Notable Alumni
TOM BERENGER
Tom Berenger was born on May 31, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois. He came to the University of Missouri planning to pursue journalism, but changed his mind when he was cast in a university production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971.
Berenger began working in theater through regional repertory productions and then landed roles on television soap operas. He is best known for his film roles in “The Big Chill,” “Platoon,” and “Major League.” In 2012 Berenger won an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for his Supporting Actor role, Miniseries or Movie in "Hatfields & McCoys," History.
JON HAMM
Hamm attended the private John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri, where he was a member of the football, baseball, and swim teams and dated future actress Sarah Clarke. Hamm attended Mizzou where he answered an advertisement from a theater company looking for players in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, auditioned, and was cast in the production. Other roles followed, such as Leon Czolgosz in Assassins. After graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Hamm returned to his high school to teach eighth-grade acting as a gesture of repayment for the school's support during his adolescent years. One of his students was Ellie Kemper, an actress best known for her role on The Office.
For much of the mid-1990s, Hamm lived in Los Angeles as a struggling actor appearing in small parts in multiple television series, including Providence, The Division, What About Brian and Related. In 2000 he made his feature film debut in Clint Eastwood's space adventure, Space Cowboys. The following year, Hamm appeared in the independent comedy, Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) in a minor role.
Hamm gained global recognition for playing advertising executive Don Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men, which premiered in July 2007. Hamm's performance earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. Aside from his work on Mad Men, Hamm appeared in the 2008 science fiction remake, The Day the Earth Stood Still and claimed his first leading film role in the independent thriller Stolen (2010). Hamm had a supporting role in the 2010 crime film The Town and in Sucker Punch and Bridesmaids in 2011.
SHERYL CROW
Singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri on February 11, 1962. At Mizzou, Crow was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, ODK, Homecoming Steering Committee and served as a Summer Welcome leader. Crow graduated from Mizzou in 1984 with a degree in music education.
After graduation, Crow moved to St. Louis, where she worked for a few years as a music teacher for autistic children. She performed with a band and recorded advertising jingles on the side, and moved to Los Angeles in 1986 to try her luck in the music business. Crow’s first big break came when she was selected as a back-up singer for Michael Jackson’s international Bad tour. After the tour, she worked with a number of different artists as a session vocalist and songwriter, and in the early 1990s got involved with a group called the Tuesday Night Music Club.
In 1996, she released her self-titled album with the hit singles "If It Makes You Happy," "Everyday Is a Winding Road," and "A Change Would Do You Good.” The album went triple-platinum, and Crow brought home Grammys for Best Rock Album and Best Female Rock Vocals. Since then, she has recorded other hit albums, including the recent "Detours" album and "C’mon", with the hit “Soak Up the Sun.”
Crow returned to Mizzou in 2002 to perform a concert and again in 2003 to serve as the Homecoming Grand Marshal.
BRAD PITT
Brad Pitt was born on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He attended Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri and majored in journalism at the University of Missouri. He was a member of Sigma Chi and the Homecoming Steering Committee and did some acting in Greek talent events. Just two credits shy of graduating, Pitt took off for Los Angeles to start his acting career.
Pitt landed a few bit parts on the primetime soap opera “Dallas” and daytime soap “Another World” and made his film debut in the low-budget thriller “Cutting Class”. He gained greater recognition for his role as J.D. in 1991’s “Thelma and Louise” and was named People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1995 after starring in “Legends of the Fall”. His other film credits include “Interview with the Vampire”, “Se7en”, “12 Monkeys”, “7 Years in Tibet”, “Snatch”, “The Mexican”, “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Fight Club”.
SAM WALTON
Sam Walton was born on March 29, 1918 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. He graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Missouri in 1940. While at Mizzou, Walton was a member of Beta Theta Pi and was inducted into QEBH.
After graduating from Mizzou, he served as a Captain in the Army Intelligence Corps from 1942 to 1945. He married his wife Helen in 1943, and they had four children over their 49 years together. A few years later, Walton moved to Arkansas, where he set up the first Ben Franklin five-and-dime store.
