 50 percent reduction on tuition to high school students who academically qualify for Missouri’s A+ Scholarship program to attend college, announced Dr. Marianne E. Inman, president of Central Methodist University.

The CMU tuition reduction program will be offered to A+ students who plan to attend the university full time at its main campus in Fayette. It would apply to all four years of a student’s attendance if he or she maintains a 2.50 or higher GPA. It also applies to any academi-

cally qualified college student who earns an associate’s degree at a public institution under the A+ program and wishes to transfer to CMU to complete a four-year degree. This award would apply to his or her final two years.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for students wanting to attend an independent four-year university that offers a wide range of academic undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a number of pre-professional programs such as pre-law, pre-medicine, athletic training and criminal justice, among many others,” said Kenneth Oliver, vice president

Advancement fills positions

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Central Methodist University development officer Stephanie L. Lewis has been promoted to the position of director of development with Central Methodist University.

Lewis joined the CMU Advancement Division staff in January of 2007 as director of annual giving and donor relations. In her new position, Lewis will work closely with Vice President Theresa Davis and CMU President Marianne E. Inman in designing and implementing the fund-raising program of the university. She will also oversee development operations and efforts to facilitate the efficient and effective use of human and technical resources.

Before accepting a position with CMU, Lewis served as Glasgow city clerk from 2001 to January 2007.

Prior to that, she was a Guidance Department secretary and paraprofessional with Howard County (Glasgow) R-II School District for six years, and a substitute teacher in the University of Missouri-Columbia Development Lab. A graduate of Glasgow High School, Lewis earned a bachelor’s

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degree in human environmental science from the University of MissouriColumbia in 1993. She and her son, Tanner, live in Glasgow.

Howard County resident Peggy Robb has been appointed to the position of director of annual giving and donor relations with Central Methodist University, announced Theresa Davis, vice president for advancement.

Robb joined the CMU Advancement Division staff Feb. 11.

Her responsibilities include working with donors of annual and special gifts to the university and with the endowed scholarships program. Prior to joining the CMU Advancement staff, she had served as a first-grade teacher with Glasgow Pubic Schools from the fall of 1976 until retiring in June 2007.

Robb is a 1976 graduate of CMU, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education. She has also completed 24 hours of graduate education and is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, a women’s education society.

Robb and her family live in Franklin.

for campus life and dean of students.

“We feel this program will open the door to many high school and community college students worried about the cost of college and seeking a first-rate university for a fouryear degree program,” added Larry Anderson, director of Admission.

“Our program for A+ students makes CMU very affordable.”

Persons seeking additional information about CMU’s tuition reduction program for A+ students should contact the Admission Office at 660248-6251 or by e-mail at admissions@ centralmethodist.edu.

Nursing and Pre-Med students visit Body World Exhibition This spring, approximately 40 CMU nursing and pre-med students went to St. Louis to see the educational exhibition entitled “Body World.”

The somewhat controversial display features donated human bodies, posed to demonstrate external and internal human anatomy. Originally designed to help people see how the body works and how to keep one’s own body healthy, the traveling exhibits have been shown in dozens of cities worldwide and seen by some 25 million people.

The bodies are “engaged” in various activities, such as playing tennis and riding bikes, allowing viewers see how the bones, muscles, and ligaments actually function.

The bodies are preserved through a process called plastination, which replaces human water and fat with a type of plastic which maintains and preserves the original structures.

The trip for CMU students and their sponsors, Dr. Dan Elliott and Director of Nursing Megan Hess, was made possible through the support of these CMU alumni: Dr. Joe ’53 and Jane (Ash) x’56 Belew, Dr. Donald ’56 and Sondra (Sercu) ’57 Spalding, Dr. George ’55 and Dottie (Gould) ’56 Luther, Dr. John Hutcherson ’56, Dr. Carl “Bevo” ’61 and Catherine Lester.

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Why does a college education cost so much?

by President Marianne Inman This question is asked frequently…by students, their parents, state legislators, and members of the U. S. Congress.

Private colleges, such as Central Methodist University, have three primary sources of revenue: student tuition and fees, business operations (such as those in our College of Graduate and Extended Studies [CGES]), and gifts, which include a percentage of earnings on our endowment. Public universities rely on these three sources and IN ADDITION receive tax monies allocated through the state.

The actual COST to Central Methodist University to educate a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) for one year is more than $26,000. This means that Central actually SPENDS $26,720 per student per year to provide the full range of educational experiences.

The reality is that NO students actually pay this amount or even the published tuition amount, which this year is more than $16,000.

The total tuition paid by Central’s students and their families represents only 59% of CMU’s total budget. So where does the difference come from? It comes primarily from gifts from our wonderful alumni and friends.

The operating budget for Central Methodist University for this current year is more than $24 million. The average cost per CLAS student simply to pay the annual Fayette campus utility bill (water, sewer, gas, and electricity) is $1200! The average cost per student to compensate the CLAS faculty and staff is $9800. And the average financial aid award…from Central’s resources…is more than $9000! Total scholarship awards from CMU’s own resources are more than $8 million this year. another way, the last day of the cur“ ...the last day of the current school rentPut school year that is supported by total year that is supported by total student student tuition revenues was February 10!

After that, we must rely on the generosity of tuition revenues was February 10!” our donors.

The cost per minute to operate Central Methodist University as a whole - CLAS and CGES - is $47.00. This translates into $2,795 per hour and $67,074 per day. CMU operates very efficiently, and at many institutions these costs and the per-student cost of education would be much, much higher.

College costs what it does because quality is never cheap. Personal attention from highly qualified faculty members is not free. Guidance from athletic coaches does not happen without cost. Facilities and operating expenses are expensive and steadily rising. Education is the one investment that NEVER declines in value but rather appreciates throughout a lifetime. A Central Methodist University education helps all students make a living, yes…and more importantly, a life. Our alumni and friends who endow scholarships and make annual gifts to the Central Excellence Fund are helping our current students attain the benefit of a Central Methodist education…just as earlier generations did for them. The cycle should continue indefinitely as each class of students helps those who follow them to have the same advantages at Central as they did. When Central asks, please say “Yes” to carry on the CMU tradition.

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Campus news

Classes gather for alumni reunion 2008 Alumni Reunion 2008 was great fun for all who attended, and it seemed the weather was perfectly ordered just for the weekend. The classes honored were 1933, 1938, 1943, 1948, 1953 and 1958. Alumni from every honored class were in attendance.

Warren Head, class of 1933, celebrated his 75th reunion and was the clear patriarch of the weekend!

During the course of three days, more than 160 alumni and friends visited campus.

Highlights included the class of ’58 reception at Coleman Hall, the rededication of the class of ’43 bronze eagle sculpture, and a mock trial presented by the students in the Criminal Justice Department, where the alumni served as the jury (and found the accused not guilty).

On Friday, members of Central’s 1958 baseball team made a gift of more than $50,000 to the Campaign for Eagle Athletics, giving them naming rights to both dugouts on the current baseball field. Members of the coaching staff and current team members were on hand to meet the alumni. (see sports section) Friday evening members of the class of 1958 met at Rosewood Antiques for dinner and a chance to mingle with their former college friends and catch up.

Later Friday night, at CMU’s first hosting of a HAAC Conference track meet, former track members who had trained under the late Gary Stoner, dedicated a tree planted in his honor. The tree and plaque can be found between the track and the tennis courts. (see sports section) Saturday also brought a small gathering for the Grounded Eagles at Coleman Hall.

The Alumni Awards Dinner was held on Saturday evening, where Central Methodist University honored five of its most illustrious alumni: Dr. Carter Ward and Dr. Wallace Gray as Distinguished Alumni; Kristin Griffith as Young Alumni Award winner; and Fred and Barbara Alexander as recipients of the CMU Service Award. (see article p.14) The weekend concluded with church services at Linn Memorial on Sunday morning and the annual A Cappella Choir concert that afternoon.

Above, Warren Head, class of 1933; below: Russell Jones and Roger Mason, class of 1953

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Class of 1958 (l-r)--Row 1: Jack Jost, Lenora Jost; Row 2: Dorris (Coley) Warwick, Elta Shields, Marva (McBride) Iglehart; Row 3: Pattie (Offutt) Skates, Janice (Roberts) Bradshaw, Mabel (Porter) Unser, Jenny (French) LaMore;; Row 4: Jan Frick, George Sweet, Bob Badger; Row 5: Sandra (Simpson) Burks, Rod Williams, Bill Zimmerman, Bob Frankenfeld, Louise (Painter) Smith; Row 6: Charley Smith, Ken Anderson, Sam Hedgepeth, Keith Berry, Shirley (Swisher) Meyer; Row 7: Lynn Burks, Betty (Kleine) Strong, Ralph Anderson, Norris Smith; Row 8: Doyle Strong, Phil Blakemore, Harlo Donelson, Glenn Hall, John Drakesmith

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Campus news

President Marianne Inman rededicates the bronze eagle, a gift of the class of 1943.

Above, the class of 1943 at the bronze eagle (l-r): Ruth (Higginbotham) Nickerson, Jack Higgins, Helen (Puckett) Thogmorton, Jack Finch, Jim Thogmorton

Above, the class of 1948 and founders of the Mokers and the Deltas (l-r): Curg Starkey, Lavena (Jones) Starkey, Ina (Turner) Gray, Wallace Gray Right, members of the class of 1958 and their guests enjoy renewing their friendships at dinner at Rosewood Antiques on Friday.

Left, top: alumni, serving as members of the jury in a mock trial demonstration on Friday, try to reach a consensus on guilt or innocence; middle: criminal justice professor Teri Haack explains the procedure for the mock trial; bottom: the “attorneys� argued their case in front of retired Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice, Judge Andrew Jackson Higgins, class of 1943.

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Alumni noted for exceptional efforts The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to those who have distinguished themselves in their professions and in their service to the University and society.

The Service Award is presented to individuals for “exceptional, extensive, and extraordinary” service to Central Methodist University over a period of years. The Young Alumni Award is presented to alumni who have been out of the University fewer than 15 years, have strong commitments to community and university service, and have demonstrated high personal achievements.

Distinguished Alumnus Carter D. Ward

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Carter D. Ward is executive director of the Missouri School Boards’ Association, whose mission is “Helping School Boards Succeed” by advancing excellence in public education through school board leadership.

Under Dr. Ward’s leadership since 1983, MSBA has become a highly effective organization in representing governance teams of school districts that shape the educational programs for public school students in Missouri. His achievements have been recognized by the University of Missouri-Columbia, and most recently by the National School Boards’ Association, which honored him with the Thomas A. Shannon Award for Excellence in School Boards Association Leadership for his accomplishments in public education.

During this time, MSBA has witnessed phenomenal growth and is considered to be one of the “top ten school boards associations” in the nation. Significant accomplishments during Ward’s tenure include the founding of the Education Satellite Network in 1987, a satellite-based delivery system that provided school districts with quality distance-learning opportunities; and the founding of the Education Solutions Global Network (ESGN) in 2006, an Internet protocol television network providing education and training to public schools and other entities.

Other notable accomplishments directed by Ward include the founding of the Education Roundtable, a coalition of the major statewide education organizations in Missouri; the establishment of the Pooled Lease Program in 1987, which helps school districts finance building projects; the establishment of the Missouri Securities Investment Program, a pooled investment program that has earned over $1 billion in interest for state school districts; and the development of a partnership with the State of Missouri to provide a state-level alert system for all K-12 school districts, as well as public and private colleges

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and universities in Missouri.

Ward has also been instrumental in securing numerous state and federal grants, including the Federal Star Schools Grant for distance-learning initiatives; and a federal appropriation for CLASS (Children Learn as Schools Succeed).

Ward is a 1967 graduate of Central Methodist, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English, language and writing, with a minor in Mathematics. He holds a master’s degree in secondary school administration from the University of Central Missouri, and a doctorate in general school administration from the University of Missouri – Columbia.

While at Central Methodist, Ward was a member of the football and track teams and Beta Sigma social fraternity. He is married to Sandra Leech Ward ’64, and they have three children.

Distinguished Alumnus Wallace G. Gray

A 1948 alumnus of CMU, Dr. Wallace Gray is widely respected as a distinguished professor of religion and philosophy, specializing in Eastern philosophies, translating their texts from Japanese into English, and teaching in Japan.

Capping a 48-year career in education, Gray retired May 1996 from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan., where he was the Kirk Professor of Philosophy and Religion. His wife and professional collaborator, Ina (Turner) Gray ’48, retired as Executive Director of Pi Gamma Mu. Since then, the Grays have visited 64 countries.

Shortly after retirement, Gray became visiting professor of American culture at Kitakyushu University in Kitakyushu, Japan.

Ina, who served as his research assistant, was appointed to teach conversational English at the university.

Since the 1960s, Gray has been involved in the Plott project on the global history of philosophy, which brought him in contact with noted Japanese scholar Eiji Hattori, who invited him to lecture at Reitaku University near Tokyo. Gray translated from Hattori’s book concerning the silk roads and the dialogue of civilizations, and Ina Gray facilitated its publication as Letters from the Silk Roads: Thinking at the Crossroads of Civilization.

Currently, Gray is completing an eight-year project as editor, co-author and translator of Deep Encounters, which deals with encounters among civilizations, cultures, artists, poets, philosophers, and critics of failures or collapses of societies and foreign policies.

Dr. Gray’s post-retirement activities continue his more than four decades of scholarly research and writing in various academic areas. His writings comprise a lengthy list of impressive publications, including numerous books such as Conversational Theology: A Critical Review of Some Trends of Contemporary Religious Thought from the Perspective of Nels

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Ferré’s Agape Theology; Applying the Point of Logic; and, with John C. Plott, New Keys to East-West Philosophy.

He has lectured on China throughout the United States. Honors accorded Gray include: selected as Citizen Ambassador to China, 1993, as part of the philosophical delegation sponsored by People to People International; and member of the East-West Conferences in 1964, 1969, and 1984, University of Hawaii and East-West Center.

Gray holds a graduate degree in theology from Southern Methodist University and a doctorate in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. He and Mrs. Gray reside in Winfield, Kan., and have two children.

Fred and Barbara Miller Alexander The CMU Service Award

Fred and Barbara Miller Alexander have been among Central Methodist’s most faithful and ardent supporters in many ways for more than 30 years.

Among their significant contributions was the establishment of the R. Frederick x58 and Barbara Miller x56 Alexander Hall of Sponsors Scholarship to assist deserving students obtain a high-quality education.

In addition to monetary gifts, the Alexanders have given of their time and leadership. Both served on the Campaign for Central Committee, the recent capital campaign that raised $34.5 million for the Student and Community Center. Fred has served on the Board of Trustees since 1980, making him the longest-serving member. He currently serves as Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Earlier, Fred served as a member of the CMU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Barbara has long served as a docent in The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art. The Alexanders have also been active leaders in the Fayette community. Fred, a well-known Howard County farmer, businessman, and visionary, has served on civic organizations in the community, including the Fayette School Board, the Missouri Interactive Telecom Educational Network, the Telecommunity Center Advisory Committee, and Fayette Community Betterment. Barbara, also active in the community, is a 50-year member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Another contribution recently finalized by the Alexanders involved 35 acres and the excavation work to prepare it for use, allowing CMU to substantially upgrade its athletic fields in anticipation of the $5 million Campaign for Eagle Athletics.

They live in Fayette and have four children.

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Young Alumna Kristin Griffith

After graduating from Central Methodist in 1995 with a degree in biology, Kristin Marie Griffith became involved in international aid and humanitarian work.

Her first position was with the Peace Corps. In a remote mountain village in northern Albania, Griffith guided more than 100 farmers in planting nearly 10,000 seedlings on over-farmed and deforested land. Living with a village family, she learned the language and customs of the native people. She taught English to the children and land conservation to their parents and grandparents.

Unfortunately, what was to be a two-year assignment was cut short when civil unrest erupted and she had to be airlifted out. Although it was a frightening experience, she had found her calling and knew she would be back.

Griffith returned to Albania in 1999, after earning a master’s degree in public health, specializing in international health, from Boston University. The following year she accepted a post with Mercy Corps in Kosovo, where the wounds from a bloody ethnic conflict were still visible.

She implemented projects that provided humanitarian assistance to those who had survived the conflict and to those who were returning to the region in hopes of rebuilding their lives.

Since then, Griffith’s professional involvement has been in international service agencies such as the Peace Corps, Catholic Relief Society and Mercy Corps. She spent nearly a decade with relief and development agencies in Albania, Kosovo and Sudan working with programs that supported economic development, good health, and effective governance.

Currently, while completing her second master’s – an MBA at the Schulich School of Business, in Ontario, Canada, with a focus on strategic management and entrepreneurship – Griffith works with York Sustainable Enterprise Consultants. She combines the skills of current and former students in York University’s MBA and MES programs to provide research and advisory services in the area of sustainable business.

When a student at Central Methodist, Griffith was active in athletics, earning varsity letters in golf and basketball, and was a member of Sigma Pi Alpha social organization. Recently, when on leave in the United States from foreign assignments, she often visits with Central students and alumni about her endeavors in Eastern Europe. She is currently exploring opportunities to mentor students interested in international peace and humanitarian work or in international health-related fields in underprivileged countries.

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Campus news

CMU receives $69,850 grant from Monsanto Fund for science education Central Methodist University has received a $69,850 grant from the Monsanto Fund to promote science education in Missouri through programs that provide professional development for elementary and secondary science teachers.

The primary goals of CMU’s Science Education in Missouri program are to enrich the learning experiences of K-12 students in science; to interest undergraduates in pursuing careers as science teachers; and to foster awareness of the critical needs for enhanced science education.

To facilitate these goals, Central Methodist University, through its Division of Science, Mathematics and Computer Science, will recruit elementary and secondary science teachers from rural school districts in Central Missouri to participate in the program. Many of these districts are listed as “high need” because of

student performance and economic conditions.

The teachers will take part in an intense week-long summer workshop on the Central Methodist University campus in Fayette, Mo., where they will be mentored by CMU science faculty. The curriculum guide will contain activities and problem sets in the following areas: heat/temperature; mass/volume/density; atoms/molecules/physical and chemical changes; work/energy/machines; force/motion/ friction; sound; light; electricity/magnetism; astronomy; and meteorology.

During the 2008-09 academic year, follow-up sessions will be conducted to allow teachers to gather for discussions, refreshers and troubleshooting in areas in which they believe they need additional instruction.

Teachers will also receive training in Texas Instruments Calculator Based Lab (TI-CBL) systems to be placed in

classrooms for student participation.

“We are most grateful to the Monsanto Fund for its financial support of this important science education program,” says CMU President Marianne E. Inman. “Central Methodist has a long history of training and mentoring science teachers in the state of Missouri and beyond.

We believe we are at the forefront in confronting the problems in math and science education in our area. The Monsanto Fund’s support will help us continue our mission to initiate positive change in science education in our region.”

“The partnership with Central Methodist will help us advance our goal of providing professional development to teachers in underserved rural communities,” says Deborah Patterson, president of the Monsanto Fund.

CMU hosts Teaching Best Practices Conference Faculty and staff members from several Missouri independent colleges and universities gathered at Central Methodist University Saturday for a conference on best teaching practices and explored the effective uses of technology in higher education.

Keynote speaker was Morrie

Morrie Reece (left), senior education developmet executive for higher education at Apple Computer, shakes hands with Dr. Paul Porneluzi, CMU associate professor of biology, at the conference.

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Reece, Apple Computer’s senior education development executive for higher education. Reece addressed conference attendees during the noon lunch in the university’s Student and Community Center. More than 80 persons representing 10 different higher education institutions took part in the conference.

A number of sessions were presented throughout Saturday in the Student and Community Center and in Stedman Hall. These included presentations on developing and incorporating asynchronous rich-multimedia lectures in online courses, using online assessment systems, digital tools for faculty, the importance of information literacy within the college curriculum, empowering students with marketable technology skills, student response systems (clickers) to engage students and personalized and collaborative classrooms.

Participating institutions included Central Methodist University, Avila University, Columbia College, Culver-

Stockton College, Evangel University, Fontbonne University, Missouri Baptist University, Park University, Southwest Baptist University, Westminster College and William Woods University. All are members of the Missouri Colleges Fund, which was founded in 1952 to facilitate a united fundraising approach together with independent colleges and universities in Missouri.

Central Methodist University hosted the educational conference, which was funded by the Missouri Colleges Fund and the Foundation for Independent Higher Education through its UPS National Venture Fund and through matching grants from the AT&T Foundation in New York and the Goppert Foundation in Kansas City.

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CMU signs articulation agreement with Three Rivers Community College Central Methodist University in Fayette and Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff have entered into a partnership – an articulation agreement that will enable students to earn a bachelor’s degree on the TRCC campus beginning this August.

The agreement provides TRCC students who earn two-year (associate’s) degrees in several academic areas a seamless transfer of credit to complete bachelor’s degrees in those areas by taking junior- and senior-level CMU courses on the TRCC campus.

The agreement was formally signed May 27.

“We are very pleased to establish this working relationship with Three Rivers Community College,” says Dr. Marianne E. Inman, president of Central Methodist University. “We are looking forward to being a partner in the higher education community that has been so ably served by Three Rivers, and to being able to offer continuing education opportunities that might not otherwise be available to their students and to Poplar Bluff area residents.”

CMU will initially offer bachelor’s degree completion programs on the TRCC campus in Accounting, Nursing – RN to BSN, and Psychology, with others soon to follow. Fall classes begin Aug. 18 and will run for eight-week periods with classes being held on week-day evenings.

CMU also welcomes students with course work or an associate’s degree from other accredited colleges and pledges to make the transfer of credit as complete as possible.

The CMU/Poplar Bluff program is also open to area residents Above, the E.K. Porter Distance Learning Center on the Campus of who may wish to Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff. upgrade their academic qualifications where it offers a continuing educafor professional purposes or to obtain tion program in Child Development, a four-year degree in academic areas and has extended campus programs in being offered.

