John Milton Inglish

John Milton Inglish, of Warrensburg, died Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.
He was born Feb. 26, 1947, in California, Mo., the son of the late Hugh J. and Mary Margaret (Myers) Inglish of rural Jamestown and grew up in the Bacon area of Moniteau County. He is survived by his wife, Tammy Inglish, of Warrensburg. One older sister, Barbara Jane Barron, of Winfield, Kan., preceded him in death.
Inglish graduated third in his class at Jamestown High School in 1965 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969 from Central Missouri State College and a Master of Arts degree in 1975 from Central Missouri State University. He worked his way through college as a ticket salesman in Lake Ozark, Mo., at Loc-Wood Boat Dock in 1965 and at Casino Pier from 1966 through 1969. In the summer of 1967, he also owned and operated a sandwich shop on the strip at Bagnell Dam in Lake Ozark.
It was at the lake in 1967 that he met Tamara Sue Constant from Sheridan, Mo., on a blind date. They were married May 28, 1969.
An honor graduate of the U.S. Air Force Photography School at Lowery AFB in Denver, Colo. in 1970, Inglish served on active duty during the Vietnam conflict from 1969 to 1973, and in the inactive reserves until 1975, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. After basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Tx. and Technical School in Denver, he served as a portrait and assignment photographer at Offutt AFB in Omaha, Neb. and later produced precision aerial reconnaissance photographs for use by the Pentagon and the White House. Inglish also owned and operated a weekend wedding and portrait photography business the three years he was stationed in Omaha.
Honorably discharged from the Air Force, Inglish returned to graduate school and CMSU's Office of Public Relations. He served as News Bureau Manager and Publications Manager before being named Assistant Director in 1975. He was promoted to Director of Public Relations in 1986, and he became the institution's first administrator to earn the title of University Director July 1, 1997. He retired from the university June 30, 2000, and was named University Director Emeritus of Public Relations by the CMSU Board of Governors.
Inglish's work and his dedication to the university were pillars of who he was. The operation he directed included the university's news bureau and photography operations; presidential protocol and support; university exhibits; and a wide array of promotional publications. Under his leadership, Office of Public Relations staff members developed and managed Central's first internet web site, Parents/Family Weekend, the Premier Performances series, cultural and artistic events, major portions of Homecoming, and the award-winning "Today's Idea" radio program.
A mentor to countless students, he advised the student newspaper, the Muleskinner, for six years and the university yearbook, the Rhetor, for 25 years. He also served as editor of the university's weekly faculty-staff newsletter and three different alumni periodicals.
Inglish developed and directed the university's licensing program, and he was responsible for the creation of the university's cartoon mascot, "Mo the Mule," a revised version of the official seal, and the institution's first "Central" logo.
Inglish served as a member of the President's Cabinet, and in 1996-97 he held an additional interim position as University Advancement coordinator. He also helped plan and execute the university's year-long semi-sesquicentennial celebration, three presidential inaugurations, major exhibits at the Missouri State Fair for a dozen years, and hundreds of other special events, many of which involved hosting large numbers of university friends, donors, parents, alumni, dignitaries, prospective students and other guests.
A member of numerous university committees, he co-chaired the Statewide Mission
Team responsible for developing Central's mission in professional technology. For more than a decade he chaired the university-wide group that set the academic calendar. He developed and led the institution's Crisis Communication Team, including during one of the university's most tumultuous periods in 1992. He was a charter member of the university's Strategic Planning Council, and during his tenure he helped plan and execute two statewide higher education funding campaigns, working with both the Missourians for Higher Education and the Council on Public Higher Education.
In addition to his work at the university, he wrote and developed one of the first personal computer software packages in the nation that automated the production and distribution of hometown news releases. In retirement he continued to speak to university classes, help with community projects, serve as a management, publishing and public relations consultant, edit textbooks, and write articles and publications. He also enjoyed woodworking, especially finding new uses for old pieces.
Inglish found joy in the simplest things, and he relished finding creative solutions to challenging problems. He loved suduku puzzles, roots music and Siamese cats. He loved watching clouds and thinking about possibilities. And he read the newspaper comics out loud every day, because he said it made them funnier.
An active 4-H junior leader in his youth, he was selected twice to attend national.
4-H events in Washington, D.C. including serving as a delegate to the National 4-H Club Conference in 1966. In addition to being a state citizenship winner in the National 4-H Awards Program in both 1964 and 1966, he earned numerous local, county and district 4-H honors, and was selected for the organization's highest statewide recognition, membership in the 4-H Key Club.
While in college, he received the Vernon L. Taylor Outstanding Student in Public Relations Award, the university's highest award for students in that field. He also served as president of both the campus-wide Association of Independent Students and the university's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, was editor of The Student campus newspaper, and was listed in Who's Who Among Students at American Colleges and Universities.
During his career, he personally earned more than a dozen professional photography awards in state, regional and world-wide juried competition, and he and the university public relations staff under his direction won more than 50 national and regional awards for their work in advertising, promotion, marketing and public relations.
A life-long centrist Democrat, Inglish supported a number of environmental, humanitarian and animal welfare cause and organizations. In addition, to celebrate his retirement from the university, he established the Foster/Inglish Prize at UCM to recognize outstanding achievement and service by members of the UCM public relations staff and to honor his mentor and good friend, the late Carl B. Foster.
An active member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for over 25 years, he was a graduate of the CASE Summer Institute in Communication at the University of Notre Dame and the CASE Advanced Course in Executive Management at Vanderbilt University. Until his retirement, he was a member of the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce, and he represented the university on the Warrensburg Main Street board of directors. He was a member of the Professional Photographers of America, the Public Relations Society of America, the Association of Collegiate Licensing Administrators, and an associate member of the Missouri Press Association.
A Master Mason for more than 50 years, Inglish was a member of California Lodge 183 AF&AM in California, Mo. He was also a member of the Shiloh Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in rural Moniteau County.
Interment at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville with military honors is under the direction Williams Funeral Chapel in Warrensburg. Memorials are suggested to the Foster/Inglish Fund, UCM Alumni Foundation, P.O. Box 800, Warrensburg, MO 64093.