he Truman Alumni Association - Alumni - Truman State University

The Truman Alumni Association is
organizing travel opportunities
so alumni and other
members of the Truman family can
explore the world together, and we
hope you can join us for one of these
adventures. Truman parents, friends and
family members are also invited to participate
in the Truman Travel Program.
We would like to hear from you if you might
be interested in these travel opportunities. If
you would like to be added to our travel mailing
list, please e-mail
alumni@truman.edu or call 800.452.6678.
As more details become available, they will be
posted on our website at
http://alumni.truman.edu/TravelProgram.asp.
In 2011, the Truman Travel Program is planning to
offer an Alaskan Cruise (or Cruise with Land Travel).
In 2012, the Alumni Travel Program is considering a trip to Ireland.
TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY
ALUMNI TRAVEL PROGRAM

INSIDE
Truman Review
Summer 2010
Volume 14, Number 1
The Truman Review is distributed to alumni,
parents and friends. Its mission is to maintain
ties between the University, its alumni and all
other friends.
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Matthew W. Potter (’96), chair
John W. Siscel III, vice chair
Kenneth L. Read (’73), secretary
Cheryl J. Cozette
Peter T. Ewell
Mike Greenwell (’83)
Karen Haber
John Hilton (’02)
Mark S. Wasinger
Luke Freeland, student representative
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
Troy D. Paino
MANAGING EDITOR
Deanna Rood
ART DIRECTOR
Teresa Wheeler (’84)
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
Katie (Svoboda) Best (’00)
DESIGNERS
Jordan Worcester (’10)
Theresa Williams
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tim Barcus (’89)
SPORTS
Kevin White (’96)
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Brad Chambers (’86)
Amanda Goeser
Travis Miles (’99)
Becky Pike
Denise Smith (’79)
Heidi Crist Templeton
Jesslyn Tenhouse (’09)
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jessica (Neighbors) Hill (’99), president
Mike Wilson (’92), vice president
Jim Cherrington (’85), past president
Denise Smith (’79), secretary
Von Abbott (’79)
Sue Alexander (’78)
Erin (Lesczynski) Church (’02)
Kent Donaldson (’90)
Keith Epperson (’82)
Sharon (Hogan) Husmann (’83)
John Mathis (’66)
Ellen (Hoelscher) McLain (’87)
Eric Olsen (’82)
A. David Peppard (’80)
Stacey (George) Sifton (’00)
Sarah (Donnell) Theriault (’03)
Vid Vidyasagara (’92)
Tanner Williams (’02)
Janys (Murphy) Zimmerman (’55, ’58)
Truman Review is published three times each fiscal year
by the Advancement Office, Truman State University,
McClain Hall 205, 100 East Normal Avenue, Kirksville,
MO 63501-4221.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Advancement
Office, Truman State University, McClain Hall 205,
100 East Normal Avenue, Kirksville, MO 63501-4221.
FEATURES
E18
PAG
E20
PAG
DEPARTMENTS
Please drop us a line and tell us what
you think about the Truman Review.
E-mail • drood@truman.edu
Phone • (800) 452-6678
Fax • (660) 785-7519
Web • http://alumni.truman.edu/TrumanReview/
PAG E14
COVER STORY:
Exploring the Blues
From studying the history of the music
genre to composing music to attending
performances by blues artists, the Truman
Blues Project expanded the learning
experience beyond the classroom for
musicians as well as students who just wanted
to learn more about the subject.
Cultivating Collaboration
Truman partners up with a local elementary school to create
an interactive learning environment.
An Extraordinary Art Exhibit
By combining her passion for art and nature and throwing in a
few unexpected details, an artist creates some unique 3D
botanical representations.
2 Around the Quad
9 Career Corner
10 Focus on Students
12 Five Minutes with James Cianciola
24 Class Notes
38 Alumni News
42 Foundation News
46 Sports
ON THE COVER:
Charlie Love, a blues musician from Chicago,
visited Truman as a guest performer/lecturer for
the Truman Blues Project. See story on page 14.
TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Advancement Office
Editor, Truman Review
McClain Hall 205
100 E. Normal Ave.
Kirksville, MO 63501-4221

Installation Ceremony
for University
President Troy Paino
Alumni, parents, and friends
are invited to join the
Truman community on
Sept. 17, 2010, for the Installation
Ceremony for Troy D. Paino, the
University’s 16th president. During
the ceremony, which will be held in
Baldwin Auditorium, Paino will
officially be installed in the position
he has held since May 10, 2010.
Coughlin Serving as
Interim Provost and
Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Richard Coughlin, dean of
Libraries and Museums,
is currently serving as
interim provost and vice
president for Academic Affairs.
He began his new role on May
10, when Troy Paino, the former
provost and vice president for
Academic Affairs, began his
duties as the new president of
Truman State University following the retirement of
President Darrell Krueger.
“Dean Coughlin is a trusted and respected administrator
who knows the University well,” said University
President Paino. “I am deeply indebted to him for his
willingness to serve in this capacity.”
Prior to coming to Truman in 1995 to serve as director
of the University’s library and head of the Division of
Libraries and Museums, Coughlin was the administrative
services librarian for Boston College Libraries.
Coughlin received a bachelor’s degree in history from
Merrimack College and a master of science in library
science from Simmons College.
Luke Freeland Appointed
to Board of Governors
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon
appointed Luke
Freeland as the next
student representative to the
Truman State University Board of
Governors, and Freeland was
confirmed by the Missouri Senate
on April 15. A physics major
from Kirksville, Mo., Freeland is
also pursuing a minor in political science with an
emphasis in pre-law.
As a student at Truman, Freeland has occupied
leadership roles in Blue Key honor service fraternity as
well as Alpha Kappa Lambda, and he has been active
with Campus Pals, the Joseph Baldwin Academy and the
SERVE Center. In March 2010, Freeland served as cocoordinator
for the SERVE Center’s Big Event. Among
his accomplishments at Truman, Freeland has received
the University’s Golden Leadership Award and
President’s Scholarship.
Rent-A-Textbook
Beginning this fall, the Truman State University
Bookstore will offer students a new, multichannel
textbook rental program. The textbook
rental program will allow students to rent their
textbooks from the Truman Bookstore for less than 50
percent of the cost of purchasing a new printed
textbook.
Students can highlight or mark the rented books just as
they would if they purchased a book and planned to sell
it back to the bookstore. Students will also have the
opportunity to convert their rental to a purchase during
the first two weeks of class.
Barnes & Noble began piloting their rental program
earlier this year at 25 campus bookstores across the
country.
2 Truman Review

A Team Effort
In April, the Truman Equestrian
Program qualified the entire team of
riders for the Intercollegiate Horse
Show Association (IHSA) nationals, a first
in the 15-plus-year history of the program.
The team qualified for zones competition
by beating out the 15 other hunt seat
teams in the region over the course of the
season to win the Zone 9 Region 2
championship.
At zones competition, Truman scored 44
points, finishing second behind St. Mary
of the Woods College with 48 points and
ahead of University of Minnesota-
Crookston with 36 points.
At nationals in May, the team put in solid
rides. Jane Rademacher placed 9th team in
walk/trot equitation, Danielle Witt placed
9th team walk/trot/canter equitation and
Amanda Brehm placed 8th in team novice
equitation on the flat. “We had a great time
and are looking forward to hopefully going
back next year,” said Emily Costello (’07),
coach of the Truman Equestrian Team.
The IHSA is made up of more than 350
teams and 8,500 riders from throughout
the United States and parts of Canada and
was founded as a way to give collegiate
equestrian athletes of all experience levels
the opportunity to compete.
Campus Projects
Along with a new addition to the Pershing Building,
several other campus projects are under way this
summer, most notably the demolition of the
Department of Public Safety Building and parts of the
Grim-Smith Building.
Portions of the north side of the Grim-Smith Building will
be demolished, and a new facade and entrance on the
north side is scheduled for completion in November. The
open space created will be landscaped and will feature new
walkways and stairs to the north side entrance.
The Grim-Smith Building has already received some
minor interior renovations and the Department of Public
Safety (DPS) has relocated to offices on the first floor of
the building. The former DPS building, located north of
the Student Recreation Center, is scheduled for demolition
in August, and the area will be used as green space. In
addition to offices, DPS now has a garage area and storage
in Grim-Smith.
continued on next page
Photo above: Department of Public Safety Building
Photo on left: The Truman Equestrian Team at Dassenbrook Stables in
Maple Park, Ill., during zones competition on April 11, 2010. From left
to right: Katherine Heisler (Team Open Equitation on the Flat, St.
Charles, Mo., Health Science), Danielle Witt (Team Walk/Trot/Canter
Equitation, St. Louis, Mo., Biology), Jane Rademacher (Team Walk/Trot
Equitation, Decatur, Ill., Biology and Agriculture Science), Stephanie
Crecelius (Team Intermediate Equitation over Fences, St. Louis, Mo.,
Biology), Emily Costello (’07, Coach, St. Louis, Mo., Biology with Zone 9
Region 2 Regional Champion ribbon and cup), Amanda Brehm, (Team
Novice Equitation on the Flat, Lee Summit, Mo., Agriculture Science),
Corinne Smith (Team Intermediate Equitation on the Flat, Individual
Novice Equitation on the Flat, Kansas City, Mo., Biology), Christine Tosie
(Team Novice Equitation over Fences, St. Louis, Mo., English), Joanna
Russell (Open Equitation over Fences, Harrisburg, Mo., Agriculture
Science). Not Pictured Elizabeth Bramon (Individual Walk/Trot
Equitation, DeSoto, Mo., English)
Summer 2010 3

continued from page 3
Grim Smith Building
The temporary offices for Athletics are still in the west
side of the second and third floors in Grim-Smith,
however, once the Pershing project is complete, those
offices will be vacated and available as temporary space
during future projects.
During the winter break, plans call for moving the
offices of the Health and Exercise Sciences
Department out of the Grim-Smith Building and into
the ground floor of the existing Pershing Building.
The 34,000-square-foot addition to Pershing is
scheduled for completion in spring 2011, with movein
planned for May.
Improvements to campus housing continue with the
renovation of Ryle Hall. The north wing of the
residence hall will be completed and reopened for
occupancy in the fall, and the south side will be closed
for renovation during the 2010-2011 school year. Over
the summer, the Ryle Hall kitchen will be completely
replaced, and the dining hall and lobby will be
refurbished. The two existing elevators will be replaced
and a shaft for a third elevator will be installed in the
lobby. The third elevator will be installed next summer.
Crews are working two shifts five to six days per week
to ensure Ryle Hall will be available in the fall.
Other work on campus this summer includes
renovation to the main corridor in Baldwin Hall, a
new café in Pickler Memorial Library, and ITS
upgrades to the campus fiber-optic network and some
classrooms. The tennis courts located south of
Campbell Apartments are being resurfaced, and the
fencing is being replaced. The addition of a new boiler
at the Physical Plant should allow for more efficient
heating on campus and save the University money in
utilities costs.
Winning Scholars
As Missouri's only highly selective public
university, Truman attracts some of the most
academically talented students, and the
2009-2010 academic year turned out to be one of
the most successful years ever for Truman students or
graduates winning nationally competitive scholarships.
Some of the most recent awards range from
one of the oldest international fellowships named
after Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist and
African colonial pioneer, to a scholarship that is part
of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of
students learning and mastering critical-need foreign
languages.
This fall, Andrew McCall will be entering the
University of Oxford in England as Truman’s first
Rhodes Scholar. McCall was among the 32 American
men and women from 23 universities and colleges
across the country named as Rhodes Scholars for
2010. The prestigious scholarship covers all expenses
for two to three years of study at Oxford University,
and the recipients are selected on the basis of high
academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit
of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for
leadership, and physical vigor.
Eleven students or graduates―Truman’s highest
number ever―applied for 2010 Fulbright grants,
which fund one academic year of either English
teaching assistantships (TA) or academic study in
another country. The applicants undergo a rigorous
merit-based selection process, and of the 11 who
applied for the grants, seven finalists have been
named with final decisions to be made by country
selections committees. The finalists include: Grant
Berry (TA, Argentina); Katie Gettinger (biology,
Slovenia); Jenny Jalack (TA, Indonesia); Jillian Lopez
(TA, Venezuela); Kelly Merritt (TA, Germany);
Abigail Temple (TA, Russia); and Stephen Barnes
(TA, Thailand).
Amy Schachner was selected for a Knowles Science
Teaching Foundation Fellowship, which supports
outstanding beginning teachers. The fellowship is
4 Truman Review

L-R: Andrew McCall, Grant Berry, Katie Gettinger, Jennifer Jalack, Jillian Lopez, and Kelly Merritt
designed to cultivate and support
exemplary science and mathematics
high school teachers and develop the
next generation of leaders in
education. Renewable for up to five
years, it provides tuition, monthly
stipends and financial resources for
the classroom, as well as travel and
room and board expenses for three
conferences a year.
Will Petry received a competitive
Graduate Research Fellowship from
the National Science Foundation
(NSF) and will be studying at the
University of California, Irvine, in the
Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology. While working
on his Ph.D., Petry will be studying
the community consequences of antaphid
mutualisms and will be
conducting most of his research at the
Rocky Mountain Biological
Laboratory in Gothic, Colo. The
NSF Fellowship program is designed
to support research-based graduate
students in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics, and the
fellowship provides three years of
support, including $10,500 tuition
assistance, a $30,000 stipend and a
one-time $1,000 travel budget.
Along with Petry, 2009 Truman
alumnus Josh Hirner, a Ph.D. student
studying organic chemistry at the
University of California, Irvine,
recently received an NSF fellowship.
In addition to the 2,000 students
across the country who were offered
the NSF fellowship, another 2,500
received Honorable Mentions,
including Chelle King, an accelerated
track master’s student in Truman’s
Biology Department.
Two students–David Atkinson and
Ashley Adams–were selected for a
U.S. Department of State 2010
Critical Language Scholarship. The
two are among approximately 575
U.S. undergraduate and graduate
students selected from nearly 5,300
applicants to spend seven to 10 weeks
in intensive language institutes this
summer in 15 countries. Atkinson
will study Arabic, and Adams will
study Korean. Recipients also support
their language acquisition through
cultural immersion activities, and
participants are expected to continue
their language study beyond the
scholarship and apply their critical
language skills in their future professional
careers.
Yet another very competitive national
scholarship, the National Security
Education Program Boren
Scholarship, was awarded to Jared
Daugherty to spend a year studying in
China. The scholarship provides up to
$20,000 in support to U.S.
undergraduates to study abroad in
areas of the world that are critical to
U.S. interests and underrepresented in
study abroad.
L-R: Abigail Temple, Stephen Barnes, Amy Schachner, David Atkinson, Ashley Adams, and Will Petry
(not pictured: Josh Hirner, Chelle King, and Jared Daugherty)
Summer 2010 5

Class of 2010
Graduates participate in the
“turning of the tassel” ceremony.
6 Truman Review

A view from the platform at Stokes Stadium.
More than 1,100 undergraduate and graduate
students participated in Spring Commencement
on May 8 in Stokes Stadium. Former University
President Charles J. McClain delivered the
commencement address and was presented with
an honorary doctor of humane letters. In his
speech, McClain encouraged the graduates to
find work that fits their passion. “To be
excellent in your work you must match your
work with your passion, otherwise you will be
threshing around trying to carve satisfaction out
of dissatisfaction,” said McClain. “Find what
you love to do and go for it!”
Spring valedictorians posed on the Quadrangle with the statue of Joseph Baldwin, founder of the University.
McClain has been called a higher-education
legend in the state of Missouri. His presidency
at the University spanned nearly 20 years, from
1970 to 1989, and his vision and leadership
helped the school refocus its mission,
transforming it into Missouri’s only highly
selective, public liberal arts and sciences
university. After he retired from the University,
Truman’s administrative building was re-named
in honor of McClain.
Left: Former University President Charles J.
McClain gave the Commencement address and
was also presented with an honorary degree.
Summer 2010 7

AProper Tribute
The University hosted a Farewell Reception on May 5,
2010, at the Ruth W. Towne Museum and Visitors
Center in honor of Darrell W. Krueger and his wife,
Nancy. Krueger recently retired as president of Truman State
University after bidding farewell to the University community
at the Spring Commencement on May 8.
Prior to becoming the 15th president of Truman in 2008,
Krueger had served as president of Winona State University
in Minnesota for 16 years, retiring from that position in
2005. He began his career at Truman in the early 1970s as a
member of the faculty for two years before being appointed
vice president for academic affairs and dean of instruction.
He returned to Truman in October 2008 when the Truman
Board of Governors asked him to serve as president when
Barbara Dixon resigned from the position.
“Dr. Krueger came out of retirement to lead the University
through what ultimately developed into a tough financial
period for the State of Missouri,” said Matthew Potter, chair
of the Board of Governors. “The Board greatly appreciates his
answer to this call to service. We hope Dr. Krueger takes
some time to relax at his Utah home, and we are confident he
will stay in touch and keep Truman State University in his
thoughts and prayers!"
8 Truman Review

