Legacy Family Goes Big with Support for Students

Earning a degree from UCM was just the beginning of Diane and Barry Whitworth's relationship with the university. Barry earned his bachelor's in Agriculture in 1984, and Diane graduated with a Criminal Justice degree in 1977. For both, Greek life was a big part of their college experience as members of Phi Sigma Epsilon and Sigma Kappa.

"I didn't have any biological sisters, so it helped me make friends and fostered leadership skills that really helped me later in life," says Diane, who remains close to her sorority sisters and reunites with them at homecoming. "We were friends with people in other fraternities and sororities too because it's not such a large campus that you're isolated to one group."

One of Diane's most influential professors in Criminal Justice was Dennis Laster, who founded UCM's Mock Trial program in 1994. Later in his tenure, Laster moved to Safety Sciences, the chosen major of all three of the Whitworths' sons: Tyler, '05, Blaine, '09, and Tucker, '14, who currently works in the safety management field.

Blaine's name is well known in the Warrensburg community, as his parents established the Blaine Whitworth Go Big or Go Home Foundation after he was murdered Sept. 1, 2012. More than 1,000 people attended the vigil of the beloved entrepreneur, who owned two bars downtown: Bodie's, which he renovated, and Molly's, which he renamed after his grandmother.

"Blaine had a big heart and big dreams," Diane says. "His slogan was 'Go Big or Go Home' — he didn't do anything small."

Barry and Diane were approached by a group of Blaine's friends who wanted to hold a 5K race in his honor. Blaine was physically fit and could often be seen running back and forth between his two businesses in a well-worn pair of tennis shoes. The Whitworths loved the idea, and on April 6, 2013, one of the most popular annual events in Warrensburg was born.

The couple worked with UCM Greek Life to host the race each year, with some of Barry's fraternity brothers cooking breakfast at the event. In 2019 the race committee teamed up with Innovative Public Relations (IPR) students for marketing and provided a paid internship for another UCM student to learn all aspects of event planning in 2018.

As the foundation's main fundraiser, the 5K has raised over $175,000, making it possible for the Whitworths to give back financially as well as through volunteering to the university they and their sons attended.

"Because of our family belief that the University of Central Missouri is one of the best choices anyone could make to pursue their education, we have focused a large percentage of our fundraising support to the university," Barry says, noting that their foundation has provided emergency assistance to student veterans. "Through our own personal experiences of the value of our education and our time on campus, we know it is a wise investment to choose UCM."

After Blaine's death, the Whitworths met with professor of management Mary McCord about investing in UCM's Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises (ESE) program. Blaine was an entrepreneur and cared a great deal about helping others get back on their feet and get an education. The ESE program and the Integrative Business Experience (IBE) combine business with social responsibility, so it was a perfect fit. Since its inception in 2004, IBE has involved 1,968 students in 92 companies and has donated $416,051 to local charities. The program also has provided 26,873 service hours to those charities.

UCM's Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies hosts an annual Big Idea Conference and Big Idea Pitch Competition, where student entrepreneurs have the opportunity to develop and present their business ideas. With McCord's help, the couple established the Big Idea Blaine Whitworth Speaker Series on May 5, 2014, bringing more than 30 successful entrepreneurs to campus to share their stories since its inception.

"Many of her students have actually started a business with knowledge they gained under her leadership," Diane says of McCord, who is retiring this May. "She has definitely opened the eyes and doors for many students wanting to live their dreams."

The Whitworths have generously endowed three scholarships through the UCM Alumni Foundation to assist students like their sons in realizing their dreams. Adding to Safety Sciences and Entrepreneurial scholarships, they established in 2020 the Blaine Whitworth Go Big or Go Home Scholarship for Greek Life Members to recognize a sorority and fraternity member making a difference in their community.

Barry and Diane decided this year to document their planned gift with the UCM Alumni Foundation, creating three new scholarships that will be endowed and available from their trust: the Tyler J. Whitworth Memorial Scholarship in Safety Sciences, the Diane L. Whitworth Memorial Sigma Kappa Delta Eta Scholarship and the Barry W. Whitworth Memorial Scholarship in Agriculture.

"It is our belief that endowing a scholarship that will be there forever is one of the best ways we can help students and honor a loved one's memory," Barry says, adding that the planned gift allows them to control their permanent legacy. It?s a fitting contribution from this engaged, active and amazingly generous UCM legacy family.