Ozarks Heritage Research Center celebrates open house

Officials of the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) at Missouri State University-West Plains welcomed nearly 60 visitors to the center’s open house celebration April 2 in the Garnett Library. Those who attended were excited to view the center’s archives and learn more about its mission, said officials. “The grand opening went extremely well,” said Rebekah McKinney, director of library services at the Garnett Library and a member of the OHRC advisory board. “People were looking at the items in our collection, and they were excited that we had past issues of the West Plains Daily Quill for viewing. Former Quill correspondent Denise Henderson Vaughn was delighted to hear that we had the Quill negatives from 1959-2003.” The center, which houses an archive of materials related to the south-central and southeast Missouri Ozarks, is open any time the Garnett Library is open for researchers, regional history enthusiasts, students and other community members to view. From left are OHRC board members Anthony Priest and Dr. Jason McCollom; artist Farley Lewis of Springfield, whose mural of a wagon crossing an Ozarks creek hangs in the center; OHRC board members Chuck Kimberlin and Kathleen Morrissey; MSU-WP Chancellor Dennis Lancaster; McKinney; and OHRC board member Neva Parrott.