By Lesa E. Kerlin
Director, Truman State University Career Center
You can choose to provide information about your career,
employer or graduate/professional school experience. You can
also volunteer to serve as a panelist/presenter for University
programs, provide job shadowing or interact with students and/or
faculty in a number of other capacities.
When students are trying to decide on a career path, an
employer, or a graduate program, talking to people who have
first-hand experience is one of the best ways for them to get the
information and advice they need. They can only learn so much
from reading books; speaking with you helps them understand
what a field really entails.
Absolutely! You are able to indicate how many mentees you are
willing to speak with each month; after you have reached that
number, the system no longer offers you as a mentor for the
remainder of that month.
You will indicate which form of communication you prefer.
Registering for BulldogNet is easy; simply log on to the Career
Center’s website at http://career.truman.edu. Select
BulldogNet Mentor Database and complete the request
form. Once your request has been approved, you will
receive an e-mail from Experience.com
to complete the details of your mentor profile.
If you have any questions, contact Lesa Kerlin,
Career Center director, at lkerlin@truman.edu.
All majors and experience levels are
encouraged to register for BulldogNet at
http://career.truman.edu. In particular,
we are looking for alumni in all areas of:
• Business
• Non-profits
• Careers utilizing foreign languages
Summer 2010 9

Sara Wissmann, a health science
major, has always wanted to serve
others, especially through mission
work overseas. Last summer, a field
experience through Truman’s Health and
Exercise Sciences Department allowed her
to explore her passion when she traveled to
Malawi, a country in Africa, to teach HIV
education seminars to youth and adults.
By Jesslyn Tenhouse (‘09)
10 Truman Review

“I
’ve only been in America my whole life, so I don’t know what
the rest of the world is like,” Wissmann said. “There are so
many others to consider and serve and help,” she said,
expressing her desire to acknowledge and help fill the needs of
others throughout the world.
Field experiences through the Health and Exercise Sciences
Department provide opportunities for students to apply
career-oriented skills in an off-campus internship during the
summer months. For five weeks, Wissmann lived in the New
Jersey-sized country, working with HIV Hope, a program that
works to encourage and support those afflicted with HIV. The
program is a facet of New
Mission Systems International,
an agency that coordinates
Christian missions globally.
Wissmann and her
companions primarily stayed in
Malawi’s modernized capital city,
Lilongwe. However, the group
conducted most of their seminars
in small villages, where they
spent their evenings without
electricity, conversing with villagers. “When it’s dark outside
you just talk with people,” she said. “You’re done working at
the end of the day,” Wissmann explained, acknowledging the
relational aspect of the culture.
In addition, Wissmann said she noticed especially the
humble, giving spirit of the villagers. “They’re really selfless,”
she said. “They’re very simplistic and don’t base value on
material possessions.”
One particular experience stood out to Wissmann. “There
was a little boy who I formed a relationship with while we
were there,” she said. “Even though we didn’t speak each
other’s language, we would play games and he would teach me
through motions.” On Wissmann’s last day there, the boy
brought her a doughnut as a gift of acknowledgement and
appreciation for her friendship. “While we were there, he
didn’t change his clothes more than twice—he had holes in
them,” she said, noting the selflessness in his expression of
gratitude and how his generosity moved her.
Chris Lantz, HES professor, department chair and one of the
coordinators for HES field experiences, said many students
completing internships abroad, and even locally, report similar
satisfaction with the program. “The students consistently evaluate
the field experience as the top experiential opportunity they have
in our department,” Lantz said. “Among all the great things going
on, they commonly will cite field experience as one of the
most—if not the most—developmental experience.”
Lantz explained two of the three programs within the
HES department require practical fieldwork, and some
students complete as many as 320 hours. Nearly 90
students participate each summer, and Lantz said the
experiences help students make decisions about what
they want to do in their future careers. “In many ways,
those field experiences either reaffirm their interest in a
particular area or shed light on the fact that this might
not be the best fit for them professionally,” Lantz said.
HES students have studied nationally in their home
communities and in other places throughout the U.S.
Others, like Wissmann, have chosen to study as far away
as Africa, Ireland, Australia, Mexico and England.
Students generally search for and select their own internships,
but Lantz and four of his colleagues, help find sites, give approval
and take care of problems and other issues. Students also
“I wish everybody would
step out of our borders
and see what life is like in
other countries.”
complete a variety of assignments throughout the internship that
promote personal reflection on their experiences.
Lantz noted that field experiences, especially those abroad,
help round out the entire Truman experience. “In order to
consider oneself to be truly benefitting from a liberal arts and
sciences education, you’ve got to immerse yourself in a foreign
culture,” he said. “I just don’t see how you can say that you’re
knowledgeable in the ways of the world unless you’ve seen the
different ways of the world.”
Lantz said, many times, the field experiences provide eyeopening
opportunities for the students. “Kids who come to
Truman, rich or poor, have led a
life of privilege,” Lantz explained,
referring to the caliber of
schooling that students receive and
often take for granted. “Isn’t it
interesting when they go
someplace and they see where kids
are fighting for the chance to go
to school and often, at great
personal risk,” he added, referring
to the new lens through which
students evaluate their experiences.
Wissmann said her field experience is one she wouldn’t trade.
In fact, she plans to affiliate with NMSI, the organization through
which she worked last summer, to continue mission work after
she graduates. “It’s definitely an invaluable experience,” she said.
“I wish everybody would step out of our borders and see what life
is like in other countries.”
.
Summer 2010 11

James D. Cianciola,
assistant professor of
communication, has been a
member of the Truman faculty
since 2005. He received a
bachelor’s degree in communication-journalism
from St.
John Fisher College (N.Y.), a
master’s from State University
of New York in Brockport and
a Ph.D. in rhetoric from
Duquesne University (Pa.).
Tell us a little bit about
what you teach:
I am interested in rhetoric and
persuasion especially speakers, campaigns
and movements. I ask my students about
how symbols and symbolism affect
their perspectives, their identity
construction, their
human condition.
12 Truman Review

What do you like best about teaching:
Learning something new every day! Learning from
colleagues, students, staff, books, you name it.
What has been the high point of your career so far:
I have to say, receiving the award of Educator of
the Year. It means so much to me because it is
completely driven by students.
What would most people be surprised
to learn about you:
As gregarious as I may seem, I often feel shy and
awkward in crowded places.
What is the nicest thing someone
has said to you:
"I do."
What do you do when you’re not
working:
Spend time with family and friends
cooking, chatting, and just hanging out
enjoying one another’s company. I also
spend a lot of time playing guitar,
listening to music, writing music, and
just thinking about music.
If you weren’t teaching what
would you be doing:
I'd be a professional kick-boxer. OK, just
kidding. I'd probably work in restaurants bouncing
around from the kitchen as a cook, to the floor as a waiter.
I'd also play guitar in several bands.
Summer 2010 13

By Amanda Goeser
From studying the history of the music genre to composing
music to attending performances by blues artists, the
Truman Blues Project expanded the learning experience
beyond the classroom for musicians as well as students who
just wanted to learn more about the subject.
14 Truman Review

What can be historically examined, academically researched,
musically composed and artistically performed? The blues –
and that is just what students at Truman State University did
through the Truman Blues Project. In its inaugural semester, the grantfunded
Truman Blues Project course was opened to students of all
musical backgrounds and abilities with an interest in the blues.
Clifton Kreps, chair of classical and modern languages at Truman, had a
vision for many years of a class that merged academics with performance.
As part of the academic function of the class, students learned about the
history of the blues and its roots. From there, they constructed individual
research projects based on personal interests. Topics ranged from the
importance and influence of the fiddle in early blues music, to the
semiotics of guitar playing and the poetry of Skip James.
Summer 2010 15

(continued from page 15)
While researching, the students also performed their original pieces.
Some students performed solo and others in groups. The students
composed their own blues music and some added lyrics, as well.
The great thing
about the blues,
though, is its
inherent simplicity. It
creates a playing field
where everyone can
step in and play.”
Hank Eddins, a student in the class, has been playing music on his
own for the past several years. “With this class, you’ve got a hugely
varied skill set between each member,” Eddins said. “The great
thing about the blues, though, is its inherent simplicity. It creates a
playing field where everyone can step in and play.”
Charlie Love, a blues musician from Chicago, visited Truman State
University as a guest performer/lecturer. “It was great to talk to
[Charlie Love] who has been living the blues for almost his entire
life,” student Alex McKamie said. “It was also great to see a group
that had been playing with each other for so long that they made
the blues look effortless.”
During the course of the semester, the class received help from local
blues artists Peter Rolnick and members of Blue Voodoo. The class
also traveled to a B.B. King performance in Columbia, Mo., and
took in the Round Barn Blues Festival in Kirksville, Mo. The
Round Barn Blues Festival is hosted twice a year in May and
16 Truman Review

September and features nationally known blues artists
in addition to local talent. The Festival’s name is
borrowed from a barn originally used for hay storage
and livestock shelter, and the Festival is still housed in
that same barn today.
Between classes and live performances, students
enjoyed opportunities not traditionally available in a
university classroom setting.
Kreps said the students were pretty heavily engaged
in the project. “There were a couple times where the
feeling seemed to be ‘Are you sure we’re getting
credit for this? It’s so much fun,’” Kreps said.
Students did indeed receive academic credit for the
interdisciplinary course.
In 2008, Truman campus administrators offered
Innovative Academic Initiative Grants to get nontraditional
projects up and running. Projects receiving
funding were as diverse as blues musicians. From a
project to make college more accessible for minority
and rural students, to one focusing on the history and
conservation biology of Panama, the grants established
new opportunities for Truman students.
After being awarded the grant, Kreps worked to
implement the project as soon as possible, while
continuing to learn more about the blues. Teaching
the class for the first time, Kreps said he felt like he
was fulfilling the spirit of the grant, as much of it
was improvisational.
“Sometimes you find that the best experiences do
come out of that first time [teaching a course];
everything is fresh and your adrenaline is running and
so forth” Kreps said. “Even though it is not totally
controlled the way you would like, the experience may
be the most intense you are ever going to get.”
Kreps said he hopes to be able to teach the course
again and establish the Blues Project as a permanent
organization to build upon each year. He envisions the
organization would archive the projects, include
students who were previously involved and build
networks with other blues groups and organizations. ■

By Jesslyn Tenhouse (’09)
Apartnership between the Health and Exercise
Sciences Department (HES) and the Kirksville
Primary School (KPS) works to create an interactive
learning environment for both college and elementary
students. Chris Lantz, HES department chair, and Janice
Young, HES associate professor, began the Kirksville
Primary Partners Project (KPPP) nearly three years ago.
18 Truman Review

Originally started as an environmental buddy program, the idea
came from a conversation between Lantz and second-grade KPS
teacher, Debbie (Ryan) Lechner (’73, ’76), when Lantz’s daughter
was in her class. She expressed to Lantz she wanted her students
to be involved in service, and he saw an opportunity for Truman
students to help.
“Maybe we could get some of our kids to work with your kids,
and we could clean up the walk area around the school systems
and along the way they could learn about recycling,” Lantz told
Lechner. “And from there, it just took off.”
Since then, the program has grown to include more elementary
classrooms and a variety of topics for activity and instruction.
HES students present a range of lessons including nutrition,
environmental health, recycling, physical activity, sun safety and
tutoring students in reading and math. Past projects at KPS have
included making recycled paper, picking up litter and assisting
with Earth Week activities.
Lantz said countless Truman students have participated in the
program. “Our students interact with their students, and largely,
the faculty sit back and watch the interactions happen,” Lantz
said, explaining the role of the Truman HES students as facilitators
and teachers of the activities. “Our kids probably benefit
from that relationship more so because they are responsible for
delivering content.”
Young also regularly works at the school, and Lantz joked she
must be tenured there. “We’ve got pictures of her handing out
recycling bags and the kids are hugging her, and they don’t do
that unless they’re comfortable with you,” he said, referring to
Young’s involvement at KPS.
At the primary school, Young works with Lechner to set up one
activity each month for the second-grade students. Young said she
enjoys working with the younger students and teaching them
early about health. “These little kids love everything that you do,”
Young said. “We don’t have mandatory health in our schools, so
anything that we can do to help enrich the educational experience
is going to make a difference.”
Young said her college-age students also benefit from the
experience. “I just think it has such good tie-ins with my students
that they are going to be working as community or public or
worksite health educators, or be teacher educators, or physicians,
or work in healthcare in some way; they’re going to be working
with kids in one way or another.”
Young said she receives a positive response from her students. “I
don’t think I’ve ever had anybody say, ‘I don’t want to do it…I
didn’t like it,’” Young said. “They all come back and say, ‘That
was fun.’”
Krystalynn McClinton, a Truman MAE graduate student, took
her involvement with KPS to another level when she completed
research at the school last spring. KPS teachers had expressed a
concern with the growing number of students suffering with
obesity. McClinton, who plans to teach elementary physical
education, said she strongly believes in a teacher’s role as an
advocate. McClinton said she viewed the situation as an
opportunity to teach a healthy lifestyle to the children, while
doing research and gaining practical experience in an area of
interest to her.
McClinton’s research focused on incorporating movement into
various classroom activities. During her research, she worked with
various teachers to implement movement activities for all areas of
study. “Movement isn’t just for P.E. class, it’s for everyone, all the
time,” she said, referring to the concept she worked to advocate
with both teachers and students. “I love making people aware that
it’s fun to move,” McClinton said. “Moving is good for the brain,
it’s good for the body and, overall, it’s fun.”
Lantz said the partnership is one that benefits students at
both schools. He added his vantage point of the partnership is
unique because of his children’s involvement with the program as
students at KPS. He shared an anecdote about his
daughter’s experience after learning about recycling
when she was in Lechner’s class.
“We were sitting at my dinner table with my kids and
we got into a debate about if this particular cup was
recyclable or not, and my daughter said, ‘Well, dad,
look at the bottom of it. Do you see three arrows in a
circle?” Lantz said.
Though only in its first years of implementation, the
Kirksville Primary Partners Project has already made
great strides to develop relationships between the
two schools and enhance learning environments for
students of all ages. .
Summer 20 10 19

An Extraordinary Art Exhibit
BY COMBINING HER PASSION FOR ART AND NATURE
AND THROWING IN A FEW UNEXPECTED DETAILS,
AN ARTIST CREATES SOME UNIQUE 3D BOTANICAL
REPRESENTATIONS.
When she was around seven or eight, Kelsey
Wiskirchen was using her own miniature sewing
machine to make doll blankets and clothes. “I also
loved embroidery and latch-hook,” says
Wiskirchen, who had childhood dreams of being an artist. When
she entered college, she thought her artistic talents would be
relegated to a hobby while she pursued a more practical career.
However, after spending a semester enviously watching art
students having fun as they worked on their projects in the
dorm lounge, she decided that art had to play a larger role in
her life.
When she took her first fibers class, she knew she had
found her artistic niche. “I love working with my hands,
and I love the tangible quality of the fabric,” said
Wiskirchen. “Fiber art is a sensory experience for
me—the different textures of fabrics and the
challenge of expressing my ideas through this
medium are what I love.”
Growing up in Missouri, Wiskirchen had spent
lots of time outdoors with her parents and her
grandparents, and as she grew older, nature
came to be a source of inspiration for her.
Inspired by botanical illustration, she decided to
create a series of artwork for a college art
exhibit that would combine her passion for
fiber art with her love of nature in a way that
also expressed the relationship between plant
life and human life.
Selecting eight different plants she was
familiar with from her childhood, she
decided to create three-dimensional
fabric representations of poison
ivy, coneflower, Mayapple,

morel mushroom, wild blackberry, wild onion,
goldenrod and lowland brittle fern. To accurately
represent the plants, she conducted extensive
research studying both the physical nature of the
plants as well as the human relationship to each one.
In addition to learning about the medicinal uses and
edibility of the plants, Wiskirchen found out about
their historical significance including the many artists
throughout history who have dealt with plants as
subject matter. “From ancient Greek architecture to
the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci to modern
botanical illustration, art history is filled with a
fascination with plant structures,” said Wiskirchen.
“I was surprised to find out how many artists who,
like me, were interested in the mysterious root
systems of plants.”
For her art project, Wiskirchen dyed fabric to get the
exact color she wanted for each of the eight plants,
then sewed the fabric over a wire structure she had
designed for each plant. Information about the plants
was also screen-printed onto the fabric.
To showcase the three-dimensional representations,
each plant was displayed on an individual wooden
shelf, with the root system hanging below.
Wiskirchen also made detail boxes that held an
enlarged detail of a specific part of the plant, such as
a leaf or the head of a flower, and the plant’s
scientific name was included on each display.
To incorporate her childhood experiences with
nature, Wiskirchen added a special personal touch to
each work of art. “Since the
works were inspired by my
encounters with these plants
as a child, I wrote a brief
memory that related to each
one that was also displayed
on the wall,” said
Wiskirchen.
Creating such a large series of artwork for the
exhibit was a new experience for Wiskirchen that
provided some valuable lessons outside the
classroom. “With the help of a committee of art
professors and Truman’s gallery director, I
learned how to plan for the entire exhibit,” said
Wiskirchen. “From the initial conceptualization,
to the research and writing, creating the actual
art, displaying the body of work in the Art
Gallery, to advertising and planning for an exhibit
opening, the entire process was a learning
experience.”
In the future, Wiskirchen hopes to be in
position where she can help
cultivate other students’ passion
for art. She received her bachelor
of fine arts degree from Truman last
year and is currently pursuing a graduate
degree at Arizona State University.
”After I finish graduate school, I
hope to have the honor of being
on the opposite end of that
relationship teaching other art
students,” said Wiskirchen.
Nature Lesson
To accompany the three-dimensional fabric representations of plants she created, Kelsey
Wiskirchen wrote about some of her childhood memories in relationship to the plants featured
in her art exhibit. In the following story, she recalls an encounter with poison ivy.
If you scratch it’ll only get worse!” The day had been a grand exploration, brimming with adventure. I had spent the entire afternoon
hiking around the old city lake that rested snug in the middle of Grandma’s farm, careful to avoid the prickly burrs and jutting branches.
I stopped occasionally to observe dancing butterflies, sketch wildflowers, and eat the lunch Grandma had packed. In some places, the trees
hung so low over the water that I had to crawl through the brush on my hands and knees.
Now I perched on the tub’s edge, wincing as Grandma dabbed pink calamine lotion on my skin with a Q-tip. I distracted myself by counting
backward from a hundred. When that didn’t work, I tried holding my breath. Patches of itchy bumps ran from my neck down to my ankles.

iTruman
NOW PLAYING: HOMECOMING 2010
The Homecoming schedule
includes several new events
including new Cluster Reunions
for the anniversary class reunions.
Truman State University
Homecoming Weekend 2010
October 15, 16 & 17
More events may be added to the Homecoming schedule. To view the most up-to-date
schedule as well as ticket information and event locations and times, go to
http://alumni.truman.edu/homecoming.asp.
To request a Homecoming brochure, contact the Office of Advancement, (800)
452-6678 or (660) 785-4133; alumnievents@truman.edu.

