Meet the Class of 2015
Linda Chappell, Raytown South High School, Class of 1965
Linda Chappell graduated from Raytown South High School in 1965, one of the school’s first graduating classes. Later she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Central Missouri State University and a Master’s in Educational Administration from UMKC. She was a cheerleader for RSHS and CMSU.
By 1971, at the age of 23, Linda created Dynamic Cheerleader Association, which she owned and operated from 1971 to 1993. During this time she worked with colleges in 30 different states hosting cheerleader camps for high school cheerleaders. She managed a multi-million dollar inventory for the DCA cheer catalog. Linda also led a national effort across multiple professional cheerleading organizations to create the first manual of high school cheerleading safety rules and regulations.
From 1986 to 1990 Linda established a coed cheerleading squad for the Kansas City Chiefs and from 1994-1998 she was curriculum director for Cheer in Style, where she provided customer service support and created printed materials for coaches and cheerleaders through catalog production. She was a physical education instructor and cheer and dance coach for William Jewell College from 1998-2009. During her tenure as coach, her squads won multiple top 10 National Cheerleading and Dance Competitions awards. Currently, Linda is owner and president of SpiritWorks Cheerleading and Dance Company where she continues to work with middle school and high school athletes through her camps and private team instruction.
In addition to her entrepreneurship, she has authored numerous books and training manuals. Coaches refer to her first book, “The Spirit Book” as the cheerleading bible. She is the author of Coaching Cheerleading Successfully. Linda has been the keynote speaker at the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association and serves as a judge for all levels of cheerleading competitions. She has been the recipient of the service award from the National Federation and Missouri State High School Activities Association and has developed team building curriculum and facilitated numerous motivational workshops.
Stephanie Davis, Raytown High School, Class of 1995
Stephanie Davis was the valedictorian of the Raytown High class of 1995 and graduated in the top 3 percent from the University of Kansas.
She began her career being recruited to one of the top real estate firms in New York City, The Next Group, Futurist Think tank & Marketing Consulting Firm. While working there until 2002, Stephanie gained advanced skills and in-depth knowledge on forecasting consumer trends, brand building/rejuvenating traditional marketing strategies, and business development of Fortune 500 companies.
From 2002-2012, Stephanie was the Director of Social & Digital Media/Real Estate Associate Broker at The Cororan Group (TCG). During this time, other brokerages she worked with included Heddings Property Group (HPG) and Mark David & Company (MD). She built The Advocate Group brand from the ground up and generated 50% of sales commissions in one year from Social Media leads alone, $10 million sales volume.
Ms. Davis is a sought after Beta-tester for new websites and apps ahead of their launch date including Google+ Facebook Ads, mobile app, Zillow, Streeteasy, Agentfolio, Trulia, Quiet.ly, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and other platforms, while meeting milestones and deadlines.
Stephanie is proud of being the founder and artistic director of Unbound Collective, an experimental theatre company. Her expert real estate tech opinion has been published in The New Your Times, Metro New York City, and New York magazine. She conducts workshops on Social and Digital Media Marketing in business and creative consumer marketing.
In 2013, Ms. Davis was chosen as Inman Ambassador, one out of 19 chosen from the entire NYC Real Estate industry. She currently is a marketing and branding consultant for Social Terra where she provides client deliverables including, but not limited to, social and digital media audits & analytical reports, marketing plans/calendars, business development think-tanks, creative strategy sessions, brand building/rejuvenation, social advertising and paid media campaigns.
Kent Dolasky, Raytown High School, Class of 1986
Kent Dolasky graduated from Raytown High in 1986 and was also the Senior Class President. He was the first eArmyU graduate at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, going on to complete his MBA in international business in 2006 with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Kent served 28 years in the US Army Special Forces. He is a career Green Beret and Sergeant Major whose decorations include the Legion of Merit, Three Bronze Stars, (one with V/Device for Valor) the Purple Heart, and Army Commendation Medal with V/Device for Valor in combat.
He transitioned from a combat leader to creating the first truly Joint Enlisted Academy in the Department of Defense and assisted the five other senior enlisted academies across the four services and Coast Guard with bet practices and expertise in the delivery of online education and resident instruction. The Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy educates E-8 and E-9 Special Operators from across the four services in one joint academy. He stated his work on the JSOFSEA program as the curriculum lead, then moved to program manager, and was ultimately selected as the Commandant for the first eight iterations of the JSOFSEA. This organization has set a new standard for enlisted education in the Department of Defense and has developed a model for other academies to follow.
Mr. Dolasky was recognized by the Tampa Chamber of Commerce for his work with the homeless and was awarded the Military Citizen of the Year for 2012 in Tampa, Florida, a mission he continues today. Also in 2012, he was awarded the Alumni of Distinction at the University of the Incarnate Word for his commitment to the University’s Mission and service to the community. He continues to develop and teach the business Capstone along with many other international business courses.
Tim Dollar, Raytown High School, Class of 1977
Tim Dollar graduated from Raytown High in 1977. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1981 from University of Kansas, completing his Juris Doctorate Degree in 1984 from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law.
