Samuel C. Marshall was the first president and William E. Walker served as the last president. The Tarkio College mascot was the owl. The school colors were purple and white, and the college's motto, often attributed to its founder, gentleman farmer David Rankin, was "Set Fire, Tarkio!" Tarkio College won the first NAIA Division I Men's basketball championship in 1940, defeating San Diego State 52–31. Tarkio College's 's softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1976. Brewer and Shipley named their most famous album Tarkio after this college in 1970. One of the school's most famous structures was the Mule Barn Theatre, an octagon-shaped structure used originally to house mules. It was on the National Register of Historic Places but was destroyed by fire in 1989. After Tarkio College closed, the library books were purchased by and moved to Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There were also several attempts to find alternative uses for the property, including early discussions about the possible founding of a new institution, Tarkio Valley College. Initially, Youth Services International, Inc. operated Tarkio Academy, a residential and community-based educational program for juveniles between 1995–2004. North Central Missouri College and Linn State College in Linn, Missouri then announced an exploration of options for a new jointly operated technical college in early 2006. This was soon followed by reports that the property would become the Midwest Institute of Energy, a private college. The institute missed its planned opening of 2009. The Tarkio College Alumni Association preserved the original Tarkio College 1883 corporation and began the process to reopen the college in 2012 with a revised mission of providing continuing education for professionals as mandated for them by various state agencies, licensing boards or accrediting agencies. It does not provide academic credits at this time. Education and training will be available at locations throughout the United States as traditional seminars, online classes, interactive webinars—and also at the home campus in Tarkio, MO. The Alumni Association has rented the main building on the Tarkio campus, Rankin Hall, and is in the process of restoring this 1931 landmark. Robert A. Hughes, Tarkio College Class of 1971, is the current president of the newly reorganized college.
Educational records
After the college closed, student transcript records were transferred to Northwest Missouri State University, where they can be requested through the Registrar's Office at 800 University Drive, Maryville, MO 64468.
Notable alumni
Tarkio College alumnus Wallace Hume Carothers obtained his four-year degree at Tarkio College. He later taught at Harvard University and is credited with the discovery of the artificial polymers nylon and neoprene.
US Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Marco Rubio attended the college for one year on a football scholarship before moving on to Santa Fe College in Florida.
Tarkio alumnus Allen Reynolds graduated in 1960 and went on to play professional football with the Dallas Texans 1960–62. The team moved to Kansas City where he played with the Kansas City Chiefs 1963–67. He was number 60 and played offensive right guard.
