Fulton's own Tom Howard has been chosen to receive the Callaway County Mizzou Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumnus Award.
The award will be presented during the chapter's 22nd annual banquet April 26 at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club at 2600 Meadow Lake Drive N.W. in New Bloomfield; social hour begins 5:30 p.m. and supper at 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Christopher Daubert, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, will be the featured speaker at the banquet.
Howard has been the CEO and general manager of Callaway Electric Cooperative since 1996.
Howard earned a B.S. in agricultural mechanization and a B.S. in agricultural economics. He was member service advisor for Three Rivers Electric Cooperative for a year before joining Callaway Electric in 1985 as director of member services, a position he held for 11 years. During this time, he has taken a leadership role in state, regional and national professional organizations.
Active in the community, Howard was president of the Fulton Area Development Corporation in 2015, overseeing the merger of FADC with the Callaway Chamber of Commerce and the Show Me Innovation Center. He also has been president of the Kingdom of Callaway Supper, master of the Mokane Masonic Lodge and chairman of the board of the Mokane United Methodist Church.
Daubert, who is also a professor in the Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering, joined Mizzou in 2017 from North Carolina State University. He's served as a professor and head of the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Services; director of the Food Rheology Laboratory; and system co-chair of Food, Biochemical and Engineered Systems.
Other awards
In addition to Daubert's speech and Howard's award, two other awards and three student scholarships will be given.
Janet Trowbridge, a Fulton Public Schools teacher, will receive the Education Award and Travis Brinker of Brinker Farms will receive the Agriculture Award.
Trowbridge earned her Master of Education degree from Mizzou and has spent 16 years as a FPS special education teacher and seven years as Student Council adviser. She was honored as FPS Teacher of the Year in 2017. She also serves on the Fulton Public Schools Foundation board of directors.
Brinker earned his degree from Mizzou in agricultural economics. In addition to farming 4,200 acres of corn and soybeans and 2,850 head of sows, he is a partner in Central Missouri Meat and Sausage. He also is a state director for the Missouri Pork Association.
The chapter will present a $1,000 Capstone scholarship, renewable for four years, to David R. Fague, a senior at Fulton High School. Local alumni scholarships will be given to Madeline G. Wilson, a senior at Calvary Lutheran High School in Jefferson City, and Gabriel T. Luebbert, a Fulton High School senior.
New chapter officers will be installed and take over July 1. They are: Mike Boulware, president; Gary Cunningham, vice president; Ken Niemeyer, secretary; and Gina McLachlan, treasurer.
Alumni and friends of the university, as well as friends of the honorees, are invited to attend. The deadline for reservations is April 20. Cost for the dinner is $25 for MAA members and $30 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to Mizzou Alumni Association-Callaway County and mailed to Mike Boulware, P.O. Box 10, Fulton 65251.
The Callaway County Alumni Chapter is one of only a few chapters nationally to achieve Capstone status - the highest level of achievement in the Mizzou Alumni Association's Chapter Recognition Program - every year since the award was established. This distinction allows the chapter to earn scholarships for local students, as well as funds for chapter activities.
For more information contact Mike Conner, president, at 573-544-1483 or [email protected].