He opened his first Wal-Mart store in 1962, and the company went public in 1970. Specializing in selling name brands at low prices, Wal-Mart stores began to pop up across the nation, and in 1991 Wal-Mart became the largest U.S. retailer with over 1,700 stores. Walton maintained his position as president and CEO of Wal-Mart until 1988 and chairman until his death in 1992.
CHRIS COOPER
Chris Cooper was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 9, 1951. He served in the Coast Guard Reserve before graduating from the University of Missouri in 1976.
He appeared in the 1980 Broadway production of “Of the Fields Lately” and the off-Broadway productions of "The Ballad of Soapy Smith (1983)" and "A Different Moon (1983)". He has appeared in numerous films and television programs, including “The Patriot,” “October Sky,” “American Beauty,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “Seabiscuit,” and won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2003 for his role in the film "Adaptation."
JIM LEHRER
Jim Lehrer was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1934. He is a graduate of Victoria College in Texas and a 1956 graduate of the University of Missouri Journalism School. After three years as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, he worked for ten years in Dallas as a newspaperman and then as the host of a local experimental news program on public television.
He came to Washington with PBS in 1972, teaming with Robert MacNeil in 1973 to cover the Senate Watergate hearings. They began in 1975 what became The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, and, in 1983, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, the first 60-minute evening news program on television. When MacNeil retired in 1995, the program was renamed The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Lehrer has been honored with numerous awards for journalism, including a presidential National Humanities Medal in 1999. In the last four presidential elections, he moderated nine of the nationally televised candidate debates.
"No Certain Rest" is Lehrer's thirteenth novel; his fourteenth, "Flying Crows", was published in June 2004. He has also written two memoirs and three plays. He and his novelist wife Kate have three daughters and six grandchildren.
JANN CARL
Jann Carl was born on May 19, 1960 in Carthage, Missouri. While at Mizzou, she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, ODK, the MAA Student Board, and a Tiger mascot. She graduated with a degree in journalism in 1982.
From Columbia, Carl moved to Chicago to begin her broadcast news career at ABC affiliate WLS-TV. That job led to an offer in Los Angeles as a news reporter and then to a position as co-host of KABC’s magazine show “Eye on L.A.” Three years later, she was named anchor of KTLA's "News at Ten," the #1 primetime news broadcast in Los Angeles, and won three Los Angeles Emmy Awards during her eight-year tenure. In 1996, Carl joined the team at Entertainment Tonight, where she currently works as substitute anchor, weekend anchor, and correspondent.
In conjunction with her ET duties, Ms. Carl co-hosted both the 2003 Oscar Countdown show on ABC, and the 2003 Emmy Awards pre-show on FOX. She also co-hosted CBS's 2003 annual Rose Parade and serves as a national board member for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and co-host for the organization’s Labor Day Telethon.
Carl returned to Mizzou in 2001 as Homecoming Grand Marshal and has been extremely active in promoting Mizzou through her work on the Campaign Steering Committee. She and her husband David live in Los Angeles with their two children. On Oct 2, 2009, she was honored with a Faculty Alumni Award for her ongoing volunteerism and service to MU.
KATE CAPSHAW
Kate Capshaw was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 3, 1953. As a Mizzou student, Capshaw was a member of Alpha Delta Pi. She graduated with an education degree in 1975 and taught special education classes at Columbia’s Rock Bridge High School.
Her desire to be an actress led her to New York where she landed a role on the soap "The Edge of the Night" (1956). She met her future husband, Steven Spielberg while beating out 120 actresses for the female lead in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984). Her other films include “Just Cause”, “How to Make an American Quilt”, “The Locusts”, and “Space Camp”.
She has been married to Spielberg since 1991, and their family includes seven children.
MORT WALKER
Mort Walker was born in 1923 in El Dorado, Kansas. He published his first comic when he was 11, and at 18, he became chief editorial designer at Hall Bros., ushering in a light, playful style for the company's Hallmark Cards line.
