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Volunteer of the year award
Lebanon Alumni Chapter
This new award won’t go to just one person — it will be dedicated to the more than 100 people who participate in the Lebanon Alumni Chapter. The group, which alumnus Jack Miller first brought together in 1984, has given back to the University for more than 25 years and even has its own endowed scholarship. The awards selection committee said this chapter “possesses a can-do attitude and the desire to set the pace for other alumni groups throughout the country.” A group of key leaders has been involved since the beginning. When Wilbur “Wil” Bradley, Bob Garner and Gib Adkins sat down for this interview, they reminisced about the rapid growth of the school and basketball games so boisterous that the bleachers shook. They are from different eras — Bradley remembers when the school had about four buildings, while Adkins saw Elvis rock Hammons Student Center — and together they are the keepers of the University’s history and the guarantors of its future.
How did you feel when you found out about this award?
Bob: It is amazing to be honored for something we have enjoyed doing anyway.
Your chapter has been called a model for other alumni groups. Why do you think you are successful?
Gib: There are a lot of heroes in this chapter who are willing to work hard and won’t take any personal credit. Building a chapter takes a ton of time and effort; we have to have committed people because these things don’t just happen.
Wilbur: We just pool our efforts; that’s the way to get things done. We look at it as something we do to help the students and Missouri State.
Why did you decide to form the chapter?
Bob: A lot of it had to do with athletics. Jack (Miller) and I would travel to other areas for games and see that those cities had alumni groups. We knew we could do something like that here. Our primary goal was to get a group that would be large enough to raise money for scholarships for local students.
Gib: It’s because we have school pride. We want to show everyone that Missouri State is a meaningful, big-time school.
What events does the alumni chapter hold?
Wilbur: We have held a golf tournament every summer since the late 1980s.
Gib: On the night of the tournament, we have a banquet for all area alumni and for high school students going to Missouri State and their parents. That is when we award our scholarships.
Bob: We give one to four scholarships each year in various amounts. We also get together at events like Tent Theatre or go as a group to ball games.
Gib: We even call Lebanon students who ask for info about MSU and talk to them about the school and encourage them to go there.
How do you award your scholarships?
Bob: The Lebanon counselor’s office gives applications to students going to Missouri State, then the school sends those to us. A committee of about five alumni members looks through the applications and makes the decisions.
Why do you think the Lebanon group supports Missouri State so strongly?
Gib: There are so many ties from Missouri State to Lebanon. For example, (Director of Bands) Jerry Hoover used to teach in Lebanon in the early 1960s. He is a local legend. It’s a two-way street; the University maintains its relationship with us just like we maintain a relationship with it.
Bob: We give a lot of credit to (former coaches) Cheryl Burnett and Charlie Spoonhour; in the early years, they used to come to Lebanon to spend a day and they were a big draw for our alumni event.
Gib: Missouri State also adds to our community. Lebanon alumni visit the campus for athletics activities and shows at Juanita K. Hammons Hall. Local business employees get training on campus. Our schools send students there and hire teachers from the University.
What are some of your fondest memories of Missouri State?
Wilbur: The rush that I got when I went on campus for the first time as a part of the University.
Bob: I remember lining up to get season tickets for basketball my freshman year. I got center-court, front-row tickets. It was a huge thrill.
Gib: Making lifelong friends, and I really grew up during my time there. I matured (laughs) — I won’t say into a totally responsible human being, but I became more responsible.
Why are you excited about the future of Missouri State?
Gib: We have matured into a national school, and the name change was a big part of that. Initiatives such as the University’s downtown presence and Jordan Valley Innovation Center show the ability of the school to look a generation ahead.
What is the future of your group?
Bob: It will just grow as the University grows. We get more and more alumni in Lebanon as local business leaders, teachers and coaches. We have seen more younger people and families coming to events.
Our Homecoming theme is The Ultimate Adventure. What would be The Ultimate Adventure to you?
Gib: Going in the space shuttle. I would do it, even though my wife thinks I’m crazy. I would like to see Earth from way up high. It would bring our small problems into perspective.
Wilbur: I’ve had so dang many adventures already, I couldn’t stand to have another one.
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Award of appreciation
Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Shields
Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Shields gave his best to the University community when others felt their worst — sick, injured or hurting. He encountered thousands of students and employees during his 36-year career at Taylor Health and Wellness Center. “He had many of the same patients for decades, from the day he came to the day he retired. He gave his heart and soul to them every day,” said longtime friend and patient Burnie Snodgrass, the director of Taylor. “During Dr. Shield’s tenure, he saw Taylor expand to become nationally accredited and emulated by many other universities.” Brent Dunn, the vice president for university advancement, had been Shield’s patient since 1985. “Not many people have worked here for as long as he has,” Dunn said.
