NORTHWEST THE MAGAZINE FOR NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
ALUMNI MAGAZINE I FALL 2018
COMMUNITY
BUILDERS Stories of alumni leading through public service
2018 HOMECOMING The Greatest Show I p.19
ALUMNI AWARDS 7 to be honored I p.24
SPRING SPORTS RECAP
Baseball takes title I p.27
PEOPLE JUST LIKE
YOU
It’s because of the volunteer support of countless alumni and friends – spirited people like Don Foley – that Northwest continues to thrive.
“I am amazed how every year since my time at Northwest brings greater memories, admiration and fondness of the lessons learned. Northwest provided me with a sound marketing basis for personal growth in my job and career performance, family involvement and certainly my community and philanthropic thoughts for those who will follow me. Nothing I have done in my lifetime has inspired me to make an effort toward ‘giving back’ more than my time at Northwest. Working with the School of Agricultural Sciences as an alumnus, volunteering at the Iowa State Fair, serving on the Northwest Foundation Board and other functions have benefited me throughout my life. I can look back and see where some of my efforts to give back have resulted in new facilities, new opportunities for young students and assistance to the overall success of Northwest. It is that wonderful feeling that inspires me to continue this work and make Northwest my main effort in life to assist. The background of education, parents and other life assistance prepared me for a career, but Northwest gave me opportunities to expand that and grow not only as a viable employee but learn about life, people skills, communication skills and how to be a contributing member of society in today’s world. The best and fondest memories I have of my younger days are in Maryville and at Northwest. I know the alumni I meet around the world feel the same way.” Don Foley ’78, Ames, Iowa
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities at Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at alumni@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1248.
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ALUMNI
N O RT H W E S T M IS S O UR I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
NORTHWEST ALUMNI MAGAZINE Vol. 52 | Issue 1
Editor Mark Hornickel ’01, ’13 mhorn@nwmissouri.edu Designer Kim Ziegler ’16 kimz@nwmissouri.edu Design assistants Ashlee Mejia Hendrix ’08 Wes Rockwood ’14 Photographer Todd Weddle ’96 tweddle@nwmissouri.edu Photography assistants Brandon Bland ’15 Carly Hostetter Editorial assistants Teresa Darrah Gustafson ’97, ’05 Laurie Drummond Long ’92 Bob Machovsky ’15 Katie Machovsky ’16 Mitzi Craft Marchant ’91, ’09 Sam Mason ’88 Scott Nielson ’01 Grace Niemeyer Dr. Lonelle Rathje ’97, ’03 Brandon Stanley ’01, ’16 Lori McLemore Steiner ’85 Brenda Untiedt ’00, ’09
8 A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Sam Anselm is leading the city of Joplin, Missouri, in its recovery from a devastating tornado in 2011. He is among several Northwest alumni throughout the Midwest who are shaping the futures of their communities through public service work.
Sam Anselm ’98
Cover illustration by Wes Rockwood
The Northwest Alumni Magazine is published three times a year by the Office of University Marketing and Communication, the Office of University Advancement, Northwest Missouri State University and the Northwest Foundation Inc., 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468-6001. The mission of the Northwest Alumni Magazine is to foster connections between alumni, friends and Northwest Missouri State University. The University strives to inform readers of the accomplishments of Northwest’s alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students and to positively position the University in the hearts of its many constituents to increase public and private support.
contents TRADITIONS 14
20 YEARS ONLINE
Northwest Online took coursework from classroom to cloud in 1999
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BIER MAN
Steve Holle turned his fondness for German beer into a business
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Dear Friends
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Northwest News
16 Alumni Connections 22 Advancing Northwest 26 Bearcat Sports 30 Class Notes 39 Northwest Postcard
Northwest Missouri State University is an equal-opportunity, co-educational university and does not discriminate based on race, sex, disability, age, national origin or religion. Printed in the USA.
DEAR
FRIENDS As I reflect on the ever-changing public service on both the national and local level, one thing is certain – the need for fresh perspectives and innovative minds is critical. The challenges facing our communities are growing and compounded by dwindling resources, complex legislation and a growing trend to polarize anything debatable. While I cannot predict where future community leaders will come from, I do know it will take developing students who are well prepared to become stewards of innovation and change. Public servants come from an array of backgrounds and interests. While public administration and political science are common paths, many navigate toward matching their skills and passions with their desire to make a difference. I did not expect my Bachelor of Science in geography to lead to a career in local government. However, when reflecting on geography as a holistic discipline, analyzing the relationship between humans and the environments in which they live is critical to making an impact in my community. Northwest provided critical thinking and leadership qualities that prepared me for success in public service. At Northwest, students are immersed in the value of community. From the first day of SOAR until commencement, students are integrated into the fiber of a rural community. Small town campuses offer a spirit of community that can sometimes escape urban areas. From volunteerism to coursework, from major town-gown initiatives to cheering in unison with thousands of new faces – the experience at Northwest naturally blends the heart with a sense of place. It is that connection that is a core value when serving communities. It’s an honor to follow the leaders featured in this magazine who apply their education and pave the way for future public servants throughout Bearcat nation.
Greg McDanel ’02 Maryville city manager 4
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NORTHWEST FOUNDATION INC. ’18–’19 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Jennifer Dawson Nicholson ’71, Kansas City, Mo. Vice President Gary Thompson ’76, Princeton, Mo. Immediate Past President Arnold Johnson ’77, Houston, Texas Board Members Robert Barmann ’84, Platte City, Mo. Leisha Beckemeyer Barry ’84, Liberty, Mo. Rex Brod ’82, Maryville Dr. Robert Burrell ’70, Denver, Colo. John Cline ’75, Overland Park, Kan. Karen Daniel ’80, Village of Loch Lloyd, Mo. Paula Rector Davis ’91, Lee’s Summit, Mo. Ken DeBaene ’81, Long Branch, N.J. Myra Turner Evans ’77, Tarkio, Mo. Mike Faust ’74, Omaha, Neb. Terry French ’75, Austin, Texas Bruce Gehrlein ’86, Wilton, Conn. Eric Geis ’01, Prairie Village, Kan.
Roger Hendren ’75, McKinney, Texas Jacqueline Vincent Henningsen ’66, Omaha, Neb. David Holmes ’79, Prescott, Ariz. Carl Hughes ’76, Kansas City, Mo. Gary Hultquist ’64, Sonoma, Calif. Paul Jennings ’75, West Des Moines, Iowa Tondee Voortman Lutterman ’98, Kansas City, Mo. Marcus Mack ’77, Henderson, Nev. Angela Booth Moskow, Basking Ridge, N.J. William Oellermann ’72, Mansfield, Texas Seann O’Riley ’93, St. Joseph, Mo. Ted Place ’99, Kansas City, Mo. Patricia Hagan Poulos ’75, Highland Village, Texas Thomas Sanchez ’02, Washington, D.C. Jayma Elmore Sandquist ’90, Indianola, Iowa Dennis Sapp ’68, Gig Harbor, Wash. Ken Scribner ’87, Kansas City, Mo.
Tyler Seals ’13, Omaha, Neb. Dr. Carol Blom Spradling ’88, Maryville Brad Stephens ’96, Butler, Mo. Susan Gladstone Tucker ’76, Worth, Mo. Stan Zeamer ’70, Huntingdon, Pa.
Ex-Officio Directors Dr. Dean L. Hubbard, President Emeritus, Kansas City, Mo. Dr. John Jasinski, University President Dr. Lonelle Rathje ’97, ’03, Vice President of External Relations and Executive Director of the Northwest Foundation Inc. lonelle@nwmissouri.edu Dr. B.D. Owens ’59, President Emeritus, West Des Moines, Iowa University Advancement Lori McLemore Steiner ’85, Executive Director of University Advancement and Chief Finance Officer of the Northwest Foundation, Inc. steiner@nwmissouri.edu Shelby Lavery Bottiger ’15, Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Specialist shelbyl@nwmissouri.edu
Brooke Weldon Bowles ’02, Accounting Clerk and Scholarship Coordinator bbowles@nwmissouri.edu Teresa Darrah Gustafson ’97, ’05, Development Officer teresa@nwmissouri.edu Carma Greene Kinman ’85, Constituent Relations Specialist ckinman@nwmissouri.edu Laurie Drummond Long ’92, Development Officer laurie@nwmissouri.edu Bob Machovsky ’15, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving rmachov@nwmissouri.edu Mitzi Craft Marchant ’91, ’09, Director of Donor Engagement mitzi@nwmissouri.edu Sam Mason ’88, Development Officer smason@nwmissouri.edu Scott Nielson ’01, Associate Athletic Director for Development/External Affairs scottn@nwmissouri.edu Brenda Untiedt ’00, ’09, Advancement Database, Research and Communications Specialist brenda@nwmissouri.edu
NORTHWEST NEWS
COMMUNITY GATHERS TO CELEBRATE OPENING OF OUTDOOR CLASSROOM A steady rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the dozens of children, teachers, staff, parents and local leaders as they gathered June 22 to celebrate the opening of a unique classroom space outside the Horace Mann Laboratory School on the Northwest campus. The finished outdoor classroom provides a recreational space unlike any other in the region and enhances Northwest’s ability to train aspiring educators who benefit from the clinical teaching environments at the University. “Our role at Northwest has long been to prepare educators for the nation’s schools, regional schools and local schools,” Dr. Tim Wall ’01, the dean of the School of Education, said. “What better way to learn to teach than to practice teaching in ways that we haven’t been taught to teach. It’s more than a playground; it constructs our ability to reach into the future.” Distinct learning spaces focus on nature art, outdoor music and messy materials while blending natural materials. It includes a stage for creative play, a place for art and a gathering area. Other features
include a slide, swings, Adirondack chairs, a basketball hoop and a 1/10th mile walkingrunning path. Horace Mann Laboratory School Principal Sandy Seipel ’86, ’92, Northwest received a $93,336 ’08, School of Education Dean Dr. Tim Wall ’01 and Horace Mann students got some help from Bobby Bearcat on a xylophone as the grant last year Northwest community celebrated the opening of a new outdoor from the Missouri classroom space at Everett Brown Education Hall. Department of Natural Resources to assist the University with constructing the outdoor classroom. With that award, the Department of Natural Resources’ Land and Water Conservation Fund agreed to fund half of the total project costs, and Northwest funded the remainder of the project, which totaled about $187,000.
Arboretum achieves accreditation for tree care, development The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum recently granted the Missouri Arboretum at Northwest a Level II accreditation for achieving standards and professional practices outlined by its global initiative. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program recognizes arboreta at various levels of development, capacity and professionalism. State arborists also confirmed two trees in the Missouri Arboretum’s collection – an overcup oak and an American yellowwood – as state champion trees. The accreditation supports the goals of Northwest’s Arboretum Committee to add to the campus’s tree collection and increase education programs and research opportunities for students as well as the general public. To learn more about the Missouri Arboretum, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/arboretum/. NORTHWEST ALUMNI MAGAZINE I FALL 2018
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FORTY-SIX GRADUATE AS MISSOURI ACADEMY CELEBRATES 18-YEAR HISTORY The Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing celebrated its legacy of providing an alternative academic experience for high-achieving high school juniors and seniors May 26 as 46 students crossed the stage, representing the final class to graduate from the institution. The Missouri Academy – a two-year accelerated, early-entrance-to-college residential program for academically-talented students – Missouri Academy ended its operations last spring. Launched on graduates straightened the Northwest campus in 2000, the program their ties, caps and gowns was designed for students with career aspirations before entering the Mary in science, technology, engineering and Linn Auditorium for the program’s last graduation mathematics. ceremony on May 26. Among the 895 students to earn their high school diplomas and associate degrees from the Missouri Academy during its history, dozens returned for the last commencement ceremony. The afternoon featured a representative of each of the 17 graduating classes reflecting on their experiences and the impacts of the program on their lives. Northwest announced its decision to close the Missouri Academy in March 2017, citing factors that included a shifting financial landscape for higher education institutions and Northwest’s need to reprioritize and reallocate resources for mission-critical priorities.
ETHERTON AWARDED FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP TO TEACH IN HUNGARY Kayla Etherton ’13, ’14, is heading this fall to Hungary, where she will teach English and advise students as a recipient of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship for 2018-19. Etherton, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, joined the Northwest staff in fall 2015 as an academic advisor and success coach. She is completing her master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Northwest. More than 1,900 U.S. citizens receive the Fulbright award each year to teach, conduct research and provide expertise. Etherton is the fourth Northwest student in three 6
years to receive the prestigious scholarship. Since earning her bachelor’s degree from Northwest, Etherton held a variety of positions. In fall 2012, she studied abroad, taking coursework at Universidad Nacional (UNA) in Heredia, Costa Rica while advancing her knowledge of the Spanish culture. Last spring, she traveled to Panama, joining a team led by Dr. Nissa Ingraham, an assistant professor of professional education. “Northwest has really been my home for the last seven years,” Etherton said. “I became so involved in my undergraduate career and that’s how I found out I wanted to work in higher ed. People don’t usually go into college thinking ‘I want to work in higher education.’ It’s really changed my life for the better.”
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The Speaking Bearcats forensics team claimed numerous awards last spring, including one team and two individual national championships at the Public Communication Speech and Debate League National Tournament.
