Distinguished Alumni 2023
Foundation selects three for Distinguished Alumni Award
The Raymore-Peculiar Public School Foundation announces three recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award: Justin Allen, Dr. Erin Jewell, and Dr. Pat McLaughlin.
Each of the award recipients have excelled in their careers and given back to their communities. They were honored at a special luncheon on Sept. 22, at a tailgate party sponsored by the Foundation, and at the Homecoming football game.
Justin Allen, Class of 1998
Justin Allen owns and operates Redtail Plumbing Co.
Justin graduated from Ray-Pec High School in 1998. In 2001, he started to attend a local church.
In 2004, he went with a handful of people to start a church in Atlanta, where he continued his plumbing career and met his wife. He faithfully served his church in Atlanta for 18 years.
He is a master plumber, which is the highest level you can achieve in a plumbing career.
He is an unrestricted master plumber with gas, licensed in Missouri, Kansas, and Georgia. In 2011 he won the award, “Hitting the Ground Running” through a nationwide company. From 2016 to 2019, Justin was among the top three in sales for the largest plumbing company in Atlanta.
In 2022, Justin and his family moved back to Kansas City to help a local church plant and be a part of the community.
He is now a member of the Raymore Chamber of Commerce and attends a local networking meeting in Raymore, in hopes of giving back to the community where it all began. Justin loves to be a part of the community where his company Redtail Plumbing has been a part of local parades and has sponsored different events. He loves to meet new people, specifically meeting one on one with them.
Justin enjoys biking, golfing, and spending time with his family and friends. He and his wife have three children, ages 4, 5, and 7.
Dr. Erin Jewell, Class of 2004
Dr. Erin Jewell, DO, is a board-certified psychiatrist, working at Compass Health Network in Raymore.
Erin Jewell graduated from Ray-Pec High School in 2004. In high school, she was a member of National Honor Society, was a DARE 5th grade role model, and was a multi-year recipient of the Optimist Excellence in Education award. She was a Student of the Month her senior year. She was a four-year letter winner in basketball, and a three-year letter winner in volleyball and track. She was selected by The Kansas City Star as the Ray-Pec Athlete of the Year in 2004.
After graduation, Erin attended Northwest Missouri State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in pre-professional zoology in 2008. She earned her master’s degree in biomedical sciences and her doctor of osteopathic medicine degrees from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. She completed her post-graduate residency in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During her time at KCUMB and UMKC, she received many scholarships and awards.
In 2018, she began working at Compass Health Network providing outpatient adult psychiatry services. Since 2022, she has been an adjunct clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Kansas City University. Previously she worked at Royal Oaks Hospital and Lakeland Behavioral Health.
Her research has been published in professional journals, and she has presented at various professional organizations and conferences.
In August 2019, she received the Compass Champion Award. More recently, in April 2023 and August 2023, she was honored by Compass as an exceptional educator and mentor. She is the clinical lead for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy and is Compass Health Network associate training director of medical school rotations.
Erin and her husband, Bryan, have three children who attend Ray-Pec schools.
In the community, Erin serves on the Citizens for RP Schools committee, and is its current treasurer; serves on the Health Sciences Advisory Committee, is a member of the Peculiar Elementary School PTA, and is a member of the Ray-Pec Citizen Advisory Committee. She was a member of You Matter Ray-Pec from 2018-2022. She is an assistant basketball coach with Ray-Pec Jammers and is active at Eagle Creek Church.
J. Patrick McLaughlin, Class of 1971
J. Patrick McLaughlin graduated from Ray-Pec High School in 1971. In high school, he was involved in a variety of clubs, sports, and leadership roles. He was a member of the football team, basketball team, wrestling team, and the golf team. He was the quarterback for the football team his senior year and the captain of the wrestling team. He was a member of Future Teachers, National Honor Society, Foreign Language Club, and Panther Club. He graduated Salutatorian of the class.
Patrick attended Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri graduating magna cum laude in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. In 1978, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas City.
His professional experience includes serving as the Department Chairman for the Department of Accounting, Economics, and Finance for Northwest Missouri State University from 1988 through retirement; and professor of law and finance from 1978 through retirement. He was the first ever head coach of the varsity women’s golf team and served in that role from 2007 to 2012.
McLaughlin also was prosecuting attorney for Maryville, Mo., from 1979 to retirement; municipal judge for Tarkio and Rock Port, Mo., from 1985 to retirement, and assistant prosecuting attorney for Nodaway County from 1980 to 2006.
Patrick holds many professional memberships including Missouri Bar Association. He has had eight articles published in professional journals. He also presented at national and international conferences beginning in 2004. Patrick was recognized as an exemplary teacher and received numerous awards throughout his career.
He sponsored Pi Beta Alpha-Professional Business Assembly from 1985 to 2003 and the Blue Key National Honor Society from 1985 to retirement. He also founded the Northwest Women’s Golf Club in 2000. He and his wife fully funded the women’s golf team for five years. They did everything from buying each athlete two uniforms, hosting fundraisers, scheduling and providing transportation to tournaments, buying meals, paying entry fees, and coordinating all team activities. In 2007 he became the Head Coach of Varsity Women’s Golf Team at Northwest. He became a NCAA certified coach and received the MIAA Coach of the Year Award. His dedication and commitment to going the extra mile and seeing things through to completion is why Northwest has a women’s golf team.
Patrick has been married to Lana for 45 years. They have two daughters, Megan and Erin, and a grandson. In 2016, Patrick had a stroke which put him in intensive care. He recovered from the stroke and is living a healthy life.