UCM Magazine - Spring 2023

The Heart of Wine Country

Alumni invest in the history and future of Missouri wine

4 REINVENTING THE HEART OF WINE COUNTRY

Alumni couple seeks to make Augusta, Missouri, the first American Viticulture Area, an international wine destination.

FEATURE STORIES

10 SIPPING IN STOVER

Legacy alumni families in Stover, Missouri, hone the craft of wine and beer making.

14 GOING BACK TO FETCH IT

A native of Warrensburg traces her roots from UCM to Ghana — and back again. 20 PREDICTING THE UNPREDICTABLE

28 A PLACE TO CALL HOME

Mules Wrestling gets a permanent practice facility, thanks to the generosity of alumni.

DEPARTMENTS

38 UNION TURNS 60

See how UCM’s campus living room has changed over the decades.

On the cover:

David and Jerri Hoffmann, both ’74, have purchased four wineries in Augusta, Missouri, next door to their hometown of Washington. The 160-year-old cellar at one of those wineries, Mount Pleasant Estates, is constructed of stone hewn from a nearby quarry and bricks made by hand on the property. Photo by Jack St. Louis.

MAGAZINE UCM

SPRING 2023, Vol. 22, No. 1

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Kathy Strickland

ART DIRECTOR

Linda Harris, ’91

CONTRIBUTORS

Tiffany Cochran, ’05, ’23

Jackie Jackson, ’09, ’12

John Kennedy, ’92, ’13

Jeff Murphy, ’80, ’95

An Quigley, ’94

Travis Seek, ’16

Jessica Tart

Jace Uchtman

Samantha Wright

© 2023 by University of Central Missouri. All rights reserved. Views and submitted content do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of UCM Magazine, the UCM Alumni Foundation or the University of Central Missouri.

Find us online: ucmfoundation.org/magazine.

UCM Magazine welcomes story ideas and letters to the editor at ucmmagazine@ucmo.edu.

Submit address updates at ucmfoundation.org/update, by email at alumni@ucmo.edu or by phone at 660-543-8000.

UCM Magazine is published biannually by the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093. Printed by Neal/Settle Printing Inc., 14004 Norby Road, Grandview, MO 64030.

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

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

The Union Bowling Center’s new look was unveiled at the annual “Bowling With the Bests” event in March. Find out what else is new at the union as we take a look back at its 60-year history. See page 38.

A TOAST TO THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF MULENATION

Spring has sprung, and campus is in full bloom! As we enjoy the beauty of the flowers and trees that surround our historical buildings, we look also to the nearby rolling hills of Missouri’s wine country. Did you know that the first American Viticulture Area (AVA) was right here in Missouri? In this issue, we explore UCM’s connection to the rebirth of Missouri’s wine industry, which was second in the nation in production prior to Prohibition.

Learn how an alumni couple has invested in renovating the town of Augusta, site of the first AVA, to make it an international wine destination with a focus on history and sustainability. We also share the stories of two UCM legacy families who have established a successful winery and brewery in Stover, Missouri. The executive director of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, also a UCM alumnus, shares insight from his decades of experience working with the state’s grape growers and invites you to share the fruits of our alumni-owned establishments’ labor at the Missouri Wine Tent during the State Fair.

Our ties to the history of Missouri remain deep and strong, and most of our students still come from cities, towns and rural regions throughout the state. At the same time, we are seeing growing numbers of international students while embracing opportunities for students, faculty and staff to bring the world a little closer through exchange agreements with international colleges and universities, study abroad opportunities, and global research and service expeditions. Read about a new agreement with a university in Ghana and one alumna’s journey growing up in Warrensburg as the daughter of an international student from Ghana. We also take you to Japan, where a UCM Geoscience professor was part of an international expedition focused on better predicting when and where earthquakes will occur.

In addition to these overseas experiences, you will find information about what’s happening on campus. As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Elliott Student Union, we take a look back at how our “campus living room” has changed over the years. We are also pleased to present to you a space on campus that has been transformed into the Roger Denker Wrestling Facility, a new permanent home for our Mules Wrestlers.

Thank you for staying connected with UCM, and for helping your alma mater remain “Mule Strong.” We hope to see you at one of our many upcoming events, such as the Missouri State Fair this summer or Homecoming this fall!

Council for Advancement and Support of Education

2022 Best of District VI Award

Roger J. Best, Ph.D. UCM President

Neal Seipp Trumpet Scholarship

Alumni and friends joined together to establish the Neal Seipp Trumpet Scholarship Endowment, honoring Professor Emeritus Seipp’s nearly 30 years of service to UCM Music. The scholarship will provide financial aid to juniors and seniors who play the trumpet and are pursuing a degree in Music.

The endowment was announced in February during a UCM Band Alumni Reunion and inaugural Coleman Clarinet Celebration, honoring Professor Emeritus Russell Coleman.

Gift of Grain

C&S Construction Grain Bin Services LLC gifted UCM Farms a grain bin for the Prussing Farm operations.

Mary Beth Vogt Bailey Tri Sigma Scholarship ‘Blind’ Boone Scholarship

Mike and Mary Beth Bailey have established the Mary Beth Vogt Bailey Sigma Sigma Sigma Scholarship Endowment to assist active members of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority who have financial need and are interested in chapter leadership and community service.

Pictured are Vicki Byrd ’76, Mike Bailey ’68, and Mary Beth Bailey, ’68, with student members Neely Humphrey, Ashley Humm, Daelynn Scheulen, and Mary Frerking.

Black Alumni Association Scholarship

The UCM Black Alumni Association Scholarship was awarded during the Black Alumni Association reunion at UCM Homecoming 2022. This scholarship is for full-time undergraduate students who are active members of the UCM Association of Black Collegians. Scholarship awardees pictured in the front row, from left, are China Pryor, Cydney Garland, Michaela Hines, Carley Martin and Rachel Slocum. Not pictured are Demeris Walker and Sonyai Cason.

An anonymous donor has endowed the John William “Blind” Boone Scholarship in Music to honor the nationally known pianist and composer whose extraordinary life and career began in Warrensburg, Missouri. Students from the state of Missouri in their junior or senior year pursing a degree in Music are eligible to apply by writing an essay about how their music has served or impacted an underrepresented community.

The scholarship endowment was announced during the John W. “Blind” Boone Symposium in October. Pictured is the symposium’s steering committee: Allison Robbins, associate professor of Musicology; Michael Sawyer, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; student committee members Christian Chavez and Zoe Eledge; Eric Honour, chair of the School of Visual and Performing Arts; and David Aaberg, chair of UCM Music. Not pictured is student Conner Craig.

Neal Seipp

Anderson Family Locker Room

The Sherman Family Foundation has made a gift to support the UCM College of Education “Grow Your Own Future” program. This flexible program is designed to remove barriers for paraprofessionals currently working in preK–12 schools to assist them in becoming fully accredited teachers. The program, which started in 2019, operates out of the UCM Lee’s Summit campus and partners with 14 districts. The first 17 graduates, including those pictured below, all secured employment in their own classrooms in fall 2022.

Muleball Brothers For Life

The Muleball Brothers for Life, an active group of former UCM football players, has generously provided support to renovate the Terry Noland Football Office Complex and establish a new endowed fund to support the football program’s needs.

“Our involvement in the Coach Noland office remodel was our way to repay him for all coach did for me and, as a result, for my family,” says Muleball Brothers donor Paul Glaunert, ’91. “I spent countless hours in those offices participating in study hall. I truly didn’t understand how discipline and structure helped shape my academic career until I got out into the workforce. Then there were the countless hours spent in those offices studying the game of football, the true meaning of teamwork.”

Pictured are: back row, Rick Moyer, ‘03, Matt Player, ‘93, Rob Park, ‘94, Paul Kaiser, ‘97, Coach Jeff Floyd, Marc Tuttle, ‘94, and Joe Grubb, ‘94; front row, Ross Ball, ‘04, Coach Terry Noland and Brandon Peck.

Above: The Mules Basketball team is benefiting from a newly renovated locker room, thanks to a gift from the Weymuth families and W-K Dealerships. The Anderson Family Locker Room features 16 new state-of-the-art lockers and is named in honor of former Head Coach Kim Anderson. Celebrating the new locker room are: back row, Kelsey Weymuth, Kyle Weymuth, ‘08, Karson Weymuth, Ken Weymuth, ’78, Keith Anderson, ’54, and Kathy Anderson, ’80; in front, Kim Weymuth and Kellen Weymuth. Below: Lauren Sullivan, Brett Anderson, Ryan Anderson, ’11, and Kim Anderson.

New Scholarships

The Patterson Family Foundation Rural Community Improvement Scholarship has been established to provide financial assistance to full-time students from rural Kansas and Western Missouri counties who intend to return to a rural community after earning their UCM degree.

Charles Wells has established the Patricia A. Wells Shooting Sports Scholarship Endowment in memory of his late wife, a 1962 graduate.

Megan Weigel, ’22

Jennifer Morrow, ’21

— Eduardo Galeano

“

Coming Home

of Wine Country to the Heart

UCM Alumni Reinvent America’s First Viticulture Area

By Kathy Strickland

kind of like watching a child grow,” UCM alumnus Jim Anderson, ’86, says of the Missouri wine industry, which consisted of about 25 wineries when he became executive director of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board 25 years ago.

The state now boasts a $3.2 billion industry, with more than 130 wineries, 1,700 acres of vineyards and nearly a million tourists each year.

The grapes grown in Missouri are not the same varieties as the more well-known vinifera, such as Cabernet, Chardonnay and Merlot, which are commonly grown in California wine country. While vineyards in the center of the state are at roughly the same latitude as Napa Valley and Sonoma, one big difference in Missouri is harsh winters, which can kill the vines, and high humidity, which can lead to insect infestation.

In fact, it was a blight caused by microscopic insects called phylloxera that led to the creation of French-American

hybrids grown in Missouri, such as Vignoles and Chambourcin. These pests made their way across the Atlantic in the late 1850s or early 1860s, wreaking havoc on French vineyards. In 1870, Charles Valentine Riley, Missouri’s first state entomologist, discovered that the state’s native grapes were particularly resistant to phylloxera. Missouri sent 10 million specimens of rootstock to French farmers, who grafted it to their vines to create heartier breeds. Charles is often credited with saving the French wine industry.

Just two decades before the blight nearly destroyed France’s wellestablished wine industry, Missouri wineries were just getting started. German immigrants settled the town of Hermann along the Missouri River and planted grapes because the soil and weather conditions were similar to that of their native Rhineland. The region was producing wine commercially by the late 1840s, and a decade later the area

David and Jerri Hoffmann, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2022, have invested in making the area where they grew up a national wine destination.

boasted more than 60 wineries, producing more than 10,000 gallons a year. By the 1870s, Stone Hill Winery, established in 1847, had grown to become the second largest in the country and third largest in the world, rolling out more than 1 million gallons a year.

In the late 1800s, Italian immigrants established vineyards in the Ozark Highlands near St. James. By the turn of the century, there were more than 100 wineries across the state producing 2 million gallons a year. Missouri’s wine industry was second only to Ohio until Prohibition brought it to a screeching halt in 1920.

When the 21st Amendment repealed the nation’s ban on alcohol in 1933, wine production restrictions were lifted, but the industry had suffered a fatal blow. The tables had turned, and European wine had

reclaimed its historical stake in the market. The Old World vinifera once saved by American rootstock became the wines of choice for those fortunate enough to afford them during the Great Depression. The Depression ended with the second World War, which had a cultural impact on those who served overseas.

“When our military came back after World War II, they’d been in Italy, Germany, France and Spain, where they were still growing grapes and making wine,” Jim says. “So they brought that interest back with them, and in the 1950s you see this rebirth in California, and then in the ’60s in Missouri.”

The Augusta Appellation

Mount Pleasant Estates in Augusta was among the first Missouri vineyards to reestablish itself in the 1960s. Founded by German immigrants in 1859, Mount Pleasant overlooks the Missouri River Valley and boasts nine varieties of grapes grown on 125 acres about an hour west of St. Louis.

