20-06-2025
Shawn Askinosie, Rose O'Neill among 2025 inductees to MSU Public Affairs Hall of Fame
America's first published female cartoonist, a chocolatier who supports sustainable farming, and a builder of affordable housing will be inducted into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame.
The 2025 inductees include Shawn Askinosie, Marie Carmichael and Rose O'Neill.
Up to six citizens with a connection to the state of Missouri, who serve as examples of global citizens, are selected each year. They must work to benefit others.
This year, the legacy award will be presented to O'Neill.
'Each inductee has left an indelible mark on their community and beyond. They exemplify what it means to lead with purpose and serve with heart,' said MSU President Richard "Biff" Williams, in a June 16 news release. 'It's an honor to celebrate their outstanding contributions.'
The induction ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 5 at The Old Glass Place in Springfield. Tickets for the black-tie optional dinner event are $50 and can be purchased online.
In 2006, Askinosie left a successful career as a criminal defense lawyer to start a bean-to-bar chocolate factory and never looked back. Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch, award-winning chocolate factory located in Springfield, Missouri.
Askinosie graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law and worked at a Dallas firm for three years before starting Askinosie Law Offices in Springfield. A former Missouri Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year, Askinosie is now a Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame inductee and was named by Forbes as one of America's Best Small Companies.
More: 'A force for good': Chocolate University prepares students for trip to Tanzania
His 2017 book co-authored with his daughter Lawren Askinosie, 'Meaningful Work: The Quest To Do Great Business, Find Your Calling and Feed Your Soul,' is a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon.
Carmichael grew up in Galena, Kansas, where her family owned a small grocery store. Her parents, from a Lebanese immigrant background, taught her the value of education and hard work.
She moved to Springfield more than 50 years ago and began her career as a teacher. She later served 12 years on the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education and now chairs the Missouri Development Finance Board.
She and her husband, Joe, run Affordable Homes Development, which has built over 700 affordable housing units across Missouri. Her work has earned several awards, including the Kurt Wallace Vision Award and the HOME Team Award.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1874 and raised in Nebraska, O'Neill was America's first published female cartoonist and creator of the iconic Kewpie characters. Her Kewpies debuted in Ladies' Home Journal in 1910 and became wildly popular dolls by 1912.
O'Neill became the highest-paid female illustrator of her time, owning properties in Italy, New York, Connecticut and Missouri, where her Bonniebrook home in Taney County became a creative retreat.
More: This Missouri museum celebrates Kewpie doll creator Rose O'Neill's legacy in art, toys
A writer and women's suffrage activist, she used her art and influence to champion social change. For her lasting impact, O'Neill received posthumous honors, including induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame (2019), Comic-Con Hall of Fame (2022) and National Toy Hall of Fame (2023). She died in 1944.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Rose O'Neill among 2025 inductees to MSU Public Affairs Hall of Fame