In 1943, Walker was drafted into the Army. He was discharged as a first lieutenant four years later, and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1948. While at Mizzou, he was a member of Kappa Sigma and an editor of the school magazine.
He then went to New York City to pursue his cartooning career. In order to survive he worked as editor of three magazines for Dell Publishing Company. His first 200 cartoons were rejected, but he persisted, and editors started to recognize his talent. In two years he was the top-selling magazine cartoonist.
His first big break came in 1950, when King Features picked up "Beetle Bailey" for syndication. King Features now distributes "Beetle Bailey" to roughly 1,800 newspapers. A statue of Beetle Bailey sits in front of Reynolds Alumni Center in recognition of Walker’s talents. Walker and his wife, Catherine, have 10 children between them from previous marriages.
ELIZABETH VARGAS
Elizabeth Vargas was born on September 6, 1962. She graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1984.
Vargas joined ABCNEWS from NBC News, where she spent three years as a correspondent and anchor, mostly for Dateline NBC and the Today show. Prior to joining NBC News, Vargas spent four years as a reporter and anchor for WBBM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Chicago. From 1986-1989, she was the lead reporter for KTVK-TV, the ABC affiliate in Phoenix. Earlier, she worked as a reporter-anchor for KTVN-TV, the CBS affiliate in Reno, Nev.
JOHN ANDERSON
John Anderson was born on May 13, 1965 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. While a Mizzou student, Anderson was a varsity letter winner in track and field. He graduated with a degree in journalism in 1987.
Anderson currently serves as co-anchor of ESPN SportsCenter. He joined ESPN in June 1999 as an ESPNEWS anchor after spending nine years as a sports anchor for local stations in Tulsa and Phoenix.
Anderson won the Outstanding Sports Feature Reporting Award presented by the Oklahoma chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in both 1994 and 1995. In 1997, he received the Associated Press television award in Arizona for outstanding performance in broadcast journalism.
In 2002, Anderson returned to Mizzou to serve as the Homecoming Grand Marshal. He currently resides in Southington, Connecticut.
NEAL BOYD
Neal E. Boyd, known worldwide as "The Voice of Missouri," grew up in Sikeston, Missouri. He discovered operatic music in junior high school when his older brother was forced to do a school project involving classical music and brought home a CD of the Three Tenors. A creative seed was planted, and Neal went on to study Speech Communications, Political Science, and Vocal Music at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO, and the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, graduating from both universities simultaneously in May 2001. Boyd was the winner of America's Got Talent in 2008, and was awarded the $1-million prize and a headline show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Neal signed to Decca Records and released his debut album, My American Dream in 2009. It debuted at #195 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top Classical Albums Chart. In 2010, Neal performed for President Barack Obama when the President visted Missouri. Since 2010, Boyd has also performed for Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George Walker Bush.
NORM STEWART
“Stormin” Norm Stewart, best known for his 32-year career as head basketball coach at Mizzou, is the only person in the school’s history to be inducted into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame as both a student-athlete and coach.
The Shelbyville, Missouri native and double threat lettered in both basketball and baseball at MU in 1954, 1955 and 1956. Stewart still ranks fourth at Mizzou for his 24.1 point scoring average in ’56. He was drafted into the NBA for the St. Louis Hawks as well as the MLB for the Baltimore Orioles upon graduation.
After six seasons as head coach for the University of Northern Iowa, Stewart returned to his beloved alma mater to begin his tenure as head coach at the University of Missouri in 1967. As one of college basketball’s greatest coaches, Steward won eight Big Eight Conference championships and six conference tournament titles. Under him, the Tigers appeared in 15 NCAA Tournaments, including two elite eights.
Stewart missed part of the 89-90 season to fight his battle with colon cancer, leading him to found Coaches vs. Cancer, an organization that raises millions of dollars for research on the disease to this day. Stewart retired in 1999 and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. He continues to travel and attend various speaking engagements and provide color commentary on Mizzou basketball broadcasts.
