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Homeward Bound

Utilizing a career in professional sports, Angel McGee is making an impact in her hometown of Kansas City.

Angel McGee is Kansas City through and through – Gates and LC’s are her barbecue destinations of choice – and since her return to the City of Fountains after graduating from Truman, she has worked to make her hometown better every day.

“My ultimate passion is to be able to give back to the city that raised me through philanthropic efforts and community involvement,” she said.

As the manager of community partnerships and events with the Kansas City Royals, McGee (’12) provides development, fundraising and administrative support to Royals Charities – the team’s foundation – as well as for the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy. If that were not enough, she is also an advisory board member of WIN For KC, a KC Champions board member for Teach For America, a member of the Kauffman Foundation Education Cohort and she works with the Tyrann Mathieu Foundation.

“I have had one amazing opportunity after another present itself through my various roles within the sports industry, specifically with the Royals and Chiefs organizations,” McGee said. “It has been even more rewarding to be an integral part of the impact the organization has had within the Kansas City community.”

Royals Charities supports children, education, youth baseball and softball field renovations, and military families in and around the Kansas City area. In 2020, the Royals Respond Fund was created to address food insecurity and other urgent needs related to the pandemic. To date, Royals Charities has put more than $18 million toward philanthropic endeavors in the area.

It comes as no surprise McGee found a career that enables her to empower youth through sports. Some of her fondest memories from childhood include watching Michael Jordan and the Bulls with her father and grandmother. As McGee studied communication at Truman, she dreamed of a career in broadcasting, working as an analyst and reporter for ESPN. After getting her foot in the door with two part-time positions with the Royals and Chiefs, she parlayed the opportunity into a successful career.

“I initially started as a mascot assistant with the Royals, and that position continued to open up doors to multiple positions along the way,” she said. “It’s been a humbling and reaffirming journey because it solidifies the notion that hard work and commitment really do pay off.”

For a Kansas City native, working in professional sports for the past decade has provided some extra special moments, including a close up view of two World Series, two Super Bowls and two titles for her hometown teams.

“The feeling is truly indescribable,” McGee said. “Growing up in Kansas City, it was always Chiefs, Royals and barbecue, so to be able to work for both sports franchises has been an incredible honor.”

As her career path keeps trending on an upward trajectory, McGee may one day be watching games from the C-suite. She has her sights set on being an executive with a franchise, and in keeping with her nature, she would use the opportunity to benefit others.

“I want to be a role model to the next generation of youth, especially for girls who look like me, to show them that there’s more to the sports industry than solely being an athlete,” she said.

Donors Create High-Impact Research Opportunities

Through the generosity and passion of alumni donors, three new undergraduate research opportunities have been created for students in the areas of computer science, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics and physics.

Sharron S. Quisenberry (’66)

With a passion for research and a desire to provide Truman students with high-impact opportunities that will serve as a springboard for their careers, Dr. Sharron S. Quisenberry has established both the Dr. Sharron S. Quisenberry Undergraduate Summer Research Program and the Research Experience for Undergraduates in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics.

Quisenberry graduated from Truman in 1966. For the last 41 years she has been a leader in education, both as a researcher and university administrator. She is internationally recognized for research in insect/host interactions and conservation of insect resistant germplasm and is a fellow of the Entomological Society of America.

Sucheta (Jawalkar) (’06) and Oseyi Ikuenobe (’05)

Oseyi and Dr. Sucheta (Jawalkar) Ikuenobe are an alumni couple who are also eager to provide students with undergraduate research opportunities. They recently established the Emerging Innovators Undergraduate Summer Research Program.

Both Oseyi and Sucheta recall how challenging the first year at Truman can be for students in the School of Science and Mathematics. As such, they have designed this research experience to be offered to students who have completed their first full academic year at Truman. After a year of intense instruction and work, the Ikuenobes hope this summer research project will give the recipient “a little cake” by providing an inspiring vision about how their academic journey is preparing them for future career experiences.

Oseyi graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in computer science, followed by Sucheta in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in physics. Oseyi went on to receive a master’s degree in information management from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently employed by Square, Inc., where he serves as the head of product, orders and checkout experience. Sucheta went on to earn both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in physics from the College of William and Mary. She is currently employed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute as a senior research scientist.

