Jazz Great’s Legacy Enriches University Collections

Barney Kessel began playing guitar when he was 12 years old in his hometown of Muskogee, Oklahoma. By 1937, at the age of 14, he was playing professionally. Kessel built a legendary jazz career and an impressive collection of music and manuscripts. Continue reading “Jazz Great’s Legacy Enriches University Collections”

DJ’s Extensive Collection Enhances Marr Sound Archives

by Patricia O’Dell

The late Gordon Spencer was a disc jockey and enthusiastic collector who interviewed jazz greats and other musicians and composers

Gordon Spencer interviewed many of the remarkable jazz artists of the 20th century including Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. He began his career in radio in 1951 at WSRN, the student radio station at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania when he was a junior. His widow, Hannelore Rogers, has donated his extensive collection of albums, CDs and his reel-to-reel interview tapes to the Marr Sound Archives so enthusiasts and scholars can benefit from his remarkable career. Continue reading “DJ’s Extensive Collection Enhances Marr Sound Archives”

Sunderland Foundation Commits $15 Million to UMKC

by Patricia O’Dell

Fittingly, the significant gift will go toward campus renovations and construction

The Sunderland Foundation investment will benefit both UMKC campuses in Kansas City — Volker near the Country Club Plaza and Health Sciences next to Children’s Mercy and Truman Medical Centers — by improving classrooms, laboratories and spaces for research and student support. Continue reading “Sunderland Foundation Commits $15 Million to UMKC”

Miller Nichols Foundation Enhances Campus with Landscape Gift

By Patricia O’Dell

The grace of the quad, the tranquility of the grounds of Linda Hall Library and the unique appeal of the limestone buildings enhance the quiet beauty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Volker Campus. While UMKC looks to growth and the ability to embrace new technology and ever-evolving educational needs, it is focused on improving the campus as a whole. Continue reading “Miller Nichols Foundation Enhances Campus with Landscape Gift”