Author Archives: tmiles

Two Years in Mongolia

Alyssa Vorhies (’09) gives an insider’s view of her Peace Corps experience living in one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.

Alyssa Vorhies (’09)

For many people across the United States, a kitchen without a microwave; a town without Internet or cellphone service; a state without roads; and a home without a shower, hot water or even running water seem unimaginable; but for me it was just another day in a place I called home. This unfathomable world, this place, this country, was my home in Mongolia during my two years as a volunteer in the United States Peace Corps.

I could write for days about the interesting culture, the temperatures that (not uncommonly) hit averages of -40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, the struggles that come with a language barrier, the travel snafus and painfully long rides over open unpaved land . . . but today I will write instead about something as simple as a shower.

In Mongolia there are primarily three types of housing: apartments, wooden houses and gers (also commonly referred to in Western nations as yurts—sturdy round tents serving as a home for nomadic cultures). Wooden houses and gers virtually never have running water; typically apartments have running water, but no shower or water heater.

I spent my first three months in Mongolia living in a ger during training. I, of course, did not have running water and would take water from the well in a large barrel and then wheel it to my ger. After the first three months, I moved into an apartment for the remainder of my service. There I had ice-cold running water, a sink and a toilet, but no tub or shower. The town in which I trained did not have a shower house, and the town where I spent the remainder of my service had a shower house, but it was often closed or not working, so I spent the first six months of my service boiling water over a fire or stove, pouring it into a round bucket/basin called a tumpon and sponge bathing.

I can only compare the feeling of tumpon bathing to swimming on a cool summer night, meaning that while the water may be warm, as soon as you are no longer submerged and your wet skin is exposed to the air, you are freezing. This is how the entirety of a tumpon bath feels: wet skin, warm water, cold air.

Halfway through my first winter, the shower house in my province began working, and I decided to forego the misery of the tumpon bath. I turned to the shower house for my weekly shower. Yes, you read that correctly, weekly shower. Volunteers without showers commonly turn to showering once per week (or sometimes less) due to its difficulty. Do not mistake me, we maintain hygiene, we freshen up between, we wash our hair, but as for a full-on shower, it is common for a volunteer to trek to the shower house only about three to four times a month.

While a trip to the shower house is a full shower, it is still the furthest thing from an enjoyable experience. Imagine bundling up in all of the layers you own. After all, it is -40 degrees outside, and you are about to take a walk across town. So, you put on your obligatory three pairs of pants, three shirts, jacket, winter coat, ear muffs and hat, gloves, scarf and boots and head out the door on a 15-minute walk. Upon arriving at the shower house, located in a dark, deteriorating basement of a store, you join 20 other Mongolians on a bench to wait your turn. This can take hours.

Finally, it is your turn; you pay your money and are taken to your room. You are then locked in from the outside and become concerned that one of two things will happen: either someone will open the door prematurely to your room while you are mid-scrub or you will knock when you are finished and no one will hear you. The entire room is small and wet and dimly lit by a lone light-bulb swinging from a splitting wire.

Now you must perform your first set of ‘shower acrobatics’ and attempt to remove your clothing without letting any part of your clothes touch the floor or walls—balancing on one foot at a time, you tug at layer after layer of clothing. Then, the shower begins. The water might be hot, but likely it is lukewarm or even more likely room temperature. The water might have decent pressure, but likely it is a trickle, and it is definitely not going to be high-pressured. The floor is made of slippery tile so you constantly battle to keep your footing.

Finally, you are finished with your shower, and the time has come for you to redress, but the entire room is wet. You have to put your clothes back on, while never letting your pant legs touch the floor—and, you are not doing this for one layer of clothing, but rather for three. Once dressed, you stand at the door and pound, and pound, and pound until a worker comes and lets you out. Then with cold, wet hair, you head back out into the -40 degree weather to walk the 15-minute trek home.

Through my time in the Peace Corps, I learned many lessons of appreciation, patience, cultural understanding and more; and I feel confident that the lesson to appreciate a warm shower will continue to stay with me during my stateside life.