Speaking Bearcats earn 3 more national titles, business ed honor society earns third in 4 years The Northwest forensics team, known as the Speaking Bearcats, won three more national titles when it finished its season last spring by hosting the Public Communication Speech and Debate League National Tournament. The team won the national championship in Division I Speech Sweepstakes while junior Hailey Vernon won an individual championship in audition monologue and freshman Bryana Jones won the national title in Pecha Kucha. The Speaking Bearcats are now winners of 30 team and individual national titles since 2009. “This team did an outstanding job,” Northwest Director of Forensics Brian Swafford said. “The championships are outstanding, but I am equally impressed with all the other award winners. We had five national runner-ups and six third-place finishes. These results tell me this young team is going to be really, really good in the coming years.” Meanwhile, Northwest’s Beta Chapter of the Pi Omega Pi national business education honor society is the best in the country for the third time in four years, based on competition results and chapter activities during the previous calendar year. “We were presenting and teaching against much larger schools with many more members and that seemed intimidating,” Abbey Kriz, a Beta Chapter member who is pursuing her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, said. “The quality and enthusiasm of our work allowed the Beta Chapter to shine.” The Beta Chapter, in its 97th year, is the oldest active chapter in the nation. The organization creates fellowship among teachers of business subjects.
NORTHWEST NEWS
STUDENTS SEE THE
World
Bearcats showed up throughout the world this summer as they took advantage of study experiences and internship opportunities that allowed them to apply their knowledge in fields such as instrumental music, geology, recreation, psychology and business.
Assistant Professor of Business Dr. Deb Johnson Toomey ’94 ’96 led a group of 20 business students on an exploration of Dublin. The students remained there for another six weeks to complete a variety of internships that included the fields of finance, sales, marketing, human resources and social media engagement.
At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin
Investigating the original works of C.S. Lewis in the C.S. Lewis Reading Room at Queen's University
Touring the Gaelic Athletic Association's facilities and learning about namely Gaelic sports
Psychology faculty Dr. Keely White Cline ’04 and Elizabeth Keane Dimmitt ’00, ’03 accompanied 13 students to Northern Ireland to study childhood imaginary play and thinking through the lens of “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.”
At Legananny Dolmen, a historic monument in County Down, Northern Ireland
Professor of Music Dr. Ernest Kramer led 12 students on a 19-day “Essence of Europe” tour that took them to some of the most important music centers in Western Europe. Associate Professor of Recreation Dr. Sue Myllykangas and nine students participated in a 12-day, high-impact tour of Colorado, visiting a variety of parks and recreation agencies to learn about careers and network with professionals in the industry.
At St. Peter's Basilica
At Mount Rainier National Park
Visiting Chautauqua Open Space Park in Boulder
Geology faculty Jeff Bradley ’88 and Dr. John Pope ’96 led students on a two-week field tour of geological sites throughout the western U.S. that included visiting some of its most iconic national parks and collecting rock and mineral samples for further study.
Visiting the Colosseum in Rome, Italy
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A SENSE OF COMMUNITY An emphasis on making connections is engrained in Northwest’s culture and curriculum. Bearcats connect with each other. With their employers. With the communities in which they choose to live, work and play. Throughout the country, Northwest alumni have accepted a calling to serve their communities in countless roles and a variety of organizations. For some, though, the civic work they do is a life’s passion that presents daily tests to build consensus, influence change and make decisions that help their communities prosper.
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By Mark Hornickel Design by Kim Ziegler Photography by Todd Weddle
Sam Anselm ’98 and his family were on the deck of their new home during the late afternoon of Sunday, May 22, 2011, enjoying their view of the horizon over Joplin, Missouri. Anselm had stepped into a new role as the community’s assistant city manager just a month earlier, and the family had found some time to relax after a weekend of moving their belongings from an apartment. Suddenly, tornado sirens started to echo through the neighborhood. Seeing the menacing clouds to their south, the family took cover. When the sirens stopped, Anselm’s gut told him he needed to get to work and he started driving. He ended up at the police station and headed for the city’s emergency operations center in the basement. Calls were pouring in as staff members filled a whiteboard with locations that needed assistance. “It’s Sunday afternoon. There’s a lot of people out to church and out to eat. They’re doing their shopping in the afternoon. You see the retail names listed on the whiteboard and you start to panic when you think about how many people are potentially involved,” Anselm said. An EF5 tornado stretching almost one mile wide had cut a 22-mile swath through Joplin’s south side. Retail stores, schools, churches and St. John’s Regional Medical Center were severely damaged. One hundred sixty-two people lost their lives in what is now the costliest tornado in U.S. history. “We learned that any disaster recovery plan that any city might have sitting on the shelf somewhere does not apply whenever a disaster hits, regardless of whether it’s a flood or a tornado or man-made disaster,” Anselm said. “Every community is unique and every situation is unique. We got
to experience closeness in a tight-knit community that came together in response to that.” While other communities have watched their populations drop in the wake of natural disasters, Joplin is a success story. The city’s population of more than 52,000 people is higher than it was when the tornado struck and the growth doesn’t appear to be slowing. Young trees surround rows of new homes, schools, churches and business structures that appear as if they sprouted up on previously undeveloped land. About 500 businesses were affected by the disaster, and nearly 100 more have relocated to Joplin in the tornado’s aftermath, Anselm said. The city also has committed to maintaining its vibrant downtown and there’s a budding art scene, due in part to the varied public art popping up as expressions of the tornado’s impact. With two major hospital systems and its place as a retail hub, the city serves an estimated 220,000 people a day. “I think a lot of businesses maybe looking to relocate in the Midwest saw the work ethic of the people here in Joplin,” Anselm said. “I can tell you countless stories of neighbors who crawled up out of their crawl spaces or storm cellars and grabbed a chain saw, cut down the trees in their yard and then checked on their neighbors and did the same thing over there. It’s pretty remarkable in terms of our recovery.” Construction is continuing and street crews are still repairing streets and sewers damaged by the storm. In technical terms, the recovery period ends next year when the last of the federal grants Joplin received expires – though it’s easily understood the recovery time is decades for the kind of natural disaster Joplin experienced. “There’s a lot of work and it stays in the psyche of people as well,” Anselm said.
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Anselm checks messages on his phone before walking into one of his favorite lunch spots, Instant Karma Gourmet Hot Dogs in downtown Joplin.
Sam Anselm discusses Joplin’s recovery from a 2011 tornado and his 2014 appointment to city manager in his downtown office. Joplin converted an early 20th century department store building into its city hall, which serves as a centerpiece in the city’s vibrant downtown
“People still move forward and do what needs to be done to live their lives. It’s always going to be part of our history but it has been a positive ending to recover as quickly as we have.” In November 2014, three years after his arrival in Joplin and the tornado, Anselm was appointed city manager. It was a fulfillment of the interest he developed in public service at an early age while growing up in Woodfield, Missouri, where his grandfather was the town’s marshal. Anselm transferred to Northwest after attending the University of Texas Arlington for one year. He and his wife, Jennifer Earp Anselm ’98, wanted to return to Missouri, and Northwest’s public administration program appealed to him as he flipped through college brochures. “A big part of college is just surviving it and demonstrating to an employer that you can make a commitment to something,” Anselm said. “The budget classes and Dr. Dewhirst’s history classes and Dr. Brekke’s law classes were really good in terms of setting that foundation.” After graduating from Northwest, Anselm earned his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2002. He started his career in St. Peters, Missouri, working as a purchasing specialist and then as a volunteer specialist, until being named assistant to the city manager in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2008. Looking to grow in his career, he saw opportunity in Joplin in 2011. Joplin features a stretch of the famed Route 66. Mickey Mantle played there before making it big with the New York Yankees. 10
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Anselm also boasts of the city’s wide-ranging dining options. “There’s a lot of stuff to do and we’re within a pretty easy drive to the KC area and northwest Arkansas for folks who want to get out and explore some amenities beyond what Joplin Anslem looks on in a rebuilt neighborhood near Joplin’s Cunningham offers,” he said. Park, one of the hardest-hit areas by the 2011 tornado. The city is still While a city council sets repairing streets and sewer systems damaged by the storm. policies and approves the a water wall and butterfly garden. The budget, Anselm is responsible for ensuring structures represent houses that stood on the the policies and programs approved by ground, while the wall is composed of 38 the council are carried out effectively and segments for each minute the tornado was efficiently. He has oversight of 14 city on the ground. The city planted 162 trees in departments, from police to the water the park in memory of each person who lost utility. Anselm thrives on collaboration and enjoys their life as a result of the tornado. As he walks through the park, Anselm working with teams to build consensus. He acknowledges Joplin has come to embrace works actively to meet residents’ demands while looking for ways to grow the city’s its connection to the tornado, but the revenue streams. He is mindful of the need community hopes its image rests more for affordable housing because it helps heavily on what it has accomplished since families put down roots and spend their then. entire life cycles in the city. “We don’t want to be known as a tornado It’s challenging work, he says, and no two city,” Anselm said. “We want to be known days are the same. as a city that recovered from it, and it “That’s also one of the most exciting hasn’t been a hindrance to our growth and things about it,” he said. “At the end of the development. There’s a lot of well-meaning day, I have to help people and serve the people who work hard to try to make sure community that I live in, even if that means we take advantage of the opportunity. helping a resident who has a neighbor with “One of those messages that we thought some tall grass and helping them learn about was important to put out to the community how the city addresses those issues.” was ‘We’re not going anywhere, and Joplin benefited from an influx of neither should you. Stick with us. We’ll resources, donations and volunteers after the come back bigger and better.’ It’s come tornado hit. to fruition.” In Cunningham Park, a series of steel frame structures rise above a pavilion with
Frank Offutt ’78 Mayor, Platte City, Missouri After graduating from Northwest and being recruited to work for a Fortune 500 company, Offutt was approached by a Northwest alumnus to get involved in his hometown. His interest in “good government” was born and his career in public service now spans 32 years, including 14 as mayor. Offutt declares Platte City, with a population of 4,872, one of the best small towns in the Kansas City metro area. It boasts a high quality of life with excellent schools and city services in close proximity to Kansas City International airport and downtown Kansas City. “The leadership role played by the mayor has a direct impact on all families and businesses in the community,” Offutt said. “Specifically, the agenda brought to the table by a mayor during his administration affects everyone and everything. At the local level of government, which I personally believe is the best level of public service, you very much live with every decision, receiving immediate feedback from your friends and business owners in its most direct form of communication.”
Jennifer Hoffman Sease ’99 Administrative services director, Ankeny, Iowa Sease has spent her entire career in public service at the state, county and city levels, with the last 10 years with the city of Ankeny and the last five in her current role. She is responsible for the management oversight of the city clerk, human resources, finance, library and information technology – in addition to the development of the city’s $133 million annual budget, a $143 million five-year capital improvement program and incentive programs to attract economic development opportunities. “My role is one of few in the city that has a broad understanding of the entire organization,” she said. “Individual departments are tasked with being experts in their discipline, but the city manager’s office is responsible for understanding the organization and making sound recommendations to the mayor and city council.”
Prioritizing funding requests, in collaboration with the city manager and assistant city manager, is no easy task, but the city’s record of financial strength is something in which Sease takes great pride. The city council and management have reduced debt burden in recent years by successfully implementing various strategies, leading to a bond rating upgrade by Moody’s Investor Services to go with 19 consecutive distinguished budget awards from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. “Northwest does a great job of making students feel a part of the Bearcat community,” she said. “I have taken this sense of community wherever I have lived. I think working for the city of Ankeny only strengthens this sense of community and motivates me to do what is best for the city and its citizens.”
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Abdul-Kaba Abdullah ’02 Executive director of Park Central Development, St. Louis After working as city manager in Berkeley, Missouri, for three years, Abdullah accepted his current role last October and leads initiatives to strengthen and attract investment to neighborhoods throughout the St. Louis region. “I always wanted to change and improve the conditions of the community and people where I was raised,” he said. Having grown up in a depressed inner city neighborhood area of North St. Louis, Abdullah took advantage of opportunities to develop himself as a leader at Northwest. He was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity as well as the Bearcat football team for two seasons. In 2001, he interned in Washington, D.C., for Congressman Chaka Fattah in the U.S. House Representatives and was in the capitol building on 9/11 – an experience that solidified his desire to enter public service.
Allen Reavis ’79 Mayor, Atchison, Kansas Reavis is serving his fourth one-year term as mayor in Atchison, a city of nearly 11,000 people that is rich with history, diversity and culture. He started practicing dentistry there in 1984, but he has remained equally invested in civic, professional and charitable activities for the last 30 years. A city commissioner in Atchison since 2009, Reavis has joined community leaders in a concerted effort to revitalize its infrastructure. He also chaired the city’s planning commission for six years and advocated for refurbishing its sports complex and airport. “You need to make sure everybody has a chance to weigh their thoughts and their opinions, but ultimately you’ve got to vote one way or the other,” he said. “Then, you have to make sure, for those folks that you didn’t agree with, that their input was worthy and don’t stop the input. You want to make the decision and move forward, but you don’t want to shut the door on people.” Because of that effort, Atchison is a thriving community with robust services and systems that offers big city amenities without the hustle and bustle, Reavis says. “We have a whole new generation of young professionals who love it here,” he said. “We’ve built some walking trails and done a lot of stuff. It used to be those folks would come and go a little bit, but these folks are setting up roots.” 12
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Abdullah, the recipient of the Northwest Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Award in 2016, spent the last 14 years working in government affairs and economic development in the St. Louis region. The St. Louis Business Journal named him to its list of “40 under 40” in 2016 for his outstanding work in the region. “I am most proud of the work I do with educating the community on how to be more engaged in the process of changing and improving your community,” he said.
