THE PRESENT
Mary Helen Catlett Allen
SPOUSE: Jack R. Allen
ADDRESS: 1003 Sunset Drive
Columbia MO. 65203
TELEPHONE: (573) 442-2293
E-MAIL ADDRESS: mallen@coin.org
On March 1, 2000 I retired from working at the Daniel Boone Regional Library after fourteen years working mainly in the Outreach Department. I'm missing it a little, but I'm keeping very busy. I enjoyed visiting the shut-ins that I have grown very close to. I've promised them all that I will continue to visit them in the future.
My husband, Jack will be retiring September 1, 2000 from the University of Missouri Publications Department. We have all kinds of plans for our retirement. Jack will be purchasing a Macintosh computer and all of the latest software and equipment to go with it so he can continue his love of computer graphics. I'm fairly computer literate with IBM, but I'm looking forward to learning more about the MAC. I'm very involved with genealogy, so I plan on that taking up a big chunk of my time. Hopefully I will be able to travel some in search of my ancestors. It's a fascinating hobby, and it might be a way to earn a tiny bit of a living searching for others.
Presently I'm helping my daughter, Cara Hagen with care of her preschool children. That will be over during the summer vacation and then, hopefully I can help again in the fall with Thomas, the two year old. They are really keeping me on the ball. It takes lots of activity to keep ahead of them. I'm also working on obtaining a list all of the past members of the Mountain Grove Drum and Bugle Corps, to organize a get-together this summer . I'm really looking forward to seeing all of these people and the instructors that we had. The Drum Corps supposedly was organized in 1937 and continued into the 1960's.
I'm hoping that we have a big turnout for our 40th reunion. The committee always does an excellent job of getting us together.
Of course, I remember our graduation out on the football field. It was very muddy after having spring rains and I walked out of one of my white high heels as we were marching onto the football stadium. I was a member of a singing group and we had practiced inside and sounded wonderful, we thought. But, when we started singing outside, it was just terrible. I don't think we ever found the right pitch to harmonize. How embarrassing!