A Tribute to Michael G. Davis, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology

By Tim Sandfort (’00)

The late Michael G. Davis

It was with great sadness that I learned of Dr. Davis’ passing. Although I was not often in contact with him in recent years, I will miss him greatly. He played a pivotal role in my academic direction and current career.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Davis introduced me—and thousands of other students—to an amazing discipline called anthropology. Anthropology is a holistic study of human culture subdivided into the fields of sociocultural, linguistic, archaeological and biological (or physical) anthropology. In practice, it distinguishes between ethnography (participant observation) and ethnology (cultural comparison). Students in the classroom and practitioners in the field are frequently challenged to observe, record and understand other cultures without looking through the lens of their own. This is much more difficult than it sounds, especially when studying a culture with far different communication, religious, sexual or warfare practices. Anthropologists are asked to record and interpret, not evaluate.

Introduction to Anthropology (SOAN 191) was the very first class I attended at Truman in August 1995. The course was randomly assigned to fulfill a social science elective credit toward my then-undeclared degree. In my first semester with him, Dr. Davis became one of my favorite professors, and I think I eventually took every course he instructed. His understated, easygoing personality was contrasted by brilliant, free-ranging subject mastery and complemented with dry wit to educate students with storytelling, films and applied learning alongside textbook theory. One of his best fieldwork anecdotes included building rapport with Native American tribesmen by joining them for high-speed rides around their reservation in the back of a pickup truck. Dr. Davis encouraged critical thinking and confrontation of unconscious biases (“Did you ever stop to think about which thumb goes on top when you fold your hands or which foot you lead with when you climb the stairs? More importantly, did you ever ask why?”). He opened my mind to the subjective context in which culture immerses each of us; he helped me see that A and B are rarely connected by straight lines and revealed that even when answers seem right, sometimes questions are wrong.

Together, with Dr. Laura Zimmer-Tamakoshi, Dr. Davis challenged, inspired and elevated my learning—to the point that my randomly selected social science elective became a minor, then a major, and then a double major in anthropology. He suggested I investigate “corporate anthropology” as a rewarding real-world career alternative to master’s study and fieldwork. Fifteen years later, I am writing from the offices of Bazaarvoice, a high-tech company in Austin, Texas, that powers social ratings and reviews systems for more than 30 percent of the IR 500 (Internet Retailers). And my story is only one.

I was not a model student, and I will remember Dr. Davis for the many second chances he gave me—for the papers and courses he allowed me to finish after the official close of the semester. I will remember him for greeting me by name when I stopped by his office several years after I graduated. And I will remember him for the many times during lecture when he would lean back against the window, prop one leg underneath him and cross his arms. After a few minutes speaking like this, he would often pause for a good 15 seconds, look at his feet and then at the class, smile, and say, “That’s it, folks. All I have for today.”

The Truman community has lost a great instructor, an inspiring teacher and mentor and an irreplaceable friend.

Landing a Dream Job at Roger Dean Stadium

Kristen Cummins (’09) holding microphone

Kristen Cummins (’09) told her professors during her time at Truman that she would someday work for the St. Louis Cardinals. Last year, her dream came true when she became the marketing and minor league assistant at Roger Dean Stadium, in Jupiter, Fla. Roger Dean Stadium is the spring training home to the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins, as well as their respective Class-A Advanced affiliates, the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Jupiter Hammerheads.

Prior to accepting the position, Cummins had already developed some connections at Roger Dean Stadium. As a student at Truman, where she was an exercise science major with a specialization in sport and recreation management, Cummins had conducted her field experience at Roger Dean Stadium. After graduating from Truman in 2009, she pursued a master’s degree at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville where she was required to complete an internship as the final component of her degree. Having kept in contact with her former supervisor at Roger Dean Stadium, she applied for and received a minor league intern position at the stadium.

In May 2011, Cummins received a master’s of science in kinesiology with a specialization in sports management. She then completed her internship at Roger Dean Stadium in September 2011 and stayed on with the stadium in her new position as the marketing and minor league assistant.

“I take care of our monthly media buys and keep our marketing schedule organized on a daily basis,” Cummins said. As part of her job, she handles all on-field promotions during spring training and the minor league season. In addition, Cummins attends community events and runs the stadium’s Education Day, a program that hosts five minor league baseball games in the month of May. Cummins also heads up Scout Night, an annual event where hundreds of Cub Scouts sleep over on the outfield lawn. During the time that Cummins has been in charge of Scout Night, the amount of revenue the event brings in has doubled.

After spring training starts in mid-February, Cummins’ position goes into full swing. “During this time, myself and the rest of the front office staff are busy selling group tickets and last-minute sponsorship deals and making sure the stadium is in tiptop shape for the fans,” Cummins said.
She considers customer service to be the most important duty throughout spring training. “Remember, the fan experience starts in the parking lot,” she said. “It’s crucial to know all of the answers to all questions a fan may throw at you, treat them kindly and smile.”