David Todd ’05 City administrator, Pine Island, Minnesota Todd is driven to have a positive impact on communities and did that during a near-20-year career as a police officer. After completing his bachelor’s degree at Northwest and adding a master’s degree from another university, he gave up his badge to work in administration. He spent two years as city administrator in Lanesboro, Minnesota, and has served the last three years in Pine Island. He oversees all city departments and believes the city is on the verge of significant growth. Northwest helped him develop intangible skills and an ability to work with people who have differing
opinions and methodologies. “Working with advisors afforded me the ability to see the big picture and to think in non-linear terms – to develop foresight and to anticipate potential issues,” Todd said. Maximizing his staff’s ability to serve the public within a limited budget are among his challenges. His work also necessitates time management and organizational skills. “There are often multiple things happening at once and you must manage your time wisely and stay organized or you risk letting things slip through the cracks that are time and mission sensitive,” he said. “Dealing with multiple agencies, all with different timelines and agendas from yours, is also quite challenging. It’s like a juggler who is constantly being given items to juggle — and trying to keep all the items in the air without dropping one.”
Gary Bradley ’96 City manager, Kewanee, Illinois Bradley entered city management in 1998 and has served since 2015 in the city of Kewanee, where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations. A member of the U.S. Army when he arrived at Northwest, Bradley had aspirations of running for an elected office. Through the advisement of his instructors in the history, humanities, philosophy and political science department and interaction with city management in Maryville, however, Bradley says he went from not knowing the profession existed to wanting to work in the field within his first three weeks of college. “Everybody I dealt with on the faculty directly prepared me for my career in local government,” he said. As city administrator in Grain Valley, Missouri, he helped lay a foundation for retail development and a culture of customer service.
In Kewanee, he has helped retain major employers that provide hundreds of jobs and is guiding a culture change toward customer service. “I think most people think all politics are partisan, but at the local level, they really aren’t,” Bradley said. “We aren’t in the red camp or the blue camp. We have to work with whomever gets elected. If you take sides on either side of the aisle, you run the risk of that side losing and the other side being retaliatory, so we just stay nonpartisan as a profession.”
Tom Lesnak ’87 President and chief executive officer of the Independence Chamber of Commerce, Independence, Missouri Lesnak developed an appreciation for the role of elected officials while he was working full-time as news and program director at KAAN radio in Bethany, Missouri, and reporting on city council meetings. In 1993, he decided to run for and won a seat on the council. Within months, the mayor recruited him to take on economic development, which he directed in Bethany for five years. Lesnak became the president and CEO of the Independence Economic Development Council 11 years ago and now oversees both the Economic Development Council and the Chamber of Commerce. “You have to learn to stretch every dollar as far as you can so that you have the resources you need to support your members and your mission,” he said. “Depending on the day, I may be the IT person, repairman, furniture assembler, trash collector, mediator and the list goes on and on. I love every minute of it and don’t feel like I’m any more important than any other staff member and no job is below me. It takes a team effort to make it work.” NORTHWEST ALUMNI MAGAZINE I FALL 2018
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20 YEARS AND GROWING Northwest online adding degree programs, students Northwest launched a new form of higher learning in the fall of 1999 when it began offering online coursework through Northwest Online. As the platform enters its 20th year, it continues to evolve in the ways it supplements the academic needs and learning styles of students as well as how faculty deliver course content. “Northwest Online has designed a suite of online programs that reflect the Northwest quality of learning that is expected by learners,” said Dr. Darla Runyon ’83, who was a staff member during the launch and now serves as director of Northwest’s Learning and Teaching
Center. “Our course design has continuously improved to be learner-centered and focused upon learner success. We constantly monitor the online environment to make sure we offer our learners the best experience possible. Dedicated, caring, and enthusiastic faculty are what make the online course the success it is for our learners.” The University launched Northwest Online on Aug. 3, 1999, a year after establishing its Center for Information Technology in Education, or CITE, with state-provided mission enhancement funding to support the instructional technology needs of Northwest faculty. Dr. Roger Von Holzen,
an associate professor in the School of Computer Science and Information Systems, was CITE’s first director and stayed in that role until 2013. Over time, Northwest Online developed as an internet portal with supporting features and a course management system. CITE, meanwhile, has been reimagined as the Learning and Teaching Center and continues to support faculty through the development and sharing of pedagogical and content-specific knowledge in addition to providing access to professional development support and resources. Dr. Deb Johnson Toomey
’94, ’96, an associate professor of marketing, was among the first faculty to implement the system into her instruction. She continues to use it today to keep course content organized and accessible to her students – and she says she can’t imagine her work without it. “No student can say they didn’t get a handout or they didn’t know about an assignment because it is right there, always available to them,” Toomey said. “The downside is that sometimes I see students who think that since it is all available on Northwest Online that they do not need to take notes, attend class or listen. That usually lasts until the first
1999 2001 Northwest Online launches with nine courses and 57 students enrolled. The courses consist of six general education courses and three business management courses.
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Christina Pasqua of Sterling, Colorado, becomes the first student to complete a degree through Northwest Online, earning her bachelor’s in business management. When Pasqua arrived to participate in the winter commencement ceremony, it marked her first visit to the Northwest campus.
2003 Northwest begins offering the nation’s first online master’s degree in geographic information systems.
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
exam. It doesn’t replace the instruction; rather it is a tool to share the instruction.” The impetus for Northwest Online can be traced back to 1987 when Northwest flipped the switch on its “Electronic Campus” and became the first public institution in the nation with networked computers in each residence hall room and faculty office. A decade later, Northwest had upgraded the network and all of its computer terminals, allowing students and faculty to use multimedia and the internet while further enhancing learning at the University. Internet access in homes
was not yet prevalent, and the widespread adoption of smartphones and wireless internet was at least a decade away. By the late 1990s at Northwest, however, computer usage and online learning had become part of the fabric of the institution. “More faculty started really using them seriously and it became part of the hiring process – if you don’t want to use a computer, don’t come to Northwest,” former President Dr. Dean Hubbard said. “It was just part of what we did. Then, CITE was a natural evolution to push those boundaries and to really discover more of what could be done.”
Toomey remembers Hubbard discussing the program with her while he was visiting another school that was starting an online program. “It was hard to wrap my head around the concept early on since it was so different than anything we had tried before,” she said. “The early platforms were amazing because of the tools that were available that not only were not available before but in some cases we didn’t even know it was a possibility. I remember teaching Freshman Seminar (now called University Seminar) and having the ability to share documents, grades and information easily with students. As we moved forward
with more online content, the services just kept getting better.” Today, about 536 Northwest Online courses exist with nearly 3,000 students enrolled each semester. Most Northwest Online students are campusbased, but the courses enroll students from throughout the world. It consists of 11 online graduate programs, three bachelor’s degree completion programs, and at least one general education course for each academic area. Blended courses, which consist of a combination of online and classroom coursework, also are established within Northwest Online.
2013
2014
2018
Northwest sets a milestone with 70 percent of its 2,571 summer students enrolled at the University taking at least one online course.
Northwest Online begins offering Smarthinking, an online tutoring site with 24/7, live, ondemand tutoring.
Northwest Online enrollment reaches 4,180 students.
2017 Northwest’s Board of Regents approves a proposal to begin offering a bachelor’s degree in nursing via Northwest Online.
ONLINE MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS • MBA: Human resource management • MBA: General management • MBA: Marketing • Education: Special education • Education: Reading • Education: Curriculum and instruction
• Educational leadership • Geographic information systems • Recreation • Health and physical education • Nursing (beginning fall 2019)
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ALUMNI CHAPTER
NEWS
Get involved today! For more information about getting involved in a Northwest Alumni Association chapter, call 660.562.1248 or email alumni@nwmissouri.edu. Twenty-one alumni chapters comprise the Alumni Association, and more are being formed.
The Colorado Alumni and Friends Chapter hosted a social and dinner at Hacienda Colorado in May. The St. Louis Alumni and Friends Chapter celebrated its 10th anniversary with a social in Chesterfield. Pictured are (left to right, front row) Anne Alexander Gross ’90, Kinslea Lancaster, Adalyn Lancaster, Morgan Summa, Brad Summa ’91, (second row) Linda Craven Dencker ’73, Bob Dencker ’73, Sue Johnson Hockensmith ’72, Fiiona Correll, Meena Ewing Correll ’00, Michele Bunch holding Nathan Bunch, Brandi Kapfer Quintos ’11, Ann Summa, (third row) Nathan Lancaster ’04, Holly Lancaster ’03, Tony White ’85, Tim Correll ’01, Tim Parks ’82, Mark Cromley ’94 holding Thomas Bunch, and Emily Daniels.
ST. LOUIS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS CHAPTER
The St. Louis Alumni and Friends Chapter gathered in February for a New Year dinner at Helen Fitzgerald’s. In May, the chapter celebrated its 10th anniversary with a social and dinner at Chili’s in Chesterfield. The chapter will par tner with the Nor thwest Alumni Association for a tailgate prior to the Nor thwest vs. Lindenwood football game on Saturday, Oct. 20. The chapter also will attend the Nor thwest basketball games at Lindenwood this winter. Make plans to join the chapter at both events and cheer on the Bearcats. Additionally, all alumni and friends are invited to like the NW Alumni St. Louis chapter page on Facebook.
Members of the St. Louis Alumni and Friends Chapter cheered on the women’s and men’s basketball teams at their games at Lindenwood University. They were joined by Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski and first lady Denise Jasinski ’90.
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Helen Fitzgerald’s was the site of a dinner hosted by the St. Louis Alumni and Friends Chapter in February. Pictured are (left to right, front row) Brad Summa ’91, Riley Land, Sue Johnson Hockensmith ’72, Debbie Spencer Lehman ’79, (back row) Dana Hockensmith, James Lehman, Aaron Bunch ’04, Jack Cromley and Mark Cromley ’94.
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
The Kansas City Alumni and Friends Chapter hosted Northwest Day at the Kansas City Zoo in June.
The Central Iowa Alumni and Friends Chapter gathered at Rookies in Clive, Iowa, for their monthly social.
Members of the St. Joseph Alumni and Friends Chapter gathered at Tipple Hill Winery for a social.
ST. JOSEPH ALUMNI AND FRIENDS CHAPTER
The St. Joseph Alumni and Friends Chapter hosted a number of socials at the beginning of 2018. Bearcats enjoyed a traditional Mardi Gras, an evening at the winery and a good old-fashioned cookout at the park to wrap up the school year. The chapter is busy finalizing events for 2018-2019. Alumni and friends are invited to join its annual Barn Par ty on Friday, Sept. 28. Stay updated on events by contacting nwalumnistjoe@gmail.com or follow the chapter on Facebook at Northwest Missouri State University Alumni and Friends St. Joseph Chapter. The Central Iowa Alumni and Friends Chapter attended an Iowa Barnstormers game to cheer on former Bearcat football player Bryce Enyard.
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TOURIN’ BEARCATS TRAVEL TO IRELAND More than 50 alumni and friends traveled in June with the Tourin’ Bearcats to explore “The Shades of Ireland.” Highlights of the trip included stops in Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Killarney, Limerick, Galway and Kingscourt. Travelers enjoyed a day touring the Ring of Kerry, a sheep dog demonstration, a stop at the Blarney Castle, the Cliffs of Moher and a jaunting car ride through Killarney National Park. They ended the tour with a farewell dinner and overnight stay on the regal grounds of the Cabra Castle.
ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA ANNIVERSARY The Phi Phi chapter of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority celebrated 90 years in April as alumni and active members reunited on campus to reflect on the chapter’s past and future success. The event included remarks from alumni and active members, videos of the chapter’s activities and a tour of Roberta Hall. Dr. Ann Rowlette ’55, who served as a chapter advisor for many years, was among the oldest alumnae to attend. Pictured left to right are Heather McCubbin Gille ’01, Gayle Reynolds Dobson ’02, Jenny Fahlstrom Stringer ’01 ’03, Rowlette, Justin Emily Wills ’02, Elizabeth Ferguson Bowles ’03 and Sara Caldwell ’00.
NORTHWEST NIGHT AT THE K Mark Schieber '88, Amy Schieber, Whitney Kinman Schieber ’11 and Ryan Schieber ’11 were among the Bearcats in the crowd June 2 at Kauffman Stadium as the Northwest Alumni Association hosted its annual Northwest Day at the K. The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4. SIGMA SIGMA SIGMA ANNIVERSARY
Twenty-seven alumni of Northwest’s Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority gathered for a reunion June 22-24 at the home of Emily Wormsley Greene ’71 in Riverside, Missouri. Alumni traveled from Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri to attend the reunion, which included a Saturday lunch and dinner and a Sunday brunch. Pictured are (left to right, front row) Arlene Horner Alexander, Cheri Watkins Boehner ’73, Debbie Long Kirkpatrick ’71, Patty Hagan ’72, Keddy Springer Vaccaro ’73, ’82, Debbie Snodgrass Hinman ’89, Vicki Horton Hargens ’71, Melinda Heck Tally, (second row) Paula Moyer Savaiano ’72, Claudia Cadle Scott, Veronica Jones Alderson ’73, Jessica O’Rourke Loch ’72, Vicki Snell Kephart, Jacki Rabenold Grier, Emily Wormsley Greene ’71, Denise Heaton Smith ’73, Denise Bower Kretzschmar ’71, Kathy Sweeney Hora ’74, (third row) Diane Engelbrecht Buckley ’71, Collene Huseman Akard ’74, Margie Steinmeir Costello, Kim Koestner Torpey ’74, Carolyn Van Horne Cross, Connie Worden ’71, Lori Upton Peters and Barb Stevens Mitchell ’72. Becky Summa Sullivan is not pictured but attended.
