Shelly Jean Worden was born in Kansas, the eldest of 6 siblings: 2 sisters and 3 brothers.  She currently works in the Technical Services of the Health Science Library. She has worked for MU Libraries for 28 years.

Shelley earned her MLS from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  During her leisure time, she enjoys reading mysteries. Her hobby is trying to update her family history.

The coolest place she’s ever visited has been Hawaii.

When asked in a movie of her life, what actress she would like to portray her, she said Meryl Streep or Sally Fields.

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Suzanne Lippard works in the Catalog Department, where she has worked for 20 years.  She has a B.A. in English from Arkansas Tech University.

During her free-time, she likes to read.

The coolest place she’s ever visited has been New York City.

C. Trenton Boyd was born in Baton Rough, Louisiana. He works in the Veterinary Medical Library. He has worked for MU Libraries for 40 years.

Trenton earned a B.S. in Agriculture and an M.A. in Library Science from Mizzou. He was also accredited at the Distinguished level by the Academy of Health Information Professionals.

He has one cat and his hobbies and interests include collecting postcards relating to veterinary medicine and the state of Missouri as well as genealogy.

The coolest place he’s ever visited has been the South Island of New Zealand.

In a movie of his life, he would choose Stephen Boyd as the actor to portray him.

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Mary Ann Hainen was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She currently works in the Catalog Department.

Mary originally taught classes in Springfield, where she worked in two small country schools, giving her an appreciative perspective on rural life and families.

Before working at MU Libraries, Mary worked at the Missouri Book Store (which was housed in the Student Success Center) and would ask Ellis Library Staff about working conditions. Many encouraged her to pursue employment and a few would provide a heads up on open positions. She took her first job with Robin Kespohl and said “I can’t begin to count the number of friends, supervisors, and coworkers who have brought happiness, support, blessings, and friendship to my life over the years—I have some very precious memories.”  She has worked at MU Libraries for 22 years.

She earned a B.A. in Education and was certified as an Elementary School Media Specialist. She also earned 15 graduate hours in Elementary Guidance and Counseling.

She has 2 cats: Molly and Luke

Her lesiure time pursuits include dancing (especially country), bowling, reading,  shopping, cooking, sports watching (but not golf, soccer, or hockey).  She commented that she grew up in a male-dominated household, which is why she’s such an avid sports fan.

Her hobbies include “collecting pink Depression glass, whiskey glasses from places I’ve visited (or begged others who’ve visited great places to bring back a glass for me); and antique pins; Shabby Chic decorating (creative decorating on a budget).”

The coolest place she’s ever visited has been Hawaii.

In a movie of her life, she picked Susan Sarandon as the actress to portray her.

Ruthe Morse (aka Leona Ruth) was born in Cabool, Missouri.  She works in the Catalog Department and has worked for MU Libraries for 24 years and 9 months.

In Ruthe’s leisure time, she enjoys reading and frequenting flea markets.  Her hobbies include crocheting and other crafts.

About the coolest place she’s ever visited she said “I don’t know whether it’s cool but I’ve seen the back side of Mt. Rushmore.”

She declined to name an actress portraying her, saying “Oh, I couldn’t subject anyone too such a waste of film.”

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Katherine (Kat) Renee Koehn was born in Ayer Massachusetts. She works in Security and has worked there in some manner or other since July 2006. She is a graduate of Holden High School and also graduated with 2 bachelor degrees from Mizzou (Anthroplogy and Religions Studies).

Kat has 2 cats (black Salek and tortoiseshell Michsief) as well as one silverback zebra finche named Jazz (after the silver Autobot in the 2007 Transformers movie).  Her favorite hobby is beading, and she has bought some of her handiwork in the last 2 faculty and staff arts and crafts show. She also enjoys reading and watching movies in her spare time.

The coolest place she has ever visited has been Whiteman Airforce base, specifically the day the B-2 bombers arrived for the first time.

Ellen Louis Blair was born right here in Columbia, Mo., and works in the MU Libraries Administrative Office.  Ellen currently serves as an Administrative Associate II, and has worked for MU Libraries for 35 years.  She jokingly says she graduated from the College of Common Sense.

Ellen has two cats, Pebbles and Diego.  “I rescued Diego in October from the side of the highway in morning rush hour traffic, when he was about 6 weeks old.”

Ellen’s hobbies include embroidery and sewing, and the coolest place she thinks she’s ever visited is the Rocky Mountains.

