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The Right Place

Rich and Melissa Chapman came to Kirksville in search of an education. They ended up finding a home.

As students, Rich and Melissa (Davis) Chapman approached Truman from different directions, both literally and figuratively. After growing up in the small town of Camp Point, Ill., Rich felt like Kirksville was the big city. For Melissa, who hails from the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs, Mo., moving to a rural area for school was a bit of a culture shock. It worked out well for both of them, and the benefits it has reaped for Kirksville are nearly incalculable.

For most alumni, Kirksville is a multiyear pit stop in their lives. They come to northeast Missouri – sometimes reluctantly – to get an education. Most move on after graduation and have quaint memories of their college town. However, a number of graduates like the Chapmans end up realizing Kirksville is more than just a great place to go to school, it’s a great place to live.

“We chose to stay because we developed relationships with close friends,” Melissa said. “We found a church we loved and jobs that we were passionate about doing.”

Both are teachers in the Kirksville School District, but they took noticeably different paths to get there. Melissa (’00, ’02) participated in the MAE program after earning her degree in English. She completed her internship in Novinger, Mo., and continued to teach fifth grade in that school for three years before moving to Ray Miller Elementary in Kirksville. After 12 years there, she made the short trip over to William Matthew Middle School where she currently teaches sixth grade math and reading.

Upon earning his degree in psychology, Rich (’98) was a truancy officer in Quincy, Ill., for two years before returning to Kirksville to work at the Bruce Normile Juvenile Justice Center. After several years, he switched over to become a special education teacher and earned a master’s degree from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. He later transitioned to the Project Lead the Way Engineering Program, and he now teaches engineering to high school students at the Kirksville Area Technical School.

“As college students, we were so wrapped up with our own new-found independence that we had blinders on to all of the wonderful things Kirksville has to offer and the great people that make Kirksville a great place to live and work,” Rich said. “As educators, we are now very aware of the outreach that Truman students do throughout the Kirksville School District. As students, we never realized how intertwined the college and schools truly are.”

The Chapmans have now been residents of Kirksville more than four times longer than they were students, and they have become ingrained in the community. Their two daughters, Olivia and Julia, are involved in a number of activities. Rich has been a coach for football and golf at Kirksville, and cheerleading at Truman. They have even helped to increase the population of town by convincing Melissa’s parents to relocate to Kirksville. Without a doubt, the family’s biggest impact has come in the form of a 5K run/walk they have put on for the past seven years in support of diabetes research.

The Inspire 1 for JDRF event is the Chapman’s response to Julia’s diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. When Julia was six, she saw a news story about a child who started a race to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and wanted to sponsor her own. It has been a family endeavor ever since. The annual event usually includes about 150 runners and has raised a total of more than $53,000.

“After the first year, we had such an outpouring of support from our community, we knew then that we had made the correct decision to make Kirksville our home,” Melissa said.

Melissa and Rich Chapman with daughters Olivia, left, and Julia

Alumni Reunite to Celebrate and Reminisce

Nearly 200 black alumni reconnected in St. Louis, July 20-22, 2018. More than two-thirds of the participants graduated before Truman became an iteration of Northeast Missouri State, and most had not seen or heard from one another in decades. Throughout the Friday night welcome reception, changes in weight, dress or voice caused a minute of hesitation, but eventually the memories resurfaced.

Saturday morning, alumni of historically black Greek organizations gathered for the Pan-Hellenic Brunch. Two organizations celebrated milestone anniversaries and the historical distinctions of being the first black fraternity and sorority on campus: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., chartered Epsilon Eta Chapter in May 1963, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., chartered Zeta Zeta Chapter in May 1968. Seven of the 12 charter members of Zeta Zeta reunited with “line sisters” and met 45 of the young women who have followed in their footsteps.

