Vol. 24 No. 9 - October 14, 2019

The Kohlenberg Lyceum Series continues Nov. 1 with a tribute to American signer, actor and political activist Paul Robeson.

Robeson graduated as valedictorian from Rutgers University in 1919. He received a law degree from Columbia University and passed the New York State Bar in 1922. He was the first African-American lawyer hired by a New York law firm.

The son of a preacher, Robeson dreamed of a colorblind society. He spoke out against the Holocaust, visited the Warsaw ghetto in Poland, co-founded the Organization for African Unity with W.E.B. Dubois and pushed for the liberation of Africa.

Actor, singer and comedian Stogie Kenyatta will perform “The World is My Home: The Life of Paul Robeson” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in Baldwin Hall Auditorium. In this performance, Kenyatta will bring his unique interpretation to the stage, where he majestically captures the essence of Robeson through an entertaining, laugh-out-loud, music-filled show. Portraying 14 characters, he chronologically takes the audience through the life of history’s first black renaissance man and one of America’s most complex and brilliant citizens.

Tickets for this performance are $10 and can be purchased now at the Truman cashiers window in McClain Hall or online at lyceum.truman.edu.

Homecoming honorees Russ Sloan, John W. Davison and Keith Epperson

Several Truman alumni will be recognized at the Bulldog Forever Celebration Banquet at 6 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room as part of Homecoming 2019.

In addition to the following honorees, banquet ceremonies will also include recognition of the Bulldog Forever Alumni Group of the Year and the Golden Alumni. For more information on the alumni being highlighted during the banquet, visit the Homecoming Honorees website.

Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal
Russ Sloan
Russ Sloan received his undergraduate and master’s degree at the University of Missouri. Following graduation, he entered the coaching ranks at Truman, becoming line coach in 1968 and head football coach in 1969. His Bulldog teams won three consecutive MIAA Conference Championships, and in 1971 he was the NCAA Division II Runner-up for Coach of the Year (District 6), missing the top spot by one vote. His winning percentage of .803 is only surpassed by Bulldog coaching legend Don Faurot’s .809.
 
In 1972, Sloan resigned from Truman to run for the U.S. Congress in Missouri’s 6th District, losing to Jerry Litton in what became the 17th most expensive House race in the nation and the closest House vote in Missouri. After the election, he was named Missouri state director of Motor Vehicles and Licensing and was editorially recognized for saving Missouri tax payers more than one million dollars.

Following his service in state government, Sloan worked as the athletic director at Southeast Missouri State University and Fresno State University. In 1985 he was named executive director of the Fresno City and County Chamber of Commerce, which initiated a 20-year career in leading major chambers of commerce in California, Indiana and Florida.
 
Sloan has been inducted into the Truman Athletic Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also elected by his peers to head the State Chamber of Commerce Executives Association in Indiana and Florida. Sloan has been honored by the College of Education at the University of Missouri and received the President’s Award from the University of South Florida, the highest non-academic award bestowed by the university.

Sloan and his wife Peggy will be married 60 years this December, and they have three adult children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. They reside in Leesburg, Fla., about an hour north of Orlando.

Denise L. Smith Alumni Volunteer of the Year
John W. Davison (’75, ’81, ’84)
John Davison’s Truman and ROTC story began in 1969 when he attended the ceremony to establish the program at the University. He graduated from Truman in 1975 and then volunteered to teach military science at his alma mater from 1986-89 and 1993-95. In addition to an Education Specialist degree in education administration from Truman, he has a Master of Arts degree in management from Webster University.

Homecoming 2019 celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Army ROTC at Truman. After exploring the idea of a Truman ROTC alumni group for several years, the “Truman Army ROTC Alumni Regiment” was established in 2014. The ROTC alumni group has grown steadily through the grassroots efforts of many alumni and friends. Davison deeply believes that each class of Truman Army officers stands on the shoulders of past generations and that they are called to pay it forward to those who follow them.

Following a successful Army career, Davison served in northeast Missouri as a teacher and principal before retiring as a superintendent of schools. He and his wife, Lois, returned home to plant three new churches and continue volunteer work in missions, radio ministry and, most recently, establish an area dinner church to provide fellowship for the lonely and community for anyone.