Schedule of
Events
Friday, October 15
• Alumni Leadership Conference
• Business Bulldog Days (activities begin
Thurs., Oct. 14)
• Student/Alumni Networking Reception
• Bulldog Classic Golf Tournament ($)
• Multicultural Affairs Center Open House
• Volleyball Game, Truman vs. Northwest Missouri
• Alumni & Friends Banquet/Athletics
Hall of Fame ($)
• Pep Rally
• Powderpuff Football Game
• Ebony Essence Dance ($)
Saturday, October 16
• 5K Run ($)
• Coffee & Donuts
• Homecoming Parade
• Cluster Class Reunion Luncheons ($)
• Women’s Rugby Alumni Match
• Men’s Rugby Alumni Match
• Student Senate Reunion
• Delta Zeta Reception
• Multicultural Affairs & Friends Barbecue Tailgate
• Cardinal Key Reunion Luncheon
• Nursing Reunion/Open House
• Society & Environment Department
Alumni Reception
• School of Science & Mathematics Reception
• School of Arts & Letters Open House
• Women's Soccer: Truman vs. Missouri Southern
• Volleyball: Truman vs. Missouri Western
• Football Game, Truman vs.
Missouri Southern ($)
• Alumni & Friends Mixer ($)
• Comedian ($)
• Step Show ($)
Sunday, October 17
• Ekklesia Homecoming
• Unique Ensemble Gospel Choir
Homecoming Concert
($) Tickets for most Homecoming events can be
purchased in advance from our Online Alumni Store
at http://store.truman.edu/alumni/.
New “Cluster” Class
Reunions Added This Year
In addition to honoring the
traditional anniversary classes,
Truman State University will be
hosting cluster reunions for:
• Golden Alumni/Class of 1960
& all prior years
• Classes of 1969, 1970 & 1971
• Classes of 1979, 1980 & 1981
• Classes of 1984, 1985 & 1986
• Classes of 1989, 1990 & 1991
• Classes of 1999, 2000 & 2001
Other Special Reunions
& Receptions
• Business Bulldog Days
• Cardinal Key Reunion Luncheon
• Delta Zeta Reception
• Ekklesia Homecoming
• Multicultural Affairs & Friends
Barbecue Tailgate
• Multicultural Affairs Center Open House
• Nursing Reunion/Open House
• School of Arts & Letters Open House
• School of Science & Mathematics Reception
• Society & Environment Department
Alumni Reception
• Student Senate Reunion
During Homecoming weekend, an Alumni
Center will be set up Fri.-Sat., Oct. 15-16, in
the lower level of the Student Union Building.
Stop by the Alumni Center to purchase
tickets for events, leave messages for friends,
buy Homecoming apparel, register for door
prizes and pick up FREE gifts!
We look forward to seeing you on campus!

1947
Huella (Griffith) Darling (’47),
Thermopolis, Wyo., is a retired business
teacher. She has three daughters, Patricia,
Deborah and Mary Jane.
1948
Helen (Lawrence) McCabe (’48, ’61) is
retired and lives in Kirksville, Mo. She has a
daughter, Kathleen.
1957
Robert Eatock (’57, ’60), St. Joseph, Mo., is
a retired teacher/principal. He and his wife,
Carolyn, have a daughter, Debi Belt (’80),
and a son, Chris Eatock (’84). E-mail
bceatock3233@yahoo.com.
1960
James Jones, St. Peters, Mo., is a retired
physician. He has a son, James, and a
daughter, Julie. E-mail eaglej39@yahoo.com.
1961
Marie (Hook) Snodgrass (’61) and Max
Snodgrass live in Memphis, Mo. Marie
teaches at Midwest Academy, and Max is
retired. They have two daughters, Belinda
and Carla, and two sons, Aaron (’83) and
David. E-mail maxmarie@nemr.net.
Carol (Lockridge) Teel (’61) is retired and
lives in Gallatin, Mo. She and her husband,
Marvin, have two daughters, Teresa and
Denise.
1963
Larry Wickless (’63) is serving as the 113th
president of the American Osteopathic
Association. He is an AOA board-certified
internist and gastroenterologist and has
practiced gastroenterology in Farmington
Hills, Mich., for more than 35 years.
1964
Mary Jane (Cox) Carson (’64) is retired
and lives in Apache Junction, Ariz. E-mail
mjcarson62@yahoo.com.
1966
George Thompson (’66) is retired and lives
in Ironton, Mo. E-mail
george001@centurytel.net.
1967
Joseph Cobb (’67, ’69) is retired and lives in
Beulah, Colo. He has two sons, Nicolas and
Erik. E-mail joebcobb@gmail.com.
1968
Robert Andrews (’68) is retired and has
moved to Broken Arrow, Okla.
1970
Joseph DeLuca (’70) is a retired teacher and
lives in St. Louis, Mo. E-mail
zedeluca@sbcglobal.net.
Nancy (Leeser) Ellison (’70), Canton, Mo.,
retired as an art instructor at Lewis County
C-1 Schools. She and her husband, Francis,
have two children and four grandchildren.
1972
Mike Cunningham (’72), Rogersville, Mo.,
is a Missouri state representative. He has
two sons, Zachary and Seth, and one
daughter, Leah. E-mail
cunningham145@gmail.com.
1974
Patricia (Pickering) Thornton (’74), New
Meadows, Idaho, retired as a
teacher/admissions advisor for Kamiah
Public Schools/City University in Seattle. She
and her husband, Bradley, have a daughter,
Tia, and a son, Devin.
1975
Roger Hanslow (’75), Noblesville, Ind., is a
claims manager for Hanover Insurance. He
and his wife, Tina, have a son, Kyle, and a
daughter, Sara.
Jo Johnson (’75, ’76, ’78), Moline, Ill., retired
from school counseling after 32 years. She
has a daughter, Christina, and a son, Isaac.
Thomas Schneider (’75, ’85) retired from
the Federal Government Civilian Service and
resides in Chattanooga, Tenn. He has a son,
Matthew. Schneider writes: “Chattanooga is
a beautiful area, and it has no state income
taxes or personal property taxes.” E-mail
Smithbrother@hotmail.com.
1976
Michael Palmer (’76) and Debra
(Bextermueller) Palmer (’76) live in
Excelsior Springs, Mo. They both retired
from teaching full-time in 2007. Michael is a
part-time computer tech for Lawson R-XIV
School District, and Debra works part-time
with Title II Reading in the Excelsior Springs
School District. They have a son, Shawn, and
a daughter, Elicia.
What’s new with you?
Let us know what you have been up to such as information
about your job, honors and milestones, weddings, births and
other personal alumni news you would like to share with your
fellow alumni. The Truman Review is published three times per
year so there may be a delay of at least one issue between when
you submit your news and when it is published in Class Notes.
Information may be edited due to limited space.
In memoriam
Family members and friends are encouraged to send obituaries
of deceased alumni to Office of Advancement, McClain Hall 205,
100 E. Normal Ave., Kirksville, Mo. 63501.
Submit your news for Class Notes online at
http://alumni.truman.edu/ or use the update form found on
the inside back cover of each issue of the Truman Review. You can
also fax information to (660) 785-7519.
Rebecca (May) Rathmann (’76), St. Louis,
Mo., is senior manager, BMA Airframe
Systems Procurement Team, with The Boeing
Company. She and her husband, Michael,
have two children, Maegan and Andy. E-mail
hemi4r@yahoo.com.
Keith Richards (’76), a former school
superintendent, has joined educational
architect Legat and Kingscott as a business
development representative and educational
planner. He resides in Howard, Ohio.
1977
Bob Overfield Jr. (’77) and Debra
(Hartwig) Overfield (’77, ’80) live in
Hannibal, Mo. Bob retired Feb. 26, 2010,
after working for 32 years at BASF’s
(formerly Cyanamid) Palmyra plant. He now
enjoys his hobbies and various antique collections
to the fullest. Debbie no longer teaches
and works part-time in a shop in Hannibal’s
tourist area. They have two sons, Nathan
and Garon. E-mail bob@lrbman.com.
Flor Vargas (’77), Alexandria, Va., is an
ESOL teacher with Fairfax County Public
Schools. She and her husband, David Naleid,
have a son, Sean, and a daughter, Michelle.
E-mail higueron@verizon.net.
1979
Doug Heckenkamp (’79) is retired and lives
in Onondaga, Mich. E-mail
USMC7173E3SEMPERFI@yahoo.com.
Rebecca Sarris-Coker (’79), St. Joseph,
Mo., is a title examiner for St. Joseph Title
and Abstract. She and her husband, Danny,
have a daughter, Breaunna.
1980
Debra Hultz (’80) is celebrating 30 years of
employment with Spencer Gifts; she moved
to New Jersey to take the position of
24 Truman Review

director of human resources. E-mail
debscallycat@aol.com.
1981
Carolyn (Elder) Keebey (’81) and Patrick
Keebey (’83) live in Rolla, Mo. Carolyn is a
library aide with Rolla Public Schools. Patrick
is an RN-nurse manager at St. Louis
University Hospital. They have two sons,
Patrick and Kyle. E-mail pkeebey@gmail.com.
1982
Duane Davis (’82), Washington, Iowa, is a
six-grade math teacher and junior high coach
for Washington Community Schools. He and
his wife, Susan, have a son, Robb, and a
daughter, Shaila.
John Tophinke (’82), Elkhart, Ind., is a plant
controller for Atwood Mobile Products.
1984
Greg Hales (’84, ’85) returned after being
deployed to Afghanistan for 4 1/2 years and
is now a project manager with the US Army
Corps of Engineers in Louisville, Ky. He is
married to Cathy (Boes) Hales (’86);
they have two children, Victoria and Austin.
E-mail greg.hales@us.army.mil.
Kevin Krieg (’84), Columbia, Mo., is a whole
goods and parts manager for Tri-State
Construction Equipment.
Rich McKinney (’84), Kirksville, Mo., retired
from teaching for the University of Hawaii
system and as director of music for the First
United Methodist Church of Honolulu in
1998. He presently serves as director of the
Kirksville Community Chorus.
1985
Debra (Johnson) Chin (’85), Algonquin, Ill.,
is a marketing manager with Fox Valley Fire
and Safety. She and her husband, Robert,
have a daughter, Laura.
Roosevelt Goliday (’85) and Mary
(Batchelor) Goliday live in Lebanon, Ill.
Roosevelt retired from the U.S. Army after
24 years of active service. They have two
sons, William and Isaac. E-mail
rgoliday@aol.com.
Susan Hajek (’85), Phoenix, Ariz., is vice
president of client development for the
Coble Pension Group LLC.
1986
Shelley Tischkau (’86, ’89), an assistant
professor of pharmacology at Southern
Illinois University, has been awarded a fouryear
grant from the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences, a division of
the National Institutes of Health. The study
will examine how industrial pollutants in the
environment may contribute to type 2
diabetes.
1987
Scott Locke (’87), Chandler, Ariz., is
assistant vice president of training and talent
for iQor Inc. e-mail locke_scott@yahoo.com.
Truman Trivia on Quiz Show
Jeopardy fans watching the television quiz
show on April 20 might have heard the
Truman State University Press mentioned
in one of the clues. Under that category of
“Literary Awards,” host Alex Trebek presented
this clue: “The Poetry Book Society of the
U.K. & the Truman State University Press of
Missouri both give an award named for him."
The first Jeopardy contestant to answer
guessed “Harry Truman.” The next one took
a chance with “Samuel Clemens.” The
correct answer: “T. S. Eliot.”
Named after native Missourian T. S. Eliot
1989
Dylan Stolz (’89) lives in Little Neck, N.Y.,
and writes: “2010 marks my 20th year as a
teacher in the Hewlett-Woodmere School
District and my 25th year as a counselor,
group head, and head counselor at Brant
Lake Camp in the Adirondacks of New York
State.
1990
Kathy (Cupp) Estes (’90) is a lieutenant
colonel in the U.S. Army in Okinawa, Japan.
She and her husband, Hans, have two sons,
Andrew and Luke. E-mail
cuppestes@aol.com.
1991
David Schwartz (’91), Carlinville, Ill., is a
principal for Alton Community Unit School
District #11. He and his wife, Elise, have
three children, Derek, Jacob and Colleen.
E-mail schwartzd@frontiernet.net.
1992
Christopher Cannon (’92), Austell, Ga.,
teaches eighth-grade Georgia history at
Cobb County Schools Tapp Middle School.
He has a son Aaron. E-mail
ck240@msn.com.
Zelda (Green) Davis (’92) lives in
Lewistown, Mont., and has three children,
Mike, Hope and Deanna. E-mail
zeldavis@yahoo.com.
Lakeshia (Jefferson) Watts (’92),
Alabaster, Ala., is a retired major, U.S.
Army. She and her husband, Eric, have two
sons, Xavier and Josiah. E-mail
williamslakeshia@bellsouth.net.
1993
Michael Morhaus (’93), Des Peres, Mo., has
been promoted to principal in the Forensic
and Valuation Services Group of Anders
Minkler and Diehl LLP.
1994
Veera (Sumariwalla) Bishop (’94) is a
channel and campaign marketing project
in honor of his intellectual and artistic legacy,
the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is an annual
award presented by the Truman State
University Press for the best unpublished
book-length collection of poetry in English.
The Truman State University Press publishes
peer-reviewed research in the humanities for
the scholarly community and the broader
public, and publishes creative literary works.
It serves as a resource to the Truman
community, where students explore their
publishing interests and scholars seek
publishing advice.
manager for Agilent Technologies. She and
her husband, John, announce the birth of
their son, Bomi, born in July 2009. They also
have a daughter, Aasha. E-mail
veera_minoo@hotmail.com.
Jason Goethe (’94, ’95) and Karin
(Griggs) Goethe (’98) live in Overland
Park, Kan. Jason is the owner of Encompass
Accounting Solutions LLC. Karin is a stay-athome
mom. They have two sons, Trevor and
Nathan. E-mail
Jason@encompassaccounting.com.
Ron Pugh (’94), San Francisco, Calif., is
director of network operations at Prosper
Marketplace Inc. E-mail
rgpugh1969@yahoo.com.
1995
Amy (Schlemper) Fifer (’95, ’96), Kansas
City, Mo., is a language arts teacher for the
Pleasant Hill R-III School District. E-mail
afifer@pleasanthillschools.com.
Melody (Starr) Kramer (’95), Iowa City,
Iowa, is a CPA/senior financial analyst with
University of Iowa Healthcare. She and her
husband, Scott, have two children, Madison
and Dustin. E-mail breeze7217@yahoo.com.
1996
Katie (Reinagel) Dunne (’96) and
Michael Dunne (’94) reside in Columbia,
Mo. Katie is a project development specialist
for the Thompson Center for Autism and
Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Michael is a
data quality analyst with Carfax. They have
two sons, Aidan and Brendan.
Derek Jackson (’96), Maryland Heights,
Mo., is the owner of Jackson Global
Enterprises Inc. He and his wife, Jenna, have
a son, Davon, and a daughter, Ketura. E-mail
agreatpolicy@yahoo.com.
Tyson Ketchum (’96) was named as a
partner with Armstrong Teasdale LLP. He is
a member of the litigation practice group.
Summer 2010 25

