Beth Howard Snyder will receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award when the Callaway County Chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association celebrates its 26th anniversary on May 19.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be a casual family affair at 5:30 p.m. at Serenity Valley Winery in Millersburg. Drinks from Serenity Valley Winery and food from the Smokin' Pickle food truck will be available for purchase.
Snyder is an award-winning graphic artist, businesswoman and community leader. Co-founder and owner of 1canoe2, a letterpress and illustration company that has grown to more than $2.1 million in yearly gross sales, she also serves as president of the Callaway Chamber of Commerce.
In recent years, Snyder has established additional companies in the Fulton area, also associated with creative design and fulfillment of online business and products. Those companies have grown to more than $1 million in sales. A 2002 University of Missouri graduate, Snyder was the 2018 MU Outstanding Arts & Science alumna.
Marching Mizzou Director Dr. Amy M. Knopps will be the featured speaker for the event. Knopps is also the associate director of bands and director of athletic bands at the University of Missouri, where she also directs Mini Mizzou and the Symphonic Band. She also teaches courses the School of Music. Marching Mizzou has been invited to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City this year.
In addition to Knopps's speech and Snyder's award, two other awards and four student scholarships will be given. Stacey Bonderer, Fulton Public Schools Teacher of the Year, will receive the Education Award and John Humphreys will receive the Agriculture Award.
A three-time University of Missouri graduate, Bonderer earned a bachelor's degree in 1986, a master's degree in 1990 and a specialist's degree in educational technology in 2017. She began her teaching career at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia and moved to Fulton High School in 2012. She teaches English, speech and debate.
She has served as the adviser for National Honor Society since 2012 and as the president of Fulton's Community Teachers Association since 2015. In 2017, she was awarded the Missouri State Teachers Association "Unsung Heroes of MSTA" Award for her service to the FCTA.
Last year, she received the Fulton Public Schools David W. White Outstanding Service in Education Award. This year, she was named FPS Teacher of the Year. She will retire from FHS at the end of the school year to become an assistant professor of education at William Woods University.
Humphreys is a research biologist for Boehringer Ingelheim in Kingdom City, mainly working with swine vaccines.
He has been involved in production agriculture his whole life. He and his father started raising antibiotic-free humanely raised hogs in 2006. Humphreys has continued to raise pigs, marketing approximately 1,200 heads of pigs a year.
Humphreys and his brother also have a 120-head cow/calf operation and row crop approximately 100 acres of soybeans and milo. Humphreys earned a bachelor's degree in food science in 2005 and an master's degree in animal science in 2007 at MU.
The chapter has been presenting scholarships to local students since 1997. During that time, nearly 60 students have been recipients.
This year, the chapter will present a $1,000 capstone scholarship, renewable for four years, to John Teel, a senior at Fulton High School. A local alumni scholarship of $1,000 will be given to Zeke Gillman, a North Callaway High School senior.
Two Fulton High School graduates will receive funds to continue their education at MU. David Fague will receive the $2,000 Pinet Memorial Scholarship and Kelly Gillespie will receive the $2,000 Forward Callaway Scholarship.
Alumni and friends of the university, as well as friends of the honorees, are invited to attend the chapter's 26th Anniversary celebration. The deadline for reservations is May 16. To register, go to www.mizzou.com/CallawayCoBanquet.
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.
Chapter officers for 2022-23 are Michelle Atkinson, president; Kate Geppert, vice president; Madison Books, secretary; and Bruce Robertson, treasurer. Outgoing officers are Gary Cunningham, president; Michelle Atkinson, vice president; Kate Geppert, secretary; and Bruce Robinson, treasurer.
Josh Humphreys