The best person to portray her in a movie, In Ellen’s opinion, is Judy Garland.

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Julie A. Rogers, Assistant Head of Security at Ellis Library, was born in Michigan and has been with MU Libraries for not quite two years.

Julie owns two dogs and one cat, and enjoys tennis and gardening.

Julie believes the coolest place she has ever visited is New York City and would love to have Sandra Bullock portray her in a movie.

Harold Alan Jones was born in Tywappity Township, Mississippi County, Missouri.  Alan works in the Catalog Dept. and holds a BS in Spanish from MU.  He has worked for MU Libraries for a total of 35 years, if you include his student days.

Alan owns (or is owned by) three cats: Curbie, Hyacinth and Mulder.  In his leisure time he enjoys listening to opera, reading and hiking.  Alan’s hobbies include politics, Roman history, food, movies and travel.  Some day he hopes to visit the town of Kelso, Scotland, where his mother’s family came from.

Alan feels the coolest place he has ever visited is the Utah desert.

When asked who should portray him in a movie of his life, Alan replied, “Some say I look like Sean Connery, but I would choose my favorite forgotten actor, Richard Carlson (White Cargo, Creature from the Black Lagoon).

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Deborah Dianne (Debbie) Melvin hails is originally from Fulton, Missouri and works in Ellis Interlibrary Loan.  She is a graduate of Hickman High School and the School of Tomorrow Accelerated Christian Education Supervisory Training, and has worked for MU Libraries for 8 years.

Debbie is a twin, and was president of her 6^th grade class.  She proclaims “I used to drag race up and down Business Loop 70 not so very long ago.” 

Debbie’s hobbies include watching her grandchildren and NASCAR, and she has written a short story which has been published.

Debbie thinks the coolest place she has ever been is Merrimac Caverns and her opinion of who would best portray her in a movie is divided: “Sometimes Jerry Lewis, sometimes Ginger Rogers, sometimes Katharine Hepburn.”

In closing, Debbie told us: “My relationship with God is of utmost importance to me, as well as my relationship with my husband.”

Pearl Newbrogh was born in Moberly, Mo., works in Technical Services in the J. Otto Lottes Health SciencesLibrary, and has worked for MU Libraries for 18 years.  Pearl graduated from Moberly High School and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Truman State University.

Pearl owns (or is owned by) three dogs and a cat.  “Two of the dogs are black Labrador Retrievers.  They are both 6 years old and their names are Shadow and Hershey.  The other dog is a Pekehund (Pekingese/Dachshund mix).  His name is Hamlet and he is three years old.  My cat’s name is Georgie.  He is my oldest at 18 years old.  I adopted all my “furry kids” from people wanting to give them away.  I’ve had Shadow since she was 3 months old.  Hamlet, who was adopted from the Humane Society, was a Christmas gift from my husband.  Hershey really adopted us.  Some neighborhood kids brought her to our door thinking she was our other black lab, Shadow.  She introduced herself by sitting down at my feet and extending her paw to shake hands with me.  We were fast friends from that point forward.  My husband and I tracked down her owners who gladly gave her to us as she was a deviant who kept escaping from her pen! “

In her leisure time Pearl loves to read, craft cards, cook and bake.  “I love to sing.  I’m a member of the choir at my church.”  Pearl also spends a lot of her free time helping with various committees and projects at her church.  One of Pearl’s hobbies is baseball spectatorship.  “I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan.  My husband is a Chicago Cubs fan.  (I know, sad isn’t it …?)  This makes the Cardinals vs. Cubs games very interesting at my house.” 

Pearl admits that she has not had much opportunity to travel yet, but she loves to visit Chicago because “it is an amazing city and there is so much to see and do!”

Asked who should portray her in a movie, Pearl told us:  “I think my life is interesting, but hardly movie worthy.  I’m really not sure who I would want to portray me.”

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Sheena U. Waggoner, Ellis Library Administrative Offices, was born in Poplar Bluff, Mo. and has worked for MU Libraries since June of 2008.  Sheena holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Human Resources.  She is currently studying for her Ph.D. in Education Psychology.

Sheena has no pets, and in her leisure time she babysits her grandson.  She explains “my grandson is my pride and joy, and I love taking care of him.”  Sheena’s hobbies include planting flowers in spring, people watching and going to the movies if she can afford to take a study break.

