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Jewell Professor Honored
Alexander Doniphan Award recognizes leadership & service in the community
Norma King, Director of Media (Rush Creek Ward)
This year’s Alexander W. Doniphan Community Service & Leadership Award honoree is William Jewell College professor, Dr. Gary Armstrong. He received the award April 29 during a program at the college.
Armstrong is the 14th honoree since 2003 when the Liberty Stake, under the direction of then-Stake President Detlef Lehnardt, presented the first award to former Judge R. Kenneth Elliott, a circuit court judge for 33 years in Clay County.
The award honors those “who exemplify General Doniphan’s outstanding characteristics and personal commitments in one or more of the diverse components of his life, mainly education, jurisprudence, statesmanship, patriotism in defense of country, and integrity in business,” according to the Alexander W. Doniphan Community Service & Leadership Foundation website.
Other notable honorees have been: Alvin Brooks, Anita Gorman, Susan Easton Black, Elder Lance B. Wickham, and Dr. Christian Sizemore.
In 2012 a foundation was established to oversee the selection of honorees with a board made of church and community members. Besides The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, other sponsors of the award are the Clay County Millennium Historical Board and the Clay County Commission.
In an interview, Dr. Armstrong, a political science professor, said he has five heroes:
As a Christian, he is a committed follower of Jesus Christ. As a college educator, he has been impressed by the leadership of Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill “who showed great courage in moments of crisis.” And as a family man, he deeply admires his “amazing wife” Linda who has “amazing courage.” He is also a great admirer of Jack Danforth, a former Missouri senator and ordained priest who received the Alexander Doniphan Community Service Award in 2018.
Armstrong’s list of accomplishments and service is long: Over the last 33 years at Jewell he has served as interim vice president for academic affairs, associate dean for the core curriculum, political science department chair, director of Jewell’s new cybersecurity major and advisor at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
“Our Greek organizations at Jewell are some of the most intense practical labs…it’s amazing being alongside those students when they’ve got to make tough decisions,” he said.
His advice to these future leaders is to take time in high school and college to ponder the important questions. “Make sure you have good friends, even friends who disagree with you, but you know will tell you what you need to know,” he said.
“He always asks students the hard questions, pushes them to search for the right answer, and whole-heartedly supports them throughout the process. I was lucky to have him,” said Luke Zahnd, a 2024 Jewell graduate, and son of Eric Zahnd, Platte County Prosecutor .
“He is more than just a professor to so many students,” said Abby Vandiver, a Jewell graduate now studying law. “I am truly grateful for his guidance in all parts of my life, as he helped me grow in many more ways than one—I hope he knows it.”
“Dr. Armstrong cares for all of his students and always pushes us to be the best versions of ourselves, even when we may not think so in the moment,” said another student Dammy Idowu.
In his acceptance address at the award program Armstrong said that “Alexander Doniphan tried to live and lead from what historian Arthur Schlesinger would later call ‘the vital center.’ A slaveowner, a Whig, a renowned military commander, a political moderate, an American. He opposed mob rule and politicians expediently encouraging murder and ethnic cleansing of Mormons in Missouri.”
When Doniphan was ordered to execute the Prophet and others, he refused.
“Doniphan’s reaction was immediate and galvanizing,” said Armstrong. “He told his fellow officers presiding over this maljustice that neither he nor his brigade would have any part in the verdict nor the sentence. He put his objection in writing to the commanding general: “It is cold-blooded murder. I will not obey your order. My brigade shall march for Liberty tomorrow morning, at 8 o’clock, and if you execute these men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal, so help me God.’
“Doniphan knew what he was doing… He was touching the fundamentals, paying all due respect to the republic and its rule of law even in an emergency, maybe especially in an emergency. His integrity meant standing in the gap between justice and chaos. Doniphan’s stand for the right mightily impressed even the commanding general who presided over the wrongful court martial. He neither disciplined Doniphan nor ordered someone else to do the execution but sent Joseph Smith and the other Mormon leaders under guard to Independence.”
At the award ceremony, Armstrong acknowledged that Alexander Doniphan, who was one of the founders of William Jewell, made many notable contributions to Missouri and the nation, but got some important questions wrong regarding slavery.
“But that is not why Jewell had ever honored him,” said Armstrong. “Tonight, we remember what he got right – that he touched the fundamentals, paid all due respect to our republic and the rule of law. That speaks to me. That speaks to our day. It’s why it’s completely right to celebrate the best legacy of Alexander Doniphan,” said Armstrong.
Four high school students were also honored during the ceremony at William Jewell College.
Two graduating seniors, Kristen Jackson and Gillian Calder each received a $1,000 scholarship from the Alexander Doniphan Community Service & Leadership Foundation.
Two other students, Joseph Takens and Siddharth Datti, each received $100 gift cards for their essays for National History Day in Missouri.