“He influenced the lives of people from every facet of the University: students, employees and their family members. He was a true professional who cared about you as a whole, not just about your health.”
How does it feel to receive this award?
I am honored and humbled. I feel like I just did my job: I kept up with my training, and I hope I was attuned to the needs of my patients.
Tell me about your background.
My parents came from poverty on a farm before moving to St. Louis. My mother left school after eighth grade and my father after sixth — but they instilled in me the value of education. My father died of lung cancer when I was 15; that summer, I got a job painting houses. The next summer, I worked as a door-to-door salesman in St. Louis. I did manual labor in factories and warehouses. The staff at my high school, McBride, encouraged me to apply to St. Louis University and I was accepted. I was then accepted to medical school. I was drafted into the Army after my post-graduate medical training. I was the officer in charge of a clinic in Fort Hood, Texas.
What brought you to campus?
Dr. William Taylor (for whom Taylor Health and Wellness Center is named) recruited me. I worked with him for one year before he retired. He was an innovator; he helped to integrate faculty and staff care with student care.
What are your most important personal accomplishments?
Maintaining a marriage to a wonderful woman: I met Carolyn at MU in 1968 and we got married in 1969. Also, taking care of my mother in her declining years when she had Alzheimer’s disease. Lastly, helping to sustain health care on the campus of Missouri State during adverse economic times.
Why do you love Missouri State?
The people — from the administration, to the students, to the faculty and staff — are working hard to build better lives for themselves and others. They make it a community and a worthy place to be. Caring for those people has been an honor.
How do you stay connected to Missouri State?
I come back to visit friends and former patients. I follow the athletic teams — I have season tickets to the Bears and Lady Bears basketball games. My wife sings in the Collegiate Chorale, so I go to those performances and other music events.
What do you do in your leisure time?
I’m a painter — of my garage door (laughs). I do a lot of things around the house. I exercise and read. I also follow St. Louis sports teams, including the Cardinals and Blues. My wife and I participate in some activities at Second Baptist Church.
What do you think your future holds?
I want to spend time with friends and family, and maybe do some traveling. My wife and I also talk about maybe getting another German shepherd dog. We have had two in the course of our married life.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Like the beauty pageant contestant always says, “I would like to have world peace.” I would say that too. I would hope we could live in harmony and health.
Our Homecoming theme is The Ultimate Adventure. What would be The Ultimate Adventure to you?
Probably to do more than just pray for President Obama — to be able to advise him.
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Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Daniel Adam Crumbliss
Adam Crumbliss currently serves as chief clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives — a position elected by the House members. At 32, he is one of the nation’s youngest chief clerks. A legislative internship he had while at Missouri State University launched his career in public service. Crumbliss worked as a legislative assistant to the House minority leader from 2000 to 2001, and administrative assistant to the assistant minority leader from 2002 to 2003. He became director of budget policy to the House budget chair in 2003. In 2005, he began working as chief of staff to the speaker pro tem. Crumbliss was elected by state representatives to serve as their chief clerk and administrator in 2006. Jerry Burch, a lobbyist for Missouri State, knew Crumbliss during his internship in the House.
“He was very ambitious, very hard-working,” Burch said. “Adam put his administrative talents and knowledge of political science to excellent use and quickly earned the respect of those in the office.”
How does it feel to receive this award?
It was quite a surprise. My reaction was pretty uncharacteristic — I am someone who is usually known to have something to say.
Are you in the career you thought you would pursue when you were at the University?
I always had an interest in legislative and political processes. Growing up, I was very much a student of current affairs and public issues. When I got to the University, I became interested in the public administration program. During that time, my initial goal was to go to the capitol city, finish the (legislative) internship and go to law school and then run for an elective office of some form down the road. But the way it worked out, the internship gave me an opportunity to recognize the importance of the legislative process. Part of what really fueled that is the legislative process class I had with Dr. George Connor in the political science department. There was a lot of theoretical background but also a lot of practical application in the class. It really spurred my interest to go through the internship. He and Dr. Denny Pilant were both very big influences on me. Once I was finished with the internship, I decided I wanted to stay more on the legislative side.
Talk about some of your favorite things about Missouri State.