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HOMECOMING OCTOBER 11-13 VARIETY SHOW • Thursday, Oct. 11, and Friday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m. • Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts • Tickets are $5, call 660.562.1212 to reserve a ticket or purchase the night of the performance as seats are available HOMECOMING GOLF CLASSIC • Friday, Oct. 12, noon • Two-person scramble • Mozingo Lake Golf Course • COST: $50 per person, call 660.562.1248 or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events to register FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY • Friday, Oct. 12, 2 p.m. • Joyce and Harvey White International Flag Plaza M-CLUB HALL OF FAME BANQUET AND INDUCTION CEREMONY • Friday, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m. • J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom • COST: $25, tickets may be purchased by calling 660.562.1977
2018 | THE GREATEST SHOW AT
NORTHWEST!
FOOTBALL VS. NEBRASKA-KEARNEY • Saturday, Oct. 13, 2 p.m. • Bearcat Stadium • COST: $25 reserved, $14 adult general admission (standing room only), $10 K-12 standing room only or visiting students; Homecoming football tickets can be purchased online via bearcatsports. com by choosing the Tickets tab at the top of the page or in person at the cashiering office in the Administration Building.
HOMECOMING WELCOME • Saturday, Oct. 13, 8 a.m. • Michael L. Faust Center for Alumni and Friends • Free refreshments HOMECOMING PARADE • Saturday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m. • The parade begins at the corner of Ray and College Avenue. It proceeds east to Northwest’s main entrance at Fourth Street and concludes at Fourth and Main streets.
PLACES TO STAY MARYVILLE • Boulders Inn & Suites 660.224.2222 • Country Hearth Inn 660.582.8088 • Holiday Inn Express 660.562.9949 • Red Roof Inn 660.562.2002
HY-VEE BEARCAT ZONE PREGAME FESTIVITIES • Saturday, Oct. 13, at the conclusion of the parade • Raymond J. Courter College Park Pavilion • COST: Admission is free. A tailgate meal is $10 for adults or $5 for kids 7 and under; menu includes smoked pork loin, cheesy potato bake and beverage. Indoor seating and full bar available inside Pavilion. • Open house for Hughes Fieldhouse; tours, inflatables, music, kids can interact with Northwest student-athletes.
ST. JOSEPH • America’s Best Value Inn 816.364.3031 • Days Inn 816.279.1671 • Drury Inn & Suites 816.364.4700 • Hampton Inn 816.390.9300 • Holiday Inn Express & Suites 816.223.2500 • Stoney Creek Inn 816.901.9600
GRAND OPENING OF THE CARL AND CHERYL HUGHES FIELDHOUSE Friday, Oct. 12, 4 p.m.
GOLDEN YEARS
SOCIETY REUNION
Events are subject to change/cancellation
The Golden Years Society Reunion welcomes all classmates from 1968 and before to attend Homecoming. Mark your calendars for Oct 12-13 and make plans to return to campus. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 660.562.1248 or at alumni@nwmissouri.edu. FRIDAY, OCT. 12 9 a.m. Welcome reception, Faust Center for Alumni and Friends 10:30 a.m. Campus bus tour 11 a.m. Reunion photo 11:30 a.m. Luncheon (J.W. Jones Student Union) 2 p.m. Flag-raising ceremony (Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza) 4 p.m. Dedication and ribbon-cutting, Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse 5:30 p.m. Golden Years Social, Nodaway County Historical Society Museum 6:30 p.m. M-Club Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Student Union Ballroom*
SATURDAY, OCT. 13 8 a.m. Homecoming welcome, Faust Center for Alumni and Friends 9 a.m. Parade with VIP seating 11:30 a.m. Hy-Vee Bearcat Zone pregame activities, College Park* 2 p.m. Bearcat football vs. University of Nebraska-Kearney, Bearcat Stadium*
REUNION COST: $50 PER PERSON *optional activity, additional cost Schedule is subject to change
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Your P L A C E
TO GIVE
Gifts to the Northwest Fund support a variety of projects and initiatives at Northwest. Donors like you make a difference because you make Northwest your place to give on a consistent basis.
$250
Provides students with hands-on learning experiences, such as the R.T. Wright Farm and Horace Mann Laboratory School.
Northwest in April named Dr. Lonelle Rathje ’97 ’03 its vice president of external relations to lead the offices of University Advancement, Marketing and Communication, and Student Recruitment. Rathje succeeds Mike Lori Steiner Dr. Lonelle Rathje Johnson ’85, who retired last spring after 25 years of service to Northwest, including the last six as vice president of university advancement. The restructured role has Rathje overseeing front-facing functions and integrating a strategic platform to strengthen sales, marketing and engagement. Rathje has served as executive director of development and campaign coordinator within the Office of University Advancement since 2014. Rathje has served in a variety of university development and marketing roles, has managed Northwest’s fundraising program and comprehensive campaign since 2014, and she teaches media, literature and communication courses at a variety of institutions. Lori McLemore Steiner ’85 was appointed executive director of advancement and chief finance officer of the Northwest Foundation Inc. Steiner assumes management responsibilities of University Advancement, which includes the units of development, alumni relations and advancement services. She has held the chief financial responsibilities for the Foundation since joining advancement in 2007.
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NO RT H WE S T MI S S O U R I S TAT E UN IVERSITY
$100
Helps a student achieve a global perspective by studying abroad.
$50
Helps support our ability to provide textbooks and laptops to students as part of tuition.
Make Northwest your place to give this year by renewing your support today. Give today by visiting www.nwmissouri.edu/giveonline or calling 660.562.1248. 20
Northwest announces changes in university advancement, alumni relations
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MISSION: The Northwest Alumni Association fosters lifelong relationships through initiatives and opportunities that advance the University and its alumni, future alumni and friends. 2018-2019 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Paula Rector Davis ’91, Lee’s Summit, Mo. VICE PRESIDENT Dustin Wasson ’03, Perry, Mo. PAST PRESIDENT Linda Nichols Place ’72, Albany, Mo. MEMBERS Randy Cody ’99, Carson, Iowa Mark DeVore ’71, Branson, Mo. Michelle Mattson Drake ’98, Maryville Abby Stephens Elliott ’06, ’08, Mount Ayr, Iowa Zerryn Gines, Kansas City, Mo. Sean Gundersen ’10, ’13, Glenwood, Iowa Sue Johnson Hockensmith ’72, Manchester, Mo. Allison Kahre Kreifels ’06, ’11, St. Joseph, Mo. Marsha Alsbury Leopard ’71, ’76, Chillicothe, Mo. Terrance Logan ’07, ’10, Blue Springs, Mo. Joyce Seals Roddy ’75, Mahtomedi, Minn.
Curtis Seabolt ’10, ’14, Mason City, Iowa Faith Spark, Urbandale, Iowa Bob Stalder ’88, Kansas City, Mo. Anitra Germer Svendsen ’04, ’07, St. Joseph, Mo. Rich Tohkeim ’82, Omaha, Neb. EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS Dr. Lonelle Rathje ’97, ’03, Vice President of External Relations Carma Greene Kinman ’85, Constituent Relations Specialist Jennifer Dawson Nicholson ’71, President, Northwest Foundation, Kansas City Lori McLemore Steiner ’85, Executive Director of University Advancement and Chief Finance Officer of the Northwest Foundation, Inc. Bob Machovsky ’15, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Shelby Lavery Bottiger ’15, Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Specialist
ADVANCING NORTHWEST
LASTING LE GACI ES
Dr. Mark ’70 and Vicki Horton ’71 Hargens know the opportunities to gain experience and leadership at Northwest helped prepare them for successful careers in the education field. That is why they continue to give back to the University through their service and support of scholarships. The Hargens also understand the importance of helping Northwest stay competitive in recruiting and retaining students and helping them be career ready when they graduate. To assist Northwest in that goal, the couple has pledged their financial support to the University’s Hughes Fieldhouse through an IRA distribution. “We’re very interested in Northwest continuing to be a strong university, and for us that also includes all the sports we have. We love to see our teams be competitive, and one of the ways to do that is to have a place for practice,” Mark said, adding that he and Vicki share excitement for the added opportunities the Hughes Fieldhouse presents to host activities for students and surrounding communities. Mark served the St. Joseph (Missouri) School District for 35 years and held a variety of administrative positions, culminating as associate superintendent from 1993 until his retirement in 2006. Vicki is a Maryville native and enjoyed a 36-year teaching career with the St. Joseph School District. Before retiring to Columbia, Missouri, the couple was active in the St. Joseph Alumni and Friends Chapter of the Northwest Alumni Association, and Mark served on Northwest’s Board of Regents from 2010 to 2015. As a Northwest student, he co-chaired Homecoming and was vice president of the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity.
“Colleges and universities have many more challenges today than they used to have, and one of them is financial as states have begun to back away from funding at the level universities previously enjoyed. That’s a big challenge and I saw that during the time I was a Board member. I love Northwest and I want to contribute to its continued success.” Dr. Mark Hargens ’70
One of the easiest ways to make a gift to Northwest and make a difference for the University is to set up an IRA charitable rollover. It allows you to give to Northwest while lowering the income and taxes from your IRA withdrawals.
CONSIDER THESE ADVANTAGES: n
Avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA to our organization n Satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year n Reduce your taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions
n
Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts n Leaves a lasting legacy while furthering the mission of Northwest n Available for donors age 70.5 and above
Contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or advance@nwmissouri.edu to find out about the many advantages of using your IRA to make a gift to Northwest.
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AGRIVISION EQUIPMENT LENDS SUPPORT TO AG LEARNING CENTER AgriVision Equipment Group, a farming equipment company with 17 locations across southern Iowa, has added its support to Northwest’s School of Agricultural Sciences and its planned Agricultural Learning Center by pledging $100,000 toward the project. “We are so grateful and appreciative of the commitment that AgriVision Equipment is making toward the Agricultural Learning Center,” Rod Barr ’85, ’95, ’09, the director of the School of Agricultural Sciences, said. “Their financial contribution is a testament to AgriVision’s dedication in making a difference not only in the School of Agricultural Sciences at Northwest but in the region and the agricultural industry as a whole.” The Ag Learning Center, for which the University and Northwest Foundation are raising funds, will be built at Northwest’s 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm and serve as a multipurpose facility, providing classrooms and laboratory resources to supplement and enhance the academic curriculum. The estimated $8.5 million, 29,000-square-foot center also will allow for research and scholarly activities centered on crop, soil and livestock resources as well as space for processing agricultural products. It will include space for public and private functions such as producer and agricultural industry meetings, workshops, shows and career development events, and the promotion of agricultural literacy. “We believe that the Ag Learning Center will open
An AgriVision Equipment representative assists a student with operating a tractor during the third annual AgriVision Equipment Group Precision Agriculture Summer Academy in June on the Northwest campus.
opportunities for the University to recruit the best and brightest students as well as attract industry expertise that will help build careerready employees for many years to come,” Jeremy Ostrander, the chief executive officer for AgriVision Equipment, said. “Northwest takes a unique approach in gaining input from industry leaders that helps develop the skills and experiences that are needed in the market place.” AgriVision Equipment and Northwest formed a partnership in 2015 that benefits Northwest students through the use of the newest farming equipment as well as internship and career opportunities. The annual AgriVision Equipment Group Precision Agriculture Summer Academy at Northwest also introduces high school students and agricultural educators to the ever-changing landscape of precision agriculture technologies. Northwest ag faculty actively collaborate with AgriVision Equipment staff to help shape curriculum, and the equipment dealer views Northwest as an important source for future talent.
ALUMNI, FRIENDS GATHER TO HONOR FORMER VP OF ADVANCEMENT Friends, family and former colleagues of Chuck Veatch on June 8 filled the first floor of the Michael L. Faust Center for Alumni and Friends to celebrate his impacts on Northwest. The surprise recognition of Northwest’s first vice president for institutional advancement included the unveiling of a new name for the alumni center’s first floor executive office and reception area, which is now known as the Veatch Executive Suite. “There are no words to adequately express my gratitude,” said Veatch, who served Northwest in various roles between 1970 and his retirement in 2000. “It’s just overwhelming to be able to share this with so many lifelong friends and in a place that was always somewhat 22
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magical for me.” Veatch led an aggressive student recruitment program that evolved into today’s Student Ambassadors during his tenure as director of admissions. During the 1980s, he helped usher in a new era of university advancement as assistant vice president of marketing and development and then vice president for institutional advancement, and that continued through the 1990s. The Veatch Executive Suite naming was funded by private gifts, and alumni and friends may still participate in honoring Veatch. Gifts may be made by contacting the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or visiting www. nwmissouri.edu/giveonline.
Chuck Veatch (left) embraces Craig Kelley ’83, a past president of the Northwest Foundation, during a celebration in his honor at the Michael L. Faust Center for Alumni and Friends.
ADVANCING NORTHWEST
GOEDERS ENJOYS GIVING BACK THROUGH GIFTS, MENTORING
Calvin and Marilyn Goeders
Cal Goeders ’53 and his wife, Marilyn, have established the Calvin & Marilyn Goeders Chemistry Scholarship through a six-figure gift to the Northwest Foundation. The scholarship will be awarded annually with a committee of Northwest chemistry faculty selecting the recipients. “I’d like to build a premier scholarship fund for chemistry majors that will be sufficient to attract promising high school seniors to Northwest,” Goeders said. After graduating from Northwest, Goeders went on to develop a multimillion dollar business by creating infection control products. Additionally, he is successfully bridging the generational gap by volunteering to engage young students in science at a school where he resides in Midland, Michigan. For years, Northwest chemistry students have benefited from his contributions to the J. Gordon Strong Scholarship, an award he supported to honor his mentor, Dr. J. Gordon Strong, who challenged him academically and encouraged him to pursue a chemistry career. Goeders enjoyed a successful, 18-year career at Dow Chemical Company, working as a chemist, research manager and marketing executive. In 1980, he founded Caltech Industries in Midland, Michigan, to invent and develop products for infection control at healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and physician and dentist offices. Goeders served as Caltech’s president until retiring in 1996.