Davison also serves as a volunteer in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in the tri-state area as a district captain, providing leadership geared toward saving lives and assisting the active duty Coast Guard. Currently he serves as minister of a local Kirksville church and continues in many volunteer activities.

Distinguished Service
Keith Epperson (’82)
Born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Keith Epperson’s score on the state-based standardized math test was the highest at his high school, which prompted a phone call from Dr. Dale Woods, a Truman math professor. Woods convinced Epperson and his parents to visit the college, and the rest is history.

While attending Truman, Epperson was a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda social fraternity and the Kappa Alpha Epsilon professional math fraternity. With encouragement from his father and support from Dr. Mary Sue Beersman, another Truman math professor, he chose to study math and statistics, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1982 in mathematics with a concentration in statistics.

Following graduation, Epperson began his career as an actuarial student at Mutual of Omaha. He then moved to Des Moines, working for American Republic and ultimately became the chief health actuary. At one point during his 15 years in Des Moines, he received an invitation to a Truman-related social event in town. That event spurred a small group of Truman alumni, including Epperson, to begin what is now the Iowa Alumni Chapter. Epperson served as the president of the chapter for a time, and he also served for one year on the first national alumni board as the Iowa Chapter representative.

Epperson and his wife, Rhonda, have been married for 37 years. They have three children and five grandchildren. Epperson’s son attended Truman as well and married a fellow Truman student. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, tinkering with antique clocks and relaxing at Lake Okoboji in Iowa. He has been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, trek Nepal, hike to Machu Pichu, hike dormant volcanoes in Peru and spend time in the Philippines.

After working in Minneapolis as chief actuary and senior research scientist for United Healthcare, Epperson took his current position as chief actuary for Bright Health Insurance Company. His passion for Truman has only grown stronger after his years as a volunteer on the National Alumni Board and with the Iowa Alumni Chapter, and he is endeavoring to create a new circle of friends by connecting Truman to the Twin Cities.

Young Alumni of the Year
Robert (’07) and Emily (’08) (Kiddoo) Kelchen
Robert and Emily (Kiddoo) Kelchen met for the first time at a Truman visit day. Robert was working as a student ambassador, and Emily was looking at Truman as a prospective school. The next year, their paths crossed again, and they became fast friends.

Robert and Emily worked on political campaigns and debated policy with fellow College Republicans. They spent countless hours together serving in Student Government – Emily as the student representative to the Board of Governors and Robert as the lead author of the student vision document. Eventually, a mutual friend asked why they had never dated, and they didn’t have a good answer. They gave it a try, and the rest is history. They continued on to graduate school together at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where Emily pursued a law degree and Robert a doctorate in education policy.

Today, they live in New Jersey where Robert works as an associate professor of higher education at Seton Hall University. He is a nationally known expert in the areas of higher education finance, accountability and college affordability. Emily founded a government affairs and marketing company that focuses on helping fellow attorneys attract new clients and lobby policymakers.

In their free time, the Kelchens enjoy traveling around the Northeast, rehabbing their 1861 Victorian home and streaming St. Louis Cardinals baseball games.


Robert and Emily Kelchen

Alumni of the Year
Terry (’68) and Faye (’68) Whitworth
Terry and Faye met late in their freshman year at Truman in 1965. Terry was a “local” who grew up 30 miles north of Kirksville in a little four-room farmhouse on a small farm with five younger siblings. Faye, a member of Delta Zeta social sorority, was an Air Force “brat” who had traveled the world and graduated from high school on a military base in Okinawa with a college scholarship.

Though Terry’s major was zoology and Faye’s was social science, they took many required classes together. Terry learned a lot from Faye about how to study and they spent many hours working together. They were married at the end of their sophomore year in 1966 at the age of 19, and they both graduated in 1968 with honors and with identical GPAs.

After graduation, Terry and Faye attended Utah State University. Terry earned a master’s and Ph.D. in entomology while Faye earned two master’s, one in history and one in education. Terry started his own business, Whitworth Pest Solutions, in 1981. At first, the business was a one-man operation, working out of the couple’s garage. It quickly expanded and now, nearly 40 years later, has become one of the largest pest management firms in Washington state. Meanwhile, Faye took a job teaching high school social studies. She became president of her school district’s teachers’ union and was chief negotiator for her district for 10 years. She also spent many years as a trainer, helping teachers keep up with the frequent changes in the profession. She retired in 2006.

