Mrs. Evelyn Goodrich Trickel along with two other 2018 Distinguished Alumni, Allan Seidel and Arthur Lawrence (Arnie) Arneson will be honored at the North Central Missouri College Foundation’s 1st Annual Pirates Ball on Saturday, February 23rd at the Red Barn in Trenton.
Evelyn Goodrich Trickel was born and raised on a farm in southern Grundy County; she graduated from Shelburne School and Trenton High School. After marriage to her first husband, Roy Lee Brummitt they moved to Fulton, MO. After Roy’s death in 1957, she returned to Trenton with her two small children, Richard and Margaret. She attended Trenton Junior College for two semesters before moving to Columbia to attend the University of Missouri, where she graduated in 1962 with a BS in Education. After teaching high school for one year in Farmington, Mo, Evelyn, and her husband, Robert Trickel returned to Trenton and three sons, David, Gary, and Brent were added to the family. In addition to five children, Trickel has 16 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
Evelyn was director of the Adult Education classes at Trenton Junior College while earning a Master’s in Adult Education from Central Missouri College, Warrensburg. She also taught business classes at TJC. Along with Evelyn Sheets, Trickel implemented folklore classes into the TJC curriculum.
Mrs. Sheets was researching the Orphan Train movement which sent over 100,000 children from the streets of New York to the Midwest from 1853 to 1929, and Mrs. Trickel joined her on the research project. After the tragic death of Mrs. Sheets, Trickel continued the project in her memory. Mrs. Trickel, Mrs. Sheets, and Dr. Michael Patrick coauthored “We Are A Part of History: The Story of The Orphan Trains.” Later, Trickel and Patrick wrote, “Orphan Trains to Missouri.” Trickel was a research consultant for the documentary movie, “The End of The Line” presented by Wendy Hearn which chronicled the life of orphan train children. She also was a consultant for a PBS Orphan Train movie. For these and other activities, Trickel received the Charles Loring Brace Award, presented annually by the National Orphan Train Society of America to recognize outstanding research and work to preserve the story of the Orphan Train movement. Trickel has also served on the board of directors for the National Orphan Train Society of America.
Mrs. Trickel has served her community in many ways as a member of the Trenton R-IV School Board, Missouri Day Committee, the Trenton Building Board and the Grundy County Museum Board. She is a member of the Grundy County Genealogy Society, a member of Dorcas Richardson Chapter, DAR and the First Baptist Church.
In 2013, Evelyn was recognized with the Pillar of the Community Award by the Trenton Chamber of Commerce. In 2016 Evelyn and her sister, Margaret Rice, were presented the Phil Harris Award by Rotary International for their work at the Church Women United Thrift Shop where she serves on the board of directors and volunteers. She is also a volunteer at the Grundy County Women’s Shelter.
In addition to the two Orphan Train books, Evelyn coauthored ‘A Pictorial History of Grundy County’ with Tom Brown and Alfred Humphreys and coedited the two-volume “Grundy County Missouri History And Its People” with Gloria Carpenter and Vicki Wheeler.
“Evelyn’s dedication to education, her community and family make her an excellent honoree as NCMC Distinguished Alumni,” commented NCMC Director of Development Alicia Endicott. “Evelyn’s desire to continue to learn and help her community grow by giving back is an example we should all follow.”
The Pirates Ball is to celebrate the inaugural year of the Voyage Fund the NCMC Foundation’s Annual Giving Campaign, honor distinguished alumni and lead gift contributor to the Foundation and all NCMC family and friends.