Working with the 2011 World Series champions has been one of Cummins’ most memorable experiences. “It was riveting to see all of the 2006 World Series banners come down and the 2011 banners go up,” said Cummins. “Overall, the experiences I have had so far working with the St. Louis Cardinals are ones I will never forget.”

“Life is so hectic sometimes, and what I love about baseball is that it remains constant,” Cummins said. “After all, baseball is one of America’s favorite pastimes for a reason.”

Exploring the Work of Leonardo da Vinci

Truman professor Julia DeLancey and Truman alumnus John Garton (’97) in the courtyard of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci may be the most recognized name in art, but few art enthusiasts ever have the chance to see his paintings and writings up close. Last summer, Truman alumnus John Garton (’97) had the opportunity to study the work of da Vinci in Florence, Italy, along with Julia DeLancey, a professor of art and art history at Truman, who inspired Garton to become a professor. Both DeLancey and Garton, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., were among a group of 25 scholars who spent three weeks in Florence as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for a seminar entitled “Leonardo da Vinci: Between Art and Science.”

The group participated in site visits to see da Vinci’s works first hand. One visit included the da Vinci painting collection at the Uffizi Gallery and a conservation lab where they were able to observe two paintings being preserved. During the seminar, the group also heard lectures by da Vinci experts and engaged in discussions with fellow participants.

During a trip to Milan, Italy, the scholars had a chance to speak with conservators working on a room da Vinci frescoed and to view “The Last Supper.” “While examining this famous painting, the group just looked at it for 15 minutes without discussion in order to fully take in the experience,” said DeLancey. “Even still, half of the group walked out of the room backward to keep looking as long as possible.”

The scholars also worked on individual projects as part of the institute. DeLancey noted that motion was of great interest in da Vinci’s time, and during the Renaissance, movement was believed to be connected to how people felt inside. Like any motion, the act of kneeling revealed something about a person’s inner state, and DeLancey’s project examined a notebook page in which da Vinci was working on an anatomical study of the leg from the middle of the thigh to the foot. On the page, he also wrote about the body’s functions and how these affect sculptors and painters. “I feel much more comfortable talking about da Vinci and have the tools to help students study him,” said DeLancey.

For his project, Garton researched da Vinci’s early drawings of grotesque heads and their relationship to renaissance portraiture. “In particular, I sought to understand one of da Vinci’s early examples, Uffizi #446E, and its relation to the later drawings now in the Chatsworth Collection,” said Garton. “The effect of such images, either singularly or collectively, is to subvert his audience’s basic assumptions about portraiture. The subversion extends even to Alberti’s more general notion of the commemorative purpose of painting. By refining and perfecting ugliness through purposeful distortion of certain facial features, da Vinci shaped the discernment of the grotesque as a creative marvel.”

The conference also encouraged interdisciplinary thinking, and the group included professors from various backgrounds, including art and engineering, and each member brought varying perspectives to the discussions. “People were unfailingly collegial and supportive and engaged,” DeLancey said. Garton noted that looking at so much da Vinci material with anatomists, geologists, historians of technology, a poet laureate and other interesting specialists has allowed him to teach the artist’s work from a variety of perspectives that are sometimes under-represented in art history.

Both Garton and DeLancey plan to continue pursuing their research on da Vinci.

The Soul of a Songwriter

Matt Alber (’97)
Photo by Adrian Lourie

Matt Alber (’97) is celebrating the release of a new DVD he recorded and shot in San Francisco with fellow local musicians, The Cello Street Quartet. It’s cleverly called “Matt Alber With Strings Attached.” After relocating from Seattle to San Francisco, Alber took some time between tours to share what has been happening with his career as a singer/songwriter.

After graduating from Truman where he was a music major with an emphasis in composition and vocal performance, Alber joined the San Francisco-based men’s classical a capella group, Chanticleer. During his time at Truman, he had attended a Chanticleer concert and was impressed by the group’s talents. “It was one of the best choirs I’d ever heard,” Alber said. With the generous help of his professor, Paul Crabb, he was granted an audition and kept in contact with the group until graduation.

Alber had a lot to show after performing with Chanticleer for five years. During his time with the group, they made seven records with two of them winning Grammy Awards for Best Small Ensemble Performance. Their album “Colors of Love” won the award in 2000, and the album “Lamentations and Praises” won in 2003.