LISA MYERS
Lisa Myers was born in Joplin, Missouri. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri in 1973, where she was a member of Mortar Board, Student Foundation, and the Savitar staff. She went on to attend the Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems at Georgetown University.
Myers currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for NBC News and as a senior member of NBC's award-winning political team. Before joining NBC in 1981, Myers was White House correspondent for The Washington Star. While there, she covered the Senate and the 1980 campaigns of Reagan and Carter. Between 1977 and 1979, she was a Washington correspondent for the Chicago Sun-Times. Myers currently resides in Washington, D.C.
TIM KAINE
Timothy Kaine grew up in the Kansas City area and attended Rockhurst High School. After graduating from MU in 1979 with a degree in economics, he moved to Virginia and attended Harvard Law. Kaine practiced law in Richmond for 17 years, receiving national recognition for his advocacy of fair housing. He began his political career in Richmond when he was elected to city council, serving two terms as mayor before he was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor, then Governor of Virginia in 2006.
During his gubernatorial term, Kaine was considered closely as a running mate for Barack Obama in 2008. He did not win, but took the position of Democratic Party Chairman at the request of President Obama the following year. Kaine won the 2012 U.S. Senate Race, becoming one of three MU graduates to begin their six-year Senate terms in 2013- the most of any state-supported school. He is a longtime advocate of his alma mater, and was recognized with a Mizzou Alumni Association Faculty-Alumni Award in 2004.
WILLIAM F. BAKER
Fulton native William Frazier Baker obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri in 1975. Among his many achievements since, he is credited with the development of the buttressed core system for the tallest man-made structure in the world, Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Baker also spearheaded the structural design for other famous skyscrapers, including the AT&T Corporate Center and the Trump International Tower and Hotel in Chicago.
Baker has earned several awards for his work, including the University of Missouri Engineering Alumni Organization’s 2010 Citation of Merit award for outstanding achievement in engineering. He currently serves as the structural and civil engineering partner for Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill LLP. He continues to speak on a variety of engineering topics in the US and abroad.
CARL EDWARDS
This American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver grew up in Columbia, MO and attended Mizzou in the mid 2000's. In 2007, he became the NASCAR Busch Series Champion.
2008 was Carl Edwards' strongest year, finishing second to Jimmie Johnson in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Edwards won the 2008 Auto Club 500, his 1st Sprint Cup win of the year. The following week, Edwards won the UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his first back to back victories since 2005 when he won back to back in Atlanta and Texas. These victories would put Edwards at the top of the point standings for the first time in his career.
Off the track, Carl has been busy promoting his new record label, Back40 Records, a company he started with a high school friend back in Columbia.
DEBBYE TURNER
Debbye Turner was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 19, 1965. She graduated in 1986 from Arkansas State University and received her doctorate degree in veterinary medicine in 1991 from the University of Missouri.
Since being crowned Miss America in 1990, Turner has addressed more than 500,000 students at 500 schools, youth organizations and college campuses as a motivational speaker on topics of self-esteem, perseverance and the importance of education.
Turner currently works as a contributor to CBS’s “The Early Show.” Prior to joining CBS, she served as co-host of KSDK’s “Show Me St. Louis” and hosted a PBS series about pets and veterinary medicine, called “The Gentle Doctor.” Turner currently resides in St. Louis.
JAMES FERGASON
James Fergason was born on January 12, 1934 in Wakenda, Missouri and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1956. After graduating, he formed and led the first industrial research group in liquid crystal research while at Westinghouse Research Laboratories in Pennsylvania. There, he invented the first practical uses of liquid crystals.
He joined the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University in Ohio in the 1960s. While Associate Director, Fergason discovered the twisted nematic field effect of liquid crystals which forms the scientific basis of modern LCDs. Fergason, who holds over 100 U.S. patents, currently works as an independent inventor.
KELLEN WINSLOW
Kellen Winslow was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. He graduated with an education degree from the University of Missouri in 1987 and earned a law degree from the University of San Diego. While captain of the football team at Mizzou, Winslow was also a member of secret honor society QEBH.