Each of these newly created research experiences will provide support for the following:

  • Research stipend for undergraduate researcher
  • Mentorship stipend for undergraduate researcher’s faculty advisor
  • Travel costs for both the student and faculty mentor to present their work at a professional regional or national conference
  • Research supplies needed for the work to be conducted

To support undergraduate research experiences for Truman students, contact the Office of Advancement at gifts@truman.edu or (800) 452-6678.

Business Alumnus Establishes First Americans Scholarship

Major General John V. Cox

Maj. Gen. John V. Cox (’52)

Maj. Gen. John V. Cox (’52) and Patricia (McMichael) Cox have supported Truman State University for many years. In 2021, they combined their philanthropic interests with a six-figure gift to establish the Cox McMichael Scholarship for First Americans, a full-tuition, room-and-board scholarship for Truman students with Native American ancestry. The name is in reference to the words of Harry S. Truman who, during his presidency, used the term “First Americans.”

Heather Beard, the inaugural recipient of the Cox McMichael Scholarship for First Americans

An endowed fund, the Cox McMichael Scholarship for First Americans is designed to be awarded in perpetuity. The inaugural recipient of the scholarship is Heather Beard from Farmington, Missouri. She is studying business administration and marketing and is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.

Maj. Gen. Cox graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. From Bevier, Missouri, he enrolled at the University in 1948. He recalls the opening of Blanton Hall, the first of the school’s residence halls, and working in a cafeteria on campus as a student.

Patricia grew up on a farm just east of Atlanta, Missouri. They met at a fraternity/sorority dance at the Millard Road House in 1950 and were married in 1953. Patricia taught one year at a country school in Gibson, Missouri. She was one quarter short of graduating when she and her husband moved to Pensacola, Florida.

Moving often as part of military life, Patricia returned to northeast Missouri several times to stay with family when expecting their children. Maj. Gen. Cox remembers flying from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina into the airport in Millard to meet children born in Macon and Kirksville.

Both the Cox and McMichael families have a long history with the University. Maj. Gen. Cox’s grandfather, James L. Love, enrolled in 1875 and 1876. His sisters, Josephine (Cox) Jansons (’39) and Nancy (Cox) Smith (’47) were alumni. Patricia’s mother and aunt, Ruby and Inna Borron, and her brother, Wayne, along with several nephews, also attended.

Maj. Gen. Cox enrolled in the U.S. Marine Corps upon graduation and served as a naval aviator, flying 292 combat missions in two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1977 and Major General in 1981. He served in this capacity until July 1, 1985. During his career, he amassed 5,043 hours total flight time and was a pilot in nearly every Marine Corps fixed-wing aircraft of the Cold War, including the FJ-4 Fury, F8U Crusader and F-4 Phantom, many from aircraft carriers. Maj. Gen. Cox also has a master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University.

The Coxes have four children, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. They reside in McLean, Virginia.

Bulldogs are Beautiful Giving Day Leads to Big Impact

Bulldogs are Beautiful Truman Giving DayThe Truman community came together in support of a variety of funds during the successful 2021 Truman Giving Day Campaign. The 24-hour-long giving effort in April produced gifts from 466 alumni, parents, friends, faculty and staff resulting in more than $150,000 in support of Truman students.

Bulldogs are Beautiful Giving Day Leads
to Big Impact

While alumni supported a variety of Foundation funds, the effort featured five areas of specific focus:

»  Athletic Challenge
A $50,000 challenge gift from Mark (’97) and Jill (’98) (Matthys) Schell resulted in more than $100,000 of impact. Half of their gift was directed to match gifts to football, and the remaining $25,000 was available to match gifts for all other sports.

»  Brent Buckner and Diane Janick-Buckner Student Research Excellence Fund
Leadership gifts from Brian Witherbee (’94), Dr. Hemal Patel (’98), Dr. Jennifer Johnson-Patel (’98) and Dr. Bhavini “Tina” Carns (’01) served as a catalyst for nearly $30,000 being raised to endow a fund to honor the legacy of Brent and Diane as outstanding faculty and student mentors. The excellence fund will support student research in biology.

