Don Crabtree ’71 was happy to see Missouri Western re-launch its competitive speech and debate program last fall, and if anybody knows about speech and debate programs, it’s him.

In September 2012, Crabtree was elected as president of the Board of Directors of the National Forensic League for a two-year term. He had previously served as vice president of the board for 12 years and as a board member since 1988. He has coached the forensic program at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo. for 38 years.

“The program will be a great benefit for Missouri Western,” Crabtree said. He noted that students often ask him about Missouri Western, and their second or third question is whether the University has a competitive forensic program.

The National Forensic League represents more than a million members and 5,000 schools in the U.S., Korea and China. It began in 1925 and serves as a national honor society for secondary and middle school speech and debate. As the national president, Crabtree travels to tournaments across the country and leads the board meetings.

A League Hall of Fame member, Crabtree began teaching and coaching at Bishop LeBlond High School in St. Joseph, Mo. after he graduated with degrees in speech and theatre, and English from Missouri Western.

“I knew I wanted to teach speech,” he said. “I got involved in the program by default and I fell in love with it immediately.”

Five years later, he began his stint at Park Hill. The long-time coach officially retired in 2006 but still helps with Park Hill’s program on a part-time basis.

Crabtree has earned a number of awards over the years, including 15 Distinguished Service plaques, the Ralph Carey Distinguished Career Service Award, the Missouri State High School Activities Association Award for Distinguished Service, and the National Federation Award for Career Service. He has been named the Park Hill School District Teacher of the Year and the Missouri Speech Teacher of the Year.

Although he had been involved with the local and state forensic organizations for several years, he got interested in volunteering at the national level when Park Hill hosted the national forensic tournament in 1983. “I was already involved, but I wanted to do more to help more kids.”

Crabtree calls the nationals the world’s largest academic tournament, where more than 7,000 students from all 50 states, China, S. Korea, Puerto Rico and Guam compete for five days. Park Hill again hosted the nationals in 1994 and 2010, and the 2014 nationals will be held in Overland Park, Kan.

Coincidentally, Missouri Western’s parliamentary debate coach, Sohail Jouya, was a student of Crabtree’s at Park Hill. And, Crabtree said the Park Hill program works closely with the Savannah High School program, so he knew Missouri Western forensics coach, Abigayle Richardson, who competed for Savannah when she was in high school. He also knows several of the students currently on Missouri Western’s team.

“I have talked to them extensively, given them materials, and given them advice when they asked for it,” Crabtree said of the two Missouri Western coaches.

And when a Park Hill student asks him if Missouri Western has a forensic and debate program, he is proud to be able to answer in the affirmative.

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