2024 OUTSTANDING ALUMNI It was a packed house in the Malcolm Center during Homecoming 2024 for the Missouri Valley College Outstanding Alumni Awards dinner and ceremony. Valley came together to recognize John D. Gault ’58, Eric Sappington ’95, Jana Caudle Champion ’96 and Outstanding Young Alumnus Alex Aubrecht ’18. “I was blown away with this event,” said new President Joe Parisi ’94. “The emotional storytelling, the fond memories, the tears, the joy. I’ll never forget it.”
John D. Gault '58
John D. Gault has a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Missouri Valley College, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Missouri. He taught in the Belton Public schools, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Brazil) (1971-1987) and had two stints on the faculty at MVC. Dr. Gault is an active member of the Lutheran Church and lectured and wrote about the interaction of science and religion. Gault in also a member of American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, and the American Association of Physics Teachers. His awards include: National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship to the Army Materials and Mechanics Research Reactor and MIT Research Reactor, 1970–71 (15-month appointment); and CNPq (Brazilian National Research Council) Senior Research Fellowship to Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent, Ohio.
Eric Sappington '95
Eric Sappington graduated from Missouri Valley College in 1995 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in Marketing. After graduation, Eric worked for Chrysler Financial Corporation in Leawood, KS until returning to work for his college alma mater in 2005. Eric and his wife, Heather, a 1996 Valley graduate and an accomplished elementary teacher, raised their three children in Marshall until their graduations from MHS in 2021 and 2023. After 19 years as an administrator at Missouri Valley, Eric joined the Community Foundation of Central Missouri based in Columbia as its Executive Director in April of 2024. Eric leads a team at the foundation that brings donors and non-profit organizations together to positively impact all of Central Missouri. Eric and Heather are avid sports fans and enjoy spending time with Ethan, Evan and Faith as well as friends and family.
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