May 03, 2026
From children’s books to vintage cameras, personal and professional items reveal the people who bring the University of Missouri to life.
By Sara Diedrich | Show Me Mizzou
Photos by Abbie Lankitus
As Mizzou Engineering’s unofficial historian, Steve Borgelt, BS ’79, MS ’82, isn’t just collecting mementos — he’s safeguarding a legacy.
Organized chronologically in tackle box–like plastic containers, a collection of small, round buttons traces more than a century of Mizzou Engineering history. Some are metal, others cardboard, many worn with age.
Borgelt, associate professor emeritus of chemical and biomedical engineering, has carefully preserved nearly every Engineers Week button from 1920 to today.
Borgelt, who joined the Mizzou faculty in 1989, has long been known for his organizational skills and dedication to students. Over the years, he’s earned numerous teaching and advising awards.
Now, even in semi-retirement, he remains deeply involved as an advisor and accreditation coordinator.
The history of the buttons is tied to Borgelt’s favorite Mizzou engineering story, which began on a warm March day in 1903 when a group of engineering students skipped class because of the unseasonably nice weather. To announce the cut, they posted signs around the engineering building claiming that St. Patrick was an engineer and therefore deserved a holiday.
University President Richard Henry Jesse was less amused, ordering the students back to class. Nevertheless, the tradition continued. By 1905, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held at Mizzou. Soon, there were knighting ceremonies, the kissing of the Blarney Stone and a growing list of rituals that evolved into what is now Engineers Week.
“People will tell me, ‘St. Patrick wasn’t an engineer,’” Borgelt said. “And I say, ‘I know. But it creates community.’”
That’s what keeps Borgelt invested. As an advisor to several student organizations, he has watched generations of students take ownership of the weeklong celebration, planning events, raising funds and leading the process.
Today, Mizzou’s Engineers Week is one of the most recognized in the country, earning national honors in recent years.
For Borgelt, the buttons, the stories and the rituals aren’t just relics. They keep Mizzou engineering history alive.
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