Tag: East Central College commencement


ECC Alumnus Alex Fees Will be Commencement Speaker


March 21, 2023 | Campus News ECC Rolla

East Central College graduate, news correspondent and Today in St. Louis multi-skilled journalist Alex Fees will address the Class of 2023 at the Saturday, May 13, commencement ceremony.

Fees, who originally is from Union, attended ECC from 1982-84, graduating with an associate of arts degree in journalism. Prior to that, he graduated from Union High School in 1982.

“I am honored to be asked to be the commencement speaker at East Central College,” he said. “My careers in television news and communications all started at ECC so many years ago — I feel like I am coming full circle.”

The commencement ceremony will be inside the ECC gym in the Donald D. Shook Student Center on the Union campus at 11:30 a.m.

Fees was the editor of The Cornerstone student newspaper at ECC, and he was elected to the student senate, serving as president. He added that his brother, Syd, also served as student senate president at ECC nine years before he did.

Fees noted that he will talk with students about his life before and after attending ECC, including his transfer to Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in Cape Girardeau.

Fees’ Background

At SEMO, Fees was the editor of the university newspaper, the Capaha Arrow, now called the Arrow, and he was an intern at KTVO, Kirksville, which led him to a career in television.

Fees worked at TV news stations in Iowa and Nebraska before returning to the St. Louis area in 1998, when he became a freelance journalist for 5 on Your Side at KSDK, St. Louis, and several other networks and shows.

“During that time, I also freelanced as a field producer, periodically, for ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNBC, the Rachael Ray Show, Inside Edition, and the Food Network, among others,” he said.

Fees then went to work as a communications specialist in the Mehlville School District and then as the executive communications director for the Rockwood School District.

In 2020, Fees returned to 5 On Your Side and in March 2022, he accepted a full-time role as a multi-skilled journalist on the Today in St. Louis program.

Fees and his wife, Rachel, live in Brentwood with their sons Jacob, 13, and Daniel, 11.

“We also share a home with an 85-pound lab, collie and St. Bernard named Allie, who is your best friend; and a cat named Autumn. . .  who is not,” he said.


Kreutz Recipient of Outstanding Alumnus Award


May 19, 2015 | Campus News

Anthony (Tony) Kreutz of Union was named recipient of the East Central College Outstanding Alumni Award for 2015.  The award is presented annually to honor an ECC graduate who has used his or her education and been of service to the community.

Dr. Jon Bauer, ECC president, made the presentation at college commencement ceremonies held Saturday, May 16, at the campus in Union.

Kreutz began his college education at ECC in 1984, and earned a one-year certificate in welding the following May.  While balancing work and family responsibilities, he returned as a part-time student, eventually earning his Associate of Applied Science degree in welding.  From ECC he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lindenwood University.

In 1991 he began his career at SCI Engineering as structural steel manager and in 2001 advanced to his current position as vice president and partner at the company.  As director of business development he oversees corporate customer service and marketing, including strategic planning, acquisitions and expansion.

A leader in his profession, Kreutz also volunteers his time with many organizations.  He has been asked to serve on the board of directors for the Downtown Partnership of St. Louis, the Hawthorn Foundation, and First State Community Bank.  He began his affiliation with the Make-a-Wish Foundation as a wish grantor and in 2016 will serve as chairman of that organization’s governing board in Missouri.  He currently chairs the Mercy Foundation board and is on the executive board of the ECC Foundation.  Kreutz is a third degree knight with the Knights of Columbus in Washington.

Anthony Kreutz; his daughter, Kaitlyn; son, Jacob; wife, Michelle; and ECC President Jon Bauer
Anthony Kreutz (second from right) received the Outstanding Alumnus Award. Shown, from left, are his daughter, Kaitlyn; son, Jacob; ECC President Jon Bauer; Kreutz; and wife, Michelle.

A member of the Washington and Union Chambers of Commerce, Kreutz has also coached his son and daughter’s Union Soccer Association teams as well as his son’s baseball teams.

Kreutz is a graduate of St. Clair High School.  He is a member of St. Joseph Church at Neier. He and his wife, Michelle, live in Union. The couple has two children, Jacob and Kaitlyn.

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.  Past recipients include: Tanya Voss, John Griesheimer, Tom Robertson, Chris Manhart, Deborah Koelling, Tammy Watz, Dr. Frank Miller, Ken Schmidt, Chris Stuckenschneider, Ann Schroeder, Ted Coburn, Linda Mahon, Joe Purschke and Amy Wildhaber.