In 1980 the 15-square-mile area surrounding

Augusta was named the first American Viticulture Area (AVA), even before Napa Valley in 1981. In choosing Augusta over the seven California districts that applied for this distinction, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms cited the region’s unique soil, climate, local grape varieties and long history as one of America’s first wine districts.

In 1984 the Missouri Wine and Grape program was established, and a state viticulturist was appointed to help revitalize the industry. Four years later, Augusta Winery opened, and in 1986 Mount Pleasant’s Vintage Port became the only Missouri wine ever to claim a gold medal at the International Wine and Spirit Awards in London.

UCM alumni David and Jerri Hoffmann, ’74, have deep roots in this land. Growing up in nearby Washington, just across the river from Augusta, they were high school sweethearts. David’s father drove a milk truck, and the family did not have hot running water for most of his childhood.

“We started out incredibly poor, and that was a gift, not a curse, because it makes you hungrier, it makes you more ambitious, and you work harder because you didn’t know what it was like not to work hard,” says David, who made his fortune in executive recruiting and real estate.

The Kickstand bike rental shop is located along the Katy Trail near Augusta Winery, pictured at right, and Mount Pleasant Estates. The Hoffmanns own another Kickstand location in nearby Defiance, which is also along the trail.

At the age of 25, he took out a loan to buy a golf course in Washington and also invested in rental properties. In 1989 he founded DHR, an international executive search and leadership consulting firm with more than 50 locations. He then formed Osprey Capital LLC, which has more than 100 locations in 27 countries. The Hoffmann Family of Companies now encompasses more than 90 businesses with 280 locations worldwide.

The Hoffmanns have invested in places they love, including Avon, Colorado, where they helped revitalize the downtown area and developed the base of Beaver Creek ski resort. In Naples, Florida, they purchased restaurants and shops downtown, transportation and tourism companies,

recreational businesses, a golf course, Hertz Arena and the Florida Everblades hockey team.

With their sons, Geoff and Greg, now taking over the day-to-day business operations as co-CEOs of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, David and Jerri are entering a new stage of their lives. Their parents still live in the Augusta area, along with other family members and high school friends. The location is also close to their alma mater and friends they met at UCM. Inspired by the Paramount series “Yellowstone,” starring Kevin Costner, David thought long and hard when the world stood still in 2020 about what place he would fight to protect.

“I thought, where do I feel passionate enough about to put it all on the line to save the land?” David says. “Colorado is gorgeous, but it never felt like home to me. We like Naples a lot, but if you think of the history that Jerri and I have together back here, it’s about the land. This is home, not just another development.”

The Hoffmanns relocated to a home on the bluffs of St. Albans, overlooking the Missouri River.

Greg and his family followed suit, relocating from Chicago.

When the Hoffmanns started investing in Augusta, the tiny town of just over 250 people did not even have a gas station. They have invested more than $150 million in more than 50 properties, including bicycle shops, eateries, a furniture store-turned-boutique and an amphitheater that seats 500. They bought nurseries and landscaping companies, then put the employees to work beautifying the town.

In nearby Marthasville, the Hoffmanns transformed the original

stone buildings of a 19th century German seminary campus into the Chateau Hoffmann, featuring 18 luxury rooms in addition to employee housing. Future plans include a five-star hotel off the Katy Trail, with 106 rooms, a pool and spa, a worldclass dining facility and a conference center.

In January 2021, the Hoffmann Family of Companies acquired Augusta’s 50-acre Knoernschild Vineyards and 90-acre Balducci Vineyards with nearby golf course. In February 2021, they purchased Augusta Winery, in the heart of downtown, and Montelle Winery, which offers beautiful views of the river and countryside. In March 2021, they purchased the historical Mount Pleasant Estates, the oldest winery in Augusta, with buildings dating back to the 1820s and a wine cellar that was constructed from local limestone and handmade bricks. After just one year under their management, these four Augusta wineries were distributing

a million bottles of wine in 16 states and expecting to double production in 2023.

Each winery has a unique brand identity, which David and Jerri believe is important to maintain. The wines keep their own labels, and the Hoffmanns entrust the winemakers to do what they do best. To establish their brand, they have given each winery its own color. Mount Pleasant is rosé, a nod to its original hue,

The Hoffmanns have given each of their four Augusta wineries its own color. Balducci Vineyards sits atop a historical farm, painted orange and bathed in the orange glow of a spectacular Missouri sunset.

Wine Nation

at the

Every summer MuleNation alumni from across Missouri and beyond convene in the Missouri Wine Tent at the State Fair.

UCM alumna Judy Smith, ’84, and her husband, Todd Smith, own the tent, where varietals from alumni-owned wineries

Dale Hollow, Mount Pleasant, Montelle and Augusta are available for tasting.

Alumnus Jim Anderson, ’86, executive director of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, shares tips for pairing wine with local foods at this annual MuleNation event.

and Augusta is antique red to represent the town’s historical charm. Montelle, which sits prominently on top of a steep hillside ridge, is “halfway to heaven” in a soft shade of yellow, and Balducci is a warm, happy orange since the winery and its silo glow in the spectacular Missouri sunsets.

“What better way to freshen things up than with a new coat of paint?” Jerri says, noting that their business model is to build on a company’s success versus tearing it down and starting over. “We take something that’s really good and try to make it a little bit better. Our vision is to revitalize the charm and history of Augusta.”

The Hoffmanns’ goal is to make the first AVA a renowned wine destination, similar to Napa Valley or Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm. Through a synergistic approach, they are investing not only in infrastructure but also in the full experience of Missouri wine country. They have acquired a local bus company and offer complimentary trolley rides to each of their four Augusta wineries. They also offer ATV tours and a river cruise aboard the 105-foot luxury yacht, Miss Augusta, sister to Miss Naples and Princess Naples in Florida.

When the Hoffmanns started giving boat tours on Oct. 1, 2022, they predicted having around 750 customers in the first month. Instead, they served 3,300 passengers in October. The cruise offerings have expanded

The Hoffmanns started offering river cruises on their “Miss Augusta” yacht in October 2022. Top and right: Patrons enjoy spectacular views of the river valley from Montelle Winery.

to include private charters, afternoon sightseeing cruises, sunset dinner cruises, eagle-watching tours with St. Charles County park rangers onboard and monthly wine-tasting cruises where passengers hear directly from the winemakers.

Sustainable Growth

At all of the Hoffmann-owned wineries in Augusta, grapes are grown using sustainable viticulture, meaning their practices are ecologically sound, energy efficient and socially supportive.

Before becoming executive director of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, Jim Anderson was a state horticulture specialist with the Missouri Department of Agriculture for 10 years. He majored in Agriculture Business at UCM and still works closely with Missouri farmers and state commodity organizations for beef, pork, corn, soybeans and wine.

Jim lauds the sustainable practices used by various grape producers across Missouri, including drip irrigation, soil conservation, bee pollination, natural pest control, solar power use, hand-harvesting, recycling and composting. He also notes that the state’s industry is conducting research on wine grape cultivars and advanced breeder selection to grow grapes that are disease

resistant, have inherent tolerance to pests and can adapt to environmental change. The Missouri Restaurant Association, Missouri Division of Tourism and Missouri Conservation Federation are all invested in a successful agriculture and agritourism industry. These groups partner with the Missouri Wine and Grape Board to educate residents and visitors about sustainability.

“Local wine is an ideal pairing for local food because it’s coming from the same soil,” says Jim. “I think people are open to that now.

They want to be surprised by local food, wines and brews. They want to feel good about keeping their money in Missouri and eating in season.”

More than a century since Prohibition drained Missouri dry, the state’s wine industry is back — and bigger than ever. UCM alumni are playing key roles in the renaissance. The child has come of age, but, as the Italian proverb says, “age and glasses of wine should never be counted.”

— David Hoffmann

“ ”

It’s about the land. This is home, not just another development.

Sipping in Stover

Legacy Alumni Families Hone Their Craft in This Small Missouri Town

In the summer months the Lake of the Ozarks is swarming with recreational tourists and vacationers. Those seeking the Missouri wine country experience can follow the Lake of the Ozarks Wine Trail, one of 11 such trails across the state, to the city of Stover. With a population of just over 1,000, it’s a short 30- to 40-minute day trip from either side of the lake.

Down in the Hollow

Tucked away at the far side of town is Dale Hollow Winery, built on the site of the farm where UCM alumnus Kenny Dale, ’80, grew up. Instead of hay, there are now 3,000 vines of eight grape varieties lining 15 acres.

The label of Storybook Red, one of Dale Hollow’s semi-sweet wines, best tells the story of this UCM legacy family. A drawing of a tractor hauling bales of golden hay is framed by grape vines bursting with ripe purple fruit, depicting the family’s past and future. This and all of the wines’ labels were created by Kenny’s wife, Beth, who earned her master’s from then-CMSU’s College of Education in 1997.

Beth also inspired the winery’s name with something she told her sons, Asher and Jesse, when they were children playing in the wooded hollow near their home.

“Instead of moving away when we grew up, my mom thought we could just both put little houses up next door in Dale Hollow,” Jesse recalls, noting that Beth is very happy now to have her sons back in Stover.

After earning his bachelor’s from UCM in Business Administration–Finance in 2009,

followed by an MBA in 2010, Jesse met his wife, Katy, when they were both working as bank examiners at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). While honeymooning in Italy, they fell in love with wine, and the seed was planted for a new business venture. In 2012 the couple persuaded Asher and his wife, Ana, to partner with them on starting a winery in the “hollow.”

At UCM, Asher had majored in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. After graduating in 2008, he worked in marine fisheries for the Department of Natural Resources in South Carolina. That science foundation was a perfect complement to Jesse and Katy’s business skills and entrepreneurial spirit. They started by planting around 1,000 vines in 2012 and opened a tasting room in 2016. Three years later, their Concord wine won the gold medal for the sweet red category in the Missouri Wine Competition.

Dale Hollow is a family affair, but in certain seasons it takes a village. Beth is grateful for neighbors and friends who turn out in the dozens on designated pruning, harvesting and bottling days.

“You build these friendships with people who want you to succeed,” Beth says of her community, which has no shortage of wineries or UCM alumni. Jerrilyn Monroe, ’84, opened Timber Ridge Winery in Stover in early 2021.

In addition to local meat and cheese, the tasting rooms at both Dale Hollow and Timber Ridge feature beer on tap from Welpman Springs Brewing Company, located just outside of Stover and owned by another UCM legacy family.

Across the Ponds

Around the same time Jesse and Katy were setting out on their winemaking venture, another young UCM alumni couple was starting Welpman Springs Brewing Company.

Leslie, ’07, ’09, and Bryan, ’09, Welpman live on land that has been in the family for nearly a century. It was purchased by Bryan’s great-grandfather, Henry Kasper “H.K.” Welpman, at a dollar an acre back in 1929. H.K. was a first-generation German immigrant, born in Wassenberg in 1876, who attended UCM when it was known as Normal School No. 2. His first business enterprise was a fishing camp

Lakehouse

Jesse, Kenny and Beth Dale get ready to share a bottle of their seasonal Holloween apple wine.

Clockwise from top left: Jesse and Katy pose under a rainbow at the vineyard. Asher, center, and Ana, right, sample the fruits of their labor with Asher’s cousin Desirae Heimsoth. Jesse, Asher and local friend Thomas crush the red grapes they have harvested.

he established at Gravois Mills in 1927, with the expectation it would become a destination once the Lake of the Ozarks was created. He was a few years early, however, and ran out of money waiting for Bagnell Dam to be built.

Undeterred, H.K. found another site with a natural spring, which was along the Rock Island railroad line. After opening a dry goods store, he saved enough money to purchase the spring and the surrounding 120 acres to build the Missouri Goldfish Hatchery. The hatchery has since evolved from ornamental goldfish to golden shiners sold as fishing bait, but the work has stayed in the family.

Leslie, who earned her bachelor’s in Management from UCM, followed by an MBA, draws inspiration for the brewery from the Welpman family history.

