Alumni

Endowment Foundation | Alumni | Events | Forms | Panther Perks | Publications | Scholarships | Ways to Give |

The Alumni Association is proud to distribute two esteemed awards annually.  Individuals receiving these awards are chosen through an extensive nomination process and are recognized for their support of Neosho County Community College, the Mission & Vision and the future of our community.  

The Neosho County Community College Distinguished Alumni is an award given to a single individual that has paved the way for future alumni.  This individual has supported the college after graduating from NCCC and has become and leader in their respective profession and community.  The Distinguished Alumni award is an exceptional honor and is generally the Key Note Speaker at our Commencement ceremony at the end of the academic year.  

2023 Distinguished Alumnus

Dr. Casey

 Murray Joseph Casey, MD, MS, MBA, PhD, FACOG, FACS is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at Creighton University School of Medicine. Dr. Casey lived his childhood and youth in Chanute, Kansas, attending St. Patrick’s School, Royster Junior High, and graduating from Chanute High School, where as a sophomore he was a National Science Fair Finalist in Washington, DC, and as a senior he competed and won the final round of the televised weekly quiz contest, Get Your Degree. At Neosho Community College, Joe was active in basketball, theater, and several student clubs and government activities, and he won the Physics Achievement Award.

 Joe graduated from the University of Kansas in 1958 with an AB in liberal arts and sciences, majoring in zoology and a special interest in literature and writing. In 1980, Dr. Casey was appointed Professor and Associate Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. In 1989, Dr. Casey was named Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Creighton University, moving to Omaha and, thus, coming back closer to his Kansas home, family, and friends. Dr. Casey continued an active clinical practice in pelvic surgery and director of gynecologic oncology until 1998, and staffing clinical services, as needs be, until 2018. While professor at Creighton Dr. Casey continued involvement with sports medicine research, education, and publication of journal articles, and encouraged by gurus in the field being the Editor-in-Chief and writing sections and chapters for the text Winter Sports Medicine in 1990. For the past thirty years working in the Creighton Hereditary Cancer Center and Registry with founder, colleague and close friend Dr. Henry T. Lynch, Dr. Casey has focused his translational research, teaching, and writing with many publications on hereditary cancer in women.

His life work was acknowledged by Creighton University with a Distinguished Research Career Award in 2017 from the School of Medicine. Through the years, Dr. Casey has been a peer reviewer for numerous national and international scientific journals, and he been a committee and taskforce appointee and elected member of the Boards and as an officer of many regional and national volunteer and professional organizations. He continues, now, as an active fulltime professor in the Creighton University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, studying, researching, writing, and teaching, and with mentoring, motivating, developing, and reviewing resident physicians and students of medicine and biomedical science in their research, while being involved with interviewing and ranking candidates for residency in Ob-Gyn, attending and participating in weekly and monthly case presentations, gynecologic pathology reviews, elective student presentations, and journal club, and personally presenting Grand Rounds at least once each academic year.

He is a member of the medical school Senior Rank and Tenure Committee and has long been a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Legislation and Regulation Taskforce with frequent Congressional liaison. And he continues active in the community. Dr. Casey owes everlasting gratitude to his dedicated, hardworking, inspiring, and caring teachers of school and college, his classmates, and his mentors of later life for the education and whatever accomplishments that he might have had.

Past Distinguished Alumni Recipients

The Neosho County Community College Heritage Family is an award given to a family who has shown great support of the college through multiple means.  This distinguished awarded has been given since 2011 and honors some of the amazing individuals who have helped grow the foundation NCCC prides itself on. 

2023 Heritage Family

The Hole Family

The NCCC Heritage Family award is bestowed annually since 2011 to a family that has shown great support to the college through multiple means and honors families who have helped grow the foundation NCCC prides itself on. 

Families who receive this distinguished award must have at least one individual who has graduated from Neosho County Community College along with family members who have attended or graduated from NCCC.

This year, we are honored to award the 2023 Heritage Family award to the Hole Family. 

Both Beverly and Charles attended NCCC. Charles attended briefly in 1954 before joining the Air Force. Beverly attended from 1979-1980 and received her Journeyman Certificate in Carpentry. Beverly’s Uncle, Elva (Elvie) Uthmann worked for 9 years at NCCC in the maintenance department. He and his wife Evelyn established the Elva and Evelyn Uthmann scholarship fund at NCCC.

Beverly and Charles have 5 children, 4 of which attended NCCC. Their eldest daughter, Charlotte earned her Postal Administration Certificate in 1994. Her husband Ed Stout attended from 1976-1977. The Stouts have supported the college for years, including being big basketball supporters. At one time they did host basketball students at their house so these students could attend NCCC. Their other children John (1985), Mike (1990s), and Mindy (1987-1989) attended as well but did not graduate. Their daughter-in-laws Michelle (2019) and Emma (2010) did graduate from NCCC. Emma Hole received her nursing degree in 2010. She is also a member of the NCCC Alumni Association. 

Beverly and Charles have 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Out of these, 5 grandchildren attended with 3 graduating. Anne Winters (Stout) graduated in 2001. During her time at NCCC, she was a cheerleader. Crystal Poovey (Hole) graduated in 2011 and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Melissa Churning graduated in 2011 and was a member of the Academic Excellence Challenge Team. Melissa is also the current NCCC Alumni Association President.

Beverly and Charles are active in their community. They volunteer at their local church. Beverly, years ago, would create and coordinate craft activities with the senior citizens at the Tioga. She also at one time made stuffed panthers for the NCCC bookstore. While they used to square dance, they now frequent the Altoona Senior Center for weekly dances. They always help those in need and have never met a stranger.

Congratulations to the Hole family!  

Past Heritage Families

*The Neosho County Community College Foundation is a 501c3 non-for-profit organization.