Stories

Oct. 12, 2016

All in the Family

Everything in John Clay’s office has a story. In one corner, there’s the dictionary that dates back to 1934 that was used primarily for Scrabble word challenges by his great aunts and uncles. “It looked this new when I was a baby,” Clay quips of the giant book that rests on a stand that was once in the foyer of his family’s former homestead, built in 1892 by his great grandfather, John Moore Clay, and known as “El Moro.” The house accidentally burned down in recent years. John Clay stands with his family’s crest outside of his office at Clay…

Sep. 1, 2016

Looking Back 40 Years — And Beyond

It began 40 years ago with what could best be called a “grand experiment.” For decades, faculty at the University of Missouri’s Department of Biochemistry had one collective goal — to study life at the molecular level — but were in two separate units, one housed in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources under the name agricultural chemistry and one in the School of Medicine under its current name. It is about a 15-minute walk from Schweitzer Hall, located on the northeast corner of campus, to the medical school. The first merged department chair, Jim Gaylor, had the cross-campus walk…

Feb. 13, 2015

Computers Come to CAFNR

CAFNR had a hand in the first MU computer, and was a pioneer in its role in research.

Jan. 20, 2015

Recycling Mitochondria

A molecule could be key to developing drugs that will keep brain cells healthy in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Jan. 7, 2015

The All-In Enzyme

The behavior of an enzyme may reveal details to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer and heart disease.

Dec. 12, 2014

CAFNR and the Psychic Dog

In the early 1930s, a media sensation was centered in little Marshall, Mo.

Nov. 14, 2014

The Last Quarter Acre

A quarter-acre plot on an urban medical campus is all that remains of the MU Horticulture Farm.

Oct. 10, 2014

The Bidding War for CAFNR

There was no shortage of counties wanting the new Missouri College of Agriculture.

Sep. 12, 2014

MU From the Air, 1919

The first aerial photos of Mizzou were taken by Warren Fowler, a civil engineering student.

Aug. 8, 2014

Farmers’ Week, 1910-1957

MU's Farmers’ Week succeeded wildly, becoming one of the largest agriculture events in the nation. Almost 10,000 people would visit Mizzou to hear agriculture faculty describe their latest research findings.