Blue Springs, Mo. – Mayor Carson Ross is proud to announce that the 2014 Truman Heartland Community Foundation Outstanding Citizen Award recipients are Blue Springs residents Ted and Betty Meyer.
The Outstanding Citizen Award honors area citizens in our communities who, thanks to their service and charitable support, have made significant contributions to the places where we live and work. Mayor Carson Ross describes the Meyers as “extraordinary residents that enable positive growth and community partnerships in Blue Springs.”
The Meyers were honored at the Truman Heartland Community Foundation’s ‘Toast To Our Towns’ Gala on September 6, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Ted and Betty Meyer have been active in and supportive of the community of Blue Springs since they moved here as newlyweds in 1961. Betty, who began teaching music in 1960 in the Blue Springs School District, and Ted, who taught in the Kansas City Public Schools, chose Blue Springs as their new home where they wanted to raise their family.
Their dream was to open a music store; that goal was realized when Meyer Music was opened on March 5, 1966. Today, 48 years later, Meyer Music is still a family business serving the greater Blue Springs community; two additional stores in Overland Park, KS, and Kansas City North were opened in succeeding years. Three of the Meyer children, Tom, Mike, and Mitzi Meyer Phelan, work in the business, and the fourth, Julie Meyer Anwander, is currently a teacher in the Blue Springs School District.
Both Ted and Betty have a long history of serving the community, both personally and professionally. Ted has served as the President of both the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Betty has served as the President of the Young Women's Civic Club, as well as other civic organizations. They have been active supporters of the Blue Springs music programs, as well as St. Mary's Hospital, the Community Services League, the Rainbow Center, the Rotary Club, St. John LaLande Church, and the music programs of surrounding school districts. They were honored as the Distinguished Alumni of the University of Central Missouri, the only "team" to ever receive that award. Betty was recently honored as the Outstanding Citizen of Blue Springs by the Chamber of Commerce, and Meyer Music recently received the Chamber's Distinguished Member award. Previously, Ted and Betty were selected by the Truman Heartland Community Foundation as the Corporate Citizens of the Year, and Meyer Music was named as the Family Business of the Year for the greater Kansas City area.
“I am honored to recognize Ted and Betty for their contributions to our community,” said Mayor Ross. “It is with gratitude that I extend this honor to them for their many years of service to help make our City one of progress and promise.”
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