northwest missouri state university alumni magazine, fall 2012

The magazine for Northwest Missouri State University alumni and friendsNorthwest

Fall 2012alum

ni magazine

2012 Homecoming Alumni Awards New Basketball Coach Tourin’ Bearcats

The tie that binds

Billy Price ’60

“At Northwest, you aren’t just a Bearcat when you’re a student. You become part of the Northwest family for life. The alumni chapters are a great way to remain a part of, and give back to, Northwest. My involvement with the St. Joseph Alumni Chapter has made me realize that no matter when you graduate from Northwest, all alumni have a connection with other Bearcats. By volunteering, I’m able to continue that tradition and ensure that all incoming students and graduates feel that same connection. I encourage you to get involved in an alumni chapter. ‘Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat’ isn’t just a saying, but a promise to past, present and future Bearcats that they are a part of a lifelong legacy.”

Anitra Germer Clark ’05, ’07 St. Joseph Alumni Chapter President

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities at Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at [email protected] or 660.562.1248.

People just like youIt’s because of the volunteer

support of countless

alumni and friends –

spirited people like Anitra Clark – that Northwest

continues to thrive.

The magazine for Northwest Missouri State University alumni and friendsNorthwest

Fall 2012

alumni m

agazine

Volume 46 Issue 1 3

Fall 2012 Northwest Alumni Magazine

The Northwest Alumni Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of University Relations, the Office of University Advancement, Northwest Missouri State University and the Northwest Foundation Inc., 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468-6001.

The mission of the Northwest Alumni Magazine is to foster connections between alumni, friends and Northwest Missouri State University. The University strives to inform readers of the accomplishments of Northwest’s alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students and to positively position the University in the hearts of its many constituents to increase public and private support.

Northwest Missouri State University is an equal-opportunity, co-educational university and does not discriminate based on race, sex, disability, age, national origin or religion.

Printed in the USA.

8Entrepreneurship in actionNorthwest students, many of whom are aspiring entrepreneurs, participated in the inaugural Business Plan Competition. Students on the winning team, including Danny Apgar presenting a business plan for a pool maintenance system (left), received a three-credit-hour scholarship.

36Nerds + robots = NerdbotsWhen Nicholas ’08 and Angela Bramlage ’04 Snyder embraced their “inner nerd” and discovered their joint interest in robots, a new hobby resulted in a unique business venture.

In every issue4 Dear Friends

5 Viewpoint

6 Northwest News

10 Cover Story

14 Alumni Connections

21 Advancing Northwest

25 Bearcat Sports

29 Class Notes

Editorial Assistants Gina Peterson Bradley ’87 Kate Bridges Levi Cameron Teresa Carter ’91 Phillip Dowden Teresa Gustafson ’97, ’05 Ashley Herring ’12 Mark Hornickel ’01 Polly Parsons Howard ’00, ’09 Mike Johnson ’85 Ben Lawson Laurie Drummond Long ’92 Mallory Murray Scott Nielson ’01 Lori McLemore Steiner ’85 Steve Sutton ’71 Brenda Untiedt ’00, ’09

Photography Assistant Taylor Allan

Editor Mitzi Craft Lutz ’91, ’[email protected]

Designer Melinda [email protected]

Photographer Darren [email protected]

10The tie that bindsBilly Price ’60 – known for his trademark bowties and savvy marketing sense – lives his life with a spring in his step and a positive outlook. And he’s determined to “Gigglemoor.”

Dear Friends4

Northwest Alumni Magazine Fall 2012

In early 2011, I was extended an invitation by Dr. Carol Spradling ’88 (master’s), associate professor of computer science, to see a pre-sentation by a group of Northwest students working on a newly formed student-run agency that would be called “Knacktive.” I instantly became a fan.

Knacktive puts stu-dents in a team environ-ment much like they will

encounter in the workforce. The teams consist of students from multiple areas of study, unlike traditional assignments where the students are all from the same major. That cross-major ex-perience is what happens in the business world.

As a vice president for Cerner Corpora-tion in Kansas City, I work in an industry that requires technical people to interact on an almost daily basis with clinical professionals such as doctors, nurses, hospital administra-tors and care providers. Those two groups in-herently don’t speak the same jargon or think the same way. In order to meet the needs of our clients, our technical people need to listen and understand the thoughts of the clinical clients, but be able to translate that conversation into what can be done in the technological environ-ment to aid the client in providing patient care.

Knacktive’s interdisciplinary approach was

promoted by Bill Price ’60 (who is featured in this issue’s cover story) and pitched to North-west in May 2010. By November of the same year, the course was designed, a client was identified and students were interviewed for the opportunity to participate in the inaugural class in January 2011.

Cerner hosted a presentation earlier this year for Northwest Networks-Kansas City, a networking group of alumni and friends, in which the students attended and gave a presentation about Knacktive. This event gave others the opportunity to see how amazing these students and the program really are. The event also gave Cerner, as a potential employer, visibility to students who are raising the bar in their education, taking every opportunity to learn as much as they can. In fact, we liked the program so much we hired one of the students!

Knacktive creates an environment that energizes students to want to work hard to be successful and welcome the extra work that this class requires.

Kudos to Mr. Price and the leaders at Northwest for having the vision and tenacity to think outside of the norm and allow students to develop a skill set that puts them a step ahead in the workforce.

Sincerely,

Ken Scribner ’87Kansas City

Interdisciplinary team approach puts students a step ahead

PresidentHolly Murphy-Barstow ’81,

Omaha, Neb.

Vice PresidentMark Doll ’80,

Des Moines, Iowa

Immediate Past PresidentDan Runde ’81, Platte City

Board MembersVirgil Albertini, Fairway, Kan.

Mary Asbell ’69, Lubbock, Texas

John Baker, Maryville

Jeff Borchardt ’82, Olathe, Kan.

Ken Scribner ’87, a vice president for Cerner, is pleased programs such as Knacktive provide Northwest students with the team-building skills necessary to succeed in today’s workforce.

Northwest Foundation Inc. ’12-’13 Board of Directors

Bill Brown ’63, Platte City

Betty Bush ’60, Maryville

Rick Carter, Maryville

Terry Day ’65, Kansas City

Toni Espey ’83, Parkland, Fla.

Troy Greenfield ’90, Kansas City

Hayley Hanson ’97, Leawood, Kan.

Amy Harlin ’95, Smithville

Bill Hedge ’74, ’77, ’89, St. Joseph

Arnold Johnson ’77, Houston, Texas

Jennifer Nicholson ’71, Kansas City

Kenny Petersen ’66, Omaha, Neb.

Mary Purdy ’72, Davidsonville, Md.

Juan Rangel ’91, Kansas City

Paul Schieber ’81, Overland Park, Kan.

Owen Straub ’86, Kansas City

Kay Thomas ’71, Kansas City

Gary Thompson ’76, Avon, Conn.

Dick Thomson, Maryville

Deb Tripp ’92, ’96, Carrollton, Texas

Ex-Officio Directors

Dean L. Hubbard, President Emeritus, Kansas City

John Jasinski, University President

Mike Johnson ’85, Executive Director

B.D. Owens ’59, President Emeritus, West Des Moines, Iowa

University Advancement

Mike Johnson ’85, Vice President [email protected]

Teresa Gustafson ’97, ’05, Director of Strategic Donor Development [email protected]

Polly Parsons Howard ’00, ’09, Development Officer [email protected]

Carma Green Kinman ’85, Executive Assistant [email protected]

Laurie Drummond Long ’92, Development Officer [email protected]

Robert Machovsky, Annual Giving Manager [email protected]

Scott Nielson ’01, Associate Athletic Director/External Affairs and Development [email protected]

Lori McLemore Steiner ’85, Finance Officer and Executive Director of Advancement Services [email protected]

Steve Sutton ’71, Director of Alumni Relations [email protected]

Brenda Untiedt ’00, ’09, Alumni Relations and Advancement Communications Specialist [email protected]


Viewpoint 5

Do you remember these events?

1962The men of fourth floor Wilson Hall are presented a turkey dinner for winning the Men’s Dorm Council Turkey Run. The 220-yard foot race tested the speed of 10 men from each floor of every hall. The men from second floor Cook Hall are awarded a goose

dinner for coming in second.

1972The “sports for all” slogan is implemented by the Intramural and Co-Recreational Sports Department, allowing all students to choose from and participate in 16 different intramural contests.

The St. Louis Symphony, the second oldest established symphony orchestra in the United

States, performs a concert in Lamkin

Gymnasium.

2002The Garrett-Strong Math and Science Building receives a $15 million renovation, and the cutting-edge science and technology tools incorporated in the remodeling are revealed during a rededication ceremony.

Jean Jennings Bartik, a 1945 graduate who helped program the world’s first electronic computer, is honored with the grand opening of the Jean Jennings Bartik Computing Museum in the B.D. Owens Library.

Look familiar?Northwest student photographer Taylor Allan captured these images from a unique perspective throughout campus. Test your knowledge of these familiar – or not so familiar – Northwest sites. Answers can be found on page 20.

31

2

1982For the first time in Northwest history, students have the option to live in Franken Hall and experience a co-ed residence hall.

The Harlem Globetrotters visit Northwest and perform to a capacity crowd in Lamkin Gymnasium.

1992The Pan-Hellenic and Inter-Fraternity councils host Jam Fest where 10 acts compete in a lip sync contest that raises money for the American Cancer Society and Multiple Sclerosis.

Kathy Mattea, a Grammy Award winner and Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year, performs in the Mary Linn Performing Arts Center.

Northwest News6


In honor of Valentine’s Day this year, we asked Northwest Facebook fans if they met their significant others at Northwest and, if so, to share their stories. Enjoy this sampling of the great responses we received.

Love the professors? Love the traditions? Love

the squirrels? Tell us what you love about Northwest. Your

submissions will be used in future issues of the Northwest Alumni

Magazine as well as in a variety of Northwest marketing pieces

to recruit future Bearcats. Simply email your response to Mallory

Murray at [email protected]. Any length is acceptable,

and don’t forget to include your name, graduation year(s), city of

residence, email address and daytime phone number. n

Join us on Facebook for the latest Northwest news and events and to join conversations like this one!● facebook.com/nwmostate ● facebook.com/nwmissourialumni

Bearcats in Love

Lvve Northwest?

Northwest News 7


Eighteen Northwest students and five faculty members spent four days this spring in Fort Pierce, Fla., participating in Atlantic Hope 2012, a full-scale disaster exercise designed to train participants in humanitarian aid, safety and leadership.

Atlantic Hope 2012 took place at the Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex at Indian River State College with more than 50 participants from colleges and universities nationwide. The exercise occurs within the fictional country of Atlantica, which has been devastated by a severe earthquake.

Within the scenario, Atlantica is divided by its politics, and government officials have requested aid from a humanitarian organization. Tensions between North and South Atlantica have the country on the brink of civil war, and student participants are delegated as humanitarian aid workers.

“Atlantic Hope 2012 is an intense, realistic

Over the years, Northwest students have consistently succeeded at the annual Great Plains Students’ Psychology Convention, and this year was no different as the students presented their research on their home turf.

More than 300 students from throughout the Midwest gathered at Northwest for two days in March as the campus hosted the 32nd annual convention. Northwest had hosted the gathering only one other time in the convention’s history, in 1993.

The annual conference is an opportunity for students, who come from nearly 30 universities, to hear guest speakers and present psychology projects to their peers. This year’s convention included a Friday night banquet that featured Dr. Jeremy Wolfe, a professor of ophthalmology at Harvard

Medical School, as the keynote speaker.About 50 Northwest students teamed

up and gave 14 research presentations during the convention, which featured 136 student presentations. Seven presentations given by Northwest students received first- or second-place honors.

Like many Northwest students at the convention, Kyla Johnson, a senior psychology major from Kansas City, participated in hopes of broadening her knowledge in the psychology field as well as networking with other students and professionals with similar interests.

“I gained a lot from this experience,” Johnson said. “I was able to improve my verbal communication skills, meet new people, network and learn a little more about the research side of psychology. I also learned there are so many different ways one can conduct an experiment.” n

Atlantic Hope simulation tests students’ crisis management skills

Students present research, earn top honors at annual psychology convention

Justine Smith (left), a Northwest senior with a minor in comprehen-sive crisis response, works with other students from throughout the country during Atlantic Hope 2012, a disaster simulation designed to train students in humanitarian aid, safety and leadership. Eighteen Northwest students participated in this year’s exercise. (Photo by Dr. Michael Steiner ’85)

Professor emeritus Trowbridge named Missouri’s Poet Laureate

Gov. Jay Nixon recently appointed Dr. William Trowbridge as Missouri’s Poet Laureate. Trowbridge is a distinguished university professor emeritus at Northwest and the author of more than 340 published or forthcoming poems. The motorcycle enthusiast who now lives in Lee’s Summit was a Northwest faculty member from 1971 to 1998. His appointment will run for two years, and during his term, he will present and lecture on poetry to school, community and civic groups throughout the state. n

simulation of the work that is required of humanitarian aid workers after a disaster occurs,” said Abbey Lawrence, a Northwest junior majoring in English with minors in psychology and comprehensive crisis response. “We learned about the core values of humanitarians, which are neutrality, impartiality and independence. The exercise was physically and mentally strenuous, but an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience. It was an enriching exercise that tested the resilience, compassion and versatility of all participants.” n

Northwest News8


Northwest celebrated the opening of its new St. Joseph Center location May 31 with a ribbon cutting, tours, enrollment sessions and an evening reception.

“This was a huge day for Northwest and the St. Joseph community,” Northwest Presi-dent Dr. John Jasinski said. “It positions our University for growth in the St. Joseph area, and we’re excited to be in a building so closely aligned with our Northwest values.”

The Northwest St. Joseph Center, for-merly located in downtown St. Joseph, is now located in the Historic Green Acres building at 3500 North Village Drive, near the city’s Belt Highway and just one mile northwest of Highway 169 and Interstate 29.

The St. Joseph Center is one of two gradu-ate centers Northwest operates, including its Kansas City Center in Liberty.

The St. Joseph Center offers graduate programs in curriculum and instruction, edu-cational leadership, guidance and counseling,

instructional technology and a Master’s of Business Administration as well as educa-tion specialist and alternative certification pro-grams. It also of-fers a master’s in biology program with Boehringer Ingelheim Vet-medica Inc. in St. Joseph and a cooperative doctorate in educational leader-ship with the University of Missouri.

Northwest has offered post-baccalaureate courses in St. Joseph for almost 40 years, and the St. Joseph Center had been at its previous location since 2007. n

Northwest celebrates opening of new St. Joseph location

Northwest students and aspiring en-trepreneurs got a taste of the real world this spring when they tried selling their business plans to industry professionals during the University’s inaugural Busi-ness Plan Competition.

The objective of the competition was to encourage students to consider en-trepreneurship as a potential career and help prepare them for such a path.