Matt Schur (’96), Lincoln, Neb., is the
director of youth discipleship at Our Savior’s
Lutheran Church and is pursuing a master of
divinity degree at Luther Seminary. He and
his wife, Karin, have two children, Tyler and
Brianna. E-mail mkschur@yahoo.com.
Lisa Siard (’96), Overland Park, Kan., is a
business analyst with Ericsson Services Inc.
She and her husband, Eric, have two
daughters, Macie and Myla. E-mail
lisasiard@sprintmail.com.
Kelly (Mathewman) Smith (’96) and
Brian Smith (’97) live in Champaign, Ill.,
and they have three children, Zoey, Riley and
Avery. Kelly is taking a break from work to
be home with their children, and Brian is a
math professor at Parkland College. E-mail
kbjeeb@comcast.net.
Mary (Ziegler) Zimmerman (’96),
Denver, Colo., is a math and special education
teacher with Denver Public Schools/Grant
Beacon Middle School. She is a member of
the 2009 cohort of the Denver Teaching
Fellows, a program designed to recruit, select
and train professionals and recent college
graduates to become effective teachers in
Denver’s high-need public schools.
1997
Dawn (Schumann) Hupp (’97), Towson,
Md., is director of Manhattan Associates. She
and her husband, Mike, have a daughter,
Jenna. E-mail dawnhupp@gmail.com.
Bryan Nicholson (’97) was named as a
partner with Armstrong Teasdale LLP. He is
a member of the litigation practice group.
Janet O’Neal (’97), St. Louis, Mo., is a
senior scientist with Pfizer. She and her
husband, Andrew Godbey, have a son,
Alexander, and twins, Katherine and Edward
born on March 26, 2009. E-mail
jmoneal@yahoo.com.
Jennifer (Harlin) Wilhelm (’97), St. Louis,
Mo., is a veterinarian at Florissant Animal
Hospital. She and her husband, Dan,
announce the birth of a son, Miller, born in
October 2009, and they have a son, Mason.
1998
Matt Lazinsky (’98) received a doctorate in
physical therapy from Regis University. He is
currently an assistant clinical professor at the
University of South Florida in Tampa.
Sara (Kelm) Taylor (’98), Decatur, Ill., is an
RN at Springfield Clinic. E-mail
sarab1127@yahoo.com.
1999
Michael Bechtel (’99), Woodstock, N.Y., is
pursuing a PhD in Near Eastern languages
and civilizations at the University of Chicago.
Julia Kitsmiller (’99), Liberty, Mo., made
partner at the law firm of Seyferth
Blumenthal & Harris LLC. She was also
elected president of the University of
Readers identified this photo as the
quintet that won the Central States
Jazz Festival in May 1972 and earned
a trip to play at the American College
Jazz Festival at Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C. Members are: Jack
Lightfoot, trumpet; Dave Scott,
keyboard; John Schwarz, bass; Larry
Pohlman, soprano sax; and Steve
Duple, drums.
Missouri-Kansas City School of Law Alumni
Association. E-mail Julia@sbhlaw.com.
Jusonda (DeRouen) Williams (’99),
Hallsville, Mo., is an RN at Boone Hospital
Center. E-mail jldee5@hotmail.com.
Aaron Zeitner (’99) is president of A2Z
Enterprises Incorporated d/b/a/ Txt.It, and
he has created a new television show game
show, based on text messaging, Smartphones
and mobile applications, that has fully
integrated branding opportunity for sponsors
and advertisers. He writes: “I am looking to
connect with TSU alumni who are in the
entertainment industry to continue to
network with various contacts throughout
the industry. E-mail
aaron.zeitner@gmail.com.
2000
Eldron Burbridge (’00), Chicago, Ill.,
received an BS in accountancy from DePaul
University Kellstadt Graduate School of
Business in 2009 and is a controller for the
Golden Apple Foundation.
Justin Cox (’00) and Theresa (Eggleston)
Cox (’99) live in Arlington, Va. Justin is in
the U.S. Navy and is an internist for the U.S.
Congress. They have a son, Alexander.
E-mail justinmcox@hotmail.com.
The Truman State University
Archives needs your help in
identifying photographs. If
you recognize any of the
faces in this photo that was
taken around 1980, please
e-mail speccoll@truman.edu
or write Elaine Doak/Special
Collections, Pickler Memorial
Library 303, 100 E. Normal,
Kirksville, Mo. 63501-4221.
2001
Christopher Baucom (’01) joined
Armstrong Teasdale LLP as an associate in
the firm’s St. Louis office. He is a litigation
attorney.
A.J. Crum (’01), Denver, Colo., is attending
the University of Colorado School of
Medicine. E-mail ajcrum_2@yahoo.com.
2002
Beth (Joslin) Pirnie (’02), Omaha, Neb., is
a program development officer at Nebraska
Methodist College.
Benjamin Story (’02), Jacksonville, Ill., is a
senior network administrator for Passavant
Area Hospital. E-mail ben.story@gmail.com.
Justin Turner (’02), Kansas City, Mo.,
received a master of science in accounting
from the University of Missouri-Kansas City
in 2009 and is an auditor senior with
Commerce Bancshares Inc. E-mail
jtkc80@gmail.com.
2003
Laura (Dale) Adams (’03, ’04),
Warrenton, Mo., is a kindergarten teacher
with the Warren County R3 School District.
She and her husband Matt, announce the
birth of their daughter, Sophia, born in
September 2009.
26 Truman Review

President’s Leadership Awards
One of the most prestigious awards presented by Truman State University, the President’s Leadership Award honors select Truman alumni and friends for
meritorious service through their gifts of volunteerism, expertise and financial resources. The 2010 President’s Leadership Awards were presented at the
annual Foundation Banquet on April 10 to two couples who have made significant personal contributions to Truman―Darrell and Nancy Krueger and
Stan and Doris (Pickens) Bohon (’43).
Darrell and Nancy Krueger
Darrell W. Krueger, along with
steadfast support from his wife, Nancy,
has been a respected leader in higher
education throughout his career, and
two decades of his dedicated service have
been devoted to Truman. He began his
career at Truman in the early 1970s as a
member of the faculty for two years
before being appointed vice president for
academic affairs and dean of instruction.
He served as president of Winona State
University in Minnesota for 16 years
and returned to Truman in October 2008 when the Board of Governors
asked him to assume the role of president. He retired from that position
this past May.
Darrell graduated summa cum laude as co-valedictorian from
Southern Utah State College in 1967, with a bachelor of arts degree in
political science and history, and he earned a master’s degree in 1969
and a Ph.D. in 1971 from the University of Arizona-Tucson.
An Arizona native, Nancy was born and raised in Tucson and
attended Eastern Arizona College. Shortly after returning from a
mission to Toronto, Canada, she met Krueger who was finishing his
graduate studies at the University of Arizona. The two married, and
after Darrell completed his graduate studies in 1971, he accepted the
position of assistant professor of political science at Truman, and they
moved to Kirksville. For the next 18 years, the Kruegers lived in
Kirksville where they raised their four children. Two of their children
are Truman graduates.
In addition to caring for their family and supporting her husband in
the various roles his jobs have required, Nancy has served in a number
of positions in the church. A compassionate service leader, she has
taught in the church’s institute and seminary programs, provided
instruction for youth courses, and served as a shift coordinator for the
St. George Temple. Previously, she served as president of the Relief
Society, a philanthropic and educational women’s organization.
The Kruegers are members of the Joseph Baldwin Society which
honors and recognizes those who have provided a planned gift for the
benefit of the University. In 2009, they made a leadership gift to
support the “Investing in Students” fundraising initiative that was
established to provide financial support for Truman students in
response to challenging economic conditions.
Stan and Doris (Pickens) Bohon
Natives of northeast Missouri,
Stan and Doris (Pickens) Bohon
(’43) met in typing class while
attending Truman in the 1940s.
Stan spent three years as a student
at Truman before attending the
University of Missouri School of
Dentistry. Doris graduated from
Truman in 1943 with a bachelor of
science in education with two
majors―business education and
physical education―and taught in
Kansas City while Stan finished dental school. Shortly after the two
were married in December 1944, Stan joined the Army, and later on,
he joined his father and brother in the Bohon Dental Group in
Kirksville. He retired in 1991.
Longtime supporters of their alma mater, the Bohons are members
of Truman’s Northeast Missouri Alumni Chapter, the John R. Kirk
Society, and the Pershing Circle. In addition, they are among the
alumni volunteers assisting with the ongoing “Bright Minds Bright
Futures” campaign, the largest fundraising initiative in the history of
Truman. In 2004, the Bohons were recognized with Truman’s Alumni
Distinguished Service Award, and the couple served as grand marshals
for the 2008 Homecoming parade. Doris served on the Truman State
University Foundation Board for six years and was a member of the
Kohlenberg Lyceum Series Centennial Celebration committee, which
worked to increase the endowment for the series in honor of the
Lyceum’s 100th anniversary.
The Bohons reside in Kirksville, Mo., and spend the winters in
Florida. They have three children: Rick, a dentist in Columbia, Mo.;
Connie, a physician in the Washington, D.C. area; and Libby, a dental
hygienist who is a 1982 Truman graduate.
Michael Chen (’03), Elmhurst, N.Y., is vice
president of New Tang Dynasty Television.
Brian Coady (’03), Omaha, Neb., is a nonmedical
sales rep for Principal Financial
Group. E-mail b_coady@yahoo.com.
2004
Dianne Galanos (’04), St. Louis, Mo., is an
administrative assistant with Edward Jones.
Susan (Meierhoff) Giraudo (’04), St.
Louis, Mo., is an associate veterinarian at
Webster Groves Animal Hospital. E-mail
susangiraudo@gmail.com.
Andi Harrington (’04) and Matt Cosby
(’04) were married on Oct. 3, 2009, and live
in St. Peters, Mo. Andi is a development
manager for the Crohn’s and Colitis
Foundation of America. Matt is with the
Army Corps of Engineers. E-mail
andirome@hotmail.com.
Kristin (Walstrom) Korneliussen (’04,
’05), Dupont, Wash., is a teacher with the
Bethel School District.
Amelia (O’Donnell) Riney (’04) and Mike
Riney (’04) live in O’Fallon, Mo. Amelia is a
teacher with the Ft. Zumwalt School District.
Mike’s position with Boeing is with F18
financial controls. They have a son, Scott.
Philip Schiff (’04) received a PhD in physics
from Stony Brook University in 2009 and is a
postdoctoral scholar (chemical physics) at Tel
Aviv University.
Tiffany Tiller (’04), Kansas City, Mo.,
received a doctor of optometry degree from
Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus
University in 2009.
Summer 2010 27

2005
Julie Anderson (’05), Baton Rouge, La., is an
assistant professor at Louisiana State
University.
Aaron Armstrong (’05) and Audrey
(Keith) Armstrong (’05) live in Norfolk,
Va. Aaron is a physical therapist in the
United States Navy. They have a son,
Malachi, born in November 2009.
Katie (Johnson) Edwards (’05) and her
husband, Michael, have two sons, Alex and
Matthew. They live in Saint Peters, Mo.
E-mail Katie.johnson.m@gmail.com.
Lisa (Farrington) Falcone (’05),
Naperville, Ill., is a claims representative for
ACE USA.
Natalie (Churchey) Fieleke (’05) and
David Fieleke (’03) live in Columbia, Mo.
Natalie is a senior information specialist for
the University of Missouri School of
Medicine. David is a dermatology resident at
University of Missouri Health Care. They
have a daughter, Adelyn.
Amanda (Romine) Meeker (’05),
Covington, Ky., is a cooperative education
manager and College of Business liaison at
Northern Kentucky University. E-mail
Amandarmeeker@gmail.com.
Jason Murray (’05), St. Louis, Mo., received
his juris doctorate from St. Louis University
in 2009 and works for the Gusdorf Law
Firm.
2006
Kathryn Carlson (’06), Phoenix, Ariz.,
received an MS in communicative disorders
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in
2009 and is a speech-language pathologist
with Fiesta Pediatric Therapy Inc. E-mail
katemcarlson@gmail.com.
Serena (Shafer) Comegys (’06) and
Brian Garald Comegys (’05) have two
children, Jillian and Bryson, and they live in
Urbandale, Iowa.
Kathryn Cooper (’06), Florissant, Mo.,
received a master of divinity from Princeton
Theological Seminary on May 22, 2010.
Amanda (Knox) Cowart (’06) and Isaac
Cowart (’06) reside in Springfield, Mo.
Isaac received a doctor of physical therapy
degree from Rockhurst University in 2009
and is director of physical therapy for
Concentra. E-mail
amandaleighcowart@gmail.com.
Ashley Freund (’06) and Jacob Shroyer
(’08) live in Kansas City, Mo. Ashley is a case
supervisor for Jackson County CASA. Jacob
is a police officer with the Kansas City Police
Department.
Matthew Gallas (’06), Springfield, Ill., is a
staffing recruiter for PDS Tech, Inc.
Elizabeth Hobbs (’06, ’08), New Haven,
Mo., was selected to participate in the New
Science Teachers Academy created by the
28 Truman Review
National Science Teachers Association which
culminated in a trip to the National
Conference in Philadelphia. She will also be
participating in the Science Literacy through
Science Journalism program at the University
of Missouri-St. Louis campus which is
sponsored by the National Science
Foundation. Elizabeth is a biology teacher
with the Washington School District.
Andrew Karcher (’06, ’08), St. Louis, Mo.,
is an internal auditor for Laclede Gas
Company.
Krista Kastler (’06), Kansas City, Mo., is an
advocate for Women’s Transitional Care
Services.
Derek Meade (’06) lives in Chicago, Ill., and
is a portfolio analyst with Performance Trust
Capital Partners.
Corey Owens (’06) and Kristen Carson-
Owens (’06) reside in Washington, D.C.
Corey is a public policy associate for
Facebook. Kristen is director of program
administration for The Constitution Project.
E-mail corey@carsonwowens.com.
Stefanie Schroeder (’06) is attending A.T.
Still University School of Medicine in
Arizona.
Prajwal Sharma (’06) has finished work on
his yet-unnamed book based on the lives of
Nepali-speaking people the world over. He
also has been offered one of the 12 positions
on Oxford’s Master of Studies in Creative
Writing program, which he’s slated to begin
in September. Sharma was the editor in chief
of the national-award-winning Detours: An
Explorer’s Guide to the Midwest, and most
recently quit his job at The Village Voice to
work on his book.
Sara Turner (’06), Gladstone, Mo., is a GED
instructor/instructional assistant for the
North Kansas City School District. E-mail
SDirect7272@aol.com.
Alyssa Warrick (’06), Starkville, Miss., is a
graduate teaching assistant.
Steven Wichmer (’06) and Sarah
(Nowak) Wichmer (’06) live in St. Louis,
Mo. Steven received his juris doctorate from
Washington University in 2009 and is an
associate with Bernhardt and Wichmer PC,
and Sarah is a homemaker. They have two
daughters, Lucy and Elisabeth. E-mail
steven@immigrantlawcenter.com.
2007
Stephen Broadbent (’07, ’09), Brookfield,
Mo., is employed with the Brookfield R-3
School District.
Jessica (Stewart) Cox (’07) and Adam
Cox were married on Oct. 17, 2009, and
live in Sedalia, Mo. Jessica is a community
support specialist with Burrell Behavioral
Health. Adam is an information technologies
administrator for Otterville School.
Melanie Dunn (’07) spent 18 months after
graduating from Truman in Hanoi, Vietnam,
as a missionary/volunteer English teacher at
a university, and she is finishing up a
volunteer EMT-B training program for the
City of Virginia Beach. She plans to take the
state exam to become a certified EMT and
pursue a career in emergency
medicine/general medicine. She is also
working on an MA in government at Regent
University in Virginia Beach and working
part-time for a real estate attorney in
downtown Norfolk, Va. E-mail
trumel@gmail.com.
Kevin Dyke (’07) and Erin (Sadzewicz)
Dyke (’06) live in Minneapolis, Minn. Kevin
is a teaching assistant in the Geography
Department at University of Minnesota-Twin
Cities.
Misty Ely (’07), Piedmont, Okla., is a lab
animal tech 3 at the University of Oklahoma.
She has two children, Colter and Ally. E-mail
brew442002@yahoo.com.
Ashley (Williams) Franz (’07) and Ian
Franz (’08) were married on Aug. 1, 2009,
in Innsbrook, Mo., and they reside in
Columbia, Mo. Ashley graduated from the
University of Missouri School of Law and
work for Brown, Willbrand, Simon, Powell
and Lewis. Ian is a team leader with VA
Mortgage Center.com.
Cory Kessler (’07, ’08), Quincy, Ill., teaches
fifth-grade science for the Lewis County C-1
School District. He and his wife, Katie, have
a daughter, Mia, born in January 2010.
Sara (James) Kurovski (’07), Pleasant Hill,
Iowa, was selected to speak at WasteCon (a
national solid waste conference) that will be
held in Boston in August. She is the
compliance manager for Metro Waste
Authority in Des Moines, Iowa.
Leah Ann (Larson) Parrett (’07) is in the
U.S. Air Force. She and her husband, Daniel,
have two children, Veronica and Colin.
Lisa Rubenthaler (’07) was awarded a
2009-2010 Fulbright Grant to teach in
Madrid, Spain.
Sean Stapley (’07, ’08) and Kristine
(Batson) Stapley (’07) live in Maryland
Heights, Mo. Sean is an auditor with the
Defense Contract Audit Agency.
Justis Tuia (’07), Bethesda, Md., received an
MA in international communication from
American University in 2009 and is a
management and program analyst for the
U.S. Department of Education. E-mail
justis_tuia@hotmail.com.
2008
Rachel Barney (’08, ’09), Saint Charles,
Mo., received a master of accountancy
degree from Truman State University in
2009 and works in Assurance Services for
Ernst and Young.