In 1979, he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers. He enjoyed a nine-year career with the Chargers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
Kellen has appeared on Fox Sports, ABC's Nightline, ESPN, and most major local and national radio and television sports talk shows. He is often called upon to speak on social, political, economic, and racial issues related to sports.
Kellen is in demand as a public speaker, yet he still finds time to lend his talents to youth groups and church organizations. He delivers motivational message to audiences ranging from the boards of major corporations to civic and charitable groups.
GEORGE C. SCOTT
George C. Scott was born on October 18, 1927 in Wise, Virginia. He served in the Marines from 1945-1949 before starting college. He entered the University of Missouri as a journalism student, but graduated in 1953 with degrees in English and drama.
He spent seven years in regional repertory theater and taught a drama course at Stephens College before moving to New York City. He held roles in several theatrical, television, and film productions, and is best known for his Academy-Award winning performance in the title role of “Patton” (1970). Scott died on September 22, 1999.
ROBERT LOGGIA
Robert Loggia was born January 3, 1930 in New York City. He graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1951. He left his plans for a journalistic career and began studying at the New York Actor’s Studio. He is best known for his roles in the films “An Officer and a Gentleman” (1981), “Scarface” (1983), and “Big” (1988). He has received both Academny Award and Emmy nods for his various supporting roles.
GERALD BOYD
Gerald M. Boyd first fell in love with journalism after attending an Upward Bound program his junior year of high school in St. Louis, where he was raised by his grandmother. He received a full scholarship to the University of Missouri in 1969, and after graduation went on to work at the St Louis Post Dispatch. His competitive and hardworking spirit led to his rapid ascension in the ranks of the journalism world, and at 29, he was chosen for a prestigious Nieman fellowship at Harvard University.
Boyd joined The New York Times’ Washington bureau in 1978 and was the first black journalist to serve as managing editor and metropolitan editor at The Times. He led coverage on three Pulitzer-winning series on the first World Trade Center bombing, child poverty, and the complexities of race relations in the United States. Throughout his career, he was known as a constant and knowledgeable voice on leadership, ethics and diversity.
Gerald Boyd passed away in 1996 at the age of 56 and is survived by his wife, fellow journalist Robin Stone, and their son Zachary.
LINDA GODWIN
Linda Godwin was born on July 2, 1952 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Southeast Missouri State University in 1974, and earned a master’s and a doctorate degree from the University of Missouri in 1976 and 1980.
Dr. Godwin joined NASA in 1980 in the Payload Operations Division and was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1985. She is a veteran of four space flights and is a recipient of the NASA Outstanding Performance Rating, Sustained Superior Performance Award, and Outstanding Leadership Award.
ROGER WEHRLI
NFL Hall-of-Famer Roger Wehrli started his outstanding football career at his high school in King City, Missouri. He was recruited to MU by coach Dan Devine in 1965, where he was a standout defensive back and kick returner. Wehrli set eight University records including most interceptions in a season (7 in 1968) and most in a game (3 vs. Oklahoma State in 1968). He led the nation in punt returns and was unanimously voted All-American in 1968.
Wehrli was a first round draft choice by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969. He stayed with the team for his entire 13-year career in the NFL, becoming a perennial Pro-Bowl selection. After the end of his long pro career, he was voted a charter member of the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990. He was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming the second Missouri player to be elected after Kellen Winslow.
WILLIAM LEAST HEAT MOON
William Trogdon, who writes under the name William Least Heat Moon, was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1939. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism and a doctorate degree in English from the University of Missouri.
He is the author of “Blue Highways," which spent 32 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He also wrote “Prairyerth”, an epic evocation of the American tallgrass prairie country; and “River-Horse”, an account of his travels along America's interior waterways.
LINDA BELL BLUE
Linda Bell Blue was born on March 6, 1956. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Mizzou in 1978. At Mizzou, she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta and the Maneater staff.
Bell Blue is currently the executive producer of Entertainment Tonight. Before joining ET in 1995, she served as executive producer of Hard Copy. She also worked for news stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit.
