2002 Champions of Freedom

The Missouri Libertarian Party recognized its most cherished volunteer activists at its state convention on May 18, 2002. For the first time ever, Champions of Freedom award winners included three couples for their volunteer contributions.

Jeanne Bojarski and Grant Stauffer became the state's second recipients of the coveted Karl Wetzel award. Jeanne becomes the only dual Champion of Freedom and Karl Wetzel award winner.

Winners included:

• Steve and Lisa Schaper. For years, these two have been the core of the St. Louis City organization. Steve ran for Lt Governor and was state chair. Lisa served as state secretary and both were Executive Committee members. Their living room on Grand Avenue in south St. Louis has been the site for countless organizing meetings, packet stuffing and political conversation, including the inception of the Jefferson’s Birthday celebration.

• Chip Taylor of Poplar Bluff is a State Rep candidate and provides a Libertarian news service over the Internet. He assists other candidates in completing forms and responding to surveys. He is an Executive Committee member who served on the committee to consolidate and revise the party constitution and bylaws. During the 2000 election he helped Phil Horras, our candidate for Lt. Governor, get an interview published on the front page of the (Poplar Bluff) Daily AmericanRepublic about a week before the election. He also got published in the Daily American Republic a series of five articles about the Libertarian positions on the economy, health care, education and national defense and why people should vote Libertarian for President.

• Tom and Suzi Wahl of Lake St. Louis have been involved with the party for years. He was a State Rep candidate and both have printed thousands of “Million dollar bills” gratis for the Party. The Million Dollar Bills point out the government spends a million dollars in 3.5 seconds. Both produce the newsletter from printing to labeling to sealing.  The Free Speech Coalition has awarded these two the "Freedom Isn't Free" award for 2002 as a result of their activism. In addition, the Tom is a talented self-taught pianist and airplane pilot.

• Kevin Tull from Kansas City is the Show-Me Freedom Newsletter editor, and an Executive Committee member. He is a former candidate and a published author with articles appearing in the Rational Review web-zine, as the Liberty-for-All electronic magazine. He’s a stay-at-home dad with three children and two in school. He owns Artworks Unlimited, a home-based graphics arts business.

• Greg and Jan Sloan of St. Charles an excellent job on the 2000 MO Libertarian Party convention in St. Peters as auctioneers. Their efforts produced two thirds of the $1900 convention profit, making the St. Peters convention the most successful MO Libertarian Party convention ever. They serve as both the St. Charles County quartermaster and St. Charles County treasurer. Greg and Jan are solid, reliable activists and can always be counted on for their generousand unwavering support, assistance, and contribution.

• Eric and Sally Harris of Florissant have worked with the Party for years. Both have been perennial Executive Committee members and have held state-wide office. Eric has run on the Libertarian Party ticket for elective office and has arranged and hosted several strategy retreats, with the most notable being the one held in March, 1999 which led to the establishment of the Executive Director position currently occupied by Greg Tlapek.

The Karl Wetzel award for 2002 went to Jeanne Bojarski and Grant Stauffer of Kansas City. Andy Shirkey won this award in 1999 and is the only other Wetzel award winner.

Karl Wetzel was a Libertarian Party activist, candidate and state treasurer who suffered a massive heart attack several years ago, leaving no heirs. His $50k life insurance proceeds were split between the National Libertarian Party and State Libertarian Party, while his $17k 401(k) with no beneficiary listed went to the state.

As grassroots activists in Kansas City both have helped defeat new tax proposals, promoted educational reform such as charter schools, fought and won against Tax Increment Financing in several KC neighborhoods and saved their own neighborhood of 100-year-old houses from being seized for a TIF project.

In 1992 Jeanne received 75,000 votes in her race for US Senate. Her 3.2% was one of the best showings ever for a Libertarian US Senate candidate.

In 1994, she was endorsed by the Kansas City STAR in her race for Jackson County Legislature, the first Libertarian ever in a major metropolitan area to get a mainstream newspaper endorsement over the two Demoblicans in a 3-way race, where she received 9% of the vote.

She was endorsed by the Kansas City STAR, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Springfield News-Leader in her 1996 primary race for Lt. Governor.

In 2000 Grant Stauffer ran for the US Senate, leading to his memorable line responding to Ashcroft’s call for a Social Security lockbox to protect Social Security funds by pointing out: “you don’t lock the barn after the horse has escaped”.

Year in and year out, these two have worked for the party. They have been newsletter editor, newsletter distributor, perennial candidates, Executive Committee members, and state officers including Secretary and Chair.

Previous Champions of Freedom included (from 1999) LaDonna Higgins, Hugh Emerson, George Mussmann, Greg Tlapek, Mary Anne Gassmann, Mike Bozarth. In 2000 the winners were Ken Bush, Bob Sullentrup, Jim Higgins, Jeanne Bojarski, Mitch Moore and Phil Horras. No such awards were presented in 2001 owing in part to that year’s convention taking the form of a workshop.