»  Piano Lab
Donors stepped up to help with the costs needed to renovate the Piano Lab in the Fine Arts Center in the Ophelia Parrish Building. Seven of the pianos in the renovated lab now bear donor plaques that were secured through naming-level support.

»  Business and Accounting Advisory Boards Challenge
Matching funds were provided by members of both of the Business Advisory Board and Accounting Advisory Board members. The challenge was successful in encouraging School of Business alumni to participate and had a specific focus on attracting first-time gifts from young alumni.

»  Truman Food Pantry
Through a $5,000 matching gift challenge from Colleen Ritchie (’84) young alumni and students were encouraged to provide support for Truman students who are facing food insecurity.

Bulldogs truly are beautiful, and even more so when wearing Truman apparel. To that end, and to sweeten the pot, all donors who contributed $60 or more received a pair of socks sporting the Truman logo!

Plans are being set for the next Bulldog Giving Day,
so mark your calendar for April 21, 2022
(which just happens to be national Bulldogs are Beautiful day).

Top Dogs

VOLLEYBALL

Ellie Kaat

Ellie Kaat
The senior outside hitter passed 1,000 career kills during the season and had the highest hitting percentage among players with at least 100 attacks at .237. Kaat was second in overall kills with 248 and points with 283. She led the team in kills per set with 2.64 and points per set at 3.01.

 

 

 

 

MEN’S SOCCER

Will Clayton

Will Clayton
The senior defender logged more than 1,000 minutes, despite having a cast on his arm during the second half of the season. Clayton scored his second career goal in the season finale against Rockhurst. He was also named the GLVC Sportsmanship Award winner for the Bulldogs.

 

 

 

 

FOOTBALL

Cody Schrader

Cody Schrader
The sophomore running back led the nation in rushing with 2,074 yards. He was named an American Football Coaches Association first-team All-American after averaging more than 172 yards per game. Schrader also led Division II – and finished second in all NCAA football – in touchdowns scored with 26.

 

 

 

 

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Hanna Hickey

Hanna Hickey
Hickey earned all-region honors as the Truman women’s soccer team posted their 28th straight season with a .500 record or above. The Bulldogs went 10-4-3 and 9-2-3 in conference play to finish third in the league. Hickey played every minute of the season at the center midfield position and was second on the team in scoring with four goals and four assists. She was a first-team All-GLVC selection.

 

 

 

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Thomas Cormier

Thomas Cormier
The senior wrapped up his cross country career as the top runner on the team most of the season. Cormier was the individual winner at the Illinois College Invitational in October and placed 25th at the GLVC Conference meet and 56th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. He ran in 27 career cross country meets at Truman and took home four individual race championships.

 

 

 

 

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Lily Ende

Lily Ende
The junior was Truman’s top female runner this fall. She was the individual champion at the Illinois College meet and was the top placing Bulldog at the GLVC Championships and NCAA Midwest Regional.

Basketball Makes Tournament Run

2021 Men’s Basketball NCAA Midwest Regional Champion

Truman men’s basketball had a magical run in the NCAA Tournament as they won the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship over Michigan Tech in a dramatic finish and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1999.

After the 2020-21 season, the team took home a handful of GLVC awards. Cade McKnight was named GLVC Player of the Year and was joined by Turner Scott, the GLVC assist leader, on the GLVC first team. Dylan Peeters, who led the conference in rebounds, was named second-team All-GLVC. Masen Miller was named Freshman of the Year and to the GLVC All-Defensive team. McKnight continued to add hardware as he was one of 16 players named NABC All-American and was named Midwest Regional MVP after scoring 33 combined points in the wins over Ashland and Michigan Tech.

Jeff Horner was named GLVC Coach of the Year after leading the team to a regular season championship and 18-1 record.

The Bulldogs entered the 2021-22 season ranked sixth in the NABC poll, and after a 4-0 start moved up to second in the nation before dropping two straight – one to defending national champion Northwest Missouri State, and the second to undefeated and ranked Upper Iowa – both on the road. The Bulldogs rebounded with wins in their first two conference games, defeating Missouri-St. Louis in overtime on a half-court buzzer-beater by Miller, followed by a win over Maryville.

For those who cannot make it to Pershing Arena for home games, the team will be in the St. Louis area to take on Maryville, Jan. 15, and Missouri-St. Louis, Jan. 20. The Bulldogs play Lewis in the Chicago area, Feb. 3, and in Kansas City at Rockhurst, Feb. 26. 