Sheena believes the coolest place she has ever been is Germany, “and while there I was able to tour old little German towns, and visit the local pubs where they introduced me to German ale, and the word ‘brosch’”

Sheena would like to see Angela Bassett play her in a movie, and leaves us with this closing thought: “I really love working at the Library it has given me the opportunity to meet some wonderful people.”

Kristopher Lee Anstine, born in Sedalia, Mo., has worked for University Archives for 5 years.  He graduated High School in Smithton, Mo., then spent two years at Westminster College in Fulton and took basic and intermediate Russian courses at Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif, Kris  achieved and AA degree for State Fair Community College in Sedalia and a BA in Interntional Studies (European) from the University of Missouri—Columbia.  While he was a student at UMC Kris worked in the Physical Processing Unit.

Kris loves animals, but his current lease does not allow him to have pets.

In his leisure time, Kris enjoys reading science fiction/fantasy, historical fiction, classics, but does not limit himself to those genres.  One of his favorite authors is Bernard Cornwell.  Kris likes to cook and bakes “a mean pie.”  Having recently read Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Kris is interested in researching sustainable and local agriculture. And, he reiterates, he likes to read.

Hobbies include cooking and reading foreign language materials, cultural subject matter, world religions and geography.  “I speak a little bit of a lot of different languages, and am more or less fluent in several.  My brother and I are researching building our own straw-bale house.”  Kris also likes to listen to jazz, standards, classic rock and old-school country.

Where is the coolest place Kris has been?  “Plzeň, Czech Republic, birthplace of Pilsner beer.”

Asked who should portray him in a movie of his life, Kris replied: “I once had someone tell me I looked like John Lithgow in the movie “Buckaroo Bonzai”; I still don’t know if that was intended as a compliment.”

Anything else? “I’m a closet James Taylor fan… and I was in glee club in high school…”

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Gena Scott, of the Libraries Development Office, was born in Mexico, Mo.  She has worked for MU for over 12 years and at MU Libraries for over 8 years.  Gena holds a Bachelor of Educational Studies and Master’s degree in Educational and Counseling Psychology from MU; and is currently working on “what I hope will be a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.”

The animals in Gena’s life include a dog named Carson and two cats—Ernie and Versace.

In her leisure time, Gena enjoys reading and watching movies, traveling with her family, swimming and knitting.  Hobbies include quirky movies and U.S. history. “I have 5 adult children (3 are stepdaughters) and 4 step grandchildren and I enjoy being involved in their lives.”

The coolest place Gena has ever been is Germany.  “The castles are wonderful.

Who should Gena like to portray her in a movie? “Kermit the Frog.”

Gena left us with one final comment:  “I love working for the MU Libraries. I get to meet a lot of interesting and intelligent individuals.”

Wayne Sanders, in the Catalog Dept. at Ellis, was born in Saint Louis County, Mo.   He has worked for MU Libraries for 14 years, 8 years full time.  Wayne holds a B.A. in History & Anthropology from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. in Anthropology from MU and an MLS (Master of Library Science), also from MU>

Wayne’s animal companions include 2 German shepherds (mother & son), 2 cats  (1 calico & 1 black) and fish   His leisure time pursuits include: “organizing (duh!), playing with the grandkids; relaxing (the antithesis of the former two), visiting, and the occasional adult beverage.”  Wayne’s hobbies are genealogy and fishing.

Where is the coolest place he’s ever visited? Hawaii   

 

Ryan McAllister, who works at UMLD, was born in Fayette, Mo. “It was the closest hospital to Brunswick, Mo., where I grew up.”  Ryan has worked for MU Libraries since March 2005 having begun his career here as student staff.  Ryan holds a B.A. in Classics and is pursuing teaching.

 

Ryan has “a cross-eyed, barn cat named William Wallace Spartacus Casper McAllister. He goes by Wallace.”  Ryan enjoys watching movies (preferably not horror), listening to music (anything but country, though Garth Brooks is acceptable), and running.

 

Ryan’s hobbies?  “I am a huge tennis fan: Go Federer! I also am a huge Mizzou football and Chiefs fan. I enjoy languages, especially Latin and Italian. Actually, I like all things Italian. I also enjoy traveling, cooking, and food in general. Some would say I am obsessed with In-N-Out burger; I will neither confirm nor deny this, though I did once spend 50 dollars on a cab ride just to make a trip there.”

