John T. Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri, in the Ozarks: An Encyclopedic Biography

By Thomas A. Peters

Born into poverty in the rural Missouri Ozarks shortly after the end of the Civil War, John T. Woodruff (1868-1949) became the greatest promoter of civic and regional development in the history of Springfield, Missouri. Schools, colleges, hospitals, hotels, and resorts all owed their existence and location to Woodruff's clear vision and indefatigable efforts. The Woodruff Building and the Kentwood Arms Hotel are two of his outstanding architectural achievements. Woodruff brought the Frisco West Maintenance and Repair Shops to Springfield, and he helped found and build the entire town of Camdenton near the Lake of the Ozarks. For decades Woodruff promoted and built good roads in the Missouri Ozarks, and served two terms as the first president of the U.S. 66 Highway Association. In this encyclopedic biography, Peters documents the achievements -- amazing both for their breadth and impact -- of John T. Woodruff, a paragon of civic engagement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0997646500
• ISBN13: 9780997646504
• Release Date: January 2016
• Publisher: Pie Supper Press
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 9 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher