Larry Lunsford will be the second person with a Truman connection to oversee a global organization comprised of more than a million members.

NO GAMBLER IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would take the odds. A trained accountant with a head for numbers, Larry Lunsford surely wouldn’t either. Lunsford is in line to be president of Rotary International, beginning his term July 1, 2027. To be the head of an organization with more than 1.2 million members is statistically unlikely. To be the second person with a Truman connection to have the role in less than 20 years is nearly unfathomable.

“It is absolutely amazing that both Ray and I have had this opportunity,” Lunsford said.

“Ray,” is Ray Klinginsmith, who worked for the University for 22 years in a variety of roles. The connection between Lunsford and Klinginsmith actually runs much deeper, enough to make almost anyone believe in fate.

Growing up in the small town of Macon, Missouri, Lunsford did not have global ambitions. He may have crossed state lines once or twice during his burgeoning athletic career in both baseball and basketball. One of the people who used to watch him play was Klinginsmith, a fellow Macon resident and the University’s general counsel for much of the 1970s. Lunsford was also gifted academically, and when this first-generation college student earned a prestigious Pershing Scholarship, Klinginsmith was assigned to be his mentor.

As Lunsford approached completion of his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1981, Klinginsmith encouraged him to apply for a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship. Upon his selection, Lunsford ended up putting his original post-graduate plans on hold to spend a year at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

“The whole experience going to Australia was massive for me – life changing for me – as many international experiences are,” he said. “I’m a perfect example of being a beneficiary of an engaged Rotarian in a local Rotary club.”

2027-28 RI President Larry Lunsford, and his spouse, Jill Lunsford. Evanston, Illinois, USA. 2 October 2025.

Lunsford returned to Truman and received his master’s in accounting in 1983. A small-town boy no more, he moved to Kansas City and embarked on an impressive career starting with a with a seven-year stint at EY. He is currently in his 36th year with Bernstein-Rein, a family owned advertising agency. Throughout it all, his Rotary experience as a young graduate stayed with him.

“I got that opportunity as a young 23-year-old in Australia for a year, and it absolutely set me on a course of trying to pay back an organization that said ‘yes’ to me,” he said.

A philanthropic person by nature, Lunsford has donated his time to organizations such as Global Ties KC, the Church of the Resurrection Foundation, the Kansas City Spirit Festival and the Epilepsy Foundation for the Heart of America. He has made time for his alma mater, serving on both the Truman Alumni and Foundation boards. Of course, he always made time for Rotary too.

For many, Rotary invokes images of local leaders hobnobbing at weekly lunch meetings, but the organization is massive. There are more than 45,000 Rotary clubs, and they can be found in almost every country in the world. That global network is what gives Rotary power in its philanthropic endeavors, most notably the goal of eradicating polio. With the help of partners including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Rotary has played a leading role in reducing the number of cases by 99.9% in the last 40 years.

“Rotary started with a sense of networking and building friendship,” Lunsford said. “Through that, you build community, and through that, you then leverage what you’ve grown to a sense of scale that can tackle some of the most pressing challenges the world has to offer.”

One person who played a role in guiding that leverage was Klinginsmith, who served as Rotary International president from 2010-2011. Fifteen years later, his protégé would be nominated to serve in the same capacity. Rotary schedules its presidential leadership three years in advance, giving each nominee two years of preparation before taking the reins for their own one-year term. Presidents can come from anywhere in the world, making the rural Missouri connection all that more improbable. It is certainly not lost on Lunsford, and when it came time to announce his role in organizational leadership, he chose to do so at events in Macon and Kirksville last year. One of the members in attendance when he returned was 92-year-old Bill Gaines, a Macon-area banker in the Macon County Rotary Club which sponsored his trip to Australia. Sadly, Klinginsmith was not a part of the festivities, having passed away in 2024.

Lunsford’s term as president could be a remarkable one. For polio to be considered eradicated there must be three consecutive years of no cases. Through the first four months of 2026, there were only four. Lunsford’s term has the potential to be part of the three-year window.

“I think about that,” he said. “Whoever might happen to be serving as president of Rotary International when this happens, we look forward to a great celebration of an incredible milestone.”

