ALUMNI NEWS

Crews Takes the Helm

Having worked in the newspaper business across central and northern Missouri for nearly his entire life, Doug Crews, BJ ’73, knows the importance of promoting a sense of community.

“Community journalism is a more personal type of journalism that involves reporting and writing about friends and neighbors who may live down the street,” Crews said in a recent interview. “Publishing a newspaper is rewarding and important work. It has an impact on a community’s activities and progress; it documents a community’s history.”

Now as executive director of the Missouri Press Association and the newly installed president of the MU Alumni Association, Crews will be using his talents to lead MUAA through changes in leadership while encouraging alumni to be advocates for Mizzou during the upcoming state legislative session. Read on to find out how Crews’ past will benefit Mizzou’s future.

Who were your role models at the beginning of your journalism career?

Crews: I cut my newspaper teeth on The Odessan, my hometown newspaper published by Betty Spaar, who graduated in 1954 from Mizzou with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She allowed me to cover the city council, school board and local sports while I was in high school and college. I was also fortunate to have a super high school journalism teacher, the late Robert Cobb. Betty, Bob and others introduced me to a career that has turned out to be interesting, fun, exciting and meaningful.

Why did you choose Mizzou?

Crews: Times were interesting and exciting in the early 1970s. The media played a prominent role in focusing the nation’s attention on the Vietnam War and Watergate. I wanted my degree to be from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. I wanted to be a Tiger! The J-School gives students such a variety of practical experiences, and its faculty members are innovative and dynamic. And this excellence didn’t just happen, it’s been happening since 1908 when the school was founded. No wonder it attracts the brightest and best students from across the country and around the world.

Which MU professor or class left a major impact on your life?

Crews: William A. “Bill” Bray, BJ ’48, taught community newspaper courses at the J-School. He also was executive director of the Missouri Press Association. I later became Bill’s assistant for 11 years at MPA, and then followed him as executive director after his retirement. Bill’s class, “The Community Newspaper,” included a one-week field trip where students traveled to Missouri towns and worked on weekly newspapers. It was a great experience.

What are some of your most vivid memories as a Mizzou student?

Crews: The early 1970s proved to be trying times on some campuses because of the Vietnam War. The Kent State shootings happened during the spring of my freshman year (May 4, 1970, to be exact). That tragedy was followed with demonstrations by thousands of MU students on Francis Quadrangle. Witnessing those events made a lasting impression on me.

Turning to fond memories, working late Friday nights on the Columbia Missourian newspaper copy desk was enjoyable, as was helping put the newspaper to bed and watching the first copies roll off the press at 1 a.m.

When did you become involved in the MU Alumni Association?

Crews: I recognized early the value of the alumni association and its service in keeping alumni in touch with Mizzou. I bought a life membership in MUAA a year or two after graduation. I also enjoy receiving MIZZOU magazine, and always read it from cover to cover. Editor Karen Worley invited me to join the MUAA Communications Committee, an advisory group for the magazine. I served as chairman of that committee for three years, and that’s how I became involved with the association.

What campus and alumni association events are you looking forward to this fall?

Crews: I’d say my favorite MUAA event is Tiger Walk, when freshmen walk through the Columns on the eve of their first classes at MU. On Aug. 22, my daughter, Jessica, will be walking through as a freshman, and that will be extra special. Homecoming is always a great time; I’m really looking forward to having Chuck Roberts, BJ ’71, and CNN Headline News anchor, as the grand marshal. I am also anticipating the official opening of MU’s new Life Sciences Center Sept. 17. The University is truly a hub in Missouri for life sciences research to improve human and animal health, food and the environment. The center has not only changed the complexion of campus, but also has the potential to change the future with its teaching and research capabilities.

As president of the MUAA Board of Directors, what will be the top items on your agenda?

Crews: At the top of my list is the anticipated hiring of a new executive director to replace Todd Coleman. Todd did a fantastic job for MUAA in his 10 years here. He helped build our association into an award-winning organization. We’re strong in membership and finances, and our devoted staff members provide outstanding services to our members. Everyone wishes Todd and his family the best in their move to Purdue.

Also leaving is Chancellor Richard Wallace, who has shown steady and strong support of MUAA. It is important that we work closely with Interim Chancellor Brady Deaton to ensure that the Alumni Association retains this good relationship with the Chancellor’s Office.

For the past year, our planning committee has been working to update the association’s 1999 long-range plan. We hope to finish that project this year. I also want to get the ball rolling to forge a “memo of understanding” between MU and the MU Alumni Association to formalize some of the association’s activities and services with the University.

What do you expect to be your biggest challenge as president?

Crews: Helping to make sure we stay on track during the search and hiring of a new executive director will be an important task. But, I’m proud to say interim Executive Director Todd McCubbin and his staff have not missed a beat. I can’t say enough good things about our MUAA staff members and the job they do for our association. My role in this time of transition is to be a steady influence on the process. I’m privileged to be a member of the search committee, chaired by Debbie Snellen, MUAA’s immediate past president, and Chris Koukola, assistant to the chancellor for University Affairs.

What is your vision for MUAA and the University?

Crews: This year and in future years, MUAA and its members will need to take even more active roles in advocating for Mizzou in Jefferson City. As graduates, we need to toot our horns for Mizzou. It’s important that we tell the Mizzou story to legislators because they are being pulled in so many directions. Mizzou is such a treasure for our state. As graduates, we need to protect Missouri’s flagship university and not let it be damaged by competing interests.

Here’s to a promising—no—GREAT football season this fall! And, I look forward to the excitement of opening the finest, on-campus basketball arena in the nation in October.

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Last Update: November 15, 2007