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A newsletter for alumni & friends // February 2026 |
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Features |
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In Memoriam |
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CAFNR remembers an incredible trio of alumni, faculty and friends we have recently lost. Their contributions to our college will keep their memory alive for decades to come. Please join us in remembering and celebrating them.
- Charles R. (Chuck) Brazeale, B.S. Ag ’57, creator of Brazeale Family Scholarship. November 3, 1935-December 30, 2025.
- Robert (Bob) Marshall, Ph.D. Dairy Science Microbiology ’60, creator of Tiger Stripe ice cream as faculty member. July 27, 1932-January 14, 2026.
- Alice Payne, beloved wife of Dean Emeritus Tom Payne. October 27, 1941-January 16, 2026.
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Charles R. (Chuck) Brazeale »
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Charles R. (Chuck) Brazeale (LTC, Retired) died Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at the age of 90. He was born to Walter Page and Iva Jane (Skaggs) Brazeale at home in rural Ozark, Missouri on November 3, 1935; the third of five children. He grew up working on the family dairy farm and played in the school band. He graduated from Ozark High School in 1953, and enrolled at the University of Missouri where he was active in Army ROTC and received his B.S. in Agriculture in 1957. Following graduation, Chuck spent the next 20 years in the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During a brief assignment to the St. Louis area, Chuck met the love of his life, Ina Rae Barklage. They married just nine months later on December 22, 1963. When he wasn’t at church or on the farm, you could probably find Chuck at Mizzou. He was a True Son! Chuck was honored with a Faculty and Alumni Award from the university in 2024, and was just completing a term as chairman of the Mizzou Flagship Council. Ina Rae and Chuck were blessed to be able to establish the Brazeale Family Scholarships benefitting students in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (CAFNR) from Monroe and surrounding counties. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Brazeale Family Scholarship Fund at the University of Missouri or to the First Baptist Church of Paris. Read More >> |
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Robert (Bob) Marshall »
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Robert Thomas Marshall, 93, of Columbia, Missouri, passed away January 14, 2026, at his home. He was born July 27, 1932, in Halltown, Missouri, to Elmer and Zelda Marshall. Bob married his beloved Shirley Joan Graham February 1, 1953. Bob dedicated his life to education and research. He earned his PhD in Dairy Science Microbiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1960 and joined the faculty that same year. Bob retired in 2000 as Professor Emeritus, holding the distinguished title of Arbuckle Professor Emeritus. In 1989, Bob, along with Professor Dean Shelley, opened Buck’s Ice Cream Place. For the opening, Bob created Tiger Stripe Ice Cream, the University of Missouri’s signature ice cream concoction. Bob has become known as “Mr. Tiger Stripe.” Memorials contributions may be made to Robert T. Marshall Food Science Fund. Read More >> |
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Alice Payne »
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Alice Payne joined our Lord the evening of January 16, 2026, after almost 63 years of marriage to Tom Payne, CAFNR Dean Emeritus. She was born October 27, 1941, to Katherine and Harold Lewis, and brother Butch, who dubbed her “Fifi.” She and Tom met the day she was born, at Miss Minnie Freise’s Maternity Home in Bakersfield, California. Tom also was born there only 10 days earlier – he was in the nursery when she arrived and by her side when she journeyed on. Tom says they were “destined to be together, though when more grown.” Although they attended different high schools, Tom and Alice had friends in common and knew of each other. They more officially met when both were 21 and students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, at a “Bakersfield Party.” They were instantly inseparable, and dated for about two months before being married at her family’s Methodist Church on February 1, 1963. Tom’s academic career took them across the country, including to Columbia, Missouri, where he served as Vice Chancellor and Dean of CAFNR from 1999-2016. Alice was part of the Sacred Heart Church choir, served as president of the Fortnightly Club, and led the Assistance League’s Book Bags Program. The Tom and Alice Payne Plaza, at the corner of Hitt and Rollins outside the Ag Building, was named in their honor in 2023. Read more about Tom and Alice’s impact on CAFNR >> Learn about Alice’s legacy via the Alzheimer’s Association >> Support the Tom and Alice Payne Fund for Excellence in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources >> |
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Student Spotlight |
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Celebrating our December graduates »
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CAFNR’s December 2025 Commencement was held Saturday, Dec. 20, in Hearnes Center. Speakers included graduating senior Lucas Van Keirsbilck, pictured above with Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert. Van Keirsbilck and other new alumni were featured in our Senior Spotlight prior to graduation: |
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Faculty & Staff |
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Mark Your Calendar! |
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Ways to Engage: Join, Give, Roar! |
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