Mizzou Weekly

Work place: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Development & Alumni Relations
Title: ESAIII
Years at MU: 20
Hometown: Raytown, Mo.
Favorite food: My favorite drink would be easier to identify. I love Diet Mountain Dew and Diet Pepsi
Favorite movie: I have a tendency to like the movie I just saw whether it’s Secretariat or Harry Potter. But I’d have to say my perennial favorite is Gone with the Wind. 
Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Harry Potter series, The Twilight series, Gone with the Wind
Favorite music: Wes Montgomery, almost anything you’d find on a 60’s radio station – Motown, Beach Boys, Beatles
Favorite quote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”  Mark Twain   
Favorite sport: Pro football, MU football and basketball
Favorite vacation spot: Wherever the family is
Family: I have a wonderful husband, Dick, and two lovely and talented daughters, Jennifer and Leighann.  When Leighann married, we added a son, Jeremy.
Undergraduate/graduate education: BS ED ‘72
What are your current job duties? I support the Vice Chancellor and act for him at his discretion.
Why are you passionate about your job? I was the first college graduate from my family and I know how difficult that journey can be. I also know how much a college education did for me and I wish that for others. I like being around students and watching them grow and progress; I especially like working in Development because I believe the support of friends and alumni will enable institutions of higher education to move forward in the future.  Extended State support is just not available anymore. 
What is your favorite part about working at Mizzou? The people I work with are remarkable, both staff and friends and alumni. They are committed to doing the very best job they can do and in spreading the story of Mizzou.
If you weren’t doing this for a living, what would your dream job be? That’s a really hard question because I can’t imagine not doing this job. This is pretty much my dream job.
What do you enjoy most about your job? I think I enjoy talking with friends and donors more than anything.  They all have such interesting stories and they are so interested in MU.
How do you spend your time away from the university? My husband and I live out in the county and I do a lot of gardening and yard work which I really like. I also enjoy refinishing furniture. In addition, we do welded art which we both enjoy a lot. We call ourselves Second Chance Art.
What do you consider the most rewarding aspects of your job?  I like being able to accomplish whatever task I’ve been given to the satisfaction of whoever is concerned. 
What is the most demanding/challenging aspects of your job? I think one of the hardest things I have to do is to occasionally deal with people that do not care about the university as I do.  Their short-sighted or callous remarks are sometimes hard to take.
How do you meet these challenges? I just have to let the remarks go and not focus too closely on them.
Is there a single achievement you’ve been recognized for as an employee at MU or related to your outside activities? My husband and I have been the subject of several articles on our artwork in the local papers.