Author Archives: tmiles

Alumni Board Officers

At the Truman Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting held on campus in April 2013, the Board elected Ellen (Hoelscher) McLain (’87), of Jefferson City, Mo., as president and Keith Epperson (’82), of Plymouth, Minn., as vice president.

They began serving in these positions in July 2013.

Ellen (Hoelscher) McLain (’87)

McLain is the senior director of development in the Office of Gift Planning and Endowments at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Keith Epperson (’82)

Epperson (’82) is a minority principal and vice president of research and development for SavvySherpa LLC.

Mike Wilson (’91)

Mike Wilson (’91), of Kansas City, Mo., is now serving as past president of the Alumni Board and will continue to represent the Kansas City Alumni Chapter. He is vice president, consumer loan administration, at UMB Bank.

Alumni Board Appointment

Geraldine (Toth) Ready (’70)

Geraldine (Toth) Ready (’70), of Sun City, Fla., is serving as the Alumni Board representative for the Truman State University Foundation Board. During a 37 ½-year career with JC Penney, she held several assignments and retired in 2007 as project manager in the information systems and development area.

On Board

The Truman Alumni Association Board of Directors welcomed new members:

Donna (Tague) Bailey (’76, ’84), of Kirksville, Mo., taught calculus and pre-calculus for 25+ years at Truman State University and retired in December 2009. She serves as treasurer for the Northeast Missouri Alumni Chapter.

Susan Briggs (’95), of New York, N.Y., serves as the director of partner relations for Ropes and Gray, an international law firm. Briggs is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Alumni Chapter.

Ashley Kuyendall, a Truman student from Ballwin, Mo., was elected to serve as the student representative on the Alumni Board. She is pursuing a degree in communication disorders and health science.

Ann (Leone) Patterson (’72, ’73) is the director of operations for Patterson Legal Group, L.C., in Wichita, Kan. Patterson is a member of the Arizona Alumni Chapter.

Pamela (Weatherby) Popp (’83), of Denver, Colo., is the executive vice president of Western Litigation Inc. She serves as president of the Colorado Alumni Chapter.

Justis Tuia (’07), of Bethesda, Md., has joined the Alumni Board as the representative for the Mid-Atlantic Alumni Chapter. He is employed by the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

Jason Turk (’02), of St. Louis, Mo., is an attorney with Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, L.C. He serves as president of the St. Louis Alumni Chapter.

NEMO Named Chapter of the Year

The Northeast Missouri Alumni Chapter was selected by the Executive Committee of the Truman Alumni Board of Directors to receive the 2012 Alumni Chapter of the Year Award. The award recognizes the outstanding achievementsof the chapter in support of the Truman Alumni Association and the University.

The Northeast Missouri Alumni Chapter was recognized for its success in recruiting engaged volunteers who have planned strategies to increase membership and program participation. The chapter’s traditions include annual events such as a golf tournament at the Kirksville Country Club and a fall banquet with an auction held on campus each year; both events raise funds for the chapter’s scholarship, which was established in 2005 to assist Truman students from northeast Missouri.

The Alumni Chapter of the Year Award was presented to Northeast Missouri Alumni Chapter leaders at the Truman Alumni Leadership Conference held on campus Oct. 19, 2012, as part of the Homecoming activities. The Mid-Missouri Alumni Chapter was recognized as runner-up for the Chapter of the Year Award.

Save the Date Homecoming: Oct. 18-20

Has it been a while since your last time on campus? Come home to Truman for Homecoming weekend and reconnect with fellow alumni and friends. All alumni, families and friends are invited to campus to celebrate this annual tradition. Come see how the campus has changed, and we will help you re-live old memories and make some new ones. Plan to attend some favorite activities such as the Parade, 5K Race, Homecoming Celebration Banquet (includes Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Golden Alumni 50th Anniversary Diploma Ceremony & introduction of Homecoming honorees), Bulldog sporting events and receptions hosted by University departments and organizations.

Reach out to your friends and encourage them to attend Homecoming with you. For more details on Homecoming, visit alumni.truman.edu/Homecoming.asp.

Hire a Bulldog

You know the quality of a Truman education, and we are happy to advertise your career and internship opportunities for all Truman students to search at no cost to you. You’re invited to use “Experience,” the Career Center’s online job board, to view résumés, set up interviews on or off campus and search Truman students with active profiles.

You can also connect with students at Truman State University’s bi-annual Career Week and Career Expo. They welcome businesses, non-profits, government agencies, school districts and graduate and professional programs to attend. Activities for Career Week include professional speakers, employer presentations, information sessions, Expo exhibit tables, on-campus interviews and more. It is a great way to get involved, reconnect and talk with some great students. The next Career Expo will be held on campus Oct. 2, 2013. For more information, visit career.truman.edu.