Krystle Bertoncin (’08), Ames, Iowa, is a
customer service representative for CDS
Global.
Robert Brossett (’08) and Heather
(McWilliams) Brossett live in Saint
Robert, Mo. Robert is an executive officer in
the U.S. Army. Heather is a dental assistant
at Saint Robert Family Dental.
Jenifer Calandra (’08), Lincoln, Neb., is a
teaching assistant at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and
Mass Communication.
Chelsey Cole (’08) lives in Los Angeles,
Calif.
Andrew Greiner (’08, ’09), Des Moines,
Iowa, received a master of accountancy
degree from Truman State University in
2009 and is a tax associate with Clifton
Gunderson LLP.
Brandi Hass (’08) resides in Denver, Colo.
Marissa LaRose (’08), Washington, D.C., is
a production coordinator for Arena Stage.
Ashley (Richards) Meyer (’08) and Marty
Meyer (’08) were married on Sept. 5,
2009, at the St. Louis Zoo. They live in
Columbia, Mo. Ashley is a supervisor for
Michaels Arts and Crafts. Marty is a corrections
officer with Boone County Sheriff’s
Department.
Jane Reiling (’08, ’09), St. Louis, Mo., is a
teacher with the Parkway School District.
E-mail jnreiling@gmail.com.
Kaitlyn Sullivan (’08) lives in Laramie, Wyo.
E-mail kaitlynraesullivan@gmail.com.
Chelsea (Brown) Wire (’08) and Philip
Wire (’08) reside in Edwardsville, Ill.
2009
Whitney Ballsrud (’09), St. Louis, Mo., is a
corps member/elementary school teacher
with Teach for America.
Molly Bender (’09), Oak Lawn, Ill., is an
auditor for the Defense Contract Audit
Agency.
Christy Clemenson (’09) lives in Saint
Peters, Mo.
Sarah Collier (’09), St. Charles, Mo., is an
intern with BKD. E-mail
smcollier23@gmail.com.
Michael Deckard (’09) was admitted as a
full-time PhD student/research assistant in
the Department of Criminology and Criminal
Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
E-mail michaeljdeckard@gmail.com.
Robyn Esmahan (’09), Albany, Mo., is a
library assistant at Albany City Carnegie
Public Library.
Kara Fillman (’09), O’Fallon, Ill., writes:
“After a year of Americorps service with the
St. Louis Healthy Marriage Coalition, I will
attend Texas A&M University’s Bush School
of Government and Public Service for a
master’s degree in international affairs.”
Politics and Barbeque
Political science major Heath Hall (’97)
knew he was headed for law school
following his undergraduate days at
Truman. Well, it was either that or culinary
school. But even though law school won out,
Hall hasn’t let his culinary interests go to
waste.
While at Truman, Hall interned for a
senator on Capitol Hill and went on to attend
law school at the University of Missouri-
Kansas City. After becoming a lawyer, he
returned to Washington.
The idea for Pork Barrel BBQ was hatched
late one night while working on Capitol Hill.
After eating pizza the few nights previous,
Hall and his current business partner, Brett
Thompson, were working on the Senate
budget and thought that barbecue food was
just what the area needed. All the while,
senators were discussing pork barrel spending
on the television.
“So they were talking about pork barrel
spending, we were talking about food, and
thought Pork Barrel BBQ; that would be a
pretty good name for a barbecue company or
restaurant,” Hall said.
The Pork Barrel BBQ idea didn’t come up
for serious consideration until a few years later
when the duo decided to give it a try. Having
asked friends, now known as the “Kitchen
Cabinet,” to evaluate various homemade rubs,
Hall and Thompson developed the master
formula in summer 2008. From there, Pork
Barrel BBQ sold the first bottle of rub in
December 2008.
Within six months, Pork Barrel BBQ was
contacted by Mark Burnett, producer of
Survivor, after he discovered Pork Barrel
through social media. In fact, Pork Barrel is
the most followed barbecue site on Twitter.
Burnett’s latest production was Shark Tank
for ABC, and he invited Hall and Thompson
to come on the show to vie for funding from
one of five venture capitalists.
In Hall’s episode, which aired in September
2009, real-estate mogul Barbara Corcoran
bought into the company and even told Hall
Dainielle Fox (’09), Florissant, Mo., is a
certified pharmacy technician with
Walgreens Pharmacy. E-mail
mzdfox@gmail.com.
Katie (Cleaveland) Garcia (’09) and
David Garcia (’08) live in Fairbanks,
Heath Hall (’97) (on right) shown with his
business partner Brett Thompson. Last
September, the two appeared on an episode of
Shark Tank, a reality television show where
entrepreneurs presented business proposals to
business tycoons and tried to convince them to
invest in their business.
she could see him in a pig costume. From
there, Pork Barrel BBQ took off.
Before the show, Hall’s product was sold in
five stores in the D.C. area. Today, Pork Barrel
BBQ is now on the shelves of more than
1,000 stores in 40 states.
“We’re continually growing it; we’ve got a
number of things we are working on right
now,” Hall said. “By the end of the year, it’s
possible we could be close to being in all 50
states.”
Hall and Thompson have also competed in
barbecue competitions and are working to
open Pork Barrel BBQ’s first restaurant in
Alexandria, Va., this summer.
As if all of this doesn’t keep the two busy,
both Hall and Thompson work full-time; Hall
as a policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation
and Thompson as a lobbyist.
Hall says that even if Pork Barrel becomes
a full-time job somewhere down the road,
politics will still be a part of his life. “I don’t
think I would ever fully be out of [politics].
What that means exactly, I don’t know,” Hall
said. “I think I would always be involved in
some way.”― Amanda Goeser
Alaska. Katie is an RN at SSM St. Clare
Health Center, and David is a 1st lieutenant
in the United States Army.
Meredith Harrison (’09), New York, N.Y.,
is pursuing an MS in communicative sciences
and disorders from New York University and
Summer 2010 29

is an assistant teacher for The Family Annex
Nursery School. E-mail
mere.harrison@gmail.com.
Danna Kelly (’09), Des Moines, Iowa, is
pursuing a doctor of physical therapy degree
at Des Moines University. E-mail
danna.k.kelly@dmu.edu.
Kelsey (Johansen) Kreyling (’09) and
Peter Kreyling (’08) live in Kirksville, Mo.
Kelsey is director of extended care for Mary
Immaculate School.
Eric Littles (’09), Sanford, Fla., is an assistant
route operations manager for Pepsi Bottling
Group. E-mail eric.littles@gmail.com.
Shane Mulrooney (’09), Savoy, Ill., is
pursuing a juris doctorate at UIUC College
of Law.
Cassandra Remmert (’09), Florissant, Mo.,
is an actuarial analyst for Mercer.
Jesslyn Tenhouse (’09), Quincy, Ill., is an
intern with Fleishman-Hillard.
Stephanie Vandas (’09) was selected as one
of Omicron Delta Kappa’s 2009 scholarship
recipients. To qualify to receive the
scholarship, members must have attained
senior standing, maintained at least a 3.5
GPA, and plan to enroll as a graduate
student within three years from the date of
application. Students selected as winners
exhibited extraordinary commitment to
achievement in both academic and extracurricular
endeavors. Vandas is a graduate
student at the University of Missouri-
Columbia.
2010
Elizabeth Buckley (’10) lives in Manchester,
Mo. E-mail buckley.lisa.a@gmail.com.
Albert Coker (’10) lives in Lake City, Fla.
E-mail acoker8@gmail.com.
Jennifer Mattingly (’10) and Mitchell
Nuhn (’09) live in Worcester, Mass. Jennifer
works in the Office of Patient Advocates at
Saint Vincent Hospital.
Jamie Menown (’10), Kansas City, Mo., is a
staff nurse at Children’s Mercy South.
Ashley Reinhardt (’10) lives in Grain Valley,
Mo. E-mail reinhardt924@gmail.com.
Think green
To make the most out of our limited
resources, the Truman Alumni Association
will be utilizing e-mail and the Web site to
provide news and invitations to alumni. You
can help by making sure we have your
preferred e-mail address. Please provide us
with your e-mail address and any other
updated information by using the form on the
inside back cover of this magazine or go
online at http://alumni.truman.edu/
and look for the “Update Alumni/Contact
Info” link.
30 Truman Review
1930s
Wilbur Donald Albright (’38), of Fresno,
Calif., died May 10, 2009. He was drafted in
June 1941 and served in the US Army
Infantry until he received a medical discharge
in April 1943. Following his discharge, he was
accepted into the Military Welfare Services of
the American Red Cross. On July l, 1943 he
was assigned to the 306 Infantry Regiment of
the 77th Infantry Division. He served in the
Pacific Theatre for 20 months. His chosen
career was in the field of education, and he
began as a teacher and coach at the
Downing, Mo., High School from 1938-1941.
While in a graduate program at the
University of Missouri he served as
registration assistant for the year 1946-1947.
From 1947-1952 he was assistant registrar
and director of admissions at Drake
University in Des Moines, Iowa. From 1952 to
1958 he was director of admissions and
registrar at Sacramento State College. He
served as dean of students at Fresno State
College (now CSUF) from 1958-1970. As a
coordinator of Older Adult Services in 1975,
he developed an academic program in
gerontology. In 1976 he founded the Friendly
Visitor Program which employed California
State University, Fresno students to provide
assistance to older persons enabling them to
live in their own homes as long as possible.
Beginning in the fall of 1979, he served as
CSUF campus coordinator of the Summer
Elderhostel Program. In 1982 he was named
the director of the Southern California
Elderhostel, covering program sites from the
Mexican border to, and including, Yosemite
National Park. After retiring from Elderhostel
in 1989, he continued to serve seniors as a
member of the Board and the Advisory
Council of the Fresno-Madera Area Agency
on Aging; two terms in the California Senior
Legislature; and a member of several
Advisory Committees of the CSUF
Gerontology programs.
C. Wendell Cassady (’37), of East Peoria,
Ill., died Nov. 16, 2009. He spent 42 years in
the field of education and had taught for
many years in Missouri. He last taught for 17
years at East Peoria Community High School
ALUMNI
in East Peoria, retiring in 1972. He participated
in many activities, especially farming.
John Porter Garth (’39), of Champaign, Ill.,
died Sept. 9, 2009. While in Kirksville he
worked the family farm, and following World
War II, he taught returning veterans farm
management. In Champaign, he owned and
operated Garth Landscape and Nursery for
many years.
Erma Lily (Hinkson) McDannold (’39), of
Lee’s Summit, Mo., died May 18, 2010. Her
first teaching job was in Louisiana, Mo. She
served her churches as organist and pianist,
taught piano lessons, and was active with
women’s church and social circles.
Esther Ellen McVay (’30) died Aug. 31,
2009, in Houston, Mo. She taught in
numerous country schools in northeast
Missouri and one country school in Texas
County before joining the staff of Houston
High School in 1945, teaching history,
government and English for the next 25
years.
Mildred R. (Meilicke) Nichols (’36), of
Quincy, Ill., died Oct. 24, 2009. She began
teaching in the Elliott one room school at
the age of 18 and was there for three years
and then at New Zion for two years and
Golden Rule for one year. After graduating
from Truman, she taught at the Bevier, Mo.,
high school for five years, Stonington High
School for six years and Waverly High
School for four years, ending her career at
West Pike High School in Kinderhook,
where she taught for 10 years.
Gladys May (Spencer) Ornes (’34, ’61)
died June 1, 2009, in Cedar City, Utah. She
taught two years in Adair County one-room,
rural schools; two years in Carroll County;
two years in Hannibal; and seven years in
rural, one-room schools in Elliot and Star.
From 1960 to 1973 she taught first grade in
LaGrange until retirement in 1973.
Mildred (Diekroeger) Schlanker (’38), of
Montgomery City, Mo., died July 25, 2009.
She taught English and business classes at
Montgomery City High School, and following
her husband’s service in the United States
Army during World War II, she and Boone
founded Schlanker Funeral Home in
February 1946. For many years, they
provided ambulance service to Montgomery
County and the surrounding area, in addition
continued on page 32

Newsmakers
Brandt Crocker (’62) was among the three
individuals selected for
induction as the Drum
Corps International Hall of
Fame Class of 2010. Crocker
has been “The Voice” of
Drum Corps International at
its World Championship
events since 1972.
Connie (Frederick) Schindewolf (’73)
was among the winners of
the 2010 Six Women
Playwriting Festival. Her
short play, The Silence, was
showcased at this year’s
festival which was held in
April in Colorado Springs, Colo. Schindewolf
taught drama for 25 years in the St. Louis area
before moving to Bradenton, Fla., and her
short plays have also been performed in
Florida, Alabama, Minnesota, New York, New
Jersey, and Brisbane, Australia.
Thomas Palmatier (’77) has been invited
to join the American Bandmasters
Association (ABA). Founded in
1929, with John Philip Sousa as
honorary life president, ABA
recognizes outstanding
achievement on the part of concert band
conductors and composers. The current
membership comprises approximately 300
band conductors and composers in the United
States and Canada. Colonel Palmatier is the
commander and conductor of the U.S. Army
Band, and he lives in Fort Meade, Md. E-mail
Thomas.palmatier@us.army.mil.
Cathy (Jalack) Kraemer (’82) was named
Rockwood School District’s
Middle School Counselor of
the Year as well as the St.
Louis Suburban’s Middle
School Counselor of the
Year for 2009. She holds
leadership roles in her
school, in the Rockwood
School District, and on the state level.
Tracy (Dreesen) Dalton (’85, ’86), a
senior instructor in the
English Department at
Missouri State University,
has been selected as an
Outstanding Advising Award
Winner in the Faculty
Academic Advising category
from the National Academic
Advising Association as part of the 2010
Annual Awards Program for Academic
Advising. The award is presented to individuals
who have demonstrated qualities associated
with outstanding academic advising of students
or outstanding academic advising administration.
Dalton is one of 10 faculty advisors
honored with this award in this category in the
nationwide competition for 2010.
Leslie Heusted (’91), director of the
Danforth University Center
at Washington University in
St. Louis, Mo., has been
elected vice chair for
programs of the Board of
Directors for the National
Association for Campus
Activities (NACA); her term
began May 1. Throughout her nearly 20-year
professional career, she has served public,
private, large and small institutions located in
four different NACA regions. In addition to
her present role at Washington University in
St. Louis (Missouri), that experience includes
campus activities work at Maryville University
of St. Louis (Missouri), the University of
Charleston (West Virginia) and Doane College
(Nebraska).
Julie Ziffer (’94), an assistant professor in
the Physics Department at the University of
Southern Maine, was part of an international
team of eight researchers that discovered a
layer of ice and organic materials covering the
surface of an asteroid. The team’s findings
were published on April 29 in Nature, an
international weekly journal of science.
Eric Schmitt (’97) has been named one of
St. Louis Business Journal’s
“40 Under 40” for 2010.
The honorees are chosen
based on their career
achievements and work in
the local St. Louis
community. An attorney
with Lathrop & Gage,
Schmitt is also a state senator representing the
15th Senate District in St. Louis County.
Kyle Bogdan
Kyle Bogdan (’97) and
Craig Perrigo (’99) were
named in the April issue of
Ingram’s Magazine as
members of the “40 Under
40” Class of 2010. The
magazine honors young
professionals in the Greater
Kansas City area based on
their public and professional
achievements. An attorney,
Bogdan is a partner with
Warden Grier LLP. Perrigo is
the chief financial officer for
BATS Global Markets Inc.
Craig Perrigo
Marley Doyle (’06) received the Spirit of
Creighton Award presented
by Creighton University. The
award is given in honor of
the recipient’s initiative,
enterprise, academic
achievement and outstanding
character traits. Doyle
graduated from the
Creighton University School of Medicine on
May 15 and is pursuing a psychiatry residency
at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern
University in Chicago.
Brigit (Brunsman) Accinelli (’07) and
Whitney Jensen (’06) were inducted into
the Iowa
High School
Swim
Coaches
Association
Hall of
Fame.
Brigit Accinelli
Accinelli is
a client
Whitney Jensen
and ancillary services supervisor for Morris
Animal Hospital in Granger, Ind. Jensen is
attending optometry school at the University
of Missouri–St. Louis.
Brad Smith (’08) has been awarded a threeyear
James A. Michener
Fellowship in Creative
Writing from the University
of Texas Michener Center
for Writers. The program is
considered one of the five
most highly selective
programs in the country and
is consistently ranked as one of the top 10
graduate programs in creative writing. Smith’s
poetry was chosen out of almost 1,100
submissions in fiction, playwriting, poetry and
screenwriting, and he becomes one of the 12
newly admitted fellows. Each new fellow
receives free tuition, a $25,000 annual stipend
for three years with no teaching responsibility,
and a $6,000 professional development fund
for travel and research.
Summer 2010 31