Terry retired from day-to-day operations in 2008 and has since set up a lab in his home where he studies his specialty: blow flies and their relatives. He has published 34 refereed papers and described 41 new species of blow flies and mesembrinellids. The couple regularly hosts visiting graduate students and professors who want to learn about blow fly identification, dissection and photographic techniques. On a 2009 insect collecting trip to the Caribbean, Terry found a new species of blow fly and, to recognize all Faye’s support over the years, he named it after her – much to her delight – Lucilia fayeae. Last May, the couple celebrated their 53rd anniversary.


Faye and Terry Whitworth

Alumnus and entrepreneur Doug Villhard will return to campus and give all interested students advice on starting and running a business.

“The Art of the Side Hustle” will take place from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 16 in Magruder Hall 2001. Villhard will teach students how to put their passion for entrepreneurship into practice while succeeding as a full-time student. He will discuss how to select the perfect “side hustle,” how to launch it quickly and how to learn and iterate along the way.
 
Villhard started his career at Disney before leaving the corporate world 20 years ago to start companies – and side hustles. In addition to serving as a professor and academic director of entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis, he is the CEO and co-founder of Second Street, a software as a service tech company in the audience engagement space working with more than 4,000 newspapers, radio and TV stations across the country. He is also the managing director and co-founder of Villhard Growth Partners and chairman and co-founder of a non-profit high school he and his wife, Diane, started in their hometown.

Doug (’94) and Diane (’95) established the Villhard Innovation Fund at Truman in 2016 to assist the University in expanding entrepreneurial and innovative opportunities for students. They are the inspirational force behind Truman’s Bulldog B.I.T.E. pitch competition. In the spring of 2019 Doug joined the Truman faculty to teach “The Art and Science of Entrepreneurial Thinking.”

Villhard’s presentation is open to students of all majors. Pizza will be available for those in attendance. Tickets are limited so the courtesy of an RSVP is requested by Oct. 14. To RSVP, visit truman.edu/sidehustle.

Students can talk with program faculty to learn more about their options and program admissions. Programs to be at the fair include: accountancy, athletic training, communication disorders, English, music, leadership and education. All students are welcome to learn about these programs.

This event is part of Truman Graduate Education Week, Oct. 21-25. Contact Brandy Schneider or Bethany Gibson for more information.

In individual speaking events, senior Austin Sopko reached finals in three different events. Sopko finished second in prose interpretation, third in duo interpretation with junior Audrey Baker and sixth in impromptu speaking. Baker also reached finals in three events. In addition to her third place in duo with Sopko, she finished second in persuasive speaking and fifth in prose interpretation. Finally, first-year Lucah McCullough reached the finals of poetry interpretation, earning sixth place.

In Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate, senior Caleb Daniels went 4-0 in preliminary rounds and reached the semifinals, making him one of the top four debaters at the tournament in open division. Sophomore Macy Cecil also advanced to elimination rounds, finishing as an octofinalist. Finally, first-year Zoie Francisco advanced to elimination rounds of the novice division, where she finished as a quarterfinalist.

These achievements mean Truman forensics has already earned 12 different qualifications to nationals after only two tournament weekends in the competitive season. The team will travel next to the University of Central Missouri for the Missouri Mule tournament, Oct. 18-20.

For more information on how to get involved, visit forensics.truman.edu or contact Christopher Outzen, director of forensics or Craig Hennigan, assistant director of forensics.

The book examines Chile’s Chiloé Archipelago and a unique case of culture change and rapid industrialization in the 20th century. Since the arrival of the first European settlers in the late 1500s, Chiloé was given little attention by colonial and national governments on mainland Chile. Islanders developed a way of life heavily dependent on marine resources, native crops like the potato and the cooperative labor practice known as the minga.

Starting in the 1980s, Chiloé emerged as a key player in the global seafood market as major companies moved into the region to extract wild stocks of fish and to grow salmon and shellfish for export. The region’s economy shifted abruptly from one of subsistence farming and fishing to wage labor in export industries. Local knowledge, traditions, memories and identities similarly shifted, with younger islanders expressing a more critical view of the rural past than their elders.