On Saturday evening at the Reunion Celebration Banquet, alumni reminisced about “the good, and not so good, old days.” As a co-chair, Beverly Davis (’70) formally welcomed everyone and highlighted that when she graduated there were no co-ed dorms, no male students beyond the main lounge in the women’s dorm, and dorm hours for women but not men. Laughter filled the air. The younger alumni also learned about some of the challenges black students faced from the mid-fifties through the mid-seventies. Regardless of the collective challenges, it was noted and agreed that Truman’s continued commitment to educational excellence had contributed to everyone’s business and professional accomplishments.

During the banquet, Sharron Washington and Janice Sue Williams Burton were honored with a symbolic gesture. Thunderous applause and a standing ovation greeted them as the 2018 Homecoming King and Queen.

On Sunday, the final reunion activity was a picnic at Forest Park. Most missed the classmates who could not make the reunion and acknowledged those who are no longer here. Alumni celebrated the way they were, and perhaps most importantly, they celebrated who they have become.

Late ’70s Greeks Return to Kirksville

The passage of time and distance couldn’t diminish the sense of community for the more than 300 alumni, attendees and friends who came back to Kirksville for the Late ’70s All-Greek reunion, Oct. 6-8, 2018.

Members of 14 fraternities and sororities made it back for the three-day event, which included a golf outing, a “hug fest” at the Days Inn, brunch at the Student Union Building, tailgating at the fairgrounds, a disco inferno at the Kirksville Country Club and an encouragement to do free-form philanthropy in the community.

The reunion wouldn’t have been possible but for the vision that started with Brad (’80) and Teresa (Voss) Borgstede (’86). Nearing retirement after 38 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Brad set out to bring Greek alumni back to campus with the goals of reminiscing, having fun and giving back. To spread the word, Borgstede took to Facebook to track down as many Greek alumni from the late ’70s and early ’80s as possible. Helped by a small army of Kirksville-based Greek alumni, the word spread, and more than 330 people officially RSVPed.

By all accounts, the reunion was a huge success. Not only did hundreds of alumni get a chance to reconnect with one another and their alma mater, they also raised a significant amount of money as a group. By the end of the reunion, in excess of $20,000 had been donated to various Truman State University Foundation funds. One in particular that was highlighted was the Letters Today, Leaders Tomorrow Scholarship fund. The scholarship benefits leaders in the Greek community and was initiated by students.

Buoyed by their success and reinvigorated by connecting with friends and classmates after decades away from Kirksville, the group has already unofficially begun planning for the next reunion, hoping for a return in 2020.

Range Scholarship Honors Former Baseball Player

Less than a year after his passing, the Andrew Range Baseball Scholarship at Truman became a reality.

A native of Troy, Ill., Andrew “Ranger” Range graduated from Truman in 2016. He was a member of the Bulldog baseball team and part of the squad that played in the 2015 Division II College World Series. Range was a law student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale when he passed away in December 2017 due to a medical issue.

“It’s truly healing to have Andrew continue to positively influence the present and future of others,” said Traci Range, Andrew’s mother. “In life, he was a positive light, and with this scholarship, he will continue to be so through others.” 

To celebrate his life, his family created the Andrew Range Foundation to provide educational assistance to baseball players from his alma maters, Triad High School, Southern Illinois University Law and Truman. Thanks to generous donations from the foundation, the Andrew Range Baseball Scholarship has reached the endowment level, and the first scholarship in the amount of $1,250 was awarded for the spring semester.

“Our program is grateful for the generous gift in honor of Andrew by his parents and his foundation,” Truman baseball coach Dan Davis said. “This gift will not only help our program be successful on the field but will allow recipients of the scholarship to learn about the impact Andrew had on those around him.”

In order to be one of “Andrew’s Rangers” the scholarship recipient must be a baseball player who exemplifies compassion, empathy, resilience and an outlook on life that is infectious. Additional criteria include an unwavering dedication to friends, family, studies and sports. More information about Range and the foundation created in his honor can be found online at andrewrangefoundation.com.

Hughes Named Vice President for University Advancement

Dr. Ernie T. Hughes

Dr. Ernie Troy Hughes became Truman’s vice president of advancement in August.