to being involved in funeral service. She was
a licensed funeral director and was active in
the business until her husband’s death in
February 2003.
Claudine (Carter) Terry (’35), of
Kirksville, Mo., died April 4, 2010. She
taught at Knox City, Novelty, Memphis and
Meadville, Mo., and at Godfrey, Ill. From
1947 to 1961, she held the position of
supervisor of vocal music in the Moberly
Public Schools. She was a member of the
faculty at Northeast Missouri State
University from 1961 to 1975 where she
taught music education; she retired in 1975
and was named assistant professor emeritus.
1940s
Wanita L. Babb (’41), of Louisville Ky., died
Sept. 11, 2009. She was the former Wanita
Loofbourrow and had served as an
elementary school teacher and principal for
the old Louisville Public Schools and the
Jefferson County Public Schools for more
than 35 years.
Nolan M. Chapman Jr. (’46), died Dec. 18,
2009, in Chillicothe, Mo. He served 3 1/2
years in the U.S. Army during World War II
in the African Middle Eastern and European
Theaters. He was a partner in the law firm
of Chapman and Chapman, practicing until
his retirement in 1983. He served Chillicothe
five times as city attorney.
Harold R. Decker (’40), of Auburn, Ala.,
died Aug. 29, 2009. He taught commercial
subjects in Centralia, Mo., for the year 1940-
1941 and entered the U.S. Army in June
1941. He was assigned to the North African
Theater and flew his first mission on
December 23, 1942. On Jan. 31, 1943, he
was shot down and managed to land his P-38
on the mudflats near Gabes, Tunisia. He was
taken prisoner by the German forces and
transported to Europe as a prisoner of war.
In late spring of 1943 he was shipped to the
prison camp Stalag Luft III, where he
operated a clandestine radio receiver and
transcribed the BBC news for dissemination
to other prisoners within the camp. He and
the other prisoners were liberated in April
of 1945. After the war, he remained in the
service and received regular commission in
the Air Force in 1947. He continued in the
Air Force with assignments in Illinois, Ohio,
Tokyo, Japan, the Pentagon, and Maxwell
AFB, Ala. After retirement from the Air
Force, he joined the faculty at Auburn
University and retired in 1979 as an associate
professor emeritus of Aerospace
Engineering.
Catherine F. (Briggs) Dixon (’43), of
Lebanon, Ore., died Sept. 20, 2009. She
worked as a substitute teacher in Lebanon
for many years and enjoyed teaching Sunday
school for many years.
Marjorie I. Hulse (’49), of New London,
Ind., died Dec. 3, 2009. She was a retired
teacher. She had taught in the Rocky Point
School, New London Schools, Central
School in Hannibal as well as the Des
Moines, Iowa Schools.
Meta Ernestine Lichtenberg (’47), of
Quincy, Ill., died July 27, 2009. She taught in
public schools for 43 years in Troy, Mo.,
Keokuk, Iowa, Hammond, Ind., Warrenton,
Mo., and in St. Louis County. She then
taught in the pre-school at Trinity Church in
Quincy for two years.
John Mangiaracina (’49) of Las Vegas, Nev.,
died May 2, 2009. He owned his own
grocery business in Kansas City, Mo., for 23
years and moved to Las Vegas in 1973. He
served as secretary of the Nevada State
Athletic Commission and later worked in the
field of boxing with Don King and Bob
Arum. After he retired, he worked for his
son-in-law as a property manager.
Rosemary Blanche (Barr) Mohr (’43), of
rural Kahoka, Mo., died July 1, 2009. She
began teaching in the fall of 1937. She taught
the school term and then attended college
each summer at Kirksville until graduation in
1943. Over the course of a 35-year career,
she taught at rural country schools and town
elementary and high schools. Schools
included Bartlett Rural School, Lone Star
Rural School, Gravel Hill Rural School,
Granger High School, Pulaski High School,
Keosauqua High School, and Centerville
High School. She returned to teaching in
1964 and taught at Antioch Rural School and
at Clark Co. R-1 Junior High from 1965 until
1989.
Martha E. Perry (’47), of Keokuk, died June
20, 2009. She taught for two years in rural
schools in Adair County, Mo.; three years in
Novinger; six years at Jefferson and one year
at Washington Central, both in Keokuk. She
worked for 20 years as elementary principal
at Garfield and Torrence, and later at Lincoln
and was instructional service coordinator,
retiring in 1985.
Norma Beatrice (Feigenspan) Pflantz
(’43), of Palmyra, Mo., died Nov. 1, 2009.
She was a school teacher at Palmyra R-I
Elementary School, retiring in 1979. She had
formerly taught at Marion County R-II
School.
Ernest L. Slaughter (’49), of St. Louis, Mo.,
died Sept. 19, 2009. He was on staff at
Normandy Osteopathic Hospital and Des
Peres Hospital.
Elmer Earl Smith (’48), Festus, Mo., died
April 11, 2010. He was a science teacher for
five decades at Crystal City High School. He
taught science to Crystal City High students
from 1947 to 1997. From 1947 to 1985, he
instructed in physical science, chemistry and
physics full-time. From 1985 to 1997, he
taught chemistry, physics or both one to two
class periods per school day.
Catherine (Cox) Stipe (’45, ’48), of
Plattsburg, Mo., died Jan. 10, 2010. She
taught music at all levels of school, including
elementary, high school, and college. She
taught at the University while getting her
master’s degree in music education. She also
taught high school music at Gower, Mo., and
finished her teaching career in the Plattsburg
School District, where she served as
elementary music teacher from 1966 to 1981.
Olive Adelle (Tetzner) Tharp, of
Kirksville, Mo., died March 12, 2010. In 1964
she began her career as an educator, teacher
and principal in Mississippi for 39 years until
retiring in 1979. During her teaching career,
Olive spent her summers back home in
Kirksville.
Norma Lee Veach, of Kirksville, Mo., died
May 18, 2010. During World War II, she
worked in St. Louis at the Curtiss-Wright
Airplane Plant in the Accounting
Department. After her marriage, she and
her husband lived in Davenport, Iowa, where
she worked as a civil service employee in the
office of the Army’s Chicago Ordnance
District. In 1946 they moved to Downing,
Mo., and worked at Barb & McCune Grocery.
In 1948 they moved to Kirksville, and she
worked in the business office at the college
until 1951. They then lived in Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Texas before moving back to
Missouri. Norma worked at Swan Lake Office
near Meadville, Mo., as a reservation clerk. In
1965 they moved to Kirksville where Norma
worked for state and government agencies
until she retired in 1986.
George Richard Wheatcroft (’49), of
Irving, Texas, died Nov. 11, 2009. Ordained
into the Episcopal priesthood in 1943, his
first assignment was on staff at the Church
of Saint Michael and Saint George in Saint
Louis, Mo. He continued his ministry as
Vicar at the Trinity Episcopal Church in
Kirksville, Mo., where he also served as the
Episcopal chaplain to the local students. In
1950 he was called to the Diocese of Texas
to begin what became the Saint Francis
Episcopal Church in the Memorial Drive area
of Houston. He served as Rector of Saint
Francis for 40 years, and upon his retirement
in 1990 was designated Rector Emeritus.
After retirement, he produced numerous
book reviews for several publications.
32 Truman Review
continued on page 34

“I do not wish to simply educate my students,
but support and care for them as well. I wish to become
what I call a true educator.”
MARTHA STRAUSS (’10)
Kathleen (Bohon) Strickler Scholarship recipient
undreds of
students are provided
the opportunity to
receive a Truman
education because of
the enerosity
of alumni and friends
who create new
scholarships or
donate to existing
scholarship funds.
“Osteopathic medicine has intrigued me since I
first came to Kirksville and toured the museum and
ATSU-KCOM. My career goals include becoming a
primary care osteopathic physician and practicing in an
underserved or rural area…I have applied for this
scholarship knowing that someday I will start a
foundation scholarship of my own because of all of the
great opportunities Truman has provided me.”
KATY MODLIN
Dr. John D. Black Scholarship recipient
“As a high school student, I worked 40 hours a
week to help pay the rent, and if it was not for a teacher
in my school, I can honestly say that I would not have
had the opportunity to attend Truman State University.
Truman is giving me an incredible amount of
experience, and the combination of classes in math and
education, as well as my internship, will bring me one
step closer to becoming a part of the community of
teachers who completely changed my life. Your
scholarship helps make all of this possible…thank you.”
ANDREW HAWS (’10)
McManis Family Scholarship recipient
“I am a first-generation college student, and I
plan to pursue a career in anesthesiology upon graduating
from Truman State University. Your generosity has
inspired me to help others and give back to the
community. I hope one day I will be able to help students
achieve their goals just as you have helped me.”
ASHLEY ESTRADA
Lyle Ingraham Scholarship recipient
Make a gift online and make a difference: http://giving.truman.edu/
Truman State University Foundation • 205 McClain Hall • 100 E. Normal Ave. • Kirksville, MO 63501
Telephone: (800) 452-6678 or (660) 785-4133 • Fax: (660) 785-7519

1950s
Claire Howard Abbott (’58), of Ottumwa,
Iowa, died July 8, 2009. He served in the
Merchant Marines and later served in the
Army. He worked for John Deere Ottumwa
Works as a power house operator, retiring
in 1987.
Harlene (Wellman) Bailey (’50), of Santa
Barbara, Calif., died March 5, 2010. While
living in Cleveland, Ohio, she worked at the
Cleveland Clinic Research Division. Later,
while living in Arroyo Grande, Calif., where
her husband, Robert, was a founder and
medical administrator of the Arroyo Grande
Community Hospital, she was a Camp Fire
Bluebird leader and a teacher at the
Unitarian Fellowship of Santa Maria, Calif.
When they moved to Santa Barbara, she was
employed at Sambos Corporate
Headquarters as a records administrator.
She and her husband later owned and
operated the Montecito Fine Arts Gallery in
Montecito for more than 10 years.
John D. Lawrence (’56), of Overland Park,
Kan., died July 30, 2009. He found a career
he loved for 37 years with Farmers Insurance
as an underwriter.
Shirley Jean (Snyder) Novinger, of
Gladstone, Mo., died Mary 7, 2010. She was
a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt
and friend.
Avery Sidney Osborn, of Kirksville, Mo.,
died Dec. 30, 2009. In August of 1963, Sid
and his wife, Peggy, moved to Brashear, Mo.,
where they bought a grocery store and
began a meat processing business which they
operated together for nearly 36 years. After
his retirement from that business, he worked
in the meat department at Hy-Vee in
Kirksville until he was elected 2nd District
Adair County commissioner, a position he
held for eight years until his retirement in
December 2008.
Gilbert Sargent Jr. (’51), of Unionville, Mo.,
died May 15, 2009. He taught and coached
in schools in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri for
more than 50 years, retiring from Cardinal
Stritch in Keokuk. He worked as a substitute
teacher at Green City, Mo., until 2007. He
served as superintendent, principal and
counselor during his career.
Jerome VanGels (’53, ’56), of Shelbyville,
Mo., died Nov. 3, 2009. He served his
country in the United States Army during
the Korean War and was a school superintendent
for 29 years serving at North Shelby
School District from 1968 to 1987.
Jack M. Wells (’50), of St. Louis, Mo., died
July 30, 2009. He was a longtime football
coach and counselor for the Parkway School
District.
Bennie Jerome Wilsey (’57), of Sullivan,
Mo., died Feb. 19, 2010. He started
preaching while in college, and served the
Green Castle/Novinger parish. He became a
true circuit rider for most of his ministry. He
told his stories and jokes from the pulpits of
Hematite/Victoria/Zion charge, Leadwood
Methodist Church, Marble Hill/Lutsville
charge, St. Clair and Fairview, Lilburn and
Parma, St. Stephen’s UMC in Troy,
Senath/Coldwater charge,
Doniphan/Tucker/Grandin circuit, and
Benton/Oran charge, from which he retired
in 2000 and moved to Sullivan.
1960s
Evelyn J. (Shaffer) Best (’62), of Sarasota,
Fla., died April 10, 2010. She began her
teaching career at Olive Hill Country School
and later taught kindergarten at Washington
School in Kirksville, Mo. After teaching for
20 years, she moved to Florida where she
started the Evie Best Group Private Health
Care.
Charles M. Fugate (’64), of Spring, Texas,
died March 31, 2009. He was a Presbyterian
minister numerous years primarily in
Missouri, and a veteran of the U.S. Army,
during the Korean Conflict. Before answering
God’s call to the ministry, he became a
reporter for a weekly newspaper, the Reveille
of Memphis, Mo.; state editor for a daily
newspaper in Keokuk, Iowa; and city editor
for a daily newspaper in Newton, Iowa.
Michael Ray Gramling, of Kirksville, Mo.,
died April 2, 2010. Former customers of
Rupp Automotive in Kirksville and Edina
Auto Parts, which Mike co-owned with his
father and brother, will recall Mike’s ability
to have many part numbers memorized and
only used a catalog to verify his information.
It is said he was always willing to go the extra
mile for his customers.
Arthur G. Hammel (’61), of St. Charles,
Ill., died May 11, 2010. For 37 years, he
worked for Swift-Eckrich Company in the
Chicago area. Following that, he was
associated with Brookfield Farms in Chicago.
James Laverne Jackson (’63), of Lancaster,
Mo., died May 19, 2009. He was very
community oriented as he held many
different offices including county assessor for
one term, city councilman and mayor.
Lyle Johnston (’63), of Bondurant, Iowa,
died Jan. 17, 2010. He began his career in
insurance as a claims adjustor for the
Insurance Company of North America.
Altogether, he spent 47 successful years in
the insurance industry.
June (DeLaney) Popkes (’60), of Paris,
Mo., died June 14, 2009. She retired from
teaching in 1986 after teaching 40 years in
several rural Monroe County Schools and
the Paris R-II School District.
34 Truman Review

Sandra Marie (Siefer) Purdy (’64), of
Elmcroft, Penn., died May 21, 2009. She was
a teacher of middle school and high school
chemistry, physics and science for 30 years,
retiring in 1999 from Hatboro Horsham
School District, Montgomery County.
Thomas Joseph Rosa (’68), of Venice, Fla.,
died March 28, 2009. He was a computer
analyst and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
He was a volunteer with the Senior
Friendship Centers in Venice.
Eileen (Gentry) Smith (’65), of Louisiana,
Mo., died June 5, 2009. She taught in oneroom
school houses in the Wright, Allison
and Ramsey schools. She was an educator
for over 40 years, both in the class room
and administration in Paynesville, Eolia,
Clopton and Louisiana, retiring as principal
of the Louisiana Primary School.
Robert N. Stevenson (’68), of Quincy, Ill.,
died June 14, 2009. He began his teaching
career in 1962 at Mendon Junior High
School. In 1964 he began teaching with the
Quincy Public Schools and taught sixth grade
at Washington School until his retirement in
1984. He later worked at Con Agra Frozen
Foods in Macon, Mo., until his retirement in
2001.
Cathy Ann (Johann) Sudholt (’67), of
Richmond, Texas, died March 12, 2010. She
enjoyed traveling the globe, gardening,
swimming, decorating, reading, participating
in book clubs and serving in her church and
community.
Melva C. (Wolf) Trager (’64), of Bella
Vista, Ark., died June 4, 2009. She was a
biology teacher, homemaker and nurse. She
served as a hospice volunteer for 15 years.
Richard Harland Tucker (’61), of Rushville,
Ill., died March 6, 2010. He taught at
Abingdon Junior High School, Abingdon,
1959-1960; Maryland High School, Maryland,
Mo. 1960-1963; Lombard High School and
Costa High School, Galesburg, 1963-1969;
Greenfield High School, Greenfield, 1971-
1977; and Rushville High School, Rushville,
1977-2001 when he retired.
1970s
Raymond Keith Allen (’70), of Donnellson,
Iowa, died March 19, 2010. As a student at
the University, he was a four-year athletic
letter winner in both track and cross
country, competing in three national cross
country meets and one national track meet.
He taught school in Illinois, Missouri and
Iowa for 34 years, retiring from Fort
Madison High School after 28 years of
teaching industrial technology, best known
University Presents Award to
Preferred Family Healthcare
Established in 2006, the Distinguished
Corporation/Foundation Award
recognizes corporations, foundations,
and organizations for exemplary support to
the University and its students. Examples of
collaborative efforts include recruitment of
interns and graduates, participation in lectures
and seminars, intellectual exchanges, research
alliances and financial support. The University
presented this year’s Distinguished
Corporation/Foundation Award to Preferred
Family Healthcare at the annual Foundation
Banquet held on campus April 10.
Preferred Family Healthcare, a not-forprofit
agency that provides mental health and
substance abuse treatment and prevention
services, has demonstrated its support for
Truman students and programs in a number
of ways.
Over the last decade, Preferred Family
Healthcare has made major investments in a
variety of programs at Truman including
football, cheerleading, and the Kohlenberg
Lyceum Series. In addition, numerous
students have benefited from the Preferred
Family Healthcare Scholarship which was
established in 2004.
Preferred Family Healthcare also helps
students prepare for successful careers by
providing valuable internship opportunities in
the areas of psychology, communication,
nursing, justice systems, and health science. In
addition, the company is an active participant
in the University’s annual Career Expos, and
nearly 50 Truman alumni are employed by
the company.
Michael Schwend, the president and chief
for his auto mechanics classes. He also
coached basketball, track and cross country
during his years of teaching.
Nellie Glendine (Hudson) Baldwin (’72)
died Sept 24, 2009. She had been a resident
of Nixa, Mo., for six years. She began her
teaching career in Moberly, Mo., retiring
from the Hollister school system. She was
the first woman to teach special education
and behavioral development within the State
of Missouri Correctional Facilities.
Michael James Battani (’76), of Johnston,
Iowa, died Aug. 11, 2009. He retired from
Simplex-Grinnell.
Prior to retiring in May, University
President Darrell W. Krueger presented
Truman’s Distinguished Corporation/Foundation
Award to Truman
alumnus Michael Schwend at the
Foundation Banquet on April 10. Schwend,
who is president and chief executive officer
of Preferred Family Healthcare, accepted
the award on behalf of the company.
executive officer of the company, earned two
degrees from Truman―a bachelor of science
in social science (psychology) in 1983 and a
master of arts in counseling and guidance in
1990. He also received a master of business
administration from William Woods
University in 1997. As a former member of
Truman’s Board of Governors, he has devoted
his time, talents, and resources to help
advance the mission of the University.
Preferred Family Healthcare is a comprehensive
behavioral health non-profit organization
established in 1979. The company is
headquartered in Kirksville but serves clients
from 31 locations throughout Missouri, as
well as Texas and Kansas.
Etta Marie (Nissly) Buckingham (’72), of
Ottumwa, Iowa, died July 20, 2009. She
taught in Delta, Iowa, for several years. In
1957 she began teaching science and biology
at Evans Junior High in Ottumwa and later
transferred to Ottumwa Senior High. She
taught biology and physiology there until
retiring in 1986.
Katheryn (Sloan) Campbell-Lay (’75), of
Centerville, Iowa, died Aug. 15, 2009. She
was a special education teacher for the
Ottumwa Schools in Ottumwa for more than
16 years. She would teach piano lessons in
her home for more than 30 years.
Summer 2010 35