Daughters recounts the unique history of this region, emphasizing the generational tensions, disconnects and continuities of the last half century. Drawing on interviews, field observations and historical documents, he brings to life one of the most culturally distinct regions of South America.

Several Truman students have had direct experience of the people and communities documented in this ethnographic history of Chiloé in the Chile Study Abroad course Daughters teaches every other year.

“Memories of Earth and Sea” is published by the University of Arizona Press. For more information, or to order a copy, visit uapress.arizona.edu/book/memories-of-earth-and-sea. To receive a 30 percent discount use the code AZFLR.

The second annual TEDxTrumanStateUniversity Conference is less than a month away.

The conference will take place Nov. 10 in the Student Union Building Georgian rooms. The first session will run from 1-2:45 p.m., and the second session will run from 3-4:45 p.m. Each session will feature three talks, activities related to the presentations, an interactive Q&A period with the speakers and light refreshments. The theme this year is “Relativity.” Speakers have been selected across a wide variety of disciplines and departments ranging from chemistry to sociology.

Ticket reservations for both sessions are free of charge and can be made in the Student Government Office on the bottom floor of the Student Union Building from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 21-25. Digital reservations will be available online in limited quantities from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1. Per TED rules, only 100 tickets are available per session, so it is highly encouraged attendees reserve their tickets as soon as possible.

TEDxTrumanStateUniversity is officially licensed under TED, an internationally recognized organization that reaches millions of viewers each year. TEDx conferences are independently organized, community-based events designed to spark discussion, showcase diverse perspectives and foster learning. Follow @TEDxTrumanStateUniversity on Facebook and Instagram for speaker announcements, behind the scenes updates about the conference, giveaways and ticketing updates.

The Homecoming 5K will take place at 8 a.m. Oct. 19. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. Pre-registration is still available until 12 p.m. Oct. 15 for a discounted rate of $15. For more information, visit the race website.

The Office of Academic Affairs is working to help maximize the selection of course offerings for the summer and interim sessions in 2020. To help them in their task, students are asked to complete a short survey, located here. This survey will ask basic questions about summer plans and have students identify three courses they are most likely to need. This information will be analyzed to help departments select the courses most likely to meet students’ current needs. Student feedback is essential to providing this service. Students are encouraged to respond to the survey no later than Nov. 1.

Leider Valencia will present “Eradicating Peace: The Other Side of the Colombian War on Drugs” at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 in Baldwin Little Theater.

Valencia is from the Campesino Coordination of Coca, Poppy and Marijuana Growers of Colombia. Emerging from the peace accords in Havana, Cuba, the COCCAM has the objective of promoting the implementation of a solution to the problem of illicit drugs.

Valencia will discuss the grassroots efforts of Afro-Colombians, campesinos and indigenous peoples working toward alternative sustainable development in areas hit hard by internal armed conflict, fumigations and forced eradication/militarization. He will also look at how various forces threaten the Colombian peace process and how movements in the U.S. may contribute in defending it.

The National Education Association (NEA) and Student Missouri State Teacher Association will be hosting a Trunk or Treat for local Kirksville students from 3:30-6 p.m. Oct. 27 in the parking lot at the southwest corner of Patterson and Franklin streets.

Trunk or treat events provide a safe, efficient way for individuals to get candy, saving trick-or-treaters – mostly young children and adults with special needs – from going door-to-door in the dark and knocking on the doors of strangers.

This event is open to both student organizations and academic departments. Participants will decorate the trunk of a vehicle and pass out candy to trick-or-treaters. A prize will be given to the fan-favorite trunk. Vehicle trunks can be decorated based on the organization or department, the Halloween holiday or any other family friendly ideas. Participants may also set up games for trick-or-treaters if they do not wish to decorate a trunk.

If organizations or departments wish to participate in Trunk or Treat, they should send an email to aep5888@truman.edu before Oct. 20.

Union and Involvement Services will accept Spring 2020 event and meeting reservation requests Oct. 22 through 12 p.m. Oct. 25.

The office will only accept paper requests. Confirmations will be emailed to campus offices and student organizations during finals week and will not be delivered to organization mailboxes. Any submissions received after 12 p.m. Oct. 25 will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis once lottery requests have been processed.