Alber’s interest in songwriting emerged during his years at Truman. “When I got tired of practicing my arias and art songs and piano sonatas, I would sit around and play on the piano and start to write songs,” Alber said. He continued to do this throughout his years with Chanticleer.

His introduction to self-made recordings encouraged him to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter. “I kind of said, well, I can either stay in Chanticleer, which is a great job, and have a blast, or I can try to see if I can make a go at this as a songwriter,” Alber said.

Alber released his first album, “Hide Nothing,” on iTunes independently in 2008 and was later signed to the New York label Tommy Boy Records. “First albums are very special. It was basically 10 little experiments,” Alber said. “I had all of these sounds in my ears from my classical training with symphonies and choirs so I had those sounds that I was bringing, but I loved synthesizers and beats, so I mashed all of that together.”

Alber spent the following years learning how to make a living as a touring musician, which influenced the style of his next album, “Constant Crows.” “When I started touring, I didn’t have all of those synthesizers and beats, I just had a guitar and a piano,” he said. “So I thought, this time around I’m going to see what happens when I rely solely on acoustic instruments and my voice to make a record. I’m glad I did!”

In terms of style, Alber refers to his music as art-pop. “I fell in love with classical art songs while studying at Truman,” said Alber. “Art songs rely on melody and cadence, and the lyrics usually dance with both of those elements beautifully. I try to follow those rules when writing pop songs.”

Following his summer tour to the U.K., Alber is planning a solo concert at Truman this fall.

The Bookshelf

A Real Cowboy
By Sarah Anderson (’98)
Producer Thalia Thorne’s career is on the line. She’s promised to lure James Robert Bradley back to the limelight, no matter what it takes. But once in Montana, she sees that J.R. has built a new life for himself—as a real-life cowboy—and Thalia finds it hard to resist the man he’s become. Then a blizzard strikes. Suddenly they’re alone, with only body heat to keep them warm. When the snow melts, she’ll have to choose: go back to the big city—or sacrifice everything for the man she can’t let go.

Mystic Cowboy
By Sarah Anderson (’98)
Just who does Rebel Runs Fast think he is? Dr. Madeline Mitchell, the new doctor on the White Sandy Lakota Indian Reservation, knows there’s a good answer to that question. Somewhere. Sure, the Lakota medicine man is every cowboy-and-Indian fantasy she ever had, but he sends patients to sweat lodges instead of clinical trials, talks them out of flu vaccines. Even more irritating, he makes her heart race. Rebel swore off the white man’s world—and its women—years ago. Madeline doesn’t speak the language, understand the customs or believe he’s anything more than a charlatan. Yet she stays, determined to help his people. And he keeps finding excuses to spend more time at the clinic. When he discovers her in the throes of dangerous heat stroke, Rebel’s efforts to cool her down set fire to a passion neither thought they wanted. But when the people start falling violently ill, the cultural gap stretches the connection between their hearts to the breaking point.

Straddling the Line
By Sarah Anderson (’98)
CFO Ben Bolton has enough on his plate running his family business. But when lovely Josey White Plume enters his office, his priorities shift. He refuses to let such a compelling woman walk away. The chase is on. All her life, Josey has sought one thing: to fit in with her Lakota family. She has no time for some sexy rich guy’s pursuit. But she can’t stop thinking about Ben. Yet falling for a wealthy outsider will destroy everything she’s worked for—unless she can find a way to straddle the line between his world and hers.

The Jade Lily
By Hayley (Kessler) Cooper (’05)
When Onnalee gets picked on for her “ugly” clothes, she will do anything to have a cooler style. A mysterious man invites her into his shop and gives her the Jade Lily, a brooch that will make her heart’s deepest desire come true. As she travels to her friend’s house, she helps people in need and in turn gets a lot of compliments on her cool clothes. Onnalee is so excited to show her friends her new clothes only to learn it’s not clothes that make someone cool, it’s who they are on the inside.

Degrees of Allegiance: Harassment and Loyalty in Missouri’s German-American Community during World War I
By Petra DeWitt (’98)
Historians have long argued that the Great War eradicated German culture from American soil. Degrees of Allegiance examines the experiences of German-Americans living in Missouri during the First World War, evaluating the personal relationships at the local level that shaped their lives and the way that they were affected by national war effort guidelines. Spared from widespread hate crimes, German-Americans in Missouri did not have the same bleak experiences as other German-Americans in the Midwest or across America. But they were still subject to regular charges of disloyalty, sometimes because of conflicts within the German-American community itself.

