MSU Legends Interview with Dr. Wynn |
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In short, Friday is a day to celebrate a Missouri State University legend.
Dr. Mary Jo Wynn, who served her alma mater for 41 years as a teacher, coach and administrator -- including nearly a quarter century as MSU's Director of Women's Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator -- will be the center of attention with a number of Sept. 5 events planned to honor her.
The newly-named Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Academic Achievement Center will be open for student-led tours in Forsythe Athletics Center, starting at 3:30 p.m., Friday, followed by an official dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30. The renovated facility is the hub of academic success for MSU's nearly 400 student-athletes, offering academic advisement and resources, in addition to study and computer areas in the heart of the Springfield campus.
Improvements at the Wynn Academic Achievement Center include renovated study space and computer lab, a timeline tribute to Dr. Wynn's career, recognition of MSU's Academic All-Americans and a number of state-of-the-art graphics that make the facility a point of pride for the academic success of current student-athletes and recruitment efforts of future Bears.
A Legacy Celebration Dinner to honor Dr. Wynn will then take place at Hammons Student Center, starting at 5 p.m. The event will include a tribute to Dr. Wynn from past coaches, athletes and administrators who represent the legions of individuals whose lives were influenced by Wynn's career.
The Bears' 1974 national championship softball team and 1979 national championship softball teams will also be recognized at the Wynn Legacy Celebration. Information is available by calling (417) 836-4143.
Finally at 7 p.m., the Missouri State volleyball Bears will take on Western Kentucky in Hammons Student Center in the tournament that bears Dr. Wynn's name. The annual Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational includes the Bears, Oral Roberts, Western Kentucky, Incarnate Word and Milwaukee in a weekend full of volleyball action.
Wynn coached the MSU volleyball program from its inception in 1958 to 1971 and established a standard of excellence that has continued through her successor Linda Dollar (1972-95) and current coach Melissa Stokes (1996 to present). Between the second and third sets of Friday's Missouri State match, MSU will retire a jersey in honor of Dollar who played for Dr. Wynn as a player and then coached the Bears to 758 victories as head coach while leading the school to 13 national postseason tournaments. She was the first college volleyball coach in the country to reach 700 career wins.
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