Independence Community
College’s 2008
Graduation Ceremony will
be celebrated on
Saturday, May 10th.
ICC’s 83nd
spring commencement will
be held at 10 a.m. in
Memorial Hall.
Highlights of the
ceremony include an
address by ICC’s 2008
Outstanding Alumnus
Richard D. Orr. Interim
President Dr. Larry
Tyree will preside over
the ceremonies.
The graduation
festivities will be
followed by the
post–commencement
celebration in the
Memorial Hall foyer.
The public is welcome to
attend the celebration
with the graduates and
their families, faculty
and honored guests.
Richard Orr is a native
of Independence. One of
five children born to
Leon E. and Wilma C.
Orr, he is a descendant
of E.B. Carpenter, one
of the founders of
Independence in 1869.
He spent most of his
childhood at 1420 N. 10th,
the house his father
built from scratch. He
attended local schools
and was a member of the
last freshmen class to
attend Independence
Junior College at Old
Nees Hall and a member
of the first sophomore
class to attend at ICC’s
next location with the
high school on North 10th
street.
Active in football,
track and field
throughout his school
career, he was the
starting center and
middle linebacker at
Junior College and, in
his sophomore year, won
the state Junior College
discus event and ran on
the winning medley relay
team.
He worked a variety of
jobs while going to
school but credits his
time in the oil fields
as his direct motivation
to pursue additional
education and enrolled
at Kansas University.
He earned his Bachelor
of Science degree in
Chemical Engineering
with a minor in Nuclear
Engineering in 1958 and
began work in North
Kansas City, Missouri,
for Corn Products
Company, as a project
engineer in the
engineering department.
In 1961, he accepted an
offer to train as an
Assistant Division
Manager with the company
and six months later was
the Division Manager.
He moved to General
Foods Company in 1963
where his group
developed new products
and he patented a new
enzyme process to
convert starch to
dextrose sugar and corn
syrup. He was promoted
to the position of
Technical Service
Manager.
From there he became the
Plant Manager for Basic
Vegetable Products in
Vacaville, California
and in 1972, was offered
a job as Project Manager
to build a new operation
for Specialty Brands,
Inc. in Chicago. The
project was to build a
facility for the Spice
Islands warehouse and to
produce Marie’s Salad
Dressings. When the
plant was finished and
operations started they
asked him was made Plant
Manager and later Vice
President of
Operations. In 1975, he
was offered a job as
Division Manager of
Besco Products for
Bessire & Co. in
Louisville, Kentucky but
by 1979 he was looking
to buy a small company
and be his own boss.
After looking at a
number of companies,
Richard and his partner,
Tad Shinkle, bought
Marie’s Quality Foods
Inc. in Woodland,
California. A small
franchise of the Marie’s
Company owned by
Specialty Brands, the
business grew and
expanded to California,
Arizona, Nevada and
Hawaii. The company
continued to grow and
purchased the Marie’s
Franchise in the
northwest division in
1995. At this time our
franchise included nine
states, from Alaska to
Arizona.
Specialty Brands sold
the Marie’s business to
Campbell Soup who later
sold it to Dean Foods.
Each company offered to
buy his business and as
the years went by the
offers increased. In
2003, Dean Foods made an
offer Richard couldn’t
refuse - so he asked for
20% more. When Dean
Foods agreed and Richard
sold the company and
joined the ranks of the
retired. He bought a
house in Independence to
be close to family and
friends and gradually
made the transition from
California to Kansas.
Retirement isn’t for
everyone. Admitting
that he was bored,
following a natural love
of golf and being
intrigued with the idea
of restoring a golf
course; in July of 2007
Richard purchased the
Miami Golf and Country
Club in Miami,
Oklahoma. This latest
business venture has
involved extensive
renovations of the
facilities and a
complete overhaul of the
operations of this
business, and his hard
work and dedication have
paid off again. The
final phase of the
restoration, a swimming
pool project, will be
completed in June of
this year.
Candidates for spring
2008 graduation have
been announced by name,
degree, hometown:
|
Last |
First |
Degree |
Major |
City, State |
PTK |
|
Beecham |
Melissa |
AS |
Elem Ed |
Marshall, TX |
|
|
Bunyard |
April |
AGS |
LBR |
Longton, KS |
|
|
Dobbs |
Emily |
AA |
LBR |
Afton, OK |
|
|
Dye |
Alisha |
AA |
LBR |
Tulsa, OK |
|
|
Gilreath |
James |
AA |
LBR |
Altus, OK
|
|
|
Goldstrom |
Benjamin |
AS |
LBR |
Omaha, NE |
|
|
Goodman |
Bethany |
AA |
ENG |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Goodman |
Joshua |
AS |
Account |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Hanson |
Antonio |
AS |
LBR |
Fort Worth, TX |
|
|
Hare |
Laurel |
AS |
LBR |
Neodesha, KS |
|
|
Hare |
Rachel |
AA |
foreign lang |
Neodesha, KS |
|
|
Ivey |
Rebecca |
AS |
BUS |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Long |
Andrew |
|
|
Independence, KS |
PTK |
|
Mantooth |
Shelby |
AS |
LBR |
Caney, KS |
|
|
Patterson |
Sarah |
AS |
LBR |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Peitz |
Sophie |
AS |
LBR |
Neodesha, KS |
|
|
Pierpoint |
Aaron |
AS |
LBR |
Augusta, KS |
|
|
Pironti |
Vincent |
AS |
LBR |
Owasso, OK |
|
|
Ragan |
Nicholas |
AA |
LBR |
Cherryvale, KS |
|
|
Rutledge |
Rebecca |
AA |
LBR |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Sapargeldiyeva |
Maysa |
AA |
THR |
|
|
|
Theus-Downey |
Shareikka |
AS |
LBR |
Joplin, MO |
|
|
Tincher |
Rebecca |
AA |
LBR |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Turner |
Broderick |
AGS |
LBR |
Lithonia, GA |
|
|
Alford |
Jeremy |
AA |
LBR |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Allen |
Heather |
AS |
Elem Ed |
Manhattan, KS |
|
|
Banowetz |
Janet |
cert |
Info/Word Proc |
Edna, KS |
|
|
Barisich |
Sarah |
AS |
LBR |
Salina, KS |
|
|
Bernd |
Kayla |
AA |
LBR |
Cherryvale, KS |
|
|
Bowen |
Misty |
AA |
LBR |
Cherryvale, KS |
PTK |
|
Brennan |
Olivia |
AA |
Comm |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Brown |
Carol |
cert |
EMT |
Neodesha, KS |
|
|
Cauthon |
Amy |
AS |
LBR |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Chism |
Sheryl |
AA |
Psy |
Independence, KS |
PTK |
|
Clark |
Morgan |
AS |
LBR |
Aurora, IL |
|
|
Coder |
Sarah |
AS |
LBR |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Codio |
Rhea |
AS |
LBR |
Brooklyn, NY |
|
|
Conley |
Jordan |
AS |
LBR |
Independence, KS |
|
|
Cooper |
Lindsey |
AA |
LBR |
Copan, OK |
|
|
Corvino |
Joe |
AS |
LBR |
Cherryvale, KS |
PTK |
|
Curt |
Cassidy |
AS |
LBR |
Neodesha, KS |
|
|
Ewing |
Rodney |
|