Left to right, Jim West, Ryan Powell and Deryk Powell lead Velociti Inc., which recently helped enhance Wi-Fi at Northwest’s Hughes Fieldhouse and Bearcat Stadium suites.
ENGAGEMENT LEADS TO WI-FI GIFT FOR HUGHES FIELDHOUSE, BEARCAT STADIUM As construction workers take care of the finishing touches at the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse, a Kansas City, Missouri, technology company headed by Northwest alumni is ensuring the building is equipped with wireless access. Velociti Inc. recently provided a gift to Northwest that included all Wi-Fi hardware for the Hughes Fieldhouse as well as suites at Bearcat Stadium – a value of more than $100,000. The gift package included 41 access points, which provides total coverage of the fieldhouse’s indoor field, classrooms and common areas, while providing more stable, wider connectivity for fans in Bearcat Stadium suites. Deryk Powell ’93 is Velociti’s president, while his brother, Ryan ’96, is vice president of sales and Jim West ’93 is vice president of operations. As long-time supporters of Northwest and its athletics, they saw the opportunity to enhance the Wi-Fi capabilities at the Hughes Fieldhouse and Bearcat Stadium as the right gift. “Velociti wanted to be part of a monumental project for the University, and the Hughes Fieldhouse was ideal since it will be used by students and the community,” Deryk Powell said. “With the addition of the Hughes Fieldhouse on the Northwest campus, the Maryville community has access to top-of-the-line facilities, but we also want to provide them with access to the best technology.” Velociti designs and installs wireless networks and security systems in large public venues, including stadiums and schools. The company employs several Northwest alumni, including some serving on the company’s leadership team. Those employees are applying skills they learned at the University and maintaining a strong connection with the institution by networking with and hiring its graduates. The Wi-Fi partnership isn’t Velociti’s first interaction with the University. In the spring of 2017, Velociti partnered with Knacktive, an interactive, digital media marketing experience at Northwest that gives students an opportunity to produce a comprehensive campaign for a real client with real issues to address. Students designed plans to get Velociti involved earlier in its clients’ technology-related decision-making.
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Alumni AWARDS RECIPIENTS 2018
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD
Dr. Matt Becker
Dr. Bayo Joachim
Becker ’98, is the W. Gerald Austen Endowed Chair of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron, in Akron, Ohio. His multidisciplinary research team is focused on developing bioactive polymers for regenerative medicine and addressing unmet medical needs at the interface of chemistry, materials and medicine. His group has published more than 140 papers, has 35 patents issued or pending, and has delivered more than 200 invited lectures in 20 countries. He is the founder of three start-up companies, under the umbrella of the holding company 21st Century Medical Technologies.
Dr. Joyce Wake Piveral Piveral ’70, ’74, ’82, came to Northwest in 2000 as the director of teacher education services. She became dean of the College of Education and Human Services in 2010, serving as the leader of five academic departments as well as the Horace Mann Laboratory School until retiring in 2016. Piveral helped position the professional education unit to be one of the strongest and most reputable programs in the region. Piveral’s experiences and research put Northwest in the national spotlight as it was named one of two universities in the nation to receive the prestigious Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006.
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
TURRET SERVICE AWARD
Ryan Heiland
Kelly Archer Quinlin
John Moore
Heiland ’99, has more than 15 years of experience in government affairs and economic development. He has served the Maryville community as its assistant city manager since 2012. His most notable achievements have come with the transformation and development of Mozingo Lake Recreation Park, the construction of the Watson 9 youth golf course, the Fourth Street Improvement Project, and gathering community support for the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse. As a result of these efforts, Heiland has been selected five times as a presenter for the International Town and Gown Association Annual Conference for his collaborative work with the city of Maryville and Northwest. 24
Joachim is a professor in Northwest’s School of Communication and Mass Media. He joined the faculty in 1990, teaching for seven years and returning in 1999 after earning his Master of Law degree in international law and international relations as well as his Master of Science in criminology. He has taught a variety of communication courses, served on numerous committees and sponsored several student organizations. He is the recipient of the Northwest Excellence Award for Civility and the Dean’s Faculty Award for Service. In addition to his teaching career, he works on orphanage, high school and community projects in Haiti.
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY EMERITUS AWARD
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Quinlin ’00 is a Maryville native and has been the head athletic trainer at Northwest since 2003. Her responsibilities include managing the total well-being of all Bearcat student-athletes. She oversees the majority of long-term rehabilitation programs and works directly with women’s basketball and golf, and the men’s and women’s tennis teams. She regularly presents to community groups regarding injury prevention and care, and she is a member of the Athletic Trainer Advisory Committee for the Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts. She was named the 2017 National Athletic Trainers’ Association Division II Head Athletic Trainer of the Year.
Moore ’78, has been an active volunteer and supporter of Northwest. He served as class president his sophomore year, student body president his senior year, president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and he was a member of the Blue Key Honor Society. After retiring from a 30-plus-year career with the Federal Reserve Bank, he continues to share his expertise through volunteer activities at Northwest and in his community. As a member of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors, he was instrumental in establishing a successful fundraising initiative for the Hughes Fieldhouse with the creation of the Founding 50, a group of donors providing gifts of $50,000 and greater. Moore also has provided leadership during the University’s Greek Life visioning process.
ADVANCING NORTHWEST
HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD
Dale Wion
Wion is a construction superintendent with the Turner Construction Company and an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union electrician from Des Moines, Iowa. Although he is not a graduate of Northwest, he is an active member of the Central Iowa Alumni and Friends Chapter and volunteers his time at many events. Wion works the Northwest booth at the Iowa State Fair each summer, speaking with prospective students and parents about the Northwest experience. He especially likes to connect with parents of prospective and current students and shares his experience as a parent of a Northwest graduate. He also enjoys Bearcat athletics and can often be found assisting at the Northwest Alumni Association’s tent during Bearcat Zone tailgates. He resides in Urbandale, Iowa.
COMPLETE YOUR DEGREE
IN KC
BACHELOR’S DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAMS • Business management • Communication: public relations • Criminology: diversity • Elementary education with language arts concentration • Elementary education and special education dual major • Marketing
2019 ALUMNI AWARDS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
• Psychology
The Northwest Alumni Association announces a call for nominations for the 2019 Alumni Association Awards. The Alumni Association annually recognizes alumni, faculty, faculty emeriti and friends who have brought distinction upon themselves, their profession and Northwest Missouri State University. Your nominations are essential to the process. Individuals nominated should personify the University’s tradition of excellence through their service and achievements. The Alumni Association Board of Directors will make the selections at their 2019 spring meeting. Nominations must be submitted on the forms provided by the Alumni Association. Nominations will not be considered unless the entire nomination form is complete. Contact the Northwest Alumni Association for a nomination form at 660.562.1248, email alumni@nwmissouri.edu or complete the appropriate form at www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events/awards/nominations.htm. DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Recognizes Northwest alumni for their exceptional professional and personal achievement and extraordinary distinction in their chosen field.
Recognizes outstanding service-minded alumni or friends of Northwest who have devoted their time and energy to public service or the advancement of higher education.
DISTINGUISHED EMERITUS FACULTY AWARD
Recognizes a former faculty member for their outstanding teaching, service or research contributions at Northwest. DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD
Recognizes a present faculty member for their outstanding teaching, service or research contributions at Northwest. HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD
Honors Northwest friends who have served, promoted and loved the University in the tradition of a loyal graduate.
NORTHWEST TURRET SERVICE AWARD
Acknowledges a graduate, former student, current or retired staff member for his or her significant contributions of time and talents on behalf of the University and the Alumni Association. YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
Honors a graduate, 40 or younger, for exceptional Award achievements in nomination career, public service or volunteerism that deadline: bring honor to the March 1, 2019 University.
Look for more information on new majors at nwmissouri.edu/kc
KANSAS CITY
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BEARCAT SPORTS
NORTHWEST ANNOUNCES
2018 M-CLUB HALL OF FAME CLASS Four individual student-athletes, two teams and a coach and administrator who helped lead Bearcat athletics to new heights will take their places as members of Northwest’s M-Club Hall of Fame when the University hosts its annual induction banquet Friday, Oct. 12, in the J.W. Jones Student Union. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased by contacting Kiersten Orton in the athletics office at 660.562.1977 or korton@nwmissouri.edu. Seating for the event is limited and the deadline to reserve seats is Friday, Oct. 5, or until tickets are sold out.
GABBY CURTIS
Only player in program history to be named First-Team All-American; 2011 MIAA Player of Year; 18 points per game is best in program history; one of three Bearcats all-time to be selected to the Daktronics All-Region First Team. MEL TJEERDSMA
National champion as head football coach (1998, 1999, 2010); four-time national champion as athletics director (football in 2013, 2015, 2016; men’s basketball in 2016); 12-time MIAA coach of the year; four-time national coach of the year; seven-time AFCA regional coach of the year; holds the school record for football coaching victories (183), including 32 playoff wins.
ANDY ERPELDING
First-Team All-American (Daktronics, CoSida, CCA) in 2000; Second-Team All-American (D2Football.com) in 2000; MIAA First Team in 1999, 2000; two-time national champion; started 51 career games on the offensive line.
SCOTT KURTZ
Single-season strikeout record (97) and career strikeout record (223) stood for 48 years, were broken in 2017; led team in ERA in 1967 (1.66); averaged 1.67 strikeouts per inning over 58 innings in 1969. 2010 MEN’S TENNIS 2010-11 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM
29-5 overall record; MIAA regular season and tournament champions; only Final Four appearance in program history. Gene Steinmeyer was MIAA Coach of the Year; Gabby Curtis was MIAA Player of Year.
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22-5 overall; first in MIAA regular season and tournament; started a string of eight straight regular season and tournament titles; seven MIAA First-Team selections including Player of the Year Malcolm Harrison; advanced to second round of the NCAA tournament.
Kaitlyn Weis
Audrey Wichmann
Sophomores Rachel Smith and Karli Allen earned All-MIAA second-team honors. Smith was named MIAA co-pitcher of the week in March and registered 11 wins, a total that tied her for the team lead. Seventeen members of the team were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
Golf
Kevin Handzlik
2018 SPRING
SPORTS RECAP Baseball
The Bearcats captured the MIAA regular season title for the first time since 1983 and reached the 30-win mark for the second consecutive season on their way to a 30-22 overall record (25-11 MIAA) that included five three-game sweeps of MIAA foes. Eleven Bearcats earned spots on All-MIAA teams, led by firstteam selections catcher Hudson Bilodeau and pitchers Trevor Dudar and Joseph Hietpas. Bilodeau also was named first team allregion by NCBWA, ABCA/Rawlings and Daktronics/D2CCA, while Dudar earned second-team honors to all three. Senior starting pitchers Hietpas and Brad Roberts each surpassed 100 strikeouts on the season, marking only the second and third times in school history that a pitcher eclipsed the mark. Hietpas set the career strikeout mark with 324. Bilodeau batted .393, and his 72 hits rank as the fifth-most in a season in school history. Dudar set a single-season mark with 14 saves and stands three shy of the programs all-time career mark. Thirty-four players were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
Softball
The Bearcats finished in the top four of the MIAA standings for the third consecutive season on their way to a 27-19 overall finish (16-10 MIAA) and set the program record for the highest team batting average (.327) in a season. Sophomore infielder Kaitlyn Weis led the offense, batting .390 with 48 RBIs on her way to first-team MIAA honors. The accolades continued for Weis with D2CCA All-Central Region second-team honors and a spot on the 2018 NFCA Division II First Team All-American squad.
The Bearcats posted the lowest season stroke average (331.09) in program history, topping a mark set in 2012-13. After an eighthplace finish in the MIAA Spring Preview, the Bearcats recorded their best finish of the year with fourth place in the University of Nebraska-Kearney Spring Invitational. Junior Nikki McCurdy carded the lowest round of the spring, shooting a 74 on her way to an 11th-place individual finish. The team finished eighth in the MIAA Championships in Kansas City, Missouri. Freshman Morgan Thiele led the Bearcats, finishing 22nd. McCurdy captured an All-MIAA honorable mention for the second consecutive season. Seven team members were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
Track and Field
Four Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Division II outdoor championships and earned All-America honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Sophomore Jordan Hammond finished second at the national meet in the 400-meter hurdles and junior Kevin Schultz finished eighth in the high jump. Junior Karim Achengli finished 11th in the men’s 10,000-meter run and freshman Mercedes Isaacson-Cover captured a ninth-place finish in the women’s triple jump. Schultz also added an 11th-place finish in the decathlon. In total, 41 track and field student-athletes were selected to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. At the conclusion of the season, head coach Scott Lorek announced his retirement after 14 years of involvement with the cross country and track and field programs.