Columbia and St. Louis, among other Central Methodist has been a locations in Missouri. leader in establishing private-public partnerships to enable students from two-year institutions to continue their education and obtain four-year and graduate degrees from CMU on the campuses of their hometown institutions. CMU established the first such program in the state in 1989 with Mineral Area College in Park Hills.

A similar program was established in 1993 on the East Central College campus in Union and in 2005 on the State Fair Community College in Sedalia.

Central Methodist also maintains a campus presence on the North Central Missouri College campus in Trenton,

Autism panel speaks to pre-med students Members of a panel on autism exchanged information during a CMU Pre-med Committee session April 22 for students interested in careers in the health professions. A large number of CMU students were present for the presentation on the diagnosis and care of autistic children and for follow-up questions and answers. Panel members, left to right, were Miriam Cullimore, an associate trainer with the Judevine Center for Autism in Columbia, Mo.; Dawn Huber, a post-doctoral Fellow with the University of Missouri-Columbia Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders; and Dr. Dennis Luetkemeyer, a practicing radiologist and parent of two children with autism. Dr. Luetkemeyer’s wife, Ginger King Luetkemeyer ’93 and Dr. Robert Harris ’57 also participated in the panel.

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Campus news

The James C. Denneny, Jr., Career Center has busy and successful year The James C. Denneny, Jr., Career Development Center has seen an increase in student use, with approximately 450 visits to the Center this year. The Student Government Association took notice, and voted to replace two of the student computers.

The Career Development staff is very grateful to the SGA and hopes to continue to serve students’ needs with the assistance of new computers!

Lambda Alpha Epsilon, the national professional criminal justice fraternity on campus and the James C. Denneny, Jr., Career Development Center brought two exciting events to the campus this Spring.

Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal, Anthony W. Gasaway and Deputy U.S. Marshal Randall W. Sinele visited Central Methodist University on Jan. 29 to make several presentations on campus. The first session, “The U.S. Marshals Service Informational Session” was open to the campus and Fayette community. About 40 people Central hosted the “Where Will You Land?” the CMU Career EXPO 2008 on Feb. 21 in the Jacob Conference Center. Seventy-six organizations registered to attend this annual event which included parttime and summer jobs, internships, full-time positions, graduate and professional schools as well as study

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Above, a reception for special guests provided time to get acquainted: (l-r) Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Miller, assistant professor of criminal justice Teri Haack, Director of the James C. Denneny Jr. Career Center, and FBI Special Agent Joel Sealer.

attended the presentation that covered organizational policies, structure and ongoing operations of the agency.

A lunch presentation on “Careers with the U.S. Marshals Service” drew more than thirty interested students.

The lunches were provided by the abroad opportunities. An amazing 42 percent of the CMU population, 374 students, attended the event.

Large organizations like Cerner, State Farm Insurance, and Missouri State Highway Patrol to local companies like Howard County Rural Electric Cooperative and Midway USA were in attendance. For a complete listing of organizations click on our website at: http://www.centralmethodist.edu/ cmcareer/expo.html.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Randy Sinele demonstrates the use of manacles on a crimnal justice student.

Student Government Association.

Students rated the session overall as a 4.90 on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being excellent.

After lunch several selected students had the opportunity to interview with the two U.S. Marshals.

On Feb. 5, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office visited the campus.

Again the general public was invited to an Informational Session which focused on the mission and responsibilities of each agency and how the FBI and the Attorney’s Office work together as part of the U.S. Department of Justice. Special Agent Joel Sealer, a relief supervisor and legal advisor for the Kansas City Division of the FBI, and Lawrence Miller, assistant U.S. attorney stationed in Jefferson City, presented to approximately 45 students, after which, the guest speakers talked to 32 interested students about “Careers with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” Following the lunch presentation, selected students interviewed with the respective agencies.

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CJ team first in national competition In the world of mock criminal investigations, it was a David and Goliath match-up for the three-student team of crime solvers from Central Methodist University – student population of fewer than 1,000 – but they put their best sleuthing talents together to outwit 135 other student teams, many from major universities with campus populations in the multi-thousands.

The occasion was the annual Criminal Investigation Competition at the American Criminal Justice Association’s (Lambda Alpha Epsilon) national convention in Kansas City, Mo., in April.

“It was a David and Goliath match-up, and David [CMU] won,” says an ecstatic Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Teri Haack, who had coached the CMU team to its first win in national competition, amazingly in its first time to compete at the event and against a number of much larger schools. Comprising the CMU team were criminal justice majors Caitlin Rundel, a sophomore, and Jennifer Hill and Stacy Pierson, both juniors.

“I’m very grateful for each student’s contribution to this winning effort,” Haack adds. “They worked together extremely well in the competition. Each member brought a certain strength to the team competition – they were just marvelous!”

The three students are members of the Pi Lambda Alpha Chapter of the national organization, Lambda Alpha Epsilon. Haack, who earned her law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, has been a member of CMU’s Social Sciences Division faculty since 2003 and teaches criminal justice classes.

Competition in the Criminal Investigation event is an intense involvement that requires each student team to analyze a mock homicide scene, collect evidence and then write an extensive crime scene report, which is evaluated by a team of expert judges.

Left: The CSI team poses with “Theodore Bundy,” one of two “homicide victims” that was processed for an extended interview with KOMU-TV during an interview. Humans from left: Teri Haack, assistant professor of criminal justice; Stacy Pierson, Caitlin Rundel, and Jennifer Hill.

The CSI team poses with Missouri Senator Bill Stouffer x’69, Distict 21, on the floor of the Missouri Senate chambers, following the presentation of a Senate resolution acknowledging the efforts of the team and their national win.

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Jennifer Hill, a member of the winning team, looks over the “crime scene” (above) prior to processing evidence. She has already received multiple job offers as a result of the team’s success; however, she wants to finish her college education first. Top right, she discusses the process with the KOMU videographer.

“It was something we had never done before,” Jennifer notes and adds, “but professor Haack had done an extraordinary job in preparing us through classroom lectures and hands-on exercises to compete in such events.

At the mock crime scene, we were evaluated on our techniques of investigation, on how we as a team handled the crime scene evidence and on our written report. It was very challenging.”

“We left the convention on Wednesday,” Haack laughs. “We had competed, and the girls felt good about how they had done, but we had classes and work to do at home. We had no idea we would place, much less win!”

Awards were presented that Friday night, and the team learned via phone that they were national champions. “The director of the convention was able to reach Right, Stacy Pierson, who remains unperturbed at the sight of a bloody crime scene, gets flustered by the KOMU videographer wiring her for sound. At the far right, she inspects the scene of one of the two “victims” of the mock crime scene.

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Top left: Caitlin Rundel is the acknowledged ballistics expert of the team. Right: her teammates look on as Caitlin is interviewed by a television reporter.

Stacy late on Saturday afternoon,” says Haack. “Then when I answered her phone call, all I heard was Stacy screaming ‘We won!’ I started screaming, too,” she laughs.

“Obviously we were very surprised and excited!”

Fame followed quickly on the heels of success. In addition to widespread print coverage of their accomplishment, a regional television station spent an afternoon videotaping the girls as they worked a mock crime scene on campus, then interviewed each about the experience. The resulting video clip was used

in three May airings during the all-important sweeps-rating period.

More prestige arrived in the form of resolutions commemorating their significant win in intercollegiate national competition from both the Missouri House of Representatives and the Missouri Senate. The team went to Jefferson City to receive their honors and while there visited with several Representatives, including Paul Quinn, who represents CMU’s district, and with Senator Bill Stouffer x’69.

Haack and her students said they are looking forward to competing again next year in the American Criminal Justice Association’s national convention in Florida. They have already set to the task of raising money to ensure the team’s opportunity to defend their national title.

Each student received a copy of both resolutions—one from the House and one from the Senate. Showing off the proclamations are, from left: Caitlin Rundel, Rep. Dennis Woods, Prof. Teri Haack, Rep. Paul Quinn, Jennifer Hill, Rep. Therese Sander, Stacy Pierson, and U.S. 9th Congressional District Rep. Kenny Hulshof.

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Campus news

Successful Campaign for Eagle Athletics meets goal for Mabee Foundation The $5 million Campaign for Eagle Athletics has reached its funding goal to qualify for a challenge grant of $415,000 from the Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, Okla., reports Theresa Davis, CMU vice president for advancement. Davis adds that contributions and funding commitments to the Campaign are still being accepted to cover a number of needs related to the current upgrading of nearly all of Central’s athletic facilities.

The Campaign for Eagle Athletics is helping to support all athletic teams and programs at CMU. The combination of new and renovated facilities will attract the best students to Central and instill a sense of pride in the entire campus community. Area schools are able to play on the new facilities, including the comAbove is the architect’s rendering of the new addition to the north side bination football-soccer field, the eight-lane of Puckett Field House. It will house strength training and weight-room track and tennis courts. Community persons facilities, athletic offices, meeting rooms, and restrooms. Construction are also welcome to use the tennis courts and will begin this fall and will be completed in the summer of 2009. track.

When the total project is completed, Central Methodist will have some of the best athletic facili- House; and the recently dedicated Glenn and Veronica Cox Softball Complex. ties in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. “We are Future plans for athletic upgrades include a new excited about the upgrades that have taken place through strength training and weight-room facility and offices the spring,” Davis says. “Already, they are having a very for athletic staff members. Portions of Philips Recreation positive effect on Central Methodist and the surrounding Center also will be refurbished, and planned improvecommunity.” ments to the baseball field include upgrades to the scoreMuch of the planned upgrading of athletic facilities board, dugouts, lighting and fencing. has been completed, including creation of a new combiPersons wishing to participate in the campaign and to nation football-soccer field using artificial turf; construcreceive additional information about the naming opportution of a new eight-lane, college-level track around the nities should contact Theresa Davis at 660-248-6214 or by perimeter of the football-soccer field; new track and field e-mail at tdavis@centralmethodist.edu . event facilities; a complete refurbishing of Puckett Field

IMLS selects CMU for program to aid in historical preservation Central Methodist University was selected recently to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), reports Dr. Dan Elliott, professor of biology and curator of the Stephens Museum.

Treasured objects and artifacts held by the University, such as the many items among the collections in Stephens Museum, will be preserved for future generations with help from the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books, DVDs, and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal funding of the nation’s museums and libraries.

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ervation methods and techniques,” Elliott adds.

The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries’ special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.

The IMLS Bookshelf is a crucial component of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a conservation initiative that the Institute launched in 2006. IMLS began the initiative in response to a 2005 study by Heritage Preservation documenting the dire state of the nation’s collections.

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Campus news

Bishop’s memory quilt to Stephens Museum Mrs. Ruth Handy recently gave to CMU a quilt that honors herself and her late husband, Bishop W.T. Handy, who served the Missouri United Methodist Conferences from 1980-92. When he retired as bishop, the Missouri Conferences (then the East and West Conferences) commissioned a quilt in their honor.

The rose and burgundy quilt is embroidered with the names of the district superintendents and their spouses who served under Handy. In the center is an appliquéd map of Missouri with the church districts defined and represented by symbols. Along the top, four symbols represent the Bishop, the UMC cross and flame, the state of Louisiana (where the Handys were born), and the first church the Handys pastored. Bishop Handy died in 1998, and Mrs. Handy wished the quilt to reside at CMU “where it really belongs.” Here, Dr. Dan Elliott, curator of the Stephens Museum where the quilt will reside, displays the quilt. The quilt will be part of the United Methodist Church’s artifacts and archives that are housed at CMU.

At the Board of Trustees meeting in February, the Criminal Justice Department directed the education/entertainment for the Board dinner by producing an interactive murder mystery. Each Board member had a role, as did faculty and staff who attended the dinner, and a number of CJ students. In photo, right, Dr. James “Tiger” Gordon was awarded the dubious honor of serving as marshal for the shenanigans which, while fun, also showed how crimes are solved. Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Teri Haack led the activities.

What’s New With You?

Your fellow alumni want to know what you’ve been up to.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________________ Class: ______________ Address: ____________________________________________City: ________________________ State: ________ Zip: _________ E-mail: ____________________________________ Phone (H): __________________________________ Employer: __________________________________ Phone (W): _________________________________ Spouse’s name: ___________________________ E-mail: _______________________________ Send your news to: Spouse’s employer: ____________________________ Phone (W): _______________________ Tracy Crowe Jones Names and birth dates of children: _________________________________________________ CMU Director of Alumni Relations Central Methodist University Additional news: _______________________________________________________________ 411 Central Methodist Square _____________________________________________________________________________ Fayette, MO 65248-1198 _____________________________________________________________________________

You can also easily update your information on our website! Visit the CMU Eagle Connection at http://cmalumni.centralmethodist.edu to share your news, update your information, or connect with friends.

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E-mail: tjones@centralmethodist.edu Phone: (660) 248-6234 Fax: (660) 248-2287

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Campus news

Swinney Conservatory presents Mozart’s The Magic Flute Swinney Conservatory of Music presented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute in February in the Little Theatre.

The Magic Flute, first performed in Vienna in 1791, is the story of Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night, who is being held captive

by Sarastro. After seeing a picture of Pamina, Tamino, a young man, falls madly in love with her. He sets out to rescue her with the help of Papageno, the Queen’s bird catcher, and a gift from the Queen, a magical flute.

Portraying the role of Queen of the Night was Lindsey Moum;

First Lady, Veronica Herman; Second Lady, Cassie Coleman (Thursday and Saturday) and Violet Vonder Haar (Friday and Saturday); Third Lady, Elaine Stevenson (Thursday and Saturday) and Amanda Reed (Friday and Saturday); Pamina, Molly Teague (Thursday and Saturday) and Lacey Eaton (Friday); Tamino, Dustin McKinney; Papageno, Paul Blanchard; Papagena, Lauren Hardcastle; Sarastro, Josh Reed; and Monastotos,

Mason Rivers.

Director of the opera was Dr. Susan Quigley-Duggan, assistant professor of music at CMU; pianist was Mary Jane Nance; percussion was Sean Thompson; flute was Katie Harris; and stage manager was Rachel Steele.

Below, from left: Papageno, the bird cather, is tempted by the Queen’s ladies; middle, lovers Pamina and Tamino reconcile; right, the Queen of the Night with her ladies and her servant Monastotos.

Get a CMU License Plate!

You can display your pride in CMU by obtaining personalized Central Methodist University license plates for your vehicle. Central’s logo will appear on highways across the state and beyond with your own set of collegiate license plates issued by the Missouri Department of Revenue.

Central’s collegiate plates are renewable annually with a $50 donation to the University and payment of applicable licensing fees. CMU license plates are only available to Missouri residents at this time.

For all the details on how to get your CMU license plate, visit the web site: at www.centralmethodist.edu/cmsupport/licenseplate.html

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Campus news

Swinney Conservatory Fills Key Positions Skip Vandelicht to Lead Bands Veteran music educator Roy D. “Skip” Vandelicht of Fayette has accepted appointment as the director of bands for Central

Methodist University.

Vandelicht, who earlier this spring announced his planned retirement as director of instrumental music from Fayette R-III School District at the end of the school year this June, will assume the leadership role with the CMU band program July 1. He will be capping a 31-year career as a public school music educator.

“We are delighted that Skip will be assuming this important position at his alma mater and look forward to his leadership in continuing the tradition of Central’s outstanding band,” says CMU President Marianne E. Inman.

Vandelicht, who earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from CMU in 1977, also holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. In addition to his public school teaching duties during the past three decades, he also served as adjunct director of the CMU Marching Band from 1983 to 1995 and again this fall. In his full-time capacity as an assistant professor of music with the Swinney Conservatory of Music at CMU, Vandelicht will oversee the marching, concert and jazz band programs.

Vandelicht, who is well-known throughout the state for the outstanding band program he has directed for the Fayette R-III Public School District, has been honored numerous times as a professional music educator. He received the 2004 Bandworld Legion of Honor Award, the 1991 Orpheus Award presented by Beta Mu Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia,

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and the 1981 and 1982 Music Teacher of the Year Award presented by the Missouri Federation of Women’s Clubs. He was also recognized by Central Methodist University in 1990 with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Vandelicht is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Missouri Music Educators Association, National Band Association, Central States Judges Association and the Missouri State High School Activities Association.

He has also served as both vice president and president of the Missouri Bandmasters Association.

Vandelicht and his wife, Melody, also a public school teacher, have two children and live in Fayette.

Claude Westfall Appointed Choral Director Wellknown choral director and Columbia resident Claude R. Westfall has been appointed director of choral activities at Central Methodist University.

Westfall will join CMU’s Swinney Conservatory of Music July 1 as an assistant professor of music. He will direct the conservatory’s choral program, which includes the A Cappella Choir and the touring ensemble, and will teach academic music courses.

Westfall has 27 years of experience teaching in Missouri Public Schools and has been a teaching assistant for four years at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His ensembles have performed at state and national conventions and have traveled extensively, performing in Germany, Austria and Italy.

“We are pleased that Claude

Westfall has accepted this key appointment with Central Methodist University,” says CMU President Marianne E. Inman. “He brings a wealth of experience as a teacher in the field of choral music and will be an excellent addition to the faculty of our highly regarded conservatory of music.” Westfall replaces R. Paul Drummond, who served as the director of choral music at CMU for nearly 27 years until his death last September.

Westfall earned his bachelor’s degree in vocal and instrumental music at Southwest Baptist University and a master’s degree in education and choral conducting at Missouri State University. He is currently completing work on a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction/music education with an emphasis in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Westfall has been the recipient of numerous honors. In 1997 he received the John Schnell Faculty Dedication Award. In 1998 he was given “USA Today’s” All Teacher Academic Award for contributions to the Advancement of Music Education.

In 2005 he received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Missouri State University. In 2006 and 2007 he was recognized for his excellence in teaching at the University of Missouri.

Westfall is active as a clinician and conductor for district and regional choirs. His co-authored research has appeared in the “MENC Journal of Research in Music Education.”

He is an active member of Missouri Music Educators Association, National Association of Music Educators, College Music Society, Missouri Choral Directors Association and American Choral Music Association.

Westfall and his wife, Diana Westfall, and their three children live in Columbia.

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Campus news

Noted vocal teacher conducts master class Central Methodist alumnus Dr. David E. Starkey, professor emeritus of music from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, visited in April to conduct a master class with Swinney Conservatory vocal students.

Students singing for Dr. Starkey during the master class were Paul Blanchard, Baritone; Veronica Herman, Soprano, Elaine Stevenson, Mezzo-Soprano; John Coleman, Tenor; Lacey Eaton, Soprano; and Josh Reed, Bass-Baritone.

Starkey attended Central between 1949 and 1955 before entering Indiana University, where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in vocal performance.

He was recognized by CMU with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1980. He lives in Black Mountain, N.C. In addition to his long career in teaching vocal music, Starkey, a nationally recognized tenor, performed on Broadway and in opera and oratorio in the United States and Europe. He sang with the Robert Shaw Chorale and appeared on television on the “Perry Como Show,” the “Pat Boone Show,” “The Telephone Hour,” and the “Voice of Firestone” as the tenor lead with Jerome Hines and Mildred Miller in the opera I Am the Way by Jerome Hines, and with Imogene Coca in Once Upon a Mattress. He has recorded for a number of labels.

As a teacher, he influenced a number of vocal students who went on to become well-known opera singers, includ-

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Dr. Starkey works with CMU soprano, Lacey Eaton from Fayette (above); in a contemplative moment (right).

ing baritone Gary Lehman, baritone Christopher Hutton, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, and his own son, baritone David C. Starkey.

Last year, Starkey presented CMU with his personal collection of sheet music and recordings of vocal music. Many items are no longer in print nor are the recording artists now available. The collection contains more than 300 anthologies of solo vocal music, more than 300 pieces of sheet music and 200-plus recordings of vocal music.

Publisher talks about the business of music

Dr. Quigley-Duggan to direct summer production of The Mikado

Missouri composer Mary Lynn Lightfoot presented a workshop for music students in April.

She discussed the business side of music, including the areas of composing, selling, and marketing pieces.

When she began a career teaching vocal music, she discovered there were almost no compositions available specifically designed for young voices that lacked the training and range of more mature voices. So, she began writing music to fulfill her own teaching needs. This blossomed into a second career as the choral editor for Heritage Music Press, a subsidiary of the Lorenz Corporation.

With her numerous years in teaching, writing, and editing, Lightfoot is in the unique position of being able to guide future teachers toward success in music.

Swinney Conservatory’s assistant professor of music and opera, Dr. Susan QuigleyDuggan will direct The Mikado in the CMU Little Theatre this summer. The production follow on the heels of last year’s successful production of The Gondoliers. Both operettas were written by the renowned musical duo of Gilbert and Sullivan.

The opera is the culmination of a workshop that runs May 11-June 28. It is open to area talent, but it may also be taken for CMU college credit; consequently, an interesting blend of ages and skills will be performing. The show will be fun for audiences of all ages.

Performances will be June 27 and 28. For more information, contact Ruth Spayde at the Swinney Conservatory of Music at 660-248-6317.

Summer 2008

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Campus news

CMU Concert Band embarks on 82nd annual tour The Central Methodist University Concert Band began its annual tour March 6 at Fayette High School. The performance was one of 14 scheduled concerts over a sixday period. The tour included visits to high schools and churches in Central Missouri. This year marked the 82nd Annual Tour for the band.

The band also held its spring concert March 30 in Linn Memorial UMC on the CMU campus. Compositions played during the performances were selected from the Band Tour repertoire and included “Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite,” “Folk Song Suite,” highlights from West Side Story, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” “Overture on an Early American Folk Hymn” and the classic march written by John Philip Sousa, “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Co-directing the band at its various tour stops were Skip Vandelicht and Larry Bennett, both adjunct profes-

sors of music this year with CMU’s Swinney Conservatory of Music.

