05/23/2026
The Callaway County Chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association will celebrate its 30th Anniversary with a Tiger Twilight banquet on June 4. The chapter received its charter on May 14, 1996.
Uriah Orland, director of communications for the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), will be the featured speaker. For nearly 60 years, scientists at MURR have conducted groundbreaking research and collaborated with industry partners to develop unique products, including lifesaving radiopharmaceuticals.
MURR’s prominence as a producer of medical isotopes is part of a nearly six-decade accomplished history. Operating at 10 megawatts, the facility is the highest-power university research reactor in the United States, and its reliability makes it an essential resource for researchers, scientists, engineers, students and industry partners.
The event also will recognize award and scholarship winners. In addition, the chapter is conducting an online auction featuring more than 30 items, including Mizzou memorabilia and restaurant gift certificates, to raise money for scholarships.
Alumni and friends of the university, as well as friends of the honorees, are invited to attend the chapter’s anniversary celebration. The deadline for reservations is May 29. To register for the event or bid in the online auction, go to https://one.bidpal.net/callaway26.
Attorney Jacque Brazas will receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award. In addition, Kenya Thompson, superintendent of schools, North Callaway R-1 School District, will receive the Education Award; Ken Niemeyer, a past president of the board, will receive the Eye of the Tiger Award; and seven student scholarships will be presented.
The event, which is open to the public, will be a casual family affair at Meadow Lake Country Club in New Bloomfield, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m., followed by the program and recognition of award and scholarship recipients.
The meal will be a buffet offering grilled chicken breast and pork loin, salad, twice-baked potatoes, green beans almondine and cake. Tickets are $35 and children under 8 are free.
Brazas, who earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri School of Law, has been an attorney in Fulton since 2012. She currently is a shareholder with the firm Riley Brazas P.C. A board member of the Callaway County United Way for 13 years, she has served three terms as president. She also is a member and past secretary of the Rotary Club of Fulton.
Thompson has three degrees from the University of Missouri: a Master's in Educational Leadership and Public Policy, an Educational Specialists Degree and a Doctor of Education. She has been North Callaway superintendent for three years and previously served as principal of Boonville High School for two years and Helias High School for six years.
Niemeyer, a retired Callaway Bank vice president, earned a B.S. in Agriculture and a Master's in Education from MU and is also a School of Banking graduate. He joined the board of the Callaway County Chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association in 1999 and served for 26 years, including two years as treasurer, three years as secretary, a year as vice president and two years as president.
The scholarships to be presented continue a tradition started in 1997. Since then, more than 75 local students have been recipients.
This year, the chapter will present seven scholarships. A $2,000 scholarship named in memory of Mike Boulware, a past chapter president, will go to Elizabeth Beckmeyer, a Fulton High School senior.
Scholarships of $1,000 each will go to four students: Estella Vanschenkhof, a Fulton High School senior, and three current MU students, Luke Avery and Carter Meyerhoff, Fulton High School graduates, and Natalie Shryock, a North Callaway High School graduate.
Two current MU students will receive $1,000 Pinet Memorial Scholarships to continue their education at Mizzou. They are Sophia Geppart, a North Callaway High School graduate, and Elena Spencer, a New Bloomfield High School graduate.
Chapter officers for 2026-27 are Ramona Huckstep, president; Scott Huckstep, vice president; Michele Atkinson, secretary; and Susan Krumm, treasurer.
Board members are Teri Arms, Mary Ann Beahon, Mike Conner, Tim Conner, Kate Geppart, Eva Goss, Joe Holt, Marty Kehoe and Kathy Scott.
For more information on the alumni chapter’s activities, contact Ramona Huckstep at [email protected] or visit the chapter’s page, Mizzou Alumni – Callaway County.
