Students work and play
May 22, 2009
Stuckenschneider Honored as Outstanding ECC Alumna
ECC Alumna Honored
Chris Stuckenschneider of Washington (second from left) received the 2009 East Central
College Outstanding Alumna Award during commencement ceremonies at the college May 21.
Pictured, left to right, are: College President Dr. Edward Jackson; Stuckenschneider;
her husband, Sparky; and her mother, Amy Flottmann.
Chris Stuckenschneider of Washington was recipient of the East Central College Outstanding Alumna Award for 2009. The award is presented annually to honor an ECC graduate who has used his or her education and been of service to the community. Jean McCann, ECC's executive dean of instruction, made the presentation at college commencement ceremonies held Thursday, May 21, at the campus in Union.
Stuckenschneider graduated from East Central College in 1989, receiving the award for Outstanding Achievement in English from her ECC English instructor and mentor, the late Dr. Bob Harvey. While at ECC, Stuckenschneider worked in the Writing Center and appeared in numerous ECC theatre productions.
She went on to graduate with honors from Fontbonne University in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in English. She taught school for seven years; English and journalism at Washington High School and English at St. Gertrude School in Krakow.
For the past 11 years, Stuckenschneider has worked at the Washington Missourian. She is a columnist and the book editor and each week writes, "Sights and Insights" a column about her life and happenings in the area. She writes a monthly book feature for the newspaper, and also coordinates Book Buzz, an award-winning youth literacy project. Book Buzz was the brainchild of Stuckenschneider and her Missourian colleague and friend Dawn Kitchell. The pair created Book Buzz seven years ago and in that time it has blossomed into a community service project that benefits thousands of area students.
To make the books accessible to area children, Stuckenschneider works with service groups, businesses and individuals who annually donate funds to purchase Book Buzz books for public and private libraries in Washington, Union, St. Clair, Pacific and surrounding communities. To date over 7,000 Book Buzz books have been added to the shelves at area school libraries. The project has received many state and national awards, including the Friend of the School Library Award from the Missouri Association of School Libraries.
Reading hundreds of children's books each year provided Stuckenschneider with the knowledge about what goes into writing a quality book for young people. Her experiences also left her with the dream of writing her own book. That dream came true this spring when "Twist of Fate, the Miracle Colt and his Friends," was published.
Stuckenschneider served nine years as a trustee at Washington Public Library and is a founding member of the library's Friends of the Library group, serving as the organization's first president. Last year, Stuckenschneider received the Velma Jones Stroetker award from the library for her dedication to community literacy.
"Chris is an example of what community colleges are all about," said Tom Dill, member of the ECC board of trustees and a long-time friend of Stuckschneider. "Like many of our students, she balanced school with family responsibilities. It took 13 years to earn her associate degree from East Central, but that was her springboard to other opportunities," Dill noted.
Stuckenschneider lives in Washington with her husband of 40 years, Sparky. The couple has three daughters and four grandchildren.
The East Central College Alumni Association established the award in 2002 to recognize outstanding alumni who have set an example for ECC graduates by using their college education and serving their community.
For more information about the ECC Alumni Association, please contact:
P.O. Box 387
Union, MO. 63084
Ph. 636.583.5195, ext. 2219