Westminster College is pleased to announce the inductees into the prestigious 2023 Blue Jays Hall of Fame. Induction will take place during a formal ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. on October. 28, 2023, in Mueller Leadership Hall. The evening ― which will feature a live auction ― is scheduled during the Blue Jays’ jam-packed 2023 Homecoming Weekend.
Donald P. Lofe, Jr., ’79 IND, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Political Science from Westminster College in 1979. He then attained a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Business Policy from The University of Chicago School of Business in 1992. Well-qualified in his field, he is a certified public accountant and a chartered global management accountant (Active Status) and is also COSO Certified by the AICPA.
During his time at Westminster, Mr. Lofe also demonstrated exceptional athleticism throughout his tenure with the College’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams. In 1979, Mr. Lofe earned NAIA Indoor Track and Field All-American status in two events. He was also named to the All-NAIA District 16 teams in cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field from 1977 to 1979, respectively. Additionally, he and his teammates were members of several NAIA District 16 championship teams, both in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field throughout this same period. He and several of his teammates also qualified for the NAIA and NCAA National Championships in cross country and outdoor track and field from 1977 to 1979. He was also captain of the cross country and a captain of the track and field teams his senior year. In acknowledgment of his outstanding performance throughout his tenure with Westminster’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams, Mr. Lofe, in his senior year, was also selected as the 1979 Columns Athlete of the Year.
Mr. Lofe’s wife, Lorraine, is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, who graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau with a BS in Business Administration. She is also a CPA. They have a set of grown twins. Their daughter, Lauren, graduated with honors from the University of San Diego in 2019 and is Director of Marketing for a digital marketing company in San Diego, California. Their son, Don III, graduated with merit in 2020 from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a Naval Aviator based at Tinker Air Force Base, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The members of the Kent, ’62 ΣΑΕ, and Judith Mueller family of Paradise Valley, Arizona, are known at Westminster for their steadfast generosity and open-heartedness toward the College. Most recently, their kindness made possible the Kent and Judith Mueller Stadium and Vicki Mueller Memorial Plaza that will serve current and future Blue Jays for years to come. As a Westminster College student, Kent majored in mathematics while devoting himself to Blue Jays varsity baseball and basketball as well as intramural sports. He attributes much of the lessons he learned from sports participation to how he later approached business: with a competitive edge. Kent was a pioneer in the independent software industry whose career began at IBM. After a lucrative career in corporate America, he later became an entrepreneur and launched a highly successful venture capital business. In 1994, he was named Arizona Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine. Kent was an Alumni Achievement honoree in 1993, was awarded an honorary degree in 2017, and received the Student Government Association Award in 2000. Kent has served on Westminster’s Board of Trustees since 1994, and since that time, he and Judy have lived by the motto, “Giving doesn’t come from the head. It comes from the heart.” At the College, the Muellers have been keenly interested in providing for students in a number of ways, and most visibly through modern facilities. In addition to the new stadium and memorial plaza, they are responsible for the glorious construction of the Kent and Judith Mueller Student Center in 2001 and Mueller Leadership Hall in 2006.
Like their parents, the Mueller children ― Sally, Daniel, and Vicki ― are known for their generosity. The Vicki Mueller Memorial Plaza is a testament to Vicki’s strong interest in promoting the success of others. A quick wit who firmly believed in the power of education, Vicki selflessly paid for several friends to attend trade schools or college. She was even quicker to lend her time and talents to friends and family.
Through their consistent thoughtfulness toward Westminster, the Mueller family truly represents the College’s emphasis of striving for lives of success, significance, and service.
Vernon F. Scheiter, ’77 IND, earned his bachelor’s degree from Westminster after majoring in Economics, Business Administration, and Physical Education. During his time at the College, Scheiter was a decorated Blue Jays athlete who excelled at both cross country and track & field. He was a member of the cross-country team that placed second in District 16 in 1973 and was captain when the team won the district in 1975 and 1976. Scheiter was a four-time national cross-country qualifier and helped the team qualify for nationals in 1974,1975 and 1976. He also served as track & field captain in 1977. In addition to team titles, Scheiter was the District Mile Champion 1974,1975, and1976 and was runner-up in 1977 to a teammate. That year, he received another tremendous accolade by becoming an NAIA All-American by placing third in the national meet for the indoor mile, and he currently holds the Westminster indoor mile record. Ultimately, Blue Jays track & field placed 10th in the Nationals in 1977. Finally, Scheiter was the Westminster College Athlete of the Year in 1976. He would like to recognize his teammates for their cross-country training together in mornings and afternoons, any weather, seven days a week, across gravel back roads, highways, and fields that added up to 100 miles per week. "Stride for stride, they were there with me. Thank you," he says. Today, Scheiter is happily retired from a successful career in the airline industry. He was instrumental in developing United Parcel Service Cargo airlines which now is the second largest in the world. Scheiter lives in La Grange, Kentucky, with his wife, Donna, of 37 years. They have two daughters, Emily and Erin.
This event will feature a silent auction and a brief,
exciting live auction. Support the Westminster
Blue Jays by bidding on a variety of items!
Beach House Vacation in Hermosa Beach, California
Dallas Wings WNBA Game floor seats and suite access
Golf Experience at Mariott Champions Circle hotel and Golf Course and Big Shots Golf, Fort Worth, Texas
St. Louis Cardinals home game honorary first pitch, tickets for four, and passes to the UMB Champions Club
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
R. Marcus “Mark” Buroff, ’76 ΔΤΔ, is the Managing Director and Chief Information Officer for the National Collegiate Athletic Association, where he oversees all facets of technology. Mr. Buroff joined the NCAA in 2012 as the Director of Infrastructure, bringing more than four decades of expertise in advancing information systems. He was appointed CIO in 2022.
Mr. Buroff works with more than 1,200 colleges, universities, and conferences, facing some of the most challenging technology issues in the landscape of today’s intercollegiate sports. Prior to his role with the NCAA, he served as the Director of Platform Information at Omnicare. Mr. Buroff has worked in various
technology leadership roles at Xchanging, JP Morgan Chase, Time Warner Cable, CompuServe, and Schering-Plough. He has also held technology-related positions at IBM, TRW, and Unisys. In addition to his professional roles, during his “free time,” Mr. Buroff spent 19 years coaching high school girls’ lacrosse.
Mr. Buroff earned an MBA from the University of Missouri and a BA from Westminster College, where he majored in Physical Education and was a student-athlete on the swimming team.
2 Tables (16 Seats) - Includes Dinner and Open Bar
2 Tables (16 Seats) - Includes Dinner and Open Bar
1 Table (8 Seats) - Includes Dinner and Open Bar
Includes Dinner and Two Drink Tickets
All proceeds will support student experience, scholarships,
academic and athletic excellence, and enhancements to the
Westminster College campus.
If you want to pay later (via cheque) - please fill this form and please send payment to the attention of Susan Whitmar at 501 Westminster Ave, Fulton, MO 65251