Tennis
The Bearcat men’s and women’s teams each finished the year with 10 wins. Each team narrowly missed an NCAA berth, marking the first time in 24 years that neither team qualified. The men’s squad earned eight All-MIAA selections, five individuals and three doubles teams. Senior Josef Altmann earned Second-Team honors at No. 1 singles and teamed with freshman Agustin Velasco for second-Team status at No. 2 doubles. The women earned five selections to All-MIAA honorable mention teams. The squads combined for 16 selections to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
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BEARCAT SPORTS
PETERSON TAKES OVER AS DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Andy Peterson ’07, ’08, ’10, a former studentathlete and coach who has served in Northwest’s athletics administration since 2013, was named the University’s director of athletics in July. Peterson had been serving as interim director of athletics since the April 30 retirement of Mel Tjeerdsma ’77. “Andy is a Bearcat and a winner,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “From being a leader in the classroom, on the hardwood and in athletics, his core focus has been on learning and uplifting the student-athlete experience. His roots in the northwest Missouri region run deep and his bedrock academic center – complemented by his playing, coaching and administrative experiences – yield an exciting future focus for Northwest athletics.” As director of athletics, Peterson is responsible for overseeing administrative functions, operations and all athletic
programs at the University. He reports to Jasinski and serves as a member of the Northwest Leadership Team and Strategic Planning Council. Peterson spent the last five years as assistant athletics director for facilities at Northwest, overseeing the day-to-day operations and scheduling for all athletics venues. He served on the University’s steering committee to develop its campus master plan as well as the steering team guiding the design, construction and implementation of the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse. His professional experience also includes four years as the Bearcats’ head women's golf coach, and he was an assistant men’s basketball coach from 2011 to 2017. He spent the 2010-11 season as the head men’s golf coach and assistant men’s basketball coach at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. He played basketball for Northwest from 2003 to 2008. After his playing career, Peterson spent two seasons as a graduate assistant with the Bearcat men’s basketball program.
Osborn, Omon elected to MIAA Hall of Fame
Yasmine Osborn
Xavier Omon
Two Bearcats – former women’s tennis player Yasmine Osborn ’99 and former football player Xavier Omon ’07 – were part of the MIAA’s 2018 Hall of Fame class when it was inducted in June. Osborn, a Lenexa, Kansas, native, earned All-American status in 1998 and won MIAA singles championships in 1997 and 1998 before taking second in 1999 when she suffered an injury in the championship match. She posted 27 singles wins and 28 28
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doubles victories as a sophomore in 1997 and earned 22 wins in singles matches during 1998. The Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament in each of the three seasons she played. Omon, a Beatrice, Nebraska, native, remains the MIAA career rushing leader after finishing with 7,073 yards. While he holds 32 of the Bearcats’ 34 records for rushing and scoring, Omon leads the MIAA record books for season rush attempts (370 in 2007) and career rush attempts (1,271), and he ranks second in MIAA single-season rushing yards with 2,337 in 2007. Omon also is the MIAA’s all-time scoring leader with 590 points and he holds the single season scoring mark of 228 points in 2007. He was a three-time First Team All-MIAA selection while helping the Bearcats claim two MIAA titles and three appearances in the NCAA Division II national title game.
Football looks to safety with adoption of Vicis Pro helmet Bearcat head football coach Rich Wright ’96 cares deeply about the well-being of the student-athlete, a trait he demonstrated during the offseason while researching the safest helmet for the Bearcats. Wright found the helmet he was looking for when Kansas City Chiefs equipment worker Tucker Peve ’17 handed him a Vicis Pro helmet. “Everything about it was different,” Wright said. “If you ever heard a real helmet drop on the ground it is a thud. This almost sounded like a rubber ball.” In making this revolutionary football helmet, Vicis engineers and neurosurgeons developed a multi-layered helmet that has a softer outer shell designed to mitigate linear and rotational impact forces. The research for the helmet took three years at a cost of $20 million. The NFL recently did a study on different types of helmets and determined Vicis was the safest helmet on the market. “When you think about it, helmets haven’t changed much since when I played. I feel it is important that we do everything we can because I think it is an amazing sport,” Wright said. “What it teaches people is invaluable.” Like so many other success stories in the Northwest athletics department, it took a collaboration from inside and outside to make it happen. The cost of a Vicis helmet is close to $800, nearly double the cost of the helmet Northwest was using. Wright figured he could pay for 20 to 25 helmets, but there was no way he or the football program could fork out the money for enough helmets. Instead of giving up on getting the safest helmet for the Bearcat players, Wright went to the Bearcat Booster Club and asked for help. The booster club fulfilled Wright’s request for 20 helmets and more, offering to fund double. “This was a remarkable commitment by the booster club to put our kids in the safest helmet as we possibly could,” Wright said.
BEARCAT SPORTS
Whether you’re in Omaha, Dallas, Kansas City, Phoenix or beyond...
Tune in to the Bearcat Radio Network Don’t miss a single play!
Listen on the radio
KXCV 90.5 FM, the 100,000-watt FM public radio station that broadcasts from the Northwest campus, is entering its 20th season as the flagship station for Bearcat sports broadcasts.
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An anchor of Bearcat athletics broadcasts since 1985, John Coffey ’82 returns as the “Voice of the Bearcats” and is joined by Matt Gaarder ’97 and Matt Tritten ’11 to call the action on the most powerful FM station in the region. Gaarder, who joined the broadcast team in 1999, alternates with Tritten, who is entering his third year with the team, on home and away games.
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Listen on the web
KXCV, 90.5 FM Maryville KRNW, 88.9 FM Chillicothe KKWK, 100.1 FM Cameron KCWJ 1030 AM Independence KCXL, 102.9 FM Kansas City KCXL 104.7 FM Kansas City KCXL, 1140 AM Liberty KMA, 960 AM Shenandoah
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www.kxcv.org www.bearcatsports.com
Listen on your phone or tablet Go to KXCV.org, click on listen live. Now available on all browsers and all mobile devices.
2018 BEARCAT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Aug. 30, 7 p.m. Sept. 6, 6 p.m. Sept. 15, 1:30 p.m. Sept. 22, 6 p.m. Sept. 29, 1:30 p.m. Oct. 6, 2 p.m. Oct. 13, 2 p.m. Oct. 20, 1 p.m. Oct. 27, 2 p.m. Nov. 3, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 10, 1 p.m.
Missouri Western Washburn Missouri Southern (Family Weekend) Central Oklahoma Emporia State (Military Day) Pittsburg State Nebraska-Kearney (Homecoming) Lindenwood Northeastern State Fort Hays State (Senior Day) Central Missouri
(Home games in green)
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CLASS NOTES
Kate McKee resides in Maryville and enjoys visiting with former students and colleagues.
TEACHER FOR LIFE McKee reflects on career spanning four decades
Kate McKee ’46 was sitting outside her Parkdale Manor residence in Maryville in June, reflecting on the former students who continue to visit her even decades after she retired from a teaching career that spanned nearly 40 years. “Every once in a while my doorbell would ring at home and I got to the door and here’s somebody smiling,” McKee said. “They were 5 or 6 and now they look a little different. So if you go see your teacher, be sure and tell her who you are.” As if on cue, Mark DeVore ’71, ’75 approached McKee from the parking lot and warmly greeted his former first grade teacher. DeVore, who now resides in Branson, Missouri, was passing through Maryville and stopped to visit friends. “Miss McKee, how are you doing?” he asked and stated his name. “Mark DeVore, my goodness sakes,” McKee replied, extending her hand with a broad smile. The exchange typified the lasting impact 30
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McKee, who turns 97 in September, has had on her former students. But her impacts extend beyond the Northwest campus as she also helped set up preschool and kindergarten programs in other northwest Missouri towns. McKee spent her entire teaching career at Northwest’s Horace Mann Laboratory School in the education hall that now bears the name of her childhood friend, Everett Brown. Chloe Millikan also was an influential figure in McKee’s career. “She was very stern and strict, and she would tell us what we were to do and we did it,” McKee said. “She really taught me a lot. She was a very bright lady.” McKee began her career in 1946 as a first grade teacher and began supervising the kindergarten and preschool programs in 1950. She also taught Northwest courses centered on early childhood education. “We did a lot of singing and, of course, I tried to get them to express their feelings and cooperate with others and learn to get along with other children,” she said of her activities
with Horace Mann children. “The mothers started working outside the home and so it was a good place for them to send their little ones.” Following Millikan’s lead, McKee helped to begin preschool and kindergarten programs. “We had to work pretty hard to get some of them up,” McKee said “They heard about it and those little schools don’t have a lot of money. They couldn’t afford to bring people in. So we would help them. Somebody would be able to tell them how to do things, what they should do, what the programs should be.” Never marrying, McKee retired early in 1982 and traveled frequently with fellow faculty member Dorothy Weigand. They visited all of the United States as well as much of Europe and Asia. “I just liked to travel and see what the country looks like,” McKee said. “I’ve been a lot of places.” For more of this story, visit nwmissouri.edu/ alumni/magazine.
CLASS NOTES
1950s Thomas Nenneman ’59 resides in Omaha, Nebraska, having retired in 1997 as associate superintendent for educational services in Millard Public Schools, for which he served 25 years. He also taught in Lakeside, California, and Shenandoah, Iowa, followed by an elementary principalship in Ralston, Nebraska, a stint with the Nebraska Department of Education and an assistant professorship at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
1970s
James “Mick” Cossairt ’76 recently joined the Kansas City branch office of Gredell Engineering Resources Inc. as a senior geologist and project manager. He has 25 years of experience in solid waste, specializing in permitting, hydrogeologic investigations, groundwater monitoring, operations, and closure of solid waste facilities. Greg Leech ’78 retired after nearly 40 years with Beatrice Bakery Co., including the past eight as president and chief executive officer. He spent his first 24 years at the company in roles that included office manager, controller and operations manager. He purchased the company with six other investors in 2002.
1980s
William “Ed” Wisner ’81 retired Aug. 1 from State Farm Insurance, where he handled auto insurance claims in the Kansas City area as well as northwest and central Missouri for 37 years. He resides in Grain Valley, Missouri, with his wife, Vickie. They have two grown sons, Brian and Greg. Maj. Gen. Chris Hughes ’83 retired in May from the U.S. Army as commanding general of the U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox, Kentucky, capping a military career spanning more than 35 years. He began work this summer as a consultant, collaborating with Northwest’s Office of Student Affairs to develop leadership-infused programming. Belinda Jacoby ’84 was among five teachers recognized with 2018 Excellence in Teaching Awards by the Nelson Family Foundation of Council Bluffs, Iowa. She recently completed her 34th year of teaching and teaches music to third, fourth and fifth graders at Titan Hill Intermediate School. Jeff Petersen ’84 was appointed president of Landmands Bank in Audubon, Iowa. He has worked in the lending business for 32 years. James Ruse ’84 was one of eight former educators in April to receive the Missouri Association of School Administrators’ Outstanding Emeritus Educator Award. He served as Gallatin High School superintendent from 1990 to 2010 in addition to service as superintendent for the Fairfax R-III School District from 1985 to 1990 and as a principal and teacher at Northeast Nodaway from 1974 to 1985.
’67 Ed Roberts, pictured with his wife, Gail Emrick Roberts ’71, received his Missouri Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame Award from Dennis Swope. After beginning his teaching career in Fairfax and Tarkio, Missouri, and marrying Gail in May 1969, Ed was drafted into the Army, serving with the 4th Army Band in San Antonio, and the 101st Airborne Band in Vietnam. He returned to Tarkio High School from 1971 to 1980 and was with Tarkio College before serving as director of bands in Harrisonville, Missouri, from 1983 until his retirement in 2000. He worked as a consultant for Meyer Music until a second retirement in 2015.
Terri Cue ’85 was recognized in April by the Blue Earth (Minnesota) Area Education Association as its Teacher of the Year. She has taught fifth grade at Blue Earth Elementary School for three years and previously taught at Winnebago Public Elementary School. Jodi Kest ’86 retired in April after 12 years as women's basketball head coach at the University of Akron (Ohio). She ended her tenure as the winningest coach in program history and established a 405-348 overall record during 34 years as a women’s basketball coach at Wilkes University and Gannon University in Pennsylvania, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Akron. David Patton ’86 and his certified therapy dog, Scout, retired from Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Jefferson City, Missouri, where Patton had served as assistant principal since 1993. He joined Jefferson City Public Schools in 1991 as a high school science teacher.
1990s
Kirk Kelley ’90 has been named athletic director at Peru State College (Nebraska). He previously served as athletic director at Eastern Oklahoma State College, Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Lyon College in Arkansas, where the Kelley Indoor Baseball Complex is named in recognition of the program he started there in 1992. He has been a collegiate head baseball coach for 25 years.
’80
Karen Daniel retired as chief financial officer of Black & Veatch in July. She joined Black & Veatch’s internal audit group in 1992 after working for a large public accounting firm and was named CFO in 1999. In 2006, she was named to the firm’s board and then as president of Black & Veatch’s Global Finance & Technology Solutions division. She concluded a one-year term last November as chairwoman of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the first African-American to have that role.
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BIER MAN
Holle pours passion for German culture into brewing Steve Holle ’80, ’81 has a saying when he converses with people about his love for beer: “Beer should be enjoyed like life – in big gulps.” The great-grandson of German immigrants, Holle developed his interest in their native language and beer while growing up in Kansas City. In 2013, after a 30-plus year career in banking and commercial real estate investment, he took a gulp and turned his passion for German-style beer into a second career, launching Kansas City Bier Co. Since beginning its distribution operation in 2014, the company has grown into the largest locally owned brewery in Kansas City with distribution to more than 50 counties in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Holle founded KC Bier – which uses the German spelling of beer – with a mission to brew authentic German-style beer and serve it with the flavor, character and freshness experienced in Germany. The company uses only German-imported malt and hops combined with old-world, traditional German brewing techniques. “I can honestly say, with all sincerity, I love to drink the beer that we make,” he said. “I think our beers are as high-quality and authentic as anything you’ll get in Germany.
