Its student body has included future mayor of Kansas City, such as Ilus Davis and Charles Wheeler, and a future U.S. president, Harry Truman. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Casey Stengel, attended, as did a former Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, Hilary Bush. H&R Block, the tax return preparation and financial services company, was co-founded by Henry W. Bloch (sic), another former student. John Ciardi, the poet and etymologist, taught here.
UMKC's team mascot is a kangaroo and they go by the nickname the Kangaroos.