Mt. Vernon graduates turn in to Mt. Vernon leaders

By: 
Steve Chapman

 Just some of the MVHS graduates who have gone on to hold important leadership positions in the community. From left to right: Lawrence County Sheriff Brad DeLay, Lawrence County Commissioner David Botts, Master Sergeant Steve Jones of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Mt. Vernon Chief of Police David Hubert. Botts is sitting in his 1980 Ford pickup truck, which he said helped him to have a major impact on his students. (Photo by Steve Chapman)

Local boys do good; lead community through service
Every year, the seniors at Mt. Vernon High School graduate and begin their lives in the adult world. Some go straight into the workforce, while others go to college or the military. And while some move away and begin new lives elsewhere, many remain in Mt. Vernon.
Of those who choose to remain in Mt. Vernon, some climb to the top of their fields of employment and take on leadership positions in the community. Among these are Mt. Vernon High School alums Brad DeLay, Steve Jones, David Hubert and David Botts, who chose to stick around their hometown and make a difference.
 Sheriff Brad DeLay:
Brad DeLay is the sheriff of Lawrence County and the Mt. Vernon Fire Chief. He has lived in Mt. Vernon since his family moved into the city around 1981, and is a 1989 graduate of Mt. Vernon High School. After graduation from MVHS, he attended the University of Oklahoma and later transferred to MSSU in Joplin. He joined the Mt. Vernon Fire Department in 1991, where he climbed the ranks.
“After Doug Seneker retired as the assistant fire chief, I was appointed to that position until Chief Melvin Owens retired, at which time I became fire chief.”
Not long after he joined the Mt. Vernon Fire Department, Seneker persuaded DeLay to join the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.
“(I was) hired by Sheriff (David) Tatum May of 1993 as a reserve deputy, then hired as a full time jailer/dispatcher, moved to road patrol division, promoted to corporal, then sergeant, and then promoted to patrol lieutenant under then Sheriff Ed Weisacosky,” DeLay said. “(I was) appointed to fill the remainder of Weisacosky’s term after he left early, (and then) elected sheriff in 2008, where I am now serving my fourth term. At the end of this term, I will be the longest serving sheriff in the history of Lawrence County.”
As both sheriff and fire chief, DeLay said he feels his duty is “to serve the people of (Lawrence) County.”
“Whatever it takes and whatever has to be done, I have probably done it,” he said.
Despite his service, DeLay said he feels that there is more he could do.
“Many times, I feel like I haven’t given enough,” he said. “I want to do what I can to make this a better place for everyone. I want my kids and grandkids to live in safety and without fear. If I can do that for them, then everyone else benefits because of that effort. I want to make it as personal as possible.”
As a longtime Mt. Vernon resident, DeLay said he chose to make his life in Mt. Vernon because “it’s a great place to live.”
“This is where my family moved when my dad took a job here,” he said. “We have just grown up here. We raised our kids here, and now my grandkids are being raised here.”
Indeed, DeLay said Mt. Vernon is a lot like “Mayberry RFD.”
“It truly is where everyone knows your name,” he said. “I have gotten to know so many people over my years here that it just makes sense to be here.”
Steve Jones:
Steve Jones is a master sergeant in the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and he is stationed at an office in Mt. Vernon. He is a 1990 graduate of Mt. Vernon High School; after graduating from MVHS, he attended MU Columbia, where he majored in secondary education. He also attended the Missouri Basic Law Enforcement Academy at MSSU.
Jones’s career has taken him through several parts of Missouri, but the bulk of it has been spent in Mt. Vernon.
“I started my career in law enforcement at the Carterville Police Department in 1993,” he said. “I was hired by the Patrol in July of 1994, (and was) originally stationed as a trooper in St. Clair and Hickory Counties. I transferred to the Gaming Division in 1996 and spent two years assigned to Harrah’s North Kansas City Riverboat Casino. In late 1998, I transferred back to Mt. Vernon and was promoted to corporal in 2005 (and) served as the assistant zone commander. In December 2016, I was promoted to master sergeant and currently serve as the zone commander for Troop D, Zone 06, which covers Lawrence and Dade counties.”
Despite the inherent dangers associated with a career in law enforcement, Jones said he would never consider following another career now.
“I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said. “Despite what you hear in the news and on social media, I have the best job in the world. It is extremely satisfying and we receive much more community support than some would lead you to believe.”
Growing up in Mt. Vernon, Jones said he didn’t realize how great it was to live there until he left.
“Like most teenagers, I couldn’t wait to leave town and start my own life,” he said. “It wasn’t until I experienced other towns that I realized what a special place this community can be to raise a family.”
For that reason, Jones said he’s glad he came back.
“I really enjoy being part of a community that helps each other,” he said. “I’ve been involved in asking for community help, whether it be an injured dog I found on the interstate or a child in need. Mt. Vernon has consistently made me proud in their response, (and) it just doesn’t get more important than that. Right now is a great time to be a Mountaineer. The schools are enjoying great success and the city leaders seem to be working really hard to provide more services for community members of all ages.”
David Hubert:
David Hubert is chief of police in the Mt. Vernon Police Department. He was born in St. Louis and grew up in Washington, Mo. before his family moved to Mt. Vernon. He spent his last two years of high school at Mt. Vernon High School, where he graduated in 1986. Following his graduation from MVHS, he attended MSSU.