I knew people would like this beer if we could do it well enough.” While attending Northwest, Holle figured he’d follow his father’s career path in finance or accounting. He majored in international marketing but retained his other interest with a second major in German and studied abroad for a semester in Hamburg. Holle eventually began his career at the Federal Reserve Bank and moved into commercial banking and real estate. He earned a master’s degree in real estate finance from the University of Wisconsin in 1988 and went to work for Northwestern Mutual Life Real Estate Investment in Dallas. But he never lost touch with his German heritage and started home-brewing during the 1990s with the goal of owning a brewery someday. He toured breweries in Munich and took classes at Doemens Mike Kruse ’90, ’91 was named the 2018 Secondary Principal of the Year for the state of Wisconsin. He has served as principal at Stoughton High School since 2008. In 2007, he was named Assistant Wisconsin Principal of the Year while at Verona Area High School.
’95 ’98
Derek Frieling was the Missouri recipient of the Harris History Teacher Award, which honors teachers who implement creative methods to interest students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past. He teaches at Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Missouri.
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Steve Holle sits in KC Bier’s Bierhalle, which he opened in 2014. His company is Kansas City’s largest locally owned brewery.
Holly Crouse ’92 was named county executive director of the Ray/Clay Farm Service Agency in Richmond, Missouri. Previously, she worked as a program technician in the Farm Service Agency’s Maryville office, and she spent 16 years with the Missouri Department of Transportation in its St. Joseph office. Matt Breen ’95 received the Jack Shelley Award from the Iowa Broadcast News Association in recognition of outstanding contributions to professional broadcast journalism in Iowa. He is an evening news anchor at KTIV-TV in Sioux City, Iowa. Joel Heinzeroth ’97 recently retired after a 20-year Army career, attaining the rank of major. He resides in southwest Oklahoma, where he is the owner-operator of a cow-calf operation near the Wichita Wildlife Refuge and works in the oil and
gas industry in western Oklahoma. He has a 9-year old daughter, Emma Carol, and a 1-year old son, Rhett Ervin. Dr. Amy Simpson Foley ’98 recently accepted a teaching role as a health science instructor at Highland (Kansas) Community College, where she provides education about the importance of exercise, good nutrition and health. Previously, she was employed as a fitness center coordinator at Missouri Western State University for 17 years. Pam Weis ’98 was named the Smithville (Missouri) School District’s 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year. She is a physical education teacher at Smithville Middle School and the junior varsity girls basketball coach at Smithville High School.
2000s
Chris Davison ’01 became co-owner of First Choice Heating and Cooling in June 2017. His wife, DeAnn Huber Davison ’03, is a marketing and communications specialist at SSM Health St. Francis Hospital. The couple lives in Maryville with their two children, Charlotte, 9, and William, 5.
CLASS NOTES
Brewing Academy. He earned the Diploma Brewer designation from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in London. He wrote articles and books about beer to help him establish credibility in the industry. “Writing about beer was a path to get me involved in the industry, gain access to people that could help in putting together a brewery plan and gain a little bit of credibility because I knew I was going to have to raise money and sell this concept,” he said. After retiring in 2013, Holle returned to Kansas City to establish KC Bier, and the company brewed its first batch of beer that December. It opened its tasting room in February 2014 and distributed its first keg for wholesale market the next month. It began a bottling operation in 2016 and today the line produces between 16,000 and 17,000 bottles a day. Although wholesale distribution represents 95 percent of its total sales, KC Bier’s Bierhalle and outdoor Biergarten bring the flavor of traditional Germany
to Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood. The Biergarten offers kid-friendly activities and hosts a “Yappy Hour” that invites patrons to bring their dogs, and the Bierhalle experienced an uptick during the summer’s World Cup games. “In Germany, in general, beer is more of a social thing,” Holle said. “There’s not so much of a stigma attached to beer drinking or a perception that beer is only for men who go into dark, smoky bars and drink beer and shoot shots. It’s looked at more like wholesome fun that families enjoy with friends and neighbors of all ages.” Holle also brought his brand of beer to Northwest. Last year, through a sponsorship with the Bearcat Radio Network, he brought KC Bier to the Bearcat Tailgate Zone in conjunction with Northwest’s Homecoming football game. “We’ve been fortunate we’ve had growth,” Holle said while discussing the competitive beer industry. “Whether it’s at Northwest with the University or the fact that I used to go drink beer at Kelly's Westport Inn when I was younger, and now they’re selling our beer. It’s really gratifying to be at places that you have a strong emotional attachment and see people enjoying our beer.” For more of this story, visit nwmissouri.edu/ alumni/magazine.
Troy Cronkhite ’02 was appointed assistant conductor of the Springfield (Missouri) Youth Symphony. Cronkhite has been director of bands at Glendale High School in Springfield for the past six years. Maj. Shannon D. Holaday ’02 took charge of the Missouri Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 129th Field Artillery in May. He has served in various leadership roles within the battalion, including command of Headquarters Battery in Kosovo and as commander of Battery D.
’00
Burton Taylor was featured by Ingram’s, a Kansas City business magazine, in its annual “40 Under 40” edition. He is president of Proventus Consulting LLC, a Kansas City-based marketing, public relations and business development agency, he founded in 2012.
Devon Watson ’02 was named principal of Bloomer Elementary in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Community School District. Previously, she was an instructional facilitator in Elkhorn (Nebraska) Public Schools, and she taught elementary school in Elkhorn and in Liberty, Missouri. Lori Fordyce ’03, ’07, ’14 was named principal at Hiawatha (Kansas) High School. Previously, she was a librarian and Title I math teacher in the Buchanan County R-IV School District, taught business and technology classes in the Ridgeway School District, and taught business classes at Central High School in St. Joseph, Missouri.
’01 Meranda Adwell Kisner married Ryan Kisner Nov. 20, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Florida. They reside in Belton, Missouri.
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NORTHWEST ALUMNAE REPRESENT TEACHERS ON GAME SHOW Ally Varner Logan ’13, ’14 and Michelle Thomsen ’13 have been singing and dancing together since the day they met as freshmen in Millikan Hall. This summer, the pair showed off their music knowledge on the popular game show “Beat Shazam.” A twist on “Name That Tune,” the show pits three two-person teams against each other to guess the names of hit songs faster than Shazam, the music identification app. Teams earn cash by being the first to correctly guess a song, and the show culminates with one team playing for $1 million in the final round. Logan said she is “obsessed” with the show and decided to submit an application to appear on it. Last year, producers called and ran her through an intensive interview process. “They quiz you non-stop,” she said. “I started studying right away, and we didn’t stop until the cameras were done rolling.” During the episode, which aired in May as the first of the show’s second season, Logan, a fifth grade teacher, and Thomsen, a kindergarten teacher, advanced to the final round and ultimately earned $278,000, which they planned to give toward projects at the schools where they teach in Omaha, Nebraska. “The amount of Bearcats who have reached out about this show has been amazing,” Logan said.
Ally Varner Logan and Michelle Thomsen are pictured on the set of "Beat Shazam," while recording an episode of the show.
Dr. Patrick Schoenekase ’04 was named principal of Dressel Elementary in St. Louis. He has 14 years of education experience as an assistant principal and elementary school teacher.
Nick Peterson was named 2017 Young Professional of the Year by the Des Moines Register and the Young Professionals Connection for his contributions to civic, charitable, entertainment and quality of life in central Iowa. Peterson initiated a partnership with a local manufacturer to provide affordable transportation to central Iowa residents through the Des Moines Area Regional Authority’s (DART) Ride Share program. He joined DART in 2016 after stints with the American Cancer Society and as development manager for the National Kidney Foundation serving Iowa and Nebraska.
’09
Ethan Sickels ’02, ’06 was named superintendent for the Rock Port (Missouri) R-II School District. He served for the last year as high school principal after five years as an elementary and high school principal in the Nodaway-Holt district. Anne-Laure Cabanis ’03 resides in Paris, France, and is employed as a Europe export sales area manager for a pharmaceutical company. Mitch Holder ’06, ’13 was named dean of instruction at North Central Missouri College. Previously, he was director of the Saline County Career Center for the Marshall Public Schools, a business teacher in the Trenton R-IX School District and an adjunct business instructor at North Central.
2010s
Corey Gilpin ’10, ’17 was named activities director at Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Missouri. In addition to teaching in the St. Joseph School District, he is an NCAA basketball and baseball official and has worked with the Missouri State High School Activities Association as a regional observer.
Chris Lake ’10 was named assistant principal at Oak Grove Elementary School in St. Joseph, Missouri. He has been employed with the St. Joseph School District since 2011 as a teacher and assessment adviser. Mike Larsen ’11 was named head men’s basketball coach at the University of Montana Western. He was an assistant coach at Dakota State University in South Dakota for the previous seven seasons.
Justin McCarthy ’13, ’17 was named principal at Hosea Elementary School in the St. Joseph (Missouri) School District. Previously, he was assistant principal at Spring Garden Middle School, taught physical education at Edison Elementary and was head baseball coach at Central High School for five years, all in St. Joseph. Chance Long ’14 was elected to the Missouri Public Transit Association’s board of directors for a one-year term. She is a transportation planner for the city of St. Joseph, Missouri.
WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? New job? New child? New spouse? New address? Send your latest news to the Northwest Alumni Association at alumni@nwmissouri.edu, use the enclosed envelope or complete the online class notes form at www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/magazine/classnotes.htm. You may also submit a photograph. Please include a self-addressed envelope for the photo to be returned, or email it, in high resolution, to alumni@nwmissouri.edu.
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CLASS NOTES
Tracy Gilbertson Dennis ’10 (left) and Debbie Swearingin Bass ’88 stand at the base of the Liberty Memorial Tower in Kansas City, Missouri.
LIVING HISTORY
Dennis, Bass take pride in work with World War I Museum and Memorial One hundred years ago, the world was witness to a war it had never seen, and two Northwest alumnae are helping keep its memory alive through their work at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. The site is experiencing a renaissance on the heels of a major expansion and declarations by the U.S. Congress making it the nation’s official World War I museum and memorial. With the iconic Liberty Memorial Tower rising 217 feet above the lawn across the Kansas City skyline, overall attendance is up more than 60 percent since 2013 to more than a half a million visitors per year with people coming from throughout the world. Debbie Swearingin Bass ’88 has played a key role in the growth as vice president of development for the museum and memorial. She has enjoyed an accomplished and rewarding fundraising career that included 21 years in the health care sector before she joined the museum and memorial as its vice president of development in 2014. “There’s nothing anywhere comparative
in Kansas City or even in the nation and possibly the world with this kind of impact on helping to influence the future in some positive ways by teaching pivotal lessons from the first global war in human history,” Bass said. A series of special exhibits, programs and events are commemorating the centennial of World War I, which enveloped the world from 1914 to 1919. But the museum also draws connections from events surrounding the war to other conflicts and the numerous cultural changes it initiated. “We’re a social museum told through the lens of World War I,” Bass said. “There’s so many social issues that stem from World War I. There’s many ways for people to connect to World War I.” Tracy Gilbertson Dennis ’10 plays a key role in relaying the stories and impacts of World War I to visitors. “We don’t just look at World War I in a vacuum,” Dennis said. “We really focus on its enduring impact. There’s so much that happened throughout the 20th and the 21st centuries that can go back to World War I.
It was a very important time period. We’re honored to be a part of it.” Dennis started at the museum and memorial in 2012 with part-time work in its store and advanced to other roles. “As a history major, I wanted to work with history hands-on and just be surrounded by it, and I get to do that every day,” Dennis said. Last year, she was appointed the museum’s processing archivist through a major gift to expand the site’s archives. She says her experiences at Northwest, including an internship with University Archives, helped her gain confidence and prepared her for success in the field. “Tracy is an example of someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to get her foot in the door and then working her way up and do whatever is handed to her and do it well with a smile on her face,” Bass said. “Every intern that we have come through, I always tell them to go talk to Tracy because she’s a great example.” For more of this story, visit nwmissouri.edu/ alumni/magazine. NORTHWEST ALUMNI MAGAZINE I FALL 2018
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IN MEMORIAM
IN MEMORIAM
Northwest extends its condolences to the families and friends of these individuals. Dr. Larry Albright II ’64, age 75, of Webb City, Missouri, died Feb. 4. He was a chemistry professor at Missouri Southern State University, retiring in 2006. Rich Bappe ’72, age 70, of Waldport, Oregon, died Feb. 17. He led the union painting preapprenticeship program at Angell Job Corps, in Yachats, Oregon, for 29 years. Linda Berry ’95, age 70, of Glenwood, Missouri, died June 14. She taught at Clark County and Schuyler County Schools and later served as principal and superintendent in Schuyler County schools, retiring in 2003. Randy Betz ’76, age 63, died March 30, in Columbus, Nebraska. He was employed at Dale Electronics, RW Beck and Associates, and finally at Nebraska Public Power District, where he worked for almost 39 years as a billing specialist. Moila Strickler Bilby ’63, age 97, of Washburn, Missouri, died Feb. 9. She taught school and was a librarian for several years at St. Joseph and Forbes schools in Missouri and taught in Oklahoma and Texas. In 1977, she moved to southwest Missouri where she raised cattle in Barry and McDonald counties. Brett Blake ’93, age 52, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died June 27. He served in the Army National Guard as a mechanic in Red Oak, Iowa, and worked at Riverbend Treatment Center as a youth specialist in St. Joseph. Elizabeth Buhman ’72, age 66, of Darlington, Missouri, died June 14. She was a teacher at King City and Union Star schools for 33 years, retiring in 2009. Betty Ruth Bussard ’64, age 75, died May 16 in Rock Port, Missouri. An avid horse rider, she was Missouri State Champion High School Rodeo
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Queen in 1958 and 1959 as well as the Tri-State World Championship Rodeo Queen, National High School Rodeo Queen, Aksarben Rodeo Queen, and Miss Rodeo Missouri. Dr. David Coss, 80, of Cameron, Missouri, died April 13. He joined the Northwest faculty in 1967 and was an instructor in the English department for 30 years before retiring.