 

The coolest place Ryan has ever visited is Villa Jovis, Capri, Italy.  “It was the villa of Emperor Tiberius and has a grand view of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. There is also a spot where he could dispose of unwanted slaves, and the Blue Grotto is not too far away.”

 

We asked Ryan who should play him in a movie.  “People have told me I remind them of Jason Biggs and Seth Rogen, though I think I would prefer Sacha Baron Cohen.

 

Other interesting facts we learned about Ryan: “I can blow self sustaining bubbles and do the worm. I make something called sausage bread; it’s pretty awesome. I took a screw from the set of E.R. I was once, unknowingly, interviewed for the O’Reilly Factor when I was in NYC; they asked my brother the question initially; he had to turn to me for the answer.”

Charlotte Mustain, who works in Serials Check-in within Technical Services, hails from Ashland, Mo.  Charlotte graduated from Southern Boone County High School in Ashland and has worked for MU Libraries for 33 years.

Charlotte has a dog named Buddy, and enjoys camping and reading.  In her leisure time she likes to work on genealogy and do other historical things.

Where is the coolest place she’s ever visited? The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone

Charlotte thinks Sophia Myles should play her in a movie.

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Renee A. Ratna works in Interlibrary Loan at the Health Sciences Library and has been with MU Libraries for a little over three years.  She is originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Renee holds a Bachelor’s degree with a major in Library Science from MU.

Renee has two cats, Sebastian and Gracie, both adopted from Second Chance.  “Actually, it was at the Thanksgiving Feast at Ellis Library two years ago that I met Sebastian (who was brought in by Second Chance).   I thought he was gorgeous and had a bit of a regal air about him.  It was fate that brought us together!!”

Leisure pursuits include reading, watching a little TV, shopping, and decorating, and Renee says her hobbies are antiquing, traveling, dancing, visiting museums, and movies.  In a movie of her own life, Renee would like to see Sandra Bullock portray her.  “I like the way she portrays some of her characters – sweet, and maybe a little quirky.”

India is the coolest place Renee has ever visited.  “It was a very busy, colorful and exciting place to visit.  Also, a bit mysterious.  I loved the bazaars, the graciousness of the people, the spicy food (although I missed having salad –  salad over there does not include lettuce, dressing or croutons!) and the colorful clothing.     The custom of having tea around 3:00 pm was a daily ritual that I really enjoyed.  I will never forget my visit to the Taj Mahal.  It was a beautiful and ethereal sight to behold.”

In closing, Renee left us with some thoughts on modern technology: “I really do appreciate the technology we have today.  I can’t imagine not having a cell phone handy at all times, or visiting the internet for directions.  However, I find it sometimes a bit overwhelming to try and keep up with the constant changes.  Maybe that’s why I enjoy taking a break now and then from ‘modern life’ by going to antique stores, flea markets and museums!”

Jee Davis, in the Catalog Dept., was born in Mokpo, South Korea and has worked for MU Libraries for two years and about 3 months.  Her education includes a BA in English and English Literature and a Master’s of Science in Information Science.

 

Jee owns a big dog named Boobie.  She says she used to travel the world in her leisure time, but now enjoys fantasy football and watching sports (basketball, baseball and football).  One of Jee’s hobbies is Korean knotting.

We asked Jee where the coolest place she had ever visited was.  She replied, “I traveled so many cool places in the world, so I am going to pick at least two cities: Barcelona and Prague. There are many fantastic buildings by Gaudi in Barcelona (some pictures of Gaudi buildings: http://images.google.com/images?q=gaudi%20barcelona&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=vi). Ever since I visited the city I have become a fan of Gaudi.  

“Prague is another cool city that I visited. The architectural style there is very different from the Western Europe. There are many fun things happening on the street every day such as puppet shows, flea markets, live music, etc. People are super nice in Prague, at least ten years ago or so.”

Shannon Cary, in Administration, was born right here in Columbia, Mo.!  She has worked at MU Libraries for about 5 years.  Her education includes an English degree from MU, a Masters in English from Auburn University and an MLS from Louisiana State University.  The team mascot was a tiger at all three schools!

Shannon has a cat named Cereal, and enjoys playing with her two boys, reading, watching movies, yoga, cooking and baking.

“probably one of the coolest things I did was see Pink Floyd’s The Wall performed at the Berlin Wall (or what was left of it) in 1990.”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall_-_Live_in_Berlin

In a movie of her life, Shannon would like to be portrayed by Sandra Bullock.