In his full-time capacity, Bennett teaches instrumental music and co-directs the concert band. He is a 1969 Graduate of CMU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1969. He also holds a master’s degree in music from Truman State University.

The CMU Band was organized in January 1910.

Twenty-one students, under the direction of fellow students R.W. Carroll and N.W. Brickey, prepared selections for a concert tour through Missouri in March 1912. The band continued under student leadership until World War I. Following establishment of the Swinney Conservatory of Music at CMU in 1925, leadership of the band was formally placed under the direction of music faculty.

The famous Percy Grainger piano was once again refurbished this year. Here, it is being wheeled back into the Swinney Conservatory of Music, where it takes its proud position in the Willie Mae Kountz Recital Hall.

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Campus news

Keith E. House band fellowship

After the death of Professor Keith E. House `49 in 2005, Cathy Thogmorton `71 wrote, “His legacy, one suspects, will never die.” This year a new page turned on the legacy of the former dean of Swinney Conservatory of Music. Sara Malan, one of “Prof” House’s last students, was awarded the very first Keith E. House Band Fellowship. The House Fellowship was established by the family and friends of Keith House.

Former House student and new CMU Director of Bands Skip Vandelicht `77 says, “Prof was my mentor, my musical guide. I owe much of what I am today— and what I am able to do in my career as a music educator—to things I learned from him. With Prof it wasn’t always things he told you, although he had wonderful teaching stories that helped you learn what you needed to know to be a good band director. It was often the things we experienced in our rehearsals that helped us to understand concepts and ways things should be played and sound.” He adds, “Prof was also a role model of what kind of person we all aspire to be.

We knew what he believed in and what was important to him. And we all also knew that was the way we wanted to be.

I know many of his former students have said that, after their parents, Prof. had the biggest influence on their life.”

Sara, a graduating music education major from Marshall, Mo., also fondly remembers what Prof House meant to her. “He’s the reason

by Robin Harman characteristics of his former teacher in her. “One,” he says, “would be an intensity for music. It is apparent to me that Sara has that same love of music that I saw in Prof. House.

That intensity leads to a very high success rate and a willingness to work very hard to be good. I also see a great love for music in both of them.”

As the House Band Fellow this year, Sara had many responsibilities. “My duties included band librarian and Band Day manager— sending out mailings to schools, setting up performance times, practice field times, an award ceremony, and making sure that the students were where they were supposed to be.” Not only was Sara proud to have this honor as a lasting memory to Prof, but the band program is proud to continue his love for music.

“Having this award means that Prof House’s name will live on in the band and CMU,” says Vandelicht. “He was a big part of the history of the CMU Band, and this award pays tribute to his contribution to the University and all the students he impacted. Prof’s legacy goes way beyond the boundaries of CMU and reaches to band directors all over the state and nation.”

Along with the duties of band fellow, Sara continued to play her trumpet in band and serve as section leader, while looking for a teaching job. She was also selected as a member of the All-Collegiate Band. “Band is very important to me. Not only for my mental and physical well-being, but spiritually, it’s been a life saver for me,” she says. “I love that it’s at the end of the day because no matter how bad the day is, I still get to go do what I love to do. And I’ve met so many amazing people through band and music.”

Sara graduated in May and will soon begin her own process of touching student lives, and a new band fellow, David Sahm, has been appointed for next year. The legacy of Prof House, like a baton, has been carried forward again.

“Prof was a role model of what kind of person we all aspire to be.”

Skip Vandelicht

I’m at Central Methodist,” she reflects. “His teaching style was different from anybody’s I’d ever known. There was no sugar coating anything. Everything was either black or white. You either did something well or you did it wrong, and he told you. He just knew everything. I’ve never seen anybody that just knew everything.”

Vandelicht, who became Sara’s teacher, sees many 28

Summer 2008

Robin Harman served as a work-study student with the CMU PR Office.

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Campus news

The Jennie Golding Fund for Study Abroad Jack and Jennie Golding, long-time friends of Central Methodist University, recently funded an endowed scholarship for study abroad. This had been a dream of Jennie’s for many years. While traveling in Israel, Jennie had a “spiritual experience” that profoundly affected her life. It was her hope that CMU students might have similar experiences while traveling abroad. Three students have been able to travel abroad because of her generosity.

Senior Benjamin Tyler Holt made the most of his studies abroad. Here he revels in a visit to the majestic Stonehenge.

Annual music festival held Forty-one bands, choirs and other musical ensembles participated Feb. 29 in the annual Central Methodist University Music Festival on the campus in Fayette.

Directors from the 41 schools, representing 33 communities, guided approximately 2,500 high school, junior high and middle school students in juried performances.

In addition to the large groups, competitors included small instrumental and vocal groups, as well as soloists. Each presentation received a rating from one to five, with one being the highest. Students were also advised and encouraged in their musical pursuits. Professional musicians and music educators served to judge the performances.

Performance locations were spread across the Central Methodist University campus. This year marks the 30th anniversary of CMU’s Music Festival, which is run by students involved in the music department at Central.

One, graduating senior Benjamin Tyler Holt was recently able to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad, due in part to the Golding Fund. Declaring it a wonderful opportunity, Tyler had this to say about his recent trip: “Imagine taking a journey to whatever destination you have longed to visit. Imagine doing and seeing, experiencing and living with a new outlook on life and a constant, wonderful reminder that God is working miracles in your life. I had two dreams for my life that revolved around travel. I wanted to see Stonehenge and the Colosseum.

Those dreams are not easily attained by anyone. But in two weeks time, I visited both sites, and I now have the blessing to be forced to dream up something else to accomplish. Thank you to the Golding family for your inspirational, selfless gift.“ Central Methodist University is very grateful for Jack and Jennie Golding’s financial support for this wonderful opportunity. Thanks to the generosity of the Goldings, many students will have this amazing chance to travel abroad. It will certainly enrich the education of many CMU students.

NOTE: The Talon is saddened to report that Jennie Carlisle Golding died April 26, 2008, in Gainesville, Fla., following a long illness.

CMU student music groups present American music recital The Theta Omicron Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota and the Beta Mu Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at Central Methodist University presented their annual American Music Recital April 10 in the Sanctuary of Linn Memorial United Methodist Church on the CMU campus.

The program was a mixture of vocal and instrumental solo and ensemble selections performed by members of Sigma Alpha Iota and Phi Mu Alpha and Conservatory faculty and staff. All music in this recital was composed or arranged by American composers and arrangers.

The brass quintet, right, performed its first solo recital this year.

The composers included Frackenpohl, Bernstein, Pezel, Scheidt, Barnes, Calvert, Kompanek, Pollock and Renwicke. They were enthusiastically received by the audience.

Photo, from left: Alexander Lewis, Dane Nelson, Dr. John Perkins, Todd Borgmann, Mallory James, and Sara Malan.

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Living the mission Central Methodist University prepares students to make a difference in the world by emphasizing academic and professional excellence, ethical leadership, and social responsibility.

The CMU mission statement guides everything the University does. However, one spring day in April, this mission was in motion for everyone to see.

On April 15, CMU held its first Leadership and Service Day for the entire campus. Students, faculty, and staff participated in either the Leadership Conference, held in the Student and Community Center, or in the Service Day, which benefited campus, town, townspeople, and area residents.

Leadership conference The faculty/staff Steering Committee, led by Assistant Professor Maryann Rustemeyer and staff member Teresa Argent, brought to the campus noted author, speaker and trainer Kevin Eikenberry to work with 80 students who had been identified by faculty and staff as student leaders at Central. Along with a group of faculty and staff members, these students met with Eikenberry all day, discussing leadership qualities and how to further develop them.

In the morning session, he spoke on “The Qualities of Remarkable Leadership” to the conference attendees. During lunch, 23 of the students served as facilitators as each table of students and faculty/ staff discussed the characteristics of leaders they have observed and how best to emulate those traits.

The afternoon sessions split students and faculty, with Eikenberry leading each group at different times. With students, he talked about “Transitioning from Student Leader to Life Leader,” and with the faculty, he discussed “Developing Remarkable Leaders.” During the times not spent with Eikenberry, groups mulled over their definitions and traits of leaders and how CMU makes leadership real through Kevin Eikenberry courses, activities, certifications, and other means.

The closing session reunited the two groups for a final speech by Eikenberry on “The Leader’s Role in Championing Change.” He proved to be an inspiring, congenial, and highly accessible “leader coach” for the day.

Eikenberry is the chief potential officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that has been helping organizations, teams, and individuals reach their potential since 1993. He believes that “every person and every organization has extraordinary potential.

Investments of time, energy, focus and money are required for that potential to be realized.” He is the best-selling author of Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time and Vantagepoints on Learning and Life, among many other credits.

Pres. Inman visits with Kevin Eikenberry between sessions (above, right); organizer Maryann Rustemeyer talks with student leader Savannah Byrd.

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Service day Students, faculty, and staff who were not personally involved in the Leadership Conference were busy making a difference in the lives of others through various service projects. Area individuals and groups had been invited to request help from students, and a full day’s work ensued!

Nearly two dozen requests for help were accommodated.

Activities ran the gamut: yard work, window washing, furniture moving, farm clean-up, garage painting, and deck waterproofing. Students and staff worked on campus, setting up for a book sale at Smiley Library, painting at the ball fields; on off-campus property, doing maintenance on the ropes course at the Hodge Sanctuary; and around the town. They raked leaves, picked up sticks, planted flowers, cleaned the Fairgrounds, and worked on the City Park. The basketball team cleaned school buses and the public school softball field. One team went to a farm near Armstrong to help clear brush.

In addition to helping many other people, students and sponsors had a chance to spend a beautiful spring day out in nature doing something other than studying. It was a win-win situation for all involved. Students and townspeople got better acquainted.

Several students even returned later to a house to take the owner to dinner.

Faculty member Maryann Rustemeyer, on whose shoulders the entire day’s success rested, says that many people have expressed their delight over the Service Day and folks are lining up already for the next one to be held in the sping of 2009.

Service was provided to a

variety of projects

both on the CMU campus ...

...and in the

community at

large!

CMU’s dual credit psychology classes participate in Iraqi service project

By Judy Strodtman Central Methodist’s dual credit psychology classes, medical care.. taught to high school students by Adjunct Professor Dr. The dual credit psychology students from East Carol Weston, experienced a very real lesson on giving Buchanan High School in Gower, Mo., dove into the back to the community—in some cases a global commubackpack project with determination. They bought and nity. Projects carried out during the classes add to the filled 15 backpacks to send to Iraqi children. In addition student’s understanding of self, help develop positive self- to those, they sent boxes of quilts, T-shirts, and other supesteem, and enhance schools and communities in Missouri plies for wounded service men and women. through volunteer projects.

They involved their entire school and community in the project, raising a sum of $450 to mail the packages.

This year presented a rare opportunity to reach a hand Money which remained after posting the packages then across the world to Iraq. Dr. Connie Johnmeyer, who was went to local churches and to provide a Thanksgiving dinraised in Fayette and has taught at CMU, is a major in ner to a local family. the Air Force and a psychologist with the 332nd Medical Other dual credit psyGroup. She was stationed in Iraq chology classes that particifor several months. Her sister, pated in like projects included Judy Strodtman, is the director of Russellville High School, Pilot the Dual Credit Program at CMU. Grove High School, Smithton Johnmeyer e-mailed Weston High School, Bunceton High about the children she had seen School, and Hartville High in the hospital where she had School. been stationed. When Weston Johnmeyer wrote in a replied, asking about the needs follow-up e-mail to the stuof these wounded Iraqi children, dents: “The clothing, toys, the reply came that there was a toiletries sent by the students great need for a variety of items from Gower, Russellville, Pilot in backpacks to be given to the Grove, Smithton, Bunceton, and children when they left the hosHartville High Schools brightpital--things such as small toys, ened the days of many patients, crayons, coloring books, hair some [of whom] were able to accessories, ball caps, clothing, express their wonder and appresippy cups, and puzzles. from left: Wes Delaney, Sarah Noe, Lindsay Harris, Leslie ciation that Americans they had “The hospital at Balad Bembrick, and Ashley Crouse from East Buchanan High School prepare backpacks to go to wounded children in never met cared about them.”

[Iraq] often serves children Iraq.

She adds, “Salute to all the who have been injured by students for all their work and improvised explosive devices, gifts; they did a fine thing.” gunshot wounds or other The Dual Credit Program traumatic sources that occur in at CMU has grown a war zone,” she wrote. throughout Missouri.

“They come to the Central currently hospital with only the “With three of my classmates having boyfriends 86 high schools clothes they are wearthat serve in the armed forces, this was a very person- serves and 1,600-1,800 ing, and their families al project for them. I do not have any family members students at any one often have few possestime. Some classes are sions to bring to them.” in the army; however, I still feel a strong need to do taught in the school Weston subseeverything I can to help. Before starting this task, I did by University-apquently presented not realize there was such a shortage in supplies, not proved teachers, such the option of filling as Dr. Weston; others backpacks as a service only for our soldiers, but also for injured children.” are taught through project to her students.

Ashley Crouse, East Buchanan High School Interactive Television While some schools (ITV) by professors opted to do projects for from the Fayette their home communicampus. Through this ties, several schools program schools can offer to students classes they would chose to create backpacks, and also quilts that wounded not otherwise receive.

G.I.s would be given when they are flown to Germany for

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Nurses take service to Nicaragua CMU’s Nurse Practitioner Judy Wood and nursing student Annie Dick ‘08, visited Nicaragua early in 2008 as part of Project H.O.P.E., an organization that works to bring health care to needy people. This trip was Judy’s seventh and Annie’s first. Annie kept a journal of her time in Nicaragua; below are a few excerpts from her experience.

“During my Medical Mission trip to Nicaragua, I was so overwhelmed by the disparity of the people there, so eager to see us from Project H.O.P.E.” “Medical care in Nicaragua is so limited, even in the capital city of Managua... Ambulances, I heard none, if we had a person that needed to go to the hospital, we drove them and paid for it. Most of the hospitals are public, accepting only cash or private pay. The majority of the people we saw were there to complain about aches and pains, wanted glasses, did well-baby check-ups for their kids to get vitamins, or get prenatal vitamins for pregnant women.

Everyone had some form of itching and needed parasite medicine. I also noticed that there was a high incidence of venous stasis ulcers among the community. I treated several open wounds related to this (disease). Education is a big priority among these people. “ “It literally crushed me everyday, to tell the people lining up outside of our door that we were finished for the day and that we couldn’t help them, ‘no mas.’

I would think to myself, surely we could see just a few more, we could help someone, what if we missed something truly medically important by not seeing someone? It was by far the hardest thing for someone with a type A personality and go-getter attitude to do. It made me realize that in my work back in the United States, that, yes everyone does deserve the best possible care that is attainable, within the means. It was a realization of really taking your work home with you. What could be done better to help? It truly made me appreciate our free range of health care at home in the United States.” (Picture of Judy and two Nicaraguan children taken by Annie Dick)

Baseball for Babes: fun for a good cause An evening of hilarious antics in what passed for a series of softball games awaited those who ventured forth to the Baseball for Babes event in April at the CMU baseball field.

The event was sponsored by the Eaglemaniacs, Central’s Relay for Life team. Baseball teams were comprised of teams of men and women, all decked out in dresses and large purses that were used in lieu of mitts for the slow-pitch softball games. The stalwarts of the CMU and Fayette communities included teams from an assortment of organizations, athletes, fire fighters, and others who enjoyed making fools of themselves for a good cause. Campus groups and the Eaglemaniacs raised additional funds for cancer research by selling hot dogs and hamburgers, sides and drinks, snacks and desserts. Face painting and a bounce house made the event perfect as a family outing. The games were called by CMU Director of Admission Larry Anderson.

This is CMU’s first year to sponsor a Howard County Relay for Life team.

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Babes for a good cause included the winning team (below, left), which is normally decked out in CMU uniforms as Central’s JV Softball Team.

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First semester at The Second City

By Robin Harman

For every big career, there’s one location that is the main stage for it all. If you want to be a chef, you go to Paris. If you want to be a country singer, you head to Nashville. If you want to be an improvisational actor, you take off for… Chicago! That’s just what Central Methodist University senior and Maywood, Mo., native Ryan Plattner did last fall. He headed for what he calls “a semester abroad in Chicago” to the famous improv training center at The Second City.

If you’ve spent an evening tuning in to “Saturday Night Live,” you actually already know about The Second City. Some of Second City’s well-known alumni include John Belushi, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, and Bonnie Hunt.

During his time in Chicago, Ryan got to meet some of the famous alumni, “I met [former “Saturday Night Live” cast members] Tim Meadows and Rachel Dratch,” he says, “and then John Lutz who is a writer for SNL.” He also met the star of some very famous Sonic commercials, Molly Erdman.

The Second City and Chicago weren’t all about the celebrities for Ryan; he had some work to do as well. “We had class four days a week,” he reports. “We had a class on improv, political satire, acting, movement, writing, and comedy history. Our teachers were all in the touring company themselves.” Ryan earned college credit with its comedy studies program while attending these classes at The Second City Training Center.

Although being in the big city of Chicago was a bit of a culture shock for Ryan, he felt prepared academically for what awaited him. “Everything that [CMU Assistant Professor of Theatre] Dr. Kelty talked about was beats and objectives, and they just reiterated the same thing,” he recalls. “If anything, I was ahead of the people that were up there. I thought since I came from a small school, I would be behind, but the objective stuff that Dr. Kelty talked about was dead on.”

At the same time, he learned something he didn’t expect. “The main thing you get taught up there is safety,” he says. “With all entertainers it’s kind of a given. People that are that extremely talented when they perform need to lose that adrenaline rush. They teach you a lot about substance abuse, to keep it in check.” Even with the untimely deaths of Second City alums like Chris Farley and John Belushi, Ryan says “I was surprised to learn about that.”

He also learned a new way of looking at the entertainment business. Ryan explains, “There is a ladder to get through comedy schools. Take the classes, move up the rank of classes. Keep auditioning for the main stage, and

Summer 2008

eventually you’ll find out what specifics you need to work on to make it to the main stage. Once on the main stage you can be seen by anyone from [“Saturday Night Live” creator and executive producer] Lorne Michaels to the casting director for a Sonic commercial.”

After spending time at one of the most famous improv studios, you’d think there wouldn’t be much left for Ryan after he graduates in May with a theatre arts degree, but he has his eyes set on another big improv studio in another big city. His next goal is The Groundlings in Los Angeles.

“If you leave Second City, you leave with a bunch of scenes,” he explains. “Then if you leave The Groundlings, you leave with a bunch of characters; and I do better as a character actor.”

Above, Ryan Plattner (second from left) with his fellow performers at Chicago’s famed Second City

With a successful run at Second City, eight roles in plays at Central, and comedy shows following February’s production of La Carpa, Ryan Plattner is a name many will not soon forget.

Below, Ryan accepts the Kooi Award in Communications and Theatre from Dr. Mark Kelty, assistant professor of theatre at CMU.

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Campus news

CMU theatre department attends American College Theater Festival

Twelve Central Methodist University theatre department students attended the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Jan. 20 to 26 in Omaha, Neb., and participated in scholarship auditions and special workshops.

The annual festival was hosted

by Iowa Western Community College, University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Creighton University. There were a variety of fields for students to explore, including acting, design, technology, directing, and playwriting. The festival featured colleges and productions from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The festival also offered workshops and specialized activities. These ranged from stage combat to makeup design and beyond. There also was a technical showcase, a costume parade

by Robin Harman

and a festival of one-act plays written and produced by students.

CMU students Lindsey Moum and Richard Mitchem participated in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship auditions with their partners Ryan Plattner and Violet Vonder Haar. The scholarship recognizes and honors outstanding student performers.

Moum and Mitchem were chosen to participate after their performances in the spring 2007 Little Theatre production of Damn Yankees at CMU. On the technical aspects of theatre, CMU student Robin Harman was chosen to participate in the National Critics’ Institute. She attended three productions during the week and wrote and published theatre critiques about each. The critiques were displayed at the conference for the nearly 2,000 festival attendees to see.

Working with a guest critic, Mark Charney from Clemson University, Harman learned how improve writing skills and take responsibility for critiques written.

Students also participated in summer stock/musical, classical theatre, and technical auditions, with two receiving callbacks. Theatres from all around the region were at the festival looking to hire for summer, internships and year-around jobs.

CMU students attending the festival were Ashley Anderson, Darrell Bailey, Diana Gaither, Robin Harman, Rachel Jones, Lindsey Keeling, Lindsey Moum, Richard Mitchem, Ryan Plattner, Michael Temple, Clint Verner, and Violet Vonder Haar. They were accompanied by Dr. Mark Kelty, CMU assistant professor of theatre and director of the Little Theatre.

CMU Superhero Homecoming 2008...

October 10-12

Parade around the square: 10 a.m.

Football vs. MidAmerica Nazarene: 1 p.m.

Volleyball vs. Stephens: 7 p.m.

Honoring the reunion classes of 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2003.

Other activities include sorority and fraternity teas, open campus buildings, The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art, the Stephens Museum, an APO reunion and a Central Rugby Team reunion.

Class Agents are needed! If you would like to help rally your class, please contact Tracy Crowe Jones at tjones@centralmethodist.edu or 660.248.6234. Keep an eye on the website for more information!

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Campus news

Theatre department stretches itself with creative performances House and Garden

Central Methodist University’s Little Theatre brought a new twist to the stage in late April when it presented Alan Ayckbourn’s House and Garden, two interlinked plays performed simultaneously in two different theatres on campus—House in the CMU Little Theatre and Garden in the Linn Memorial United Methodist Church Assembly Hall.

All characters appeared in both plays and were played by the same actors. The pace of the plays had to be completely synchronized so that the actors could make it back and forth between the theatres (several hundred feet apart) without missing their entrances. Each play could be understood without seeing both plays, but the full experience involved going to both plays.