A Special Homecoming Invitation for the Class of 1963 and All Other Golden Alumni

Last October during Homecoming 2012, several alumni put on a graduation cap and gown and received a commemorative diploma presented by President Troy Paino as part of the annual Golden Alumni Diploma Ceremony.

If you graduated from Truman in 1963 or earlier, you are invited to a couple of special events that will take place during Homecoming 2013. On Friday evening, Oct. 18, at the Homecoming Celebration Banquet held in the Student Union Building, all alumni who graduated 50 years ago will have a chance to put on a graduation cap and gown and participate in the annual Golden Alumni Diploma Ceremony; participants in the ceremony receive a commemorative diploma presented by University President Troy Paino. If you missed the Golden Alumni Diploma Ceremony for the 50-year anniversary for your graduation year, you are invited to participate this year. All alumni who participate in the Golden Alumni Diploma Ceremony can receive a complimentary ticket for the Homecoming Celebration Banquet; additional tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children age 12 and under.

That same weekend, you and your guests are also invited to the Golden Alumni Reunion Luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 19, in the Student Union. Tickets for the luncheon
are $10 for adults and $7 for children age 12 and under.

This summer, watch your mail for details or contact Truman’s Office of Advancement, (800) 452-6678 or (660) 785-4133. Details and registration information for all Homecoming events will be posted online at alumni.truman.edu/Homecoming.asp.

Alumni Encouraged to Join Nearest Chapter

If you live near one of Truman’s 10 regional alumni chapters, you need to join your local alumni chapter. Alumni chapters are located in the following regions: Arizona, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Iowa, Kansas City, Mid-Atlantic (Washington, D.C. area), Mid-Missouri, Northeast Missouri and St. Louis. Each chapter sponsors a variety of activities, and membership includes travel discounts and other benefits. A single membership is $20 and a joint membership is $30 (current Truman students and alumni who graduated within the past 12 months can join for half-price). Sign up today at alumni.truman.edu/membership.

NEMO Chapter Honors Whitney Family

During the Northeast Missouri Alumni Chapter Annual Banquet and Auction held on campus Nov. 15, 2012, the chapter’s Bulldog Forever Award was presented to the Whitney family. The award recognizes service to Truman, and the chapter honored the Whitney family for their continued support for the NEMO Alumni Chapter, the Arizona Alumni Chapter and the University.

Shown left to right: Alta (Carson) Whitney (’59), Mark Whitney and Larry Whitney (’59). Not pictured: Mike Whitney (’94) and his wife, Laura, of Scottsdale, Ariz.

2012 Alumni Award Honorees

Several alumni awards were presented at the Alumni and Friends/Hall of Fame Banquet during Homecoming on Oct. 19, 2012.

Alumni of the Year: Jack Magruder (’57) & Sue (Brimer) Magruder (’55, ’77), shown with President
Troy D. Paino (on right)

Young Alumni of the Year: Mindy (Frick) McCubbin (’97) & Travis McCubbin (’97)

Distinguished Service Award: Jim Bergman (’90)

Bulldog Forever Volunteer of the Year Award: Will Sass (’72, ’77)

Homecoming 2012 Parade Grand Marshals Ed Carpenter & Nettie (Brown) Carpenter (’76)

Tom Vernon Ritchie, Professor Emeritus of Music

: Tom Vernon Ritchie

Tom Vernon Ritchie, professor emeritus of music at Truman State University, died Feb. 20, 2013, in Bloomington, Ind. He was 90 years old.

He spent the final years doing what he enjoyed most—writing music and attending opera and other musical performances at the IU Jacobs School of Music. Ritchie was a professor of music theory and composition for more than 40 years. He also was a professional concert pipe organist and held associate certification from the American Guild of Organists. Prior to joining the faculty at Truman, he was chairman of the Music Department at Drury College and taught at Wichita State. For nearly three decades, students from south-central Iowa and north-central Missouri who wanted to teach music enrolled in his classes.

In 2008, more than 60 faculty members, former students and friends paid tribute to him during an alumni reunion at Truman where they performed more than a dozen of his works.
In addition to his classroom duties, Ritchie composed the music and wrote the libretto for the opera, “The Children of Hamelin,” based on the Robert Browning poem, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” The opera premiered at Truman in 1981. He also composed numerous works for voice, chorus, piano, woodwinds and brass.

Ritchie was a World War II veteran. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942. After training in amphibious assault at Fort Pierce, Fla., he commanded several landing craft during the invasion of Iwo Jima in 1944, landing Marines of the Fourth Division on the first morning of the battle. He was also present at the landings on Okinawa. Ritchie was deployed to the invasion fleet for Japan before the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

His children have established the Tom V. Ritchie Memorial Scholarship Fund at Truman State University.

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