Champions of Freedom

The Missouri Libertarian Party was pleased to present Missouri Libertarians volunteer awards at its state convention in Kansas City on March 6. Winners included:

John Williams, current MO LP Vice Chair and candidate from Texas County

Greg Arrigo and Candi Ferguson, Lincoln County candidates and activists

David White, a volunteer web designer from the Kansas City area

Francis Duckworth, the chair of the Jefferson County LP

Glenn Nielsen, the state webmaster and producer of the Internet Initiative from Columbia

Elle (McCarthy) Larkin, the former MO LP Secretary who married in December and moved to Texas

A special award named for the late Karl Wetzel was awarded posthumously to George Mussmann of O'Fallon. George had been the St. Charles County Chair until he passed away on May 4, 2003.

A second Karl Wetzel award went to MO Libertarian Party Executive Director Greg Tlapek of Cape Girardeau.

Greg Tlapek has been the hardest working and dedicated member of the party over the last decade. He has been relentless in party activity, keeping tabs on members across the state, recruiting candidates, and building party organizations for many years. He recently completed 40 pages of an 80-page operations manual distributed at the convention to party members documenting database operations. This is a task he assumed above and beyond his regular duties as Executive Director.

John Williams of Texas County began life in rural America. His family was without electricity or a car until late high school and grew to become the state’s vice chair. He is involved with community councils including the Texas County University Extension Council and the Gentry Center Community Liaison Council.

John is a foster parent who has run for public office most recently for state rep. He invested $4k of his own funds and gained 37% of the vote in Phelps County. He attends Property Rights Congress meetings, and has spent a week with his wife, Chin, at the Texas County Fair in 2002 fighting a county tax increase.

He’s had a weekly column in the Summersville Beacon for two years. He helps out with the Angel Home Project to help local fire victims. Clearly John serves as a model for free libertarian solutions for society, which are always better than heavy handed, coercive, government solutions.

Greg Arrigo and Candi Ferguson have been instrumental in effecting a Libertarian Party presence in Lincoln County. They started with the Nolan quiz online, did some research and recognized they had found their political home.

Their first event was the Phil Horras for Lt. Governor Katy Trail wheelchair-across-the-state finale in St. Charles. They have worked week-long booths at the Lincoln County fair as well as the state fair and Tax Day events. Both are members of the state and executive committees and collaborate with St. Charles Co in staging joint monthly meetings.

Greg is running for state rep this year and led a contingent of opening day filers to Jeff City. He also conducted a petition drive in Troy on behalf of small business owners against prospective obnoxious smoking bans against restaurant owners, and became a first time letter-to-the-editor writer. These efforts resulted in the county commission not proceeding with their initiative.

Both Greg and Candi plan on being MO delegates in Atlanta. They live in Foley in Lincoln County.

David White, a web designer from the Kansas City area developed the Cass County Libertarian Party website in early 2001 and has served as webmaster ever since. In 2002, he was heavily involved in the Rick Bailie for County Commissioner campaign, acting as Rick's assistant at numerous OPH booths and personal appearances. He also designed many of the campaign materials such as buttons, T-shirts, bumper stickers and newspaper ads, as well as the campaign website.

In January of 2002, he implemented Mike Ferguson's LP 2004 Presidential Straw Poll project, and continues to administer the technical aspects of the poll. David currently serves as webmaster for the Cass and Jackson county Libertarian Party websites, and also the new Mike Ferguson for Lt. Governor website.

Francis Duckworth’s participation in the Libertarian Party dates from 1991. He has been active in Jefferson county, just SW of St. Louis, since that time as county treasurer, running candidates including Bill Johnson’s senatorial bid several years back, and as campaign manager for his father’s bid for state rep in which he garnered 11% of the vote, a Libertarian record for a three way race.

He has served outside of Jefferson County the state and executive committees. For the last several years, he and his wife have hosted summer BBQs for the faithful. He has resurrected the Party’s presence in Jefferson County. Currently Francis serves as the chair of Jefferson County.

Glenn Nielsen spearheaded Missouri’s Internet Initiative aimed at capitalizing on technology by redesigning the MO Libertarian Party database and consolidating and enhancing its websites. His proposal that he submitted in November 2002 was the most professional the Party has ever received, and he has become a regular presenter at our state convention.

In addition, he represented the MO Libertarian Party on the Secretary of State’s Help America Vote Act committee. He is a member of the Executive Committee and was a delegate to the National Convention in Indianapolis. He is the current membership database coordinator. He helped organize Jim Lark’s visit to MO in Sep 2003 for a tailgate and Mizzou game. Glenn lives in Columbia.

A final Champion of Freedom in 2004 is Elle (McCarthy) Larkin. Elle was very active in the St. Louis County Libertarian Party and was the MO Libertarian Party state secretary at the time of her wedding last December. Regrettably, Elle moved to Texas with her groom. Her award will be presented at the Texas Libertarian Party convention in June.

The awards feature a silver dollar of Walking Liberty encased in a frame affixed to the certificate for Champion of Freedom awards or the plaque for the Karl Wetzel award.

The Missouri Libertarian Party expresses its thanks and appreciation for the jobs all of its cherished volunteers provide in promoting Liberty.