What History Majors Are Doing Now
What do our history graduates do after leaving Truman? Here is a partial listing. Please send additions, corrections, and updates to history@truman.edu.
1951-1960
Marlin A. Field (BS, Education, 1951). I graduated in August 1951 from Northeast Missouri State College at the top of my class with a BS degree in Social Science. While there I met my wife, then Lois Wendt, a student at the college. This year we celebrate sixty years of marriage (February 13). We have three children: Gary, an attorney; Marla Jean Hutchinson, a Christian counselor; and Kenneth, who works with electronics.
My education after leaving there includes an MA in Political Science at the University of Missouri, Columbia (1955), and an MLS in Library Science from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo (1973). I also did graduate work at the University of Hawaii (on a grant), Montana State University, Western Montana State, Andrew University, University of Colorado, as well as additional work at the University of Missouri.
My work experience includes my start of teaching at Ward School, my home district in rural Macon County, in 1947; Downing Missouri High School, 1949-1953; employment interviewer for the Iowa Employment Security Commission, 1953-1954; Kansas Wesleyan University, 1955-1956, Professor of Social Sciences; Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, MI, 1956-1973, where I taught Political Science and served as department chair as well as the director of the summer college. I also served as chair of the LMC Federation of Teachers. After that I was librarian for the Waldron, Michigan, Area Schools, 1974-1977, and Davis Middle Schools, Hillsdale, 1977-1986, when I retired.
My outside activities include ten years as member of Hillsdale Housing Commission; member of Hillsdale County Canvassing Board; member County Jury Board; member of various committees in my church, College American Baptist Church. I have written five family history books as well as a number of pamphlets on the subject. For fifty years I have been active in the North American Shortwave Association (this is not a HAM organization). We listen to stations all over the world and write to them telling them of our reception, hoping for a reply. I now rank at the top of the number of countries heard and from which I have received replies – 245 countries. I have written several articles for the Journal of the NASWA.
Marilyn Lawson Goodwin (BA, 1959). I taught high school social studies from 1960-1963, then organized and worked as a school librarian at the new Knox County High School near Edina, MO, from 1963-1968. Taught Library Science night classes at NMSU from 1964-1975. After a break for 6 years to be Mom for our 3 children I returned to the working world as librarian at the Knox County Public Library where I have been for the last 27 years.
My husband, Kenneth, and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in May. Our three children are as follows: James Kenneth Goodwin, graduate of Washington University in St. Louis works for IBM/Lenovo; Jane Ann Goodwin Moore, graduate of MACC, Kaplan University and Kansas State University with a MBA has worked in business and as a juvenile officer and currently as a resource person at Knox County High School in the Reconnecting Youth Program; Mary Goodwin Bohon graduated from Truman (the 5th generation of my family to do so) with an RN/BSN degree, worked 10 years in various areas of the nursing profession and is currently working on her Masters Degree at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
We have 2 grandchildren, Mitchel Bohon, age 10, and Abby Bohon, age 7. We continue to live on our farm near Edina and thoroughly enjoy the country style of life.
Norman J. Herndon (BS, Education, 1956; MA, 1957).
Spouse: Mary Lou Herndon, married 1953
Children: Linda, Rick (Truman ‘77) (wife Cheryl Coldren, Truman ‘77), Kathy (husband Dan Ferrell), Jeff (Truman ‘80). 7 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren.
One granddaughter, Heather Herndon, graduated from Truman in 2006.
Served in the U.S. Army in Germany 1953-1955
Occupation: Retired Missouri public school teacher and administrator. School administrator in various schools in northwest Missouri: Livonia, Mt. Moriah, Jamesport, Fairfax, Chillicothe, and 17 years at Kearney. After retirement, moved to Warsaw, MO, and worked two summers as a “creel clerk” on the Lake of the Ozarks and for seven years as Executive Secretary for the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce.
Moved to Smithville, MO, in fall of 2007.
Hobbies: crappie fishing, hunting quail and pheasants
Jerry Moore (BS, Education, 1956; MA, 1958). Thank you for the communication. My name is Jerry R. Moore, Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia. When I began at KSTC (Northeast Missouri Teachers College) in 1950, we had a social science division. I majored in history with a BS in Social Studies. I had great history professors–Gilbert Kohlenberg, David March, James Hood, Sullivan. I spent 21 months in the military 1953-4, returning to complete my undergraduate degree. I graduated in 1956 and immediately began work on my masters–completing my thesis under the direction of David March. We had such great teachers during those years–Ruth Towne, Eugene Mawhinney, Agnew, et.al. I taught in Iowa City while completing a PhD in Educational Statistics with equivalent majors concentrations in Economics and Colonial American and Latin American history under Charles Gibson, John Haefner and Paul Olsen.
Most of my professional career has been working with teachers of the social studies–and I have had the opportunity to teach micro and macro economics, American history and cultural geography to graduate students seeking teaching credentials. I directed a research and dissemination project for North Central Association in Chicago (the Foreign Relations Project) for three years.
I served as a department chair for 6 years at the University of Virginia and later 8 years as Director of Teacher Education. As Director, I wrote and developed the five-year BA/MT program combining a liberal arts degree with a professional graduate degree.
I am now retired (7 years). I am thoroughly proud of the education I received at Kirksville–I had the best teachers.
Raymond Williamson (BS, Education, 1955). MA Central Missouri State University, 1962; PhD UMKC, 1978. I taught secondary school for seven years, dean at CMSU, assistant provost/dean of continuing education at UMKC. I served as panelist and speaker at several events at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library, along with Henry Kissinger and Robert McNamara, in connection with the Kettering Foundation. I served on the Independence, Missouri, City Council for four years. I was in Who’s Who in American Higher Education. After retirement from UMKC, I managed several rental properties and co-owned an antique shop in Grain Valley, Missouri. My favorite professor was Dr. Sullivan (History).