As college students embark on their professional lives, they usually can recall a mentor or two who helped them along the way, Cynthia Peters told Allen Community College graduates Saturday.
Peters, a member of ACC’s Class of 1975, counted two — Judith Bragg and Bob Barclay.
Bragg, who died in 2001, was a long-time physical education instructor at ACC who organized the school’s first volleyball team in 1973. Peters — then Cynthia Knoll — was a player on the inaugural team.
Iola may as well have been Iowa, Peters said, admitting she had never heard of the school or the town while growing up in northern Kansas.
Her connection with Bragg convinced Peters to stay.
“She had so much enthusiasm and it convinced us we could do anything we wanted,” Peters said.
Barclay — who is now ACCC’s director of campus services — was a science and chemistry teacher who wound up playing a large role in Peters’ future.
Peters noted she attended Allen, at her mother’s urging, with the intention of studying business, so she could be a secretary after graduation.
But something didn’t quite feel right, Peters acknowledged.
Late in her sophomore year — just days before she was to earn her associates degree — Peters had a conversation with Barclay about her uncertain future, despite never having enrolled in any of his classes.
“That was a conscious decision to avoid him,” Peters said, noting Barclay’s reputation as a tough instructor.
Barclay suggested Peters give thought to a future in medicine; nursing in particular.
Peters agreed, enrolling in a chemistry course taught by Barclay over the following summer. Doing so was possible because Barclay convinced a local nursing home administrator to hire Peters part time so she could make ends meets.
She was hooked.
Peters transferred to Pittsburg State University, where she earned her nursing degree in 1978.
Her subsequent 34-year career has led Peters to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs, Mo., where she remains assistant regional director of cardiovascular nursing.
Peters described herself as “a lifer,” much like Barclay and ACC President John Masterson, who was Allen’s director of guidance and baseball coach when Peters arrived.