During the Great Depression, men with mule teams were hired to help build a levee on the property. This inspired Pete & Jack Double Pull, a double IPA featuring two mules on the label pulling a slip scoot, a tool used in excavating many of the property’s original ponds. Lore has it, the men who had mules were paid 25 cents more than those with horses.

Randy Welpman, ’75, was a sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice Administration at UCM when his father, Carol Welpman, and business partner, Albert Fajen, offered to sell him the controlling share of the company. He credits his sons, Bryan and Daniel, ’07, both UCM Agriculture Business graduates, for continuing their relationship with the business and the land.

“Agriculture ties into the brewing industry,” Bryan says. “There’s a whole lot of crossover in barley and hops and how growing conditions can affect the product.”

Daniel can often be found digging out the ponds — this time with a CAT — to provide more surface area for growth and easier fish management. The pure spring water is sourced at a depth of 1,500 feet below uncontaminated land that has never been used to grow crops or raise livestock. The family previously sold this water to be bottled, and it is now used in every brew the Welpmans develop.

Welpman Gold Ration American Wheat Ale consists of nearly 75% wheat, comparable to the feed ration used to raise golden shiner at the hatchery. “If fish could drink beer,” the label boasts, “we like to think this would be their beer of choice.”

Bryan and Leslie Welpman started Welpman Springs Brewing Company on land that has been in the family since 1929. A team of mules named Pete and Jack helped excavate ponds on the property.

The land is still a working hatchery, and many of the brews are named accordingly. Pure water from a natural spring on the property is used in every recipe.

‘Going Back to Fetch It’

Educator Uncovers UCM Legacy and African Roots

By Kathy Strickland

It’s a common name in Ghana, her father’s native country.

In the Akan culture of people living mainly along Ghana’s coastal regions, babies are often named for the day of the week they are born. So Ekuwah (also written as Akua) shares her name with thousands of other Ghanaian girls born on a Wednesday.

In Warrensburg, however, her name was an anomaly.

Growing up in Warrensburg R-VI public schools, Ekuwah Mends Moses, ’01, was often asked by teachers if she had a nickname.

“I told them I did not, and politely taught them how to say my name,” the now 44-year-old University of Central Missouri College of Education alumna writes in her first nonfiction picture book. “I like my name. It is me. I do not want my name changed or erased.”

Going Back

“My Name Is an Address,” published in 2021, explores the meaning of Ekuwah’s

name and follows the roots of her father’s family back to Cape Coast, Ghana. Albion Mends III left Ghana in 1971 on a track scholarship to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

After a year living in a climate he describes as unbearably cold to a native of Ghana, Albion transferred to Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU). There he met Ekuwah’s mother, Carolyn Coffield, who was a graduate student teaching the Africana Studies class he was taking as an undergraduate.

Carolyn’s roots are harder to trace, as her ancestors’ indigenous names and heritage were stripped from them when they were brought from Africa as enslaved people. Ekuwah related to her maternal ancestors’ sense of disconnection in grade school.

“I felt lonely, embarrassed and ashamed of my name,” she writes. “My parents talked to me and helped me boost my confidence. They told me to be kind and remember our family values.”

Education is one of those values. Ekuwah’s parents graduated from ENMU, married and moved to Warrensburg in 1974 so Albion could pursue his graduate degree at UCM.

Ekuwah.

Young Ekuwah Mends practices writing her name.

After graduating from Eastern New Mexico University in 1974, Carolyn and Albion Mends married and moved to Warrensburg so Albion could pursue his graduate degree at UCM.

He earned his master’s in Sociology in 1976, the year Ekuwah’s older sister, Effuah (meaning a girl born on a Friday), was born. Carolyn, who had earned a bachelor’s in Art and a master’s in Secondary Education, became an artist in residence at UCM. She painted students’ and faculty members’ portraits in the student union, designed flyers and posters for university events and created art on commission.

She was soon hired as an academic advisor and served in that position for 22 years, despite deteriorating mobility due to multiple sclerosis. Carolyn passed away on July 13, 2017, and Ekuwah published “My Name Is an Address” on that date in her honor.

Bringing It Back

The word “sankofa” can be translated from the Akan language as “to retrieve” or “to go back to fetch [something].” In Ghana it is often represented in art, decor and clothing as an Adinkra symbol of a bird turning its head backward to retrieve an egg, which symbolizes something from the past that can be helpful in the present.

Ekuwah has been doing just that — going back to discover her family’s history through the process of creating nonfiction picture books. As an elementary school engineering teacher and former literacy specialist in the nation’s fifth largest public school district in Clark County, Nevada, she recognizes the need for students to see themselves in the literature they are asked to read.

“I notice a girl who is Black like me,” she writes in her second book, “Mama’s Portraits and Me,” released on Mother’s Day 2022. “What inspired

Mama to paint her portrait? Was it her unique green eyes? … Is she quiet and shy like me? So many questions flood my mind. I want to go back in time and ask Mama about this portrait and other pieces of her work.”

A key resource in Ekuwah’s research was her father, the third of his name, who retired in 2021 after teaching Africana Studies, Religious Studies and Modern Languages at UCM for 14 years. “It’s her contribution to education,” Albion says of his daughter’s books, which include pictures of cultural artifacts he used to bring to the schools Ekuwah attended in Warrensburg to educate her classmates about Ghana. “If you have history, geography and culture, then you are full. You can appreciate who you are. A lack of knowledge of your history makes you question your contribution to the world. … He who tells your story defines you. So we’ve got to tell our own story.”

Ekuwah was glad her grandfather, Albion Mends II, got to see his family’s story published in “My Name Is an Address.” He moved from Ghana after the death of his wife, Georgina Isabella Sagoe, in 1981 and lived in Warrensburg until passing away at the age of 103 in January 2022.

Going Home

After both of her books were published, Ekuwah took a trip to Ghana with her two teenage children in the summer of 2022.

It was their second time visiting and Ekuwah’s fifth. The first trip Ekuwah remembers was in 1993, when she was around the same age her own children are now. Effuah, ’99, ’02, had to pack her little sister’s bags for her because Ekuwah did not want to go.

“There’s that whole miseducation that we went through and a very narrow view of what Africa is and what it has to offer,” Ekuwah says of her mindset then, despite her parents’ influence. “Yes, there is poverty, but there’s so much more than that. We just were never shown.”

Ekuwah donated copies of her books to a school library in Ghana during her latest trip. She has created learning guides and activities aligned with Common Core State Standards and National Core Arts Standards for other educators to use. Above all, she hopes her stories will serve as an example of Black excellence and inspire children and adults alike to research and share their own family legacies — the stories of their own names.

— Mrs. Carolyn Mends, from her UCM farewell reception

“Central is the center of hope for present and future generations. Keep the vision and serve well.”

In summer 2022, Ekuwah visited the house where her father grew up in Cape Coast, which is pictured in her first book.

“Green Eyes” won first place in the 1990 Mid-Missouri Artists’ Painting and Drawing Exhibition.

Remembering Mrs. Mends

Alumni in Higher Education Profession Took Inspiration From Quiet Advisor

Daryl Duff, ’89,

was a music major from St. Louis, newly married and living in Hawkins Hall, when he met Carolyn. He walked past her office to get to his own academic advisor’s room and sought Carolyn out as a role model.

“There was not a large population of Black students, and Mrs. Mends was one of those people that students gravitated to,” Daryl recalls. “She was the quietest, sweetest woman I’ve ever met next to my Mama. She was soft-spoken, but she was a powerful force.”

Carolyn served as an advisor to the Association of Black Collegians and would bring her young daughters to hear Daryl sing in the ABC Gospel Choir. She followed his career as he joined the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters chorus, where he served for 23 years.

Carolyn passed away in 2017, the same year Daryl re-entered higher education as an assistant professor of Commercial Music and Voice Studies at Liberty University of Music in Lynchburg, Virginia. When mentoring his own students today, he remembers the influence Carolyn had on him.

“Though she was frail in body, it did not match her personality nor her spirit,” he says of Carolyn, whom

he remembers as always walking — at her own speed — but always going somewhere.

Kathy Humphrey, ’84, has similar memories of Carolyn. Kathy was introduced to the university as a middle and high school student participating in a music camp on campus, led by Professor Emeritus Wesley True. Her older brother and sister, Ernest Wilson, ’81, and Lois (Wilson) Malone, ’71, attended UCM before her.

Four years after graduating with a degree in Speech Communication and Theatre, Kathy returned to campus to work as a resident assistant.

Alumnus Daryl Duff visited with Carolyn when he came back to campus during the 1994–95 academic year with his young daughter to sing with the Warrensburg Community Band.

Alumna Kathy Humphrey, president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, looked up to Carolyn while she was a student and resident assistant at UCM.

Alumni who were students when Carolyn Mends was an advisor at UCM remember her as frail in body but strong in spirit. She is pictured with her husband, Albion.

Soon after, Greg Roberts transitioned from director of residential life to assistant vice president of student affairs. He and Carolyn became African American role models for Kathy, who aspired to a career in higher education.

“I got into this business because I didn’t see very many people who looked like me, and we need it; I needed it,” says Kathy, who went on to become the first Black president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “These students are very important to me because they have my profile. I was Pell eligible, a student of color at a predominantly white institution. There were people at Central that cared enough for me to help me learn.”

Kathy came from a failing district in the heart of Kansas City. She says UCM gave her the extra support she needed.

“Most of my early education is really from Central,” Kathy says. “As you look back in your life and you see the places of impact, Central is one of those places. I continue to try to be a place of impact.”

UCM Establishes New Study Abroad Opportunity

in Ghana

Tourism to Ghana increased in 2019, deemed the “Year of Return” to mark the 400th anniversary of the first recorded arrival of enslaved Africans in the 13 Colonies. The Ghanaian government encouraged African Americans to return to the “Motherland” and discover their roots. Trips by celebrities and the release of the first “Black Panther” movie in 2018 fueled the initiative.

UCM Africana Studies Professor Delia Gillis was serving as director of the Missouri Africa Program (MAP), a statewide consortium housed at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Gillis had led seven successful UCM study tours to Jamaica and had a faculty-led trip to Ghana slated for November 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic halted travel.

Known in America as one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the word “ujima” means “collective work and responsibility.” Carolyn Mends helped establish the student organization Sisters of Ujima at UCM in 1993, with the mission to “build, uplift and empower” women on campus. She created the above illustration for the group. Delia Gillis, who was a graduate student in the early 1990s, contributed her research on UCM’s first recorded female African American student to the naming of the UCM Alumni Foundation’s Sisters of Ujima Helen Guyton Warren Scholarship.

Gillis was determined to offer this cultural experience to UCM students again. After much research and several alumni referrals, she brokered an agreement between UCM and Webster University’s WINS (Webster International Network Schools) program in spring 2022. Starting this June, undergraduate and graduate UCM students are able to be part of an eight-week study abroad experience on Webster’s campus in Accra, Ghana’s capital city.

Learn more at ucmo.edu/africana

Faculty/Staff Achievements

Jennifer Carson, professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, has been awarded a $500,000 National Institute of Justice grant to study left-wing and environmental terrorism in the United States.

Dennis Docheff, professor emeritus of Physical Education, received the Kathleen Kinderfather Award at the 2022 Missouri Society of Health and Physical Educators (MOSHAPE) convention.

Nabat Erdogan, assistant professor of Literacy, was appointed to the 2022–23 International Literacy Association (ILA) Administrator Task Force as an ELL expert.

Caleb Eubanks, marketing and communications manager for the Elliott Student Union, received the 2022 Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Region II

Shirley Plakidas New Professional Award. He also accepted the Diversity and Inclusion Champion for Equity Award for UCM’s Pulse-W Women’s Empowerment Summit.

Jamie Gresens, UCM Theatre and Dance assistant professor, received a Meritorious Achievement award for lighting design of the play “Stop Kiss.”

Richard “Buzz” Herman, chair emeritus of UCM Theatre and Dance, was honored with the 2022 Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri (STAM) Hall of Fame

Award. He is pictured with Shannon Johnson, ’98, ’00, Ashley Miller-Scully and Aaron Scully, ’12, ’14.