La Carpa

CMU’s Little Theatre brought reality television to a whole new level when it presented theatre director Dr. Mark Kelty’s translation of Vicente Lenero’s Spanish play La Carpa Feb. 28 through March 2.

The principal character, Alex, is an everyday celebrity. He has fans longing after him and writers throwing scripts at him from all directions.

He is ready for a break from his career, but one project comes around that he literally can’t get out of it. As he works to save his marriage with Sylvia, the director yells “Cut!” Alex starts to realize that his “real” life is not what it seems, but merely a reality

House and Garden are the stories of the Platt and Mace families and the community around them. As Trish Platt puts the finishing touches on her annual garden faire, the truth that her husband, Teddy, is having an affair with the neighbor, Joanna Mace, is revealed. As the story builds, the audience in House sees firsthand the happenings inside of the Platt house, while Garden viewers see the activity outside in their English garden.

Playing the role of Teddy Platt was Ryan Plattner; Trish Platt, Diana Gaither; Sally Platt, Violet Vonder Haar; Giles Mace, Richard Mitchem; Joanna Mace, Alana McMichael; Jake Mace, Clint Verner; Gavin Ryng-Mayne, Clay Hardesty; Barry Love, Michael Temple; Lindy Love, Lindsey Keeling; Lucille Cadeau, Sara Ebersold; Fran Briggs, Chrissy

Duncan; Warn Coucher, Sean Kelly; Izzie Truce, Ashley Anderson; and Pearl Truce, Megan Moore.

Director of House was Dr. Mark Kelty, assistant professor and director of theatre at CMU; assistant director/stage manager was Darrell Bailey.

Director of Garden was guest director Melissa Alpers-Springer, adjunct professor at CMU teaching theatre and dual credit classes; assistant director/stage manager was Robin Harman.

Technical director was Craig Stout.

soap opera.

Playing the role of Alex was Ricky Farr; the Director; Richard Mitchem; Sylvia, Diana Gaither; Freddy, Clint Verner; Gladys, Chrissy Duncan; Maria Luisa, Megan Moore; Tony, Sean Kelly; Floor Manager, Ashley Anderson; Crew Manager, Darrell Bailey; Ray, Drew Glatczak; Crew Members, Robin Harman, Rachel Jones, and Michael Temple; and Boom Operator, Sean Faulkner.

Director of the play was Dr. Mark Kelty; assistant director/stage manager was Lindsey Keeling; technical director was Craig Stout; and scenic design was by Rachel Steele.

December 4-7 Crimes of the Heart

by Beth Henley The reunion of the three McGrath sisters, each fighting her own demons, is complicated by their ailing grandfather’s illness.

What a surprise when the main character of La Carpa discovers that his private life is, in actuality, a reality television show!

Summer 2008

2008-09 Theatre Season October 9-12 Noises Off By Michael Frayn This British farce showcases what goes on backstage during the production of a play (which the audience never sees) called Nothing On.

December 11-12 Student One-Act Plays Students from the Directing Class will present two nights of surprising and innovative one-act plays.

February 26-March 1 Oleanna by David Mamet John, a college professor, deals with accusations of sexual harassment by his student, Carol. This multi-faceted production will employ multiple actors playing the parts of Carol and John.

April 30-May 3 Lucky Stiff by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty This farcical murder mystery centers on a man who must drag his murdered uncle’s corpse around Monte Carlo in order to inherit $6 million.

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Campus news

The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art presents the newest show, Catching Light in Missouri: Photographs by Notley Hawkins June 15 - July 24, 2008. The show will also contain photographs from the Permanent Collection.

There will be a reception for the artist on June 15, 2008 at 1:00 p.m.; all are invited to attend.

Patrons can also visit the Gallery’s virtual tours of each show, available on the AshbyHodge web site: www.centralmethodist.edu/cmashbyhodge

Photographer Notley Hawkins, above left, and Dr. Joe Geist, curator of The Ashby-Hodge of American Art, move into the gallery an exhibition piece, an artistic photo of the historic railroad bridge at Glasgow, Mo. The exhibition includes 36 highly artistic, large-scale photos of well-known locations and structures around Mid-Missouri.

Women musicians and artists hold special event The CMU and Fayette community was invited to enjoy the beauty of local women’s artwork through song and painting on April 6, in The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art at Central Methodist University.

The event was “a day of women’s music and art” at the gallery. It was funded by the CMU Cultural Affairs Committee and SGA. Central Methodist student musicians and professional musicians performed folk and other music in the gallery Sunday in celebration of the exhibition by two Central Missouri women artists, Claudia Graham of the Fayette area and Linda Hoover of Houstonia, near Sedalia.

Musicians included sisters Leela and Ellie Grace, Ruth Acuff, Kasey Rausch, Violet Vonder Haar, Courtney Lewis and Amanda Reed.

The works of Graham and Hoover were featured in an exhibition titled “The Feminine Mystique in Mid-Missouri, Part Two.” The show opened March 25 at The Ashby-Hodge Gallery and ran through May 11.

Also being shown during the exhibition were three original paintings and a number of lithographs by Thomas Hart Benton from the gallery’s permanent collection.

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Legacy

(Photo above: Sacred Heart Church - Callaway River Bottoms by Notley Hawkins)

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Campus news

UM Churches Help International CMU Student Four Missouri UMC congregations have recently made financial gifts of $1,000 or more to support an international student, Eldar Rizvanov, in attaining a CMU education. The churches include Eastwood Memorial UMC in Caruthersville (Pastor Dwight Chapman), Marvin Park UMC and Stephen Memorial UMC in St. Louis (Pastor Jim West), and Vienna UMC (Pastor Karen Alden).

Eldar Faridovich Rizvanov is an international student at Central Methodist University. He was born in Russia, is a Russian citizen, and speaks and writes fluently in both Russian and English. At 17, he is currently the second youngest student on the Fayette campus.

Eldar was born in the country of Uzbekistan and lived there until he was four. Then he moved to Sterlitamak, Russian Federation, where he attended elementary and high school. He is the only child of Farid and Svetlana Anatolyevna Rizvanov.

He graduated from musical school in Russia in 2006 before coming to the United States as an international student. He first heard about CMU when he attended Vienna High School in Vienna, Mo. He inquired about attending CMU in the summer of 2007, and he began his studies as a

first-time entering freshman at Central this spring. Eldar majors in political science, but he also finds time to be involved in CMU’s Concert Band, Jazz Band and Marching Band.

The musical instruments that Eldar plays include: the banyan (a Russian instrument), the piano, the bass guitar, and the trombone, which he learned to play at Vienna High School.

Although he was not raised connected to a church, Eldar attended the Vienna United Methodist Church during his senior year in Vienna. He attended church with his Missouri “parents,” Vernon (“Sonny”) and Robin Helton.

Eldar returned to Russia follow-

NOTICE

ODK welcomes new members

from Megan Hess, RN, MSN, Chair, Division of Health Professions Central Methodist University, Fayette, MO 65248

Sixteen candidates were inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa on March 16. The national leadership organization is limited to juniors and seniors, based on achievement in scholastic and extracurricular activities. This year’s initiates were: Savannah L. Byrd, Samantha N. Carden, Amy E. Geurin, Mallory C. James, Cordell J. Lake, Christy R. Laxton, Danielle M. Leggett, Alicia L. Meyer, Brenda F. Rigdon, RoseMarie Rogers, M. Jordan Rustemeyer, Clay P. Samson, Jessica C. Taylor, Christina M. Thompson, Lindsey M. Williams, and Joseph B. Wilsman.

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Eldar Rizvanov

ing high school in Vienna. Upon his return to the United States to attend CMU, he was baptized and received into membership in the Vienna UMC

by Rev. Karen Alden on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008. Karen said, “It was a wonderful day! I had all the teens come forward who went to high school with [Eldar] last year (there were about 10 in church that morning), and that was especially supportive for Eldar.”

Eldar has many friends at CMU and fits in well with the campus community because he is outgoing and friendly. He lived on campus and worked for Fresh Ideas in the school’s dining hall to help support himself this past semester. He is currently looking for summer employment to help defer the cost of his educational expenses.

Eldar has big dreams for his life, which include graduation from CMU in four years, and then getting a job in the CIA to help enhance America’s leadership and status in the world.

He is a young man who definitely is making a difference on campus and certainly will make a difference in the world once he graduates.

If you or your church would like to help support international students, such as Eldar, at CMU, please contact church liaison Michael D. Pope at 660-249-6390 or by e-mail at mpope@centralmethodist.edu.

The Department of Nursing at Central Methodist University announces that we will host an onsite accreditation visit by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for our Clinical Nurse Leader program on November 10-12 2008. Any written and signed third-party comments will be accepted by CCNE until 30 days before the visit.

Please direct written and signed comments to: Ms. LiAnn Shepard, Accreditation Assistant Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530 Washington, DC 20035-1120

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Mortons establish Puckett Hall of Sponsors scholarship to honor dean Lt. Col. Berry E. Morton ’37 and Florence Puckett Morton ’37 have established a new Hall of Sponsors Scholarship in memory of E. P. Puckett, long-time academic dean of Central College (now CMU).

Erastus Paul Puckett came to Fayette, Mo., 100 years ago, in the fall of 1908, to become economics professor

Above, Lt. Col. Berry E. Morton and Florence Puckett Morton; right, Dean Erastus Paul Puckett

and headmaster of Central Academy, a prep school which fed students into then Central College. He fell in love with Anna Sue Pryor and married her in 1910. From this union three daughters were born: Sue Puckett Koch ’31, Florence Puckett Morton ’37, and Helen Puckett Thogmorton ’43, ’57. E. P. Puckett became a much-beloved professor, coach, and Dean of Central College until his retirement in 1952. He served as interim president of Central three different times. His dreams for the college included a student union (which arrived in 1947 in the form of an old army officer’s club, known then as the Eyrie) and a field house.

Puckett Field House was named for him in 1950.

Although Dean Puckett died in 1959, his influence on generations of students, faculty, and friends lives on.

Dean Puckett’s middle daughter, Florence, was born and raised in Fayette. She graduated from Fayette High School and graduated as an English major with an emphasis in speech and theatre from Central College in 1937.

She belonged to Phi Beta Fraternity for the Creative and Performing Arts and also to Pi Kappa Delta.

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Florence did graduate work at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., in 1937-38, where she received her master’s degree, and at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1941. She taught school both in Brunswick, Mo., and Odessa, Mo. Berry Morton came to Central as a graduate of Clayton (Mo.) High School and also graduated in 1937.

He taught in St. Louis County from 1937-1940 and in the St. Louis Public Schools from then until 1943. He attained his master’s in education from Missouri University-Columbia in 1941.

Berry joined the Army during World War II and ultimately retired from the service as a Lieutenant Colonel. In 1947 he returned to graduate school at M.U. and received his Ph.D. in industrial arts in 1950. He briefly taught in Oswego, N.Y., before joining the faculty at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind., Berry taught industrial education from 1950-69.

Florence and Berry married in 1943, and they raised five children—Berry, Paul, Cindy x’71, John, and Bill. In the midst of the Vietnam War, Berry began a nine-year career with the U.S. State Department. For eight of those years, he served as senior educational advisor for AID (Agency for International Development) in Saigon, South Vietnam, training the Vietnamese in vocational education. During this time Florence lived in Bangkok, Thailand, and taught English as a Second Language. The last year he served in Washington, D.C. Returning to the states, Florence and Berry raised cattle and horses at their home near Terre Haute. They traveled extensively, especially visiting their ever-expanding family. They currently live in San Antonio, Texas, near two of their children and their families. At last count they had 11 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

This Hall of Sponsors Scholarship provides a living legacy for Central students. It will be awarded for the first time for the 2009-10 school year to a business major with concentration in banking and finance.

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Gift honors her grandfather with E. B. Gift Memorial Fund for Education Dr. E. B. Gift believed a quality education empowered an individual. His passion for life, zest for learning and determination for success, paired with a strong love for his family, inspired those with whom he came into contact.

That love inspired his granddaughter, Dr. Helen Gift, to create The E. B. Gift Memorial Fund for Education.

Dr. Elmer Birdell Gift was born April 24, 1874, on a farm near Smith Center, Kansas, the son of John and Rachel Ann (Akers) Gift. As a child growing up in rural Kansas and the only boy of eight children, E. B. took an early interest in obtaining as much knowledge about the world around him as he could. He spent his early years attending rural grade schools, followed by his high school years in Mankato, Kan. After teaching two years in small country schools, he again found the need to expand his education and entered Emporia Normal School, graduating in 1900.

As his thirst for knowledge grew deeper, E. B. found himself again furthering his education, obtaining his A.B., master’s degree, and finally his Ph.D. in 1932 from Kansas University. Dr. Gift’s life-long learning adventures took him to many parts of the country. After studying at Chicago University and George Peabody College in Tennessee, and serving as the head of the Kansas Department for inspecting Normal Schools, he became

superintendent at Hiawatha, Kan. The next stop on his adventure was an 11-year stint as the head of Manhattan (Kan.) Public Schools.

At the age of 56, Dr. Gift found himself the newest faculty member of the Central College (now CMU) Education Department in Fayette, Mo. He remained on the Central faculty until his retirement in 1945 at the age of 71. His love of learning and his dedication to Central led his granddaughter, Dr. Helen Gift, to permanently endow The E. B. Gift Memorial Fund for Education, a fund supporting teacher education programs.

Like her grandfather before her, she strongly believes in the empowerment of an individual through quality education. Her gift proudly honors a man who touched the lives of many, empowering them to do and be their best.

Hall of Sponsors established in memory of Robert Craig Brown To honor a beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, the family of Craig Brown has established the Robert Craig Brown Hall of Sponsors Scholarship. Set up in 2005 as the Robert Craig Brown Memorial Scholarship, the scholarship has grown to merit a Hall of Sponsors designation.

A graduate of Denton (Texas) High School, Craig attended Central Methodist University from 1979 to 1981, where he played on the football and baseball teams. He finished his undergraduate studies at North Texas State University in Denton. He taught English for eight years at East High School in Kansas City, Mo., and was head football coach there for five years. Following that, he taught English and was an assistant football coach at Kemper Military Academy and Community College in Boonville, Mo. Craig had also worked as a professional fundraiser with Robert

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Brown and Associates. He had just established Brown Brothers Construction Inc., a general contracting company, when he died on Sept. 25, 2001, following an accident.

Craig was a member of the Christ United Methodist Church in Independence, Mo. He is survived by parents Robert ’51 and Suzanne ’53 Brown of Lee’s Summit, Mo., and by brothers David of Fort Collins, Colo., and Mark of Austin, Texas.

During the past three years, CMU student Molly Teague ’08 has received the Robert Craig Brown Memorial Scholarship. She says, “I think the Robert Craig Brown Memorial Scholarship has allowed me to do great things at Central! I have been involved with the Music Department a great deal, having been in the annual opera for the past three years, participating in a choir since my freshman year, and taking private voice lessons since then as well.

I am now about to graduate with my Early Childhood degree. Without the help of the Brown Memorial Scholarship, I could not have been as involved as I have been for the past four years.”

Robert Craig Brown’s portrait will soon join the other prestigious photographs on the walls of the Hall of Sponsors Gallery in Brannock Hall. As a Hall of Sponsors award, the scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the 2009-10 school year.

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Lisa Powell Goessling Merit Scholarship Attending Central Methodist has brought myriad experiences to many people. For Lisa Jan Powell `84 and David William Goessling `83, it brought love. The two met while at Central, both serving on the cheerleading squad. Their devotion to Central, as well as to one another, matured during their time here. Lisa (left), graduated, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting one year after David received his B.S. in Business Administration. They married June 24, 1984, in Malden, Mo., and had two children, Andrew David and Caroline Grace.

Tragically, on June 3, 2001, Lisa and David were fatally injured when the Piper Cheyenne plane in which they were flying crashed near Memphis, Tenn. The plane

was owned by Falcon Communications, Inc., where Lisa was serving as chief financial officer. Lisa was 38 and David was 40. David owned his own company and she had previously worked in St. Louis for a Big Eight accounting firm. Both had played integral roles in their small town of Dexter, Mo. In memory of their daughter, Lisa Powell Goessling, Sam `62 and Janice (Worker) Powell `61 have established the Lisa Powell Goessling Merit Scholarship. This scholarship is given to a rising senior, chosen by the Business Department Faculty, who is majoring in accountancy and who ranks at the top of the class.

The scholarship was awarded for the first time this spring at Honors Convocation to two students, Katelyn Bass (above left) and Heather Gibson (above right), for the 2008-09 academic year, honoring Lisa’s passion for life, Central and success.

Legacy Giving—Reflecting on the past; giving for the future

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Ruth Higginbotham Nickerson proves that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they give from the heart. When Ruth wrote her estate plans, she chose to divide her estate among beloved organizations, with Central Methodist University topping the list. As a result, future generations will benefit just as she did years ago.

“I think I could have gone to Central…but a music scholarship really helped,” says Ruth, a 1943 graduate. “I appreciated it, and I’m sure my mother did.”

An only child of a widowed mother, Ruth arrived at Central homesick and unsure of her future.

Quickly she made wonderful friends and found her niche in the English and music departments. And although she wasn’t sure she wanted to teach, she was encouraged to get her teaching certificate, for which she is eternally grateful.

Ruth went on to do graduate work at Southern Methodist University and eventually settled back in St.

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Louis, dedicating her career to making a difference. A teacher and organist, Ruth worked 10 years in a private school for disturbed children and nearly 20 years at St. Louis Community College.

She also maintained close ties to her alma mater. “After I came back to St. Louis, I got very interested in Central again,” Ruth says. “I started going to Homecoming and Alumni Weekend. I just got very involved.

And after I got older, I appreciated the college even more than I did when I was there.”

With no immediate family and a deep affinity for Central, it was a simple decision for Ruth to name CMU the beneficiary of her trust, with money designated for scholarships. It is also something anyone can do, regardless of age or economic status. When people like Ruth write bequests and deferred gifts, wonderful things happen; they provide a legacy that lives on to benefit generations of future Central students.

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When I grow up, I Want to be...

For Kaitlyn and Karley, who are already dreaming of becoming Eagles, that is the question.

For many future students, the Central experience would not be possible without financial support. Currently 95% of students attending Central seek outside financial assistance.

Now, thanks to the generosity of our alumni and friends, students like Kaitlyn and Karley will have a chance to be shining stars at Central.

Private support helped make $8.1 million in annual grants and scholarships available to undergraduate students this fiscal year.

Help share the Central experience with future Eagles like Kaitlyn and Karley by supporting the Central Excellence Fund today!

Central Excellence Fund

411 Central Methodist Square Fayette, MO 65248 • 877-CMU-1854 ext. 56239 • www.centralmethodist.edu

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Campus news

Student science presentations Three CMU students presented their summer research results at the Missouri Natural Resources Conference Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at Tan-TarA resort in Osage Beach. Joe Terrell, Austin Crawford, Michael Forck, and Zach Fleer attended with their professor, Dr. Paul Porneluzi.

The students’ topic was “The Effects of Unburned and Burned Forest Management on Spider Density in the Missouri Ozarks.”

In their presentation, they reported: Fires have been a part of shaping the landscape of Missouri forests. Burning is currently being used in forest management and it is important to know how the burning is affecting other components of the forest ecosystem.

We compared spider density on two burned areas and two unburned areas in Shannon and Carter counties in Missouri.

Ten plots were randomly selected on each of the four sites. An ANOVA test was used to compare the density of spiders among the

unburned and burned sites of the spider species studied, which includes Arboreal Orbweaver (Neoscona spp., Araneus spp.), Spined Micrathena (Micrathena gacilis), Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta), Arrowhead Spider (Verrucosa arenata), Wolf Spider Photo above, from left: Austin Crawford, Joe Terrell, and Michael (Pardosa spp., Hogna Forck prepare to make their presentation. spp.), Funnel Spider (Agelenopsis spp.), Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax), and the Prescribed burning could be a useful Tree Trunk Spider (Platycrytus undatus). tool for managing plants in forest understoIn the study we found that the orb ry if used properly, but may have a negative weaving spiders, wolf spiders, and jumping effect on any wildlife that depends on leaf spiders all had a significantly higher density litter and understory habitat. on the unburned sites. Looking at the density of all spiders, we estimated the density of 6,115 spiders per half acre on the unburned sites compared to the 2,417 spiders per half acre on the burned sites.

McHenry book donated to library Cynthia Dudenhoffer, director of library services at Smiley Library, accepts from CMU President Marianne Inman a copy of a recently published book written by CMU alumnus Robert E. (Bob) McHenry ’52 and given to the University. Titled Chat Dumps of the Missouri Lead Belt, St. Francis County: With an Illustrated History of the Lead Companies that Built Them, the book contains numerous images, articles, and written histories that detail the ninety-eight-year period (1874-1972) when great mounds of residue from mined lead ore, called chat dumps, were created in St. Francois (Mo.) County. Copies of the book may be purchased by writing Bob McHenry, C/O Lisa McHenry, 4915 E. Elsinore Ave., Orange, CA 72859.

2007-08 Hearst Scholars Left to right: Alyssa Coffman, Estes Park, Colo., sophomore, early childhood education; Allison Hoy, St. Joseph, Mo., junior, early childhood education; Rachel Crowl, Odessa, Mo., senior, early childhood education; Sarah Lucas, Clinton, Mo., sophomore, music education; Anna Garvin, Brunswick, Mo., freshman, early childhood education; and (not pictured) Kathleen Earl, New Franklin, Mo., sophomore, early childhood education.

Hearst Endowed Teacher Education Scholarship recipients for 2007-08 convey heartfelt gratitude to the William Randolph Hearst Foundations for supporting their career aspirations to make a difference in the world by becoming excellent teachers and leading lives of leadership and social responsibility.

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Athletics

Central Methodist University honors student-athletes at ceremony Central Methodist University and the Eagles Athletic Department celebrated the success of the institution’s student-athletes at the 2008 All-Sports Ceremony in May. The department and Athletic Director Kenneth Oliver honored more than four hundred student-athletes.

