Class of 2021 Honorees

1. Susanna Alexander (1917-2003) – served as director of the Columbia Public Library/Daniel Boone Regional Library from 1955 to 1965, and then as Associate State Librarian from 1966 to 1982. Read full biography.

2. Arthur E. Bostwick (1860-1942) – served as director of the St. Louis Public Library from 1909 to 1938. Read full biography.

3. Charles H. Compton (1880-1966) – served as assistant director of the St. Louis Public Library from 1921 to 1938, and director from 1938 to 1950. Read full biography.

4. Frederick M. Crunden (1847-1911) – served as the first director of the St. Louis Public Library from 1893 to 1911. He was also the first president of the American Library Association in 1889. Read full biography.

5. James A. Leathers (1931-1981) – served as director of the Jackson County Public Library, and later Mid-Continent Public Library, from 1961-1981. Read full biography.

6. Elizabeth B. Wales (1869-1937) – served as Missouri’s first State Librarian from 1907-1920. Read full biography.

7. Carrie W. Whitney (1854 – 1934) – served as the first director of the Kansas City Public Library from 1881 to 1910. Read full biography.

8. Purd B. Wright (1860-1947) – founded and served as the first director of the St. Joseph Public Library from 1890 to 1910, and served as director of the Kansas City Public Library from 1911-1937. Read full biography.

9. Virginia G. Young (1919-2005) – served as a trustee for the Columbia Public Library/Daniel Boone Regional Library for fifty years and author of “The Library Trustee: A Practical Guide,” which was one of the leading works in the field. Read full biography.