Hannah Hertzler, ’20, ’22, a UCM success advisor, received the 2023 National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Region 7 Excellence in Advising New Advisor Award.

Laurel Hogue, ’98, ’00, UCM vice provost for online and learning engagement, received the 2022 Central Region Sue Maes Outstanding Leadership Award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association.

Cassie Kay Hoppas, UCM Theatre and Dance visiting assistant professor, received a Meritorious Achievement award for costume design of student musical “The Prom.”

Brian Hughes, professor and director of UCM’s Athletic Training program, was inducted into the MidAmerica Athletic Trainers’ Association (MAATA) District 5 Hall of Fame.

Brandy Lynch, associate professor and coordinator of Physical Education, received the Lynn Imergoot Scholar Award and the Dr. Robert M. Taylor Professional Service Honor Award at the 2022 MOSHAPE convention.

Michael O’Keefe, ’14, programming/ communications manager for KMOS-TV, was honored as the 2022 Public

Television Programming Association’s Programmer of the Year and elected to the PTPA board of directors.

Georgi Popov won the 2022 Prevention Through Design Award from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the American Society of Safety Professionals, and the National Safety Council.

Jack Rogers, professor of Communication Studies and director of Forensics, was awarded the Missouri Intercollegiate Forensics Association’s Distinguished Service Award at the 2023 State Championship. He was also selected to serve as a special advisor to the governing board of the International Public Debate Association and as editor of the Forensic of Pi Kappa Delta, a national, peerreviewed academic journal.

Miaozong Wu, associate professor and program coordinator of the Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management at UCM, was awarded an $85,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help recognize, control and prevent workplace infectious disease hazards.

Conversation Starters

For this issue, we invited UCM professors to share a slice of their expertise in the form of a conversation starter. Suggest a conversation topic at ucmmagazine@ucmo.edu.

Poetry for the People

Jenny Molberg, Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Author of “The Court of No Record” (2023). Jenny directs UCM’s Pleiades Press and co-edits Pleiades Magazine, which won a grant of $14,837 from the Missouri Arts Council in 2022.

One aspect of poetry that is not often discussed is that many poets engage in extensive scholarly research before putting together a book of poetry. There is a field of poetry called “docupoetry,” which excavates sources like news reports, oral histories, government documents and legal documents. Poets who explore political or specialized subject matter often utilize research, just as a historian, scientist or anthropologist might.

My students often come to their first poetry classes thinking that poetry is abstract, does not use punctuation, must rhyme and contains a hidden meaning. All of these elements can be included in poetry, but the possibilities are expansive, and poets hardly ever intend to keep a meaning hidden from their readers. Rather, poetry that may seem “abstract” or difficult to understand may mean that the poet is valuing feeling, visual or musical impact, or some other creative element over logical meaning. Poetry is for everyone!

Pop Shakespeare

Darlena Ciraulo, Professor of English and Author of “Performing Shakespearean Appropriations” (2022). Darlena was recognized in 2022 as a Distinguished Honorary Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

It may seem hard to believe that the iconic comic book series “Classics Illustrated” was once used in American classrooms as study guides for literature. The series adapted five Shakespearean plays, modeling some of their covers on popular film stars of the day. Ophelia on this cover of “Hamlet” was drawn to resemble British pop singer and actress Marianne Faithfull, who played the role in a 1969 film adaptation while dating Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.

Covered in Dust

Joshua Nygren, Associate Professor of History and Chair of UCM’s Department of History

We often assume the 1930s dust bowl created modern soil conservation. But that movement had been underway for years before the “black blizzards” struck. The dust storm disasters captured public attention, dramatizing what people had been saying about water erosion for years. The storms were so effective at capturing public attention that they overshadowed the role of water erosion in stimulating national concern in the first place.

Rene Burress, Associate Professor and Chair of UCM’s Department of Educational Technology and Library Science

Not Your Mother’s Librarian

Librarians don’t wear buns, stamp books or say SHHH anymore. Libraries are vibrant places for all people. Google will bring you back a hundred thousand answers; a librarian will bring you back the right one. The five laws of library science were written in 1931, and are still applicable today:

• Books are for use.

• Every reader, his or her book.

• Every book, its reader.

• Save the time of the reader.

“• A library is a growing organism.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

”Did you know that between 1829 and 1837 more than 30,000 Germans immigrated to Missouri? During the Civil War, German immigrants known as the FortyEighters for their support of the European Revolutions of 1848 fought on the side of the Union Army. Over the years, they have influenced not just politics but agriculture, science, art and, of course, beer.

Kristy Boney,

Associate Professor of German and Chair of UCM’s Department of Modern Language and Interdisciplinary Studies

Photo by Jonny Ulasien

Courtesy of Library of Congress

Predicting the Unpredictable

In 2011 a massive tsunami ravaged Japan, leaving 18,500 people dead or missing in its wake and more than a million buildings destroyed or damaged, including nuclear power facilities. Waves nearly 20 feet high were triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the ocean about 250 miles northeast of Tokyo in the Japan Trench, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

A decade after the tragedy, a Japanese research vessel called the R/V Kaimei sent a device down, down, down in that Ring of Fire —

about 5 miles down, deeper than anyone had ever drilled below sea level — to core sediment samples for scientific analysis.

Enter Sally Zellers, a biostratigrapher and professor of Geoscience at the University of Central Missouri, and a crew of about 30 scientists assembled from around the globe to study these samples through the International Ocean Discovery Program. Zellers was not the only one traveling from Warrensburg, Missouri; with her was bobblehead Mo the Mule, who became an honorary crew member and official blogger for Expedition 386.

Learning Through Immersion

Students in UCM’s Our Digital Earth course bid their professor and their mascot farewell in November 2022. They had researched the 2011 tragedy and used ArcGIS StoryMaps software to explore the geography of the region. Next they would follow Zellers’ blog as she posted from the onshore sample party (OSP) aboard the Chikyu drilling vessel, docked in Japan’s Port of Shimizu.

“The objectives were to document the occurrence interval and establish the recurrence probability of very large earthquakes and tsunamis throughout Japan,” says Zellers, who has participated in research expeditions off the shores of Washington and Oregon and in the Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Mexico and Antarctica. Her expertise is micropaleontology, studying tiny fossils of single-cell marine organisms called foraminifera to help determine the age of the sediment and provide insights into past ocean conditions. There have been about 50,000 species of foraminifera over time, and they make their shells out of different things. Like clams, one of those things is calcium carbonate, and below about 2.5 miles in the ocean, calcium carbonate dissolves. This means that Zellers should not be finding the organisms in the core samples taken 5 miles down — unless the fossils were buried rapidly by earthquake-induced currents. The fossils Zellers finds and how they’re preserved can help determine where the earthquakes originated.

UCM Professor Sally Zellers Travels to Japan to Study Earthquake Sediment Deposits

The crew of sedimentologists, geochemists, geophysicists, microbiologists and micropaleontologists like Zellers had more than 18,000 total samples to take and involved Mo the Mule in every step of the process.

“One time while sampling, Mo fell into the sampling bin and almost became a sample,” wrote Melzora Mills, a Nursing major who took Zellers’ Our Digital Earth course in fall 2022. “He is happy that it was a successful trip. He also hopes the samples that they collected will be able to help scientists and other authorities predict another earthquake and tsunami long before it occurs so that they can prevent as much loss of life as possible.”

Zellers and the international crew of scientists aboard the Chikyu worked 12hour shifts studying samples taken from the 20-foot sediment cores that the Kaimei obtained from the ocean floor of the Japan Trench. Zellers used a paintbrush to separate mud from sand and isolate specimens smaller than a grain of sand.

Zellers continues to analyze samples sent to Warrensburg from the expedition. In January she obtained a Post Expedition Activity Award from the United States Science Support Program to hire a research assistant, involving more students in an expedition that could help predict the unpredictable.

The distinction between mud, left, and sand, right, can signify the occurrence of an earthquake event.

Above: Scientists Toshiya Kanamatsu, left, and Steven Huang have fun “sampling” Mo the Mule. Below: Sally Zellers joined scientists from around the world on the expedition.

Photo by Troy Rasbury

UCM Safety Sciences 50th Anniversary - Dec. 15, 2022, at the Chicken N

UCM Criminal Justice 60th Anniversary - Aug. 26, 2022, at the Chicken N Pickle in North

MuleNation

MuleNation Springfield - Sept. 21, 2022, at the Millwood Golf & Racquet Club

Back row, from left: Jerry Harmison Jr., ’84, Jean Harmison, ’84, Doug Bennet, ’84, Kayla Vestal, ’11, UCM President Roger Best, UCM First Lady Robin Best, Chris Buschjost, ’12, Kerri Loveland, ’92, Scott Loveland, ’85, Matthew Cash and Billy Ukrazhenko. Front Row: Darla Harmon, Courtney Goddard and Wanda Miller, ’05.

Kansas City

MuleNation New York City - Sept. 23, 2022, at the Knickerbocker Hotel

Joe Reece, Tyler Mullen, Richard “Buzz” Herman, Timothy Schaffer and Amanda Duffy-Evans.

Oklahoma - Nov. 12, 2022, at the Railyard in Edmond

Mike Miller, ’92, Alex Garner, ’14, Carmen Garner and Scott Taylor, ’89.

Pickle in Overland Park

Lance Erickson, ’84, ’85, Mindy Pritchard and Jennifer Noble, ’21.

MuleNation Kansas City - Dec. 14, 2022, at Mean Mule Distilling Company

John Callahan, ’88, Steve Brammer, ’86, Sue Brammer, ’87, Angela Callahan, ’91, Mark Reichert, ’87, and Lori Reichert, ’88.

Bill Stark, ’69, and Sandi Stark.

Devan Dignan, ’08, Emily Neuberger and Sam Hildreth, ’11.

John Collier, ’86, and Kimberly Collier.

MuleNation St. Louis - Nov. 10, 2022, at Westport Social

Mike Trower, ’02, Mike Callier, ’02, Darren Scotti, ’93, and Jay Brewer, ’00.

MuleNation Florida - Nov. 17, 2022, at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club

From left: Randy Rahe, ’77, Kelley Mustion, ’81, Rick Mustion, ’81, UCM First Lady Robin Best, Courtney Goddard, Rick Carlson, ’68, UCM President Roger Best, Tiffany Snyder, Terry O’Leary, ’65, ’68, Patricia O’Leary, James Green, ’71, and Paula Green, ’72.

Scott Chenault, ’02, ’04, Laura Peery, ’97, and Joshua Peery, ’03.

Sustainability in the City

KC Custom Hardwoods Gives Fallen Trees a Second Life

By Samantha Wright, Elementary Education Undergraduate Student

Jay Norris, ’13, and Nick Bianco, ’11, know for a fact that when a tree falls in the city it makes a sound — the sound of their phone ringing at KC Custom Hardwoods. When Nick and Jay discovered that trees removed within city limits were being thrown into landfills, they searched Craigslist and Facebook ads for firewood or downed trees to salvage. Eventually they started working with tree companies, and today they have an arrangement with Kansas City’s Forestry and Conservation division to have a look at any trees tagged for disposal. They make good use of the “urban wood” that commercial mills reject because of damage from signs, barbed wire or even a motor valve they found in one tree they salvaged.

“How many people over the years have nailed a lost cat or garage sale sign to a tree,” says Nick, noting that nails and other metal can dull saw blades and slow down a milling

operation. “We just accept it because it’s the right thing to do. … We made it our mission that we wanted to save as many trees as we could.”

Sustainable Sourcing

The story of KC Custom Hardwoods starts with saving the trees on Jay’s family farm. As a Marketing student at UCM, Jay took a trip home to check on the farm

while his parents were on vacation. He found loggers illegally cutting down their trees and chased them off before they could do any more damage. After the ordeal, his family was left with “a lifetime supply of firewood.”

Jay researched how to dry and preserve the wood and experimented with woodworking so he could give the trees a second life. As time progressed, so did his skills. After about four years, he connected with his college friend Nick, who earned a degree from UCM in Business Management. Nick agreed to help Jay sell one of the tables he made in exchange for Jay teaching Nick how to build them. KC Custom Hardwoods was born.