Receiving the top awards presented by the athletic department were: Anthony Love and Justin Wisdom, the Estes Prize in Athletics; Megan Blair, the Darla Pannier Outstanding Female Athlete Award; Michael Forck, the James M. Luetjen Award; and Mitchell Morrow, the Cavanagh True Eagle Award).

The department honored 14 NAIA Daktronic All-American ScholarAthletes,17 NAIA Region V ScholarAthletes, and 23 Heart of America Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes.

At this point in the year, Central had four student-athletes named NAIA All-America and 65 All-HAAC Conference selections.

The Eagles are currently waiting on the release of the track and field and softball NAIA All-America teams.

CMU honored student-athletes, clockwise from top left: Anthony Love, Justin Wisdom, Megan Blair, Mitchell Morrow, and Michael Forck.

NAIA SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICANS

ALL-AMERICANS Football

Football Shane Brookshier Michael Forck Women’s Soccer

Softball Kari Salmon

Justin Wisdom Justin Gerald

Baseball

Men’s Basketball

Christy Laxton

Steve King John Piatt Tim Vinson Aaron Vinson

Volleyball

Track

Amy Geurin Tiffany Grayer Michelle Wilson

Emily Jahrling Christy Laxton

Katelyn Bass Cross Country

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Anthony Love Track Peter Muldoon

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Athletics

CMU Inducts Basketball Teams Into Hairston Sports Hall of Fame Central Methodist University’s Hairston Sports Hall of Fame held a special induction session Feb. 9 to recognize outstanding basketball teams from past years.

The 1997-98 Women’s Basketball Team that finished 3rd in NAIA competition and the 1998-99 Women’s Basketball Team that went on to the Elite 8th in NAIA competition were inducted. Also so honored were the 1949-50 Men’s Basketball Team that finished 3rd (29-4) in the NAIA Conference, and the 1993-94 Men’s Basketball Team, which won the Conference Championships (HAAC), the NAIA Tournament, had the most wins in Central’s history, and made it to the Sweet 16 that year of competition.

The induction ceremonies for all teams being recognized were held between the scheduled basketball games against MidAmerica Nazarene involving both the women’s and men’s teams in Puckett Field House. All former basketball players were invited to the inductions.

Representing the honored teams at the Hall of Fame induction were: 1949-50 Men’s Basketball Team (photo, left): (l-r) Fred Stephens’ grandson and wife; Fred Stephens’ wife; Fred Stephens ’51; the late Marge Cochran ’50 (wife of Mitch Cochran); Dave Huntsman, Becky (Cochran) Huntsman ’73; and Mickey Cochran ’76.

1993-94 Men’s Basketball Team (photo, below, left): (l-r) Coach Jeff Sherman ’83, Brad McCarty ’94, Jason Graves ’95, Brent Beckmann ’94, J.T. Jarnegan ’96, Allen Pettigrew ’97, and Devin Campbell ’95.

1997-98 and 1998-99 Women’s Basketball Teams (photo, lower right): (l-r) Brandy (Thomas) Padberg ’01, April (Smith) Ash ’00, Sherry Butts ’00, Leigh (Yarick) Trumbore ’00, Melissa Krog-Savaiinaea ’01, Candi Snee ’01, Joan (Pauly) Upperman ’00, Carrie Pollock-Baxter ’98, Jennifer (Pamajzl) Hackman ’99, and Coach Doug Fessler.

The 1949-50 Men’s Basketball Team representatives

The 1993-94 Men’s Basketball Team representatives

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The 1997-98 and 1998-99 Women’s Basketball Team representatives

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Athletics

CMU sports Hall of Fame softball inductions and complex dedication The 1980-81 Central Methodist University softball team and its members were inducted into the Hairston Hall of Fame April 19, and the teams of 1991-92, 94-95 and 2003-04 were recognized.

In connection with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the new CMU softball complex was dedicated in honor of Glenn and Veronica Cox, longtime supporters of CMU. Glenn has served on the CMU Board of Trustees for many years.

The field, located off Mulberry Street, was constructed as part of the major upgrading of CMU athletic facilities funded by the Campaign for Eagle Athletics.

Members of the 1980-81 CMU softball team were: Cathryn Mary (Malone) Cutting the ribbon for the new softball complex are President Marianne Inman, Veronica (Ronnie) Cox, Glenn Cox, Coach Pat Reardon, and Vice President and Director of Fountain, Linda Mills, M. Christine Athletics Kenneth Oliver.

“Chris” (Fleer) Gambill, Susan (Hardy) Mills, Joan M. (Stevenson) Frevert, Dixie Jo Anne (Gowin) Williams, Janice Attending from the honored softball teams were: (Todd) Pritchett, Sherri E. (Roberts) Rosenbaum, Trudy K. (Painter) York, Marsha D. Lashley, Linda N. (Goetz) Coach Ron Dempsay ’84, Missy (McKinley) Dempsay Ketterer, Victoria “Vicki” L. Rees, Sharon Monnig, and ’94, Becky (Peeler) Dowell ’96, Danielle Dunn Janet Jackson. ’07, Joni (Stevenson) Frevert ’82, Cathy (Janney) The coaching staff included student coach Tim Fuemmeler ’85, Chris ’84 and Tim ’82 Gambill, Gambill, husband to Chris Gambill; Coach Ron Dempsey; Michelle (Erickson) Gregory ’98, Janet Jackson ’82, and student coach Ricky “Doc” Straube.

Linda (Goetz) Ketterer ’83, Marsha Lashley ’83, The Hairston Hall of Fame was established in 1983 Lynne (Biggs) Maddox ’02, S. Jonel McKenzie ’94, through a gift from William L. Hairston, a 1933 graduate of Susan (Hardy) Mills ’83, Sharon Monnig ’81, Joleen Central Methodist. The Hall of Fame honors the outstanding Pollard ’06, Vicki Rees ’81, Gail (Farrow) Richmond accomplishments of CMU athletes and coaches and recogniz- ’95, Lori (Erickson ) Rook ’97, Sherri (Roberts) es significant contributions to the University’s athletic proRosenbaum ’82, Kathy Wilhite ’07, Trudy (Painter) grams. As of last September, 48 persons had been inducted York ’83, and Christie (Simmons) Zoeller ’04. into the Hairston Hall of Fame since it was established.

Members of the 1980-81 Softball Team gather to be honored by their alma mater.

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Jeff Sherman: 400 and counting Over the years there have been hundreds of players and coaches on the basketball courts at Central. Every person who has played or coached basketball here has left a mark on the history and tradition. While most players are only here for four years, most coaches stay to build a program that is successful.

Basketball coaches at Central have been successful throughout the years, earning CMU conference titles and national rankings, but no coach has held a longer tenure of success than Central’s current coach, Jeff Sherman.

Sherman graduated from Central Methodist University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. After graduation he decided to stay in Missouri for a year or two and begin his career. “My goal was to go back home to Colorado.

My father coached for over 30 years and I really thought I was going to move back home,” he says. “I think a lot of people expected me to go back to Colorado to work and teach.” Sherman had turned down an offer to stay at Central as a Graduate Assistant the year after he graduated and instead took a position at North Nodaway High School in Hopkins, Mo., as the head boys’ basketball coach, assistant football coach, and track coach. After a successful year at North Nodaway, where he met his wife Julee, Sherman came back to Central as an assistant coach

under head coach Ken Ash. Following the 1984-85 season, Ash resigned to take a new position; Sherman had already signed a contract to teach and coach for the Warrenton (Mo.) School District in Warrenton. However, in July of 1985, CMC President Joe Howell and Dr. Jim Luetjen, the athletic director, asked Sherman to consider staying at Central to replace Ash as the men’s head basketball coach. Sherman accepted, accomplishing a lifelong goal very early in his life at the young age of 25.

There are always doubts when a person starts a new phase of his life.

The same happened to Sherman as he took over the role of head coach.

“The first year was tough,” he admits ruefully. “I believe we went 13 and 19 that first year. I starting thinking–‘Wow, am I really cut out for this?’” He did not know it then, but only two years later his team would win 24 games and take the conference championship—two years in a row! This success paved the way for the rest of his career at CMU. In his 23 years as head coach, Sherman has coached 11 All-Americans and his teams have won three conference championships and have had eight seasons with 20 or more wins. He is also Central’s all-time most winning basketball coach with 412 wins and 341 losses.

Below: Jeff Sherman, left, poses with his team and coaches at the game that marked his 400th win on Jan. 7, 2008.

Opposite page, top: Jeff and his son, Matt Sherman, who currently plays for the Runnin’ Eagles under his father’s coaching

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The 2007-08 season has been important for Sherman as he celebrated his 400th win on January 7th. He was also honored as the Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. He credits his success to his students and the assistant coaches he has had over the years. “You surround yourself with good people,” he avers, “and good things will happen. I think we have been committed, dedicated, detailed—and have followed our blueprint for success from top to bottom.”

Like any college coach, Sherman’s ultimate goal is to win a National Championship. Institutions do this in many different ways. Here at Central, Sherman has built a quality program that promotes cooperation and hard work by recruiting the best players to fit the program; that is why his program succeeds. Though he has achieved much through the years, Sherman states his greatest satisfaction

during his time at Central is seeing the success his former students have attained after graduation.

He says, “Seeing my former players and their families helps put things in perspective on the big picture—why we do what we do, and why I feel good about what I do at CMU.” In 2006, Sherman’s son Matt entered as a freshman at CMU. Matt attended Fayette High School where he was a stand-out on the basketball court. After a lot of thought, he decided to come to Central and play for his father. “The main reason I decided to come to CMU is because of my dad,” he admits. “We have always had a close relationship and I have always looked up to him.

So, it just seemed like the best fit for me to play for my dad.” During Matt’s time at Central, he has become a force on the Eagle team. This past season he was the team’s top scorer with 15 points per game. He ranked ninth in the conference in three-point shots per game and was selected to the All-Conference second team. Matt says that playing for his dad isn’t as difficult as some people might think. “He pushes me more than any other coach could,” he says, “so with him as my coach, I feel like I am at the best of my abilities.”

Coach Sherman could not be happier that Matt decided to play his college ball at CMU. He says with a smile, “I probably don’t tell him enough how much I enjoy him being on the team.”

As for what the future holds, Coach Sherman claims there are no immediate plans for change. He and his family have settled in Fayette where his wife, Julee, is the vice president for finance and administration at Central.

Sophomore Matt may be followed by his brother, Ryan, currently a junior at Fayette High School.

Central is a well-established family tradition in the Sherman household and appears likely to remain so.

Photo, left: Kenneth Oliver, vice president for campus life, dean of students, and athletic director, congratulates Jeff on his winning history, while team members line up to do likewise.

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Athletics

CMU receives HAAC Sportsmanship Trophy Award Central Methodist University has been honored with the 2007-08 Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Sportsmanship Trophy Award. CMU was chosen for this honor over the other 10 members of the Conference.

Kenneth Oliver, CMU vice president for campus life and director of athletics, notes that the HAAC Sportsmanship Initiative was established for the purpose of recognizing good sportsmanship displayed by student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators. The Sportsmanship Trophy is awarded annually to an educational institution selected by a vote of the Board of Governors.

Oliver adds that the HAAC believes that the concept of good sportsmanship is easier to recognize than define. Also the Conference believes that no institution should ever gain an advantage by behavior that would be construed as intimidating or taunting to the players, coaches, or guests of visiting teams.

“It is felt,” Oliver says, “that good sportsmanship should not just be a stated goal, but should be an expectation of all HAAC-affiliated schools. And we are extremely proud of being selected for this major conference-wide recognition.”

Among factors considered by the HAAC when

“The role of the Student-Athlete Champions of Character Council is to enhance the total student-athlete experience at Central Methodist . . .”

Kenneth Oliver, vice president for campus life, and director of athletics

17th Annual

Luetjen Tournament Friday, July 18, 2008 at Hail Ridge Golf Course Boonville, Missouri 4-person scramble, flighted $100 per person

Proceeds support the CMU Athletic Programs For more information, sponsorship information or to register your team call Sherry Wells at 660-248-6346 or Register Online at https://www.centralmethodist.edu/luetjenreg.html

Register Today!

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giving the Sportsmanship Trophy Award are the actions of fans at athletic events, the management of athletic events, the quality of athletic training programs, the on- and off-field conduct of student-athletes, and the community service projects undertaken by an institution.

Central Methodist University is also a charter member of the NAIA Champions of Character Program, which seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through the five core values: respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership, and sportsmanship.

CMU established a Champions of Character Council last year. It comprises 14 student-athletes (one for each varsity sport); a champion of character coach, Dr. Mozaffar Rahmatpanah; an Athletic Department faculty representative; the assistant athletic director; and the athletic director.

“Community service is a cornerstone of our Champions of Character Program,” Oliver points out. “The role of the Student-Athlete Champions of Character Council is to enhance the total studentathlete experience at Central Methodist, which includes fostering a sense of community service.”

The CMU Athletic department undertakes numerous community service projects each year to fulfill this responsibility. In the past year, CMU athletes and coaches have assisted in park restoration efforts in nearby Boonville, Mo.; food assistance for families and the provision of holiday gifts, including winter clothing, for children; and numerous community service efforts on- and offcampus in the Fayette area.

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Athletics

CMU’s Dan Martin Receives Champions of Character Award CMU student-athlete Dan Martin has been selected for the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Champions of Character Award, reports Kenneth Oliver, CMU vice president for campus life and athletic director.

Only one male and one female student-athlete is chosen for this award each year from among the 11 HAAC member schools.

Martin is the son of Charles and Patricia Martin from Sublimity, Ore. He is entering his junior year at CMU, where he is majoring in athletic training and has a cumulative grade point average of 3.2. A member of the Eagles Baseball Team, Martin said he chose his academic major because he wants to assist persons in need of health services.

Martin represents the university baseball team as a member of the CMU Champions of Character Council. The role of the council is to enhance the total student-athlete experience at CMU. Council members do this by promoting opportunities for all aspiring student-athletes to

project on campus and one off campus during the academic year,” Oliver says.

“Dan did more than expected; he organized more than six service projects.”

One of the community service projects Martin helped organized was the CMU “Angel Tree Project,” a ministry program that involves local churches and reaches out to the children of inmates and their families, especially during the Christmas season. The CMU baseball team adopted a number of children from the Angel Tree this Christmas. Baseball team members sought donations and also used some of their own money to purchase gifts for these children.

In addition to these service projects, Martin helped organized numerous other projects, including the sodding of CMU’s new softball field, painting the CMU baseball outfield wall, cleaning the CMU weight room, assisting the Howard Country Food Pantry and organizing the CMU Athletic Holiday Food Baskets effort (the baskets are given to needy families in the Howard Country area during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays).

“Dan Martin represents all five core values of the Champions of Character Program,” Oliver says. “And he is always the first to give a helping hand during the many campus projects, large and small, that are ongoing at Central Methodist University. He is well deserving of this prestigious HAAC award.”

“Dan Martin represents all five core values of the Champions of Character Program, and he is always the first to give a helping hand.”

Kenneth Oliver, vice president for campus life, and director of athletics participate in athletics; protecting student-athlete wellbeing; and fostering a positive student-athlete image, while maintaining the five core values of the NAIA Champions of Character Program: Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Servant Leadership, and Sportsmanship.

“Student-athletes are asked to organize one service

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Athletics

Alan Dykens named head football coach at CMU Heart of America Athletic Conference coach Alan R. Dykens of Lamoni, Iowa, has been appointed as the new head football coach at Central Methodist University, reports Kenneth Oliver, CMU vice president for campus life and athletic director.

“I am extremely pleased that Dr. Dykens is joining us as the new head coach of our football program,” Oliver says. “He comes to us from Graceland University, where he was the assistant head coach for the “Yellowjackets” and a member of the coaching staff that took a 0-10 team to a conference championship in just three years.”

Oliver also noted that during Dykens’ tenure at Graceland the football program made an appearance in the NAIA Wheat Bowl and had a winning season each of the five seasons.

Dykens has also coached at Missouri Southern State University, Arkansas State University and Munford High School (during his tenure they were the 5A state runner-up team in 1997). He was twice honored

with the Golden Whistle Award for being the top recruiter at Missouri Southern.

“Throughout Alan’s coaching career,” Oliver adds, “he has been responsible for multiple phases of the game at one time or another, including serving as defensive coordinator

and special teams coach. He brings valuable coaching experience to CMU.” Dykens graduated from high school in Carl Junction, Mo. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Graceland University, where he also lettered in football and baseball and was recognized as an All-Conference athlete and as an All-Conference Academic athlete. He holds a master’s degree in education from Arkansas State University and a doctorate in education from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dykens and his wife, Amy, who also graduated from Graceland University, have two children, Dixie and Bode.

Schmidlin named head coach of the Eagles soccer programs Dan Schmidlin has been named head coach of the Eagle Men’s and Women’s Soccer programs at Central Methodist University, reports Kenneth Oliver, vice president for campus life and athletic director.

Schmidlin was promoted after spending the 2007 season as the assistant soccer coach. Entering his fist season at the helm of the Eagle Soccer programs, he is currently working with both the men’s and women’s programs, including their day-to-day player development and off-season strength and conditioning programs.

Schmidlin’s additional responsibilities include preparing daily practices while coordinating the recruiting efforts for both teams.

A native of Springboro, Ohio, Schmidlin is a 2000 graduate of Springboro High School. He played soccer at Muskingum College, where he was a four-year letter winner as a 52

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defender and mid-fielder. In 2004 he graduated with a degree in Physical Education and a minor in Business.

After graduation, Schmidlin played for Dayton’s amateur soccer team.

His coaching career includes a three-year stint as the assistant coach

at Springboro High School in Ohio.

He was active in the club scene, having coached teams in Dayton, Ohio, that included girls’ U15, U17 and U19 teams. He helped develop two NCAA D-I soccer players, two collegiate All-Americans and several others who continued their careers at the NAIA and NCAA D-III levels.

Schmidlin is active in the Olympic Development Programs (ODP) in Ohio and Missouri. He coached the Ohio South State ’92 boys’ team, Missouri State ’96 girls’ team and has worked with the ODP district teams in both Ohio and Missouri. Currently he still trains teams that include the U11 and U12 teams in Dayton, Ohio, and the U13 Girls team in Columbia, Mo., the Columbia Cougars.

Schmidlin resides in Fayette, Mo., where he is currently working toward his master’s degree in education from Central Methodist University.

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Athletics

1958 baseball team supports Campaign for Eagle Athletics

Following the presentation, members of the 1958 Eagles Baseball Team pose with current baseball staff members in front of the bronze eagle in the Hall of Fame lobby.

From left, current Head Baseball Coach Fred Smith ’85, Ken Anderson ’58, Al Bruggemann ’59, Bob Iglehart ’60, Graduate Assistant Coach Rob Ehlers, Bill Wright ’59, Darrell Meyer ’59, and current Assistant Baseball Coach Nate Breland.

As part of the CMU Alumni Reunion activities in April, members of Central’s 1958 baseball team made a commitment to CMU’s current Campaign for Eagle Athletics. As a team, they raised more than $50,000 for the campaign and presented the pledged money to President Marianne Inman. At a reception in their honor, current baseball team members and coaches enjoyed getting to know their counterparts from 1958. The gift allows the 1958 team to name both dugouts at the CMU baseball field.

Left: (l-r) Ken Anderson ’58, Phil Blakemore ’58, and Darrell Meyer ’59 greet each other.

Above: (l-r)Assistant Baseball Coach Nate Breland, Head Baseball Coach Fred Smith, and Vice President for Advancement Theresa Davis look through a 1958 Ragout at the accomplishments of that team.

Left: (l-r) Sally Bruggemann, Al Bruggemann ’59, and Bill Wright ’59 get reacquainted.

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Athletics

Softball team ends season as conference post-season champions

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The Lady Eagles finished a tremendous season with an overall record of 34-14, while capturing both the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular and post-season titles.

The CMU softball team started off the season ranked eighth in the NAIA Region V Pre-Season poll. They got off to a slow start over their spring break trip to Florida, losing three games against West Florida and shutting out and then splitting a series with Park University.

When the team returned home, however, and swept Ashford University during their home opener, the story changed. After those wins, and a sweep of Graceland University, pitcher Chelsea Fuemmeler and first-basemen Katie Dove received All-HAAC Conference Player-of-theWeek honors.

As the team advanced in the HAAC, they were led to a victory over Benedictine by Jessica Henderson and her three hits. At home against Culver-Stockton, Danielle Taylor helped clinch a victory with a walk off home run late in the game. Yet again, CMU was in the spotlight, when Fuemmeler and Jessica Taylor took HAAC Playerof-the-Week honors. Taylor and Fuemmeler continued on to receive NAIA Region V Player and Pitcher of the Week.

The team clinched the regular season conference championship at home over MidAmerica Nazarene. They received the number one seed in the HAAC post-season tournament.

The HAAC champions traveled to Springfield for the NAIA Region tournament. Fuemmeler, Dove, Jessica Taylor, McCall Kenney, Surina Howard, Annie Duffner, and Jessica Henderson were named to the HAAC all-conference team.

The Central Methodist Softball team needed just two games at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Post-Season Tournament to be crowned the 2008 Conference PostSeason Champions.

Central defeated Lindenwood

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University in the semi-finals in the first game of the day by the score of 31. In the HAAC Championship game, Central took on Lindenwood again and defeated the Lions, 4-2.

In the first game of the day against the Lions, CMU pitcher Chelsea Fuemmeler threw a complete game to pick up the 3-1 victory.

Jessica Henderson led the Lady Eagles with two hits and a stolen base. Katie Dove recorded a double and an RBI while Jessica Taylor picked up an RBI with one hit.