I had a very good time in all of the organizations at Missouri State. I had an opportunity to do and see so many things. It really gave me an opportunity to develop leadership skills I didn’t have at the time.
What do you consider your most important professional accomplishment?
The fact that I’ve been selected as the chief clerk. Not only did I get the position, I’ve been able to develop a track record of working with members on both sides of the aisle. (I want to ensure that) the House of Representatives is a well-run organization.
What do you do in your leisure time?
I’m an avid golfer — not good, but I get to enjoy the outdoors. During the summer, we’ll go to a state park and ski. I also enjoy reading. I mostly read biographies or current-event books. A book that has had an influence on me is Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (by Doris Kearns Goodwin). I’ve also read most of the Harry Potter books. Another big hobby of mine is to listen to music. It helps me to relax. My taste in music is pretty diverse.
What do you think your future holds?
The focus for me is to keep a balance between my family and public service. I want to be a role model for my daughter. I always see myself involved at some level in public service, whether it’s continuing to do staff work or through elective office or just consulting in the legislative and executive processes. A personal goal for me is that I’ve always wanted to manage a large corporation.
Our Homecoming theme is The Ultimate Adventure. What would be The Ultimate Adventure for you?
Every day is the ultimate adventure. There’s always that next step, and you don’t know what’s going to happen. I look at life as a choose-your-own-adventure book.
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Outstanding Alumni Award
Kay Alden Nelson
Kay Alden Nelson knows daytime drama. The author has written thousands of scripts filled with conflicts, crises and romances for 35 years — 32 of those for “The Young and the Restless.” She has written for “The Bold and the Beautiful” since 2006. Her virtually uninterrupted three-decade career in television is unusual in an industry in which shows are often canceled within months of airing. Dr. Carey Adams, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, talked about Nelson’s recognition:
“Despite her notable accomplishments, Kay was more than a little surprised when I told her she had been selected to receive the Outstanding Alumni Award. In truth, as is usually the case with our distinguished alumni, I think we were as honored to present her with the award as she was to receive it.”
How does it feel to receive this award?
When Carey Adams called me to say that I had received this award, first of all, I was flabbergasted. … I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent at Missouri State. It was a very significant time for me.
Are you in the career that you thought you would pursue when you were at the University?
No. At that time, I was a teaching assistant with the debate program. I worked Tent Theatre one summer when I was there. Before I came to Missouri State to get my master’s degree, I had taught two years at Central High School in Springfield. I really thought my career path would remain in teaching.
What are some of your fondest memories of Missouri State?
I worked most closely with Dr. Richard (Skip) Stovall. He headed the University’s debate program and I was working as a teaching assistant for him. Academic debate has always been a huge love of mine and I really enjoyed the time that I spent helping him. Dr. Holt Spicer was a legend at Missouri State even when I was an undergraduate at Emporia State. I was thrilled to have him direct my master’s thesis. The summer I spent in Tent Theatre was a marvelous experience for me. I always loved theatre and had performed a lot as a child and in high school. Having the Tent Theatre experience was intense and wonderful. It gave me a window into the commitment required in either academic theater or professional theatre.
Tell me about your career path.
After getting my master’s degree, I wanted to pursue a career in college teaching. I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed course work for my Ph.D. in communication arts. While working on my dissertation on the topic of “Daytime Television Serials as Mediators of Social Change,” I had the opportunity to interview William J. Bell. He was the head writer of NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” a popular daytime serial at the time. He had also just created a new show called “The Young and the Restless.” The interview was more successful than I could have anticipated. This was perhaps the first time Bill had experienced an academic person who believed his work was truly significant. Early in our conversation, I had mentioned my dream: to write for these daytime shows. Before I left, Bill said that if I was sincerely interested, he would give me some outlines and I could try writing a sample script. He said it was probably a million-to-one shot. Fortunately for me, the rest is history.
What do you feel are your most important professional accomplishments?
I have really had a remarkable career as a writer. I wrote for “The Young and the Restless” from 1974 until 2006. During that time, I advanced from scriptwriter to head writer. Moving to its sister show, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” (where Nelson is currently co-head writer), has been a wonderful opportunity. I hope my career will continue for a number of years. It is such a gift to work on the two Bell family shows, which I believe continue to represent the best in the daytime serial genre.
Our Homecoming theme is The Ultimate Adventure. What would be The Ultimate Adventure for you?
I think to travel to a remarkable destination — not just as a tourist, but to absorb the culture. A place like China or India would be high on my list as The Ultimate Adventure.
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