Alumnotes Fall 2017

1960s
Julia Schneider ’67, retired library director, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the YWCA Women of Excellence Lunch in June. She was recognized for her 44 years of service to Missouri Western and as a leader in the library science field at the state and national levels.

1970s
Bill Brown ’74 retired from the Family Guidance Center in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Mary (Sprake) Vaughan ’78 received the 2017 Retirement Service Award from the Missouri Parks and Recreation Association. She recently retired as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Maryland Heights, Missouri.

1980s
Kimberlie McCue ’85 is the director, Research, Conservation and Collections at the Desert Botanical Center in Phoenix. Her previous position at the Center was program director, Conservation of Threatened Species and Habitats.

Debbie Schaaf ’87 received the Literacy Citation award at Pass the Power’s 2017 Literacy Luncheon. Pass the Power is an adult literacy program provided by the St. Joseph School District.

1990s
Jeffrey Lee Shanks ’91 is celebrating his 25^th anniversary with the Platte County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office. He is a commissioned deputy sheriff holding the rank of sergeant.

Col. Grace Link ’92 was the keynote speaker at the 16^th annual YWCA Women of Excellence Lunch. She is currently the director of staff for the Missouri Air National Guard at the Joint Force Headquarters-Missouri.

2000s
Asa Barnes ’03 released his first solo music project in May titled, “It’s Complicated.” He also has a current single, “Thinking of You,” that is playing on Kansas City, Missouri and Lawrence, Kansas radio stations. His website is asaentertains.com.

Dr. Jasmine Briedwell ’03 is director of elementary education in the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, Missouri. She served as principal at Lake Contrary Elementary School in St. Joseph for eight years. During her time with the St. Joseph School District, she also spent time as a classroom teacher, an instructional coach and an assistant principal.

LaShaundra Randolph ’03 was selected to serve on the National Board of Directors for the National Association for Campus Activities, the recognized leader in higher education for providing knowledge, ideas and resources for campus life. Members of the board are responsible for the overall strategic direction, effectiveness and financial stability of the association.

Mindi Richardson ’03 is the assistant principal at Oak Grove Elementary School in St. Joseph.

Lucas Gorham ’06 is the Career Services Coordinator for the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, serving health science students with their career exploration and preparation.

Jill (Johnson) ’08 and Jeff ’10 Brock announce the birth of twins, Bowen Mark and Anna Beth, born May 1, 2017. Bowen and Anna join big sister Hadley.

Kim Evans Carson ’08, head choral director at Truman High School in Independence, Missouri, accepted an invitation for her students to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May 2017. They performed for 20 minutes as the featured choir, and then performed with four other choirs accompanied by the New England Symphony.

2010s
Terra (May) James ’12 earned a master of arts from Auburn University in 2014 and is a professor in the communication department for the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. She and her husband have a son, Emmett, born in September 2016.

Lauren Prywitch ’14 moved to New York City and is working in casting for the television show “Chopped” on the Food Network.

Darlisa (Chirieleison) Finney ’15, medical coder for Mosaic Life Care and president of the Pony Express Health Information Management, received the Rising Star Award at the Missouri Health Information Management Association during its annual meeting this past spring. The award recognizes a gifted new professional. Recipients must have fewer than five years in the field, professional association involvement and be a proven role model to peers.

Alex Atkinson ’16 presented a webinar as part of the LeaderShape 2017 Webinar Series, Nonverbal Public Speaking: Radiating Executive Presence.

In Memory
We remember those who have passed away. If you want to include someone in this listing, please call (816) 271-5651, mail the information to Diane Holtz, Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, or email holtz@missouriwestern.edu.

 

Nikole Rene Caudle ’07, St. Joseph, Missouri, April 9, 2017.

Rebecca Crockett ’17, Cameron, Missouri, May 25, 2017.

Jason Hiram Hart ’04, St. Joseph, Missouri, May 1, 2017.

Darrel Huber ’66, St. Joseph, Missouri, March 27, 2017.

Weldon (Don) Judah ’72, St. Joseph, Missouri, July 13, 2017. Judah received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002. He is survived by his wife, Linda ’82/’94 and two daughters.

Dr. Adam Khan, Scottsdale, Arizona, May 17, 2017. Dr. Khan taught in Missouri Western’s  Agriculture program from 1979-1995.

Christopher G. Kelley ’86, St. Joseph, Missouri, April 5, 2017. Kelley, who was teaching at Central High School at the time of his death, is the son of James B. and Jean P. Kelley. His family is the namesake of the student gathering space, Kelley Commons. The family’s gifts established the University Plaza in 2007 and the Kelley Commons in 2013. He is survived by his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Kealey Mathieson, who is a student at Missouri Western, and sisters Jeanie Grahl ’72 and Molly Pierce ’77.

Max Meneely ’92, Kansas City, Missouri, March 26, 2017.

Robert Lee Meyer ’74, Alpine, California, April 28, 2017.

Duane Morgan, JC, St. Joseph, Missouri, March 18, 2017.

Dr. Donald J. Robbins, Gower, Missouri, May 19, 2017. Dr. Robbins taught biology and chemistry at the Junior College and biology at Missouri Western. His obituary stated that he and a colleague were instrumental in designing the layout of the Department of Biology in Agenstein Hall on the present-day campus. He also established the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honors Society in 1987. He retired from Missouri Western in 1998.

Norma G. Salsberry ’71, St. Joseph, Missouri, May 21, 2017.

Iva Pearl Wake ’72, Overland Park, Kansas, April 5, 2017.

Kenneth M. Wollnick ’76, Wathena, Kansas, April 28, 2017.

An email from an alumna
Thank you for the “Looking back-student publications” article that was printed in the recent Missouri Western magazine. I enjoyed that glimpse into the history of some of the publications where I first learned how to edit, do design and layout, and perhaps most importantly, write. The article reminded me, too, of some of the staff members with whom I had the opportunity to work while I was a student at Missouri Western. From 1983-85, I worked on the Griffon News, first as a writer, then as news editor and then as editor-in-chief, and I also did editing and production work for “Icarus” for a year. After Icarus became “Mochila Review,” I contributed a couple of short stories, one of which was awarded a prize named in John Gilgun’s honor. 

Alas, the article mentions that a student, Sue Ferguson, submitted the winning entry for the renaming of the college’s literary magazine. While it’s true that I submitted the winning entry for the renaming, I was not a student by the time the renaming of “Icarus” came about. I had graduated in 1985, with a B.A. in English-Writing (Journalism minor), and had gone on to become a rather unremarkable journalist before fading into obscurity. 

I realize the writer of the piece had a lot of information to break down for such a short article, and the least of his or her concerns was the task of discerning whether a name on a piece of paper needed the adjective student or alum to further define it. Just the same, it would be great to make note somewhere that Ferguson was actually an alum at the time of the contest. Thanks.

Sue Ferguson ’85

Editor’s note: Thank you, Sue, for setting the record straight!