On Oct. 21, 1961, the Atomic Energy Commission issued a construction permit for the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). MURR originated from discussions between Huber O. Croft, dean of the College of Engineering, and Elmer Ellis, the first president of the UM System about how a research reactor might stimulate greater scientific research at this land-grant institution.

The committee that President Ellis appointed spent several months surveying faculty at the university as well as at the Missouri School of Mines in Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology) for their input and insights. Together they estimated costs and possibilities, met with federal and state agencies, and compiled a study document that was in overwhelming support of such an innovative undertaking.

In a Feb. 3, 1959, press release, Ellis said, “New vistas of a nuclear age have touched every field of science, from agriculture to medicine, from geology to zoology, and from engineering to veterinary science, in addition to the important discoveries being made in chemistry and physics. All those fields are a part of the University of Missouri’s educational responsibilities to our youth and to all our citizens. We have to move forward with the nuclear age, lest we fall hopelessly behind.”

Others outside the university shared Ellis’ vision. In June 1959, Missouri Governor James T. Blair signed an appropriations bill to fund the project after it had been passed by the Legislature, for an amount later supplemented under Governor John M. Dalton’s tenure, the man who succeeded Blair as Missouri’s governor.

The Atomic Energy Commission issued a construction permit for the university’s reactor on Nov. 21, 1961. Ellis and his team continued to show vision in hiring a director who chose a flexible reactor design that has allowed expansion and upgrades to accommodate increasing research needs and technological advancements.