In the championship game, Central faced the Lions of Lindenwood again after they defeated Evangel University in the losers’ bracket. The Lions fell by the score of 4-2 to the champion Lady Eagles.

CMU’s McCall Kenney took the win for the game throwing six innings.

Chelsea Fuemmeler picked up the save as she held off the Lions in the seventh inning.

About the wins, Coach Pat Reardon commented, “We had a great weekend. It was a complete team effort with our pitching and defense allowing us to win very close games.

I am extremely proud of our players, coaches, and support staff for winning both the conference and conference tournament. We have great support

from our administration, fans and especially our parents.”

The Central Methodist University Softball team took on Columbia College in the championship game of the NAIA Region V Tournament in Springfield, Mo. Central had to win just one of two games to earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Softball Tournament.

In game one, Central held a 1-0 lead off a solo homerun by Katie Dove.

The Lady Eagles would hold onto the lead until the sixth inning when the Cougars rallied to drive in three runs in the bottom of the inning to secure a 3-1 victory. Central’s Katie Dove led the way for the Lady Eagles with two hits that included a double and a homerun.

In the second game, the Lady Eagles faced a do-or-die situation against the Cougars. The game saw both teams gain, tie, and lose lead throughout the contest. The Cougars were able to outlast the Lady Eagles as they took a 7-6 victory and the automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. Central was led by Jessica Taylor who finished with three hits, a double, and two runs scored.

Central’s ace pitcher, Chelsea Fuemmeler, was named to the NAIA Region V All-Tournament Team.

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Athletics

Season recaps Basketball The CMU Lady Eagles started the season ranked 11th in the Heart of America Athletic Conference coaches’ poll. Although they lost their first two games, their home opener brought a four point victory over William Woods. The ladies took on more wins with Hannibal-LaGrange and Evangel, during which Danielle Boraz picked up a double-double. During the Lady Eagles’ loss against Graceland University, senior Holly Wade passed the 1,000 point mark. The Lady Eagles took another win defeating Culver-Stockton. Wade also picked up a double-double in the home game against Baker University. During the final game of the season, a loss against Stephens College, Boraz picked up another double-double. The Lady Eagles finished the season at 4-26 overall. Holly Wade was named to the Heart of America Athletic Conference

honorable mention team.

The CMU Runnin’ Eagles started the season ranked sixth in the Heart of America Athletic Conference coaches’ poll. Although they started slowly, with a loss on the road, they proved their worth opening the season at home over William Woods.

The Eagles broke even with a win and a loss at the Kiwanis Classic, where Matt Sherman and Brinton Devens were named to the All-Tournament team. At the Eagles’ win against #3 ranked Evangel, Anthony Love picked up his 1,000th point, and was named HAAC player of the week.

The Eagles continued on, winning 10 in a row, but the trend was stopped

by Lindenwood. They started back up, and were third seed going into the HAAC post-season tournament.

They picked up a comeback victory over Benedictine at home during

the first round of post-season play, in which sophomore Matt Sherman broke CMU’s record for single season three-point shots made by hitting number 111. They ended the season in an overtime loss to Evangel in the semifinals. The Runnin’ Eagles ended the season at 20-12 overall. Love, Sherman, and Jeff Blauvelt received post-season All-HAAC honors. Love was also named to the NAIA D-II AllAmerican Honorable Mention Team.

The Runnin’ Eagles, left, ended the season with a 20-12 win-loss record. While the Lady Eagles, below, struggled to put marks in the win column, several players provided outstanding talent and leadership skills.

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Athletics

Spirit Squad The CMU Spirit Squad traveled to Las Vegas for the United Spirit Association (USA) National competition. The 30member squad competed in the categories of hip hop dance, all-girl show cheer, and coed partner stunt. It was their first national competition; now, they hope to repeat the exciting opportunity.

Above left, the Spirit Squad mugs for the camera as they prepare to board the bus to go to national competition; left, the squad performing on stage during competition in Las Vegas.

Track and Field

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The women’s track and field team started their season indoors at the Graceland University Indoor Invitational, where freshman Shilpa Hamilton started the season strong

place in throws. Hamilton qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Track & Field Championships. As the outdoor season started, the track and field teams debuted their newly renovated

with a national qualifying mark in the 55 meters, the top spot in the 200 meters, and third place in the women’s 4 x 400 relay with teammates Courtney Kolb, Sarah Weisel, and Elizabeth Zaragoza. At the HAAC indoor Championships, the women finished fourth with Megan Blair taking first

William L. Hairston Track & Field Complex at the CMU Easter Open where the women’s team finished second. At another home meet, the CMU Asics Invitation, the women took first with five individual first place finishes. Hosting the HAAC Championships, the CMU women’s

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track and field team finished in fourth place.

The men’s track and field team had a very strong season. At the second indoor meet of the year at Missouri Valley, Mark Reyna, Brennan Denny and Nathan Milligan each took the top spots in their events and Geoff Karhoff brought in a national qualifying mark in the 3000 meter racewalk. At the HAAC Indoor Championships, the men finished third with Josphat Sawe and Milligan taking second place in the 1000 meter run and high jump. Chad Johnson, Peter Muldoon, and Karhoff qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Track & Field Championships, where Muldoon took fifth place in the 3000 meter racewalk. At the outdoor home opener, the men’s team took second place with Sawe taking first place, Justin Denton and Jake Kleyh finishing second, and Milligan and Kevin Couty receiving third. At the CMUAsics Invitational, with four individual and one relay first place finishes, the men finished in first place. At the CMU-hosted HAAC Championships, the CMU men’s track and field team posted a third place tie with Baker University.

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Athletics Ryan Short, senior pitcher from Salem, Ore.

Steve King from Grain Valley, Mo., an NAIA Scholar All-American, anchored first base.

Baseball The CMU baseball team started the season with change, including a new coaching staff and a much more aggressive style. The season opener was a split with Harris Stowe. Even with losses came success, with Steve King bringing in a grand slam during a loss at Missouri Baptist. After

a few more splits and losses, the team stepped up to the plate and swept Park University and HAAC rival Benedictine. After the exciting 5-4 win against Benedictine, senior pitcher Ryan Short was named Heart of America Athletic Conference Pitcher-of-the-Week. In a late win at William Woods Jay Paxton and John Piatt racked up 3 hits each. The

team continued on with even more splits against Hannibal La Grange and Lindenwood. They ended the season in a four game series at Missouri Valley with three losses and one win.

Senior designated hitter Jay Paxton was named to the Heart of America Athletic Conference second team.

The Eagles ended the season at 11-32 overall.

Central’s new track has been extensively used already by the University, Fayette School District, and the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

In early April, the track program hosted the first Commercial Trust Company and CMU High School Invitatiional with 15 high schools participating. Later that month, the HAAC Conference Meet was held with preliminaries on a nippy Friday night (photos above) and finals all day Saturday.

During the HAAC meet on Friday night, a tree was dedicated to the memory of former track coach Gary Stoner who died in April 2005. The tree was planted between the CMU track and tennis courts. Former students who ran for Coach Stoner were on hand for the dedication, including (photo left, l-r) Mark Stone ’05, CMU director of student activities; Candace Rau ’03; Evelina Slatinska ’06, CMU cross country distance coach; Connie Johnson ’07; Carter Snow ’04; Lizz Platt ’07; and Kris Culmer ’06.

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Athletics

A family affair

Not every family has the opportunity to spend time together like others do. Three head coaches here at Central can tell you the value of having that time to spend with their fathers. Andrea Brooks, head women’s basketball coach; Pat Reardon, head softball coach; and Alan Dykens, head football coach; all spend time with their fathers every day doing something they love.

Andi Brooks and Jim Sutherland Andrea Brooks, or Andi as she is known on campus, came to Central two years ago and took over the women’s basketball program. While she has an extensive back-

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ground in basketball, playing and coaching, this was her first head coaching job. A month before she accepted the position here at Central her father, Jim Sutherland, retired from his long career as the men’s head basketball coach at Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo. When she came to Central, she asked her father to come too. “My dad and I had always talked about coaching together one day,” she says. “I learned the game from him my whole life.” In addition to fatherly support, Coach Sutherland brings more than 40 years of coaching experience which Andi leans on to help her not make as many “first-time coach mistakes.”

Coach Sutherland states, “I am amazed at how she has developed, in my opinion, into such a fine coach. Her background and ability to see things as a young coach

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by Jenny Martin Anspach are beyond her years… her ability to stay positive and focused even when the team in not always at its best, is outstanding.”

Both coaches feel so lucky to have this opportunity to not only spend time with each other, but to share something they both love, basketball.

Pat and Gene Reardon On the softball field, Pat Reardon ’90 and his father, Gene, are beginning their second full year of coaching together. Pat took the over the softball program in 1994 and has since built a strong program which has won 20 or more games each season for the last 12 years, and has produced two regional tournament appearances in the last three years.

In 2006 Pat asked his dad Gene, a former baseball AllAmerican, to join the coaching staff. He jokes, “secretly, I am getting paid by my mom to keep Dad on the staff and get him out of the house.”

All joking aside, Gene scouts and recruits for the Lady Eagles, as well as coaches. He spends a lot of time during the week and on weekends talking to prospective players and their parents.

Pat appreciates everything his father brings to the

team as an assistant coach. “The girls really enjoy him,” he says, “and he enjoys the girls. There is not much this team wants for when he is around. I would like to say thanks for all he does and all he has taught me.”

As for Pat, his dad couldn’t be more proud. “I truly admire how he handles the young women who come into the program,” he observes, “and how he mentors them to

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Athletics get their education first and foremost. He truly does get the most joy when they walk across the stage at graduation with a degree from CMU.”

Alan and Ray Dykens

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New additions to the Athletic department, head football coach Alan Dykens and father Ray, have big plans for the Central football team. Both moved from Lamoni, Iowa,

where they spent four years coaching together as assistant coaches at Graceland University.

As the new head coach, Alan is very happy to have his father on his staff. He says of his dad, “He understands and has the priorities which this program is founded on, which are faith, family, academics and football. He is also a great mentor for me and these young men, and he brings a wealth of experience in coaching and administration.”

Alan really appreciates the time he spends with his father every day, and Ray agrees. Ray moved a long distance to support his son during his first year as Central’s head coach. He jokes, “Alan keeps taking the grandkids with him; so what choice do I have?”

Ray and Alan both believe in hard work and having fun, and hope that will translate into wins for the Eagle football team.

Central has always had a close-knit athletic community, and these coaches couldn’t agree more. Alan Dykens summed up the thoughts of every one of these coaches when he stated, “So many times people do not understand how special it is to spend time together with your parents.

I feel truly blessed to be able to do this, not only on a daily basis, but all day on a daily basis. Life is so short, and being able to spend this much time with my father doing something we both love is truly amazing.”

CMU Golf Classic Monday, September 22, 2008 at Forest Hills Country Club Chesterfield, Missouri 4-person scramble, flighted $175 per person

Grand Marshals Dr. Don ’56 and Sondra Sercu ’57 Spalding Dr. Joe ’53 and Jane Ash x56 Belew

All proceeds benefit CMU Scholarships.

Check out the newest shipment of CMU logo-apparel at the CMU Online Bookstore: Sweatshirts, T-shirts, Jackets, Kids wear, Hats, Mugs, Blankets, and much more! http://bookstore.centralmethodist.edu/

For more information on the tournament or sponsorship opportunities please contact Stephanie Lewis at 660-248-6397.

Register online at

http://cmalumni.centralmethodist.edu/golfclassic08

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Alumni news Fellow Central Methodist Alumni:

Greetings from the Central Methodist Alumni Association Board of Directors!

The Alumni Board of Directors last met in April, as we welcomed new board members who were in attendance for their first meeting. With the new faces to our alumni board, we have also expanded our activities and have set ambitious goals for the upcoming year, with many alumni services programs and social events planned.

The St. Louis-area alumni network revived a little Eagle Spirit – St. Louis style! Alumni of all ages joined the CMU Alumni Association on Sun., June 22, for a family social at the St. Louis Zoo. We had a designated event area, where alumni joined us for a buffet meal and great conversation during our visit to the Zoo. Our local alumni celebrity host was John Brown, anchor for the St. Louis Fox 2 News!

There are many ways to get reconnected with Central, in case you’ve been missing us!

Make sure to visit CMU’s updated website to take advantage of upcoming alumni opportunities in your area. The website is a great way to stay in touch with Central at your convenience. The new Eagles Connection Program, an online alumni community, has recently been launched. Also, we would love to help you plan a Central event or reunion in your area.

Next year, we will again participate in our Alumni Connections Program, which is an e-mail program to welcome new students to the CMU Campus. Tim Puyear, one of our board members, is helping develop a business department mentoring program that we hope will expand to include more alumni and students next year. Please contact us through the alumni office or through the CMU website if you are interested in any of these opportunities.

As the semester came to a close, we welcomed a new class of graduates into our alumni community. This year, new graduates of the Fayette campus received a special gift from the CMU Alumni Association – a personalized photo collage of the Central Methodist Campus, developed by Jim Steele, the current Alumni Board vice-president.

Many thanks to all our alumni who volunteer to serve our alma mater in many different ways. We have wonderful alumni participation in so many areas – and we are committed to continuing this CMU tradition of active alumni across the nation.

We hope to see you at the St. Louis Zoo and at Homecoming 2008!

Ginger Luetkemeyer, President Class of 1993

Newsmakers

issues. The book was co-authored by his former law clerk, Larry Schumaker.

David Smith ‘41 has retired, but still teaches on a voluntary basis.

Wallace and Ina (Turner) Gray ‘48 continue to travel widely and recently climbed the steps of the Potala Palace in Tibet and took a tulip tour through The Netherlands and Belgium.

Bob Vanatta ’42 was inducted into the Palm Beach County Hall of Fame, joining notables such as Kurt Gowdy, Jack Nicklaus, Burt Reynolds, Dick Howser, Bucky Dent, Chris Evert, and numerous other coaches, athletes, and contributors in Palm Beach County, Fla. Scott Wright ‘44, Senior U.S. District Judge, recently wrote Never in Doubt, Memoirs of an Uncommon Judge, which contains candid explanations for his approach to many of his cases as well as his position on a number of political

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William Alexander ‘49 received an ASCAP Plus Award for the 22nd consecutive year. The new music building at Edinboro (Pa.) University, where Dr. Alexander taught for 46 years and is a professor emeritus of music history and composition, was named in his honor - the Dr. William P. Alexander Music Center. Additionally, the Erie Philharmonic is performing several of his orchestral works as part of a retrospective

Bill and Martha (Rogers) Holman, both class of ‘47, enjoying a Koko Head, Hawaii, sunset in February 2008.

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Alumni news leading up to and beyond his 80th birthday.

Tom Atkin ‘54 and his wife, Charlene, of Fairway, Kan., celebrated their 50th anniversary on April 12, 2008.

Paul Montemurro ‘58, during half-time at a fall 2007 Oklahoma State University football game, was recognized by the OSU Alumni Band for his contributions to the school. A Citation of Excellence was conferred on him by the Oklahoma Legislature, and the College of Education at OSU established a music scholarship in his name.

Gene Potter ‘65 recently retired from the State Department of Corrections in Fulton and is now a mentor at the Missouri Military Academy.

Judy (Engel) Rethwisch ‘65 serves as executive director of the Affton CenterStage Theatre Co. and recently brought the dinner theatre production A Plot of Murder to Fayette as a fundraiser for the continued restoration of the Fayette swimming pool. The play also had a successful run in St. Louis.

Paul Leonard ‘67 has been a hypnotherapist for 20 years. He also performs weddings and is a published author.

Paul King ‘68 was selected as a “Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyer” for the second year in a row. This distinction is given by Law & Politics magazine.

Christina (Reisberg) ‘68 and George Robb ‘66 own Art & Antiques/Blacksmith Shop in Rocheport, Mo. George focuses on making custom pieces, including candlesticks and coffee tables. Christina crafts mosaics, lampshades, and drawings.

Sam Fisher ‘69 graduated in May with a Master of Divinity degree from Saint Paul School of Theology. He currently serves the Rich Hill, Mo., United Methodist Church.

Brent Speight ‘70, insurance agent for Scott Agency, is the president-elect of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents.

James Wehmeyer ‘73 is a safety engineer for Flint Hills Resources in Odessa, Texas.

Donald Pesek ‘74 was promoted to manager of auditing at the corporate headquarters of Cass Information Systems. He has been with the company for 18 years.

Jimmy Parker ‘75 lives in Centennial, Colo., and is a realtor with RE/MAX Southeast Inc. Carol (Faughn) Plumley ‘75 is a regional consultant for positive behavior support for Southwest Missouri Regional Professional Development Center at Missouri State University.

Peggy (Purvis) Robb ‘76 works at Central Methodist University as the director of annual giving and donor relations. She recently retired from 31 years of teaching in the Glasgow Public Schools.

Greg Thurmon ‘77 received the Harold Momberg ODK Gold Chalk Award. This award is chosen by the students at CMU. Roy “Skip” Vandelicht ‘77 will be the director of bands for Central Methodist University beginning July 1. He most recently served as the director of instrumental music for the Fayette R-II School District and will retire in June after a 31-year teaching career.

Barb (Powell) Spencer ‘79, an oncology nurse at Jefferson City Medical Group, incorporates her professional photography business into the unit by bringing in costumes and props and taking photos of the patients and hosting theme parties. She also does this with other organizations, such as the Coyote Hill Children’s Christian Home in Hallsville, Mo. Ted House ‘81 was recently selected by his judicial colleagues as presiding judge of Missouri’s

After 22 years of sales and marketing service at the Fayette-based Addison Biological Laboratory, Vice President of Marketing Chuck McCutcheon x’74 has stepped down to pursue a new career path that involves interview assessments with several global veterinary industry firms. McCutcheon joined Addison Laboratory in Fayette in the fall of 1985 as a marketer of veterinary products primarily sold under the brand-name MAXI/GUARD, a pet home dental care gel that McCutcheon helped to develop and refine. He was responsible for developing an award-winning export marketing program for the company’s swine vaccine and small animal product line. He traveled extensively for many years, developing export customer accounts in the Pacific Rim, Australia and Europe. He co-developed various contract manufacturing relationship initiatives wherein Addison Labs markets, under contract, bulk vaccine sales to large multinational biological manufacturers and marketers. He also developed Addison’s domestic dairy industry sales and technical lectures on cattle eye diseases. During the last two years he has lectured extensively to veterinary school faculty members and students in Canada and the U.S. Company President Bruce Addison ’67 praised McCutcheon’s “22 years of sales and marketing leadership and devotion to our business objectives,” noting that his “relationship development, marketing skills, and strong work ethic will be benchmarks for our marketing team members who assume his responsibilities.”

McCutcheon’s wife, Cindy, continues her position at Addison Labs as regulatory manager.

Summer 2008

Harlo Donelson (left) and Bob Frankenfeld, class of ’58, visit at the Alumni Reunion in April.

11th Judicial Circuit in St. Charles County. Ted was first elected judge in 2002 after a 14-year legislative career in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives.

Margaret (Castle) Kennedy ‘81 works at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Joe Bex ‘82 is the special events and facilities manager for the Missouri State Teachers Association. He was elected mayor of Fayette in spring 2008.

Sherri (Roberts) Rosenbaum ‘82 works as a trancriptionist for Integrated Document Solutions.

Joseph Beckmann ‘83, medical director at the Fayette Medical Clinic since 1992, is relocating his practice to the new University PhysiciansSmiley Lane Clinic in north Columbia.

Elaine (Eversmeyer) Henderson ’83 is now superintendent of the Silex School District.

Ricky “Doc” Straube ‘83 works at Princess Anne High School and coaches women’s fastpitch softball for Virginia Wesleyan College. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a Chief.

Ron Dempsay ‘84 is a victim’s advocate with Victims for Justice in Anchorage, Alaska. He was recently back in Fayette for the induction of the 1980-81 CMU softball team, for which he was a coach, into the Hairston Hall of Fame.

Michael Scardina ‘76 was honored by the British Empire in February 2008. He received an honorary OBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his work with economic development in Northern Ireland. Scardina is the chief financial officer for Allstate’s employee information technology organization.

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Alumni news Eugene Peebles ‘87 is a licensed health planner with United Insurance Company.

es physical education and coaches boys basketball and football at Tipton High School.

Heather (Mahieu) Cline x88 is a founding partner of Cline Law Office with a focus toward family law, in Oklahoma City.

Michelle (Hilburn) Jordan ‘94 and husband Chris own and operate three Luigi’s Pizza Kitchen restaurants in southwest Missouri.

Kevin Freeman ‘88 is the assistant superintendent for the Mexico (Mo.) Public School District.

Tracy (Crowe) Jones ‘94 works with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) as a volunteer advocate, striving for the end of stigma attached with mental illnesses and working for health care parity at the state and federal levels of legislation.

Darren Pearce ‘88 is the president and owner of Pinnacle Sign Group.

Keith Spaulding ‘88 is a teacher and coaches women’s basketball and golf at Logan-Rogersville Schools.

Steven Minning ‘75 recently became the artistic director for the Cirque de Soleil production of Dralion which is now in Japan and will go on to Australia and New Zealand during the next year.

It is the role of an artistic director to make sure that the artistic integrity of the show remains intact from a creative, conceptual, and operational perspective.

Virginia (Gabrielson) Freeman-Conrad ‘89 is a nurse clinician III at University of Kansas Hospital. She is a board certified consultant CWCN, COCN. Kevin Dishman ‘89 is the assistant chief medical officer at Stormont Vail Regional Medical Center in Topeka, Kan.

Tim Puyear ‘85 is a consultant for Eagle Strategic Solutions, assisting with retirement and estate planning, charitable giving, and business protection plans. Tim has also been helping establish a CMU mentoring program for business majors.

Sue (Marchant) Taylor ‘85 lives in Downer’s Grove, Ill., and is a 2nd-grade teacher at The Avery Coonley School.

