Recollections and Connections Transcript

[Transcript of interview with Shirley Jacobsen, recorded as part of the Springfield-Greene County Library District's 2010 Big Read. For more information contact the Library at 417-883-5366 or visit us on the web.]

Recorded as part of the Springfield-Greene County Library District's 2010 Big Read. The name of our presenter is Shirley Jacobsen. The date is March 12, 2010.

Yes, good morning. This is Shirley Jacobsen and I've been in the Ozarks for five years. And I grew up in Nebraska and I'd like to tell a story about my father-in-law who was an avid fisherman. And we fished a lot in Minnesota, in northern Minnesota, and one time they were out in the lake and they had their dachshund with them and he swallowed the, uh, the minnow on the hook. And so they had to take, had to take him all the way out of the lake, go to the veterinarian, and have surgery on him to get the hook out of his mouth.

And another time the dachshund always went to the post office with my mother-in-law. And my father-in-law always left his teeth by his bedside stand, and for days on end they couldn't find his teeth. Well, that morning, she took the dachshund with her to the mail box, and lo and behold, on the way the dog went over by the cabin, started digging in the ground, and just furiously digging, digging in the ground, and lo and behold, it was the teeth. And so that was always a family joke.

And, uh, one time they went to the, uh, the lumberyard and they always took the dog everywhere they went. And so when they were at the lumberyard they let the dog go in the store with them and they were buying their things. And, of course, they had to go out to the little place where they kept the wood to pick up their items and so they were all thrilled and excited about the new project they were doing. And they went fifty miles back to the cabin and they looked around and they said well, where's Sam? Oh no! They'd left him at the lumberyard, so they had to go all the way back to the town to get the dog. And so we've had a lot of fishing stories over the years that have, have really been delightful.

And when I grew up I was not able to go to college so I didn't finish my bachelor's degree until I was 49. And since then I've gotten a bachelor's, and a master's, and a PhD. and recently I've started Scholarship Sources Inc. which is a nonprofit organization here in Missouri and so I'm looking for volunteers and people to help with the new organization and I thank you very much for listening to me today. I just really appreciate the new Republic Library. Thank you very much.

Recorded as part of the Springfield-Greene County Library District's 2010 Big Read. For more information contact the library at 417-883-5366 or visit us on the web at thelibrary.org.