Kirksville: Poems
By Bob Mielke, Professor of English
See Kirksville through the eyes of Bob Mielke as he explores the people and places of the unassuming college town in Northeast Missouri. Walk in the footsteps of the poet as he shows you the natural beauty of its wooded parks and dives deep into the city’s colorful past. Along the way, meet Susan Sontag as she dances in a honky tonk, fireworks (perfectly legal) explode overhead and friends gather in saloons for a quiet drink. Mielke’s poems are fresh, clear and accessible. Kirksville is an honest and enthusiastic celebration of a city many have loved, and few can ever forget.

Random Tales of a College Math Professor, Over-Easy, on Wry
By Robert “Mick” Norton (’68)
Many believe that math and humor must be mutually exclusive, or that the life of a college professor must be boring. Ha! Not many careers would provide opportunities for someone to solve a geometry problem (what position was the body in when the bullet went through her head?) and thereby convince police that a death was a homicide. Or to collect and analyze data to show that wrestlers at a weigh-in can make a scale register less than their true weight—temporarily—if they stand on their heads before they step on the scale. Written for a popular audience, this book presents stories about expert witnessing, consulting, teaching, being a professor and about how probability (think random events) impacted someone’s life in a very direct way. And oh yes, the humor is wry.

The Gurkha’s Daughter: Stories
By Prajwal Parajuly (’06)
A disfigured servant girl plans to flee Nepal; a Kalimpong shopkeeper faces an impossible dilemma; a Hindu religious festival in Darjeeling brings with it a sacrifice; a Nepali-Bhutanese refugee pins her hopes on the West; a Gurkha’s daughter tries to comprehend her father’s complaints; two young Nepali-speaking immigrants meet in Manhattan. These are just some of the stories describing and dramatizing the experiences of the Nepalese people and the Nepalese diaspora—the people whose culture and language is Nepalese but who are dispersed to India, Bhutan and beyond. From every perspective and on every page, Prajwal Parajuly blends rich colour and vernacular to paint an eye-opening picture of a unique world and its people.

Stars of Today Books
By Jody Jensen Shaffer (’88)
This series of children’s books the author wrote for The Child’s World Stars of Today Series includes biographies for Taylor Swift, Lea Michelle, Taylor Lautner and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.

Show Me the Murder
By Carolyn Mulford (’60)
After a bullet shatters Phoenix Smith’s career as a CIA covert operative, she returns to her rural Missouri hometown to recuperate and regroup. She arrives as her lifelong friend, civic leader Annalynn Carr Keyser, buries her husband, the sheriff. Everyone except the widow believes he shot his mistress and himself. Annalynn begs Phoenix to help prove he, too, was murdered. The old friends employ their diverse skills and conflicting attitudes to discover what really happened and to survive.

Portrait of a Dead Guy
By Larissa Reinhart (’91)
In Halo, Ga., folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge—but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small-town rival. As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Her rival wants to ruin her reputation, her ex-flame wants to rekindle the fire and someone’s setting her up to take the fall. Mix in her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

Mediated Maternity: Contemporary American Portrayals of Bad Mothers in Literature and Popular Culture
By Linda Seidel, Professor of English
Linda Seidel explores the cultural construction of the bad mother in books, movies and TV shows arguing that these portrayals typically have the effect of cementing dominant assumptions about motherhood in place—or, less often, of disrupting those assumptions, causing us to ask whether motherhood could be constructed differently. Portrayals of bad mothers not only help to establish what the good mother is by depicting her opposite, but also serve to illustrate what the culture fears about women in general and mothers in particular. From the ancient horror of female power symbolized by Medea (or, more recently, by Casey Anthony) to the current worry that drug-addicted pregnant women are harming their fetuses, we see a social desire to monitor the reproductive capabilities of women, resulting in more (formal and informal) surveillance than in material (or even moral) support.

How
By Geoff Wyss (’90)
If every story is born of a question—How did we get here? How do you make your arm do that?—the stories in this book search for answers to the mysteries of an astonishing range of characters. In “How to Be a Winner,” a sports consultant “incents” a high school football team with his theory of history and a glimpse into his disgraced coaching career. The narrator of “How I Come to Be Here at the GasFast” explains why he hasn’t left a truck stop in the two days since he scratched a winning lottery ticket. Lost in the mazes they’ve made of themselves, Wyss’ characters search for exits on ground that shifts dizzyingly from humor to pathos, from cynicism to earnestness, from comedy to tragedy. Although propelled by a razor-sharp contemporary prose, Wyss’ stories—many set in the New Orleans beneath the notice of television and tourists—have more in common with Chekhov and O’ Connor than with “Treme.”

Newsmakers

Ida Mae Wombwell (‘42, ‘64) was inducted into the Brookfield (Mo.) High School Hall of Fame. She began her teaching career in Sedalia, Mo., where she taught instrumental and choral music. The remainder of her teaching career was spent in the Brookfield school system until her retirement in 1976.

Joyce (Luker) Wilson (’58), of Waldport, Ore., received Job Corps’ National Director’s Honor Award for Excellence in Education. She is a high school teacher at Angell Job Corps, which offers high school students the opportunity to earn a GED or a high school diploma while at the same time receiving training to become proficient in a number of vocational pathways.

Dennis Buhr (’63, ’67) received the Special Ambassador Award, the highest recognition given by the Special School District of St. Louis County. The award is presented to members of the community who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to the District’s students and staff. Buhr, of Chesterfield, Mo., is a volunteer with the Special Education Foundation.
Craig Hintz (’69), superintendent of Warsaw Community School Corporation, was honored as the 2013 State Superintendent of the Year by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents.

Randa Rawlins (’79) was presented with the Enterprise Award at the Missouri Lawyers’ Weekly Women’s Justice Awards Ceremony in April 2012. The award recognizes women in a business setting for their contributions to improving the quality of the justice system. Rawlins serves as general counsel for Shelter Insurance in Columbia, Mo.

Mary Rhodes Russell (’80), who serves on the Missouri Supreme Court, was recognized with the Spirit of Martha Award presented by the Griffiths Leadership Society for Women at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The award honors a Mizzou alumnus or faculty member who has distinguished herself in her chosen field as well as exemplified the spirit of leadership, particularly in the furtherance of women.

Cindy (Bonser) Gurney (’82) was inducted into the Chaffey College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Mary McFarland (’84) received the Special Ambassador Award, the highest recognition given by the Special School District of St. Louis County. The award is presented to members of the community who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to the District’s students and staff. McFarland is a teacher at Ritenour High School in St. Louis.

Tania Cook (’85) was honored with the President’s Call to Service Award which was presented by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The award was given in recognition of Cook’s commitment to strengthening the nation and making a difference through volunteer service. Cook, who is a skills training coordinator at Job Point in Columbia, Mo., was also named to the Show-Me State Games Hall of Honor. She has been involved with the State Games for 25 years.

Scott Zajac (’85) was named among the Class of 2012 “50 Missourians You Should Know” published in Ingram’s magazine. He is the managing partner at Advantage Capital Partners in St. Louis.

Sarah (Hartmann) Burkemper (’92), of Troy, Mo., was named on the most recent list of “50 Missourians You Should Know” published in Ingram’s magazine (March 2013). Burkemper, who is a certified public accountant and a certified financial planner, is a member of Truman State University’s Board of Governors.

Aaron Wills (’93, ’95) received the Special Ambassador Award, the highest recognition given by the Special School District of St. Louis County. The award is presented to members of the community who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to the District’s students and staff. Wills, of Ballwin, Mo., is principal at Claymont Elementary in the Parkway School District.

Brent Schowe (’94), vice president with Commerce Trust Company, St. Louis, was part of an investment management team honored by Lipper with its highest rating in the Best Fixed Income Small Fund Group. Lipper, a leading provider of mutual fund information, analytical tools and commentary, selected Commerce for the top spot from 61 qualified companies in this category. Schowe is a senior fixed income analyst for Commerce Trust, the money management arm of Commerce Bank.

Anthony Butler (’96) was named a 2012 Rising Star by the Living Classrooms Foundation and the Baltimore Business Journal. The award recognizes outstanding young leaders for their achievements and philanthropic efforts. Butler is a partner with the law firm of Trye Butler Mayo Griffith in Baltimore, Md.

Kelly McCambridge-Parker (’96) received a Rising Star Award at the Missouri Lawyers’ Weekly Women’s Justice Awards Ceremony in April 2012. The award recognizes women lawyers age 40 or under or within the first 10 years of practice who have already made a difference in the justice system or the profession and who appear on a path toward even greater accomplishment. McCambridge-Parker is a trial attorney and mediator with Holman Schiavone in Kansas City, Mo.

