Seven Missouri S&T alumni, one current faculty member and one staff member will be honored for their professional achievements and service contributions during the Miner Alumni Association’s Legends Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 3. The awards banquet is held annually in conjunction with Missouri S&T’s Homecoming festivities. 

The event will be held noon-1:30 p.m. in the Kinyon-Koeppel Grand Hall of Hasselmann Alumni House at Missouri S&T, located at 1100 N. Pine St. in Rolla. The luncheon is open to the public, and tickets are $25. For more information, contact the Miner Alumni Association at 800-566-4637 or email alumni@mst.edu.  

This year’s award recipients include: 

• Megan Gegesky will receive the Distinguished Young Alumni Award. Gegesky, a global platform planning supervisor for technical program management at Ford Motor Company, earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2016. 

• Molly Laegeler will receive the Jerry R. Bayless Alumni Merit Award. Laegeler, executive vice president of strategy and sustainability at Chevron, earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering in 2000. 

• Matthew Ng, assistant professor of psychological science at Missouri S&T, will receive the Class of ’42 Excellence in Teaching Award. 

• Matthew O’Keefe will receive the Jerry R. Bayless Alumni Merit Award. O’Keefe, a professor of chemical engineering at Kansas State University, earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from S&T in 1985. 

• Lindell Rutherford will receive the Alumni Achievement Award. Rutherford, who retired from the Navy as a Rear Admiral in 2003 and from the Virginia Advanced Shipbuilding and Carrier Integration Center in 2016, earned a bachelor’s degree in ceramic engineering from S&T in 1971. 

• Mark Schankman will receive the Robert V. Wolf Alumni Service Award. Schankman, who retired from a 34-year career with Boeing in 2010, earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from S&T in 1974. 

• Jon Schneider will receive the Frank H. Mackaman Alumni Service Award. Schneider, who leads strategic corporate initiatives at Spire Energy, earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from S&T in 1987. 

• Deepa Soni will receive the Alumni Achievement Award. Soni, executive vice president and chief information officer at New York Life, earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from S&T in 1995.  

• Renee Stone will receive the Honorary Life Member Award. Stone, currently an accountant for the Miner Alumni Association, has worked for the association since 1991. 

About Missouri University of Science and Technology 

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.