The GLVC postseason tournament will run March 3-6 on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, again in the St. Louis metro region.

Football Earns Bowl Win

The Bulldogs had another remarkable football season and played 16 games during the 2021 calendar year. Truman went 3-1 during an abbreviated spring season in which the only loss came in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game to the University of Indianapolis.

In the traditional fall season, Truman roared out of the gates with four straight wins, including a 38-35 road win at Tiffin (Ohio) when the Bulldogs trailed 35-17 in the second half and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 26 seconds left after recovering an onside kick.

The team appeared in the national rankings following the win, but it was short-lived as Lindenwood came to Stokes Stadium and handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 31-21.

Truman bounced back with a win at Missouri S&T, 38-21, behind Cody Schrader’s 278 yards rushing. His total was the fifth highest single-game total in school history and was accomplished in only three quarters of work. As a sophomore, Schrader led the nation in rushing with 2,074 yards. The St. Louis native and product of Lutheran South High School was named an American Football Coaches Association first-team All-American after averaging more than 172 yards per game. He was also tops in Division II and second in all NCAA football in touchdowns scored with 26.

The Bulldogs were shocked 27-21 by Southwest Baptist the following week in Bolivar when SBU quarterback Cooper Callis threw for 401 yards and three touchdowns. Callis would later share the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year award with Schrader after being among the nation’s top passers.

The team took their frustrations out on their next three opponents – William Jewell, Quincy and McKendree – outscoring the trio 145-41 and improving to 8-2 on the season.

For senior day, Indianapolis was again across the field from the Bulldogs, and the two GLVC heavyweights went toe-to-toe in a defensive battle. Schrader ripped off a 76-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs an early lead, but UIndy made the game-winning field goal with 13 seconds remaining, and the Greyhounds left Stokes Stadium with a 13-10 win.

After the NCAA selected conference champion Lindenwood for the Division II tournament, and UIndy declined an invitation to a bowl game, Truman returned to the America’s Crossroads Bowl in Hobart, Indiana, to face Hilldale (Mich.) College for the second time in 2021.

Schrader and Ben Watson were both named the offensive and defensive players of the game respectively, and Truman captured the bowl championship, 34-17.

Head coach Gregg Nesbitt also notched some milestones during the year. He moved past H.L. McWilliams for second on the years of head coaching service list for the Bulldogs as he coached his 12th Truman season this past fall. Nesbitt also moved into second place in all-time wins at the school and sits at 71 following the 9-3 season. Nesbitt passed the legendary Don Faruot (’63) in wins and is 28 back of all-time leader Maurice “Red” Wade for the school record.

New Coach In Charge

David Gannon

Truman volleyball welcomed a new head coach for the first time since 2009 as David Gannon took over for Ben Briney. The former University of Idaho assistant became a head coach for the first time after previous stops at Idaho, Weber State and Mesa (Ariz.) Community College.

Gannon coached at MCC while still in school at Arizona State, then in 2014 took a position at Idaho as their director of volleyball operations. He became an assistant coach at Weber State in 2015, and while on staff there had nine players named all-conference in the Big Sky Conference. In the spring of 2019, Gannon returned to Idaho as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, where he coached five all-conference players; three in 2019 and two in the spring of 2021.

In his first season the Bulldogs had six victories, including two during the opening weekend at the Union University Tournament against Lane College and Florida Tech, and two during the Midwest Regional Crossover against Kentucky Wesleyan and Lake Superior State.

Bulldog Baseball Field Gets Makeover

This past fall, the Truman Baseball Field received a $400,000 makeover with the addition of new all-weather turf for the infield and bullpens.

Mammoth Sports Construction performed the work on the field and is the official turf provider of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The field work was completed in a little more than six weeks with the team taking to the field for some practices in mid-November.

The project is the latest in a series of Truman athletic facility upgrades since the establishment of the student athletic fee. Other projects have included the athletics weight room in the Pershing Building, new bleachers in Pershing Arena, resurfacing of the track and press  facilities at Stokes Stadium, irrigation systems at the soccer and softball fields and a bulkhead in the Pershing Natatorium.