A total of 10 teams competed, and four teams advanced to the final round. Aquaticare, the makers of a product designed to ease pool cleaning and maintenance, was declared the winner. Students on the winning team received the Dave and Leslie Ackman Entrepre-neurship Scholarship, which funds three credit hours.

In addition to the competition, a lunch featured Northwest alumnus and businessman Mel Booth as the keynote speaker. Since graduating in 1967, Booth has led multibillion dollar companies worldwide. He and his wife, Valorie, are

active in many educational and philanthropic causes and are the namesakes of Northwest’s Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth College of Business and Professional Studies.

“This Business Plan Competi-tion will help students to start thinking about what they truly desire to do in the future and to get a taste of what it takes to develop, as a team, a business plan and to communicate that plan to business professionals,” Booth said. “Mov-ing forward, enhanced support and participation from business leaders and investors to take these ideas from conception to reality would be great.”

Dr. Ben Blackford, an assistant professor of management at North-west, coordinated the competition.

“Regardless of whether the students intend to become entrepreneurs after graduation, they gained valuable real-world experience presenting to and in-

teracting with knowledgeable members of the business community,” Blackford said. “We greatly appreciate the judges sharing their experience with, and pro-viding feedback to, the students.” n

Students gain valuable entrepreneurial experience

Prior to the final round of the Business Plan Competition, Mel Booth ’67 (left), the keynote speaker, visits with Jay Liebenguth ’80, who served as one of the event’s nine judges. The judges not only grilled each of the teams with questions and critiques, but also shared their experiences and insight.

Northwest officials and members of the St. Joseph Chamber of Com-merce cut a ribbon to celebrate the opening of the University’s St. Joseph Center in the Historic Green Acres building.

Northwest News 9


Northwest’s Department of Agricultural Sciences stu-dents competed last spring in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture contests and returned with numerous awards, including the sweepstakes award given to the four-year institution with the highest point total.

Northwest sent 32 agriculture undergraduate students and five faculty and graduate student coaches to Coffeyville Community College in Kansas where they competed with ag students from colleges and universi-ties throughout the country.

Northwest teams placed among the top three teams in the nation in nine contest categories, and individual Northwest students earned 12 top-five-overall finishes.

In 35 other instances,

Northwest placed among the top three teams or among the top five individuals in con-test sections such as horticulture ID and agriculture computers applica-tions.

The NACTA contests occur each spring and provide the opportunity for Northwest stu-dents to compete in various skill and knowledge-based events. This year, 900 registrants representing 40 two-year and four-year institutions com-peted. The contests consisted of a quiz bowl, horticul-ture, agricultural business management, horse judging,

livestock judging, agricultur-al computers, crops judging, agricultural mechanics, soil judging, dairy judging, live-stock management, agricul-tural communications and meat judging. n

Allison Strong Hoffmann ’01, ’03, an instructor in Northwest’s Department of Business, is the recipient of the Out-standing Advising Award for Faculty Academic Advising, presented by the National Academic Advising Associa-tion, as well as the 2012 Teaching Excel-lence Award for the Midwestern Council of Business Schools and Programs.

“Allison is very student focused, and students are able to immediately make a con-nection with her both in the classroom and outside,” said Dr. Chi Lo Lim, as-sociate professor

of management and former department chair. “Allison’s devotion in helping her students is well known on campus as she always goes above and beyond the call of duty. She exemplifies a passionate and professional teacher determined to help her students learn.”

Hoffmann, who advises nearly 200 undergraduate business majors each trimester, serves as a faculty academic advisor in the Department of Business. As an academic advisor, Hoffmann is a liaison between students and the resources Northwest offers to help them succeed. Hoffmann also puts emphasis on building relationships with each student to cultivate their success.

“I pride myself on developing a personal relationship with each and every advisee,” Hoffmann said. “I strive to make each advisee feel as though

they are the only advisee I have. These relationships aren’t created through meeting one time each year, but instead are fostered through frequent commu-nication, being available to students and being approachable for both academic and nonacademic issues.”

In addition to her academic advise-ment of students, Hoffmann advises multiple student groups at Northwest, including the American Marketing As-sociation, the Delta Mu Delta business administration honor society, Sigma Kappa sorority and Sigma Society ser-vice organization.

A member of Northwest’s faculty since 2007, Hoffmann’s academic inter-ests include emerging trends in business communication, corporate culture and structure, organizational leadership and employee motivation. n

Ag students claim top award at national contest

Hoffmann recognized with advising, teaching awards

Northwest agriculture students competed at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture contests where they earned numerous team and individual awards, including the sweepstakes award.

By Mitzi Lutz • Photography by Darren Whitley • Design by Melinda Kelsey

Billy and Mary Beth Price, who have been married 38 years and have three children together, cheer on the Cincinnati Reds from one of the owner’s suites. Both retired, the Prices volunteer throughout their community and enjoy golfing, traveling and entertaining.

Billy Price catches up with Northwest alumna Cassie Bredensteiner ’10, a client leadership associate who joined Empower MediaMarketing in January 2011. By supporting programs such as Knacktive, Price hopes to bring more Bearcats to his Cincinnati-based agency.

Northwest’s student-driven strategic com-munications agency. Based on a similar program the Prices are involved in at

the Univer-sity of Mis-souri, Knacktive provides students with an invalu-able opportunity to build their portfolios with real-world experience and learn to work with others in a fast-paced, team setting. Students work with a pro-fessional client to create practical solutions for their marketplace

challenge and earn three hours of credit by successfully completing the course.

While the course incorporates prin-ciples, strategies and tactics of design, mar-keting and public relations, Knacktive is a melting pot of departments and disciplines throughout campus, such as art, computer science, business, communication and mass media.

Knacktive’s inaugural class designed a comprehensive marketing campaign for Cincinnati-based LasikPlus Vision, which led to the “Eyes Save Lives” campaign being launched nationally by the company within three months. This year, Knacktive teams wowed their client Science City, a hands-on science center located within Kansas City’s Union Station.

For more information about Knacktive visit www.nwmissouri.edu/knacktive or contact Teresa Gustafson at [email protected]. nStephanie Padgett (left), hired by Billy Price to assist with the launching of

Knacktive, visits with Price and Northwest students following the on-campus presentation for LasikPlus Vision.

Northwest students capitalize on their 'knack' throughPiloted at Northwest in 2011 thanks

to the vision and support of Billy Price, Knacktive (pronounced “nak-tive”) is

12

Bush’s Baked Beans are among Empower MediaMarketing’s clients, which also include well-known brands such as LensCrafters, Wendy’s and U.S. Bank.

When he returns to campus, Billy Price often takes time to share his experi-ences and expertise with Northwest students. He also recently completed six years of service to the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors.

13

Alumni Connections14


HONORARY AWARD

Dr. Max RuhlDr. Max Ruhl’s career at Northwest began in 1987. He served as associate professor, professor and chair in the Department of Educational Leadership prior to serving as dean of the College of Education and Human Ser-vices for 14 years until his retirement in 2010. He lives in Rocky Comfort.

TURRET SERVICE AWARD

Dan RundeDan Runde ’81 has been in the banking industry since 1982 and is senior vice presi-dent of commercial lending at Platte Valley Bank. He is the immediate past president of the Northwest Founda-tion and founded Northwest Networks-Kansas City, a group of Northwest alumni and friends who come together to build business relationships. He lives in Platte City.

YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD

Dr. Tyler TappsDr. Tyler Tapps ’04, ’06 is an assistant professor in recreation management/therapeutic recreation at Oklahoma State University. A former fuel maintenance technician in the United States Air Force, Tapps also serves as a student mentor for University Veteran Mentor Services. He has written three books and lives in Stillwater, Okla. n

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY EMERITUS AWARD

Dr. Edward L. FarquharDr. Edward L. Farquhar ’58 began his career at North-west in 1964 and retired in 2001. During this time, he served as an assistant pro-fessor, associate professor, professor and chair in the Department of Chemistry and Physics. Since his retirement, Farquhar was interim dean of the Missouri Academy and an adjunct faculty member. He lives in Maryville.

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD

Dr. Ahmed MalkawiDr. Ahmed Malkawi is an associate professor in the Department of Natural Sci-ences. He began his career at Northwest in 2000 and teaches organic chemistry. A recipient of the 2005 and 2010 Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award, Malkawi is both an outstand-ing educator and excellent researcher. He lives in Maryville.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Mitch OsbornMitch Osborn ’84 is the athletics director and head boys’ basketball coach at Harlan Community School District in Harlan, Iowa. As head coach, his overall record is 574-113. His teams have made 16 state tourna-ment appearances, and he has been named Iowa State Coach of the Year twice. Osborn is also an auctioneer at Osborn Auction LLC. He lives in Harlan, Iowa.

Congratulations!You’re Invited

The Northwest Alumni Association honors individuals who have given of their time, talent and service to Northwest.

All Northwest alumni and friends are invited to attend the Alumni Awards Banquet. It’s a great way to start Family Weekend and salute these deserving individuals.

n Friday, Sept. 28n J.W. Jones Student

Union Ballroomn 6 p.m., socialn 6:45 p.m., dinnern 8 p.m., awards

presentationn $30 per personn $200 for a table of

eight

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events/awards/registration.htm or contact the Northwest Alumni Association at 660.562.1248 or [email protected].

2012 Alumni Association Award recipients

Alumni Connections 15


More than 50 former Bearcat foot-ball players and coaches returned to Maryville in April for the first-ever Red Hat Classic at the Maryville Country Club and raised more than $6,000.

This wasn’t a typical fundrais-ing golf tournament to benefit the Bearcat football program. Yes, there were hole sponsors and hole prizes, but this event also featured prizes for the best costume and allowed participants to use only three clubs the entire day.

The two-man scramble format gave former players an opportunity to catch up, share stories and remem-

ber fellow teammates and coaches, in particular the late Scott Bostwick – the namesake for the tournament.

Prior to the golf outing, the group enjoyed a meal and remarks from Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski and head coach Adam Dorrel. Following the tournament, participants were provided side-line passes to the Green and White Spring Game.

The Northwest Alumni Asso-ciation’s Gridiron Chapter, which hosted the event, plans to make the Red Hat Classic an annual event on the same weekend of the spring football game. n

Players tee off at Red Hat Classic

Travis Miles ’01, ’02, Andy Schneider ’00, ’01, Andy Erpelding ’00, ’01, Charlie Pugh ’00, ’02 and Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski pause for a photo during the Gridiron Alumni Chapter’s inaugural Red Hat Classic.

Distinguished Alumni AwardRecognizes Northwest alumni for exceptional professional and personal achievement and extraordinary distinction in their chosen field

Distinguished Faculty Emeritus AwardRecognizes former faculty members for their outstanding teaching, service and/or research contributions at Northwest

Distinguished Faculty AwardRecognizes present faculty members for their outstanding teaching, service and/or research contributions at Northwest

Honorary Alumni AwardHonors Northwest friends who have served, promoted and loved the University in the tradition of a loyal graduate

Turret Service AwardAcknowledges graduates or former students whose significant contributions of time and talents benefit and promote the University and the Northwest Alumni Association

Young Alumni AwardHonors graduates from the last decade for their exceptional achievements in career, public service and/or volunteerism that bring honor to the University

2013 Alumni Awards call for nominationsNorthwest is seeking nominations of outstanding individuals for the 2013 Alumni Association Awards. Individuals nominated should personify the University’s tradition of excellence through their service and achievements.

Nominations must be submitted on the forms provided by the Northwest Alumni Association. Contact Brenda Untiedt for a nomination form at 660.562.1248 or [email protected] or complete the appropriate online form at www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events/awards/nominations.htm. Nominations will not be considered unless the entire nomination form is complete. The Northwest Alumni Association Board of Directors’ Programs Team makes its selections at its 2013 spring meeting.

“Do you know a professor, former classmate or a loyal Bearcat fan who is deserving of being honored for their service to Northwest or for

their personal or professional accomplishments? Each year the Northwest Alumni Association honors individuals at the Alumni Association Awards banquet, and your nominations are essential to the process. I encourage

you to take just a few minutes and fill out a nomination form today to show your appreciation to someone deserving of recognition.

John Van Cleave ’73, ’89

Award nomination deadline:March 1,

2013

”



SOUTHERN IOWA The Southern Iowa Chapter celebrated its

anniversary with an April 20 social in Lenox, Iowa. Guest speakers were Wren Baker, Northwest director of athletics, and Dr. Arley Larson, associate professor of agricultural sciences. Chapter members helped with the Special Olympics and the Ringgold County Cares food packaging event in Mt. Ayr, Iowa, and participated in several parades during the summer. Coming up, the chapter members look forward to hosting the Northwest basket-ball coaches. n

ST. JOSEPH The St. Joseph Chapter kicked off 2012

with dinner at Geneo’s Pizza and Pub. Chapter members also celebrated Mardi Gras at Boudreaux’s and enjoyed a “Minute-to-Win-It” game night at Bandana’s Barbecue in April. Members also assisted with the recep-tion celebrating the relocation of Northwest’s St. Joseph Center. Jerry and Susan McKnight ’74 Clevenger hosted the chapter’s annual luau in June. n

CENTRAL IOWA

Central Iowa Bearcats continue to meet each month for the First Thursday Social at Murphy’s Bar and Grill in Urbandale, Iowa.

This summer, chapter events also took place at Jasper Winery on Thursday nights, where members and friends enjoyed live music and wine. In June, the chapter participated in its annual outing to the Iowa Cubs baseball game. To learn more about what Bearcats are doing in central Iowa, email [email protected]. n

MARYVILLE An annual wine and beer tasting event

was sponsored in the spring by the Maryville Chapter, and chapter members will welcome incoming freshmen and their families to campus in August by hosting a water station during move-in day. n

ARIZONA Members of the Arizona Chapter gathered

at Cadillac Ranch in Tempe, Ariz., for a social and enjoyed a spring training baseball game in Surprise, Ariz., between the Texas Rang-ers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Special guests from Northwest were Steve Sut-ton ’71, director of alumni relations, and Polly Parsons Howard ’00, ’09, development officer. For more information about the Arizona Chapter, visit the chapter’s page on Facebook at facebook.com/AZbearcats. n

Alumni Chapter News

1. St. Joseph Chapter mem-bers competing in the “Minute-to-Win-It” game night included (front row, from left) Tausha Pierson ’97, ’05, Vicki Horton Hargens ’71, Robin Pierpoint, Anitra Germer Clark ’05, ’07, (second row) Vic Kretzschmar ’70, ’71, Dave Price ’70, Susan McKnight Clevenger ’74, Frances Fine, Denise Bower Kretzschmar ’71, Linda Riddle ’74, Sharmyn Thompson, Patty Bolin Roach ’71, ’90, (third row) Jerry Clevenger, Dave Newman ’69, Ann Eilers Newman ’76, Karen Vulgamott ’77, Marvin Fine ’64, ’71, Jim Roach and Greg Pierpoint ’80.

