Myrna Marble stood amidst applause as the announcement of her son Alan as next Crowder College president was made. The in-house selection seemed to pleasantly surprise some of those assembled outside of the Fireside Room, and they hooted and clapped as Jim Tatum, president of the Crowder Board of Trustees made the announcement on February 22.
Myrna Marble beamed as Tatum made reference to the genetic as well as environmental influence that made her son the best candidate for the post.
Tatum saw the choice of Marble as a "fulfillment of an abiding thought." If we are so darn good, he said, with a special culture and values that create a positive outcome for students, then, he asked, why can't we create our own president, a candidate who personifies that culture?
"Choosing a seed that was outstanding...a seed to grow a flower, I don't expect to do that again," Tatum said, referencing his own 44 years associated with the Crowder community and his role in Marble's appointment. "Our best days are ahead of us as great as it's been," he added.
Tatum admitted that "the other finalists could have done the job quite well," but that Marble's proven loving and caring nature as well as his belief and practice in Crowder's culture made him the overwhelming choice.
Alan's wife Lori and twin sons Logan and Dexter, age 11 and daughter Jessica, 18, a student at Crowder, and all present, certainly wouldn't disagree.
When Marble, pictured, took the podium to accept the appointment, he couldn't help but reference his humble beginnings--as a student at Crowder without a goal and then the opportunities over 20 years that pointed him towards success.
As his earliest connection to Crowder, Marble, who had been named interim president, reminisced about driving around with his mother as they went door to door to gain support for the bond issue in 1963 that would establish the Crowder College school district.
"I'm proud to be the president of a college I attended as a student," Marble said. While there will be future challenges, the former business manager said that right now he hopes to keep up with the growth. "We're just busting at the seems," he exultantly admitted. Go Back | 
