Three given medallions at Midwestern President’s Day
Among the award recipients was MBC Executive Board member Cindy Province
By Cory Miller
MBTS Communications Director
May 17, 2005
KANSAS CITY – Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary honored three individuals – including a Missouri Southern Baptist – who have made a significant impact on Midwestern and Christian higher education with the President’s Medallion during the inaugural President’s Day May 3.
Midwestern’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously in March to establish the annual day and the President’s Medallion, which is one of the highest honors awarded by the seminary, according to Jim Sells, Midwestern’s interim director of institutional advancement.
Midwestern President R. Philip Roberts presented the medallion to three individuals who have made significant contributions to the seminary during a special chapel service: Cindy Province, of St. Louis, and Mahlon Morley (posthumously), of Wichita, Kan., and Gene Downing of Oklahoma City.
“These individuals epitomize what it means to be a steward with our time and treasure for the Kingdom,” said Roberts. “They embody a deep, sacrificial commitment for training the next generation of pastors, missionaries and Christian leaders and I am pleased to recognize their selfless giving with one of the highest honors we award here at Midwestern.”
Province is a Midwestern Board of Regents member, a member of the Board of Trustees at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a member of the Executive Board of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC). Additionally, she served for six years on the MBC’s Christian Life Commission. She is the co-founder and associate director of the St. Louis Center for Bioethics and Culture.
A lobbyist for moral and social concerns, she is a nurse with extensive training in psychology, bioethics, neurosurgical critical care and brain injury rehabilitation, and is currently working toward a Ph.D. in nursing. Province and her husband, Stan, who is a trauma surgeon, have four sons and are members of First Baptist Church, Harvester.
Downing is a Midwestern trustee and member of the seminary’s Board of Regents. As a trustee, he serves as chairman of the Institutional Advancement Committee. Downing and his wife, Jo, are the founders of Downing Wellhead Equipment, Inc., in Oklahoma City. He is president of Angel Flight of Oklahoma and is active in the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.
The medallion was also presented posthumously to former Midwestern Regents member Mahlon Morley, who died March 22. The award was accepted by his widow, Myrna. Mahlon was the founder and chairman of the board of Valley State Bank in Wichita. He was an active Baptist layman, previously serving as president of the Kansas-Nebraska Baptist Convention.
Board of Trustees member James Freeman, layperson, Oakwood Baptist Church, Kansas City, also presented Roberts and his wife, Anya, with a special plaque and citation commemorating the inaugural day in their honor. Freeman said the Board of Trustees voted to establish the day in order to recognize the “exemplary leadership” of Roberts, who began his fourth year of service at Midwestern in January.
As part of the special day, Roberts hosted a forum for students, staff, and faculty in the Koehn and Myers Center for World Evangelism to discuss present and future happenings at the Kansas City seminary. Later, the day’s events were capped off by a family picnic at the seminary’s gazebo/picnic area with live music, food, and kid’s activities.