Having been selected from a national search, Hughes comes to Truman after serving as principal of E. Hughes and Associates LLC, a management consultation firm located in Marietta, Ga., which provides a range of services to help clients understand the cultural underpinnings of philanthropy and the psychology of donors.

Hughes’ extensive higher education experience began at the Southern University System in Baton Rouge, La. He first served as a community development specialist, then in the roles of associate vice chancellor for advancement, special assistant to the president and executive director of the system foundation and finally as the vice president for advancement and executive director of the system.

Along with a Ph.D. in human resource development from Louisiana State University, Hughes earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and logistics, as well as his Master of Business Administration, from Mississippi State University. He participated in the Vanderbilt University Higher Education Management Institute, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute.

In addition to the University’s fundraising efforts, Hughes also oversees alumni relations, public relations and publications.

Upcoming GLVC Championship Dates/Sites

Wrestling 

Feb. 2-3
Nicoson Hall
Indianapolis, Ind.

Swimming & Diving

Feb. 6-9
Crawfordsville Aquatics Center
Crawfordsville, Ind.

Indoor Track & Field

Feb. 23-24
UINDY ARC
Indianapolis, Ind.

Basketball

March 7-10
Vadalabene Center
Edwardsville, Ill.

Tennis 

April 19-21
Center Grove HS
Indianapolis, Ind.

Golf

April 26-28
Panther Creek Country Club
Springfield, Ill.

Softball

May 2-4
EastSide Centre
Peoria, Ill.

Outdoor Track & Field

May 2-4
Stokes Stadium
Kirksville

Baseball

May 9-12
U.S. Baseball Park
Ozark, Mo.

Baseball Park Earns Accolades

The Truman Baseball Park was awarded the American Baseball Coaches Association/Turface Athletics Field Maintenance Award for the 2018-19 season.

Presented by Turface Athletics and the ABCA since 1995, the Field Maintenance Award winners receive a plaque recognizing excellence in field maintenance, plus one ton of Turface MVP conditioner and $400 of equipment from Turface Athletics.

Head coach Dan Davis and the program were recognized by the ABCA in their clinic hall during the convention, Jan. 5.

Truman Athletics Among Leaders of NCAA Academic Success Rate

The Truman Athletics Department continues to be a leader among national, conference and state public institutions in the latest release of the NCAA Academic Success Rate data.

Truman was one of five NCAA Division II public schools nationally with an ASR of 88 percent or higher. That was also tops among the six public schools in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the eight Division II public schools in the state of Missouri. Overall, Bulldog student-athletes were 40th out of 317 Division II schools, seventh out of 15 conference members and trailed only Rockhurst, Maryville and Drury in the state.

Academic Success Rate is calculated by the NCAA and considers only student-athletes enrolled. It is considered more accurate than the Federal Graduation Rate since it includes transfers, mid-year enrollees and non-scholarship student-athletes. The rate is recorded six years after initial collegiate enrollment.

The national average for Division II schools was an ASR of 68 percent, and all Truman sports had an ASR above the national average of their respective sport.

Top Dogs

Cross Country
The Bulldog women turned in their best conference meet performance in nearly a decade with a second-place showing at the 2018 GLVC Championships in Louisville, Ky. Gemma Saathoff placed seventh in the league race to earn All-GLVC honors. She earlier earned GLVC Runner of the Week accolades and was Truman’s leading runner throughout the season. On the men’s side, Thomas Cormier led the Bulldogs at the conference meet with a 27th place finish, and Truman was eighth in the team standings. Michael Grasing was the lead dog in most regular season meets this season.

Football
Sophomore kick returner Lawrence Woods was named all-region and was the GLVC Special Teams Player of the Year. Woods led Division II in kick returns with an average of 50.8 yards per return and three returns for touchdowns, all Truman single-season records. The Bulldogs had their first six-game winning streak since 1998 and finished the season 6-5. In addition to Woods, 14 players earned All-GLVC honors and senior receiver Mitch Nichols was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team.