2. Cindy Williams Allen ’77 and Sheryl Wurster Preston ’78 enjoyed the Southern Iowa Chapter social.

2

Get involved today!For information about getting involved in a Northwest Alumni Association chapter, call 660.562.1248 or email [email protected]. There are currently 19 alumni chapters, and more are on the way.

Alumni Connections 17


ST. LOUIS The St. Louis Chapter celebrated its fourth

anniversary with a May social at the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar and Grill. Upcom-ing chapter events include bowling, a Queeny Park picnic, a winery event and the tradition-al Bearcat football watch parties in December. Northwest alumni and friends T-shirts are available for purchase by contacting Sue John-son Hockensmith ’72 at 636.256.6919. n

KANSAS CITY For the 10th year, the Kansas City

Chapter and Northwest’s Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity alumni organized a happy hour at The Landing, and, in March, the chapter and the Northwest Alumni Association sponsored two happy hours at The Quaff in downtown Kansas City during the MIAA basketball tournament. Also in March, the Kansas City Chapter participated in North Kansas City’s Snake Saturday celebration for the ninth year. In May, chapter members took part in a golf tournament at Shoal Creek Golf Course. The money raised at the second annual golf tournament benefited the Scott

Cooper Fund and the Kansas City Chapter’s Alumni Scholarship. In June, the MIAA alumni associations and the Kansas City T-Bones teamed up to see which school could get the most fans in attendance. Northwest alumni enjoyed the baseball game as well as the Northwest tailgate prior to the game. For more information on how to sponsor any of the chapter’s events or to get involved, email [email protected]. n

SPRINGFIELD Springfield Chapter members send kudos

to Karen Logullo Bader ’86, ’95 for setting up the chapter’s Facebook page (facebook.com/NWMSU.Springfield) and for serving on the Northwest Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Chapter activities have included an outing to Southwest Baptist University to watch the Northwest Bearcats basketball games and a “Kids Fishing Day” for students from Branson. In July, the chapter enjoyed a picnic with family and friends. The chapter also is continuing its efforts to raise funds for its scholarship. n

1. The Central Iowa Chapter sponsored a fundraiser at The Tartine, a French restaurant in Clive, Iowa. Those in atten-dance were Ben Taylor ’72, Dianna Peterson (attd. ’69-’71), Martin Johnson ’90, Faith Spark, Dennis Spark ’73, Carey Spark, Laura Peterson ’07 and Betty Meyn ’71.

2. Central Iowa Chapter President Laura Peterson ’07, Ben Taylor ’72 and Stephanie Costanzo Moore ’07 enjoy an evening of live music at Jasper Winery.

3. Celebrating their fourth an-niversary as a chapter were St. Louis alumni and friends (front row, from left) Barbara Bosch Alexander ’82, ’86, Joyce Roddy ’75, Michelle Kenagy, Aaron Bunch ’04, Kevin Terry ’73, Anne Alexander Gross ’90, (second row) Karen Irmer Coulson ’89, ’95, Pat Roddy ’75, Bob Coulson ’74, Michael Willenberg, Valerie Byrn ’01, Sue Johnson Hockensmith ’72, Laura Hockensmith, Dana Hockensmith and Jane Alex-ander ’87.

4. Diana Martin ’06, a member of the Springfield Chapter, proudly displays the chapter’s banner.

21

3 4



JAPANJapanese

alumni, some traveling more than six hours, enjoyed a Bearcat social last October in Tokyo. Guests included Northwest’s first Japanese alum, Kenichi Moriguchi ’69, graduates from the last three decades and three Northwest administrators. Yuki Osawa Takashima ’97, Japan Alumni Chapter president, is to be commended for helping contact, advertise and promote the event. The chapter is focused on growing the number of Japanese alumni by recruiting younger generations to wear the green and white. n

BAND The Band Alumni Chapter honored retir-

ing music professor Dr. Ernest Woodruff for his many years of service to Northwest’s music department with a concert in April. The concert, which included more than 60 band alumni, was in combination with the Northwest Wind Symphony and featured some of Woodruff’s favorite composers along with some original compositions by alumni

members. Band alumni will reunite Sept. 15 at the Bearcat football game. Anyone who was once a member of the Bearcat Marching Band is invited to join the group as they march to the field and perform for the halftime show. For more information about these and other events, visit the chapter’s Facebook page at facebook.com/northwestbandalumni. n

GRIDIRON In mid-April, the Gridiron Chapter hosted

its first Red Hat Classic in Maryville with more than 50 golfers playing the nine-hole, two-man scramble. In addition, the chapter is coordinating a player reunion and tailgate for the Aug. 30 home opener. Former Bearcat football players will gather that afternoon to celebrate the beginning of another successful season. The chapter also will host a suite at the Fall Classic at Arrowhead. n

Alumni Chapter News (continued)1. There was an exceptional turnout for the Japan Chapter’s social in Tokyo. Those attending included (front row, from left) Hitomi Nagasaki Ueki ’95, Yuki Osawa Takashima ’97, Kenichi Moriguchi ’69, Northwest Provost Dr. Doug Dunham, Aya Asai ’08, Fumi Yasukochi ’09, Tomoko Michinaga Kawasaki, Yukari Saito Suzuki ’95, Hitomi Koyama Kono ’05, Masayuki Sakuta, (second Row) Hiromi Hadley, Kaori Takayama, Kenji Shimizu, Akiko Watanabe, Toru Yamauchi ’99, Masayuki Kishi, Yoshiharu Matsui ’80, Nobutaka Nakamura ’05, Mamiko Noda ’03, Satoshi Tanihata ’04, Northwest’s Director of International Affairs and ESL Dr. Jeffrey Foot, (third Row) Dr. Gregory Hadley ’87, Kazuhiro Tanabe, Aya Takahashi ’00, Hitoki Sugiyama, Jeanette Ferguson ’00, Yasushi Suzuki ’89, Northwest’s Vice Provost and Graduate School Dean Dr. Gregory Haddock, Hideaki Nakamura, Shota Kawano ’05 and Christopher Kuchma ’00.

TKE House reopens after devastating fireTau Kappa Epsilon and the fraternity’s alumni association hosted an open house in early March to showcase the newly renovated house and chapter room. Dam-aged by an Aug. 5, 2011, fire, the house underwent an extensive reconstruction project that was completed in time for fraternity members to move in for the spring 2012 trimester.

“The renovation was a team effort involving undergraduates and TKE alumni from across the nation and included a fire suppression system, external video surveillance, several refinished items from the old TKE house and 40 restored or recreated chapter photo composites,” said Brad Shelton ’77, vice president of the TKE Delta Nu Board of Advisors.

The open house, attended by more than 150 alumni, actives and guests, featured guided tours and presentations.

In addition, the house was rededicated at a ceremony in June, complete with house tours, awards presentations, a luncheon and a golf outing. n

REUNION COST: $20*additional cost

SATURDAY, NOV. 3 8 a.m. Homecoming Welcome,

Alumni House 9 a.m. Parade with VIP seating 11:30 a.m. Bearcat Zone pregame

festivities, College Park 11:30 a.m. Homecoming barbecue,

College Park* 2 p.m. Football vs. Emporia State,

Bearcat Stadium*

ItineraryFRIDAY, NOV. 2 9 a.m. Welcome reception,

Alumni House 10:30 a.m. Campus bus tour 11 a.m. Reunion photo, Kissing Bridge 11:30 a.m. Luncheon, J.W. Jones Student

Union 2 p.m. Flag-raising ceremony, Joyce

and Harvey White International Flag Plaza

5 p.m. Golden Years social, Alumni House

6:30 p.m. M-Club Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony, J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom*

Honoring the Class of 1962The Golden Years Society Reunion welcomes all classmates from 1962 and before to attend Northwest’s Homecoming festivities. Mark your calendar for Nov. 2-3, and make plans to return to campus.

For more information, contact the Office of University Advancement at [email protected] or 660.562.1248.

November 2-3

Homecoming Queen Anne Chick and her attendants lead the 1961 parade

Register/Order Ticketsn Tickets will not be mailed; they

must be picked up at the event.n Football tickets may be purchased

online at www.nwmissouri.edu/tickets or via check, made payable to Northwest Missouri State University and mailed to Student Services Center, 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468. (Checks must be received by Oct. 26.)

n Contact Michele Steinmeyer at 660.562.1977 or [email protected] to make reservations and purchase tickets to the M-Club Hall of Fame Banquet.

n Call 660.562.1248 or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events to register for the Homecoming Golf Classic.

n Contact Dannen Merrill at [email protected] to register for the Homecoming 5K. Register before Oct. 1 to receive a free T-shirt.

n Seats are assigned on a best-available basis.

n All ticket sales are final.n Ticket prices include

Missouri sales tax.

Places to StayMARYVILLEComfort Inn 660.562.2002Holiday Inn Express 660.562.9949Super 8 660.582.8088

ST. JOSEPHAmerica’s Best Value Inn

816.364.3031Days Inn 816.279.1671Drury Inn 816.364.4700Hampton Inn 816.390.9300Holiday Inn 816.279.8000Ramada Inn 816.233.6192Stoney Creek Inn 816.901.9600

Events are subject to change/cancellation

Homecoming 2012Homecoming 5K Runn Friday, Nov. 2, 9:30 a.m.

(8:30 a.m. registration)n Raymond J. Courter College Park

Pavilion n Wear a light-colored shirt;

participants will be “painted” throughout race

n Proceeds benefit United Way of Nodaway County

COST: $10

Homecoming Golf Classicn Friday, Nov. 2, noonn Two-person scramblen Mozingo Lake Golf CourseCOST: $45 per person

Flag-Raising Ceremonyn Friday, Nov. 2, 2 p.m.n Joyce and Harvey White

International Flag Plazan Free

M-Club Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony n Friday, Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m.n J.W. Jones Student Union BallroomCOST: $20

Variety Shown Thursday, Nov. 1, and

Friday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m.n Ron Houston Center for the

Performing Artsn Free

Homecoming Welcomen Saturday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m.n Alumni Housen Free refreshments

Homecoming Paraden Saturday, Nov. 3, 9 a.m.n The parade starts at the corner of

Ray and College Avenue, proceeds east to the main University entrance at Fourth Street, continues east on Fourth Street to Main, past the courthouse square and will end at the corner of Fourth and North Vine.

Bearcat Zone Pregame Festivitiesn Saturday, Nov. 3, 11:30 a.m.n College Park n Free

Homecoming Barbecuen Saturday, Nov. 3, 11:30 a.m.n Raymond J. Courter College Park

PavilionCOST: $6.50

Bearcat Football vs. Emporia Staten Saturday, Nov. 3, 2 p.m.n Bearcat StadiumCOST: $17 reserved, $12 adult

general admission (standing room only), $10 reserved seating K-12 or visiting students (Homecoming football tickets are available to the general public beginning Sept. 17.)

Women’s Basketball vs. Peru Staten Saturday, Nov. 3, 6 p.m.n Bearcat Arenan Free

19



Forty-five Northwest alumni and friends traveled to Ireland in April as part of the Tourin’ Bearcats, the Northwest Alumni Association’s travel program. The trip featured visits to the Irish National Stud at Kildare, the Rock of Cashel, the Joyce family marble workshop, Blarney and its magical Kissing Stone, the Cliffs of Moher and Ireland’s oldest handweaving mill at Avoca as well as tours of the House of Waterford Crystal and Guinness. To view a photo album from the trip, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/photoalbum/2012/Ireland.

Tourin’ Bearcats introduced to the Emerald Isle

Dr. Mike Graham, Kathy Plummer O’Riley ’71, ’86, Dr. Joyce Wake Piveral ’70, ’74, ’82 and Don Piveral enjoyed the Muckross House in Killarney National Park during the Tourin’ Bearcats’ trip to Ireland.

Look familiar? (answers from page 5)

1. The white siding and curves of the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts make the building unique from all others on campus.

2. The curved balcony near the south entrance of Lamkin Activity Center is a popular gathering spot after commencement ceremonies.

3. Bronze fingers appear ready to strike the keyboard of a laptop on the Centennial Sculpture east of the J.W. Jones Student Union.

Northwest Night at the St. Joseph MustangsBearcat alumni and friends gathered in late June at St. Joseph’s Phil Welch Stadium for the second annual Northwest Night at the St. Joseph Mustangs, sponsored by Northwest and the Northwest Alumni Association. A record 4,231 fans were on hand to watch the Mustangs take on the Sedalia Bombers and enjoy a fireworks display after the game. The Mustangs are members of the M.I.N.K. Collegiate Baseball League and donned green jerseys in honor of Northwest. University President Dr. John Jasinski threw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch and (above) before the game visited with Mustangs and Bearcat outfielder Jake Kretzer. Bobby Bearcat, the Northwest cheerleaders and the Bearcat Steppers assisted with the many Northwest-themed promotions and giveaways throughout the evening. n

MISSION:The Northwest Alumni Association fosters lifelong relationships through initiatives and opportunities that advance the University and its alumni, future alumni and friends.

2012-2013 Board of Directors

President Amy Willits Harlin ’95, Smithville

Vice President Kory Schramm ’95, Johnston, Iowa

Past PresidentNeil Neumeyer ’98, Kansas City

Alumni Programs ChairpersonJohn Van Cleave ’73, ’89, Maryville

Chapters Team ChairpersonSue Johnson Hockensmith ’72,

Manchester

Engagement Team ChairpersonDave Teeter ’86, Montgomery City

MembersCindy Tjeerdsma Akehurst ’01,

Kansas City Karen Logullo Bader ’86, ’95, AuroraBill Brooks ’91, DearbornDennis Bunch ’69, ’76, Lenox, Iowa

Paula Rector Davis ’91, Lee’s Summit

Jim Goecken ’92, MaryvilleJoan Lynch Jackson ’65,

Redding, Iowa Chrissy Beck Jolley ’02,

Jefferson City Allen Kearns ’62, Omaha, Neb. Jay Liebenguth ’80, Louisburg, Kan. Mark Pickerel ’76, St. Joseph Linda Nichols Place ’72, ’09, Albany

Ex-Officio Board MembersMike Johnson ’85, Vice President

of University AdvancementHolly Murphy-Barstow ’81,

President, Northwest Foundation, Omaha, Neb.

Lori McLemore Steiner ’85, Finance Officer and Director of Advancement Services

Steve Sutton ’71, Director of Alumni Relations

Brenda Untiedt ’00, ’09, Alumni Relations and Advancement Communications Specialist

Advancing Northwest 21


Jeremy Barlow ’03 had a passion for music. Now future Northwest students will have the opportunity to explore music and share it with others through a scholarship in his memory.

Established by Barlow’s widow, Alicia, and his family, the Jeremy D. Barlow Memo-rial Music Scholarship will be awarded to a full-time Northwest student maintaining a 2.50 grade point average enrolled in applied piano or applied harpsichord courses. If no such applicant exists, saxophonists may also be eligible.

