The evening of Thursday, August 6th I spent the evening away from home. I had the pleasure of attending the CBT 20 Under Forty and 1st Annual Titan Awards sponsored by UMB Bank. (Yes, they are my client, and I am very appreciative of their business and the CBT is proud to be partnered with them!) The event was held at the University Club in The Reynolds Alumni Center on the University of Missouri Campus. What made the biggest impression on me from this night occurred before anyone arrived.
As I was making my way into the Reynolds Alumni Center, I entered from a completely different direction than my normal route. In the lengthening shadows of the day, I stumbled upon something I knew existed, but didn’t know where. Located to the North and East of the Alumni Center is a statue of legendary cartoon character, Beetle Bailey. 
It was as if I had entered a time warp, and the pleasant memories from my childhood of the time I spent reading his comic books scrolled across my mind’s eye like the flickering of an old home video recorded on time-worn film.
Another sensation was close behind. I suddenly had an immense desire to bring my children here to sit beside Beetle and take some photographs. Of course, they will have no idea who he is, or why Dad is forcing them to sit still for a photo, but it’s something that I must have for my treasure box of memories. I’m sure I’ll bring my wife along, too, so she can photograph me with Beetle!
What started out to be a day of excitement about attending the 20 Under Forty & Titan Awards took a pleasantly unexpected turn and I was fortunate enough to end the day having created 2 new memories.
That’s the cool thing about Columbia, MO. It always seems to be a place that you can make special memories. Even after living here for 9 years, I am still surprised at the amount of things I have yet to discover or experience. Growing up in a small town was great, but living in Columbia as an adult has definitely been a real treat.
The other thing that amazes me is the number of talented and friendly people who reside here. I’d put my money on this town if it were ever possible to make a measured comparison of these traits on a per capita basis!
I’d be interested to know what other unique and interesting things are here in Columbia. Let me know what you think I should be made aware of, and what makes it special to you!
Tags: 20 Under Forty, Beetle Bailey, CBT, Columbia, missouri, Mort Walker, Reynolds Alumni Center, Titan Awards, UMB, University Club, University of MissouriCategories: Business, Consumer Interest, Local Issues.
