Profiles
Jennings Bartik bio targets young readers
Northwest Missouri State University staff member Kim Todd is the author of a new book for young readers about Northwest alumna and groundbreaking computer science professional Jean Jennings Bartik. Todd works as a user consultant in Northwest’s Office of Information Technology and serves as assistant director of the Jean Jennings Bartik Computing Museum, which is…
Read MoreErickson named to Missouri Scholars 100 list
Maryville High School senior Lukas Erickson has been named to the 2016 Missouri Scholars 100 list. The program, sponsored by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals, annually recognizes 100 of the state’s top-performing students. Erickson and his fellow Missouri Scholars will be honored at a luncheon later this month in Columbia. Each year, schools…
Read MoreRiders pay two-wheeled tribute to late friend
The throaty roar of V-twin engines filled the street outside the Bram-Danfelt Funeral Home in Maryville over the noon hour on Thursday as more than 20 black-clad motorcyclists rode in a solemn procession, not-so-silently paying tribute to one of their own. Zachery Eugene Armentrout, who died Saturday at age 29 when his transplanted heart failed…
Read MoreDougan retires as road and bridge chief
Friends and co-workers of Larry Dougan gathered at the Nodaway County Administration Center Wednesday afternoon to help the longtime road and bridge superintendent and former South District commissioner celebrate his retirement. A native of Graham, Dougan, 68, is leaving county administration after 25 years. He retirement became effective April 1. Dougan was first elected to…
Read MoreFormer Maryville resident lives to inspire
Author and speaker Sheri Ray Yates is an advocate for finding one’s purpose in life and tenaciously pursuing it. Yates, who resides in Edmond, Oklahoma, was born in Maryville, and raised here until she was about nine years old, when her family moved to Oklahoma so her stepfather could attend law school. She still visits…
Read MoreA Day in the Life: The Rev. Joe Ledbetter
Perhaps more than people in any other profession, pastors’ lives are defined by their work. And almost all men and women of the cloth will tell you that leading a group of believers along the sometimes rugged path of faith is truly a calling, not just a job. Certainly that appears to be the case…
Read MoreWoman’s martial arts journey leads to black belt
Though she’s just earned her first-degree black belt through the American Taekwondo Association, Vicki Salsbury, Maryville, says she is still just a traveler on a never-ending path followed by those who seek, but never achieve, perfection by studying a martial art. To me it’s very humbling,” Salsbury said during a recent evening practice session led…
Read MoreBikers seek God’s blessing at start of riding season
For northern Missouri motorcycle enthusiasts, the first week of April marks the traditional start of the riding season. After a long winter, bikers from all over the region breathe silent prayers of thanks for the return of warmer weather and the chance to once again feel the wind in their faces as they hit the…
Read MorePassion leads to volunteerism
Cleo Samudzi unwinds a little differently than most. As dean of the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing, Samudzi has spent his lifetime educating young people. His teachings continue even in his down time as he chases his passions in soccer. “I don’t look at it as volunteering,” he said while contradicting himself as…
Read MoreDancing runs in the family at Bearcat Boogie studio
For Dana Schmidt, dancing is both a lifelong love and a legacy. Dana and her husband, Dave, own Bearcat Boogie Dance Studio, located at 515 N. Main St. in Maryville. They began the studio in its first location on the corner of Fourth and Main back in the summer of 2001. At the time, their…
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