The University of Missouri-Rolla announced its Parent of the Year as part of its annual Family Day celebration on Saturday, Oct. 15.

Jean Martin, mother of UMR graduate student Kevin Martin, was named UMR’s 2005 Parent of the Year.

“In high school, my mother would work a 12-hour day at her business and then come to band practice to help sew band uniforms for another four hours,” says Kevin Martin, who is currently studying “future hydrogen infrastructures” as a Ph.D. student in engineering management at UMR.

Kevin says the family, from Centralia, Ill., has faced a lot of tough times. He credits his mother for giving him and his sister strength after their grandmother and father passed away.

Adam Panagos (left) is UMR’s 2005 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant.

The Parent of the Year award is sponsored by the UMR Parents Association.

Also on Family Day, Adam Panagos was named UMR’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year. Panagos, who teaches in the electrical engineering department, is from St. Louis.

The award, which consists of a small stipend and a certificate of appreciation, is determined based on student evaluations.