Missouri Trivia

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society

     The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest monument in America at 630 feet.  It is 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument and over twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. Mr. Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Zenfell (1917-2012) was the Supervisory Park Engineer during the construction of the Gateway Arch. Zenfell grew up in Vicksburg and Clarksdale, Mississippi where his Lebanese immigrant parents operated a general store. He earned an engineering degree at Mississippi State University before joining the Park Service. 
 
Personal note: His daughter, Jennifer, became my Alpha Delta Pi pledge daughter at the University of Missouri in 1965.