James H. Dittemore (’76), of Atlanta, Mo.,
died Oct. 19, 2009. He was a member of
the Air National Guard before enlisting in
the U.S. Air Force, where he proudly served
for 22 years before retiring in 1972 with the
rank of master sergeant. He received the
medal for meritorious service in the Air
Force and was a lifetime member of the Air
Force Enlisted Personnel Organization. After
retirement, he and his family moved to
Atlanta where he served as mayor for three
terms.
Frank T. Manganaro (’78), of Glendale,
Mo., died Dec. 26, 2009. He was a loving,
devoted husband, thoughtful brother and
faithful friend to many.
Bobby G. Norris (’70), of Altoona,
Iowa, died Sept. 2, 2009. He was a
dedicated, energetic career educator of 45
years who taught and coached at Greenfield,
Ogden, Humboldt, with the remainder
as the ultimate Southeast Polk fan and
administrator.
William F. Pirtle (’71), of Carlisle, Iowa,
died Sept. 25, 2009. He became a history
teacher in the St Louis area and had enjoyed
being an auctioneer for the past 30 years.
Knowing that retirement years were
approaching, he had taken a part-time
position as a pathology lab courier for the
Iowa Health System. Another large part of
his family life was the Iowa State Fair; he ran
the General Store for almost 20 years.
1980s
Michael L. Collins (’81), of Bloomsburg,
Penn., died July 17, 2009. As a Navy
journalist stationed on Guam, he worked for
"Stars and Stripes" and among his duties he
documented the evacuation of the
Vietnamese people after the fall of Saigon.
He was professor of theatre-acting, directing
and playwriting at Bloomsburg University
from 1989 to the present and previously was
artistic director for Robidoux Resident
Theatre in St. Joseph, Mo. Since 1999,
Michael and colleagues from BU and Lock
Haven University accompanied students to
London as part of a study abroad program.
Ellen Marie (Stevenson) Fessler (’81), of
Muscatine, Iowa, died Sept. 19, 2009. She
taught elementary physical education at
Washington and Garfield schools and was at
Washington for 22 years.
Don R. Kissell Jr. (’83), of O’Fallon, Mo.,
died March 15, 2010. A former state
representative who in recent years was a
legislative lobbyist for clients including the
city of St. Peters, the Missouri Police Chiefs
Association, the St. Charles County
Ambulance District, American Traffic
Solutions and Meramec Specialty Co., he
served in the Missouri House from 1995 to
2000. He had also served as a police officer
for 20 years in Berkeley and Bel-Ridge and as
a private investigator with a firm that

ecame known for recovering kidnapping
victims in foreign countries. At one time, he
also owned a chain of cellular phone stores.
Jerome Van Gels (’80), of Shelbyville,
Mo., died Nov. 3, 2009. He served his
country in the United States Army during
the Korean War, and he was a school
superintendent for 29 years serving in the
North Shelby School District from 1968 to
1987. He was the first president of Alpha
Kappa Lambda at Truman.
1990s
Robert Thomas Martin (’92) of Kirksville,
Mo., died Sept.18, 2009. While attending
college and for a number of years, he drove
a school bus for Weber Bus Company. For
the past 10 years, he was employed as a
driver for Public Safety & Security for
Truman State University.
2000s
Gehner, Rachel M. Gehner (’05), of
Florissant, Mo., died , March 2, 2009.
During her year-long battle with leukemia,
her upbeat attitude was an inspiration to all
who knew her.
Students
Send obituaries to
Office of Advancement, McClain Hall 205,
100 E. Normal Ave., Kirksville, Mo. 63501.
Curtis Rhodes, of St. Louis, Mo., died
April 30, 2010. He was majoring in
computer science. Friends and family have
established the Curtis Rhodes Memorial
Scholarship at Truman State University.
News Flash:
Charitable Gift Annuity
Rates Have Risen
If you are 55 years of age or more, establishing a
charitable gift annuity (CGA) is a wonderful way to
secure steady payments for yourself and receive
valuable tax savings while providing for Truman State
University’s future. As of July 1, you will also enjoy a
greater payout rate on your gift.
Sample Maximum Gift Annuity
Rates for One Life:
Rate after
Age Previous Rate July 1, 2010
60 5.0% 5.2%
70 5.7% 5.8%
80 7.1% 7.2%
90+ 9.5% 9.5%
For more information and a customized CGA illustration,
please contact Brad Chambers at 800.452.6678,
bchamber@truman.edu
Summer 2010 37

Looking for Leaders
The Truman Alumni Board of Directors
recently welcomed Keith Epperson (’82),
a minority principal and vice president of
research and development for SavvySherpa
LLC. Prior to his current position, Epperson
worked for UnitedHealthcare where he
served in various capacities, including vice
president and chief actuary individual
medical, vice president/research and
development and director of medical
underwriting services.
A member of the Class of 1982, Epperson received a bachelor of science
in mathematics and statistics from Truman where he was involved with
Kappa Mu Epsilon, a professional math fraternity, and Alpha Kappa
Lambda, a social fraternity.
Epperson is a past president of the Truman Iowa Alumni Chapter, and he is a
member of the Society of Actuaries and the American Academy of Actuaries.
He and his wife, Rhonda, have three children, one of whom is a
current Truman student, and they reside in Plymouth, Minn.
Every year, the Truman Alumni
Association sponsors the Alumni
Leadership Conference as part
of the Truman State University
Homecoming activities.
Whether you’re a recent grad
or attended the University many
years ago, you’re invited to
come and learn how you can
become more involved with
Truman State University. All
alumni chapter and club leaders
are urged to participate! The
day-long conference will be held
in the Student Union Building
on Friday, Oct. 15.
The conference is free of charge
for those who reserve a seat by
Oct. 8 and includes a complimentary
breakfast and lunch.
Spouses and friends are also
invited to attend. Space is limited
so we encourage you to register
today. Call (800) 452-6678 or
e-mail dlsmith@truman.edu.
Homecoming Reunions: The More the Merrier
Starting this fall, the University is adding new “cluster” reunions to the line-up of Homecoming
events. “These cluster reunions will allow alumni to reconnect with even more friends since they
will include alumni who were in the same graduating classes as well as those who were in the
previous class and those who graduated the following year,” said Denise Smith (’79), director of
alumni relations. “This is also a great networking opportunity!”
As part of the festivities for Homecoming, Truman will be hosting cluster reunion luncheons on
Saturday, Oct. 16 for:
• 40th Anniversary: Classes of 1969, 1970 & 1971
• 30th Anniversary: Classes of 1979, 1980 & 1981
• 25th Anniversary: Classes of 1984, 1985 & 1986
• 20th Anniversary: Classes of 1989, 1990 & 1991
• 10th Anniversary: Classes of 1999, 2000 & 2001
In addition, the traditional Golden Alumni Reunion Luncheon will be held for the Class of
1960 which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. All alumni who graduated prior to 1960 are
also invited to the Golden Alumni Reunion.
Even if you are not a member of any of these reunion classes, you are invited to attend any of the
Class Reunions Luncheons. All alumni and guests who attend a Class Reunion Luncheon will
receive a Truman T-shirt courtesy of the Truman Alumni Association. If you are a member of one
of the reunion classes, watch your mail this summer for more details. Information, such as ticket
prices and location for each reunion, as well as the complete Homecoming schedule of events, will
be posted online at http://alumni.truman.edu/homecoming.asp.
38 Truman Review
Truman Everywhere
The Truman Alumni
Association and Truman Alumni
Chapters and Clubs are on
Facebook, LinkedIn and
Twitter. Stay connected with
the University, find out about
other alumni and network with
your fellow graduates. You can
find all the links for the Truman
Alumni Association social
networking sites at
alumni.truman.edu.

Summer 2010 39

Truman alumni have a long history of finding ways to show support for those
who follow in their footsteps, and earlier this year, the Northeast Missouri
Alumni Chapter demonstrated their support for current students by helping
sponsor the Gold Medal Concert held on the Truman campus on March 27. The
chapter also hosted a reception following the event, giving alumni and students a
chance to interact.
The Gold Medal Concert features the top three student musical soloists performing
with the University Symphony Orchestra. This year’s program featured the University
Orchestra conducted by Sam McClure and showcased the talents of three student
soloists: Jenny Choo, piano; Martha Scharff, soprano; and Eric Schweizer, saxophone.
Senior Moments
he Truman Alumni Association sponsored a
Senior Picnic on the mall for Truman’s
spring 2010 graduates. The annual picnic
was held on Reading Day, which is a day set aside
for study during finals week. In honor of the
graduates’ soon-to-be alumni status, the Alumni
Association gave the graduates their first
“alumni” T-shirt, a Truman tradition.
Come Travel with Us
(and Other Alumni)
The Truman Alumni
Association is organizing
travel programs and would
like to hear from alumni and
friends who are interested in
participating in group travel
programs. The next travel
program being organized is an
Alaskan Cruise (or cruise with land travel) for 2011.
An international trip to Ireland is being considered
for 2012.
TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY
ALUMNI TRAVEL PROGRAM
To assist with the planning of these trips, we would
like to hear from you. If you are interested in either
of these upcoming travel programs and would like to
be added to our travel mailing list, please e-mail
alumni@truman.edu or contact Denise Smith,
(660) 785-4174. As more details become
available, they will be posted at
http://alumni.truman.edu/TravelProgram.asp.
40 Truman Review

Calendar of Events for Alumni and Friends
JULY
22 Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa Alumni Chapter All-Student Send-Off
at Walker-Johnston Park
23 Kirksville, Mo.
Bob Carlson Bulldog Alumni & Friends Golf
Tournament at the Kirksville Country Club
24 Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City Alumni Chapter: Alumni Golf
Fore Scholarship Four-Person Scramble at
Shoal Creek Golf Course
30 Springfield, Mo.
Springfield Alumni Club: Springfield
Cardinals Game and Picnic at Hammons
Field
AUGUST
5 Columbia, Mo.
Mid-Missouri Alumni Chapter: Student
Send-Off at Cosmo Park
7 Springfield, Mo.
Springfield Alumni Club: Student Send-Off
at Faith Lutheran Church
10 Kirksville, Mo.
Northeast Missouri Alumni Chapter:
Student Send-Off in the Student Union
Building on the Truman campus
12 Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City Alumni Chapter: Freshmen
Send-Off at Loose Park
13 St. Louis, Mo.
St. Louis Alumni Chapter: St. Louis
Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs at Busch
Stadium
28 Kirksville, Mo.
Northeast Missouri “Bright Minds Bright
Futures” Campaign Kickoff
SEPTEMBER
11 St. Peters, Mo.
St. Louis Alumni Chapter Scholarship Golf
Scramble at St. Peters Golf Course
OCTOBER
15-17 Kirksville, Mo.
Truman State University
Homecoming
ANNIVERSARY CLASS REUNIONS:
Classes of 1969, 1970 & 1971; Classes of
1979, 1980 & 1981; Classes of 1984, 1985
& 1986; Classes of 1989, 1990 & 1991;
Young Alumni/Classes of 1999, 2000 &
2001; Golden Alumni Reunion/Class of
1960 & all prior classes.
OTHER REUNIONS AND RECEPTIONS:
Business Bulldog Days, Cardinal Key
Reunion Luncheon, Delta Zeta
Reception, Ekklesia Homecoming,
Multicultural Affairs & Friends Barbecue
Tailgate/Multicultural Affairs Center
Open House, Nursing Reunion/Open
House, School of Arts & Letters Open
House, School of Science & Mathematics
Reception, Society & Environment
Department Alumni Reception, and
Student Senate Reunion. More events
may be added; for the latest information,
go to the online schedule of events at
http://alumni.truman.edu/
All events subject to change. Get details on all uncoming alumni events!
Call (800) 452-6678 or visit http://alumni.truman.edu
ALUMNI CHAPTERS
Arizona Chapter
Michael Whitney (’94)
trumanaz@yahoo.com
Chicago Chapter
Nicole (Ragusa) Higgins (’95)
tsuchicago@yahoo.com
Colorado Chapter
Sue Alexander (’79)
sue91156@hotmail.com
Dallas Chapter
Rob Flanagan
rob@flanagan.com
Iowa Chapter
Cindy Spiker (’93)
iowaalumni@truman.edu
Kansas City Chapter
Alice (Moore) Arredondo (’02)
kcalumni@truman.edu
Mid-Atlantic Chapter
DeAnn Malone (’93)
eodbrt@gmail.com
Mid-Missouri Chapter
Tania (Hart) Cook (’85)
midmoalumni@truman.edu
Northeast Missouri
Chapter
Von Abbott (’79)
vabbott@truman.edu
St. Louis Chapter
Stacey (George) Sifton (’00)
stlalumni@truman.edu
ALUMNI CLUBS
Florida Club
Denise Smith (’79)
dlsmith@truman.edu
Houston, Texas Club
Tanner Williams (’02)
tannerwilliams@gmail.com
Springfield, Mo. Club
Carrie (Powell) Kleinsorge (’77, ’81)
ckleinsorge@logrog.net
Upper Midwest Club
Denise Smith (’79)
dlsmith@truman.edu
ALUMNI RELATIONS
Director of Alumni Relations
Denise L. Smith (’79)
(800) 452-6678
(660) 785-4174
dlsmith@truman.edu
Coordinator of Alumni Relations
Stacy Tucker-Potter (’02)
(800) 452-6678
(660) 785-4167
stuckerpotter@truman.edu
Summer 2010 41

Gifts Push Campaign
Closer to $30 Million Goal
“I am serving Truman because
of my strong belief in its
future, in appreciation for the
quality educational preparation
I received, and based on my
desire to invest back into a
university that has given so
much to me.” ―Chuck
Foudree (’66), Campaign
Chair
Campaign Steering Committee
Chuck Foudree (’66), Chair
Charles J. McClain,
Honorary Chair & former University President
Troy D. Paino, University President
Thomas Jayne
Bonnie (Neuner) Kuebler (’87)
Mike McClaskey (’85)
Linda Miller (’70)
David Nichols
Randa Rawlins (’79)
Calvin Roebuck (’57)
Steve Rose (’69)
Regional Campaign Chairs
Arizona
Mike Whitney (’94)
Chicago
Sarah (Donnell) Theriault (’03)
Colorado
Mike McClaskey (’85)
Des Moines, Iowa
Cindy Spiker (’93) & Jane Watkins (’70)
Florida
Gerry (Toth) Ready (’70)
Kansas City
Larry Lunsford (’81)
Northeast Missouri
Terri Heckert, Professor of Psychology
Mid-Atlantic Area
Steve Rose (’69)
Mid-Missouri
Randa Rawlins (’79) & Jim Cherrington (’85)
St. Louis
Jeannette (Toth) Harris (’71, ’78)
Texas
Will Sass (’72)
Truman alumni and friends
have given more than
$21.6 million in gifts and
pledges to the “Bright Minds
Bright Futures” campaign which is
committed to raising $30 million
by the end of June 2011. Truman’s
revenue comes from state
appropriations, tuition and private
gifts, and like other public institutions,
the University has seen
dramatic cuts to state funding
with even more cuts looming on
the horizon. To ensure that
Truman continues its tradition of
offering a quality education,
Truman is seeking to increase
private giving through this
campaign.
“To ensure the bright futures for
our students, private support is
needed more than ever,” said Steve
Rose, a member of the Class of
1969 and president of the Truman
State University Foundation
Board. “To provide the excellence
Truman has become known for,
we need your help.”
The “Bright Minds Bright
Futures” campaign is the largest
fundraising effort in the history of
Truman, and the public phase of
the campaign was announced
during Homecoming 2009. With
a focus on students, the campaign
is seeking to secure funding for
student scholarships, academic
and enrichment programs,
support for faculty, and athletics.
Throughout 2010, campaign
volunteers have been hosting
regional campaign events so that
alumni and friends all around the
country have an opportunity to
become involved in this historymaking
campaign. In the coming
months, alumni and friends can
play a role in helping Truman
achieve the $30 million goal set
forth in the “Bright Minds Bright
Futures” campaign. All gifts made
to Truman by June 30, 2011, will
count toward the campaign.
For more information on the
“Bright Minds Bright Futures”
campaign or to make a gift online,
visit http://campaign.truman.edu.
42 Truman Review

