By Jeff Murphy,
October 17, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – Three University of Central Missouri graduates who have excelled
in careers or service that include work in the United States Secret Service, U.S.
Army, and business/education will be honored as Distinguished Alumni during the university’s
2016 Homecoming celebration. Award presentations will take place during the Distinguished
Alumni Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 in Elliott Student Union 240.
Among the Distinguished Alumni Award recipients is Adrian Andrews, a special agent
with the U.S. Secret Service. Now residing in the Dallas, Texas area, he is a former
Mules football player who graduated from UCM in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal
justice, followed by a master’s in 1986. Also receiving the award is Maj. Gen. Rick
Mustion who graduated from UCM in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in management and
is now a retired commanding general of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Fort
Knox, Ky. The Distinguished Alumni Award for Service recipient is Dan Power, a Hutchinson,
Kan. resident and former champion Mules wrestler who earned two education degrees
from UCM, a bachelor’s in 1973 and a master’s in 1974. Known for helping others and
his ongoing support of his alma mater, Power has succeeded in three career paths –
education, real estate and finance.
The UCM Alumni Foundation sponsors the awards program to recognize outstanding university
alumni. The Distinguished Alumni Award honors exceptional professional achievement
and extraordinary distinction in a chosen field that has a national or global impact.
The Distinguished Alumni Award for Service recognizes individuals who have generously
shared their time, talent and resources to enhance the university, their community
or both.
Individuals who nominated Andrews for the award describe him as a natural born leader
who inspires people and is passionate about doing the right thing. After earning his
education at UCM, where he was also an outstanding athlete, he joined the Secret Service
in 1989. His exceptional track record in the Secret Service includes numerous federal
and state investigations and protection details for U.S. presidents, vice presidents
and foreign dignitaries. In his first assignment, he led the Detroit Field Office
in undercover investigations resulting in record state and federal arrests for three
consecutive years. He became a team leader of the Counter Assault Team for President
Bill Clinton’s Protective Detail, followed by his promotion to Assistant Special Agent
in Charge of the Dallas Field Office. He was assigned to Vice President Dick Cheney’s
Detail before being promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret
Service (USSS) Training Center. He then was promoted to Special Agent in Charge of
the field office in Oklahoma City, his hometown, where he has hosted an honors group
of UCM students every year for a tour of the Oklahoma City Memorial, his office and
the state’s federal prison. He is currently serving as Assistant Special Agent in
Charge of the Dallas Field Office, one of the largest field offices in the U.S. Secret
Service, with hope to become the Special Agent in Charge of the office. Throughout
his appointments, Andrews has developed and implemented emergency manual plans considered
the first of their kind.
Growing up in Waynesville, Mustion left UCM with a diploma and a commission as a second
lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and achieved the type of success only a few Army personnel
experience. Mustion’s extraordinary professionalism, competence, commitment and character
are credited with his military achievement becoming a major general. The two-star
designation is the highest permanent rank given during peacetime in the uniformed
services, requiring final approval by both the U.S. Senate and President. During his
35-year military career, Mustion commanded at every level of the Army and the Department
of Defense, serving in critical leadership positions of increasing responsibility
around the globe. At the time of his retirement, he was the Army’s senior human resources
professional and led the development and execution of programs supporting more than
710,000 soldiers and 17 million veterans throughout the world. He operated a global
information technology and support network that reached every unit and every solder
in the Army.
Mustion has served in command and staff positions in the continental U.S., Germany,
Korea and Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), 2nd Armored Division (Forward),
2nd Armored Division, 4th Infantry Division, III U.S. Corps, 2nd U.S. Army, 8th U.S.
Army, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, U.S. Army Human Resources Command,
Department of the Army, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Multi-National
Force - Iraq. He has won numerous military honors, including the Meritorious Service
Medal (with seven Oak Leaf Clusters); the Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster);
the Combat Action Badge, and many more.
Power’s career paths have included education, real estate and finance, while also
helping every community where he and his wife have lived and raised their family.
While earning two education degrees from UCM, he wrestled for the Mules and Coach
Roger Denker, who recruited him to campus from Aurora, Ill. Power was an MIAA champion,
team captain and most valuable wrestler, and was inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall
of Fame as part of the 1972-73 wrestling team. Following his graduation, he became
a high school teacher and wrestling coach whose teams earned numerous conference,
regional and state titles.
When Power changed his career to real estate, he quickly earned honors as Kansas City
Area Rookie of the Year. In 1981, he joined Edward Jones and within three years, became
a limited licensed partner. When he recently retired from his 35-year career, he had
qualified five times as one of the company’s top three percent of advisors and had
earned company awards annually for 30 years. He and his wife also stayed engaged with
their alma mater and community. Power served on the Board of Education for the public
schools in Hutchinson, Kan., for eight years, including two as president. He also
has been president and served on the boards of the Optimist Club, Ambucs, the Training
and Education Center for the Handicapped, and the Hutchinson Town Club. He is an avid
supporter of UCM, giving generously to the wrestling team and starting scholarships
with his wife as well as a former Mule teammate. In addition, he served on the UCM
Alumni Foundation Board of Directors. His leadership as chair of the Finance and Investment
Committee helped the foundation more than double total assets from $23 million to
$51 million and to triple yearly scholarship awards from $400,000 to $1.2 million.
A reception at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, precedes the Distinguished Alumni Dinner
in the Elliott Student Union Sandra Temple Elliott Ballroom, and reservations are
required. The Distinguished Alumni Award and Distinguished Alumni Award for Service
recipients also will participate in the annual Homecoming parade that begins at 9
a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, and will be honored at halftime of the Mules vs. Washburn
Ichabods football game that begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Audrey J. Walton Stadium
at Vernon Kennedy Field. To learn more about the dinner or other 2016 Homecoming events,
call the UCM Alumni Foundation at 660-543-8000 or check out on the web at ucmo.edu/homecoming/schedule.
