A 1946 MU Homecoming Queen and Boone County History Makers Hall of Famer

What do a 1946 University of Missouri Homecoming program, a Columbia-born sculptor, and the Boone County History Makers Hall of Fame have in common?

They all come together in one remarkable piece of our collection.

In 2026, Ellen Dugger donated a 1946 MU Football Souvenir Program to the Boone County Historical Society. The program belonged to her mother, Irene Burckhardt Dugger, who earned her degree from MU. Irene married Harold H. Dugger on June 4, 1946, just months before that fall’s Homecoming celebration.

On the cover of the program is an illustration of that year’s Homecoming Queen, Sabra Tull Meyer.

Born and raised in Columbia, Sabra Tull Meyer went on to become an award-winning, nationally recognized sculptor whose work can be found throughout Missouri and across the country. Decades after she was crowned Homecoming Queen, she was honored for her remarkable career when she was inducted into the Boone County History Makers Hall of Fame in 2020.

Today, the 1946 program offers a fascinating glimpse into MU Homecoming history while also connecting us to the story of a woman whose artistic legacy reached far beyond her hometown.

Watch the Sabra Tull Meyer tribute video from 2020