Barlow earned his bachelor’s degree in finance, graduating magna cum laude. He was an involved student, participating in the Mortar Board and Alpha Chi national honor-ary societies, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

He also was a loyal Bearcat fan and enjoyed attending football games.

Barlow, a Maryville native, died Sept. 11, 2011, at age 30, while hiking with friends in Arizona.

“There are few more lasting ways to honor the memory of those who are close to us than providing a continuing scholar-ship to assist young people in obtaining an education,” said Dr. Ernest Woodruff, who served as professor and chair of North-west’s Department of Music before retiring this spring. “The music depart-ment will be ever grateful to those who have made on Jeremy’s behalf.” n

When Bill O’Riley ’67 en-rolled at Northwest he was 23 years old, married and a new father. He was five years into managing a 240-acre farm and he was barely earning enough income to support his family.

But he had a strong work ethic, and he knew a college education could help him reach his full potential.

Now retired after a success-ful business career, O’Riley is giving back to Northwest as a tribute to all of the people who helped him earn two college degrees and to help others who need assistance with attaining their college goals.

O’Riley’s $50,000 endow-ment has established the Iowa Bill O’Riley Family Scholar-ship, which will assist a North-west junior or senior majoring in marketing or management. Preference will be given to a married student who graduated from a high school in Iowa.

“I didn’t have any money when I came to Northwest, and people helped me,” said O’Riley, who retired in 1999 as a sales manager with General Electric Capital Mortgage In-surance and lives in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Having grown up on a farm in southwest Iowa, O’Riley attended grade school in Vil-lisca, Iowa, and figured he was destined for a farming career.

Things began to change for O’Riley, however, when a neighbor left his farm to earn a degree at Northwest. The neighbor, Roy Dwyer ’64 – whose landlord was Northwest chemistry professor J. Gordon Strong – earned his chemistry degree and convinced O’Riley he should enroll at Northwest.

O’Riley completed his bachelor’s degree in three years. After college he spent time teaching business courses and coaching football in Harlan

and Clarin-da, both in Iowa.

One of his students was Mike Johnson, who today serves as North-west’s vice presi-dent of university advancement.

“I’ve known Coach O’Riley for over 30 years and have al-ways admired and respected his leadership qualities,” Johnson said. “This family gift is a true testament of the hard work and the value of education ‘Coach O’ challenges and supports in future Bearcats.” n

Scholarship created in memory of musical alumnus

Alumnus establishes scholarship as tribute to mentors

Bill O’Riley ’67, in front of Colden Hall during a re-cent visit to the Northwest campus, established the Iowa Bill O’Riley Fam-ily Scholarship program, which will assist North-west students from Iowa majoring in marketing or management.

Jeremy Barlow ’03 learned to play the piano at age 5, and as a student at Northwest played some of the most difficult music written for the harpsichord.

Advancing Northwest22


Scholarship honors alumnus who dedicated life to helping othersA new scholarship

endowed in honor of a 1959 graduate will provide assistance to residents of Worth, Gentry, Harrison and Nodaway counties who seek a college education at Northwest.

In creating the Dr. Marvin D. Combs Memorial Scholarship, Dr. William Combs ’59 is honoring his older brother, who dedicated his life to practicing medicine and helping others. Marvin Combs, who died Dec. 5, 2009, at age 76, spent his career as a country doctor in the towns of Willcox, Ariz., and Albany. He was

always on call, and residents knew they could reach him at home after office hours in case of emergencies.

“He contributed much to the welfare of the communi-ties in which he lived,” Wil-liam Combs said. “It seemed that a permanent scholarship in his name at Northwest would be the most suitable memorial to his life and career and, at the same time, would help good students attain a college education and perhaps continue the tradition of contributing to others.”

Born in Worth in 1933 as the second of six sons, Mar-

vin Combs grew up on a farm near Worth during the Great Depression. Life there was not easy, but he re-alized the importance of an education and graduated from Grant City High School in 1951. He was drafted by the U.S. Army and served in Berlin, Germany, during the height of the Cold War.

Upon returning to the United States in 1955, Marvin Combs enrolled at Northwest and took classes to prepare himself for a career in the

medical field. “Marvin was four

years older than me, but because of the time he worked after high school and his two years of military service, when he came back to start school at Northwest we were in the same class,” said William Combs, a retired history profes-sor at Western Illinois University.

After graduating from Northwest, Marvin Combs completed his doctorate in medicine at

the Kansas City University of Medicine and Bioscience-College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Marvin Combs went on to establish a clinic in Will-cox, Ariz., with a classmate and practiced successfully there for two decades while helping to modernize and improve medical care by working closely with a re-gional hospital.

In 1983, to be closer to his family, Marvin Combs returned to northwest Mis-souri and started the Combs Clinic in Albany. After retir-ing in 2000, he and his wife, Vickey Dickerson, returned to Arizona. n

Marvin Combs (left), and his brother, William (right), are pictured side-by-side in Northwest’s 1959 Tower yearbook.

Koffman honoredJohn Koffman ’53 (second from right), president of the Northwest Foundation from 1983 to 1986 and a recipient of Northwest’s distinguished Turret Service Award, was honored May 15 by the Missouri House of Representatives in front of the 96th General Assembly with an Outstanding Missourian award. To receive this prestigious award, an individual must achieve great prominence throughout his or her lifetime. Koffman obtained his CPA certificate in 1956 and was a partner in the firm of Harden, Cummins, Moss and Miller, CPAs, in Maryville, Chillicothe, Kirksville and Moberly from 1956 to 1965 and in an individual accounting practice from 1965 until his 2011 retirement. He and his wife, Carolyn (second from left), live in Moberly. Also pictured are Rep. Randy Asbury (left) and Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller (right). n

Dr. Marvin Combs ’59, who practiced medi-cine in Arizona and northwest Missouri, is the namesake of a memorial scholarship recently created by his brother.

Advancing Northwest 23


Foundation president aims to ‘engage change’

Former dean’s daughter ensures father’s legacy continues

It’s been said that the only constant in this life is change. Maybe that’s why it’s so wonderful to reflect on our memories – those good times in our lives that will be forever unchanged in our hearts. For me, and probably for you, those good times would include our time at Northwest.

Our beloved Northwest is experiencing rapid-fire change, perhaps at a rate even greater than you and I are feeling it. Competition for resources (students, funds, public appropriations, faculty and staff) is fierce. Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski and his leadership team are working to understand, and be out in front of, the changes that are coming our way.

Your Foundation is changing, too, and we have a new executive director in Mike Johnson. I am honored to serve as the first female Northwest Foundation president, and I look forward to work-ing collaboratively with our Foundation Board, Northwest Board of Regents, faculty, staff and stu-dents to “passionately engage change.” We can ei-ther sit and wait for change to happen to us, or we can engage with all of those who love Northwest and make that change a positive for Northwest.

We know that as the Northwest Foundation, we will be asked to provide more scholarships for our students and more direct aid to the Univer-sity. Currently, we have about 6,600 donors to the Foundation. We award an average of 776 scholar-ships per year, with an average value of $683 per student. Our total support to the University since 2007 has been $10,680,983. We’re proud of those numbers, yet we stand ready to change – fully engaged and passionate about our mission.

What are you passionate about? How can you become engaged with your university? These are the kinds of questions that I am asking each of the Northwest Foundation board members. I hope you will join us in our quest to continually improve our alma mater. That’s a change we can all root for!

Bearcat Best,

Holly Murphy-Barstow ’81 Northwest Foundation President

Dr. Leon Miller served Northwest for 35 years and, upon his death, his daughter is ensuring her father’s legacy will continue.

The Leon F. Miller Gradu-ate Grant Award will continue to celebrate the distinguished professor and his impact on Northwest’s graduate pro-grams. The award was es-tablished in 1988 by Miller’s daughter, Dr. Carol J. Miller, and his wife, Mary Belle Har-mon Miller.

Carol Miller, a Northwest alumna and distinguished professor of business law at Missouri State University, has shared her intentions with Northwest to provide addi-tional gifts during and after her lifetime to the Northwest Foundation, ultimately extend-

ing the duration of her father’s named award. A $1,000 grant was provided for 2012-13, and future scholarships of at least $500 will be awarded each year to a graduate student with a minimum 3.3 grade point average. Carol Miller, with her parents, also established a scholarship for chemistry majors, honoring her late sister, Gayle Miller Bilden ’76, who died in a car accident in 1979.

From 1950 to 1985, Leon Miller was chairman of North-west’s Division of Education, director of Horace Mann Laboratory School and dean of instruction. He also was the institution’s first dean of the Graduate School.

Miller, a major in the U.S. Army in World War II, was a decorated veteran and earned

his Ph.D. from the Uni-versity of Chicago. As a Maryville resident for more than 60 years, Miller is re-membered for his extensive civic involvement, particu-larly with Hope Lutheran Church, the Lions Club and the American Legion.

“In addition to being a wonderful and loving father, I hope my dad is remembered as a respected, fair and honest role model who genuinely cared about the community and who truly enjoyed interacting with people,” Carol Miller said.

The Millers celebrated 65 years of marriage May 5, 2011. When Miller passed later that month, his wife suffered a stroke the following day and died in April 2012. n

Dr. Leon Miller was director of Horace Mann Laboratory School and Northwest’s first dean of the Graduate School.

With Bob’s 90th birthday fast approaching, Helen wanted to do something special for her husband. Her thoughts turned to Northwest, where she and Bob first met in 1941. It was just before the United States became involved with World War II and Northwest was starting to spon-sor a special flight program. Helen, a St. Joseph native, had volunteered to coordinate dates for six young men, and she picked Bob when making the matches.

“For Bob and me, our journey began at Northwest,” Helen said. “It was such a different time and place than today.”

Helen cheered with the Green and White Peppers, served as co-editor for the Tower yearbook and offered her artistic abilities to numerous campus causes. She completed her bachelor’s in education degree with majors in fine arts and French and a minor in English. Helen and Bob were married a month after she completed her degree, and soon after Bob was called to active duty as a flight instructor for the Navy. Following the war, Bob enrolled at

Northwest on the GI Bill. As a student, Bob joined Sigma Tau Gamma frater-nity and Veteran’s Club and was president of the Student Senate before completing his bachelor’s in secondary education in mathematics.

The Bearcat sweet-hearts, who now live in Boulder, Colo., continued to further their education, both earning master’s and doctoral degrees. They also joined the Northwest faculty in 1959, as Helen taught art and Bob taught physics. Bob retired as a meteorologist at the Bureau of Standards with the Department of Commerce in 1973, and Helen retired from teaching art and serving as a student-teacher supervisor at Colorado Women’s College in 1976.

After experiencing Northwest as students, house parents, faculty and alumni, the Davises have chosen to show their appreciation to the institution by purchasing a $50,000 two-life charitable gift annuity.

“Northwest is happy to have

played a part in this couple’s jour-ney, and we are grateful they have chosen to support their alma mater monetarily,” said Mike Johnson, vice president of university advance-ment. “Charitable gift annuities are a win-win-win situation as they benefit the donor, the University and our future students. By choosing an unrestricted designation for their an-nuity following their lifetimes, their gift will further assist by providing Northwest the flexibility of using the funds where the University’s needs are the greatest.”

A charitable gift annuity is a giving plan that generates income for you today while ensuring a legacy for future generations of Bearcats.

Consider these advantages:

Contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or [email protected] for more details about a charitable gift annuity or other ways you can leave a lasting legacy.

“Bob and I have been truly blessed in this life. We were fortunate to have obtained positions we loved that also enabled us to retire at a young age. Each new day continues to bring joy to our lives, and our hope is that this gift will assist the University in playing a significant role for others who choose to further their education at Northwest.”

Dr. Helen Boyersmith Davis ’44 with her husband, Dr. Bob Davis ’47

Lasting Legacies

n There is an immediate income tax deduction for the donor.n Payout rates are between 6 and 12 percent.n Part of the annuity income is tax-free.n It provides a fixed return on your gift for the rest of your life.

n Income can be deferred.n One- or two-life annuities are available. n You leave a lasting legacy at Northwest.

Bearcat Sports 25


Anybody who knows Northwest’s longtime men’s and women’s tennis coach Mark Rosewell has an amusing story about him.

Rosewell loves all sports, and his pas-sion for Bearcat athletics is legendary.

Northwest men’s and women’s bas-ketball teams could be playing in Joplin in the middle of winter and it would be more surprising if Rosewell was not in attendance.

“I really enjoy athletics and every-thing about it,” Rosewell said. “And we’ve got a great school here at North-west, athletically and academically.”

Bearcat green runs so deeply in Rosewell that it’s hard to believe he was once associated with another MIAA school. Rosewell graduated from Central Missouri and spent his first two years as a tennis coach at the school formerly known as CMSU.

For the last 28 seasons, Rosewell has guided Northwest men’s and women’s tennis teams to the top or near the top of

the MIAA on a yearly basis.On March 31, the Bearcats

claimed a 5-0 win over Newman and a 5-0 win from Dallas Baptist, propelling Rosewell to career win 900.

“I want my players to have a good experience,” said Rosewell, the winningest coach in North-west history. “I want them to have fun and yet improve as tennis players. My teams are kind of like my family. I’ve gotten pretty close to them, and it helps me stay young.”

“We just call him ‘coach,’” senior Calvin Patterson from Alberta, Canada, said of the man whose friends refer to him as Rosey. “Tennis is such an international game, and you have to get players all around the world to be successful. He was one of the first coaches to realize this. (This year’s men’s team included players from as close as Maryville and

Columbus, Neb., to as far away as Brazil, South Africa, Croatia and Spain.) The best talent is not just in America, but all around the world. He loves competing and watching us play. We work for him. He has a passion for the game you don’t see often.” n

Rosewell achieves 900 wins, but legacy extends past tennis

Northwest tennis coach Mark Rosewell’s “rebuilding” season turned into a historic season as he reached career win No. 900.

Alumni, fans embrace Fall Classic atmosphereThe 11th edition of the Fall

Classic between Northwest and Pittsburg State University will kickoff at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, in Kansas City.

The annual meeting at Ar-rowhead Stadium will feature two of the top programs in Division II football.

Field-level tickets are $25 for adults. Tickets are $10 for fans 3 to 18 and Northwest students with a University ID, and club level seats are $37. Children 2 and under sitting on an adult’s lap are admit-ted free. A family package is available for $60 and includes admission for two adults and two children. The family package must be purchased in person at the Student Services

Center in the Administration Building.

