Our December 2010 Spotlight co-winner is the Executive Staff Assistant for MU Libraries Administration–Mark William Ellis.
Though he was born in St. Paul, MN, Mark grew up in Joplin, MO. He obtained his BA in English from Mizzou and worked his way through MU Libraries as a student in various work-study positions before Administration hired him in 1998. Since then, he has served as an OSIII and a Human Resources Assistant before assuming his current role as Executive Staff Assistant. Altogether, he has been with MU Libraries for 20 years.
During his free time, Mark likes to read, write, bike, or spend time with his family. Mark has two sons: Syd, 14 and Simon, 11. The Ellis household also has quite the collection of pets: 1 dog, 4 cats, and 1 bird.
If you’re ever out at Table Rock Lake, you might even spot Mark indulging on another of his interests: sailing his boat. This isn’t your ordinary boat though. His boat is named the Puddle Duck Racer, and was built by Mark using a free design he found online. That was two years ago, and the boat is still going strong!
Of course, when the wind stops blowing, it’s a different story. Mark’s nieces and nephews chide from shoreline that the Puddle Duck Racer becomes the Wind Killer. Then, the crowd waits patiently for a benevolent breeze to bring Mark back to shore.