Customers often come to Nick and Jay with their own stories about trees that hold sentimental value. Sometimes it’s about preserving a piece of their family history — the bur oak with the wooden swing or the black cherry tree that the children would harvest for their roadside stand at the end of summer.

Jay Norris and Nick Bianco

“We got a huge pin oak from the Waldo Area of Kansas City, and we’ve seen hundreds of comments on social media of people talking about how beloved that tree was,” Nick says of a park tree that died and had to come down. “We’ve had people reaching out to us saying they wanted a piece of it just as a memento.”

This year Kansas City is expecting to remove up to 1,000 ash trees that were infested with the emerald ash borer beetle.

New Growth

When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, KC Custom Hardwoods’ business was growing exponentially. People were canceling trips and wanting to find something creative to use the money on instead. What better way to redecorate your house than with custom-made, local, sustainable furniture?

In 2021, Jay and Nick partnered up with entrepreneur Jeff Perry, who helped them purchase larger equipment to process the trees faster and more efficiently. They can now dry 10,000 board feet of lumber (measured in volume versus length, as with a two-by-four) per month versus only 1,500 a month with their previous kiln. Their new bandsaw mill can handle trees up to 30 feet long and 6 feet wide.

Today, KC Custom Hardwoods has grown to include a showroom for customers to see what they offer and participate in the design process to ensure their custom furniture is everything they dreamed of. Nick and Jay have 22 employees, including a full-time 3D model designer, and are opening a new location in Overland Park, Kansas.

“We were just a small boutique-style business where we were making a couple tables a week,” says Nick, remembering when he and Jay’s primary source of materials was trees listed in the classifieds as firewood. “It was maybe bad luck that got us started in this, but it was definitely hard work that kept us going.”

a small business,

Custom Hardwoods

for

meaning that Nick and Jay can make sustainability a priority. In 2022 the Kansas City Industrial Council recognized their efforts with the Silver Sustainability Award.

As

KC

has the ability to “focus on the right things

the right reasons,”

KC Custom Hardwoods’ staple product is the live-edge table, shown above at left. If a tree is damaged, they might use the hollowed-out bark as a bar top (above center) or even use the root ball itself to create the base of a coffee table (above right).

Alumni News

Dale Zank, ’71, ’74, retired after 46 years as a State Farm agent in Marshall, Missouri.

Arlene Silvey, ’73, retired after nearly 50 years with the City of Sedalia, Missouri.

Andrew “Sonny” Sivak, ’81, retired after 42 years of federal service with the U.S. Army, Navy and Department of Energy.

Robert R. Altice, Jr., ’84, was elected as chief judge of the Court of Appeals of Indiana.

Jerry A. Harmison Jr., ’84, was appointed circuit judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit in Greene County, Missouri.

Gregory Billman, ’85, was appointed to the Florida Defense Support Task Force.

Christopher Small, ’87, a past president of the UCM Alumni Association, has retired from the Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri.

Clark N. Stratton, ’89, retired as captain and designated commanding officer of Troop H in St. Joseph, Missouri, after 30 years of service.

Matt Connor, ’91, was named public information officer for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy.

Paul Kirchhoff, ’92, joined the Missouri Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force.

Mark Neckerman, ’92, was hired as information technology director for the City of Columbia, Missouri.

Gary Liguori, ’93, was named provost and senior vice president of the University of West Florida in Pensacola.

LaTonia Collins Smith, ’95, was named president of Harris-Stowe State University and honored as the St. Louis American Foundation 2022 Stellar Performer in Education.

Carey Bridges, ’96, was named Missouri’s new state geologist and director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Geological Survey.

Rhett Belser, ’98, was hired as the safety director for Henderson Building Solutions in Lenexa, Kansas.

Stacey Lett, ’00, was promoted to circuit judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit in Cass County, Missouri.

Matt Killday, ’02, was appointed chief marketing officer at Park University in Parkville, Missouri.

Keegan Nichols, ’03, Arkansas Tech University’s vice president for student affairs, was appointed to the board of directors for Jana’s Campaign, preventing gender and relationship violence.

Ben B. Meldrum, ’06, was hired as superintendent of Blair Oaks R-II School District in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Aaron Conn, ’08, was appointed to the 12th Judicial District County Court in Nebraska after serving as the Sheridan County Attorney since 2019.

Jessica Knight, ’08, joined Hutchinson Medical Center in Hutchinson, Kansas, as a primary care associate.

Shaunda French-Collins, ’09, has been named interim dean of Graduate Studies and the School of Business, Math and Science at Chadron State College in Nebraska

Matthew Pedersen, ’11, was hired as assistant professor of costume design in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Arts Administration at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.

Alumni Across MuleNation

Suzan Durnell, ’14, was hired as the elementary instructional coach at Eugene Ware and Winfield Scott elementary schools in Fort Scott, Kansas.

Jazmyn Drake, ’15, was named director of program development for the Columbia (Missouri) Chamber of Commerce.

Stephanie Vickers, ’15, was hired as superintendent of the Fordland R-III School District in Fordland, Missouri.

Are you a UCM alum with news to share from within the past year? Let us know at ucmfoundation.org/classnotes and email a headshot to alumni@ucmo.edu.

BabyCorner

Chad Ross, ’92, and Veantea Burnside, ’06, worked for FOX Sports at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Chad is director of production safety for FOX, and Veantea is associate director for FOX Security.

Holly and Nate Taylor, both ’10, traveled to Glendale, Arizona, for Super Bowl LVII. Nate covers the Kansas City Chiefs for The Athletic.

Clint Steiner, ’01, senior director of Sales and Marketing Automotive at Garmin International, returned to campus to accept the 2022 American Marketing Association (AMA) Distinguished Marketing Executive Award and speak with members of the student chapter. He is pictured at center with, from left, UCM President Roger Best; Alex Deke, president of the AMA student chapter; Kait Sinclaire, marketing graduate assistant; and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Phil Bridgmon.

Jessica, ’15, ’20, and Jeff, ’15, Bender welcomed Kinley Bender in August 2022.

Eric Boedeker, ’14, and Allie DeanBoedeker, ’14, welcomed Benjamin Louis Boedeker in January 2023.

Kerri, ’17, and Johnathan, ’20, Lopp welcomed Jensen “Jennie” Lopp in November 2022.

Amber Nieznajko, ’17, and Nick Frankenfield welcomed Graham Frankenfield in March 2022.

Are you the proud parent or grandparent of a new arrival? Get a free UCM bib when you share your big news at ucmfoundation.org/newbaby and email a photo to alumni@ucmo.edu.

A Place to Call Home

By Kathy Strickland

Abig change happened in UCM’s Multipurpose Building at the end of the fall 2022 semester. Looking through the glass windows on the north side of the building, you no longer see an empty swimming pool but rather rows of shiny red and black mats with UCM’s mule logo in the center.

Wrestlers used to have to carry their 500-pound mats to whatever practice space they could find. Now they have more time to develop their skills not only with the team but individually in the morning or between classes.

“They’ve been kind of nomads,” said Cody Garcia, who took over as head coach in April 2022. “To be able to have a mat down 24/7 and have access to that goes a long way. A big piece of recruiting is making sure you have the facilities that match your expectations and the experience you want the students to have. If we’re talking about winning national titles, we need the facilities that align with that vision.”

Coach Garcia comes to UCM after seven seasons as head coach for Wildcats Wrestling at Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas, where he coached 48 national qualifiers and five national champions. Before Baker, he served as assistant coach, then head coach, at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Cody is excited to get back to the NCAA after coaching at private universities in the NAIA. At the University of Nebraska–Omaha he was a two-time national champion and part of a team that won five national titles during his time as a student-athlete and graduate assistant. He has direct ties to UCM through his father, Mike Garcia, a 1982 alumnus who was the first Mules wrestler to win a national championship

Dan Power, center left, Gary Ervin, middle, and Connie Denker, center right, cut the ribbon at the Jan. 14 celebration of the new wrestling facility.

and is now enshrined in the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame.

Mike was recruited by legendary UCM Coach Roger Denker, after whom the new wrestling facility is named. He won the national title at the end of Denker’s 17-year coaching career at UCM.

Gary Ervin was one of Mike’s teammates and one of the lead contributors to the Roger Denker Wrestling Facility, along with former UCM wrestler Dan Power, ’73, ’74. Gary and Dan have carried their coach’s lessons with them throughout their lives and careers. In 1988 they established the Roger W. Denker Memorial Scholarship to help Mules Wrestlers get the financial support they need to earn their degrees.

“A scholarship is just as important now as it was back then to be able to afford a college education,” said Dan, who attended UCM on a full wrestling scholarship. “ I know how much it helped me, and I can’t think of a better place than the University of Central Missouri. The university has taken good care of me, and I’m trying to take good care of it.”

Gary and Dan remember when the wrestling practice room was located in what players deemed “the dungeon,” in the basement of

Dan was serving on the UCM Alumni Foundation Board of Directors in 2010 when an estate gift funded the reconstruction of Garrison and the Walter E. Morrow Building into what is now known as the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Unfortunately, the wrestling practice space was lost. Since then, Dan, Gary and other wrestling alumni have been working to find and fund a suitable space for a new permanent facility. After 13 years, the dream has become a reality.

“I know how happy Coach Denker would be knowing this came to fruition,” Gary said. “Being right there in the Multi with the glass overlook where people can see practice — that means so much to wrestlers.

observers. It’s something for the wrestlers to be recognized by the student population.”

The Roger Denker Wrestling Facility was officially dedicated on Jan. 14, 2023. More than 200 supporters turned out for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The last few years we’ve been all over campus, so it’s pretty cool to have a big group of people here letting us know that we’re important,” said Austin Morgan, a Mules Wrestling Redshirt Senior. “The environment in the room is a big change too. We have our own room, so that makes us very happy, and we have more pride when we’re in here practicing.”

The community gathered to show support for Mules Wrestling and to remember Coach Denker, who passed away in November 2021. Many members of Denker’s UCM alumni legacy family were in attendance, including his widow, Connie Denker, ’81, and their children, Jay Denker, ’84, ’88, Shelly Denker, ’86, and Kel Denker, ’88.

“I think the future of UCM wrestling is bright,” Kel said. “It’s just an awesome opportunity to take UCM Wrestling to the next level.”

“It’s good to be home. And it’s good to have a home.”

— Coach Cody Garcia

Darick Lapaglia, competing here at the 2023 Roger Denker Open, was named to the All-MIAA First Team.

Photo by Andrew Mather

From the Mat to the Mountain

Gary Ervin Pushes His Limits to the Peak of His Seventh Summit

In June 2022 Gary Ervin reached a personal summit atop Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America at 20,322 feet. The last and most strenuous of the “Seven Summits” had eluded him even after he conquered Mount Everest in May 2018 and cheated death on Nepal’s Island Peak the following year.

Starting with Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro in August 2014, Gary set out to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents. This drive to push himself to his limits can be traced back to his years studying business, learning to fly and wrestling for Coach Roger Denker at the University of Central Missouri.

“In the past 10 years I’ve been spending four months a year in a tent on a mountain somewhere,” Gary said. “I took on each summit about the same way I did a wrestling season. I’m a goal-oriented person, and that was instilled in us during our time in Warrensburg.”

Coach Denker was big on goal setting. He had each of his wrestlers write down their goals and post them on the wall of the locker room, where everyone could see, to hold one another accountable for achieving them. As a colonel in the Army National Guard, Denker inspired young people to be their best, both in the military and on the wrestling mat.

“We went in as boys and came out as men,” Gary said. “It’s an exciting thing for the student-athletes. In the process they learn a career and make friends for life.”

Gary studied aviation and learned how to fly at UCM’s Max B. Swisher Skyhaven Airport. He flew in to Skyhaven for the Roger Denker Wrestling Facility ribbon-cutting on Jan. 14 to reunite with former teammates and see his family’s Mules Wrestling legacy continue with nephew Matthias Ervin, who joined the team this past fall.