Stadium parking lots will open at 11 a.m., and stadium gates open at noon. Prior to the game, all Bearcat fans are invited to the Pavilion, located on the south side of Arrowhead Stadium where there will be food, music, giveaways and appearances by the nation-al-champion Northwest cheerleaders as well as Bobby Bearcat, the Bearcat Step-pers and the

Bearcat Marching Band.To order tickets, stop by

the Student Services Center or call 660.562.1212 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets also are available online at www.nwmissouri.edu/tickets. n

Northwest Night at the

Power and Light

• Pep rally for Bearcat fans of all ages

• KC Live outdoor courtyard in the Power and Light District

• 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12 – the evening before the Fall Classic

• Giveaways, spirit performances, guest speakers and more

• FreeThe tailgate festivities prior to the Fall Classic are an ideal venue for all generations of Bearcats to reunite.

Bearcat Sports26


M-Club Hall of Fame to induct athletes, trainer, team physician

Two-time All-American Tony Miles (left) and Dr. Pat Harr (above), team physician for 38 years, are among this year’s M-Club Hall of Fame inductees.

Aaron Becker ’01 Football; two-time All-Amer-ican; three-time All-MIAA defensive lineman; third on Northwest all-time list in tackles for a loss and eighth in sacks; helped Bearcats to four MIAA championships and two national championships

D.C. Colt ’78 (master’s)Head athletic trainer for 27 years, 1981-2008; member of National Athletic Trainers’ As-sociation Hall of Fame, Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association Sports Medicine Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the Mid-America Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame

Vernon Darling ’78 Cross country, track and field; three-time All-American; two-time MIAA champion in 3,000-meter steeplechase; holds Northwest records in cross country 10 kilometers and indoor distance medley relay

Randy Euken ’75 Football; three-time All-MIAA first-team offensive lineman; helped Bearcats to two MIAA championships

Dr. Patrick HarrTeam physician for 38 years, 1974 to 2012; covered more than 1,000 games for North-west and Maryville High School; member of the Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association Sports Medicine Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Rick Jolley ’96 Men’s basketball; two-time All-MIAA selection; helped Bearcats to co-MIAA Cham-pionship in 1995-96 season; scored more than 1,000 points and has more than 500 rebounds; ranks in top 10 of

six categories on Northwest’s all-time lists

Tony Miles ’00 Football; two-time All-Ameri-can; three-time All-MIAA first-team wide receiver; ranks 10th in NCAA history for career punt return average; ranks second all-time in MIAA and at North-west for receiving yards; holds record for most receiving yards in regular season and third in career catches and touchdown receptions; helped Bearcats to four MIAA championships and two national championships

Rosa Tapia ’05 Tennis; MIAA’s 2003 MVP; all-time leader at Northwest in doubles wins with 85; second all-time at Northwest in career wins and fifth all-time in singles wins; helped Bearcats to a 77-42 record during her four-year career; won two South Central Region Championships, reach-ing the national quarterfinals in 2003

1995 Men’s Tennis TeamWon first men’s NCAA regional title in Northwest history; fin-ished 11th in nation with 21-3 record; won MIAA champion-ship; knocked off Division I op-ponent Oral Roberts University during an 11-match winning streak

1997 Football TeamMIAA champions; started a string of 41 straight MIAA wins spanning until the 2001 season; was Coach Mel Tjeerds-ma’s first team to go undefeated in the conference; only loss came in national quarterfinals to eventual national champion n

The 2012 M-Club Athletics Hall of Fame class contains an accomplished list of student-athletes, two sports-medicine legends and a pair of MIAA champion teams that made deep runs into the NCAA tournament. This year’s banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by contacting Michele Steinmeyer at 660.562.1977 or [email protected] by Oct. 12.

Don’t miss a single play!

The Bearcat Radio Network, with veteran announcers and Northwest alumni John Coffey and Matt Gaarder, broadcasts every Bearcat football and basketball game.

Listen on the radio, on the internet (visit www.kxcv.org and click “listen live” in the upper right-hand corner) or on your iPhone (install the free Public Radio Player app and tune into KXCV).

Live and archived games also can be found at www.northwestbearcats.com.

*select games

♦ KXCV, 90.5 FM, Maryville (Flagship)

♦ KKWK, 100.1 FM, Cameron

♦ KRNW, 88.9 FM, Chillicothe

♦ KVVL, 97.1 FM, Maryville

♦ KCXL, 102.9 FM, Kansas City*

♦ KCXL, 1140 AM, Liberty*

♦ KMA, 960 AM, Shenandoah*

Bearcat Sports 27


2012 BEARCAT FOOTBALL SCHEDULEAug. 30, 7 p.m. vs. East Central (Okla.)

Sept. 8, 1:30 p.m. at Central Missouri (Warrensburg)

Sept. 15, 1 p.m. vs. Fort Hays State

Sept. 22, 4 p.m. at Nebraska-Kearney

Sept. 29, 2:30 p.m. vs. Northeastern State (Family Weekend, game televised)

Oct. 6, 1 p.m. at Central Oklahoma (Edmond, Okla.)

Oct. 13, 2 p.m. vs. Pittsburg State (Kansas City, Fall Classic at Arrowhead)

Oct. 20, 2 p.m. at Missouri Southern (Joplin)

Oct. 27, 1 p.m. at Washburn (Topeka, Kan.)

Nov. 3, 2 p.m. vs. Emporia State (Homecoming)

Nov. 10, 1 p.m. vs. Missouri Western

Home games bolded

The Bearcat Zone opens two hours prior to kickoff in College Park (across the street from the west entrance to Bearcat Stadium) before all home games. Admission is free, and food is available for purchase. There’s entertainment for the whole family and a pep rally featuring the Bearcat Marching Band, Bearcat Steppers and cheerleaders.

There’s no need to pack the grill for the Bearcat road games. Food and beverages will be sold by Countryside Bistro prior to all regular-season road games, excluding the Fall Classic at Arrowhead.

For the latest schedule and ticket information, visit www.northwestbearcats.com.

Spring sports wrap-upGolfThe Bearcat golfers carried their outstand-ing fall success over into their spring season. Northwest finished in the top three in all five events including two tournament titles. Cassie Lowell showed no signs of a sophomore slump as she went on to win four times including the MIAA Championship and was named MIAA Player of the Year. Coach Pat McLaughlin finished his fifth season guiding Northwest to its best finish at the MIAA Championships and was named MIAA Coach of the Year as fresh-man standout Steph Charteris earned Fresh-man of the Year honors.

SoftballAfter a slow start to the season, the Northwest softball team closed out the year winning five of its final eight games and earning a spot in the MIAA postseason tournament. The Bearcats fell in the first round as they narrowly missed an upset of No. 2 seed and rival Missouri Western, but knocked off Pittsburg State in the second round of the consolation bracket. Northwest saw four players receive All-MIAA honorable mention honors. Jenna Creger became the all-time strikeout leader in Northwest history cracking the 400 strikeout mark while Kayli Schurman tied the single-season record for homeruns with 15.

BaseballThe Bearcat baseball team struggled during the spring despite improving on its offensive numbers. The Bearcats again recorded a seventh-place league finish. With seven players hitting over the .300 clip, sophomore Ryan Abernathy led the Bearcats and the league with 71 hits to earn first-team All-MIAA accolades, the first for a Northwest player since 2007.

TennisIn what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for both men’s and women’s tennis, head coach Mark Rosewell continued the same excellence as he has since coming to Northwest in 1984. In addition to claiming the 19th MIAA championship in program history, the Bearcats helped Rosewell earn his 900th career win. For the men, the Bearcats claimed their third straight MIAA title and earned the pro-gram’s 15th NCAA postseason berth as six players (Mario Jakovljevic, Guilherme Narducci, Jason Harris, Rafael Bugiga, Calvin Patterson and Luis Altimires) earned All-MIAA first-team accolades. Patterson finished a stellar career with

the second-most singles wins in program his-tory at 82-20. Although the Northwest women did not return to the top of the MIAA, the Bearcats finished second in the postseason tournament. Stephanie Mannix, Emily Hoff-man and Kim Ho earned All-MIAA First-Team recognition.

Track and FieldThe Bearcat track and field teams continued to excel as senior Kate Walter set new heights in the Northwest record books. Walter set the Northwest and MIAA record in the hammer throw at the MIAA Championships, which earned her a spot in the NCAA Championships where she finished third and earned All-Amer-ica status. Junior Brittany Poole also earned a spot at the NCAA Championships as she raced to a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Drake Relays before her All-America finish at the NCAA Championships. Lekiesha McKnight gave the Bearcats a trio of All-America awards as the junior finished fifth in the shot put. Also taking down a 16-year-old record was Heidi Johnson, who ran to a record-setting performance in the 800-meter dash. The Bearcat men saw Ryan Darling and Porter Groves near Northwest records as Darling moved into third in the 1,500-meters, and Groves moved to seventh on Northwest’s all-time list in the triple jump. n

All-American Kate Walter, a senior marine biology major from Independence, set a Northwest and MIAA record with a hammer throw of 58.14 meters.

Bearcat Sports28


Northwest men’s basketball head coach Ben McCollum ’03, ’05 was named the Clarence “Big House” Gaines Division II National Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider, a national organiza-tion that covers all divisions of college basketball.

McCollum was tabbed the winner after completing a near 180-degree turn-around for the Bearcats, going from 10th place in the conference to first place. He guided the Bearcats to a 22-7 finish and a 15-7 league record that culminated with a MIAA championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament.

His Bearcats led the MIAA in defense and free-throw percentage as three play-ers earned All-MIAA accolades. In addi-tion, McCollum, who was also nomi-

nated for the John McLendon Award given to the top collegiate coach in all divisions, was honored by the league as MIAA Coach of the Year.

McCollum is 44-38 in three seasons as a head coach, all at Northwest. The Storm Lake, Iowa, native got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Northwest under Steve Tappmeyer. McCollum also played two seasons under Tappmeyer at Northwest, help-ing the Bearcats reach the program’s first-ever NCAA Elite Eight in 2002. At the time of his hiring in 2009, he was the second-youngest active head coach in NCAA Division II. n

Mark Kellogg was introduced in April as Northwest’s sixth head women’s basketball coach.

Kellogg, 36, follows Gene Stein-meyer who stepped down after 13 seasons at the helm of the women’s basketball program with 183 wins and a memorable NCAA Division II Final Four appearance in 2011.

A Dallas native, Kellogg comes to Northwest after seven highly decorated seasons at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., that saw him lead the Skyhawks to a 173-46 mark overall and a 116-23 record in conference play.

“I am honored to be the next women’s basketball coach at Northwest,” Kellogg said at his introductory press conference. “What we do here will always be family first. We will always preach that to our players, and we don’t want to lose sight of that. There will be four pillars of our program. The first one is family, the second is academics, third is athletics and fourth is community. We want to

give back to the Maryville com-munity.”

Kellogg is no stranger to postseason play, and his pedigree shows that, having appeared in the last five NCAA Division II tourna-ments, including the national championship game in 2010.

Under Kellogg, student-athletes also excelled at the highest level in the classroom as well as on the court. In 2010-11, the Skyhawks had the highest women’s bas-ketball team GPA (3.715) in the country at any level — NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and community/junior colleges.

Before his time at Fort Lewis, Kellogg spent four seasons at Montana State in Bozeman, where he was an assistant on the wom-en’s staff. Prior to his time on the Bobcats staff, he spent two seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach at West Texas A&M, where he earned his master’s degree.

Kellogg received his bachelor’s degree from Austin College in

Sherman, Texas. He was a four-year member of the men’s bas-ketball and golf teams and was nationally ranked in free throw percentage, three-point field-goals per game and scoring.

Kellogg and his wife, Trisha, have two children, Camden and Kayli. n

McCollum named DII National Coach of the Year

New coach pledges a team focus on ‘four pillars’

Mark Kellogg, addressing the media during an introductory press conference, inherits a women’s basketball team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2010-2011 but struggled with a 6-22 record this past season.

Ben McCollum shows his appreciation to the fans as he clips the net in Bearcat Arena to celebrate

his team claiming the MIAA championship.

◆ Northwest Alumni Association Member

Class Notes 29


1971Richard Fish has been appointed to the Kansas Banking Board by Gov. Sam Brownback. Since 1999, he has worked at Howard State Bank, serving as senior vice president, executive vice president and president. He lives in Howard, Kan.

1973◆ Bob Sweeney is the

1946Kathyn McKee, profes-sor emeritus of childhood education at Northwest, celebrated her 90th birth-day Sept. 25, 2011. She retired in 1983 with the rank of associate profes-sor after 38 years.

1950Frank Babb (Horace Mann ’46) has authored the novel “Hot Times in

Panama.” He has spent much of his life in Chicago and Washington, D.C., as a mergers and acquisi-tions corporate lawyer. He also served with the Army Counter Intelligence Corps.

1970◆ Wayne Woolsey retired in January after 32 years in public schools in Iowa and Missouri. He served 26 years in school administration and retired

from Belton in 2001 as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruc-tion. After public school retirement, he joined the Northwest faculty as direc-tor of Alternative Teacher Certification in the Kansas City area. His wife, Nancy Jordheim Woolsey ’82, retired as elementary principal from the Kearney School District in 2005. They live in Excelsior Springs and spend their time golfing, traveling and attending Bearcat football games.

For six decades, the names of North-west students and alumni who served in the military during World War II have had a presence on a wall of the Admin-istration Building. For Vivian Wilson Virden ’45, the Roll of Honor plaque is part of the legacy she left behind at Northwest.

As student body president during the 1944-1945 academic year, Virden worked with then-President Uel Lamkin to plan the recognition.

“We needed some kind of a tribute to our students who served,” Virden said, while visiting the Northwest campus last year. “We knew a few that had lost their lives, and we needed some way to honor them.”

By fall 1944, Northwest’s student population had dropped considerably as a large number of men had gone over-seas to fight in World War II.

Virden said the students thought it was important to come up with a plaque that displayed the names of current stu-dents and alumni who were serving in the military at the time, which included Virden’s brother Harold Wilson and her cousin Richard Wilson.

With plans for the plaque in place, the war formally came to an end in May 1945. On Sept. 15, 1945, accord-

ing to Mattie Dykes’ book chronicling Northwest’s first 50 years, “Behind the Birches,” the plaque was placed just outside the door of the president’s office, which was then on the second floor of the Admin-istration Building. Today, the Roll of Honor can be viewed on the first floor of the Administration Build-ing, outside the president’s office, located in the build-ing’s east wing.

Virden, who grew up in nearby Skidmore, said she took pride in leading the student body during a time that provided more oppor-tunities for women.

“There weren’t very many men around, so women had a chance of being student council president, and that was really something,” she said.

Earning her degree in vocational home economics, Virden left Northwest and taught in Herculaneum, south of St. Louis and the furthest she’d ever been from her home at that point in her life. A year later, she moved back to northwest Missouri and taught in Albany, where

she met her husband, Bill. They married in 1947.

After stints in Kirksville and Co-lumbia, the couple settled in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where Virden spent 35 years as a teaching assistant for students in advanced English and social studies programs. She retired in 1986, and her husband died in 2010.

