Parents' Pride Tells a Story

This story is as down home Americana as it gets. Of a couple who grew up in Warrensburg, Mo., married, raised their kids, succeeded professionally and enjoyed the University of Central Missouri campus for its academics, sports and entertainment. They value education and family and believe it's better to give than to receive.

Brought to Warrensburg by his family in 1949, Lynn Harmon recalls being on campus as a kindergarten student all the way through high school. His wife, Jackie, grew up on a farm north of the city and attended Farmers Elementary School before she also came to campus. They met at College High, married, lived awhile in Columbia, Mo., then returned to Warrensburg. They had three children: Monte, Shanna and Meridith. For more than five decades, they attended Mules' and Jennies' games and enjoyed a wide variety of fine arts performances.

They decided recently that the time was right to start discussions about a gift honoring their youngest daughter, Meridith Harmon Sauer. The result was the university's first permanently endowed professorship and an endowed guest artist series for the Department of Theatre and Dance. For the Harmons, it was a smart investment and a loving gesture. The gift was awe-inspiring for Richard Herman, department chair. It was overwhelming for their daughter, at the time, Warrensburg High School speech and drama teacher. She since has become the city's arts commissioner and chair of the local community theater.



Sauer is humbled when she thinks about her parents' gift, and the fact that her name will permanently be associated with Central Missouri's theatre department. When the gift was announced on the stage of Highlander Theater, she preferred to focus the spotlight on the students the gift will benefit.

“My parents always stressed for me to do my best,” she says. “I feel now that they are acknowledging my efforts in education and my contributions to our community. It also spurs me on to continue working to inspire and educate my own theatre students.”

“These gifts will make a huge impact on both our academic and production programs,” says Herman. “The professorship will provide us funds to assist faculty in future academic and professional training which, in turn, will provide dividends to our students. The guest artist series will allow us to bring in nationally and regionally recognized theatre artists and educators to work hand-in-hand with our students and faculty.” Herman was later named as the first holder of the professorship.

Lynn Harmon considers their gift as part of a continuous circle, spanning decades and generations.

“Connections are what makes UCM so effective,” he says. “People keep coming back to its campus. They send their children, give their money and then come to the plays and ballgames. It's a central gathering place. The university provides the arts to our community and many other opportunities for the children growing up in the area. And it's continued that way for many, many years, and we hope that through these endowments, we'll be a part of supporting that process.”

The Harmons chose to structure their gift to have both an immediate effect and a later benefit through their estates. They note that donors of all financial means and ages can help support Central Missouri.

“Whether it's an estate, outright or annual gift, any size donation can be given, be worthwhile, and appreciated and used,” says Jackie. “Sometimes we limit ourselves in what we can do.”

Limitations aren't something the Harmons seem to consider, especially with their children. “We never demanded the highest achievements,” says Jackie, “but we always held high expectations. The challenge to meet those expectations led to their achievements.”

That philosophy carries over to Meridith, who realized she loved studying theatre when she was a high school student. While acting in South Pacific her senior year, she decided that she wanted to pursue it in college.

“In Warrensburg, theatre isn't offered until high school,” she explains. “Once in theatre class, I knew this was what I wanted to study. Traditional subjects in school had always come easy for me, but the performance-based assessment in theatre was a challenge that I enjoyed.”

She was recruited to UCM by Ed See, professor emeritus of theatre. “Being a student of Dr. See was inspiring. He regarded educational theatre as something important and that, among other things, contributed to my feeling that I wanted to go into it as a career. He presented it in the highest esteem, that it's a worthy and noble thing to add to a school and to a student's life.”

The 1996 theatre education alumna has strong university ties on both sides of her family with her husband, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles holding a variety of UCM degrees. Many also graduated from College High School, including both her parents in 1962. Lynn retired in 1995 after more than three decades in the banking business while Jackie, who earned a master's degree in education from UCM, substitute taught and stayed busy with family, church and volunteer activities on local and state levels. She recalls her youngest daughter dressing up and acting all her life. “She was never too inhibited,” Jackie adds.

In addition to honoring their daughter, the Harmons made the gift to help future students and support a quality academic program. Lynn says that he particularly likes the collaboration aspects that a guest artist series can develop between the university and area high schools.

“When we were talking about how to structure the gift, we were thinking about the international speakers who come to campus, and Dr. Herman said we can do the same things with performers,” he says. “By bringing in students from Warrensburg and other high schools, this series can become a great recruiting tool to get them to consider UCM. That's the kind of multiplication of benefits that we like.”

Learn How You Can Help
For more information please contact the Office of Planned Giving at 660-543-8000 or toll-free at 866-752-7257 or [email protected].