Gary is the oldest of four brothers, all of whom were state wrestling champions in their home state of Kentucky. He is proud of raising his two sons to carry on the torch as state wrestling champs and his two daughters to be named Miss Kentucky. In February 2022, his oldest daughter, Mallory Ervin, published a book titled “Living Fully” about her experience competing in the Miss America contest and with her dad on “The Amazing Race” reality

show. Gary is in the process of writing his own autobiography with “lessons to my grandkids.”

“If you don’t take the time to look back and write it down, you could miss something — or at my age, forget it happened,” Gary wrote in a blog documenting each of his Seven Summits at garyclimbsmountains.com. He is now preparing for his next big challenge, reaching the North and South Poles to become one of fewer than 100 people to achieve the “Explorers’ Grand Slam.”

Gary summited Mount Everest in May 2018.

Gary Ervin climbed Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica, in January 2019.

Mount Denali was the last of the “Seven Summits” Gary conquered.

Gary Ervin competed on “The Amazing Race” reality show with his daughter Mallory Ervin.

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

JENNIES VOLLEYBALL

FALL 2022

MISSOURI SPORTS

HALL OF FAME INDUC TEES

Jennies Volleyball posted a 19–11 overall record and went 14–6 in the MIAA under first-year Head Coach Caitlin Peterson, ’10, ’12. In February, Peterson, the ninth head coach in program history, saw the Jennies Volleyball program inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, along with longtime Head Coach Peggy Martin (pictured second and third from right in first row above). Since the program began in fall 1970, the Jennies have seen winning seasons in 51 of 52 years and made 36 trips to the NCAA Tournament. The team is currently 1,530–428–9, having finished in the Top 20 more than 30 times, including 16 times in the Top 10.

CROSS COUNTRY

The Mules Cross Country team finished the season placing sixth or better in every meet they competed at, including a win at the Border War XC College Championship. Freshman Paul Korir, above, was the lone representative for Central Missouri at the NCAA-DII National Championships, placing 66th out of 257 runners.

The Jennies’ season was highlighted by a trio of top-five finishes including the Gans Creek Classic, Broder War XC College Championship and the Southwest Baptist Open. Sophomore Rylee Adams, above, was a top scorer.

Trevor Vance, ’00, was hired in 1994 by the Kansas City Royals as the youngest groundskeeper in Major League Baseball. He began as a youth on a crew under famous groundskeeper George Toma. This is his 38th season with the Royals. He has also served as a member of 15 Super Bowl grounds crews and three Pro Bowl grounds crews. He coached youth baseball and softball for 17 years and built and repaired youth athletics fields in the Kansas City area. Vance created and launched a Sports Turf Managers Association in Missouri and “Homeruns for Hunger” at Kaufmann Stadium.

Renay Ries Spilker, ’89, graduated from Blue Springs High School and played softball from 1986 to 1989 at UCM. In 1988 she was the first NCAA Division II All-American in program history and a two-time All-Region and four-time All-MIAA selection, including appearing on three first team lists. As a senior, Spilker helped the Jennies to a 36-12 record and fourth-place finish in NCAA Division II.

Brad Mayfield, ’74, ’87, graduated from Blue Springs High School and coached high school baseball for 32 seasons, including 27 at his alma mater. Under his leadership, Blue Springs’ 1999 and 2007 teams won state titles, and his 1988 and 1998 teams were state runners-up. As coach of Odessa High School, he led the team to a district title in 2018.

SPIRIT SQUAD

The UCM Mulekickers competed in the Universal Dance Association’s College Nationals at Walt Disney World in January. The team took home 9th in the nation in Open Pom and 8th in Game Day. Current and past Mulekickers and Cheerleaders gathered in Warrensburg in February for a Spirit Squad reunion. Alumni who performed at the Jennies and Mules Basketball games included Shirley Power, ’80, at the top of the pyramid below.

JENNIES SOCCER

Jennies Soccer posted an overall record of 19–2–2 and an MIAA mark of 9–1–1 on their way to their 13th MIAA Regular Season Championship and sixth MIAA postseason tournament championship in program history. UCM advanced to the NCAA-II Central Region second round before falling to Emporia State, 1–0. Seven Jennies earned All-MIAA honors, with Julia Kristensen earning Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year honors and Head Coach Lewis Theobald garnering conference Coach of the Year accolades. Kristensen earned D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year recognition and was one of five UCM studentathletes to receive all-region honors. Kristensen (forward), Caroline Cole (midfielder) and Lindsay Edmonds (defender) all received All-American accolades.

MULES FOOTBALL

During Coach Lamberson’s first season at the helm, Mules Football posted a 4–7 overall and MIAA record. Thirteen student-athletes were named All-MIAA, including first team honoree David Olajiga, who was also named a Don Hansen’s Honorable Mention All-American as a defensive lineman. UCM’s Gabe Clark, Cale Miller, Trevor Twehous, Dallas Waller, Liam Wortmann and Jai Haynes earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® accolades for their performances in the classroom and on the field in 2022.

Photo by Andrew Mather

Photo by Andrew Mather

Photo by Andrew Mather

In Memoriam

The UCM Alumni Foundation holds dear the memory of emeriti, alumni, faculty and friends who have passed away. Every person listed here was an integral part of the university family and will be missed.

William A. Bloodworth Jr.

William A. Bloodworth Jr., age 79, was born Sept. 9, 1942, in San Antonio, Texas. He earned a B.S. in English Education from Texas Lutheran University in 1964, followed by an M.S. in English from Lamar University in 1967 and a Ph.D. in American Civilization from the University of Texas–Austin in 1972. Bloodworth began his career in higher education at East Carolina University in North Carolina, where he moved through the ranks to become chair of the Department of English, acting vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and finally assistant to the chancellor. In 1990 he moved to Warrensburg to serve as the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at the University of Central Missouri. Three years later he became president of Georgia’s Augusta University, the position he held until his retirement in 2012.

Woodbridge C. Brown

Woodbridge C. “Woody” Brown, age 92, was born Sept. 15, 1929, in Mount Morris, Michigan. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1954 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, then earned a master’s degree from Florida State University in Research and Development Management and a doctorate from North Carolina State University in Occupation Education. Brown was a member of Iota Lambda Sigma and the Kansas City Society of Manufacturing Engineers, where he served as chairman in 1984. He honorably served in the U.S. Army and was employed by General Dynamics and NASA at the Space Center in Florida, Appalachian State University and North Carolina College System before retiring as professor emeritus of Industrial Management from the University of Central Missouri after 12 years.

Billy Gene Garber

Billy “Bill” Gene Garber, age 92, was born June 21, 1930, in Baxter Springs, Kansas. He earned a B.A. in Music from Bethany Nazarene College, an M.S. in Education from Emporia State College and an Ed.D. from the University of Missouri–Columbia. He started his education career as the music instructor at the high school in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, then taught in Paola, Kansas, where he launched a career education program. Fifteen

years later, Garber moved to Warrensburg, where he served as a professor in the Business School at the University of Central Missouri for 22 years. For the last 10 years of his tenure at UCM, he was director of the Business Internship Program. His deep devotion to the programs he led at the high school and college levels helped thousands of students gain experience with businesses and jumpstart their careers. Memorial donations can be made to the “UCM Business Internship Scholarship in honor of Dr. Bill Garber” at ucmfoundation.org/give/in-memory.

Charles Edward Gilbert

Charles Edward “Gil” Gilbert, age 91, was born May 14, 1931, in Carrollton, Missouri. After graduating high school in 1949, he moved to Warrensburg to begin his studies at the University of Central Missouri. In 1952 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving four years as photographer of aerial and sea target exercises. He was stationed on various ships and based in Guantanamo, Cuba, for four months. During his service, Gilbert played baseball for the naval air station team called the Capitols. When his tour of duty was complete, he returned to UCM to finish his B.S. and earn an M.S. in Education in 1958. He taught high school social sciences in Cameron, Missouri, for four years before accepting a position at the University Laboratory High School, where he taught for 10 years. After earning his Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in Education from Oklahoma State University at Stillwater in 1975, he became a professor of Secondary Education at UCM, retiring in 2000.

James Allen Hooker

James “Jim” Allen Hooker, age 86, was born June 22, 1936, in Winston, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1958, then worked as a certified public accountant for various companies, including Arthur Anderson in Kansas City and the Lambert Company in Chillicothe. Hooker earned his MBA from Wake Forest University in 1974. His career continued as the controller at Hanes Co. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and he retired as vice president and chief financial officer at McCormick and Company in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Hooker served on the UCM Alumni Foundation Board of Directors.

James Alfred Hudson

James “Jim” Alfred Hudson, age 89, was born Nov. 19, 1932, in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. After graduating from high school, he attended Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, on a football and track scholarship. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955, then returned to complete his B.S. in Education in 1956. Hudson began his career in Bushton, Kansas, teaching business and coaching football and track. After two years, he returned to college at Emporia State University and earned a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling. He moved to Haven, Kansas, and served from 1959 to 1963 as guidance counselor for the Haven School System, then earned his doctorate in Education from the University of Arkansas in 1965. Hudson accepted a position at the University of Central Missouri that year and retired as a professor of Secondary Education in 1993. Memorial donations can be made to the UCM James A. Hudson Excellence in Teaching Scholarship at ucmfoundation.org/give/in-memory.

Jerry Hughes

Jerry Michael Hughes, age 73, was born Feb. 12, 1949, in Boonville, Missouri. After graduating from high school in 1967, he earned a degree in Physical Education from the University of Central Missouri in 1971. Hughes was a three-year letterman on the Mules Golf team. After earning his master’s in Secondary School Administration from UCM in 1979, he was hired as a business placement director for the university. In 1981 he became assistant athletics director and was named athletics director two years later, launching a tenure as head of UCM Athletics that lasted four decades. During that time, Hughes earned numerous awards exemplifying his far-reaching impact on collegiate sports. Most recently was this year’s Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Award of Merit, the organization’s highest honor. Hughes was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and named a Missouri Sports Legend in 2016. Memorial donations can be made to UCM Athletics or to the Eleanor G. Hughes and Carol Dyetta Hughes Literacy Program at ucmfoundation.org/give/in-memory.

Dorothy Maxine Jaeger

Dorothy Maxine (Shippy) Jaeger, age 89, was born March 19, 1933. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Central Missouri in 1968 and 1970. Jaeger first worked as a clerk at Warrensburg City Hall, then taught at Chilhowee and Holden high schools, retiring in 1994. She served as president of the Johnson County Historical Society and on the Johnson County Board of Services Foundation. She was also on the UCM Board of Governors, serving as president of the board in 1998.

Elaine Grace Jones

Elaine Grace Jones, age 59, was born Oct. 21, 1963, in Houston, Texas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Math from the University of Oklahoma in 1986 and was active in the Kappa Delta sorority and the Baptist Student Union. After OU, Jones taught one year of high school math in Everman, Texas, before moving to Lawrence, Kansas, to earn a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Kansas. In 1993 she joined the faculty of the University of Central Missouri as an associate professor of Finance, retiring after 25 years of service.

Jack Maxam Landers

Jack Maxam Landers, age 87, was born Oct. 22, 1935, in LaTour, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1964 and began teaching junior high Industrial Arts in Rolla. In 1966 he took a position at UCM’s College High School as an instructor and supervising teacher of Industrial Arts and earned his M.Ed. from UCM. Landers went on to earn his Ed.D. in Industrial Education and Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri in 1972 and complete his postdoctoral work in Alternate Energy Technology at Oklahoma State University at Stillwater. He served as a professor of Construction Management at UCM and also as the Construction and Technology Department Chair from 1981 to 1991. Landers was UCM’s assistant dean of Applied Sciences and Technology from 1987 to 1991, while also serving as coordinator of the Construction Management program from 1981 until his retirement in 2000. The year before his retirement he received the Byler Distinguished Faculty Award, the highest faculty honor bestowed by the university.