Hector Bencomo ‘86 is the new athletic director at Clopton High School where he has taught and coached for seven years.

Tracy (Johnson) Lanser ‘86 will be the principal at El Dorado R-II elementary school beginning Aug. 2008.

Lisa (Rogers) Neis ‘86 is a mortgage consultant with CitiMortgage.

Maryann Rustemeyer ‘86 received the ODK Master Teacher Award. She is one of only three professors at Central to ever receive this honor.

She was presented this award for having won a total of six teaching awards during her 18-year career at CMU. Cheryl (Eckhoff) Lines ‘87 is serving from 2008-2010 as the state general music vice-president of the Missouri Music Educators Association.

Royce Boehm ‘88 and Billy Webber ‘88 were each selected as a Missouri football Coach of the Year for the 2007 season.

Boehm is the head coach at Lee’s Summit West High School. He led his team to a Class 4 state championship with a 14-0 record. Webber is the head coach at Thayer High School; his team lost the championship game in Class 1 with a 13-1 record.

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Summer 2008

Art Ferraro ‘89 recently worked on the documentary The Wild Horse Redemption which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. He was the BLM liaison for a shoot in Wyoming where the temperatures reached -27 Fahrenheit.

Peter Schoch ‘89 is a physician focused on adult primary care and internal medicine at SSM St. Charles Clinical Medical Group.

Edward Cline ‘90 joined the Hannibal Regional Medical group, practicing podiatry.

John Nemitz ‘90 is the vice-president of credit administration at Bank Midwest in Kansas City.

Ellen (Dye) Nichols ‘90 is the mortgage loan adminstration officer for Boone County National Bank.

Lee “Par” Pitts ‘91 is the high school physical education/health teacher and head football coach at Odessa (Mo.) R-7.

Stacy (Shelden) Pitts ’91 teaches kindergarten at McQuerry Elementary School in the Odessa R-7 School District.

Steve Childres ‘92 was recently appointed city administrator for Ozark, Mo. Barbara (Farley) Cisneros ‘92 was promoted to Major in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Jeff Dodson ‘94 has resigned after five years as the principal of Hallsville High School to take on the role of deputy assistant principal at Jefferson City High School.

Billy Jeffries ‘94 teach-

Vivian Valley ‘94 teaches computers and keyboarding at Kingston K-12 in Cadet, Mo., and was named Employee of the Month for Oct. 2007.

Marcy (McDaniel) Asher ‘95 is working toward an education specialist degree at William Woods University. She is the coordinator of Mineral Area College’s Fredericktown Outreach Center.

Doug Boyer ’95 is working for the University of Missouri-Columbia in the recreation services department serving as an accountant and assistant business manager.

Jason Dinwiddie ‘95 was named Teacher of the Year for the Hazelwood School District. He is now in the running to become the Missouri State Teacher of the Year, to be decided summer 2008. Jason teaches English in the same district he attended as a student.

Shannon Jeffrey ‘95 is the athletic director and assistant principal at St. Clair High School.

Rebecca Shew ‘95 teaches K-12 art at Princeton R-V School.

Amber (Hirsch) Dinwiddie ‘96 is the broadcast operations manager at HEC-TV, a local cable station in St. Louis focusing on arts, education, and cultural programming. In 2007 two of the shows she worked on won Emmys.

Jason Lewis ‘96 is a corrections manager and supervises education and library services in one of Missouri’s maximum security prisons.

John Brown ‘94 recently published a new book, Missouri Legends: Famous People from the Show Me State. In it wellknown politicians, authors, artists, athletes, performers, and historical figures come to life.

The book profiles more than 100 famous Missourians. Each profile includes a brief account of a legend’s childhood and rise to fame, and a nugget or two of entertaining trivia. Filled with intrigue and information, this book is ideal for those interested in the state’s notable people and the stories behind them. Check it out at http:// www.missourilegends.com.

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Alumni news Phil Senter ‘96 received certification as a Liscenced Professional Counselor. He is a counselor at Parkland Senior Support Center.

Megan (Crawford) Adams ‘01 works at Burrell Behavioral Health as a community support specialist.

Rob Dalzell ‘97 opened his fourth restaurant, Chefburger, in Kansas City, Mo., in April 2008.

Ashley Angle ‘01 teaches 2nd grade at the primary school in Ashland, part of the Southern Boone County School District.

Scott Horman ‘97 was recently named one of Southeast Missouri’s “40 under 40” top professionals.

Ginny Mezei ‘97 is a certified CWCN and CWS specializing in wound care.

Jamie (Dewitt) Leeser ‘98 is an occupational therapist with Physical Therapy and Hand Centers in San Diego, Calif.

Brandi (Humble) Bloomfield ‘99 is an adult and juvenile intensive supervision officer for the Miami County, Kan., 6th Judicial District Community Services.

Rodrick Burke II ‘99 is a network systems engineer II at Ericsson in Plano, Texas.

Gina (Brown) Cox ‘99 and husband Larry are church planters through the Missouri Baptist Convention and are planting a church in Renick.

Annalynn (Dietzel) Gardner ‘99 works at St. Mary’s Health Center as a CT Technologist.

Jennifer (Baker) Gill ‘99 teaches 4th grade at the Shelby Co. R-IV School System.

Jessica (Kuttenkuler) Guymon ‘99 teaches the 4th-grade classroom and 5th- through 8thgrade music at St. Andrew School in Tipton.

Lesley (Greger) Hendrix ‘99 received her Master of Business Administration in December 2007, from Columbia College.

Kasi (Bailey) Meyer ‘99 is the pricipal at New Haven Elementary School.

Nicole (Vieth) Stacey ‘99 is the head softball coach at Westminster University. Husband Matt Stacey ‘02 is the science teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School and the head coach of Jefferson City Lady Jays soccer team.

Shelly (LaPlante) Tate ‘99 is assistant vicepresident of Ozarks Federal Savings & Loan Association.

Lori Williams ‘99 received a master’s degree in education in May 2007, and is the admissions assessment coordinator of The Groves in Independence.

Eli Denney ‘00 recently completed his residency in emergency medicine. He is now an emergency physician at Skaggs Hospital in Branson.

Michelle Smith ‘00 works in customer service at National Audio Company.

Tiffany (Hessel) Smith ‘00 is the care planning coordinator, RN/MDS for Delmar Gardens North.

Summer 2008

Cydnee Cavole ‘01 is the choir director at Odessa Middle School.

Paula (Corder) King ‘01 is an assistant principal for both the elementary and high schools in Southern Reynolds County R-II district. This is a new position in the district. She will continue as the athletic director at the high school.

Melissa Krog-Savaiinaea ‘01 is the inaugural basketball coach at the new Staley High School in the North Kansas City School District.

Lisa (Johnson) Sumpter ‘01 received the designation of Certified Financial Planner after completing study at University of Missouri - St. Louis.

Jessica Michel ‘02 is an intern at Arizona Equine Medical and Surgical Centre in Gilbert, Ariz.

Kelly Pittsenbarger ‘02 works as the store manager for HatWorld Inc. Melinie (Brigance) Purvis ‘02 received a master’s degree in middle-level education from Walden University in Feb. 2007.

Kyle Schroer ‘02 works at Madison C-3 High School, teaching social studies and coaching baseball and basketball.

Larry Wyatt II ‘02 opened Wyatt‘s Athletic Massage Therapy in Columbia at the beginning of 2008.

Jenny (Martin) Anspach ‘03 received her Master of Education degree with an emphasis in instructional technology from Central Methodist University in May 2008.

Robert Azelton ‘03 is an athletic trainer at R Azelton AT. James Courtney ‘03 is an assistant solicitor for the Beaufort County Solicitor’s Office in S.C. Laura Hilton ‘03 has been the associate pastor at Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church since July 2007, and is working on her Master of Divinity degree at Saint Paul School of Theology.

Mary Kate (Henke) Livingston ‘03 is a 5th grade math and science teacher for Lincoln County R-III school district.

Mohammad Qureshi ‘03 is a construction manager for the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Mo. Brennan Scanlon ‘03 is teaching physical education in the Mexico Public School District.

Matt Sisson ‘03 teaches in the Fort Zumwalt School District and coaches baseball.

Jayme Lee Thompson ‘03 works for the Fort Zumwalt School District.

Joshua Woodward ‘03 is the varsity corner infield coach and assistant C-Team coach at Hickman High School in Columbia.

Sheena Akers ‘04 will graduate in August with an MBA in human resource management.

Victoria Aumann ‘04 is an accounting clerk for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Leslie (Thomas) Boss ‘04 teaches kindergarten in Orearville R-IV School District.

Elizabeth Carter-Stevenson ‘04 is a consultant with MarketSphere Consulting in Kansas City.

She also mentors two middle-school-aged girls through YouthFriends of Greater Kansas City.

Amber Davis ‘04 is an associate with the Cruse Law Firm in Hannibal where her focus is family law.

Katie (McConkey) Dias ‘04 is a resident physician with Research Family Practice in Lawson, Mo. She graduated from medical school in May 2008.

Krystal Eaton ‘04 was named a Certified Internal Auditor by the Institute of Internal Auditors. She is employed at Guaranty Bank in Springfield.

Lisa Edburg ‘04 is the computer services department’s coordinator of institution research and database administrator at Mineral Area College.

Kim Frank ‘04 is a medical transcriptionist for The Write Stuff - St. Louis.

Eric Rahm ‘04 works for Ecological Specialists Inc. as a malacologist and aquatic ecologist.

Mindy Stevens ‘04 is a junior high English teacher in the Lesterville School District.

Josh Ziegler ‘04 is a sheriff’s deputy in the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.

Jason Gilliam ‘05 is a planner for the Jefferson County Planning Department.

Tara Luther ‘05 was recognized by Money Concepts, an international financial planning network, as Outstanding Administrative and Marketing Assistant for the Midwest Region.

Aaron Price ‘05 is a vitamin E instrumentation specialist for Cargill. He and wife Jade Lauber ‘05 live in Eddyville, Iowa, where she is a corporate archivist for ABC Laboratories Inc. Deborah Abshier ‘06 works as an MIS specialist for the North East Community Action Corporation.

Tia (Hensley) Bruce ‘06 works at University of Missouri Children’s Hospital as a registered nurse in the PICU. Dustin Bulen ‘06 is an assistant manager for World Finance Corporation in Boonville.

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Alumni news Chelsie Darr ‘06 is a realtor in Columbia and works with Weichert Realtors.

Rodney Black ‘07 is a youth specialist at the Fulton Treatment Center.

David Swanberg ‘07 works for Inovatia Laboratories in Fayette.

Michelle Dier ‘06 is currently attending graduate school at Webster University.

Elizabeth Bonner ‘07 is a collections manager for Xceligent Inc. in Independence, Mo.

Courtney Warren ‘07 works in sales for ABS Communications.

Andrew Goff ‘06 is a recruiter for the environmental and engineering division of Aerotek.

Emily Capps ‘07 is a teacher in the Rolla Public School District.

Tonya (Fuller) Hunt ‘06 teaches 2nd grade at La Plata R-II Schools.

Edna Chumo ’07, stand-out volleyball player at Missouri State University-West Plains Junior College, was inducted into the Grizzly Athletics Hall of Fame. She was a middle attacker for the Grizzlies in 2001 and 2002.

Megan Watts ‘07 teaches 7th-grade world geography in the El Dorado Springs R-2 School District.

Brett Loman ‘06 works at Cromwell Environmental as an alternative energy projects manager.

Andrea Mooneyham ‘06 lives in Ozark, Mo., and works as a firefighter and EMT. Scott Morris ‘06 is a high school science teacher in the Higbee R-VIII School District.

Cilla Conrow ‘07 was named April Employee of the Month at Mortgage Research Center.

Jessie (Overstreet) Crabtree ‘07 works in neurology at Boone Hospital.

Lindsey DeLaney ‘07 works in accounting at MFA Oil Company.

Chelsea Wekenborg ‘07 works in the renal unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Kansas City.

Kathryn White ‘07 is a teacher and coach at Visitation Academy in St. Louis.

Marriages

Melissa Polston ‘06 is a professional reader for Newzgroup Clipping Services and is also a professional interviewer for Humro, a study being done for the Division of Family Services and Division of Labor.

Jamey Diffee ‘07 works for the Missouri State Highway Patrol and is stationed in Ste. Genevieve and Perry Counties.

Katie Rathmell ‘06 is a pre-kindergarten teacher at Willott Road Christian Academy.

Mary Anne Dunson ‘07 is an ICU nurse at University Hospital and Clinics in Columbia.

Jay Hazlett ’86 and Michelle Simpson were married June 2, 2007.

Joseph Rice ‘06 is teaching and coaching in the Rolla Public Schools.

Broderich Durley ‘07 works at Union Bank of California as a customer service representative.

Dan Hoover ‘95 and Kelly Gracie were married March 1, 2008.

Keith Sandrock ‘06 lives in Kansas City and is a sales and service specialist at Bank of America.

Additionally, he is the organist for First United Methodist Church, North Kansas City.

Megan Frasca ‘07 works in OB labor and delivery at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis.

Lori Erickson ‘97 and Kanin Rook were married on Feb. 10, 2007, in Hot Springs, Ark.

Josh Grotzinger ‘07 teaches math at California High School. He is also the track coach.

Lisa Plank ’98 and Eddie Campbell were married Oct. 6, 2007.

Adam Huckfeldt ‘07 works as a financial advisor for Waddell and Reed.

Brandi Humble ’99 and Keith Bloomfield were married June 23, 2007.

David Hutchison ‘07 is associate pastor at Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church while still attending seminary at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City.

Marie Wilke and David Bates, both class of ’99, were married Oct. 27, 2007. Attendants in the ceremony included Christy Bischoff ’99, Jared King ’00, Brad Harrison ’01, and Miki Merritt ’04.

Josie Stewart ‘06 teaches physical education in the Mexico Public School District.

Funmilayo Adewumi ‘07 works in the NMICU at University Hospital in Columbia.

Kara Albert ‘07 works in the joint replacement unit at Boone Hospital.

Emily Appel ‘07 works for Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel in Boonville.

Erin Baker ‘07 is an autism technician at Judevine in Columbia.

Shayla Ballard ‘07 is a credit manager with Wells Fargo.

Gwen (Harms) Barbour ‘07 teaches preschool at School of the Osage.

Randall Barron ‘07 works in security at the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville.

Amanda Lee ‘07 is in real estate sales with First Tier. She is also active in University Children’s Hospital’s Miracles for Kids program.

Tonya (Goosen) Nichols ‘07 teaches math in the Mexico Public School District.

Katherin Rankin ‘07 teaches 3rd grade at Scott County Central Grade School.

Cory Reese ‘07 works for Clayton Construction and is in management training.

Craig Reynolds ‘07 is currently studying at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School.

Patrick Stroupe ‘07 recently won the men’s title at the 2008 USA Team Trial-IAAF World Walking Cup. He is currently training for the Race Walk Olympic Trials, June 27 - July 6 in Eugene, Ore., for the 2008 Olympics held in Bejing.

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Michael White ‘07 teaches for Warrenton Public Schools.

Summer 2008

Stephanie Dawson ‘79 and Leroy Felten were married Jan. 2, 2008.

Joe Bex ‘82 and Linda Frink were married March 15, 2008.

Jason Bierk ‘01 and Amy Mahoney were married Oct. 20, 2007.

Megan Crawford ‘01 and Robert Joseph Adams ‘00, were married on June 12, 2007, on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Both families were in attendance as were Matt ‘00 and Mary (Bagby) ‘01 Griswold.

Kyndee Monnig ‘01 and Capt. Aubrey Venable were married Feb. 15, 2008.

Keisha Dowell ‘03 and Rapana Togiai ‘04 were married March 11, 2009.

Brandon Simpson ‘07 is the manager for a Walgreens in St. Louis.

Martin Hauck ‘03 and Rachele Berberich were married in Perdido Key, Fla.

Dianna Smithmier ‘07 is an office assistant for Maxis Properties Management.

Courtney Schwartze ’03 and Todd Jeremy were married Oct. 13, 2007.

Joshua Snoddy ‘07 works at Snoddy’s General Store in Boonville.

Tia Baker ’05 and Christopher Draffen ’03 were married Nov. 10, 2007 Kelly Hollmann and Kyle Langhoff, both class of ’05, were married July 7, 2007.

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The Talon

Alumni news Kristin McAninch ’05 and Bobby Coble were married Nov. 17, 2007.

Aaron Allison ‘06 and Emily Kalna were married Dec. 12, 2007.

Loran Ichord and Jeff Richardson both class of ‘06 were married June 23, 2007.

Kristin McGee ’06 and Brandon Gates were married Dec. 7, 2007.

Mandy Schwennesen ’06 and Rusty Jones were married Dec. 12, 2007.

Leslie Muench x07 and Eric Lammert were married May 19, 2007.

Births Jim Shipman ‘90 and wife Cheri announce the birth of their son, Adam James, born April 14, 2008.

Doug Widhalm ’90 and wife Jodi announce the birth of their son, Harrison, born Sept. 9, 2007.

Amy (Muiller) Pritchett ‘92 and husband Matt announce the birth of their daughter, Tyler Grace, born June 7, 2007.

Martin Hanson ’93 and wife Rosa Moreno announce the birth of their son, Mateo Gabriel, born July 24, 2007.

Amy (Prater) Begemann ’96 and husband Richard announce the birth of their son, Richard Lee Jr., born Jan. 31, 2008.

Barbie (Irby) ’97 and Chris Glidewell ’95 announce the birth of their son, Elliott Louis, born March 11, 2008.

Kelly (Taylor) Pearson ’97 and husband Scott announce the birth of their daughter, Lena Elizabeth, born June 17, 2007.

Stephen Foutes ‘99 and wife Brenda announce the birth of their daughter, Lily Noel, born Dec. 13, 2007.

Amy (Himmelberg) Frey ’99 and husband Travis announce the birth of their daughter, Natalie Rose, born Oct. 19, 2007.

Destiny (Miller) ’00 and Matt Koch ’99 announce the birth of their son, Mathew Gavin, born Feb. 1, 2008.

Christy (Heilman) Martin ‘00 and husband Anthony announce the birth of their daughter, Makenzie Sue, born May 5, 2008.

Joan (Pauly) Upperman ‘00 and husband Justus announce the birth of their son, Drew Holt, born Sept. 22, 2007.

Kellie (Piesbergen) ’02 and Kyle Platz ’01 announce the birth of their daughter, Katelyn Marie, born March 22, 2008.

Wendi (King) ’03 and Jared DeLaney ’99 announce the birth of their son, Kathan William,

Summer 2008

born Dec. 10, 2007.

Sandy (Sumner) ’03 and Brent Holtgrewe ’05 announce the birth of their son, Brady Sumner, born Aug. 23, 2007.

Melissa (Moeckel) and Matthew Sissom, both class of ’03, announce the birth of their son, Nolan Matthew, born, Sept. 13, 2007.

Oz Qureshi ‘03 and wife Tia announce the birth of their son, Maliki Addiyah, born May 24, 2007.

Lesley Ann (Thomas) Boss ‘04 and husband Charles announce the birth of their son, Nathan Ely, born in July 2007.

Farrah (Page) ’05 and Jeff Elsenraat ’04, announce the birth of their daughter, Paige Vivian, born Aug. 28, 2007.

Jacquelyn (Knowles) ‘05 and Justin Cornell ‘04 announce the birth of their son, Ean Matthew, born Nov. 27, 2007.

Nicole Bartow, assistant professor of nursing, and family announce the birth of Ava Gail, born Feb. 22, 2008.

Deaths 1920 Beula McQuary ‘28 of Bonne Terre, Mo., died Jan. 13, 2007.

Howell Dean “H.D.” Wyatt ‘28 of Topeka, Kan., died Feb. 15, 2008.

1930 Jean (Kingsbury) Brumleu ‘30 of Irvine, Calif., died Nov. 1, 2007.

Harold “Bing” Bingham ‘33 and CMU Trustee from 19641984 of Fairway, Kan., died Dec. 13, 2007.

Upon graduation from Central, he was employed with several freight and trucking companies prior to World War II. In 1942, he was a founding member of Old Mission Methodist Church.

During the war he joined Pratt and Whitney Aircraft. He was employed as traffic manager at Spencer Chemical Company, beginning in 1946. He retired in 1963 from Gulf Oil, which had by then purchased Spencer Chemical. He was active in his community, serving as both board chairman and historian at Old Mission United Methodist Church, serving on the resident council and marketing committee at Bishop Spencer Place, serving on the Fairway City Council from 1977-1993, and even serving as Police Commissioner for 15 years. He enjoyed trains and writing. He is survived by two sons, two daughters, their spouses, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Harold and his wife, Sara (Denneny) ’33, established a Hall of Sponsors scholarship in 1978. died April 7, 2007.

Lottie (Woodhead) Tate ’30 of Fulton, Mo., died Nov. 22, 2007.

Vesta (Francis) Barkovitz ‘32 of Cape Girardeau, Mo., died Jan. 5, 2008.

Francelia (Willson) Carpenter x32 of Jefferson City, Mo., died April 16, 2008.

of Denver,

John Kluska ‘33 of St. Louis, Mo., died Oct. 30, 2007.

Ermita (Hardin) Marsh ‘30 of Las Vegas, Nev.,

Virginia “Ginny” (Newman) Esterly x36 of Carthage, Mo., died Oct. 21, 2007.

Margaret (Brazier) Driggs ‘30 Colo., died Jan. 13, 2008.

Harry Richard Landis x21 of Sun Center City, Fla., died Feb. 4, 2008. He was 108 years old and one of only two known surviving U.S. veterans of World War I. Landis attended Central from 1917-18 before enlisting in the Army in Oct. 1918. The war came to an end before he finished basic training. While at school in Fayette, he spent his mornings marching and performing drills and his afternoons in classes. He also remained healthy enough to medically assist those being treated for the Spanish Influenza, which he never contracted. He grew up in Marion County, Mo., and after serving in the Army lived in New York, Ohio and Florida. In 1941 he signed up to “fight the Germans” in World War II, but was rejected as being too old. “They wanted the boys,” he said, “They didn’t want the old men.”

