2010 Still Spirit Awards

ATSU honored five Kirksville community leaders April 15 during its 6^th annual Still Spirit Awards ceremony held at Truman State University. From 32 outstanding nominations, five were chosen to receive a Still Spirit Award, including Gary Cunningham, G.E. “Shag” Grossnickle, Marietta Jonas Jayne, John Rowe and the Hon. Martha Rowe, and Bertha Thomas. More than 200 community members attended the event, the largest in its history.

Gary Cunningham

Those who nominated Gary Cunningham say the greatest talent that he possesses is an ability to care for friends, family, and the community. Expecting nothing in return, he rarely if ever says “no,” not because of a pressure to be liked, but because of a passion for wanting to help others and have a positive impact on people’s lives.

A father of eight and grandfather to 28 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, he is dependable and willing to step up to help others, whether they are a neighbor, a stranger, youth or the elderly. A musician who is paid only with the audience’s deep appreciation, his main venue is nursing homes and community events where this recipient performs with a sense of patriotism for country, honor to God, and love for people and nature. Music is a way for Cunningham to not only to honor God but also to express his love and faith.

The founder of the Heartland Task Force, with a mission to prevent alcohol and drug abuse among local youth, he has been active for close to 60 years on the boards of the United Way, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Optimist Club, First United Methodist Church, and the LaPlata Lions Club, and has spent numerous hours of personal time to support these organizations and contribute to their vision for social improvement.   Known also for his creative spirit, he has assisted many civic organizations with unique fundraising and membership drives.

Cunningham retired from KTVO after 49 years of dedicated service.  For many years, he served as the public service director working tirelessly helping the community he dearly loves.  It is said that there is no end to this man’s talent and his biggest talent is his ability to care for all of his friends, family, and community.

The most telling image of the gift that he gives the world is, “the sparkle that comes to the distant eyes of an elderly woman, confined to a wheel chair, depressed and muted by her age, and separated from everyone she loves by living in a nursing home. Cunningham gets down on one knee, smiles at her as if she’s the only person in the world, strums the guitar, and breaks into a happy song. The fog lifts, her eyes light up, and her smile breaks like the sun rising on a new dawn. This recipient gives that gift many times over and has done so since a child.”

All the while enjoying a loving 50+ year marriage to his wife, Louise, and raising a loving family, he has maintained the heart and mind of a servant, is faithful to Christ and is known as a freely giving spirit focused on making our world a better place.

G. E. “Shag” Grossnickle

An ambassador for Kirksville, known far beyond the city limits, Shag Grossnickle has touched nearly every aspect of life in their beloved city. Wholeheartedly unselfish, a good listener, and someone who respects every person, Grossnickle’s enormous list of accomplishments stretches well beyond the time constraints of our ceremony.

A charter member of the Kirksville Lodge, Loyal Order of the Moose; a member of the Kirksville Jaycees; a longtime member of First Christian Church; and Twin Pines Adult Care Center senior volunteer, Grossnickle served the Kiwanis Club for more than 60 years, as well as the Masonic Lodge and all of its bodies, including the Shrine.

Grossnickle is part of the Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame, the Kirksville Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as Truman State University’s Athletic Hall of Fame, which he helped to form.  A 1942 graduate of what was then the Kirksville State Teachers College, he remains active in attending and supporting Truman athletics and has helped form the Bulldog Booster Club and Kirksville Quarterback Club.

A local businessman, Grossnickle helped create the Kirksville Baseball Association, has sponsored a little league team for more than 50 years, and served as president of the Kirksville Junior High School PTA and Greenwood School PTA. He also has served on the K-REDI board, and has served on the board of directors for First National Bank/Bank Midwest for more than 15 years.

Adair County Sheriff for 28 years, Grossnickle helped form the Northeast Missouri Peace Officers Association and received the Excellence of Governance award from the Missouri Hospital Association for his service to Kirksville hospitals for more than 50 years.

Grossnickle has not only contributed through dedicated community service, but he was instrumental in bringing wild turkeys to Northern Missouri, which is, even today, a tremendous boost for the economy of Kirksville.  He is an avid hunter who cares deeply for the land and maintains a philosophy to leave the land better than you have found it.  Receiving distinction for his conservation efforts in Northern Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation honored him for outstanding service and bestowed upon him their highest honor, Master Conservationist.

Married 68 years to his sweetheart, a Kirksville girl named Sarah, and the proud father of three, Grossnickle is 94 years young and lives by his motto, “Every day is a good day.”  Nicknamed for his love of shagging fly balls during batting practice, Shag Grossnickle has – and is – making each day a good one for Kirksville.

Marietta Jonas Jayne

Marietta Jonas Jayne is known for her grace and elegance, her success as wife, mother and friend, and her deep commitment to service, particularly education.

Born in Kirksville, she met her future husband at Washington School, and after graduating from high school at 16 went to Gulfport, Mississippi, to attend an all-girls finishing school. From there, she earned degrees from Truman State University and the University of Missouri in Columbia. She married the love of her life, Ed, in the midst of World War II. He became a gunnery officer in the Navy, while she served in the Red Cross. Characteristically, she continues to work for the blood mobile still today.