As president, Lunsford will spend much of the year traveling. The role comes at a perfect time, as he is moving into more of a consulting role with Bernstein-Rein, and his wife, Jill, recently retired from her career in education.

“We’re fortunate and blessed at the opportunity that we will be filling that passport with stamps from all over the world,” he said.

Wherever the journey takes him, Lunsford will be prepared, and he certainly will not forget where it all started.

“I do feel like I’m in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I’m going to give it everything I have, and I’m going to serve to make Rotarians around the world proud. I hope to make those colleagues and friends who shaped me in Macon and Kirksville proud as well.”

The only path Megan Sharpe follows is her own. Her calculated approach to planning her career now has her carving out a spot in one of the most in-demand specialities in the medical field.

AT FIRST GLANCE, it would be easy to categorize Megan Sharpe (’13) as a free spirit. She picked Truman after making a surprise stop on campus en route to visiting another school. She played professional volleyball in two European countries after graduation. She was a non-traditional medical school student who picked a notoriously difficult specialty, in part because she loves a challenge.

“I’ve had a few different lifetimes,” said Sharpe, who is still only 34 years old.

To simply portray Sharpe as karmically blessed discounts her tireless work ethic and ability to strategically assess multiple scenarios. Medical school is the prime example. Before she ever set foot on campus, Sharpe knew she wanted to do something in health care and medicine. In addition to majoring in biology, she was a standout athlete in both volleyball and basketball.

“After being so busy in college, going right to medical school was not the thing I wanted to do,” she said. “I wanted to work and make sure that medicine was going to be the actual thing I wanted to do.”

Sharpe took a little time for herself, first as a professional volleyball player in Italy and Slovenia. After exploring that option, she returned to the St. Louis area and made use of her degree working in microbiology and biopharmaceutical labs. She also earned a master’s degree in biology from Washington University. Those experiences made a career in medicine come into focus.

“Getting to help people is one of the most noble things you could strive to do in life,” she said. “I like to be challenged, and I’ve never wanted to be bored in my life, or not busy. Medicine gave me that perfect balance of being able to do the things I wanted to do, and then also do the things I already seem to be pretty good at doing.”

During medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, Sharpe continued to trust her strategic instincts, knowing she would be picking a specialty that would shape her career and life. After deciding on neurosurgery, she remained in Ohio conducting research for a year.

“I kind of chose neurosurgery late, so I needed to make sure it’s what I wanted to do. It helps to have a research year to make connections,” she said. “I came in knowing I wanted to do probably something surgical, working with my hands, and probably something a little fast paced.”

Now a surgical resident at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, Sharpe has no regrets about coming to the profession later than her peers. She credits her work experience and research efforts for establishing a proper foundation on which to build her career.

“I’m glad I did it the way I did,” she said. “If I had done it right after college, I just would have not been as mature, would have not handled things as well, and maybe not known as well who I was and what I wanted to do.”

That mindset will help Sharpe greatly as she continues her residency. It is estimated one in three people are affected by neurological conditions, and there is a projected shortage up to 20% of active neurologists in the next decade. While the job can take a toll, Sharpe finds solace in victories such as removing brain tumors, conducting spinal surgeries, combating peripheral nerve cancers and helping patients regain the use of limbs once so damaged they could not move.

“Sometimes you can get lost in the day-to-day and forget the bigger picture of why you’re doing this,” she said. “The patients are obviously a big, big part of that. It’s certainly motivating to see a patient do well, come back and see us and be in a better position than they were.”

Sharpe also credits her athletic career with shaping her post-collegiate plans. During her time on campus, she became Truman’s first four-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American. When she graduated, she was ranked in the program’s top 10 in hitting percentage, total blocks and kills. On the hardwood, she played in 82 games for teams that made three-straight trips to the MIAA tournament. Beyond wins and losses, or any personal accolades, her experiences as a student-athlete helped her become the person she is today.

“Being able to go through those processes and to develop the mental and physical toughness, I think has helped me get this far,” she said. “It’s an important part of my journey.”

It should not be overlooked that Sharpe’s Truman career almost didn’t happen. Her first trip to campus was unplanned and came via some unsolicited motherly guidance.