Today Virden lives in Fountain Hills, Ariz., but with family members still liv-ing in northwest Missouri, she returns to Northwest regularly. n

Former student body president recalls initiative to honor students, alumni in World War II

Vivian Wilson Virden ’45, in front of the Roll of Honor plaque in the Administration Building, helped plan the commemoration with President Uel Lamkin to recognize Northwest students and alumni who served in the military during World War II.

activity director and K-12 assistant principal in the Shenandoah (Iowa) Com-munity School District. He previously taught and coached in Shenandoah from 1980 to 1987 and then continued teach-ing business education in Charles City, Iowa, for six years, was principal in Greene, Iowa, for two years, and assistant prin-cipal/activities director for 13 years in Atlantic, Iowa. He retired from educa-tion in 2008. He and wife, Kathy, live in Atlantic, Iowa.

Class Notes30


1974◆ Bob Hall is senior vice president of business development at Nodaway Valley Bank in Maryville. He began his career with Nodaway Valley Bank in 1974 and subsequently worked at the former Citi-zens State Bank, serving as president from 1986 to 1992, when the institu-tion merged with Bank Midwest.

1976Dennis Lamme is market manager of Clear Chan-nel’s six-station cluster in Philadelphia. He previously oversaw the Pittsburgh market and ran clusters in St. Louis and Albany, N.Y. He has been with Clear Channel for 15 years.

◆ Barbara Turner Tansey (master’s ’84) is president of Beaufort County Community Col-lege in North Carolina. She previously was vice president of academic and student services at Fayetteville Technical Community College and vice president of student learning at South Pied-mont Community College.

1977David Boman is an attorney in the litigation department of South & Associates, P.C. He is licensed to practice in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska and is based in the firm’s corporate office in Overland Park, Kan.

Larry Teply retired in June after 34 years at Diagonal (Iowa) Com-munity School. While he

was principal at Diagonal, he also was the athletic director and technology coordinator and coached basketball, baseball, soft-ball and volleyball. He has officiated for 35 years and was selected as southwest Iowa middle school princi-pal of the year.

1978Barb Andrews Konradi retired from the Storm Lake (Iowa) School District, where she had taught since 1978. She and her husband, Randy, have been married 31 years and have two daughters.

1979Angie Jannings Jandrey is a kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and was named the 2012 Teacher of the Year. She was chosen from more than 140 teachers nomi-nated from 22 public and private school systems in southeast Iowa and west-central Illinois. She has taught for 33 years, includ-ing 24 years at Lincoln Elementary.

◆ Nancy Schmidt McCurdy is a graduate student in the master’s in public administration program at the University of Kansas.

1980Roseanne Morales earned a master’s in reha-bilitation counseling from the University of North Texas in May and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She is a vocational counselor at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in Melbourne, Fla.

1981Jeff Conway is the co-offensive coordinator and running backs and tight ends coach at Texas State University. He previously coached at Sam Hous-ton State, the University of Central Missouri, the University of New Mexico, Blinn College and Purdue. He began his coaching career at Northwest. He and his wife, Jolene, have three daughters, Callie, Patsy and Bobbi.

1984Corey Dennison (master’s) is associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of under-graduate studies at Mar-shall University, where he has been employed since 1985. He previously was dean of Marshall’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Grant Evans is the manager of Mozingo Lake Park in Maryville. Previ-ously he worked for the Johnson County (Kan.) Parks and Recreation District, where he spent nine years as park ranger and 16 years as senior park manager.

1985Greg Ericson is the corporate senior president and chief information officer at Press Ganey Associates Inc., where he oversees the company’s consolidated patient satisfaction and clinical IT platform and solutions. He has more than 25 years of health care-focused IT, operations and account management experience, most recently serving as CIO of Maxim Healthcare. Prior to Maxim, he was ex-ecutive vice president and CIO for The Broadlane Group and held manage-ment roles with Smith & Nephew, PLC, Home Shopping Network, the Lee Company and Ernst & Young.

1986Jeff Koster is the Area 7 Biologist at USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Rochester, Minn. He has worked for the NRCS since 1987.

Small donations can make a big differenceFor about the same cost as dinner for two, or two tickets to a movie, you can make a tangible difference in a student’s life. Donations start at just $25 on Paw to Paw, and you can see the progress being made toward the fundraising goal. Plus, you can share what you’re passionate about with easy connectivity to social media, blogs and email.

Funding needs include the American Dream Grant, Adopt-a-Bearcat Scholarship, field trips and department equipment needs.

Find your passion. Spread the word. Make a difference.

Visit pawtopaw.org today.

Whitaker returns to campus as part of lecture series

Dr. Todd Whitaker ’87, professor of educational leadership, administration and foundations at Indiana State University, shared his life experiences when he returned to campus in February as part of Northwest’s Ploghoft Diversity Lecture series. Whitaker is the author of “What Great Teachers Do Differently,” a national best-seller discussing staff motivation, teacher leadership and principal effectiveness. He also was middle school coordinator in charge of staffing, curriculum and technology for the opening of new middle schools in Jefferson City. n


Class Notes 31


Tom Leith is president of the Speech and Theater Association of Missouri. He will preside over the 80th anniversary confer-ence this fall at the Lake of the Ozarks. He has been on the STAM Board of Governors for the past four years. He lives in Blue Springs, where he teaches middle school.

Janet Maynor Powers is director of corporate purchasing at Genesee &

Wyoming Inc., the leading shortline railroad in North America. Her husband, George, is an adult and assimilation pastor at Crosswater Community Church. They live in Ponte Vedra, Fla.

Doug Ruse (master’s ’88) is the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State University. He previously was the Western Illinois offensive coordinator and also coached at Arkansas

State, Northwestern State and Northwest. He and his wife, Sandy, have three children, Adam, Megan and Whitney.

1990Sara Zabel Sunderland graduated from the Uni-versity of California-Berke-ley Law in May 2011. She is an associate in the pat-ent litigation group in the McDermott Will & Emery

Sarah Smith Burke ’99 had never eaten a live cricket or consumed a combination of milk and Pepsi until she traveled from her Arizona home to Iowa for the Bar-2-Barbara Ride to Cure Hun-tington’s Disease.

And she was more than happy to take the challenge – all for a good cause.

The Bar-2-Barbara Ride is not a typical benefit bike ride. In addition to raising funds, the event aims to raise awareness – in a fun way – for the fight against Huntington’s Disease, a degenerative brain disorder that took Burke’s mother’s life.

Participants complete a hilly 6-mile bike ride from a bar in Fontanelle, Iowa, to another estab-lishment in Greenfield, Iowa (Burke’s childhood hometown), and then compete in a “dare” show on the town square. As part of the show, indi-viduals make donations challenging the riders to perform comical dares throughout the evening.

“At last year’s dare event, the whole night felt like it was New Year’s Eve at Times Square,” Burke said. “There was a positive buzz. Everyone was so happy to be there. They were having fun, and it was a very silly and light-hearted fund-raiser for a subject that is so heavy.”

The idea to create the benefit was triggered from Burke’s grievance after her mother, Barbara, passed away from a 12-year battle with Hunting-ton’s Disease.

“After my mom’s death, I promised myself that I would do something to make a difference,” said Burke, who lives in Gilbert, Ariz., with her daughters, Addison, 8, and Taylor, 6.

In 2010, Burke was preparing to return to Greenfield, Iowa, for her high school class re-

union and posted a Face-book status about how she wished she could ride in RAGBRAI, the annual bike ride across the state of Iowa.

“A former classmate of mine commented on that status and dared me to wear my bike shorts and helmet into the class reunion,” she said. “In fact, she said she’d pay to see that.”

At that moment, Burke’s desire to raise money in memory of her mother was matched with a creative idea.

“I realized I didn’t need RAGBRAI as my avenue to make money; I could do my own bike ride. After a couple days of pondering a name for the event, Bar-2-Barbara was created.”

In the ride’s first year, eight participants raised $2,300 for Huntington’s Disease. Last year’s event raised more than $10,000 with 63 riders. This July, 100 participants, who ran or biked the route, raised $27,000. This was well past Burke’s goal of $20,000.

“This year, we turned it into a weekend event,” she said. “Friday was more of a family night with a talent show and a variety of things to do on the square. Saturday was the bike ride and run fol-lowed by a big celebration.”

For more information about the Bar-2-Barbara Ride to Cure Huntington’s Disease, visit www.bar2barbara.com. n

Raising money for a cure, one dare at a time

Sarah Smith Burke ’99 (center), with her mother and daughters, created a bike ride to raise funds and awareness for the fight against Huntington’s Disease, which took her mother’s life.

Don’t be a stranger!

Send your latest news to the Northwest Alumni Association at [email protected], use the enclosed envelope or complete the online class notes form at www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/magazine/classnotes.htm.

You may also submit a photograph. Please include a self-addressed envelope for the photo to be returned, or email it, in high resolution, to [email protected]. n

Silicon Valley office. She lives in Fremont, Calif.

1991◆ Teresa Long Carter retired June 30 from Northwest after serving the University for 35 years. She began as a secretary in the Office of News and Information in 1977 and most recently was a publi-cations coordinator/graph-ic designer in the Office of University Relations.


Class Notes32

Photo submitted (see pg. 34)#Northwest Alumni Magazine Fall 2012

1992John Rinehart is super-intendent of the Albany R-III School District. He started his career as a sixth-grade science teacher, middle school athletic director and coach at North Callaway R-I School District and then taught and coached foot-ball in the Clinton School District. He taught science and was head coach at Appleton City before mov-

ing to Centralia, where he served as the high school principal. He and his wife, Shana, have two daugh-ters, Raegan and Addison.

1993 Jennifer Blaskovich received an Alumni Out-standing Teaching Award from the University of Ne-braska at Omaha Alumni Association in April. She is an assistant professor in UNO’s College of Busi-ness Administration.

Tom Hankins (master’s) is associ-ate head coach for the men’s basketball team at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill. He spent the past 15 seasons as an assistant at Oral Roberts University. He and his wife, Annie, have three children, Kamryn, Elizabeth and Luke.

Scott Von Behren was elected to the Belton City Council in April to serve a three-year term.

1994Tom Miller is a patrol officer with the Quincy (Ill.) Police Department. He joined the department in 2001 and attended basic training at the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

1995Katie Vergo Collier is the assistant super-

Mary Ensch Findley ’72 founded her com-pany, Mary Moppins Cleaning System, based on the old-fashioned val-ues of integrity, kindness and humor she remem-bered from the Disney musical “Mary Poppins.”

“A gut instinct kept nagging me to follow my heart to see what I could accomplish on my own,” Findley said.

During her 12-year career professionally cleaning homes, Find-ley’s dissatisfaction with the style of mops on the market – sponge and

string mops – prompted her to develop a new mop.

“When I’d finished clean-ing a client’s floor, the mop was wet, dirty and smelled, which meant frequent replacement,” Findley said. “Because each floor type requires a different cleaning method, I hauled two or three mops into most homes. One of my clients looked at this mess and said her great-grand-mother used terry cloth towels. I thought this was a neat idea!

I could throw a towel over my mop head and just switch out the towels; no more expensive mops!”

It wasn’t long before Findley developed a mop out of foam, an old mop frame, Velcro-like hook fasteners and a terry cloth towel.

“It was a miserable looking device, but it worked so well! The floors were far cleaner in less than half the time,” Findley said. “I was convinced it would be a success, so I set out to improve my mop and patent the design.”

And Findley didn’t stop with mops. Prompted by her clients’ needs, she began making toxin-free cleaners.

“I went green back with Kermit the Frog, before ‘green’ was even a concept. My clients reacted to the carcinogenic, toxic chemicals I was using. That awoke me to the dangers lurking inside bottles and started my love affair with green cleaning,” Findley said.

Mary Moppins Cleaning System celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year. The company operates out of

Eugene, Ore., with products sold nationally though trade shows, distributors, affiliates and online.

In 2005, Findley co-au-thored “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cleaning.” Her un-derstanding of green cleaning led her to write “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Clean-ing” in 2009.

Findley also is a cleaning consultant to the RV industry and a sustainable living coach. Her tips and articles appear in national publications.

Findley credits her confi-dence and business acumen to her studies at Northwest.

“Northwest taught me to look outside my shell for an-swers, which I apply to design-ing products that make life easier. Northwest also taught me the discipline I needed to bring my ideas to fulfillment,” she said. “It is the backbone of my company and has helped me deal with every facet of my life.”

For more information about Mary Moppins Cleaning System, visit www.goclean.com. n

A ‘spoonful of sugar’ is no match for Mary Moppins

intendent of elementary instruction in the Lee’s Summit School District. She previously was prin-cipal at Underwood and Lee’s Summit elemen-tary schools and assistant principal at Pleasant Lea and Cedar Creek elementary schools. She also has coordinated the district’s elementary gifted program for five years and has worked in education for 17 years.

Mary Ensch Findley ’72, owner of Mary Moppins Cleaning System, founded her company with a desire for making cleaning safer and more efficient.

1

Class Notes 33

1996Matthew Marckmann is vice president/financial advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. In March he was named one of Des Moines’ 40 Under 40. In the community, he serves as chairman of the board of the Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. He also serves on the Polk County Conserva-tion Advisory Board and is active in its nonprofit arm, the Great Outdoors Fund. He and his wife, Wendy Harlow (’97) Marckmann, live in West Des Moines, Iowa, and have one daughter, Zoe.

1997Brent Hansen is direc-tor of tenant research at Xceligent Inc. Previously, he spent seven years as the research services manager of Colliers Inter-national’s Kansas City of-fice. He also held several leadership positions at Midland Loan Services in Overland Park, Kan.

Lea Ann Vetter Tamerius and her hus-band, Andrew, announce the birth of Katharine June

on July 22, 2011. This is the family’s third child. Lea Ann is the retail capability team leader at Procter and Gamble, and Andrew is self-employed. They live in Cincinnati.

Shawndra Hicks Umbarger earned a master’s in professional counseling from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. She is director of operations for Another Level Youth & Family Services LLC, a private mental health provider in Virginia Beach, Va. She owns Behavioral Consul-tants of Hampton Roads LLC, which provides con-sultation and professional development services to public, private and non-profit mental health and human services agencies. Her son, Anthony, is 7.

1998Grant Kimberley and his wife, Natalie, announce the birth of Austin Grant on May 31, 2011. Grant’s family hosted Chinese Vice President Xi at their family farm during Xi’s visit to Iowa in February. In March, Grant met with the vice president in China

during a trade mission with the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds.

Tondeé Lutterman (masters ’99) is a partner at BKD CPAs & Advisors in Kansas City. She is the leader of the not-for-profit and government team in the Kansas City office and provides audit and consult-ing services to charitable organizations, foundations, religious organizations and health care providers. She received the Women-to-Watch Emerging Leaders Award in 2008 from the Missouri Society of Certi-fied Public Accountants.

Colin and Joni Jones (’99) McDonough live in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with their children, Dalton, 5, and Graham, 1. Colin is the sports information director at the University of Northern Iowa, and Joni is a copy editor at The Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier.