Regional Events for
“Bright Minds Bright Futures”
Campaign
Columbia, Mo.
Tampa, Fla.
Des Moines, Iowa
Phoenix, Ariz.
Irving, Texas
Vienna, Va.
Fort Myers, Fla.
Chicago, Ill.
All alumni and friends of Truman State University are invited to attend the Northeast Missouri regional event for the “Bright Minds
Bright Futures” Campaign on Aug. 28, 2010, on the Truman campus. View more photos of the “Bright Minds Bright Futures”
campaign regional events at http://alumni.truman.edu/PhotoAlbums.asp.
http://campaign.truman.edu
Summer 2010 43

passion
A Teacher’s
for Education
Achild of the depression, Elna
(Langford) Tucker always valued
education. “Elna knew how hard it
was to get by day by day let alone have money
for anything extra such as education,”
remembers Barbara Sayres, a cousin of Tucker’s.
Tucker’s affinity for the value of education is
evident by the choices that she made throughout
her life. As the only child of Roy and Rena
(Bell) Langford, she often entertained herself by
lining up chairs and using the family’s farm dogs
as her pupils. Tucker attended several country
schools for grade school before eventually
graduating as valedictorian from Sewal High
School in Sewal, Iowa. After completing a year
at Centerville Junior College in Centerville,
Iowa, Tucker began her teaching career in 1942
at a country school near the family farm.
Tucker’s affection for learning and the
teaching profession motivated her to pursue
an undergraduate degree in education which
she earned from Truman (then Northeast
Missouri State Teachers College) in May
1954, and she received her master of arts in
education from Truman in May 1957. She
retired in 1989 after teaching high school
English and social studies in Iowa during a
career that spanned 43 years.
Truman Couple Strengthens
Support for Humanities Scholarship
Mike and Janet (Yearns)
McClaskey have made a
$50,000 pledge to the
“Bright Minds Bright Futures”
campaign to boost the endowment of
the Martha McClaskey Humanities
Scholarship. The fund was founded in
memory of Mike’s mother, Martha
(Jones) McClaskey, a Truman alumna
who was a member of the Truman
faculty for nearly two decades.
The scholarship serves as a tribute to
Martha's years of service to Truman
State University and her passion for
the humanities. An instructor of
English at Truman from 1959 to 1978,
Martha was known for starting each
class with a smile, and an article in the
school newspaper noted how,
according to her students, "she put life
into her lit courses."
When Martha passed away in 1978, the
University presented a book to her family
that contained letters of tribute to the
personal influence of her teaching.
Martha received her bachelor of
science in education and bachelor of
arts degrees from Truman in 1949 and
her master’s from Truman in 1959.
Before joining the Truman faculty, she
taught English in Atlanta and Milan,
Mo., high schools and Kirksville Junior
High School.
Martha's son, Mike, and his wife,
Janet, are also Truman graduates. Mike
earned bachelor of arts and bachelor of
science in education degrees from
Truman in 1985 and received a master
of arts degree in English from the
University of Missouri. Janet received a
bachelor of science in education from
Truman in 1984 and earned a master
of arts degree from the University of
Missouri.
Martha (Jones) McClaskey taught English at
Truman from 1959 to 1978.
Tucker once wrote, “I guess lots of my life
was centered around school. I liked going to
school, and I liked teaching school. I had a
lot of good kids along with a few “stinkers.” I
believe teaching was a good career for me.”
Tucker established the Elna (Langford)
Tucker Scholarship in 2000 with a $10,000
gift to the Truman State University
Foundation. This scholarship is awarded
annually and provides support for a student
from a rural community. In 2003, Tucker
became a member of the Joseph Baldwin
Society after making arrangements for an
additional gift to the Foundation through her
estate plans. She passed away on Nov. 24,
2008, in Corydon, Iowa. Her estate gift of
more than $73,000 has been designated to
support the Elna (Langford) Tucker
Scholarship.
44 Truman Review
Every Gift Makes A Difference
Make a gift online at http://giving.truman.edu

Creating a
Legacy
Linda Miller and her
husband, Tim Duperron,
have established the Miller-
Duperron Endowed Scholarship
with a $50,000 cash pledge
commitment. This need-based
award honors Linda’s parents,
Louis and Rita Miller, for their
encouragement and support of
Linda’s educational and professional
goals.
“We want to help
deserving students
achieve the same
quality education
that I had at
Truman,” said
Linda, a 1970
Truman alumna.
“When I was in school, state
funding was significant. Now, less
than 50 percent is funded by the
state leaving a much larger
burden for the University to
recover through tuition and
fundraising.”
Linda credits the education she
received at Truman, as well as the
support she received from faculty,
for the start she needed to go on
to a successful career in the
automotive industry. Now
retired, she spent 33 years at the
Ford Motor Company where she
was the first woman to be named
as a production superintendent
and as the first female director of
manufacturing running plants in
several countries. She was also the
first woman named quality
control superintendent, supplier
quality assurance representative
“When I was in school, state funding
was significant. Now, less than 50 percent
is funded by the state leaving a much larger
burden for the University to recover
through tuition and fundraising.”
and the first woman plant
manager at Ford.
A former member and president
of the Truman State University
Foundation Board, Linda has also
dedicated considerable time and
talent to ensuring that the
Foundation is in a position of
strength to support the
University’s extraordinarily
talented students. “Having
joined the Foundation Board
several years ago, I have seen firsthand
the quality of the students,”
said Linda. “I have also been
given a greater understanding of
the need.”
Through their estate planning,
Tim and Linda have also
generously pledged an
additional $400,000 to the
University by enrolling in the
Joseph Baldwin
Society. Their
bequest will
provide further
support for the
Miller-Duperron
Endowed
Scholarship fund
with a percentage
of this gift being designated to
the Truman Endowment Fund,
a multi-purpose fund
designated to meet the future
needs of the University.
“Like many people, a significant
portion of our net worth
is not liquid. By designating a
percentage of our total asset
base for Truman in our estate
planning, Tim and I are able
to ensure that Truman will
benefit even more substantially in
the future,” said Linda. “There is
tremendous satisfaction in
knowing that the assets we have
worked so hard to earn will
continue to help others at
Truman when we are no longer
here to do so on an annual basis.”
Linda Miller (’70) (on left), shown with her
husband, Tim Duperron, and her mother, Rita.
Employer
Matching Gift
Programs
Many employers sponsor
matching gift programs and
will match any charitable
contributions made by their
employees. To find out if
your company has a
matching gift policy and will
match your gift to the
Truman State University
Foundation, check with your
company’s human resources
department or go to our
online matching gift
program search engine at
http://www.matchinggifts.
com/truman/.
Parents Lead Fundraising Project for Library Cafe
Thanks in large part to funding provided by the 2009-2010 Truman
Parents Project, the University plans to open a new café/coffee shop in
Pickler Memorial Library by the beginning of the fall semester. The
project was initiated in response to numerous suggestions by students on
surveys, and Tel-Alumni students raised donations for the project by calling
parents of current students as part of the University’s annual telethon. The
Parents Project has raised nearly $60,000 of the $75,000 goal set for this
fundraising project.
To make room for the new café where students will be able to buy refreshments
and socialize, the Library is renovating an area off the main atrium across from
the entrance. The café will provide seating for individuals and groups, as well as
an area that can be used for special events, including poetry readings, guest
speakers, and readings by authors. Sodexho, the company that provides the
food service on campus, will operate the café.
Each year, a specific fundraising project is selected by the Parents Council
based on input from students and University departments. Truman parents
have made a tremendous impact with financial gifts of more than $880,000
since fiscal year 1996. Some past projects include the renovation of Baldwin
Hall Auditorium, purchasing laptop computers and expanding the campus’
wireless network, the Cyber Café in Magruder Hall, and technology enhancements
in classrooms and the Student Union.
Summer 2010 45

Aherne Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Senior women’s swimmer Kate Aherne
has been awarded an NCAA
postgraduate scholarship, becoming
the seventh women’s swimmer and 14th
Truman student-athlete overall since 2000
to win the award.
Kate Aherne
The one-time grants
of $7,500 each are
awarded for fall
sports, winter sports
and spring sports. Up
to 174 are issued
annually and were
created in 1964 to
promote and
encourage
postgraduate education by rewarding the
NCAA’s most accomplished studentathletes
through their participation in
NCAA championship sports. Athletic and
academic achievements, as well as campus
involvement, community service, volunteer
activities and demonstrated leadership are
evaluated.
Aherne was a three-time national champion
in the 200 individual medley and broke her
own national record in the event at this
season’s championship. A 27-time all-
American, she also won a national championship
as part of the 800 freestyle national
championship relay squad in 2008. Earlier
this month, she was named co-female
student-athlete of the year at Truman.
She joins a long list of recent women’s
swimmers to earn a postgraduate
scholarship, with the most recent selections
coming in 2007 when Lija Kaleps-Clark
and Brittany Anderson were both
recognized.
To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate
scholarship, a student-athlete must have an
overall grade-point average of 3.20 (on a
4.00 scale) and must intend to continue
academic work beyond the baccalaureate
degree as a full- or part-time graduate
student.
Bob Carlson Golf Outing
Slated For July 23
The sixth annual Bob Carlson
Bulldog Basketball Golf Outing
will be held on Friday, July 23rd
at the Kirksville Country Club. In
addition to the outing, the team will
dedicate the new “Willard Sims Locker
Room” as part of the weekend festivities.
Registration begins at 11:00
a.m. with a noon
shotgun start at the
Kirksville Country
Club.
The $90
individual
registration fee
includes cart,
mulligans, range
balls, tee gift, meal
and refreshments.
Deadline to sign up as a team or
individual is July 17th.
Following the tournament, Bulldog
Coach Jack Schrader will dedicate the
newly renovated Willard Sims Locker
Room in Pershing Arena. Sims was the
head coach for the Bulldogs for 24
seasons and won 310 games before his
retirement in 1995.
For more
information
on the outing, call
the Bulldog Men’s
Basketball Office at
660-785-4171.
Willard Sims
1990 NCAA
Team To Be
Honored
On Saturday, September 4th
the Bulldog Football team
will host Southwest Baptist
in the home opener and during that
weekend, alumni from the 1990
NCAA playoff team are invited to be
on hand.
The 1990 Bulldogs finished the
season 9-2 and earned the school’s
second bid to the Division II
playoffs. Both losses came against
Pittsburg State, who won the MIAA
title that season.
Information regarding the gathering
and events surrounding the home
opener will be available later this
summer on Truman’s Athletics
Website “TrumanBulldogs.com”.
46 Truman Review

Bulldogs Compete in
Final Day of Championships
Sophomore Dani Dell’Orco ran a
school-record 16:42.46 in taking 10th
place in the women’s 5,000-meter run
at the NCAA Division II Track & Field
Championships in Charlotte, N.C.
Dell’Orco shaved three seconds off her
previous best that was ran at the Drake
Relays in April. She earlier finished fifth to
garner All-America honors in the 10K race
on the first night of the meet. She ran
Dani Dell’Orco
34:53.13 in that race
which was also a
personal best time.
Jennifer Zweifel took
ninth in the Triple
Jump with a mark of
38-11.00. Zweifel was
competing in her first
championship meet.
After fouling on her
first attempt, Zweifel hit her longest mark
of six jumps in her next attempt to finish
fifth in her flight.
Katrina Biermann did not make a height
in the Pole Vault on Saturday. She passed
in the first round at 12-01.00 but failed
to clear the bar in three attempts at 12-
02.75. Katrina Rodriguez of Chico State
(Calif.) won the event by being the first
to clear 12-10.75.
Student-Athletes Honored
at Annual Awards Night
The Truman Athletics Department
held its annual student-athlete
recognition night on Tuesday, May
4, with swimmers Kate Aherne and
Andrew McCall, along with track and field
athlete Katrina Biermann picking up the
evening’s top honors.
McCall was named the male studentathlete
of the year, while Aherne and
Biermann shared the accolades on the
women’s side. To be eligible for the annual
award, student-athletes must have
exhausted their eligibility or be graduating
in spring 2010.
McCall became Truman State University’s
first Rhodes Scholar and was a national
qualifier in both 2008 and 2009. A threetime
all-American, McCall holds the
school record in both the 200 freestyle
relay as well as the 400 freestyle relay and
was an academic all-American twice. He
has also served as a member of the
University Orchestra.
Aherne, a three-time NCAA Champion in
the 200 individual medley, won back-toback
titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and
broke her own national record in the event
at this season’s championships. She also won
a fourth personal national championship as
part of the 800 freestyle national championship
relay squad in 2008.
A 27-time all-American, Aherne holds the
school records in the 200 IM, the 50
freestyle and the 100 freestyle, and was
named CollegeSwimming.com’s national
swimmer of the week four times. She
finished her career by swimming in seven
events at the 2010 Championships,
Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering,
Kate Aherne and Katrina Biermann
finishing higher than seventh in each event.
Biermann is the Truman record holder for
both indoor and outdoor pole vault as well
as indoor and outdoor triple jump. This
past March, she became just the fifth
women’s track & field student-athlete in
school history to win a national championship,
capturing the indoor pole vaulting
title. Biermann was the first 13-foot pole
vaulter in MIAA history and is the
conference’s record holder for the indoor
pole vault.
She is a four-time MIAA champion and
all-American, encompassing both the pole
vault and triple jump. An academic all-
American in both 2008 and 2009,
Biermann was named all-MIAA four times
in both indoor pole vault and triple jump
and three times for both events in the
outdoor season.
Men’s tennis and women’s cross country
took home the team academic awards,
while Dean Baker – on behalf of the
Truman bus drivers – was awarded the Bill
Cable “Spirit of Truman” award.
Summer 2010 47

Spring Sports Recap
Softball – Senior pitcher Richelle vanGennip
broke the school record for single-season
strikeouts this past season for the Bulldog
Softball team. VanGennip fanned 230 hitters
during the season, including 14 against
Oklahoma Panhandle State on Feb. 27.
VanGennip tossed the first no-hitter since
2005 in a victory over Southwest Baptist and
had two one-hitters during the season. She
also became the first Bulldog since 2004 to
hit two grand slams in a season.
For her efforts, she was named to the
honorable mention all-conference team.
Joining her on the honorable mention squad
was senior Erica LaCombe and freshman
Laura Miller.
The Bulldogs finished the season with a 22-
33 overall record and split 10 doubleheaders.
They were eliminated in the first round of the
MIAA postseason tournament in Kansas City.
Women’s Tennis –
Juniors Amy Ochs
and Kelsey
Kuykendall earned
all-conference
honors as the
Bulldog Women’s
Tennis team went
12-6 overall and 4-
3 in the MIAA.
Ochs was 17-9 while playing in her first
season in the number one singles spot and
was 4-2 in conference matches. She enters
her senior season with a 64-18 overall record.
Kuykendall won 21 straight matches and was
defeated just four times during the 2009-10
season while playing in the number three
singles spot. She earned the MIAA Student-
Athlete of the Week for women’s tennis on
April 22. She will enter her senior season
with a 65-14 mark.
Men’s Tennis – The number three doubles
team of sophomores Eric McCollough and
Mark Sturley were named second team all-
MIAA for the Bulldog Men’s Tennis team.
The duo went 3-0 in the conference and
finished the season winning seven of their
final nine matches.
In addition, the number one doubles team of
seniors Kyle Schlotz and John Rothfusz were
named honorable mention all-league after
going 5-5 in their final year together and a
48-33 four-year record.
McCollough, Schlotz and junior Colin
Boswell were also named honorable mention
in singles play as the Bulldogs finished with a
9-7 overall dual match record.
Senior Peter Bracha, who was 9-12 in singles
play in the Bulldogs top spot, earned his
second straight ESPN the Magazine/College
Sports Information Directors of America
academic all-district selection.
Women’s Golf – The
Bulldog women’s golf
team placed second in
their conference
championship held at
Tiffany Greens Golf
Club near Kansas City.
It was the second
consecutive year that
the team placed second
in the season-ending event.
Junior Jennifer Lawson was the clubhouse
tournament leader following first round and
finished in second place to be named to the
all-tournament team. Lawson and senior
Krystal Limsiaco were both named to the
MIAA all-conference golf team after posting
season averages of 80.1 and 80.9 respectively.
Men’s Golf – The Bulldog men’s golf team
shot the lowest team score in the final round
of the MIAA Championships at Tiffany
Greens Golf Club near Kansas City. The
team finished the tournament in fifth place
and was just 11 shots back of third.
Sophomore Nik Bentzinger was named to
the all-MIAA men’s golf team for the first
time in his career as he placed inside the top
10 in the four sanctioned conference scoring
events. His best finish was tied for third at
the Bulldog Classic last September.
Junior Chris Kovach had the best scoring
average on the team in 2009-10. Kovach had
a 75.8 average in 21 rounds with a 69 in the
Bulldog Classic being the team’s low score of
the season.
Baseball – Junior Luke
Crader’s second career
selection to the all-
MIAA honorable
mention team
highlighted three
Truman baseball
players named allconference
for the
2010 season. Two
sophomores – RHP Ryan Trimble and SS
Steven Rose – picked up their first all-MIAA
accolades by also being named to the
honorable mention squad.
Crader hit .299 and led the Bulldogs with a
.421 on-base percentage after starting in 50
of Truman’s 53 games this season. He started
the season as the team’s primary designated
hitter but shifted back to his natural position
of second base midway through the season,
where he posted a .956 fielding percentage.
Trimble finished the 2010 campaign as one
of the program’s most accomplished singleseason
pitchers in recent history, becoming
not only the first Bulldog to win five games
in a season since 2001, but he also posted the
lowest single-season ERA (min. 33 innings)
since 1993. His 3.25 ERA helped the
Truman pitching staff lower its team ERA by
more than two full runs from 2009.
Rose was the only ’Dog to start all 53 games,
hitting .295 with nine doubles and two
triples while playing shortstop. Hitting
primarily out of the No. 5 spot all season,
Rose drove in 25 runs and set a program
single-season record with 161 assists
defensively.
The Bulldogs finished the season with a 12-41
overall record and a 7-33 conference mark.
48 Truman Review

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Summer Classes End
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31 August Interim Begins
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20 August Interim Ends
21 Freshmen Move-in Day
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18 September Showcase
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2 Family Day
6 Career Expo
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