“My mom didn’t really tell me where we were going. She was like, ‘this coach has been asking about you, and the school’s really good. Let’s stop here,’” Sharpe said. “Then I got there and met everyone, and saw the school and what it was about, and it really won me over. It seemed perfect for me.”

Like so many other endeavors in her life, Sharpe kept an open mind and let the facts of the situation speak for themselves. It worked out then, and at every other milestone in her life. When her seven-year residency is complete, she will have still more decisions to make, from possible fellowships to potentially going into private practice, not to mention where she might call home. Whatever she does, Sharpe will have examined every angle in depth, and she will undoubtedly be successful.

Since attending college at his father’s urging, Robert McConnell has found success on two seemingly divergent paths.

AS FAR AS SECRET IDENTITIES GO, Robert McConnell is on par with Bruce Wayne. By day, he is a mild-mannered Iowa hog farmer, carrying on a family tradition while contributing to one of the state’s largest economic drivers. By night, he dons a dark suit, and while he’s not fighting crime like Batman, the alter ego is no less surprising – he’s the music director and CEO of a symphony orchestra.

Since 1990, McConnell has served as the music director of the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra. Last year, he added CEO to his list of duties with the organization. It’s one of many lines on his musical curriculum vitae. Since graduating from the University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree, McConnell (’77) has taught music abroad in Israel, conducted a municipal band, participated in musical theatre, worked on the staff of Iowa Wesleyan University and spent 26 years as the principal oboe with the Quad City Symphony.

Throughout all his musical excursions, McConnell has remained involved in pork production. He owns and operates a medium-sized hog farm that feeds roughly 21,000 animals a year near Washington, Iowa. His double life has led to some interesting reactions from hog farmers and musicians alike.

“It really depends on how people know me, but I would say basically 100% of people are surprised,” he said.

It speaks to the value of a liberal arts education that an individual can excel in such disparate fields. McConnell, however, never intended to embark on the path that has opened so many doors for him.

“I was not originally planning to go to college, and my dad more or less made me go. Once I arrived, I just loved it,” he said. “For me, it’s hard to overstate the impact that Truman had. You’re a kid from a hog farm who didn’t really want to go to college, and then you become addicted to music.”

Like any good musical director, McConnell is quick to share credit. He attributes much of his success to the faculty members who supported him, as well as his membership in Phi Mu Alpha. Still, he did not fully appreciate his experience at Truman until he earned his Master of Arts degree in oboe performance from Temple University.

“Something I realized when I went to graduate school was that the music standards at Truman – for performing and for general musicianship – were really high. I attribute that primarily to the caliber of faculty,” he said. “It was just fantastic training. When I run into Truman graduates in music, they tell me they’ve had the same experience.”

McConnell has called on Truman-trained musicians several times throughout the years. Many of the musicians he directs and performs with either received degrees from Truman or are members of the faculty. The relationship works out well for performers and audiences alike as McConnell continues to spread the joy of music throughout smaller communities in the Midwest.

“These orchestras in rural areas give players the opportunity to perform at a higher level than they would otherwise have access to, and what the community gets in return is invaluable: skilled musicians for their churches, for weddings and funerals, for school and community musicals, and simply an enriched quality of life in the region,” he said.

Under McConnell’s leadership, SEISO has become one of Iowa’s most prominent community-based orchestras. In addition to live performances, it provides educational opportunities and rural outreach programs for all ages.

“It is a great outlet for teachers, helping them maintain their skills and motivate their most talented students,” he said.

One of the orchestra’s recent stops found McConnell in familiar territory. SEISO performed as part of the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series in March, marking the first time McConnell has been on the Baldwin Auditorium stage since he was a student.

“I remember distinctly my very first band rehearsal in Baldwin Hall. I was sitting next to two fantastic clarinetists – Ellen Lavender and Clay Pickens – and after the rehearsal I told band director Tom Duden that I didn’t think I was up to playing in the band. He told me, ‘Don’t worry about it,’” McConnell said. “Returning to that hall, all those years later, brought a lot of that back. I didn’t think I was a good enough player to achieve what I ended up doing. I feel like a lot of my life has been serendipity. Opportunities came up and they worked to my advantage.”