Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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|n his commencement address, Secretary of the rmv, John O. Marsh, Jr., stressed for the graduates to continuously expand their know- ledge -Photo by O. Heywood Keep on learning ' Just when they thought their education was over, John O. Marsh, Jr., secretary of the U.S. Army, encouraged the 500 degree candidates to keep on earning. Marsh, who had served under Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and President Ronald Reagan since 1981, said he found the need to keep learning essential to compete in today ' s world. He told the graduates to develop writing skills, study geography and demographics, master a second language, set a goal and then pursue it. Also at the ceremony, former Board of Regents members Welton Ideker and Dr. Harold Poynter were presented with the Distinguished Service Awards in recogni- tion of their contributions to the Board from 1977 to 1983. Other special awards presented at the 77th annual commencement ceremonies were the Morgan Citizenship awards. Graduating seniors Lauren Roland and Stephen Wheeler were recipients of the award for demonstrating the greatest appreciation of and capacity for the responsibilities of American citizenship. A rather unique event also occured at the spring ceremonies, however it was not an award or a special degree, but a personal triumph. Ruth Garrett, who started her college work on campus in 1939, completed her education 44 years later. Garrett received her bachelor of arts degree in English. -Heidi Hemmerlein James F McChee, a 1973 Northwest graduate, gave the jmmer commencement address. McChee is vice president of Smith, Barney, Harris Upham Company, Inc., one of the nation ' s leading investment firms. -Photo by O. Heywood Ann Henry and Teresa Kincaid stroll across campus after receiving their degrees. Henry spent her senior year working for News and Information, while Kincaid served as head resident assistant for Roberta Hall. -Photo by D Cieseke Graduation 17

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President B.D. Owens congratulates Lauren Roland and Stephen Wheeler, recipients of the Morgan Citizenship Awards. -Photo by O. Heywood After a long wait to complete her education, Ruth Garrett prepares for commencement ceremo- nies. Starting school in 1939, Garrett finally received her bachelor of arts degree in English. -Photo by D. Gieseke 16 Graduation

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One of the highlights of the Soviet Union trip is the folk dancers in Leningrad. -Photo by R. Frucht BACK in Tf5E USSR For 1 1 Northwest students this summer the walls of the classroom were the borders of the Soviet Union where they experienced what most people only read about. Dr. Richard Frucht, assistant professor of history, led the 1 6-day trip to the major cities of Moscow, Kiev, Leningrad and Tallinn, Estonia. The group also included Dr. Thomas Carneal and Dr. George Caylor of the history department. The summer trip cost each member $1,600 for expenses but was worth two college credits and a lot of memories of Soviet culture. I believe part of the education process is for students to encounter different cultures and different people, Frucht said; not necessarily through the University, but throughout their lives. Frucht, who spent a year in Romania as a Fulbright scholar, began making plans and working out the details of the trip over two years ago, after students ex- pressed interest in visiting the Soviet Union. Travel in the USSR is difficult and in- volves more red tape than European countries, according to Frucht. The group had to know what could be done-talking to people-and what could not be done-talking about sensitive sub- jects. Because of Frucht ' s background in Romania, the group steered clear of any difficulties with Soviet officials. The tour gave the students a first-hand look at Soviet life; the present, as well as the past. It also dispelled some myths about Soviets , such as the idea that they were enslaved and not satisfied with the present regime. The Russians are a very proud and patriotic people, Frucht said. Their traditions reinforce this patriotism. While visiting a national monument, the group saw several young couples ar- rive in full wedding dress to honor those who died in past wars. When a couple marries, immediately following the ceremony, they will go to a nation- al monument to place a wreath honoring those wh died to make possible the future happiness of the couple. Although most Russians seem content, consumer goods are scarce. Often the students were stopped by Russians who wanted to buy American clothes, especially blue jeans and Adidas. David Kopp turned down nearly 50 chances to sell his clothes to Russians. His NWMSU jacket was another popular item with Russian bidders, but Frucht warned that black- market bartering was not approved of by Soviet officials. Stopping at a Soviet food market, the Americans saw freshly-dressed chickens stacked nearly 6-feet high. Since many markets didn ' t have refrigeration systems, meat was put out fresh and quickly sold. The group also met with an English- speaking club before returning home, en- joying the chance to talk with Russians in a relaxed setting. Although the Americans could see pro- blems in the Soviet system, they were im- pressed with the mass transportation system which was kept scrupulously clean. The emphasis on mass transporta- tion is because many Russian citizens do not own cars, Frucht said. When one of the group became seriously ill, and required hospitalization, the government-operated medical pro- gram treated him free of charge. The tourist is considered a guest of the Soviet government and entitled to free medical care. It was a tremendous opportunity, Kopp said. You could sit in classes for years and not learn as much. - Noreen Lupardus