Her many contributions to Kirksville include working as a substitute teacher, teaching social studies at the junior high school, reading at the primary school as an RSVP volunteer, serving as president of the Friends of the Library for the Adair County Public Library, and serving on the Bright Flight committee and the scholarship committee for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.

She also has been a member of the Monday Club, Mothers Home Club, AZ Club, and too many bridge clubs to count. She served on Northeast Missouri State University’s Board of Regents as the only woman member for six years, served on that university’s Name Change committee, was the first woman elected to the Kirksville R-III school board, and served for 12 years as the only woman on Congressman Volkmer’s committee to recommend applicants to military service academies.

Past president of the Sojourners Club, which created Kirksville’s first public library, Jayne was a leader in creating and supporting that library. She also has served as Cub Scout Den Mother and PTA member, enjoys working in her yard and cooking for large numbers of people, is an elder in her church, maintains a lifelong dedication to Democrat party politics, is a regular on the treadmill at the Truman Rec Center, and likes to garden.

John and Hon. Martha Rowe

This Kirksville power couple truly works every day, each in their own way, to make Kirksville a better place to live.

Described as a “truly good man,” the first half of our couple gives heart, soul, and worldly goods to care for our most vulnerable citizens. Often the first to extend a hand of kindness, John is a committed and trustworthy CASA volunteer who takes on difficult cases to ensure children are raised in a permanent, secure, and loving home.

Says one supporter: “His sustained actions are a model that should be held up to all who advocate for the best interests of the abused and neglected children of this state. This award should be seen not so much to honor this one man but rather to serve as a guide to those who choose to serve our children.”

Rowe also serves on the executive board of the Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which comprises 33 Missouri counties. From this council, he was awarded the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor for a volunteer, and was recently recognized for his 50 years as a Scout. He also serves as deacon and elder at First Presbyterian Church of Kirksville, is a longtime member and past president of the Optimist Club, has for many years served the United Way, teaches adult Sunday School classes, and assists with communion and leading worship at nursing homes along with his granddaughter and wife, Martha.

She is also a member of the Optimist Club and leader in her church, where she serves numerous roles, including deacon, elder, officer, and member of the choir and Presbyterian Women’s group. Rowe currently serves on the Kirksville City Council and is a former city mayor. She and her husband also were instrumental in the creation and support of Hope’s Kitchen, started by their granddaughter and her classmate.

In addition, she serves on such community committees and boards as the Adair County Extension Council and the Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee. She also is involved in the Northeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission & Rural Development Corporation, the Northeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission Solid Waste Management Council, and the Northeast Missouri Resource Conservation and Development Council. In addition, she represents Kirksville at Missouri Municipal League state and regional meetings, and at community events such as new business ribbon cuttings and groundbreaking ceremonies.

Bertha Thomas

Bertha Thomas is a team-builder and leader with the ability to bring people together to serve the community. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she has, for more than 20 years, initiated and developed educational programs for people of all ages.

This outstanding leader first believed the length of service she would provide to her campus community would be only three to four years. Now, sixteen years later and highly regarded as a staple on Truman State University’s campus, our recipient focuses on ensuring student success in academics, organizations, programs, and planning for the future.

She has brought to our community such programs as the Native American Storytellers and Dancers, the Black Repertory Touring Company, and the Unique Ensemble Gospel Choir. She has established the annual Martin Luther King Read-in Event during which Truman students visit area schools to read books about diversity and discuss the civil rights movement.

Thomas also has served as a commissioner for the Missouri Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee since 1999; has served as a national board member for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for three years and on the Tri-Rivers Board for 15 years; was chair of the Central Region Cultural Diversity Committee for four years; and is an advisor for a number of student organizations at Truman State University.

At Truman State, this assistant dean creates a welcoming environment for all students, with whom she has forged mutual respect. A trusted resource at the Multicultural Affairs Center, she often may be found working evenings, weekends, and during the one month of the year for which she is not contracted. Yet, say her supporters, this wife of 29 years and mother of two sons is an excellent example of how to manage one’s professional life without sacrificing one’s personal life or wellness.

Says one supporter: “A great number of African-American students identify with her, and I cannot overestimate the impact she has had on students who move to Kirksville and, finding that racial diversity here is often less than that of their hometown, have her as an example of someone they can emulate through her success as a professional and a citizen of Kirksville.”

2010 Still Spirit Award Nominees

Kevin Baiotto

Anne Barlow

Debi Boughton

Gary Cunningham

Peter Detweiler

Doyle Dover

Matt Eichor

Claudine Frazier

Brooke and Allen Goans

G.E. “Shag” Grossnickle

Glenda Hunt

Andrea Jackson

Marietta Jonas Jayne

Bob and Janis Keough

Mari Macomber

Dan Martin

Lynae McFarland

Scott Meredith

Troy Mihalevich

Bob Moore

Ernest Motley

Frances Norman

Nancy Pennington

John Rickelman, D.O.

John Rowe & The Honorable Martha Rowe

George Schuerer, D.O.

Bill Stephenson

The Honorable Kristie Swaim

Bertha Thomas

Student Doctor John Thurman