Ten years after graduating from MVHS, he began his career in law enforcement.
“I started my career in 1996 at the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department as a dispatcher/jailer,” he said. “I (joined the) Mt. Vernon Police Department in 1998, (where) I started out as a patrolman and worked my way up through the ranks as a detective, assistant chief, then chief.”
As chief, Hubert performs several roles in the department, but he said his primary responsibility is to be the department’s voice among the citizens.
“A small-town chief has his hand in every aspect of law enforcement,” he said. “I feel my greatest role is to be a liaison for the department to the community.”
As chief, Hubert said, one of his and the department’s greatest contributions to the community is making the area a safe place to work and visit.
“By being a proactive department,” he said, “I believe it creates a safe environment and makes people want to live and do business in Mt. Vernon.”
Asked if he would ever consider another career or live in another town, Hubert’s answer was an emphatic “No!”
“I try to take a vacation every year,” he said, “(but) no matter where we go, it’s good to come home. Law enforcement has been very good to me and my family.”
Despite having lived a good portion of his younger life outside of Mt. Vernon, Hubert said he chose to remain because it was a good place to raise his children.
“I started my family here (and) realized it was a great town to raise a family in, so we stayed,” he said.
David Botts:
David Botts is the western commissioner with the Lawrence County Commission. A lifelong Mt. Vernon resident, he graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1976. After he graduated from MVHS, he attended MU, Rolla from 1976 to 1977 and in 1984 graduated from Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU) with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education, with a major in mathematics and minor in physics. He earned a master’s degree in Secondary School Counseling from SMSU in 1998.
Botts worked as a draftsman at Southwest Manufacturing from 1978 to 1981. After getting his degree in education, he taught math and physics at MVHS from 1984 to 1987. After leaving MVHS, he taught in the Monett School District where he taught drafting in the Vo-Tech program and worked with special needs and at-risk students as a counselor.
“I taught in Mt. Vernon and Monett in the same classrooms where I attended as a high school student,” he said.
Additionally, Botts served as a member of the Mt. Vernon Board of Education for 24 years.
Currently, Botts is in his third term as a county commissioner, where he performs a variety of duties.
“I approve the budget for the county and each office,” he said. “The commission approves the bills for payment and we are in charge of buildings and grounds. I also oversee the Common Two Road District in the Stotts City area.”
Botts said Mt. Vernon is home for him, and it’s the only place he would ever want to live.
“My family has lived in the Mt. Vernon area for several generations,” he said. “It just feels like home. I have no desire to live anywhere else.”
Additionally, Botts said he has been grateful for the opportunity to give back to his community.
“I have enjoyed being involved with the Mt. Vernon community and Lawrence County in both my roles as a school board member and county commissioner,” he said. “I always try to make decisions that will give taxpayers the most benefit from the dollars available. I feel very blessed to be part of this community.”
Botts also has special connections with DeLay, Jones and Hubert; he taught each of them at MVHS.
All three men have fond memories of Botts as a teacher. Jones said he found Botts to be a highly effective teacher.
“I had Mr. Botts as a science teacher in his first year at Mt. Vernon,” he said. “It was the first time I realized I might no longer be the coolest guy in the room. I also had him as a geometry teacher in high school. He was truly an inspiration; you could tell he was there for us. Mr. Botts is one of the main reasons I considered a career in education.”
Hubert said Botts had a “laid back” demeanor, but he knew better than to try to cross him.
“Mr. Botts taught my high school math class,” he said. “He was pretty laid back and a good teacher, but you didn’t want to mess with him.”
DeLay had Botts as a math teacher in junior high school. While he said he remembers Botts as an “awesome and cool teacher,” the memory of Botts that stands out most to him was his 1980 Ford truck, which Botts still owns.
“Probably one of my (greatest memories) is he had the coolest red Ford truck,” DeLay said. “That thing was awesome, and every guy in the school wanted one just like it.”
Botts said he is glad to have had DeLay, Hubert and Jones as students, but still wonders how much impact his Ford pickup truck had on them.
“Dave, Steve and Brad were great students and have all treated me with respect from my teaching days until now,” he said. “They were enjoyable to have in the classroom, but I wonder if they may have liked my truck more than me. I know they thought my truck was cool.”
Still, Botts said all three have grown up to become great men, and the community is lucky to have them in places of leadership.
“Our community is fortunate to have these guys in the law enforcement positions they hold,” he said. “I am not surprised to see each of these men in leadership positions. I am very proud to call each of them my friend.”
Anyone can make a difference:
Of course, these men are not the only MVHS graduates who have gone on to do great things with their lives; such people can be found serving the community and elsewhere in various capacities. Jones said no one should think that they cannot do something great in life.
“I would just remind people to never underestimate themselves and the difference they can make in this community,” he said. “Each individual is important. You may not feel like your contributions matter. However, if you do the right thing, even when no one is watching, you make a difference.”

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Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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