2017 Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame

The 2017 Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony took place on April 7 at the White River Conference Center in Springfield, Missouri. The  event recognized the fourth inductees into the Hall of Fame: Maxine Clark, Langston Hughes, Judith Rowland, Hal Donaldson and Ann Covington.

Jim Anderson, vice president of marketing and public affairs at CoxHealth, emceed the dinner and induction ceremony.

Recognition of honorees

Throughout the evening, the honorees were recognized in person and via video.

Missouri Governor Eric Greitens congratulated the honorees and thanked them for their service.

Langston Hughes

The first inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Langston Hughes.

James Langston Hughes was born in Joplin on Feb. 1, 1902, when rigid racial restrictions dominated Missouri. His success made him the first African American to make his living solely as a writer. Until his death in 1967, Hughes was arguably the premier poet of the black American experience, the most versatile of black writers and one of the finest authors in American literature.

Maxine Clark

The second inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Maxine Clark.

Maxine Clark is one of the true innovators in the retail industry. In 1997, she founded Build-A-Bear Workshop®, a teddy-bear themed retail-entertainment experience. Clark is also a managing partner of Prosper Women’s Capital, a St. Louis-based fund created to invest in women-owned businesses in the St. Louis area.

Ann Covington

The third inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Ann Covington.

Ann K. Covington has had several firsts in her 40 years in the field of law. She was the first female judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, the first female judge on the Missouri Supreme Court and the first female Missouri chief justice. Throughout her career, Covington has also mentored students from the University of Missouri as they apply for prestigious fellowships.

Hal Donaldson

The fourth inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Hal Donaldson.

Hal Donaldson is president of Convoy of Hope, a faith-based, nonprofit organization that leads humanitarian initiatives across the United States and around the world. Through Convoy of Hope, people in need are given much-needed supplies and resources like warm meals, groceries, medical and dental screenings, job opportunities and business training. 

Judith Rowland

The fifth inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Judith Rowland. 

Judith Rowland is the U.S. policy and advocacy manager for Global Citizen, where she speaks on behalf of Global Citizens around the world. In her role, Rowland helped secure more than 100 co-sponsors on the 2014 Water for the World Act. Additionally, Rowland was instrumental in securing the passage of the Global Food Security Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in July 2016. 

Social media coverage

Guests who attended the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame were encouraged to share about their experiences on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #ShowMeCitizens.