Doris Gardner Cundiff ’45, age 93, of Kirksville, Missouri, died Nov. 26, 2017. She taught in Kirksville Public Schools, at Northwest, high school in Bowling Green, Missouri, and at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia. Timothy DeBoom ’97, age 43, of Orlando, Florida, died Feb. 27. He worked as an accountant and spent the last 15 years at The First Academy in Orlando, where he served as director of finance, among other roles. Arthur DeLee, age 66, of King City, Missouri, died April 26. He was a journeyman carpenter and worked as a carpenter for 20 years at Northwest. Emma Brown DeVore ’42, age 97, of Maryville, died March 14. She taught fourth grade at Northwest’s Horace Mann Laboratory School.
Reba Maffitt Dorsett ’43, age 99, of Gillette, Wyoming, died May 30. She taught school in Nodaway County, Iowa and Wyoming. Jean Ford, age 94, of Branson, Missouri, died Oct. 27, 2017. She taught dancing at Northwest. Gaylord Garrison ’67, age 71, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died Feb. 15, 2017. He served in the Missouri Air National Guard. He worked for the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and then as a sales manager for about 25 years, primarily for OreIda Foods. Lura Hanson ’57, age 82, of Clearwater, Florida, died June 11. She taught English in Windsor, Missouri, for several years before moving to Florida. Thomas Harvey ’70, age 97, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died Feb. 11. He was a World War II Air Force pilot and went on to become a math teacher. He was a principal in the North Harrison School District and then was superintendent in the Stanberry and North Andrew school districts. Ervin Hawk (attended), age 78, of Ravenwood, Missouri, died May 15. A 1957 graduate of Horace Mann High School, he was a soldier in the Army Reserves for six years and operated a Grade A dairy farm for 51 years. Dr. Emerson Ireland ’67, age 73, of Fairfax, Missouri, died Jan. 7. He practiced osteopathic medicine and operated the Ireland Clinic for nearly
IN MEMORIAM
20 years in Richmond, Missouri. He also worked as an emergency room physician from 1999 to 2005 in Lake Ozark, Missouri, operated Doctor’s Urgent Care in West Plains, Missouri, from 2005 to 2010, and then was a primary care and ER physician for nearly five years in Fairfax. Janet Stuck Jelavich ’77, ’86, age 64, of Kansas City, Missouri, died April 16. She taught high school English, speech and debate at LeBlond, Savannah and Maryville high schools as well as courses at Northwest and Missouri Western State University. Lesley Dunham Johnson ’91, age 65, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died Jan. 29. She had been employed with Northwest Behavioral Health for the past 15 years. Rose Marie Adams Kent ’66, age 74, of Richmond, Missouri, died May 11. She taught music and art in Colorado and Missouri and later managed hotel properties with her husband. Dr. Paul Kerber ’58, ’81, of Blue Springs, Missouri, died Oct. 16, 2017. He retired in 2011 after 10 years as computer center director at the University of Kansas School of Business. Previously, he served in the same role at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, and was a tenured associate professor at the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry from 1975 to 1981. Dorothy Snook Kneib ’58, age 82, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died May 5. She began her career in 1957, teaching fifth grade in Keokuk, Iowa. In 1959, she began her employment with the St. Joseph School District, where she was a teacher for 15 years and worked in administration for 15 years.
Fred Lisle ’82, age 57, of Clarinda, Iowa, died March 27. He worked nearly 36 years for Lisle Corporation, a manufacturer of auto mechanic specialty tools his family founded in 1903. He started in the assembly department, eventually becoming advertising manager and then vice president of sales and marketing. In 2009, he was named president of the corporation. Brenda Lou Long ’90, age 54, of Graham, Missouri, died April 23. She worked in various roles, including a position at AFLAC. Elvin Long ’59, age 81, of Deadwood, South Dakota, died Oct. 23, 2017. He was a 1954 graduate of Horace Mann High School and became an educator, serving as a teacher, principal, superintendent, professional consultant and more than 30 years as the director of adult education for the state of Missouri. Lavona Gardner Lorance ’63, ’75, age 87, of Maryville, died Feb. 4. She taught elementary school for 41 years with her last 28 years in the Northeast Nodaway R-V School District. After retiring, she volunteered with the adult literacy program in Maryville. Chuck Loucks ’77, age 64, died May 26 in Doniphan County, Kansas. He worked as a nursing home administrator.
Nancy Canaday McQuerry ’62, age 75, of Raymore, Missouri, died June 14, 2016. She was a high school business education teacher in St. Joseph and Adrian, Missouri, until retiring. Dr. Eugene McCown ’80, ’81, age 77, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died April 5. He taught in the psychology department at Northwest and later worked for the Maryville Treatment Center as a case worker. Dr. Gail F. McKinzie ’68, ’70, age 71, of Denton, Texas, died May 24. She was a distinguished teacher, principal and superintendent serving the Lee’s Summit (Missouri) R-7 School District, Indian Prairie School District in Aurora, Illinois, and the Polk County Public Schools in Bartow, Florida, where she was its first female superintendent from 2004 to 2010. Margaret Baker Melton ’45, age 93, died May 12, in Ormond Beach, Florida. She taught for 34 years in Iowa, Missouri and New York, retiring in 1979 after 23 years in the Hicksville (Long Island, New York) school system.
Janet Drennan Marlatt ’47, age 92, died March 11. She taught high school in Omaha, Nebraska, before moving to Tacoma, Washington, where she taught business. Later, she became office manager at her husband’s medical practice until retiring in 1988.
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IN MEMORIAM
Melvin Doug Meng ’75, ’85, age 65, of Oregon, Missouri, died May 31. He served six years in the Air National Guard and taught industrial technology in the St. Joseph (Missouri) School District for 26 years. Bettie Claire Wallace Neil ’47, of Fairport, Missouri, died May 8. She taught high school English in Maysville and at Grandview High School before becoming a farmer’s wife and full-time mother. Later, she became a librarian at Plattsburg High School, retiring from that career after 30 years. Ted Nowakowski ’93, age 69, died Jan. 11, in Des Moines, Iowa. He served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam, receiving two Purple Hearts. He was an art teacher and later a principal at Murray (Iowa) Community School, retiring in 2010. Paul O’Connor Jr. ’67, age 74, of Adrian, Missouri, died May 5. He worked as a teacher and administrator for various schools in Hopkins, Missouri, and in the North Platte School District. He later owned and operated The Tinder Box in Overland Park, Kansas. Rosa Eivins Peterson ’54, age 86, of Cameron, Missouri, died April 21. She taught English, journalism and was the yearbook staff sponsor at Cameron High School before retiring. Ruth Ann Thornton Paulsen ’62, age 76, of Overland Park, Kansas, died Aug. 5, 2017. She taught French and Spanish in high schools in Topeka, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, and she escorted French students on trips to France several times. Dr. Milton Ploghoft ’49, age 94, of Athens, Ohio, died April 3. He was a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at Ohio University. He authored a number of textbooks and lived abroad for many years, founding the College of Education in Kano, Nigeria, lecturing at Saigon University and leading the university's international programs in Chile, Cameroun, Botswana, the Yucatan, Swaziland and in what was then South Vietnam. In 1992, he became the founding editor of the African Education Research Network. Milton and his late wife, Zella, established the Ploghoft Diversity Lecture Series at Northwest. Dr. Kevin Rhodes ’91, age 45, of Kirksville, Missouri, died June 18. He was an internal medicine physician at Northeast Regional Medical Group in Kirksville where he worked largely with elderly patients. He also taught at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine where he was an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.
LET US KNOW
Dr. Dale Rosenburg, 89, of Bradbury, California, died Dec. 30, 2016. He was a faculty member in the Northwest chemistry department from 1966 to 1986 and introduced biochemistry to the curriculum. He worked for 10 years as a research chemist for Merck & Co. before coming to Northwest. After retiring, he and his wife, Peg, joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in Ghana, West Africa. He later was a volunteer school administrator in Nepal.
Marilyn Ruckman ’55, ’71, age 91, of Albany, Missouri, died March 3. She was an educator for 27 years in the Albany R-III school system and 12 years in the elementary school system in Earlimart, California. Richard Schmitz ’64, age 75, of Atlantic, Iowa, died Feb. 8. He served in the Missouri Air National Guard for six years. He began his career with TWA in 1966 and was certified as a first officer on the McDonnell Douglas DC-9. He later was promoted to captain, transitioning to flying the Boeing 727. Gary Seaton ’99, age 82, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died May 8. He was employed by American Family Insurance and supervised the company claims operations in several Midwestern states before retiring in 2009. Cleo Sherry, age 84, of Maryville, died June 24. He served as transportation director at Northwest for 34 years and worked as a local realtor. Billie Jean Cobb Shultz ’71, age 82, of St. Joseph, Missouri, died Feb. 23. She taught elementary education for 38 years at Forest City, Craig, RaymorePeculiar, Easton, Stewartsville, Camden Point and Platte City, all in Missouri. LeAnn Keenan Storer ’82, age 58, of Creston, Iowa, died June 23. She taught English, writing and literature in Latimer, Iowa; Waynesville, Missouri; and Southwestern Community College as well as at Northwest. Patricia Painter Trump ’81, age 59, of Reeds Spring, Missouri, died April 16. She taught physical education, driver’s education and coached basketball.
Lane Ulmer ’50, age 91, died Jan. 21, in Germantown, Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and became an industrial arts teacher in addition to coaching high school baseball, basketball and track, retiring in 1987. Ann Marie Kimm Valdez ’77, age 63, died June 20, in Keene, Texas. She was a librarian at Rio Vista High School for eight years and previously worked at Chisholm Trail Academy in Keene as an athletic director, a physical education teacher and taught English. She was also an adjunct professor at Southwestern Adventist University. She was inducted into the Northwest M-Club Hall of Fame in 1998 for basketball, cross country and track. Peggy Wetherell ’80, age 75, of Spencer, Iowa, died May 27. She was an elementary school teacher in Spencer and Sioux City, Iowa; an elementary principal in Yankton, South Dakota, and Sioux Rapids, Iowa; and curriculum director for public schools near Indianola, Iowa. Anne Seymour Will ’62, age 77, of Salem, Missouri, died Feb. 19. She was an elementary teacher and taught at Salem Middle School for 37 years before retiring. Dr. Dean Wintermute ’53, age 86, of Cooper, Texas, died Feb. 17. He began his medical practice in Amarillo, Texas, and later moved to Cooper, Texas, where he purchased and opened Reed Memorial Hospital in 1959. He then purchased the West Delta School in 1962 and served thousands of patients there until 1968. He continued his general practice and saw patients after he retired, maintaining his medical license in Texas and Missouri until his death. Steve Youngman ’82, age 57, of Dallas, Texas, died May 14. He was a lawyer, practicing in the areas of business reorganization and debtor and creditor rights.
If you learn of the death of a Northwest graduate, please submit in writing or via news clipping the name of the deceased (and maiden name, if appropriate), year(s) of graduation from Northwest, date of death, age, city of death, city of residence and a brief listing of career accomplishments. In addition, submit your relationship to the deceased and your daytime telephone number to the Office of University Advancement, 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468-6001, fax to 660.562.1990 or email alumni@nwmissouri.edu. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
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NORTHWEST
POSTCARD The berries of a Winter King hawthorn tree outside the B.D. Owens Library on the Northwest campus feed robins and add color to the landscape during the fall.
Named the state of Missouri’s arboretum in 1993, Northwest will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the designation this fall. Northwest, which also maintains a Tree Campus USA designation with the Arbor Day Foundation, is home to more than 1,800 trees and more than 150 species cultivated from throughout the world.
NORTHWEST THE MAGAZINE FOR NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
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ALUMNI MAGAZINE I FALL 2018
Northwest Missouri State University Office of University Advancement 800 University Drive Maryville, MO 64468-6001
Stay in touch with us: www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni 660.562.1248 alumni@nwmissouri.edu
Join the Tourin’ Bearcats on their upcoming trip
Hawaiian Adventure April 25 through May 4, 2019 $5,799 per person* $500 deposit due at time of reservation. Deposit due Oct. 18. Insurance $290 per person
Highlights: • • • • •
Waikiki Beach Pearl Harbor Oahu’s North Shore Waimea Canyon Kauai Coffee Estate
• • • •
Fern Grotto Iao Valley Lahaina Polynesian Luau
Final payment due February 24, 2019.
Includes: • Round trip airfare from Kansas City, air taxes, hotel transfers • Nine breakfasts • Four dinners • Transportation from Maryville to Kansas City International Airport
Make your reservation today. Limited availability. *Prices based on double occupancy and departure from Kansas City International Airport; taxes and fees/ surcharges and hotel transfers; cancellation waiver and insurance available for purchase; all rates are per person and subject to change, based on air inclusive package from Kansas City International Airport.
For more information, contact the Northwest Alumni Association at alumni@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1248.
NORTHWEST
M I S S O U R I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
ALUMNI A S S O C I A T I O N
For more information about this trip, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/travel or to book, call the Tourin’ Bearcats Help Desk at 800.869.6806. Sponsored by the Northwest Alumni Association and KXCV-KRNW, Northwest’s NPR affiliate.