Peter Herschend will be the featured speaker at the State Historical Society of Missouri’s annual My Missouri Lecture Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia. The luncheon begins at noon followed by the lecture at 1 p.m. Herschend is the co-founder of Herschend Entertainment Corp. (formerly Silver Dollar City).
The Herschend family business started in Branson, Mo. in 1950 with a hole in the ground called Marvel Cave. To give cave visitors more to do, Peter and his brother Jack built an 1880s-style Ozarks Village named Silver Dollar City. The venture proved successful in its first year of operation. The theme park drew over 125,000 visitors and a decade later, began influencing pop culture. Silver Dollar City has been featured in books and sports and news programs, as well as television sitcoms, like The Beverly Hillbillies, adding to its popularity worldwide. Today, Herschend Enterprises is the nation’s largest family-owned entertainment company.
Herschend’s civic work includes serving as a longtime member and board president on the Missouri State Board of Education. In 2011, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce honored him with its Education Supporter of the Year award. As an avid cyclist, Herschend helped to raise more than $1.5 million for the National MS Society as a participant in his local Bike MS Tour for 23 years. In 2010, he was named to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his cycling efforts.
Herschend is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, earning a degree in business administration. He received an honorary doctorate in business administration from Southwest Baptist University. He and his late wife, JoDee, were married 52 years before her death, raising five children and 15 grandchildren.
The My Missouri lecture series offers prominent Missourians an opportunity to reflect on how the state’s history, people, and culture has shaped their lives. Prior lecturers in this series include University of Missouri basketball coaching legend Norm Stewart; David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology; as well as U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt.
In-person seating for the noon luncheon and the My Missouri Lecture can be reserved at shsmo.org. The deadline for registration is October 3.