Janice Carner Reynolds Heinlen

Janice “Jan” Carner Reynolds Heinlen, age 79, was born March 21, 1943, in Southern Illinois. She graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and then earned a master’s in Education with an emphasis on emotionally disturbed children from the University of Central Missouri in 1970. She earned a specialist degree in Education and Counseling from the University of New Mexico in 1973, followed by another degree from UCM in 1985 and a doctorate in Education Administration and Counseling from the University of Missouri–Columbia in 1988. During her career she taught everyone from second graders to special education students to graduate students. She spent the last decade of her career as a professor of Education Administration at UCM, where she also served as a graduate coordinator.

Duane Ray Sterling

Duane Ray Sterling, age 85, was born Jan. 18, 1938, in Tipton, Missouri. He attended Central College in Fayette, Missouri, where he played on the basketball team. After serving three years in the U.S. Army, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from Southwest Missouri State University in 1962. He then moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he earned his Master of Science in Education from Louisiana State University, followed by a Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Zoology in 1969. Sterling’s tenure at the University of Central Missouri began in 1965 as a professor of Physical Education and coach of Mules basketball, tennis and golf. He transitioned to administrative roles, including assistant to the vice president for Administrative Affairs, assistant to the president and his final position as university director of Planning, Governmental and Informational Services. After retiring from the university in 1997, Sterling accepted a full-time position as general manager of the Rotary Foundation at the Rotary International headquarters in Evanston, Illinois.

David Nile Storm

David Nile Storm, age 81, was born Oct. 17, 1940, in Webb City, Missouri. He was a U.S. Navy veteran, stationed in California as a sonar operator during the Vietnam War. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Kansas–Lawrence and pursued postgraduate work at the University

of Texas–Austin. In 1985 he joined the faculty at the University of Central Missouri, bringing with him 12 years of college teaching experience and a diverse background in social service positions, including Head Start director and police detention and rehabilitation center coordinator in Wichita, Kansas, and ad hoc consultant for the Community Development Institute in Kansas City. He served as a professor of Social Work at UCM and also as director of the program, retiring in 2000 after 15 years of service.

Miles W. Williams

Miles W. Williams, age 81, was born April 17, 1941. He began his professional career at the University of Central Missouri in 1972 as an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Geography. He was promoted to associate professor in 1978 and became a full professor in 1984, then chair of the department in 2002. Before joining the university, he answered U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s call for Peace Corps volunteers, giving him an opportunity to travel to Colombia, where he developed an interest in international politics, particularly in Latin America. He traveled internationally during his career as an educator and made numerous presentations before groups such as the International Studies Association, Missouri Political Science Association and Midwest Association for Latin American Studies.

1940–1949

Herbert “Herb” Lee Coggin, ’46

1950–1959

Muriel Jean (Anderson) Cross, ’50

Ellen L. (Messerli) Martin, ’51, ’62

Richard Lee Draheim, ’56

Albert Allen Dyer, ’56

Una Fay (Hudson) Lewis, ’56

Robert Gary Wilson, ’56

Charles Robert “Bob” Gillilan, ’57

Geraldine “Gerry” Ruth (Maier) Mann, ’57

Nancijean (Smith) Fagg, ’58

Charles Edward “Gil” Gilbert, ’58

James “Jim” Allen Hooker, ’58

Janice “Jan” C. (Mayfield) Berner, ’59

Roberta Ann (Harvey) Bertoch, ’59

Carolyn Rae (Johnson) Donnelly, ’59, ’66

Maxine Leota (Chinn) Hiel, ’59

Pauline H. (Julian) Hlavacek, ’59

Linda Ann (Haynes) Johnson, ’59

Jamshid “Jimmy” Oskouian, ’59

Donald “Don” Gene Snyder Sr., ’59, ’76

Martha J. (O’Neil) Webster, ’59

1960–1969

Judith “Judie” Ann (Burns) Littleton, ’60

William “Bill” Ross Dey, ’61, ’63

Donald “Don” R. Dittmer, ’61, ’62

Michael “Mick” Andrew Gieringer, ’61

Lee Charles Redmond, ’61

Gary Alan Sheets, ’61, ’67

Theresa Louise (Jackson) Stewart, ’61

James Donald Yoder, ’61

Connie Marie (Battagler) Greer, ’62

David “Dave” G. Dotson, ’63

Ronald “Ron” Frank Fisk, ’63

Janet “Jan” K. Duncan-O’Neal, ’64

Charles Franklin Henry, ’64

Jack Maxam Landers, ’64, ’66

Beverly Sue (Fleming) Olsen, ’64, ’96

Donald F. Eckhoff, ’65

George Earl Sanders Jr., ’65, ’71

Thomas Edward Thompson, ’65

Madelyn D. Banister, ’66

Benjamin “Ben” Sanders, ’66

John Emmett Stephenson, ’66, ’69, ’71

Shirley Arlene (James) Anderson, ’67

Nancy Ann (Abney) Bahl, ’67

Kenneth Adam “Ken” Belko, ’67

James “Jim” Edward Clare Jr., ’67

Carol Sue (Jackson) Fisher, ’67

Delores Kay (Mahon) Riedel, ’67

Haddock Carroll “H.C.” Snyder Jr., ’67, ’70

Charles W. “C.W.” Southers, ’67, ’71

Ronald James Rice, ’67, ’70, ’72

Carolyn Kay (Montesano) Brooks, ’68

Gary Wayne Hardison, ’68

Dorothy Maxine (Shippy) Jaeger, ’68, ’70

James Earl Sims Jr., ’68

Jaynee Marlene Gilderbloom, ’69

Richard Patrick Jaques, ’69

Gaynelle (Jenkins) Moore, ’69

Gerald DeMar Shurts, ’69

Adam Sloan, ’69

1970–1979

Sheila A. (Barker) Beck, ’70

James Morgan Castor, ’70

Carol Ann (Cain) Headley, ’70

Robert Lee “Bob” Hughson Jr., ’70

Ronald Dale Ives, ’70

Carolyn Sue (Barnhart) Kephart, ’70

Gregory “Greg” Dean Resch, ’70, ’98

Walter Paul Schacht, ’70

Bennie F. Tester, ’70

Richard “Dick” Charles Wallace, ’70

Lynn Stewart Wallis, ’70

William D. “Bill” Austin, ’71

Randy L. Brown, ’71

Jackie L. (Spauldin) Burkhart, ’71

William “Bill” Alvin Caldwell, ’71

Sherry Diane (Monnig) Deal, ’71

Ronald Lee Dollins, ’71

Edward Everett Hobbs, ’71

Janet Barfoot, ’72

Patricia “Pat” Kaye (Simon) Cofer, ’72

James Dennis “Denny” Olson, ’72

Connie Sue (Reed) Beecher, ’73

Barry Lee Hoskins, ’73, ’81

Sanford “Sandy” Holmes Kirkland III, ’73

Jane Carol (Roland) Norman, ’73

David Earl Pollard, ’73

James Daniel “Jim” Rippy, ’73

James “Jim” Marvin Sellers, ’73

Jerry “Dan” Swafford, ’73

Alice Ann (Newman) Bennett, ’74, ’81

R. Barbara (Grant) McKinney, ’74

Joseph “Joe” Robert Mitchell, ’74, ’85

Carol Jean (Lichte) Bueker, ’75

Denis H. Hare, ’75

George Gregory “Greg” Lewis, ’75

John Daniel Litteken, ’75

John T. Moser, ’75

Otto B. Schacht, ’75

David Wilson Thompson, ’75

Timothy G. “Tim” Beck, ’76

Marcile Annette (Kuddes) Ehlers, ’76

Gail D. Hughes, ’76

Mark Calvin Schumacher, ’76

Lynda Kay Templeton, ’76

Judy L. (Seifert) Walton, ’76

Harry J. Wheeler III, ’77, ’82

Thomas Edward “Tim” Cofer, ’77, ’83

Richard “Rick” J. Freeman, ’77

Larry Lee Love, ’77

Frances G. (Rifkin) McRoy, ’77

Carroll E. Mullins, ’77

Robert “Bob” Wayne Prater, ’77, ’85

Dixie Lou (Atkinson) Kirk, ’78

Susan Diane (Downerich) Peebles, ’78

Brad Alexander, ’79

Donna Jean Altis-Huskisson, ’79, ’80

John W. Bartram, ’79

James “Jim” Arnold Quesenberry, ’79

David Robert Rasse, ’79, ’84

Joseph “Joe” Edward Whitworth, ’79

Janice Sue (Potter) Zismer, ’79

1980–1989

Linda Carol (Bayne) Lademann, ’80

Mark A. Howard, ’81

James “Brian” Merrell, ’81

Todd Thomas Cronan, ’82

Nancy L. Shelledy, ’82, ’83

Gevan Wayne Hesterlee, ’83

Patricia Joyce “Patsy” (Wedding) Cameron, ’84

George “Houston” Garner, ’84, ’91

David “Dave” Allen Tyson, ’84, 85

Joseph John Biagiotti Jr., ’85

Raymond Linn “Ray” Bly, ’85

Wendy L. (Garrett) Dennison, ’85

Richard “Rick” A. Smith, ’85

Pamela Gayle (Fast) Crafton, ’86, ’09

John “Patrick” McGinness, ’86, ’87

Todd J. Ridder, ’86

Marguerite Jo “M.J.” Walker, ’86, ’94

Jeffrey “Jeff” Dale Tando, ’87

Debra A. (Friedmeyer) VanDieren, ’87

Clo Angel (Greer) Cass, ’88

Kristine (Stouffer) Kimery, ’88

Patricia “Pat” Eudean (Padgett) Patrick, ’88

Terry J. Dorman Jr., ’89

1990–1999

Eva Louise (Covington) Cannon, ’90

Brian Keith Kemerling, ’90

Robert “Rob” McAllister, ’90

Jeffrey “Jeff” Paul Reichert, ’90

Michael John Raney, ’90, ’93

Susan Kay (Best) Fields, ’91

Wanda “Fay” (Christian) Mustain, ’91

Dennis Keith Bounds, ’92

John “Todd” Cairer, ’93

Lynne (Thomas) Cannon, ’94

Diane Lynell (Scott) Burrows, ’95

Michael R. Miller, ’95

Patricia “Patty” Ann (Prohaska) Walker, ’96

Diane Elaine Brown, ’97

Adelia Bett Shackelton, ’97

Warren Ryan Thomas, ’98

Beth Ellen (Watkins) Frost, ’99, ’00

2000–2009

Glenna Joan Lundberg, ’02

James Howard “Jay” Precht Jr., ’02

Tonya Marie Robinson, ’02

Paul Joseph Fleming, ’05

Tramond Fernandrious Phillips, ’06

Holly Beth Bugh, ’07

Shawnna Gail (Eddy) Layton, ’07

2010–2019

Wylie (Drury) Brown, ’10

Paul Michael Lichtenauer, ’10

Jason Christian Neely, ’12

Sara Ann Kephas, ’14

Adam C. Williams, ’14

Jessica Lauren Kozlen, ’15

2020–2023

Jaime Mari Wright, ’21

Bridget Marie Burgoon, ’23

Former Students

Melissa Anne Anderson

Harold Dean Beasley

Veronica Marie (Johnson) Bell

Dean Robert Bowers

Joann Elaine Brauer

Timothy “Tim” Kyle Bumgarner

Michael Bernard Caine

Donna Mae (Gregory) Caldarello

Kimberly Bernice (Shepard) Carlson

Mary Jane (Rogers, Kolster) Clendening

Robert Charles Connell

Marilyn Elgene (Hoemann) Deppermann

Charles Roland Derby

Mallory S. Dotson-Meehan

William “Bill” Eugene Engle

Alice L. (Rissler) Fairfax

Gerald Gustave “Gary” Ferrou

Alberta Hazel (Ellison) Fethke

Matthew “Matt” Christopher Franklin

James Edward “Jed” Frost II

Phyllis Eileene (Fifer) Garber

Reppie Jo (Garrison) Goodman

Christopher Michael Grafton

Neil A. Grant

Trenton William Grego

Margaret Ann (Schmidt) Grimes

Merna Rita (Sharp) Hanson

Bobby Lee Henderson

Jerry L. Henderson

Ronald Keith Hill

Patrick Jason Holloway

Edward L. Hoover

Sue Jarvis

Leonard E. Jonsen

Derek Dean Jordan

Valenia L. “Vee” (Iwerks) La Masney

Robert “Bob” A. LaMarch

Suzanne Marie Laughlin

Eugene “Gene” Paul Mackert

Cheryl Ann (Grogan) McCafferty

Robert “Bob” McDaniel

Louise Elizabeth (Swaney) Michael

Kerry Alan Miller

Patricia “Pat” Ann (Klepper) Munkirs

Adam Joseph Nichols

Coty Nicholson

Janie (Droz) Nunn

John Wesley Parkhurst

Willim “Bill” R. Parsons

James “Jim” Paulsen

Barbara Jane (Bennett) Peck

Marilyn Joyce (Cool) Poindexter

Timothy Ray Proctor

Albert Lawrence “Larry” Racunas

Gregory Charles Rhodes

Ashton Christine Schouten

Sandra Ann (Peters) Schroeder

Dorothy Ellen (Foltz) Singer

Roger H. Sydow

Michael James Thoelke

Rose (Garnett) Thompson

William Lester “Bill” Thompson

Amanda L. Tripp

Ima Mae (Daugherty) Truex

Richard A. Winfrey

Faculty/Staff

Marcelle Woodruff (Stumpff) Bennett

Lindell L. Harrison

Marie Ann Ice

H. Clarence Lawson

William O. Meyer Jr.

