2018 Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame
The 2018 Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony took place
on April 13 at the White River Conference Center in Springfield, Missouri. The event
recognized the fifth inductees into the Hall of Fame: General John J. Pershing, Jean Carnahan, Peter Herschend, Lane McConnell and Phyllis Washington.
Jim Anderson, former 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.
General John J. Pershing
The first inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was General John J. Pershing.
General John J. Pershing was born in Laclede, Missouri. He commanded the American Expeditionary Force during WWI. His military great success lead to the creation of a new title: General of the Armies. Pershing won a Pulitzer Prize for his memoir.
Jean Carnahan
The second inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Jean Carnahan.
Jean Carnahan is a first generation college graduate and the first female to serve on the U.S. Senate from Missouri. She took office shortly after her husband, Governor Mel Carnahan, and their son died in a plane crash. Carnahan is a writer, speaker and political activist in St. Louis.
Peter Herschend
The third inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Peter Herschend.
Peter Herschend helped set the direction of tourism and education in Missouri. Hershand is co-founder and co-owner of Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation (formerly Silver Dollar City, Inc). He also served on the State Board of Education and was Education Supporter of the Year in 2011.
Lane McConnell
The fourth inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Lane McConnell.
Born and raised on her family’s farm, Lane McConnell founded Farmers Market of the Ozarks with Matt O’Reilly. It’s the only year-round covered market in the Ozarks and was featured on MSN.com, Food52.com and The Daily Meal. McConnell is an agricultural marketing consultant for Agri-Comm Services.
Phyllis Washington
The fifth inductee into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame was Phyllis Washington.
Phyllis Washington focused her career on improving education and life for students in Missouri. She started teaching in Kansas City and then principal of E.F. Swinney Applied Learning Magnet. Washington is the superintendent for Allen Village Charter School. A free college-preparatory school system in Kansas City.
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.