Women’s Golf
The Truman women’s golf team completed the fall portion of its 2018-19 schedule in late October, which included four tournaments. In those four tournaments, the Bulldogs placed second out of eight teams, eighth out of nine, seventh out of 11 and second out of eight in the fall finale. So far this season, Lindsey Repp has the best scoring average on the team at 86.5 with an 18-hole low of 82 and
36-hole best of 168.

Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team finished year number 14 under head coach Duke Cochran with an overall record of 4-8-4, including 2-8-3 in GLVC play. The Bulldogs ended the season on a high note by defeating William Jewell on the road with a shutout, 2-0. Individually, forward Matt Yankowitz led the team in scoring for the second-straight season thanks to 16 points on six goals and four assists.

Women’s Soccer
The Bulldogs earned a share of the GLVC regular-season championship after going 9-3-1 in conference and 14-4-1 overall. Senior defender Laura Ney became the seventh women’s soccer player to earn first-team all-conference honors three straight years. In her 71 career matches, the Bulldogs have shutout nearly 60 percent of their opponents with Ney anchoring the backline. Head coach Mike Cannon was named the GLVC Coach of the Year. Sophomore Hanna Burke joined Ney on the all-region teams and led the Bulldogs in scoring with five goals and five assists.

Volleyball
The Truman volleyball team wrapped up its 2018 campaign with an overall record of 21-11, 10-8 in league play. The Bulldogs turned in the 30th 20-win season in program history, seventh under head coach Ben Briney in 10 seasons, and first since 2014. Individually, both setter Savvy Hughes and outside hitter Ellie Kaat were named second-team All-GLVC.

5 Minutes with Sana Camara

Here to Help

Originally from Senegal, Sana Camara has chosen to make Kirksville his home for nearly 30 years. He enjoys small-town life, finding it less stressful and more affordable than living in a big city.

Throughout his tenure at Truman, Camara has taught all levels of French courses. He earned his Ph.D. in French from The Ohio State University. He also has a master’s degree in comparative literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in English from Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal.

While Camara and his wife welcomed their third child in the fall, his kids are not the only people he is helping find their way in the world. He actively works with the increasing number of Congolese immigrants relocating to Kirksville. As a professor of French, he is able to assist the non-native speakers when it comes to paying their bills, finding a job and even obtaining a driver’s license.

Outside of the classroom Camara maintains a rigorous commitment to academia. He is the author of five books. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports on television.

What led you to teaching?

First, it was my own personal choice to study languages and literature, and then my positive experiences with excellent teachers who encouraged me to assist in the intellectual development of students with highly creative spirits, teaching them tolerance and respect for human values. I am always eager to have a positive impact on my students, whom I cherish as my own family.

How would you describe your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is characterized by gentleness and good humor. Nonetheless, I believe students should always be challenged so they can appreciate the value of their knowledge.

What were your opinions on Kirksville when you first moved here?

It was truly a serendipitous experience. After the head of the French Department at the University of Illinois recommended me, Truman flew a four-seat plane to pick me up in Champaign. At that time, I was struck by the values my colleagues established: promoting teamwork and showing a spirit of collegiality. Though I have at times been a victim of prejudice within the community, I find solace in the maturity and positive reaction of my students.

Can you tell me a little bit about the influx of Congolese people to the area and your work with them?

The Congolese people make up the majority of the African community in Kirksville. As Diversity Visa Program lottery winners, they were attracted to Kirksville by word-of-mouth because of the job opportunities and benefits at Smithfield Foods and Kraft-Heinz. It is natural for me to be close to them, and to further develop good working relationships with them. Many expressed their pride and admiration for my position as full professor at an American university. They seek my advice when they are faced with difficult circumstances.

What has been the high point of your career so far?

My scholarly publications, and the fact that I was invited to talk about them on Senegalese television, and at renowned universities like UC Berkeley, Harvard University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

Over the years I have become a very quiet man, so calm in appearance that I sometimes doubt my intellectual and creative capacities. Maybe it is the fear of failing.

What is your best advice to your students?

Never give up. I applaud people’s commitment and courage in the face of adversity.