Press Release from Missouri State University-West Plains
WEST PLAINS, Mo. – World Wars and the Ozarks is the topic for the fourth installment of “Celebrating 250 years of America in the Ozarks” conversation series. Free to attend and open to the public, this event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 23, at the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) located inside Garnett Library, 304 W. Trish Knight St., in West Plains.
The event will be advertised and discussed on Wednesday, July 22, from 12:15 – 12:45 p.m., on the KUKU 100.3 FM radio show, “High Noon in American History with Cowboy Rick.”
More about McCollom
This topic will be facilitated by MSU-WP Associate Professor Dr. Jason McCollom. In addition to teaching history on campus, Dr. McCollom is actively involved in preserving Ozarks history as a member of the steering committee for OHRC and directs the annual Ozarks Symposium, an annual gathering of scholars and community members dedicated to regional history. In 2015, Dr. McCollom was hired as an Assistant Professor of History, granted tenure in 2019 and then promoted to Associate Professor in 2020.
In 2025, McCollom received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In May of this year, he received the 2026 Missouri State University Board of Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Affairs. Also, during the 2025-26 academic year, McCollom served as co-chair for the MSU-WP Strategic Planning Committee.
More about the Conversation Series
The conversations in this series will feature different eras of history that transformed America, and they will be facilitated by OHRC supporters and board members. Attendees will be invited to share stories and thoughts about how the Ozarks are part of the American tapestry. Tools and resources of the OHRC will be highlighted as components to preserve the cultural distinctions of the Ozarks.
The final topic planned in this conversation series is titled, “Modernity and the Ozarks” presented by Carol Silvey in August.
For more information about this event, contact Rebekah McKinney at 417-255-7949 or RebekahMcKinney@MissouriState.edu.
Visit WP.MissouriState.edu/Ozarks for more information about OHRC news and upcoming events.
