WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Dr. Ed McKinney, former professor of history at Missouri State University-West Plains, will receive the Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award during the Missouri State University Alumni Association’s annual spring picnic for alumni and friends at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in the exhibit hall at the West Plains Civic Center.
In its sixth year, the award recognizes extraordinary service among former employees of Missouri State-West Plains. Among the qualities considered are professional and/or academic achievements, as well as a demonstrated commitment to the university’s mission. Nominees must have been employed by the university for at least five years and must not currently be employed by the Missouri State University System.
“I was delighted to find out that Ed had been nominated and then selected to receive the Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award,” said Joe Kammerer, director of development at Missouri State-West Plains. “He is a true educator at heart and demonstrated that in and out of the classroom. Ed is well respected by his peers who valued his leadership and compassion for students. He’s a wonderful person, and I’m happy to have met him and served with him at the university.”
A long-time educator in his native Ozark region, McKinney, who earned his Ph.D. in history in 1990, joined the faculty at Missouri State-West Plains in 1994. He immediately began establishing himself as a very able and active faculty member, quickly assuming important leadership roles as chair of the history department, associate dean and division chair.
As a teacher and a scholar, he became particularly active in the field of Ozarks Studies, where he served as a member of the Missouri State-West Plains Ozarks Studies Committee, frequently presented at and moderated panel discussions for the annual Ozarks Studies Symposium, and served as editorial board member and book reviewer for Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies published by the university.
McKinney’s love of traditional music also became a means of celebrating and preserving Ozarks culture. In 1994, he became a member of the Heart of the Ozarks Bluegrass Association and later served as president and vice president. Through his band Sunnyside Up, he has kept traditional Ozarks music in the local spotlight, and he serves as master of ceremonies for a weekly jam session at the West Plains Senior Center, and informal setting that provides a venue for local singers and musicians. His prominence in these activities, as well as his expertise on Ozark musical and radio history, has led to several guest appearances on the television show OzarkWatch Video Magazine on Ozarks Public Television.
McKinney’s interest in Ozark history also can be found in his scholarly publications, including his doctoral dissertation “Images, Realities and Cultural Change in the Missouri Ozarks, 1920-1960,” entries on Vance Randolph and Lester E. Cox in the Dictionary of Missouri Biography, and articles like “Uncle Johnny Kaighin: Manx Builder in the Ozarks” in the Missouri Folklore Society Journal, and “The Farmer’s Dilemma: Coping With Drought in Depression Years in South Missouri” and “Like Family: Kinship Perceptions of Ozarks Radio Entertainers and the Spread of Consumer Culture, 1939-1959” published in Gateway Heritage.
Over the course of his career, McKinney has received several significant awards, including the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2002 and the Missouri State University Board of Governors’ Award for Faculty Excellence in Community Service.
“Through two decades of service to Missouri State University-West Plains, Dr. Edgar D. McKinney set a standard for teaching, scholarship, leadership and collegiality that has positively shaped the character of this university,” according to his award nomination. “Moreover, his warm, gentlemanly outreach to the community has provided an important link between Missouri State-West Plains and the region it serves. He has been an intellectual and cultural ambassador to and for the Ozark region. As such, he is a remarkable example of the qualities the Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award is meant to represent.”
The first Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award was given at the 2010 annual picnic to former Director of Development and Associate Professor of History Carol Silvey. It has since been presented to former Missouri State-West Plains Dean Marvin Green (2011), former Professor of English Dr. Connie O’Neal (2012), and former Assistant Professor of Mathematics Rita Fugate (2013) and former Assistant Professor of Communications Kay Garrett (2014).
The annual picnic is free and open to all Missouri State University alumni and friends; however, reservations should be made prior to the event, organizers said. For more information or to make reservations, call the Missouri State-West Plains development office at 417-255-7240.