William Clifford ‘37 of Denver, Colo., died Sept. 21, 2007.

Victor Corey ‘37 of Newport Beach, Calif., died May 20, 2007.

Dollie (Barron) Kuhn ‘37 of Shawnee and Bonner Springs, Kan., died Dec. 7, 2007.

Lucile (Dixon) Mayfield x37 died Feb. 20, 2008.

Mary (Caldwell) Thompson ‘37 of Boulder, Colo., died Dec. 26, 2006.

Marie (Herrman) Bowles ‘38 of Appleton City, Mo., died Jan. 22, 2006.

Virginia (Herrick) Foster ‘38 of Sarasota, Fla., died June 26, 2007.

George C. Pines ‘38 of Salem, Mo., died Oct. 31, 2007.

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Alumni news Jack Clingenpeel ‘48 of Lee’s Summit, Mo., died April 19, 2008. Jack was one of many in the Clingenpeel family to attend Central Methodist throughout the decades. His family supported two Hall of Sponsors scholarships: the Ginn Family Memorial Scholarship and the C. A. Clingenpeel Scholarship. Clingenpeel Gymnasium was named in honor of his father, Clarence “Coach Cling,” class of 1915, who taught and coached at Central in the 1910s and 1920s. Jack was born in Boonville and grew up in Fayette. He served as a flight instructor in the Navy in World War II and the Korean War. As a reservist at the Olathe Naval Air Station, he flew the F-9F Cougar. In 1947, he married Joanne Warren. They raised five children in Lee’s Summit. He was a member of the Lee’s Summit Park Board and for most of his career worked in the family trucking business. Jack and his wife also owned Wild Birds Unlimited of Kansas City. He is survived by a sister, Katherine Sue (Clingenpeel) Lay ‘47, his five children and their spouses, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Ruth (Boeger) Whitaker ‘38 of Kingsland, Texas, died Dec. 17, 2006.

Catherine (Babcock) Coghill ‘39 of Germantown, Ohio, died Sept. 4, 2006.

Rebecca (Gayer) Henderson ‘39 of Cockeysville, Md., died Feb. 18, 2005.

Julius Marquette ‘39 of Sacramento, Calif., died June 3, 2006.

Charles Bohrer ‘43 of Alexandria, Va., died Feb. 21, 2007.

Donald Cook ‘43 of Wichita, Kan., died March 26, 2006.

Wanda (McCollum) Keithley ‘43 of Columbia, Mo., died April 6, 2006.

Margaret (Robison) Orebaugh ‘43 of Panorama Village, Texas, died Dec. 4, 2007.

Mary Jane “Mickey” (Young) Shepherd ‘43 of Kansas City, Mo., died July 30, 2007.

George Sweitzer x43 of Harrisonville, Mo., died May 1, 2008.

Priscilla (Opp) Teel ‘43 of San Antonio, Texas, died Jan. 2, 2008.

Eileen (Newman) Gose ‘44 of Fayette, Mo., died Jan. 23, 2008.

Louise (White) Kaiser x44 of Palmyra, Mo., died Dec. 5, 2007.

Freeman Kidwell ‘44 of Deming, N.M., died Jan. 15, 2007.

Helen (Eye) Magill x44 of Arlington, Va., died July 12, 2007.

Patricia (Donaldson) Walters x44 of Independence, Mo., died Jan. 14, 2008.

Ray Vanderpool ‘44 and V-12 of Tyler, Texas has passed away.

1940

William Francis ‘44 of Houston, Texas, died in 2007.

Edward Burke ‘40 of Rockford, Ill., died July 24, 2003.

Jean “Penny” (Penn) Bernier ‘45 of North St. Paul, Minn., died Aug. 23, 2007.

Walter Jackson ‘40 of Miami, Okla., died Jan. 7, 2007.

Charles Whitmer ‘40 of Atlanta, Ga., died Oct. 24, 2007.

Earl Brownfield x41 of Boonville, Mo., died March 1, 2008.

Mary (Sipple) Law ‘41 of Las Vegas, Nev., died March 13, 2005.

George Rayburn x41 of Lenexa, Kan., died March 6, 2008.

Robert Barry x42 of Lenexa, Kan., died Feb. 4, 2008.

Earl Craig ‘42 of Memphis, Mo., died March 23, 2008.

Carolyn (Wilkerson) Powell ‘42 of Chapel Hill, N.C., died Oct. 6, 2007.

Wayne Swinney ‘42 of Tallahassee, Fla., died Feb. 26, 2008.

Roger Williams ‘42 of Kenilworth, Ill., died Nov. 23, 2007.

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Maurice Anglen ‘43 of Brentwood, Mo., died June 2, 2006.

Summer 2008

Margie (Fizer) Cochran x50 of Fayette, Mo., died April 27, 2008. Margie was married to Mitch Cochran, alumnus from the class of 1951 and professor emeritus of CMU. She recently served as one of the honorary co-chairs for the Campaign for Eagle Athletics. She was a well known educator throughout the state of Missouri and spent many years teaching in Fayette. Much admired by her students and her peers, she retired after 35 years in public education.

She was a member of Paul H. Linn Memorial United Methodist Church, actively involved in the Howard County Retired Teachers Association, the Fayette Book Club, Delta Kappa Gamma, and served on the board of the Fayette Senior Center. She is survived by many loving relatives including one son, Mitchell Jr., and two daughters, Rebecca (Cochran) Huntsman ‘73 and Mickey Cochran ‘76.

Donald Preuss ‘57 of Nichols Hills, Okla., died March 11, 2008.

Dr. Preuss worked as a medical professional in Oklahoma City for more than 35 years, most recently as a hospitalist for Integris/ Baptist Hospital. After graduating from Central he received further training at Northwestern Medical School in Chicago, Ill. Joining the Navy in 1961, Preuss served at many naval hospitals and aboard the USS Repose, a hospital ship, in Vietnam. He was passionate about medicine, his family, church, music, the German language, animals, and old cars. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Mona, a son, a daughter, and several other family members.

A Hall of Sponsors scholarship was established by him in 1983 and its first recipient will be named in the fall of 2009.

Harold Clotworthy ‘45 of Bella Vista, Ark., died Oct. 9, 2007.

Clinton Hayes ‘45 of Clinton, Mo., died in Feb. 2008.

James Fagan ‘45 of Benton, Kan., died June 18, 2006.

William Foley ‘45 of Scottsdale, Ariz., died June 28, 2006.

Mildred (Boettner) Sharp ‘45 of St. Joseph, Mo., died Jan. 21, 2008.

Allen Berger ‘47 of St, Louis, Mo., died Aug. 14, 2007.

Clement Blakney x47 and V-12 of Carson City, Nev., died June 8, 2007.

James Graham ‘47 and V-12 of Chadds Ford, Pa., died Dec. 7, 2007.

Jennings Grisamore ‘47 of Macon, Ga., died Nov. 3, 2006.

Robert C. Lee ‘47 of Glen Ellyn, Ill., died Feb. 3, 2008.

David Pegues III ‘48 of Columbia, Mo., died Aug. 25, 2006.

Helen “Lucy” (Bates) Wood ‘48 of Park Rapids, Minn., died Nov. 6, 2007.

Carolyn (Evans) Crow ‘49 of Lee’s Summit, Mo., died May 31, 2004.

Robert Heineman ‘49 of Richland, Va., died Jan. 19, 2007.

Rodney Hjelle ‘49 of Barrett, Minn., died in Oct. 2006.

John Watson ‘49 of Kansas City North, Mo., died Dec. 24, 2007.

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Alumni news 1950

Feb. 9, 2008.

Charles “C.W.” Boggs ‘50 of St. Louis, Mo., died April 4, 2006.

Bill Bohs ‘68 of Cape Coral, Fla., died Nov. 15, 2007.

Thomas Cook ‘50 of Richmond, Mo., died March 1, 2008.

Robert Fisher ‘68 of Toledo, Ohio, died Dec. 10, 2007.

Barbara (Benedict) Drake ‘50 of Raymore, Mo., died Aug. 20, 2006.

Virginia “Gini” (Landrum) Koenig ‘68 of Warrensburg, Mo., died Feb. 15, 1993.

Bill Finnell ‘50 of Jefferson City, Mo., died May 4, 2008.

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Forrest Karmer ‘50 of Quincy, Ill., died Dec. 28, 2007.

Raymond Meyer ‘50 of O’Fallon, Mo., died Feb. 27, 2008.

Alvin Shaw ‘50 of Fayette, Mo., died March 3, 2008.

Allen Bebee ‘51 of St. Louis, Mo., died April 23, 2002.

James Etter ‘51 of Brazito, Mo., died Aug. 25, 2007.

Marvin Garvin ‘51 of New Kensington, Pa., died Nov. 12, 2007.

Jane (Cooper) Guthrie ‘53 of Kingdom City, Mo., died Feb. 7, 2008.

Paul Jacobs ‘53 of New Franklin, Mo., died Dec. 27, 2007.

Roger Bryan ‘56 of Savannah, Mo., died Nov. 10, 2007.

Frank McCue ‘56 of Hot Springs Village, Ark., died Nov. 15, 2007.

Donald Bushdiecker ‘57 of St. Charles, Mo., died Jan. 10, 2008.

Carl Detmer ‘57 of Florissant, Mo., died Nov. 6, 2007.

Louis Burkel ‘58 of Colorado Springs, Colo., died in April 2006.

Gerald McFarland ‘58 of Chesterfield, Mo., died Aug. 5, 2004.

Lyle Metzdorf ‘58 of Houston, Texas, died Feb. 18, 2002.

Beauton Guy Carder ‘73 of Kansas City, Mo., has passed away.

Charles Rinehart ‘73 of Kirksville, Mo., died Aug. 29, 2007.

Mary Beth Cockrill ‘74 of Kansas City, Mo., died Oct. 30, 2004.

Larry Littrell ‘74 of Glasgow, Mo. died April 28, 2008.

1980 Sean Doran ‘88 of Chesterfield, Mo., died Dec. 23, 2007.

1990 Ben Brown ’90 of Mexico, Mo., died Nov. 17, 2007.

Debbie (Stotlemyre) Upham ’90 of Columbia, Mo., died May 18, 2008.

Friends of Central Robert Foster, CMU Trustee from 1975-1989, of Kansas City, Mo., died March 10, 2008.

Gail Loomis of Sedalia, Mo., died Dec. 10, 2007. In 1997, Mrs. Loomis established a scholarship in memory of her husband, Earl Loomis ‘65. Vaughn and Pamela (Luper), son and daughter-in-law, both graduated from Central in ‘92. Her mother, Helen (Blanche) Berger ‘51, is also a graduate.

Carolyn Heeter ‘59 of St. Louis, Mo., died April 27, 2007.

1960 Whitney (Rell) Holstine ‘62 of Palmyra, Mo., died March 7, 2008.

James “Jim” Spencer ‘62 of Austin, Texas, died Oct. 21, 2007.

Sarah Shostrom, dedicated supporter of CMU, wife of Earl Shostrom and mother of Keith Shostrom ‘82, of Urbandale, Iowa, died Nov. 15, 2007.

Janice Chatelain Woodward, wife of Dr. Ralph Lee Woodward ‘55, of Fayette, Mo., died Feb. 4, 2008.

Jennie (Carlisle) Golding, donor of the Jennie Golding Fund for Study Abroad, died April 26, 2008. Her husband, Jack, of Gainesville, Fla., survives.

Rev. Philip Needles, friend of CMU, of Kansas City, Mo., died Jan. 10, 2008.

June (Chon) Neville ‘58 of Oklahoma City, Okla., died April 12, 2008.

Gary Pfroender ‘58 of Granite City, Ill., died May 23, 2003.

Jane Ann (Solomon) Welcelean of Fayette, Mo., died March 29, 2008. She was a dedicated employee of CMU for 38 years.

Jane Ann spent her entire life in Howard County growing up in Armstrong and spending her adult life working in Fayette.

She was employed by Commercial Trust Company until 1964, when she began working as secretary to the Dean and Registrar at Central Methodist. She married Elbert Welcelean in 1967 and they both worked at CMU until his retirement in 1989. After her husband passed in 1992, she continued working for the University until 2002. Even after retirement, she continued to work at The Democrat-Leader/Fayette Advertiser until Sept. 2007. She enjoyed gardening, her pets, cross-stitching, and tour bus trips. She was an active member of Armstrong Baptist Church. Jane Ann is survived by many loving family members, including sister Dean Riggle and brother Clell Solomon.

Janice Rushing O’Quinn of Parkville, Mo., died Nov. 1, 2007. She was the wife of Rev. Bill O’Quinn ’51. They were married for 38 years before his death in 1993. She was a watercolor artist and a former Missouri Artist in Residence. She had served on the advisory board for The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art. She is survived by her son, Shade and his wife, Sally, three grandsons, and two sisters.

Rita Sisson of Lakeland, Fla., and Holland, Mich., died Jan. 4, 2008. She was committed to the role of teachers in America.

She taught elementary children for many years. She established the Rita Sisson Hall of Sponsors Scholarship at CMU in 1994.

Mrs. Sisson was a dedicated supporter and friend of CMU. She is survived by two daughters.

Lawrence Thoele ‘66 of St. Louis, Mo., died

Summer 2008

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Alumni news Voices of the Chincoteague by Martha A. Burns and Linda S. Hartsock ’62 Dr. Linda S. Hartsock ’62 and Dr. Martha A. Burns recently wrote and published Voices of the Chincoteague: Memories of Greenbackville and Franklin City. The book is a compilation of interviews and stories based on conversations with the residents of the Chincoteague Bay area.

Chincoteague Bay is located in far northeastern Virginia.

Although it is located on the East Coast the authors found many similarities between the Bay and the rural areas near the banks of the Missouri River, where Dr. Hartsock was raised, and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the childhood home of Dr. Burns.

The stories range from how the residents lived and survived off the land, to fishing and selling clams and oysters collected in the Bay, to how Christmas was celebrated by the both

the affluent and those less fortunate.

One story tells of a few men who pooled their money together to buy a crate at an auction outside of town. The rule of the auction was the contents of the crate weren’t fully known. In fact, the only way to know what was inside was by looking through the slats. Visible in this particular crate was a large wrench one of the men wanted for working on his boat. After successfully bidding on the crate and getting it back to Greenbackville, the men began unpacking its contents. To their surprise there was a complete airplane inside - except for a propeller and wings. After much work and some clever solutions on their, part the plane was ready to fly. It fit two grown men and they all enjoyed flying in it.

On one occasion, the men were in a precarious situation and couldn’t decide which two were going to fly to a nearby island. So, two men rode inside the plane and the other two tied

themselves to the pontoons. Needless to say, the plane did not go far and landed upside down partially underwater. With good fortune all the men were safe, but for years to come others in town reminded them “God looks after little children, fools and drunks – as well as inebriated and inexperienced aviators.”

The book is published by Arcadia Publishing and is available at independent bookstores and online retailers. It is reviewed here by Tracy Crowe Jones, director of alumni relations.

Annual alumni event at Les Bourgeois a spring success

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Fully 67 alumni, faculty, staff, Board members, graduating seniors, and guests gathered at the Les Bourgeois A-frame in Rocheport, Mo., in May. It was a beautiful evening to sit and visit and watch the sun set from the bluffs high above the Missouri River.

Summer 2008

The Magazine of Central Methodist University

The Talon

Eagle Connection As a Central alumnus, you’re already a member of the

Central Methodist University Alumni Association.

Your membership entitles you to a host of benefits that include special event invitations, your Talon subscription and much more. And now, your Alumni Association benefits include a new way to connect with your classmates and friends online, the CMU Eagle Connection.

Login Today! Simply follow the easy steps below

Update • Create your secure personal profile • Post class notes • Share photos

Communicate

• Keep in touch with friends & classmates • View photo albums • Read & send notes • Create your own blog

1.

Visit http://cmalumni.centralmethodist.edu

2.

Click on the “First Time Login” link at the bottom left.

3.

Enter your last name.

4.

Follow the instructions after “Account Lookup.” Enter your 1 to 6 digit ID number listed above your address on any copy of The Talon.

5.

After you login the first time you can create your own user name and password. Be sure to update your SECURE personal profile to help you stay in touch.

Connect

• Reconnect with friends and classmates • Check out what’s going on at CMU • Register for alumni events

That’s all it takes to become a member of the CMU Eagle Connection and explore all of the fun features it offers. Login Now!

Questions? Contact Tracy Crowe Jones ’94, Director of Alumni Relations, toll free at 877-CMU-1854 ext. 56234 or email tjones@centralmethodist.edu.

Summer 2008

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Photo above left: (l-r) Cliff Rousseau ’67, Ron Knigge ’65, Larry Anderson ’67, and George Derrieux ’62

Photo above right: (l-r) Terry Wilensky ’65, Nila Morris ’68, Ed Norris ’67, and Chris Keefer ’66

The CMU Undistinguished Alumni, a loosely connected group of self-proclaimed underachievers, held their annual reunion at the end of May. The two-day event at the Lake of the Ozarks got off to a cheerful start as about 40 alumni and spouses gathered at the Elks Lodge for supper. The next day was spent getting caught up on news of what they “hadn’t done” recently and was capped off with a dinner cruise on the lake. CMU staff in attendance included Larry Anderson, director of admission, and Randy Hubbard, director of planned and major gifts, who shared the update on the Campaign for Eagle Athletics. In truth, the members of the Undistinguished Alumni are a highly successful and distinguished group!

Summer is a beautiful time to visit the verdant Fayette campus. The photo, left, shows the Main Street entrance to campus with Howard-Payne Hall South playing peek-a-boo through the leaves.

2008-09 HAIRSTON HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS SEPTEMBER 6, 2008 (during halftime of football game versus Graceland, which begins at 6 p.m.)

INDIVIDUAL INDUCTEES

Sue Feldkamp, Head Women’s Athletic Coach, 1974-77 April (Smith) Ash, Women’s Basketball, 1996-2000 Joan (Pauly) Upperman, Women’s Soccer, Volleyball, and Basketball, 1995-99 FEBRUARY 7, 2009 (between women’s and men’s basketball games versus Graceland, which begin at 2 p.m.)

TEAM INDUCTEES

1996-97 Central Methodist Women’s Basketball Team 1997-98 Central Methodist Men’s Basketball Team 1999-2000 Central Methodist Women’s Basketball Team COME CELEBRATE THE GLORY! 70

Summer 2008

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The voices you heard during Spring 08 Phonathon might have belonged to one of these CMU students: front (l-r) Katie Seyfert, Kristy Bare, Sarah Binder; back Tendie Muzorewa, Julie Shahan, and Cassie Eversmeyer. Not pictured are Phonathon students: Cody Atchley, Montie Dever, Katie Dove, Sam Eidson, Jamey Leonard, Caleb Lewis, Jesse Little, Austin Mallott, Caryn McDonald, Josh Reed, Aaron Shockley, Andrea Tessereau, Laura Williams, Robyn Williams, and Chelsey Yoakum. The team raised a collective $33,895.00 for student scholarships.

Summer 2008

Turn-off-the-TV week, sponsored locally by the CMU Division of Professional Education, brought many children to campus for games like hopscotch (above), chalk art, and tie-dyeing.

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June

Calendar of Events

15 - July 24: “Catching Light in Missouri: Photographs by Notley Hawkins” at The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art 22: On the Wild Side - CMU Alumni at the St. Louis Zoo 27-28: Mikado performances, The Little Theatre 28-29: CMU Alumni Band

July

18: Luetjen Golf Tournament, Hail Ridge in Boonville (see ad on page 50) 18-20: Fayette Area Community Theatre presents Gypsy, directed by Joe Geist, Assembly Hall 29-30: Alumni Association Board of Directors Retreat

August

October

4: CMU Band Day - street, field, and drum lines 9-12: Noises Off at The Little Theatre 10: Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting 11: HOMECOMING: Parade, reunions, football vs. MidAmerica Nazarene University 13: CMU Tailgate in Kansas City, Mo.; football vs. Avila 17-18: CMU Board of Trustees meeting 25: Ashby-Hodge Gala 26-Dec. 22: The Fifteenth Anniversary Show, Part Two: Highlights of the Permanent Collection plus The Art of the Playbill (From John Kelly Collection), The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art

November

5: Commencement - Union Campus 7: Commencement - St. Anthony’s Hospital, St. Louis 26: Classes Begin - Fayette campus 26-October 11: The Fifteenth Anniversary Show, Part One: Women in Art, The Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art

8: Senior Day: football vs. Lindenwood University 14: Gems of Vocal Literature 17: Guest Recital: Harold & Lynn (Seward) Fryer Clarinet & Saxophone (Kelly Head, Accompanist) 20-25: Choir Tour 24-28: Thanksgiving Break

September

December

6: Hairston Hall of Fame Inductions; football vs. Graceland University 13: CMU Tailgate in Liberty, Mo., football vs. William Jewell 19: Fine Arts Celebration 20: CMU Family Day, football vs. Evangel University 21: CMU Alumni Gathering in St. Louis 22: CMU Golf Classic, Forest Hills Country Club in Chesterfield (see ad on page 59) 23: Cultural Affairs: “Ole Flamingo Co.,” The Little Theatre 24: Halloween Organ Concert 26: Hymn Festival with Dr. Janet Kraybill, Organist

411 Central Methodist Square Fayette, MO 65248-1198 Change Service Requested

4-7: Crimes of the Heart at The Little Theatre 6: Jazz Band Concert 7: A Cappella Choir Concert 11: SAI Christmas Concert 11-12: Student One-Act Plays 14: Band Concert 15-19: Finals 20- Jan. 5: Winter Break For more information on these and other activities, go to www.centralmethodist.edu

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