Former U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan has been named Honorary St. Patrick for the 101st St. Pat’s Celebration in Rolla. In addition, the Missouri University of Science and Technology committee that helps organize St. Pat’s events has named eight individuals Honorary Knights of St. Patrick for 2009. The Honorary Knights are Kathy Allison, Dr. Cynthia Bolon, Linda Bramel, Rodney Edwards, Gary Forsee, Ron Miller, Darlene Ramsay and Randy Stoll.

Carnahan and the others will be honored during a special ceremony at 9 p.m. Friday, March 13, in Leach Theatre of Castleman Hall on the Missouri S&T campus.

The 2009 celebration will culminate with a parade down Pine Street at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 14. Carnahan will serve as the parade marshal.

Biographical information on Carnahan and all of the 2009 Honorary Knights is as follows:

2009 Honorary St. Patrick
Jean Carnahan was made an Honorary Knight in 1994. She was the first woman in Missouri history to serve in the U.S. Senate. In 2000, her husband, Gov. Mel Carnahan, was campaigning for the U.S. Senate when he, their son Randy, and a campaign adviser were killed in an airplane crash just three weeks before the election. Missouri voters elected Gov. Carnahan posthumously, and Jean agreed to take her husband’s place in Washington, D.C.
As a senator, Jean served on the Armed Forces Committee, Commerce Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee, Special Committee on Aging and Small Business Committee. Sen. Carnahan was a member of the first congressional delegation to Afghanistan after 9-11.
Jean grew up in a working class neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where her father was a plumber and her mother a hairdresser. Determined to get a college education, Jean worked summers and during the school year while attending George Washington University. She earned a degree in business and public administration in 1955. She had married Mel Carnahan in 1954, and the couple eventually moved to Rolla, Mo., where Mel practiced law. The couple raised four children — Randy, Russ, Robin and Tom — on a farm near Rolla.
After leaving the senate, Jean came back to Missouri. She currently resides in St. Louis, where she is a speaker, political activist and writer. She is the author of five books, most recently “The Tide Always Comes Back,” which will be available this November.

2009 Honorary Knight
Kathy Allison is an administrative assistant in the department of student life at Missouri S&T. Allison handles financial responsibilities for about 140 student organizations, including the Blue Key Honor Society, the St. Pat’s Board, the Missouri Miner newspaper, KMNR radio and the RollaMo yearbook. Allison became a volunteer firefighter in 1994. She is certified as a Fire Instructor I through the University of Missouri-Columbia Fire and Rescue Training Institute and is a licensed emergency medical technician. She currently volunteers with the Rolla Rural Fire Department, where she holds the position of captain. She is the first female to achieve an officer rank in the history of the department.

2009 Honorary Knight
Dr. Cynthia Bolon is a lecturer in the chemistry department at Missouri S&T. A Rolla native, Bolon is the daughter of Sherrell Bolon and the late Dr. Albert Bolon. She is a 1996 graduate of Columbia College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and a bachelor’s degree in independent studies with an emphasis in chemistry. Bolon later attended S&T, where she received a Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry in 2006. Her dissertation work focused on the interactions of nucleons and the repulsion of nucleons as a source for stellar energy. Since 1996, Bolon has been actively involved with various organizations on campus. She designed the 2001 St. Pat’s sweatshirt, helped design new knight’s costumes and worked on the coloring book for the 100th St. Pat’s anniversary.

2009 Honorary Knight
Linda Boswell Bramel graduated with honors from Missouri S&T with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1989. Bramel received her master’s degree from Webster University in St. Louis in 1992. She has worked on the Missouri S&T campus for 25 years, and more than 15 of those years have been spent as assistant to the chancellor. She serves on numerous campus committees, including the Strategic Action Plan Steering Committee, the Commencement Committee, the Remmers’ Special Artist/Lecturer Series Committee and the Miner Alumni Association Faculty/Staff Volunteer Relations Committee. She also serves as chair on the Leach Theatre Advisory Committee.

2009 Honorary Knight
Rodney Edwards is the general manager of Grellner Sales and Service, Rolla’s only locally owned beverage distributor. A third-generation beverage distributor, Edwards and his family work territory throughout south-central Missouri and north-central Arkansas. The brands he represents include Miller, Coors, Pabst, Dr. Pepper, Corona, Heineken, Guinness, Boulevard, Samuel Adams and Red Bull. Edwards earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Southeast Missouri State University in 1986. He is a member of the St. James City Council, the St. James Sports Club, the Solid Rock Christian Church, and he is a board member of the Missouri Beer Wholesalers Association. Edwards is currently basking in the glow of the latest Super Bowl victory by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2009 Honorary Knight
Gary Forsee became the 22nd president of the University of Missouri on Feb. 18, 2008. Forsee previously served as chief executive officer and chairman of Sprint and as vice chairman of BellSouth Corp., where he was responsible for domestic operations and chaired the Cingular Wireless joint venture. With more than 35 years of experience in telecommunications, he has also held leadership positions with Global One, AT&T and Southwestern Bell. Forsee earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Missouri S&T in 1972. A member of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2005. He has served on S&T’s Board of Trustees, as a trustee for the Boy Scouts of America, and as national chair of the March of Dimes.

2009 Honorary Knight
Ron Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1964. He enjoyed a 36-year career with Procter & Gamble, where he retired as vice president and general manager for tissue, towels and facial products at Procter & Gamble Worldwide. Miller has volunteered with the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the United Way. He has served on the Board of Directors of Boatmen’s Bank, the American Red Cross and Hope Network Ministries. He is a founding member of S&T’s Academy of Chemical Engineering. He is also a member of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh and a member and past president of Missouri S&T’s Board of Trustees.

2009 Honorary Knight
Darlene Ramsay earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering at Missouri S&T in 1984. Ramsay is currently director of advancement services at Missouri S&T. She is responsible for the areas of alumni giving, alumni records and prospect research within the university advancement division. Previously, Ramsay was a research specialist at the Missouri S&T Center for Materials Research. She is a past president of the Miner Alumni Association and has served on the Missouri S&T Board of Trustees. Currently, she is a member of the University of Missouri System’s Alumni Alliance and is a member of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh. She has also served on the board of directors for Ozark Actors Theater and has been a social advisor to the St. Pat’s Board.

2009 Honorary Knight
Randy Stoll is director of business services at Missouri S&T. Stoll came to campus 31 years ago from a business administrator position at Purdue University to serve as senior buyer in the purchasing department. He went on to become director of purchasing prior to assuming his current role. He is responsible for campus printing and mail services, insurance and real estate issues, as well as performance, professional services, facilities use, lease, and independent contractor agreements. Stoll has served on the board of directors of Russell House in Rolla.