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Annual Report FY21

Leading Through Legacy

Everyone leaves a legacy.

Maybe it’s the secret family pie crust recipe, like Jan Horton’s, which was impossible to duplicate without it.

Certainly, it’s our children and the traditions and values they will carry on after us.

For some, it’s a successful business that helps people earn their livelihoods and adds value to the community. Sometimes, it’s being a successful businesswoman, like Jewell Thompson Schweitzer, mapping a route that more women would follow in time.

Service to our country is a significant legacy, one left by Paul Ripley, who spent 32 years in the Missouri National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves.

Beyond their personal stories, the people profiled in this year’s report also share a common commitment to extend their legacies to their broader communities, to people they will never know and impact they may never see.

They are true legacy leaders.

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We lost several of these leaders this past year, though they are survived by the gifts they left for the generations. Two couples, Larry and Linda Hale and Clinton and Nancy Schilling, shared proceeds of the land they farmed so western Missouri students could benefit from advanced education. Patricia Higham’s four daughters want their mom’s long career in nursing memorialized through scholarships for badly needed future nurses.

We gained several new leaders as well. Freddie and Melissa Young show it’s never too early to start ensuring the legacy they hope to leave — giving kids the same chance to succeed through sports that Freddie had from a valued mentor. Lucas Fritsche is Perry County’s youngest Humanitarian for sparking an inclusive playground.

These footprints will leave their enduring impression on our region. In telling their stories, we hope more footprints will follow as others are inspired to lead by legacy.



The CFO’s Annual Report FY21, covering the period from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, is produced by the CFO staff. Principal research was done by Holly Beadle, Judy Cantoni, Bridget Dierks, Ashley Fleming, Caitlin Golike, Beth Hersh, Joe Kammerer, Winter Kinne, Louise Knauer, Luis Leon, Krista Moncado, Ashley Silva and Alice Wingo. Design and photography by Aaron Scott. Feature stories were written by Sony Hocklander, Louise Knauer and Aaron Scott.

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