Carli Conklin (’97, ’99), an associate professor of law at the University of Missouri School of Law, was presented with the Legal Scholar Award at the Missouri Lawyers’ Weekly Women’s Justice Awards Ceremony in April 2012. The award is presented to female faculty members or administrators at Missouri law schools in recognition of their work on behalf of the justice system, through their research or scholarship or through teaching and inspiring others.

Chad Moore (’97), of Kansas City, Mo., was named among the “40 Under 40: A 15-Year Honor Roll” published in Ingram’s magazine (April 2013). He is the director of operations for the Children’s Mercy Pediatric Care Network.

Hina Patel (’97, ’98) was honored with the Professional and Scientific Distinguished Service Award presented by Iowa State University. The award recognizes professional and scientific employees who demonstrate exemplary service to the college. Patel is the director of Teacher Education Services at Iowa State University.

Jas Sullivan (’97) received the 2012 MKN TRiO Achiever Award at the 34th Annual Missouri-Kansas-Nebraska (MKN) TRiO Conference in Kansas City in April 2012. The award recognizes outstanding former TRiO participants for success in their current field. Sullivan is an assistant professor of political science and African and African-American studies at Louisiana State University.

Petra DeWitt (’98), a professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Missouri University of Science and Technology, was honored with the 2012 Missouri History Book Award presented by the State Historical Society of Missouri. She is the author of Degrees of Allegiance: Harassment and Loyalty in Missouri’s German American Community During World War I.

Elizabeth Schuerman (’00) was a recipient of the Indiana Lawyer Leadership in Law Award and has also been named in the Indiana Super Lawyers-Rising Stars Edition. Schuerman is a partner at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP.

Dominic Armstrong (’02), an opera singer, was among the seven winners who received the 2013 George London Foundation Awards. The London Foundation supports and nurtures young singers, and the George London Foundation for Singers competition is one of the oldest vocal competitions in the United States and Canada.

Karin (Ellis) Ricker (’03) was among the “40 Under 40 Nurse Leaders” honored by the Nebraska Action Coalition. The award recognizes 40 nurse leaders under the age of 40 across the state of Nebraska.

Frank Fleschner (’05), a member of the Kansas City Chorale, attended the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in February 2013. The Kansas City Chorale won two Grammy Awards for their recording, “Life & Breath: Choral Works by Rene Clausen,” including Best Engineered Album (Classical) and Best Choral Performance. Fleschner is a technology professional and consultant in Kansas City, Mo.

Oseyi Ikuenobe (’05) was named in the St. Louis Business Journal’s 2012 “30 Under 30.” The publication had more than 200 nominations and features some of the most accomplished young professionals in the St. Louis area. Ikuenobe is an IT solutions
architect for Monsanto.

Brian Santos (’05, ’06) was named Teacher of the Year at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Mo. He teaches Spanish 1, 3 and 4.

Amy (Schweizer) Guthrie (’07, ’09), of North Central Missouri College, received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, which was presented by the Missouri Community College Association.

Kevin Harrison (’08) was honored as Area Director of the Year by the K-Life National Board of Directors. He serves as the area director for the Kirksville K-Life. K-Life works with more than 200 area youth to build positive relationships through activities such as weekly clubs for middle and high school students and bi-weekly meetings for those in K-5th grade.

Tajanette Sconyers (’10) received the MKN Rising TRiO Achievers Scholarship. MKN is the Missouri-Kansas-Nebraska chapter of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel, one of 10 regional associations that form the Council for Opportunity in Education.

Team Player

Brian Campbell (’84) is shown second from the left in this photo of the championship tennis team.

Brian Campbell (’84) led the Department of State’s tennis team to its third consecutive Intergovernmental Agency Tennis League Doubles Championship title. Campbell, a former top singles and doubles player, was twice named All-American and is a member of Truman State University’s Athletics Hall of Fame. He is a special advisor in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

“Brian is among the finest players to have represented the Department in my many years of coaching the team,” said team coach John Wilson. “We finished number one in a very competitive league, and Brian came through in the clutch time and time again.”

Founded in 1932, the Intergovernmental Agency Tennis League is said to be the longest-running athletic competition in the federal government. It was the Department’s ninth championship win, a record bested only by the Army and Navy teams, which hold 25 and 15 titles, respectively.

