MSSU remembers Linda Sadler and T.R. Hanrahan

The Lion family is mourning the loss of Linda Sadler and T.R. Hanrahan, who both passed away this month.

Linda Sadler, 73, passed away on Oct. 13. She was a former student employment director in the Financial Aid Department, working for Missouri Southern for 17 years.

Before coming to MSSU, she taught at Eastmorland Elementary School, Central Christian Academy and Franklin Technical Center.

Amber Lewis, a financial aid counselor, worked with Sadler as a student employee and remembered her as “great to work with.”

“She was the one who hired me as a student worker within the Financial Aid Department back in September 2000,” Lewis said. “I’m thankful for the time we worked together.”

Amber Higgens, assistant director of the department, remembered Sadler for her devotion to her family.

“It was always very obvious how special her family was to her and how much she loved them all,” said Higgins. “She talked about them a lot, and especially her grandkids. She clearly adored them.”

Sadler’s obituary information can be found at this link.

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T.R. Hanrahan, 57, a former adviser to The Chart – the campus newspaper at Missouri Southern – passed away on Oct. 20 in Kansas City.

Twice serving as student editor of the publication as a college student, he returned to MSSU to serve as adviser from 2006 to 2011.

“I recruited him (as a student) in the fall of 1990, and he attended here off and on from then until 1995,” said Dr. Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute of International Studies and former Chart adviser. “He was the student editor in the spring and fall of 1992, and during the 1994-95 academic year.

“He was certainly a one-of-a-kind individual. He was passionate about The Chart and liked to point out that he had the greatest knowledge of Chart history. He gained that by reading the bound volumes from decades past.”

When Hanrahan returned in 2006 to serve as adviser to a new generation of Chart students, his role was shaped by all that he had learned as a student journalist.

“His goal was to replicate for them the experience he had as a member of The Chart staff,” said Stebbins. “He was a popular instructor and had a following. He believed in everyone and was a very positive and encouraging mentor for so many students.”

In 2010, he was named Missouri College Media Association Adviser of the Year.

“T.R. was The Chart,” said Rebecca Haines, a 2007 graduate who served as the editor of the publication during her senior year. “If you were on The Chart (staff), you were family to him. He stayed in touch with countless students even after they graduated.

“He called us ‘his kids,’ and when we had kids, he adopted them too. He was my kids’ biggest fan and was always asking how they were doing.”

Haines said Hanrahan’s ability to connect with people is part of what made him such an excellent journalist, and he strove to make sure his students knew the importance of the work they were doing.

“His professional side was just as impactful,” she said. “It didn’t matter if you were typing up a generic report or doing an in-depth investigation, he would push you to do it to the best of your ability.

“He pushed journalism excellence … and he was not afraid to call out the highest positions on the Missouri Southern campus.”

Stebbins remembered Hanrahan for his “wicked sense of humor,” but also for his loyalty to The Chart and Missouri Southern.

“He always remained interested, even when he wasn’t working here,” he said. “He always followed The Chart and the Missouri Southern sports teams. He kept up with what students and graduates were doing, even though he was in Kansas City.

“He called many of us frequently. He loved to tell old Chart stories over and over, but had genuine concern as to how we were doing.”

Hanrahan’s obituary information can be found here.