2000Danica Baxter Ballard and her husband, Sam, announce the birth of Jessa Rose and Duncan

Carder on Feb. 2. They join Braxton, 3. Danica is a kindergarten teacher in the Kearney School District, and Sam is an insurance adjuster at Superior Chevrolet. They live in Smithville.

Angela Maasen is a physical education teacher at Harmony Middle School in the Blue Valley School District. She received the November Excellence in Education award. She also serves on the leadership and crisis team, is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor, head volleyball and girls’ basket-ball coach at Harmony and assistant softball coach at Blue Valley Northwest.

Tom Zeilstra is a sales representative at Myco-gen Seeds. He previ-ously spent 10 years as an agricultural education instructor and FFA advisor.

2001Carrie Cleland Fishner and her husband, Jason, welcomed Joshua Robert to their family last Septem-ber. He joins Jillian. Carrie is an adjunct reference li-brarian at SUNY Delhi and will complete a master’s in

library science in August from SUNY Buffalo.

Wes (master’s ’03) and Amy Coy Simmons announce the birth of Coy David on Dec. 16, 2011. He joins Andrea, 5, and Jason, 3. Wes is the area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas. Amy is a homemaker. They live in St. Joseph.

Derek Williams has been appointed by the Missouri governor to the Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board for a term ending May 31, 2014. He teaches English at Cameron High School and is a foster parent for two children.

2002Elizabeth Engle Capek is assistant vice president/accounting for Corner-stone Bank in York, Neb. She started with Corner-stone Bank in 2005 in the Operations Depart-ment and has been with the Comptroller’s Office since 2006. She and her husband, Justin, have two sons and live near Ohiowa, Neb.

Denise Ackley ’86Sandra Andes ’98 Edmundo Barrera ’84 Amanda Benge ’01Debra Benson ’01 Stacey Chandler ’82Claude Chester ’11Troy Clark ’93Amy Collie ’97 Billy Cowan ’89 Rebecca Dailey ’98 Micaela Daley ’08 Matthew Daniel ’07 Angela Eastman ’91 Indira Edwards ’97 Lindsey Ellsworth ’04

Mass communication majors, where are you?The following alumni who were involved in Northwest’s mass communication department are considered “lost” because the University does not have a current physical mailing address for them. If you recognize individuals on the list, please provide Northwest with their contact information (i.e. address, phone number, email address, married name) or ask them to email [email protected] or call 660.562.1248.

Jill Erickson ’91Ryan Fouts ’01Robert Freestone ’93 Stephanie Frey ’92 Sabine Grable ’91 Tina Grable ’88 Christopher Hagan ’93 Sarah Hanshaw ’05 Irving Hernandez ’06 Austin Howell ’02 Leslie Hubner ’08 Sarah Huffer ’01 Autumn Huston ’02 Joshua Hutson ’04 April Jackson ’89 Emily Jackson ’04

Venus Jewett ’89 Arlisa Johnson ’03 Nicole Hopper Judd ’96 David Kompelien ’99Terry Kurtright ’76 Tana Leutung ’97 Sharon Low ’98 Kenneth Lucas ’92 Randall Lundgren ’84 Brian Major ’87Kimberly Mansfield ’00 Kenneth McDonald ’87Sarah McFarland ’02 Ashlee Mejia ’08 Joel Merritt ’05 Stacy Miller ’98

Marianne Miller ’00 Jessica Monahan ’07 Kindra Mooney ’88 Amy Morrison ’97 Christopher Mozga ’93Samuel Muchiri ’07 Scott Phillips ’02 Joel Reeves ’93 Samuel Robinson ’08 Mike Rowland ’06 Brian Rudolph ’92 Brandon Russell ’91 Christopher Sams ’84 Mary Schafer ’06 Peter Schartel ’76 Kimberly Schenk ’89

Sandra Shaffer ’01 Lori Bentz Shupe ’86 Susan Sinclair ’97 Lisa Bell Smith ’99 Brian Smith ’98 Jordan Starr ’04 Kisha Stegall ’08 Brandy Stevens ’06 Mayumi Tanaka ’00 Jessica Tasler ’04 Robert Thomas ’98 Trisha Thompson ’02 Jennifer Thornhill ’97 Thomas Thrall ’06Shane Whitaker ’94Andrew Young ’97

Class Notes34


Greg McDanel is the city manager in Maryville. He previously was city administrator in Cher-ryvale, Kan., and spent five years as a land acquisition manager and engineering technician for the city of Independence.

Kelly Relph Paulie (attd.) and her husband, Jonathan, announce the birth of Petronella Lucine on Jan. 1, 2011. Kelly is the chest/lung cancer nurse coordinator at Mercy Cancer Center in Spring-field, and Jonathan is the director of brand manage-

ment for Wil Fischer, the Anheuser beer distribution center in Springfield.

Thomas Sanchez and his company, Social Driver, were honored as the Small Business Champion of the Year by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. He founded the company in 2009 after eight years as a software engineer and consultant at Cerner Corp. He has coached elected officials, Fortune 500 CEOs and leading journalists in the use of online media. He serves as Communications

and Marketing Committee vice chair at the Na-tional Press Club and was featured in the book The 2020 Workplace.

Kevin and Jennifer Boyer Schlomer live in Ankeny, Iowa, with their two children Brendan, 5, and Ella, 3. Kevin is an elementary literacy/mathematics coach in the Indianola (Iowa) Com-munity School District and has been accepted to Drake University’s Doctor of Education Leadership program. Jennifer is a sixth-grade mathematics

teacher in the North Polk Community School District.

2003Benjamin (master’s ’04) and Stephanie Landers (’06) Krupa announce the birth of Mason Alexander on Feb. 16. He joins Jack-son. Benjamin is a UPS supervisor, and Stephanie is a family and con-sumer sciences teacher at Grandview High School. They live in Raymore.

Lindsay Geier Pechek and her husband, Ty, announce the birth of Victoria Marie on Sept. 6, 2011. Lindsay owns and operates Panache Events, and Ty is a dentist. They live in Pueblo, Colo.

2004William Dotson (Missouri Academy) was ordained a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis in May.

Joseph O’Connor and Ashley Harms were mar-ried May 12 in Minneapo-

lis, Minn. Joe is the owner and CEO of Direct Con-nect in Kansas City. Ashley is a licensed attorney in the state of Missouri and is the law clerk for the Honorable Judge Robert S. Schieber. They live in Kansas City.

Sarah Strough (master’s ’05) and Matthew Ternus were married Oct. 8, 2011, in Maryville. Sarah is a senior auditor for Commerce Bank, and Matthew is a consultant for Cerner Corporation. They live in Kansas City.

2005Christie Compton (master’s) is principal at Randall Elementary in the Independence School District. She previously was principal at Lewis El-ementary in the Excelsior Springs School District and taught in the North Kansas City School Dis-trict, where she won a U.S. Department of Education American STAR teaching award.

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Class Notes 35

Photo submitted (see pg. 34)#Fall 2012 Northwest Alumni Magazine

Artwork by Andy Rogers ’02 reaches from sea to sea and everywhere in between, and he’s received prestigious awards recognizing his pottery and sculptures. His work is created in his Maryville studio but influenced by small organic objects found in his gardens, in the woods where he often hikes and ocean-life that he sees on his travels. Rogers sells his work to a wide range of customers through many galleries and art fairs throughout the country. He also works with several art servicing com-panies to place his artwork in corporate offices, hospitals and hotels.

Rogers, a full-time studio artist, has degrees in both ceramics and drawing from Northwest. Following graduation, Rogers began his professional career working at Red Star Studios in Kan-sas City with Stephen Hill, one of the most well-known ceramic artists in the United States. Rogers earned a coveted studio space at Red Star Studios, owned and operated by Hill, after a rigorous in-terview process. Hill accepted the young

artist into his studio, where Rogers rented a studio space alongside Hill, all the while gaining sculpture and ceramics experience from a working professional.

“When I first started debuting my work it was well received by many professionals who jury the highest ranking art festivals in the country. I was the youngest artist to be accepted into, and receive awards at, many of these shows. It was an honor for someone just starting out in their career,” Rogers said. “Typically, I would do 10 to 12 traveling shows a year, which helped me receive a lot of national recognition for my work.”

As Rogers’ work gained nation-wide attention, he slowed down his traveling career and redirected his focus to galleries and commissioned work.

Rogers has won several awards including “best in show” in prominent art fairs such as the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago and the St. Louis Art Fair. He has also had the opportunity to jury

many shows and exhibitions.“One of my proudest mo-

ments was when I was asked to jury the Plaza Art Fair in Kansas City, a show that is typically ranked fourth in the nation for outdoor art fairs. I was only 28 years old, which was a huge

honor considering many artists spend their whole career just trying to get accepted into that show, let alone get to pick the artists who will be able to exhibit,” Rogers said.

Although his career has a nation-wide presence, Rogers is proud to call Maryville his home base. He and his wife of nine years, Sara Hancock Rogers ’01, met at Northwest their freshman year. She teaches at Northwest’s Horace Mann Laboratory School where their 6-year-old daughter, Schia, also attends kindergarten.

For more information, visit www.AndyRogersCeramics.com. n

Rogers creates award-winning ceramic art from Maryville

Andy Rogers ’02, a full-time studio artist whose work is often inspired by nature and his travels, has been featured in many well-respected publications, including Ceramics Monthly and American Craft Magazine.

2006◆ Meghan Galvin completed a master’s in gerontology in 2008 and is a licensed nursing home administrator in the state of Missouri. She is employed at Benchmark Healthcare and lives in Kansas City.

John Koffman (master’s ’08) and Rebecca Mahnken (’07) were married July 7 in Platte Woods. John is a

retirement specialist at the University of Missouri in Columbia, and Rebecca is a preschool teacher and is working toward a master’s in education leadership at Northwest.

Jamie Slaten-Mimsis a sales representative for the Tri County Leader and Bullard Banner News in Whitehouse, Texas.

2007Sara Chamberlain is an associate attorney in the law firm of Thompson Coburn LLP in St. Louis. She specializes in prod-ucts liability litigation.

Kristin Rulon is the assistant editor for contract publications at BankNews Media, based in Shawnee Mission, Kan. She oversees the design and production of the company’s contract publi-cations, including Califor-

nia Banker, Illinois Banker, In Touch, Florida Banking and Maine Banker. Prior to joining BankNews Media, she was the community editor for the Excelsior Springs Standard.

Anthony Stiens (Horace Mann ’97) and Erin Rooney were married Aug. 27, 2011, in Cameron. Anthony is director of research and planning at Commu-nity Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph, and Erin is a scientist at

Catalent. They live in Kansas City.

2008Bailey Asher and Dave Calton were married Nov. 5, 2011. Bailey is an event coordinator at Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia. In February, she received Certified Hospitality Sales Professional (CHSP) cer-tification. Dave is director of finance at Reliant Care Rehabilitative Services. They live in Columbia.

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Class Notes36

Photo submitted (see pg. 34)#Northwest Alumni Magazine Fall 2012

Reid and Lauren Skoch (’06) Kirby live in Kansas City. Lauren graduated from William Jewell College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in May and is a labor and delivery nurse at Truman Medical Center.

Isaac Lopez and Kacie Wullenwaber ’09 were married Sept. 18, 2011, in Georgetown, Colo. Isaac is a management informa-tion systems manager at LenderLive, and Kacie is a sales coordinator at Broadnet. They live in Castle Rock, Colo.

Valerie Utecht (master’s) is principal at Manor Hill Elemen-tary School in the Liberty School District. She joined the district in 2001 as a teacher at Ridgeview Elementary. She also has served as an instructional coach, elementary sum-

mer school site director and assistant principal at Manor Hill.

2010Joel Gordon and Aubrey Swanson were married May 19 in Omaha,

Neb. Joel is a software en-gineer at NAIC, and Aubrey is director of admissions and marketing at Paris II Educational Center. They live in Kansas City.

Catie Young is manager of The Buckle in Muskogee, Okla. She began her career with The Buckle in 2009.

It started with Leotron. Standing about 19 inches tall, his body is built with a radio, a Polaroid camera, flexible pipes and electrical cords. It turns out he’s also partial to lists, spreadsheets,

diagrams, charts, comic books, Starbucks lattes and his graphing calculator.

He’s the whimsical creation of Nicholas ’08

and Angela Bramlage ’04 Snyder who, since building Leotron in 2007, have assembled – and sold – about 300 creations some-

what like him. They call them Nerdbots.

“One day Angela decided, ‘You know what?

I sort of want a robot for my desk,’” said Nicholas, a consultant at Cerner. “We thought, ‘Well, we can make one!’ We found the parts and took the power tools that I had, made it and still have him to this day.”

The Snyders, who married in 2005 and live in Kansas City, were a few years into their marriage before the self-de-scribed nerds realized each other’s inter-est in robots. Then, as they introduced Leotron to friends and family members, the reaction was so positive they built more robots. They had created 15 when they decided to turn Nerdbots into more than a hobby.

“When we first started out, we thought our target audience would be people kind of like us – young, urban professionals,” said Angela, a designer at Hallmark. “But we’ve grown to discover

that all age groups seem to find some-thing that they like about them, whether they see something in the parts them-selves that they remember from their childhood or their parents had when they were little. The younger people just kind of think they’re cool.”

The one-of-a-kind Nerdbots come with names like Sparky, Ben-dix and Nudges. Each ’bot also comes with a quirky backstory based on notes Angela keeps in a notebook. For instance, Madge is a square dancing enthusiast who loves playing Chinese checkers but has an unhealthy fear of raisins.

For the Snyders, skimming scrap yards for discarded parts is one of their favorite pastimes, and they enjoy the hunt for unique and interesting parts. They also take pride in their mission to give old, abandoned parts a new home.

The Snyders say their experiences at Northwest and the skills they learned as students were important to build-ing Nerdbots as a sustainable busi-ness. Nicholas is heeding the advice of business professors who explained the importance of doing something that serves needs and attracts people, while

Angela incorporates the marketing, design and creative abilities she learned at Northwest.

“The thing that led me to Nerdbots was there’s a need to sort of reuse all this junk, and it was a creative idea,” Nicho-las said. “It it was a sustainable business model in the sense that the materials are there, they’re inexpensive and it’s an opportunity to help out in the process. It had all the pieces that professors and mentors and counselors had always instilled that the business model has to have.”

To learn more about Nerdbots, visit http://nerdbots.myshopify.com/.

To watch a video about Nerdbots, produced by MailChimp, visit http://mailchimp.com/about/customer-stories/nerdbots/. n

Alumni use business, creative skills to create quirky robots

(Above) Nicholas ’08 and Angela Bramlage ’04 Snyder are the creators of Nerdbots, which they assemble in their Kansas City studio from discarded parts they collect at scrap yards. Since launching Nerdbots as a business in 2007, they have sold about 300 of the one-of-a-kind robots. (Left) Leotron was the first Nerdbot.

