2005 UMKC ALUMNI AWARDS RECIPIENTS

“A community of learners making the world a better place”

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Alumnus of the Year James W. Benson There’s nothing “traditional” about the education or career path of Jim Benson, the 2005 Alumnus of the Year award recipient at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. (more..)

Alumni Service Award Harold B. Frye, Ed.D. The 2005 Alumni Service Award Winner, Harold Frye, Ed.D., is emblematic of UMKC’s School of Education, from which he received a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and an educational specialist degree before completing his doctorate in education at Kansas University. (more..)

Defying the Odds Award Damon K. Bryant Damon Bryant, vice president of creative services for WDAF-TV-Fox 4, shifts uncomfortably when an interviewer mentions that he is receiving one of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s most prestigious alumni awards (the “Defying the Odds” Award) in recognition of the many obstacles he has overcome. (more..)

Spotlight Award Robert (Bob) F. Carpenter Growing up in St. Louis, Bob Carpenter caught what he calls the “baseball bug” at an early age. “I remember my friends telling me I would actually do play-by-play broadcasts while we were outside playing a ball game,” the veteran of professional baseball play-by-play recalls. (more..)

Legacy Award - The Quinn Family • Father: Donald J. Quinn (J.D. Law '62) • Sons/Daughters: Donald J. Quinn (B.A. A&S '77; J.D. Law 80') • John Micheal Quinn (M.D. Medicine '81) • Kathy Quinn Byrne (B.A. A&S 83') • Dolores Quinn Kitchin (B.A. A&S 86') • Elizabeth Quinn Babcock (Attended) • Son-In-Law: Phillip Gerard Babcock (B.B.A. Business 85') • Daughter-In-Law: Mary Harkins Quinn (J.D. Law 84') • Grandson: Thomas Houlehan (Attended)  His family came to America from Ireland in the mid-1800s. Her family came to America from Mexico in the early 1930s. No one could have guessed that in 1953 the union between Donald J. Quinn and Victoria Garcia (Quinn) would lead to a Kansas City legacy rich in culture, education, success and service. (more..)

Alumni Achievement Awards: Arts & Sciences Elizabeth Gutierrez Elizabeth Gutierrez, the 2005 Alumni Achievement Award recipient for the College of Arts & Sciences, was an impressionable youth. In fact, the impressions she experienced between ages 3 and 13 when she traveled through much of Asia with her missionary father, a native of India, and her mother, from Minnesota, are still fueling Gutierrez’s career passions. (more..)

Biological Sciences Fernando Doņate, Ph.D. Fernando Doņate proves there’s something valid in the adage about high school and college students who excel in class and are voted “most likely to succeed.” For Doņate, the 2005 Alumni Achievement Award winner for the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, excellence in the classroom and in research was the beginning of his journey to a promising profession as a scientist.. (more..)

Business & Public Administration Mark Funkhouser, Ph. D. For Mark Funkhouser, work as the city auditor of Kansas City, Mo, is less about finances than you might think. Though serving as a watchdog of the city’s fiscal management is a large part of the job, at the end of the day, it’s about improving city government and as a result, improving the lives of citizens. (more..)

Computing & Engineering Sharon Lappin Achievement and honors have always been a part of Sharon Lappin’s career. Though it’s nice to be recognized for a job well done, that’s not what drives Lappin (’94, B.S., civil engineering), the 2005 Alumni Achievement Award for the School of Computing and Engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. (more..)

Conservatory of Music Perry Cook, Ph. D. Few people may think music can be played using a coffee mug or that music and computers are compatible. Thanks to Perry Cook’s contribution to music and technology, people can hear music played on unusual instruments and music and computers are forever intertwined. Cook has brought international recognition to the computer music industry and to UMKC. (more..)

Dentistry Jon Tilton, D.D.S. Because he had a vision -- along with unrelenting passion – nearly 9,000 impoverished patients in Kansas have received free dental care. Many of them traveled long distances – some on foot – to receive much-needed care and relieve debilitating pain. (more..)

Dental Hygiene Cynthia Amyot, Ed.D. It has often been said one’s environment has an immense impact on a person. In fact, environment molds people into the individuals they become. Environment certainly played a role in Cindy Amyot’s life. She grew up next to a dental office in the small town Grass Lake, Michigan. That experience molded the rest of her life. (more..) Education Juana Hishaw, Ph.D. Counselor. Elementary school teacher. Director of traditional schools. Organizer of foreign language magnet school as a vehicle for desegregation. Director of public information. Motivational coach for staff employees. Principal of two schools simultaneously. Budget planner. Grant writer. Director of curriculum and instruction. The listing could easily represent the career resume of three or four individuals. (more..) Law The Hon. Robert Mayer, J.D. In 1991, while living in the southeast Missouri town of Dexter, Robert Mayer took a chance that perhaps few people would. When his job as a manager at a local manufacturing facility was eliminated, he decided to go back to school to complete his undergraduate degree. Then he took an even bigger risk. He followed his dream of working as an attorney (more..) Medicine Stanley Shaffer, M.D. In 1968, young Stanley Shaffer was a Kansas City boy who was mesmerized by magic. His passion was for things like pulling a coin from behind a friend’s ear, unhooking and re-hooking metal rings or predicting a single card selected sight unseen from a deck of 52. (more..) Nursing Sally Ellis Fletcher Sally Ellis Fletcher came by her introduction to health care quite naturally. Her mother was a nurse. Her father was a doctor. And her paternal great-grandmother was a midwife on the plantation. Looking back, she recalls, “Health care is all I ever knew. We frequently talked about health care during dinner time.” (more..) Pharmacy Kathy Browne Kathy Browne knows the importance of letting “your light shine” as a guide to others. She was taught the importance of having a career that would serve people, and she has put the life-lesson into practice. Her commitment to a values-driven career is one of the key reasons Browne is the winner of the 2005 School of Pharmacy Alumni Achievement Award at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. (more..)