John William Schwetman

Winona “Nona” M. Stockdall

Friends

Betty J. (Jones) Cardwell

William “Bill” Robert Dyer

William “Bill” Bryan Kountz Jr.

Caroline Elizabeth “Carol” (Kalb) Rietbrock

Ann “Yvonne” (Hurley) Slifer

Jerry W. Stafford

Betty Sue (Allen) Thompson

Reva Irene (Burnell) Wallis

College High Alumni

Velma Grace (Fosnow) Keylon

Carroll E. Mullins

Ima Mae (Daugherty) Truex

Lynn Stewart Wallis

Charles Marion Yancey

Student Union Celebrates

By Jace Uchtman, Public Relations Undergraduate Student

TheElliott Student Union celebrated 60 years on campus this past year. On Nov. 28, 1961, excavation began, and on Sept. 29, 1962, the College Union opened. Since then, it has evolved to serve the ever-changing needs of students and the campus community.

In its early years, the union for what was then known as Central Missouri State College was filled with a variety of amenities for students, including a game room, TV room, bookstore, barbershop, 10-lane bowling alley, meeting rooms, student lounge and candy counter. The cafeteria was well known for its soup, as students and staff could go there every day for two weeks and not get the same soup twice.

After four short years, in 1966, the union underwent its first expansion, nearly doubling in size. The expansion included 10 more bowling lanes, a larger game room, a ballroom with stage, a beauty shop, meeting rooms and a lounge for faculty and staff. Events like carnivals, dances, themed nights and the annual Rhetor Ball were held at the union in the ’60s. When the college became Central Missouri State University in 1972, the union was renamed University Center.

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, unions across the country were evolving from social centers to facilities for university services and activities. At CMSU the Cheerleaders and Mulekickers were under the supervision of the union staff and held practices there. More dining services were provided to give students a wider variety of options, and the former food court area on the main floor was renovated to create more meeting rooms. CMSU President Ed Elliott stepped into his position in 1985 and laid the groundwork for the future of the union and campus housing.

More expansions and replacements happened during the ’90s. The union atrium was designed around a two-story indoor fountain, and an ice cream parlor was installed. An information desk replaced the candy corner, and the bowling center went back down to 10 lanes when the Office of Student Activities was added.

In 1991 the Smiser Alumni Center was added on to the union, named in honor of donors Sam, ’38, and Sue Smiser. The beauty and barber shops gave way to a travel agency. The most dramatic change was removing a section of College Avenue to create a pedestrian mall. The union was

renamed Elliott Union when President Elliott retired in 1999, and the Sandra Temple Elliott Ballroom was dedicated to the first lady.

During the 2000s, the union became a popular venue for weddings, camps, conferences, proms and more. It was one of the first buildings on campus with free public Wi-Fi, which was added in 2006, the year CMSU became the University of Central Missouri.

The union staff hosted a week’s worth of celebration for their 60th birthday.

Although still 10 lanes, the Union Bowling Center looks vastly different than when it first opened, with new screens installed last August and a new backdrop in March 2023.

60

UCM’s Campus Living Room Has Changed With the Times

Fast-forward to 2012, when the Union Cinema opened, premiering with “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” The theater became a student favorite and filled up every weekend. In 2015 The Crossing opened, and the university bookstore found a new home in the mixed housing/retail building on the corner of Holden and South streets.

In 2016 the Center for Multiculturalism and Inclusivity was added, and two years later the Success Advising Center opened, providing a home base where each UCM student could access a team of staff and peer advisors. In 2019 the bowling center was remodeled, establishing an enclosed

space at the south entrance, and a new auditorium with collapsible seating for 281 people was built in what was previously a boxed-in outdoor space.

Things slowed down in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit home, but work started to pick up the following year when Starbucks replaced the previous coffee shop. In 2022, the union updated furniture and ceiling decor in the atrium and installed new digital screens in the bowling center. Plans are currently underway for a redesign of the atrium fountain.

The Elliott Student Union has served the campus community for 60 years. It has undergone many transformations, name changes and remodels to ensure it serves students in the best possible ways. No matter what changes lie in store, UCM’s campus living room will always be a place where students feel at home.

UCM alumnus

Left: The bookstore was located inside the union until 2015.

Bottom Left: Before there was a pedestrian mall, College Avenue ran past the union.

Bottom Right: The cafeteria was well known for its soup.

Ken Johnson, ’64, was the first assistant manager of the union bowling alley. He and his wife, Betty Johnson, ’65, remember watching The Beatles on a TV in the student union when they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. That year, students could get a haircut at the union barbershop for $1.25, and bowling cost 35 cents per lane.

Storyteller Meryl Lin McKean Shares Her Own Story

Ever since Meryl Lin McKean, ’80, was a young girl, she wanted to tell stories. Growing up in Warrensburg, she wrote and printed her own newspaper on a toy Mattel Linoprinter, distributing it “hot off the press” to her family and friends.

Meryl Lin made her broadcast debut in radio speaking at high school speech festivals and began working for KOKO radio. After graduating from Warrensburg High School, she enrolled in broadcast journalism at the University of Oklahoma and got a job as a newscaster at the campus radio station. But she soon decided to transfer to the University of Central Missouri and become assistant news and sports director for KOKO.

The part-time job at the radio station gave Meryl Lin valuable real-world experience while earning her degree in Broadcasting and Film. She also credits mentors like Richard Whitaker, a seasoned journalist, professor and public affairs officer for the Naval Reserve, with teaching her the ropes and preparing her for a career in what was then a male-dominated field.

Meryl Lin graduated magna cum laude in 1980 and landed her first television gig at WOC-TV in Davenport, Iowa. She then spent four years as a weekend news co-anchor and health reporter at KTUL-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before moving back to Missouri to become the health and medical reporter for Kansas City’s WDAF-TV, now Fox 4. “You get to get out every day, meet different people, see different things and then write

about them,” she says of her 31-year career producing and anchoring the nightly health news segment for Channel 4. “Having viewers contact me after a story aired and saying, in some cases, you saved my life — literally. That’s about as rewarding as it gets.”

One example of this life-saving work was a special report titled “Healing Honduras,” where Meryl Lin accompanied 30 medical professionals on a fourday mission to perform corrective operations for children with deformities and provide general medical care for those without access to a doctor. The five-part series earned Meryl Lin an Emmy in 1997, the same year she won first place for general reporting at the Kansas City Press Club’s Heart of America Awards. She went on to earn another Emmy in 2010 for “Heavy Burden,” examining the soft-tissue injuries that soldiers in Afghanistan suffered from carrying heavy combat gear. That same year, she received the national Delta Zeta Achoth Award for service to her sorority.

In 2014 Meryl Lin’s sorority sisters, along with other lifelong friends, watched her accept the UCM Distinguished Alumni Award. Meryl Lin was overjoyed that her mother, Willa Mae (Fellhauer) McKean, ’39, ’67, was able to see her awarded this honor from their shared alma mater. During her time at what was then Central Missouri State Teachers College, Willa Mae was voted the first modern-day Homecoming queen. Other women in Meryl Lin’s legacy family include her

sister, Mary Kate Alkire, ’76, ’84, and paternal grandmother, Lena McKean, who earned a teaching certificate from Normal School No. 2 in the early 1900s. When Willa Mae passed away at the age of 97 in 2016, Meryl Lin and Mary Kate set up the McKean Family Scholarship in her honor. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Education in either English or Speech Communication and Theatre.

In addition to this scholarship and regular contributions to the immediate needs on campus — including the Campus Cupboard, the Student Hardship Fund, the renovation of Hendricks Hall and the Central Annual Fund — Meryl Lin established an estate gift with the UCM Alumni Foundation. The gift will

continue to fund her family scholarship and help advance broadcast journalism through the Digital Media Production program and KMOS-TV, the campus PBS station. Although she retired from her career in 2016, Meryl Lin continues to provide valuable professional perspective and guidance as a member of the advisory boards for both DMP and KMOS and on the board of directors of the UCM Alumni Foundation.

“I feel strongly that because I don’t have children I need to pay it forward to future generations,” she says of her philanthropy to UCM and countless medical and community associations. “It’s my way of giving to the next generation.”

Along with Meryl Lin McKean, these generous alumni and friends were recently inducted into the Heritage Society by documenting, or updating their documentation of, a planned gift to the University of Central Missouri:

Donald, ’61, ’62, and Patricia Dittmer made provisions for their planned gift to establish the Donald and Patricia Dittmer Scholarship in Mathematics by designating the UCM Alumni Foundation as a beneficiary on their life insurance policies. Their scholarship will provide support to Missouri high school graduates who are pursuing a degree in mathematics at UCM.

David Stagg, UCM professor emeritus of Music, has named the UCM Alumni Foundation as a beneficiary of his trust to increase investment in the David L. Stagg Trombone Scholarship Endowment. Established in 2002, the scholarship is awarded to full-time students who are enrolled in applied trombone lessons and actively involved in a large music ensemble at UCM.

Kathryn McKillip Thrift, ’70, was the first woman to graduate from UCM with a degree in Agriculture. In 2019 she established the Kathryn McKillip Thrift Scholarship Endowment in Agriculture to provide scholarship support for high-achieving students pursuing a degree in the field of Agriculture Sciences at UCM. Kathryn recently made provisions in her estate planning to increase investment in the scholarship endowment by naming UCM as the beneficiary of an individual retirement account (IRA).

There are many ways to leave your legacy! To learn more, contact the UCM Alumni Foundation at 660-543-8000, giving@ucmo.edu or ucmo.gift.legacy.com.

UCM reunion celebrations will take place on Friday, October 20, as part of Homecoming 2023! This year we are honoring members of the 50-year, 25-year and 10-year anniversary classes of 1973, 1998 and 2013!

Bring your family and friends for a day full of campus tours, classroom experiences, UCM trivia and more before the big parade and game on Saturday.

Learn more and get involved at ucmfoundation.org/reunion.

Your gifts have powered 10 YEARS of Opportunity Grants, with more than $330,000 being awarded to 121 projects!

Digital Media Production

Thousands of students benefit from your generosity. Make your gift and create more incredible opportunities at ucmfoundation.org/give/magazine.

THRIVE Program

A 2022 Opportunity Grant funded a full set of kitchen supplies for THRIVE students with learning or developmental disabilities.

Campus Cupboard

A 2013 Opportunity Grant helped establish a food pantry on campus, which has been feeding students facing food insecurity for a decade.

One of the first Opportunity Grants in 2013 established a sound design studio for students in UCM’s Digital Media Production program to conduct live interviews and record radio dramas, talk shows and podcasts. In 2020, a second grant funded a portable TV studio that allows DMP students to travel to places like the United Kingdom and livestream events like the Talking Mules competition.

Student volunteers make reusable bags for the Campus Cupboard out of excess T-shirts.