[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1116-E1117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF MISSOURI PRESIDENT DR. DON CLAYCOMB 
                           ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BLAINE LUETKEMEYER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2016

  Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a constituent of 
mine, Dr. Don Claycomb. He retired as President of State Technical 
College of Missouri on June 30, 2016. Dr. Claycomb dedicated over two 
decades of service to the college. Dr. Claycomb is currently the 
longest-serving public college president in Missouri.
   At the beginning of his career, Dr. Claycomb was a high school 
agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. During those years of teaching, 
Dr. Claycomb was introduced to State Technical College of Missouri. 
During the years Dr. Claycomb has been president there have been 
numerous name changes for the college. When he first started working 
there in 1993, the name was Linn Technical Junior College; it was then 
changed to Linn Technical College. Then in 1996, the name was changed 
to Linn State Technical College. In 2013, the Missouri General Assembly 
passed HB 673 that would change the college's name to State

[[Page E1117]]

Technical College of Missouri as of July 1, 2014. Throughout the name 
changes for the college, Dr. Claycomb stated, ``We have maintained the 
main purpose of preparing students for the workforce.''
   At Dr. Claycomb's hiring, the original board members charged him 
with specific goals, which he attributes to his success while president 
of the college. They first asked him to improve staff morale which Dr. 
Claycomb passionately started working on and believes it is a 
continuous process. Secondly, he was tasked with developing sound 
financial practices for the college. In the years that Dr. Claycomb has 
been president, there have been strong audits for the college. Their 
third goal was to continue the effort to define the college as a legal 
entity that is separate from the Linn R-2 school system. These goals 
helped Dr. Claycomb successfully lead the college into what it is 
today.
   In 2015, Dr. Claycomb was chosen as one of the few to receive the 
Missouri Pioneers in Education from the Missouri State Board of 
Education and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary 
Education. This was awarded to him in acknowledgement of over fifty 
years of an outstanding career and contributions to public education. 
At the 2016 commencement at State Technical College of Missouri, Dr. 
Claycomb received an honorary degree from the college. Also at 
commencement, it was announced that the Information Technology Center 
would be renamed the Dr. Donald M. Claycomb Information Technology 
Center. Dr. Claycomb's wife Linda's statement explains why these awards 
were given, ``This wasn't a job for Don Claycomb, Don lives and 
breathes this place. It's in his blood.''
   Dr. Claycomb will get to spend more time with his family now that he 
is retired. He will celebrate his 27th wedding anniversary this summer 
with his wife, Linda. She holds a doctorate and teaches nursing 
education at Columbia College at the Columbia and Lake of the Ozarks 
campuses. Dr. Claycomb has appreciated his wife understanding his job 
and the time it took him away from the family. Dr. Claycomb and Linda 
have five children and five grandchildren. He looks forward to spending 
more time with them. In addition to his family, Dr. Claycomb enjoys 
collecting antique tractors, reading books, and gardening. These 
hobbies will fill his days now that the new president has taken the 
helm of State Technical College of Missouri.
   I ask you to join me in recognizing Dr. Claycomb on his retirement 
from State Technical College of Missouri after twenty-three years of 
commitment to the college, students, and community.

                          ____________________