Awards and Achievements

Awards and Achievements

Business

David K. Wilson, director of operations for K.T.I. and Associates Inc., a Springfield-based private investigations company, was awarded with his Tennessee and Indiana private investigator's licenses.

Debora Biggs was named Member of the Year 2000 by Greater Ozarks Business and Professional Women during their annual observance of National Working Women's Week in October.

Donna Powers was named an approved McDonald's owner/operator of the McDonald's system. She owns the McDonald's restaurants in Springfield at South Campbell, West Sunshine, East Kingsley and Bass Pro Shop.

Education

Keith Ekstam and Sharon Harper, associate professors in the art and design departments at Southwest Missouri State University, and Jeffrey Price, a recent SMSU alumnus with a bachelor of fine arts degree, were awarded $1,000 in the annual Fine Arts competition at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

Peggy Pearl, PhD, professor of child development at SMSU, was awarded $5,821 from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the project "The Learning Connection."

Karen Horny, dean of library services at SMSU, along with Richard Carlson and Frank McGuire, architects for Cannon Design, presented a lecture entitled "The Library: Dinosaur or Chameleon? Innovative Planning in the Age of Information" at the International Meeting of the Society for College and University Planning in Denver. The presentation focused on the challenge of integrating architecture, education and technology needs.

Alphonso Johnson, PhD, director of the TRIO program at SMSU, and Lynn Wasson, PhD, associate professor of management at SMSU, were awarded $198,582 from the U.S. Department of Education for the project "Student Support Services (TRIO program)."

Dane Claussen, PhD, assistant professor of communication and mass media at SMSU, was elected to several positions in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Leadership positions Claussen was appointed to are: the research and paper competition chair of the AEJMC Mass Communication and Society Division; the teaching standards chair in the AEJMC History Division; and professional freedom and responsibility co-chair for the AEJMC Cultural and Critical Studies Division.

Mark Rees, research archaeologist in the Center for Archaeological Research, was awarded $3,472.31 from the city of Sweet Springs, for the project "Archaeological and Architectural Studies, city of Sweet Springs, Saline County, Mo. (CAR-1146)."

Financial

Michael Phillips, CPA, and James M. Lewis, CPA, CFP, shareholders at the Springfield-based firm of Kirkpatrick, Phillips and Miller, attended the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants 2000 National Auto Dealership Conference in New Orleans.

Health care

Cox Health Systems Auxiliary's Partners in Creative Care Program received the Extraordinary Program Award 2000 from the American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services. The program allows patients on the oncology and neurology units at Cox South to experience a soothing, happy atmosphere during a stressful time.

Lynn A. Morris, pharmacist and owner of Family Pharmacy, attended an eight-hour continuing education program sponsored by the Ozark Area Pharmacist Association at Chateau on the Lake Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Branson on Oct. 29. More than 100 pharmacists attended from Missouri and Arkansas.

Nonprofit

The American Lung Association of Western Missouri received a grant from Commerce Bank that will be used to provide "High School Heroes" to schools in 23 counties in southwest Missouri. "High School Heroes" is a program in which high school students are trained to present a tobacco-use prevention program to youth in grades four through six in their communities.

Technology

Corporate Business Systems of Springfield, owned by Jim Quesenberry, was named one of the country's Elite Dealers by Office Dealer magazine. The award is presented annually by the magazine to the top 80 dealers in the United States.

Employees of Positronic Industries Inc. received Journeyman Apprenticeship Certificates from the U.S. Department of Labor after completing the company-sponsored program designed to advance employee technical skills while workers engage in a combination of classroom and on-the-job training. Seven employees from the Springfield-based Eldon facility completed the three-year screw machine setup and operate program: Donovan Craig, Ray Salois, Jay Larimore, Eric Gramm, Rob Howat, Paul Lombardo and Casey McDaniel. Mount Vernon employees Mike Eckard, Allen Johnson and Bobby Seitz finished the one-year injection molding training program.

John Groves and Geoff McFarlin completed the three-year plater apprenticeship program at Springfield's Campbell Avenue facility.