Roommates Reunited

Kitti Carriker (’79, ’80) shares how she reconnected with her Centennial Hall roommate.

Kitti Carriker and Mumbi Gakuo lived in room 110 in Centennial Hall in the fall of 1975.

Mumbi Gakuo (’76, ’77) and I had a great time as roommates in room number 110 in Centennial Hall during the school year of 1975-1976. Despite our age and geographic differences (I was a freshman from Missouri, and Mumbi was a senior from Kenya), we became instant friends.
After receiving her B.A. and M.A. from Truman, Mumbi returned to Kenya in 1977, and we kept in touch by mail for the next 16 years. Coincidentally, though we didn’t realize it at the time, in the spring of 1993, Mumbi had returned to the States and settled in New Jersey at precisely the same time that I had re-located from the Midwest to Philadelphia, Pa.

When the dust settled after the upheaval of our simultaneous moves, we had somehow lost track of each other’s address. How ironic that at this point in our lives—after writing back and forth to Africa during all those intervening years—we should fall out of contact, when, in fact, we were now living a mere 100 miles apart. A couple of hours on the train and we could have spent the day together at a moment’s notice. Her two sons could have played together with my two sons. Sadly, it was much harder to re-establish contact back then.

In 2011, Mumbi Gakuo and Kitti Carriker met in New York City.

At last, in the summer of 2009, with the help of the Find-A-Friend Alumni Locator Service offered by the Office of Advancement at Truman, Mumbi and I were re-united. Not only were we back in contact after a 17-year hiatus, but we were soon planning our first face-to-face get-together for the first time in 33 years. Whether or not it sounds like a hopeless cliché, honestly, it was as if no time had passed. In May 2010, Mumbi and I met up in Wichita, Kan., and then we met again in June 2011 in New York City—two times in two years.

Many thanks from me and Mumbi to the Advancement Office at Truman for making our reunion possible. We hope that our story is inspirational to other alumni and their long-lost friends.

Want to get in touch with a former classmate or roommate?
For privacy reasons, the University cannot give out personal information on alumni without their permission, but we can forward a message letting that individual know you would like to have him or her get in touch with you. Check out Truman’s Find-A-Friend Alumni Locator Service at alumni.truman.edu/FindAFriend.asp.

University Honors 1957 Alumnus

The late Cal Roebuck

The President’s Leadership Award, one of the most prestigious awards presented by Truman State University, honors select Truman alumni and friends for meritorious service through their gifts of volunteerism, expertise and financial resources. Earlier this year, Calvin E. Roebuck, who died in 2011, was honored posthumously with the 2013 President’s Leadership Award.

After graduating from Truman in 1957 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, Cal began his career with Prudential. In 1961, he was employed by State Farm Insurance as an agent in Kirksville. In 1964, he was promoted to agency manager in St. Louis and seven years later was promoted to agency director in the Ohio State Farm Regional Office. Following a brief stint as an executive assistant in Bloomington, Ill., Cal was promoted to deputy regional vice president in the Missouri-Kansas Regional Office in Columbia, Mo. In 1985 he was promoted to vice president of the Ohio Region. Cal retired from State Farm Insurance in 2000, after almost 40 years of service.

In 2003 Cal was honored as Truman’s Alumnus of the Year, and he provided wisdom and guidance to the University while serving as a two-term member of the Truman State University Foundation Board of Directors. He also demonstrated support for his alma mater by serving on committees for the University’s Magruder Hall Campaign and the “Bright Minds Bright Futures” Campaign.

Along with his wife, Lydia, Cal provided generous financial support to Truman. In 2008 the Roebucks established the Calvin E. Roebuck Business Scholarship to commemorate Cal’s distinguished career at State Farm Insurance and to provide opportunity for deserving students to receive a Truman education. The Roebucks created the scholarship fund with an outright commitment of $50,000. The fund, which was fortified with matching gifts from State Farm Insurance, has grown to more than $120,000 through proceeds of a life insurance policy and memorial gifts.

Members of the Roebuck family accepted the President’s Leadership Award which was presented posthumously to Cal Roebuck (’57) at the Truman State University Foundation Banquet held on campus in April 2013. Shown L-R: Jaynee Roebuck (Cal’s daughter-in-law), Jim Roebuck (Cal’s son), Lydia Roebuck (Cal’s wife) and University President Troy Paino.

Truman Review

The magazine for Truman State University alumni, parents and friends.