Patrick Atkinson finds there’s no better way to quench his thirst for knowledge than by keeping an active mind—at any age. The retired University of Missouri theater professor leads a busy schedule, volunteering with a number of organizations in Columbia. Several times a week he helps build mobility carts for people without access to wheelchairs in developing countries. During tax season, you can find him at the public library assisting others as they complete their tax forms. He also has been a steady volunteer for SHSMO, coming in twice a week since 2013.

The sixty-second annual Missouri Conference on History, hosted by Lindenwood University and sponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri, will be held March 11-13, 2020, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis-Chesterfield.

Paper, panel, and student poster proposals in all fields of history, including public history and historic preservation, are invited. The conference is particularly interested in proposals for complete sessions, including panelists, chair, and commentator.

For three months in 1953, the residents of Springfield, Missouri, lived in fear as deadly snakes roamed the Queen City of the Ozarks. Town residents armed with hoes, pitchforks, and long poles patrolled the streets, and children were not allowed to play outside. The Great Cobra Scare of 1953 is legendary in Springfield history. Life and Time magazines sent reporters to cover the story. Eleven cobras were eventually apprehended, but no one knew where they came from until 35 years later.