Since 1984, Mr. Dollar has served as the Special Assistant Prosecutor, Homicide, Capital Litigation for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. His first two years as an attorney were spent prosecuting capital homicide cases in the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. He was Partner, Civil Trial Lawyer for Stigall, Humphrey, Lucas, Henry, Stigall & Dollar, L.C. from 1986 to 2000. He is currently Founding Partner, Civil Trial Lawyer for the Law Offices of Tim Dollar, LC. The name changed to Dollar, Burns, & Becker, LC in 2007. Since 1986, he has been called back to handle highly complex cases in which the State seeks the death penalty as the result of homicide.
He has served as lecturer numerous times and is recognized as an attorney expert in nursing home litigation and trucking litigation. For nearly twenty years, he volunteered his time as Adjunct Professor of Law in Trial Advocacy. He is also a published author.
In recognition of his skills as a trial lawyer, Mr. Dollar was awarded the Lon O. Hocker Memorial Trial Lawyer Award in 1996 and served on the Board of Governors for the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys the same year. For the past decade, Tim has repeatedly been named as Best of the Bar and as one of the top 100 Super Lawyers in Missouri and Kansas. He has also been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America.
From 1984 to present, Mr. Dollar has tried over 250 jury trials in his legal career. Not only has he tried 250 cases, he is recognized throughout the Midwest as one of America’s outstanding trial lawyers. He continues to accept cases to assist in the administration of justice just because his moral compass allows him no other choice.
Eddie Lee, Raytown High School, Class of 1974
Eddie Lee is a 1974 graduate of Raytown High. He studied at the Conservatory of Music Preparatory School while in the Raytown Schools. He received his Bachelor of Music from New England Conservatory of Music and a Masters from Kharkov National Conservatory of Music where he received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in 1997.
In 1979, The Volpe Foundation presented Mr. Lee with the Piatigorsky Fellowship Prize. He received the “Pablo Casals Memorial Award” from the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and the N.Y.C. Competition “East-West” award in 1981 and was the winner of the Young Concert Artist in 1982. He is also the recipient of the Sarah Lawrence College “Artists-in-Residence” award. In Korea, he was awarded “Musician of the Year” in 1989, and in 1996 was honored by the Music Association of Korea as “Musician of the Year”.
Mr. Lee has been recognized internationally as one of the leading Concert Repertory Anthologists, currently presenting its 34th consecutive year of Cello Repertory Music Concerts. He is the artistic director for Korea Cello Research Institute and the winner of the New York City “Artist International” award.
As orchestra director and ensemble leader, in 2012, Eddie was appointed the Artistic Advisor Chair to the U.S.P. (Ulsan Sinfonia Players) Chamber Orchestra and since November 2014, he has served as the U.S. P. music director. This chamber orchestra is a professional ensemble under the trusteeship of the Hyundai Heavy Industries Company and the University of Ulsan, College of Music.
Today Mr. Lee is recognized as one of the world’s leading concert anthologists of the cello repertory for his performances and recordings of Russian and Soviet compositions. He resides in South Korea where he is also an active chamber musician, serving as solo cellist of the Seoul Baroque Ensemble, May Piano Quartet, Gallery Chamber Players, and the Korean Chamber Society. As a soloist, he has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
Trevor Vance, Raytown High School, Class of 1985
Trevor Vance graduated from Raytown High in 1985. He attended Central Missouri State University.
In 1994, Trevor was hired by the Kansas City Royals as the youngest groundskeeper in Major League Baseball. He began as a youth on the crews under the tutelage of famous groundskeeper George Toma and worked his way to his current position.
Trevor’s work has been noticed in high circles, and he has served as a member of 15 Super Bowl grounds crews and three Pro-Bowl grounds crews. He is also an active volunteer and is heavily involved in his community. He created and launched a Sports Turf Managers Association in Missouri and has built and repaired countless youth athletic fields around the Kansas City area. He has also coached youth baseball and softball for 15 years. Trevor organized Homeruns for Hunger at Kaufmann Stadium, annually raising funds and collecting food for Harvesters. He hosted the 2012 MLB All Star game and the 2014 MLB World Series at Kauffman Stadium.
Trevor is in his 30th season as the Senior Director of Groundskeeping and Landscaping for the Kansas City Royals. He currently manages a 12-man day crew and a 30-man night crew throughout the baseball season, where they work to maintain the playing surface and keep the landscaping at Kauffman looking its best. His work and that of his crews help protect the multi-million dollar investment of the Royal’s organization by helping minimize injuries from the turf by maintaining a quality playing field and by daily combating Mother Nature.
A baseball lover at heart, Trevor sponsors the Titans youth baseball team. He believes no child should be denied the right to play baseball based on money. He never wants cost to be a factor in whether a young athlete can play the sport.
He resides in Lee’s Summit, with his wife, Laure and their four children, Kelsie, Hayden, Tanner, and Morgan.