Missouri Western State University will hold a memorial service for Dr. Janet Gorman McCarthy, former president, at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 4 in the Kemper Recital Hall inside Spratt Hall. The public is invited. The service will include an opportunity for attendees to share their memories. Dr. McCarthy – known as Dr. Janet Gorman Murphy when she served as Missouri Western’s president from 1983 to 2000 – died at her home in South Dennis, Mass., on May 15.

Born in Holyoke, Mass., on Jan. 10, 1937, she was the daughter of the late Catherine Hennessey and Edwin “Pat” Gorman. She served as president of Lyndon State College in Vermont for six years before coming to Missouri Western as the first woman president of a four-year university in Missouri.

Dr. McCarthy was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She received her Master of Education from Boston University and her Doctor of Education and honorary Doctorate of Law from UMass Amherst.

During her retirement years, Dr. McCarthy served as the Chair of the UMass Cape Cod Alumni Scholarship Fund and enjoyed travel and time spent with friends and family.

A scholarship has been established at Missouri Western with a lead gift from one of Janet’s closest friends as a way to honor her memory as a steadfast advocate for higher education for all. The Dr. Janet Murphy McCarthy Memorial Scholarship will be endowed in order for her legacy to live on in perpetuity through the lives of the student recipients. The donor welcomes others to contribute to the scholarship so as many students as possible can receive financial assistance along with the added benefit of being connected to one of the most influential leaders in Missouri Western’s nearly 100 year history. Contributions may be mailed to the Missouri Western State University Foundation, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, Mo., 64507.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.