s a publication for alumni and friends - University of Central Missouri

Maurine Poage Achauer
has a passion for
bringing people
together. During the more than
50 years that she has resided on
South Holden Street adjacent to
the CMSU campus, her home
has been a gathering place for
people from all walks of life.
The exchanges take place mostly
around the large, wooden table
in the center of her kitchen. It’s
where she pursues her interest in
people and where many of them
— students, faculty, staff, alumni
and friends — have made lifelong
friendships and discovered new
directions for their lives.
Achauer, who celebrated her
90th birthday this year, isn’t
fond of the label “hostess,” yet
her hospitality is legendary. She
prefers to be known as someone
who welcomes guests to share
her kitchen table and make
things better than they were
— not unlike the role of a
diplomat.
Every homecoming, her
home is the place to be.
Bleachers sprout overnight
on the manicured lawn
of her stately Victorian
home, and by the time
the homecoming
parade passes by,
they are packed by
an assortment of
Mule Train members and guests.
“I enjoy the interaction of
people, finding out what they
do and don’t do,” she said.
“It’s an exciting world, and I
like to get people together in
an atmosphere where they can
talk. If they feel comfortable,
and they know they’re not in a
forum where they will be quoted,
they’re willing to express new
ideas and listen to others.”
Achauer and her husband,
Reynolds ‘26, who passed
away in 1969, were known for
welcoming people, whether at
work or at home. Over the years
she assumed the roles of mother,
businesswoman, and licensed
professional, but people have
remained a lifelong interest.
The daughter of a veterinarian,
she earned a bachelor’s degree
in English from Northeast
Missouri State University and a
master’s degree in guidance and
counseling from the University
of Missouri-Columbia. She
earned a doctorate in educational
psychology and measurements
from the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln and is a registered
psychologist in Missouri.
She served as a counselor
at Moberly Junior College
and briefly as dean of women
at Northeast Missouri State
College. Through Ralph Bedell,
page 18 central today
winter 2005