Lori Steiner, as a feature twirler, and her husband, Mike, playing trumpet at the far right, are pictured performing with the Bearcat Marching Band in 1982. Being part of the band had a significant impact on their Northwest experience, and they have established a scholarship honoring that time in their lives as well as the commitment of Lori's mother to support her twirling. (Photos courtesy of Lori and Mike Steiner).

A Northwest Missouri State University alumna and her husband have established a scholarship in her mother’s memory to help Bearcat Marching Band (BMB) auxiliary students with their education.

Lori Steiner, the assistant vice president of university advancement at Northwest and the chief finance officer for the Northwest Foundation, and Dr. Mike Steiner, associate provost and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, created the Glenna McLemore BMB Auxiliary Scholarship.

“The creation of this scholarship is simply the most public version of their long-lasting support for this organization and will impact a group — our auxiliary units — who put in a tremendous amount of work that can often go unrecognized,” Dr. Katy Strickland, the chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts and director of the Bearcat Marching Band, said. “I am eternally grateful for who they are, what they continue to do and, now for the love and support of a wonderful twirler mom in Mrs. McLemore, that Lori and Mike have translated into meaningful help and support for others.”

McLemore, Lori’s mother, was an enthusiastic supporter of Lori’s competitive twirling and role as feature twirler with the Bearcat Marching Band. As a teenager, Lori became a competitive twirler and competed in contests throughout the country. Lori’s mother sacrificed vacations to take her to contests and spent evenings handmaking Lori’s costumes.

“I practiced at least two hours a day almost every day from the time I was 10 years old,” Lori said. “So, I put a lot a lot of energy into learning my skill; it’s more athletic than people would think. That time and energy that people put in to learning that skill should be rewarded.”

Lori and Mike envisioned the scholarship as a way of honoring their time with the marching band as well as McLemore’s investment in Lori’s twirling.

“It was an activity for which there was no scholarship,” Mike said. “There weren’t any awards in that area, and for students who do that it’s a tremendous amount of time for the auxiliaries. They do it because they love it.”

The $500 scholarship will support students who invest time and energy in practicing their skills as color guard members or twirlers. It will be awarded annually to students who are outstanding auxiliary members, with a preference given to feature twirlers.

Jessica Alcorn, a freshman general chemistry major from Fremont, Nebraska, is its first recipient for the 2021-2022 school year.

“Being awarded the Glenna McLemore BMB Auxiliary Scholarship is a huge honor to me,” Alcorn said. “I have put a lot of work before and during my time as the BMB feature twirler and highly value my participation in this group. I’m incredibly grateful to have been chosen for this award.”

Lori and Mike met in 1981 as members of the Bearcat Marching Band. Both of them said the BMB helped them in cultivating a disciplined application of skills to an ensemble environment where a large group of people depend on one another for success.

“Being able to do so while enjoying the hard work and developing positive relationships with other people are an excellent model for living and working at any job in any community,” Lori said.

Lori graduated in 1985 with a degree in accounting, while Mike graduated the same year with a degree in social science education, and they married a few months afterward. Mike taught high school in St. Louis and completed his graduate degrees before joining the Northwest faculty in 1997 as a history instructor; he served as chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2008 until transitioning to his role as dean in 2013. Lori spent more than 20 years as a certified public accountant at a St. Louis area firm and then in Maryville before joining Northwest’s Office of University Advancement in 2007.

“We had separately good experiences here, but we can’t separate that from our time here together,” Mike said. “We met the first month; we were freshmen and have been wonderfully attached to one another ever since.”

Lori and Mike say their closest friendships started with the marching band. Because of their experiences, they feel a close connection to the BMB and continue to show their support to not only the band but the University.

“I came to Northwest because of twirling, and anything good that has happened in my life started at Northwest,” Lori said.