Inductees

In 1957, after walking across the University of Missouri campus following graduation, Don Walsworth figured that somehow, some way he would return.

No, not simply to visit or watch ballgames. But to give back, to provide something meaningful to a campus that had positioned him for success – a success that even he didn’t know wasn’t too far around the corner.

Sure enough, Walsworth delivered, lifting his family’s business, Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc., to great heights and eventually steering Citizens Bank & Trust of Company of Chillicothe. In doing so, Walsworth eventually showered the University of Missouri’s athletics department with millions of dollars in donations, and then aided numerous other athletic-related efforts across the state.

All of which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Walsworth, as a Contributor, with the Class of 2017. His induction is part of the Enshrinement in Independence, set for Sunday, Nov. 12 at the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center.

“The University of Missouri has been very good to us,” said Walsworth, the Chief Executive Officer of Walsworth Publishing. “We believe it is the No. 1 economic engine in the state. With any donation to Mizzou, it benefits the students, the faculty, the university and the state of Missouri, so it is important to contribute as best we can.”

Walsworth’s support of Mizzou athletics focused on facility improvements. The generosity included an $8.3 million gift in 2013 that went toward renovations of Memorial Stadium and a new, state-of-the-art clubhouse at The Club at Old Hawthorn.

The donation to Old Hawthorn was by design, as it benefitted not just the men but the women represented Mizzou on the golf course. His daughter, Lynn, and son, Ed, both played golf at Mizzou, where his wife, Audrey, also graduated. The couple’s son, Don Jr., was a Pac 10 Conference championship golfer at Stanford University.

The gift at the time brought the family’s total giving to $14 million to Mizzou. Additionally, Walsworth has contributed toward construction of both a community center in Marceline and a YMCA in Brookfield. Walsworth Publishing has facilities in both cities. Another project is in the works in Fulton.

“I was so impressed with the athletic department, particularly under (former athletic director) Mike Alden,” said Walsworth, who was on the selection committee that recommended Alden. He also recently served a six-year term in the mid-2000s on the Board of Curators and is eager to support new A.D. Jim Sterk. “I think Mike did a great job and he had some high ambitions. We tried to help him as much as we could.”

For Walsworth, the gifting was a way to help students enjoy their time in Columbia as he did in the 1950s. He had earned All-State in basketball and football at Marceline High School, and also juggled numerous duties at the family business, before playing on Mizzou’s freshman basketball team.

“When we were at Mizzou, it was a really small school. You knew so many people,” Walsworth said. “To this day, we have a lot of friends from college and they are friendships that have lasted 30, 40, 50 years.”

Sadly, both of his parents passed away during his sophomore year in college, and it was then when Walsworth knew he would lead the family business.

“You looked at life a lot differently,” Walsworth said and later added, “I always had a passion for (Walsworth Publishing). It wasn’t a big company. But I had a vision there and thought high school yearbooks would be a big deal.”

Walsworth successfully sought a loan from Edgerton Welch of Citizen’s Bank & Trust to keep the business afloat, and soon it took off. He became company president in 1967.

And now look. Walsworth Publishing is the fourth-largest book publisher in the U.S., producing 7,000 high school and college yearbooks annually. It also is diverse, as its two plants produce magazines, cookbooks and catalogues for various industries.

By diversifying the business, Walsworth ensured employees had year-round work, whereas yearbooks are seasonal.

“We’re just really fortunate that we have some great men and women in our organization,” Walsworth said. “One of the things that attracts them is we’re not going to sell. We’ve been around 80 years.”

Walsworth’s success opened other doors. He is now Chairman of the Citizens Bank & Trust, which is a 26-bank holding company.

Even better, his road always leads back to Mizzou.

“It’s a really diverse university. It attracts the brightest men and women from the state of Missouri, and that’s an important thing,” Walsworth said. “And it’s very resilient. It’s going to be there for a long time.”