5

Class Notes 37

Upcoming events

For up-to-date campus events, visit www.nwmissouri.edu and click on the calendar icon.

For more information on alumni events, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni or call 660.562.1248.

For complete sports schedules and the latest information on Bearcat athletics, visit www.northwestbearcats.com.

Call the Student Services Center at 660.562.1212 for ticket information.

3Saturday

Nov. 2012

Aaron Abel ’97 38, of St. Joseph, died March 3. He owned and operated High Octane Music Machine DJ Service, was artistic director for Mad Mary’s Haunted House and was co-owner of the Wicked Hollow Haunted Hayride. In 2010, he helped found the soft-ware company Codeable Creations.

Agnes “Peg” Harrison Annan ’64 90, of Coin, Iowa, died Dec. 8 in Clarinda, Iowa. She retired from South Page Community Schools after 28 years of teaching.

Tasha Beason Berls ’99 35, of Independence, died Feb. 19. She was a first-grade teacher at Blackburn Elementary School in Independence.

Byron E. Bird (attd.) 90, of Maryville, died Nov. 29, 2011. He was a retired postmaster.

Marjorie Powell Bird ’41 92, died April 23 in Kansas City. She was a retired teacher, with the major-ity of her career being in the North Kansas City School District at Nashua Elementary and Briarcliff Elementary.

Mildred Mahan Carmichael ’40 91, died Dec. 10 in Maryville. She taught at the Pickering elementary school for two years and then worked at Citizen’s State Bank and at the Office of Price Administra-tion.

Ross Carstens ’79 55, of Grimes, Iowa, died May 8 in Omaha, Neb. He began working for Farmers Grain and Livestock in West Des Moines, Iowa, as a commodity broker and then joined a group of investors to form Com-

modity Services Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2009, he purchased and became sole proprietor of Com-modity Services Inc.

Frederick Combs ’79 55, of Belton, died March 24.

✚ Roger Corley 77, of Maryville, died June 9. He was a profes-sor of American history at Northwest from 1966 to 1997.

Mary Margaret Rosenbohm Crain ’35

98, of Graham, died April 24 in Mound City. She taught at McCann and Miller rural schools.

James Danaher ’55 78, died May 26. He was employed at TWA for 29 years in the internal audit and information tech-nology departments.

Marcelene Wiley Darling ’40 92, died March 8 in East Wenatchee, Wash. She was a retired educator.

Marian Haller Dempsey ’39 92, of Maryville, died Feb. 24. She and her hus-band were marketers for Phillips 66 Oil Company.

John Flynn (attd.) 68, of Atchison, Kan., died April 7. He was head football coach at Maur Hill Prep School for 15 years and athletic director from 1992 to 2004. He retired in 2008.

Lucile Jeffrey Fox ’41 92, died Feb. 11 in Newville, Pa. She taught at a high school in central Missouri and then went to work for TWA in Kansas City before transferring to TWA’s Washington, D.C., office.

Bill Geer ’57 76, died Feb. 24. He taught biology at Knox

College from 1963 until his retirement in 2000 and was internationally renowned for his research on the genetics of the fruit fly. From 1979 to 1984, he was coordinator of the Knox-Rush Medical Program and Profes-sor of Pharmacology at Rush Medical College in Chicago.

Robert Gillispie ’71, ’75 died Nov. 17, 2011, in Neosho. He was a teacher and coach for 37 years in Maysville, Stanberry, Hannibal, Oregon and Neosho.

Roland Gordon ’49 88, of Flushing, Mich., died April 26. He was a high school and college teacher and then a GM quality liaison, working 32 years before retiring in 1985.

Lucille Lawrence Guthrie ’49 86, formerly of Stanberry, died Dec. 5 in Maryville. She was an elementary school teacher retiring after 29 years of teaching. She later worked as an attendant at Walter Broth-ers Station in Maryville.

Lucy Schooler Hall ’39 102, of Columbia, died March 13, 2011. She taught fourth grade in Princeton and after retire-ment started a preschool at Mercer Baptist Church.

Marshall Hatfield ’54 87, of Shawnee Mission, Kan., died April 26. He was a retired stockbroker with E.F. Hutton and Real-tor with J.C. Nichols.

Francis “Hank” Henggeler ’72 95, died Dec. 15. He was in the Air Force for 31 years, retiring with the rank of colonel. He also served as the city of Maryville finance director for 10 years.

Marsha Sweeney Herron ’70 64, died Jan. 23 in An-keny, Iowa. She was a high school business and math teacher for 33 years at Cumberland-Massena and Corning (Iowa) Community Schools.

Russell Hobbs ’68 90, of Creston, Iowa, died April 29. Beginning in 1946, he served as prin-cipal for Burton R. Jones Jr. High School in Creston, Iowa, until his retirement in 1986. He also coached briefly at Creston Junior College.

Robert “Bob” Hudek ’75 63, of Creston, Iowa, died Jan. 14. He was the Creston city recreation di-rector until 1985. He then worked for the U.S. Postal Service in Omaha, Neb. He returned to Creston as a letter carrier and retired in January 2011 as the officer-in-charge at the Thayer post office.

Dorothy Thompson Keith ’64 92, died Feb. 22 in Sioux City, Iowa. She taught home economics in Des Moines, Iowa, and then became the home econo-mist for Page and Fremont

counties in Iowa, retiring after 15 years.

Dale Kisker ’82, ’97 52, of Maryville, died Jan. 29 in Kansas City. He was a math teacher at Maryville High School. He previously taught in the Lawson, West Platte, Pleasant Hill and Nodaway-Holt school districts.

Jim Leu ’72 63, died Feb. 29. He was a former assistant professor of speech and was the de-bate coach at Northwest After he left Northwest, he became a special agent with the FBI, serving 25 years with the agency before he retired. He then worked for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and taught law classes at the Jefferson College Police Academy in St. Louis.

✚ Mary Margaret Grantham Lewis ’61, ’76 92, of Ravenwood, died Feb. 9. She retired from the Northeast Nodaway School District in 1984.

Tom Lynch ’65 68, of Shawnee, Kan., died March 31 in Rochester, Minn. He spent 38 years as an independent insur-ance agent.

In Memoriam

Fall 2012 Northwest Alumni Magazine✚ A scholarship has been established at Northwest in memory of this individual. To make a contribution, call 660.562.1248.

Class Notes38


Virginia “Gabby” Bosch McGinnis ’54 92, of Maryville, died Dec. 10. After teaching at Eugene Field Elementary School and at rural schools in Nodaway County, she became an antique collec-tor and was involved with her husband in the Denton McGinnis Auctioneering and Real Estate business for many years.

Terry McIntosh ’67 67, of Hopkins, died April 14. He worked in heavy construction while living in Nashville, Tenn., before returning to the Hopkins area and retiring from Laclede Chain.

Linda Grimes McQuinn ’78 55, of Independence, died Feb. 6. She was employed by BHA/GE Energy for 27 years.

Mark Miller ’73 60, died Sept. 3, 2010, in Pittsburg, Pa. He was employed at EDMC.

Mary Lou Damewood Miller ’62 76, of Lenox, Iowa, died Feb. 20. She taught elementary school in Ne-braska City, Neb., Bedford, Iowa, and Lenox, Iowa, retiring in 2000.

David Moore ’65 68, of Audubon, Iowa, died in January in Des Moines,

Iowa. In addition to practic-ing law in Harlan, Iowa, where he also served as Shelby County attorney, he was an entrepreneur who owned and operated Farmers Savings Bank, a motorcycle shop and an insurance agency.

Woodson Moore ’58 75, died Jan. 6 in North Kansas City. He taught accounting and business at North Kansas City High School for 32 years, retir-ing in 1992.

Velma Scheib Karr Morrison ’57 93, of Savannah, died Nov. 26. She taught for 39 years, 25 of those years at Savannah Middle School, and retired in 1982.

Marvin Murphy ’56 79, died Feb. 5 in St. Joseph. He retired from the North Nodaway School District and was a pitching coach for more than 50 years.

Richard Neal ’50 84, of Maryville, died Jan. 21. He was a retired dairyman and farmer.

Reta Peterson ’59 75, of St. Joseph, died Nov. 28. She was an elementary school teacher for more than 31 years in the St. Joseph Public School District.

Vicki Prentis ’87 (master’s) 61, of Clarinda, Iowa, died March 4 in Lincoln, Neb. She taught third grade in McCook, Neb., and moved to Clarinda, Iowa, in 1976, where she taught fourth grade in the Clarinda school system. In 1989, she became the elemen-tary guidance counselor, retiring in 2010.

Roland Russell ’66 67, of Georgetown, Texas, died Nov. 30. He joined IBM as a computer programmer and worked in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Lexington, Ky., and Austin, Texas, retiring in 1992.

✚ B.D. Scott 80, of Maryville, died May 11. He was profes-sor emeritus of biology at Northwest, serving the University from 1960 until his retirement in 1991. He also was an advisor to Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, a pre-nursing advisor and sponsor of the Pre-Med Club and founded the Junior High Science Olym-piad contests held on the Northwest campus.

Marjorie Fisher Scott ’40 92, of Kansas City, died March 30. She was an elementary school teacher in the Kansas City School District for 19 years and, with her husband, co-owned Scott’s Custom Picture Framing for 32 years.

Ron Scott ’66 (master’s) 68, died March 26. He began his teaching and coaching career at Mount Ayr (Iowa) Community High School. In 1987, he became the school’s guidance counselor. After retirement, he was director of education with Iowa’s Institute for Character De-

velopment in Des Moines. He occasionally served as a lay minister and was director for International Cooperating Ministries.

Carolyn Criswell Shefchyk ’55 77, of Greeley, Colo., died Jan. 21 in Loveland, Colo. She taught high school in Kansas City for 10 years.

William Sprague ’67 67, died May 22 in Des Moines, Iowa. He was a science teacher before joining Iowa Electric and retired from Mid-American Energy in 2009.

Lois Beavers Stephens ’46

86, of rural Villisca, Iowa, died May 24 in Clarinda, Iowa. She taught kinder-garten for two years in Keokuk, Iowa.

Marcia Tyson Symanski ’40 92, of Maryville, died April 13. She and her husband owned and operated Maryville Florist for 35 years.

John Tilton ’49 85, died Dec. 12. He was a teacher and a television director before he and his wife purchased and oper-ated a glass and mirror business in south Kansas City, The Mirror Place, retiring in 1987.

Phillip Townsend ’75 59, of Maryville, died May 11. He was a farmer.

Greg Vock of Dorisman, Wis., died Oct. 4, 2011. He coached and taught at Kettle Mo-raine High School for 41 years and later served as the athletic director.

Elizabeth Wagner Whitney ’65 91, of Maryville, died Feb. 8. She was a retired social worker for the state of Missouri.

Robert Wiard ‘52 84, of Carrollton, died May 8. He was a music educator for 26 years and spent 14 years as the Car-rollton Junior High School principal.

Betty Petersen Williamson ’77 57, of Redfield, Iowa, died May 6. She taught special education in Guthrie Cen-ter, Iowa.

Judy King Wilson ’71 67, died Feb. 15 in Altoona, Iowa. She was a teacher and later owned Judy’s Family Dining.

Elaine Woodburn Witherspoon ’49 died March 26. She was a retired teacher.

Ernest Witt ’48 84, of Kansas City, died Jan. 11. He taught music for nine years in small towns throughout Mis-souri, Kansas and Iowa. He retired in 1993 after serving as social studies department chairman at Southwest High School in Kansas City.

Ellen Porter Wohlford ’68 93, of Maryville, died Feb. 8. She was a librarian in the Savannah School District from 1968 to 1981.

Lois Jones Yates ’80 (master’s) 81, died Feb. 24 in Bet-tendorf, Iowa. She joined Graceland University’s fac-ulty in 1980 as a business administration instructor and later became the administrative assistant in the president’s office until her retirement in 1997.

Ron Zimmerman ’65, ’69 70, died May 24. He was owner of Sunset Tours Inc., which he started in 1992.

In Memoriam (continued)

Let us know

If you learn of the death of a Northwest graduate, please submit in writing or via news clipping the name of the deceased (and maiden name, if appropriate), year(s) of graduation from Northwest, date of death, age, city of death, city of residence and a brief listing of career accomplishments. In addition, submit your relationship to the deceased and your daytime telephone number to the Office of University Advancement, 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468-6001, fax to 660.562.1990 or email [email protected]. No pictures please. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. n

NowandThenThroughout Northwest history, the institution’s mascot, Bobby Bearcat, has been portrayed in a variety of ways.

In 1926, Bobby looked more like a bear than a bearcat, and by 1939, he resembled the cartoon character Felix the Cat. In the mid-’40s, he appeared to be a sleek and realistic panther as well as a warm and fuzzy house cat. By 1951, Bobby took on the appearance of Tom, the cat from the Tom and Jerry cartoons and also, with a fierce look, was pictured in athletic jerseys.

Bobby received another makeover in 1977 and his appearance was playful and cartoon-like. Bobby’s appearance became less fuzzy and teddy-bear-like in the 1980s and he received a new look – muscular and tough-looking – in 1989. Since that time, the mascot’s transformation continued, sporting a fiercer, yet more refined, appearance and wearing a Northwest “00” jersey.

April 25 - May 3, 2013Prices start at $3,363 per person*

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDDes Moines, IAPermit No. 5780

If interested, contact the Northwest Alumni Association at [email protected] or 660.562.1248.

Northwest

alumni m

agazine

Includes:n Roundtrip airfare from Kansas City

and all transfersn All breakfastsn Lunch and dinner while on the cruisen Two nights in Vienna and two nights

in Budapestn Hotel stays in Vienna and Budapestn Welcome reception

Highlights:n Tour Vienna, Austria’s capital,

known as the “City of Music,” and visit the Hofburg Palace, the Vienna Opera House and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, to name just a few

n Window shop along the Karntnerstrasse or enjoy Apfelstrudel in a neighborhood café

n Take in the Wachau Valley, home of many Austrian wines

*Based on double occupancy and departure from Kansas City International; trip insurance is available for purchase (by Oct. 19); taxes and fees on airline tickets are subject to change until issued.

Northwest Missouri State UniversityOffice of University Advancement800 University DriveMaryville, MO 64468-6001

Stay in touch with us:www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni660.562.1248

Contact us by email:Address changes: [email protected] notes: [email protected] to the editor: [email protected]

Join the Tourin’ Bearcats on a

Taste of the Danube Riverboat cruise from Vienna to Budapest

$375 deposit (cash or check) per person due Oct. 19Final payment due Jan. 11

n Visit the Benedictine Abbey of Melkn Experience guided sightseeing in

Bratislava, Slovakia, including St. Martin’s Cathedral

n Enjoy guided sightseeing in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, including Fisherman’s Bastion, as well as a free day in Budapest

northwest missouri state university alumni magazine, fall 2012

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