All lottery information and forms can be found here. Contact the Union and Involvement Services Office at union@truman.edu or 660.785.4222 for more information.

The 2019 North Star Music Festival will take place Oct. 25-26 under the direction of Victor Marquez, assistant professor of music.

Schedule of events includes:

Oct. 25
8 p.m.
Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall
Opening concert featuring music faculty members, Voci (chamber choir) and Cantoria

Oct. 26
3 p.m.
Ophelia Parrish 2350
Student recital, soloists and ensembles

Oct. 26
4:15 p.m.
Ophelia Parrish 2350
Meet and greet with guest composer Ivette Herryman Rodriguez

Oct. 26
5 p.m.
Ophelia Parrish 2340
Charles Gran and Cherie Sampson, presentation of collaborative video piece “Uphold from Below”

Oct. 26
8 p.m.
Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall
Closing concert featuring Uncommon Practice and Wind Symphony I

Minor Detail, Truman’s all women a cappella group, will host the 2019 A Capella Fest at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 in Baldwin Auditorium. Admission is free. This year, six groups will be performing from Truman and other Missouri schools. Performances include:

Mizzou’s Naturelles (all women)
Truman’s TruMen (all men)
Truman’s Sweet Nothings (co-ed)
Truman’s Minor Detail (all women)
Saint Louis University’s Bare Naked Statues (all men)
Saint Louis University’s Decadence (co-ed)

The Critical Language Scholarship Program is an intensive, fully funded opportunity for American college and university students to learn one of 15 languages deemed essential by the U.S. government. The Study Abroad Office will sponsor a Critical Language Scholarship Program info session from 7-8:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in Baldwin Hall 114.

Students should file the 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) located at fafsa.gov as soon as possible to determine aid eligibility.

Although some students may not qualify for grants or work study, all are considered for the federal direct loan (no co-signer required). Filing the FAFSA does not commit a student to taking a loan, but it does allow more payment options.

The 2020-21 FAFSA requires students to report income and tax information from 2018. It is recommended that students should apply before Feb. 1, 2020. For questions, contact the Financial Aid Office in McClain Hall 103 or call 660.785.4130.

Cultural experiences will include a day of service in Puerto Maldonado and exploration of Lima. Coursework for the class will begin on campus in the first block of summer session and will be aimed at providing students background information and tools to develop their research projects.


This four-credit study abroad course fulfills the intercultural perspective and provides four biology elective credits. There are no prerequisites to participate, and non-degree seeking students are eligible to enroll. Application and more information can be found at studyabroad.truman.edu/programs/faculty-led/peru.

Stephanie Foré, professor of biology, and Enrique Pareja, assistant professor of STEM education, MAE mathematics and science, are the faculty members who will oversee the trip. Students can meet them at an informational session at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30 in Magruder Hall 2007.

The Communication Disorders Department (CMDS) will host a Graduate Student Open House from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in the Health Science Building Room 2203. All prospective students interested in pursuing a master’s degree in communication disorders from Truman are invited to attend. Information regarding the CMDS graduate program, the profession, employment opportunities and funding for graduate school will be provided, along with the opportunity to meet faculty, alumni and students of the program. RSVP to Connie Ikerd, CMDS secretary, by Oct. 28.

Author and personal finance expert, Erin Lowry (also known as “Broke Millennial”) will be on campus at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Student Union Building Georgian Room to talk all things money. She will explore topics such as how to make yourself save, budgeting, and investing. Lowry will help students unearth their emotional relationship with money and discover how that impacts decisions. This is event is being made possible by FAC and the School of Business, with co-sponsors including Delta Sigma Pi, Alpha Sigma Alpha and Alpha Phi Omega.

Peter Ramberg, professor of history of science, has been named associate editor of Ambix: The Journal of the Society for History of Alchemy and Chemistry, the leading journal in the history of chemistry. He will be responsible for editing submitted articles on 18th and 19th century chemistry, and will begin his duties in January 2020.

Michael Barnes, assistant professor of accounting, and his co-author, Kathy Enget of the University of Albany-SUNY, received the MidAmerican Business Deans Association (MABDA) 2019 Innovation in Business Education Award for their audit escape room activity.