RUSS MITCHELL
Russ Mitchell was born on March 25, 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Mitchell currently co-anchors CBS News Saturday Morning, which he has done since November 1997. He also serves as one of the primary anchors of the CBS Evening News Saturday Edition, and as a CBS News correspondent, contributing to many broadcasts, including the CBS Evening News With Dan Rather, first from Washington, D.C. and currently from New York. Mitchell previously worked as a correspondent for the CBS news magazine Eye to Eye, and before that, he reported at news stations in St. Louis, Dallas, and Kansas City.
Mitchell was honored by the Mizzou Alumni Association with a Faculty Alumni Award in 2008.
CANDICE CRAWFORD
Candice Crawford was born and raised in Texas with her brother Chace Crawford of Gossip Girls fame. While at MU, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women and worked as a sports reporter and anchor at KOMU. In 2008, she won the title of Miss Missouri and went on to compete in the Miss USA pageant, where she placed in the top ten.
After graduating from Mizzou in 2009 Crawford went on to report on the Dallas Cowboys on the CBS show “The Blitz” and later CW affiliate KDAF, where she reported on high school sports. She was also the host of Dallas Cowboys weekend sports show “Special Edition”. It was here that she met Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who would become her husband in 2011. The couple had their first child, Hawkins, in April 2012.
LINDA BLOODWORTH-THOMASON
Linda Bloodworth-Thomason was born on April 15, 1947 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She graduated from Mizzou with a bachelor’s degree in English literature in 1969. In 1983, she returned to Mizzou to serve as the Homecoming Grand Marshal.
Bloodworth-Thomason is the creator/writer of Designing Women and Evening Shade, two of CBS Television's most successful comedy series. She also served as Executive Producer, along with her husband Harry Thomason, on three other series, Hearts Afire, Women of the House and Emeril.
To honor her late mother, Claudia, Bloodworth-Thomason created The Claudia Foundation, which provides scholarships for qualified girls in Arkansas and Missouri who would otherwise not be able to attend college. Bloodworth-Thomason has donated over one million dollars to these scholarships, which has put 87 women in colleges and universities across the country.
CHUCK ROBERTS
Chuck Roberts was born on October 25, 1947. In 1971, he graduated from Mizzou with a degree in journalism.
Roberts was one of the longest-serving anchors among the CNN networks and anchored weekday CNN Headline News broadcasts since the network's debut on New Year's Day, 1982.
Before joining CNN Headline News, Roberts was the principal weeknight anchor at KMTV in Omaha, Neb.
TRUMAN THE TIGER
Truman the Tiger is a die-hard Missouri fan. Since he was born on September 13, 1986, at Faurot Field, he has never missed a game at Ol’ Mizzou. Truman especially enjoys chasing Jayhawks and Buffaloes.
When Truman is not cheering on the Tigers, he is studying hard to make good grades in all of his classes. Truman wants everyone to wear their black and gold to all home Tiger athletic events. Go Tigers!
DONALD W. REYNOLDS
Media entrepreneur Donald Worthington Reynolds was born in 1906 in Oklahoma City, beginning his long and outstanding media career selling copies of the Oklahoma News at the railroad depot. When he set his sights on the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, he began work at a meat packing plant to pay tuition.
After graduating in 1927, he began work in a photo engraving company. He used profits from this business venture to buy his first newspapers. This quickly led to the launch of Donrey Media Group, which would later expand into more than 100 enterprises in the newspaper, radio, television and advertising industries.
Reynolds’ media career was interrupted by his service in World War II, where he was officer in charge of editions of the solider newspaper “YANK” and earned several decorations including the Purple Heart. When he returned to civilian life in 1945, he continued to expand his business empire, building one of the nation’s largest privately held media companies.
In his later years and since his death in 1993, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has awarded several generous gifts to his alma mater to construct the Reynolds Alumni Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. The Foundation continues his legacy of charitable giving in the areas of journalism, aging and quality of life, cardiovascular research and other general nonprofit programs.
Faculty Alumni Award Recipients:
All past Recipients