Early Years

"All the problems of the ages are reflected in his face." 

- Elmer Garinger's junior quote in The Savitar yearbook at the University of Missouri, 1915.

Elmer Henry Garinger was born July 13, 1891 in the small town of Mt. Vernon, Missouri. He was the oldest of five children born to John and Catherine (Moore) Garinger, including Charlie (who died as an infant), Stella Mae, Nelson and Bessie Marie.  He grew up on the family farm.

Garinger graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1912 and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Missouri in 1916, where he was a member of the cadet corps. He registered for the draft June 5, 1917 and served as a sergeant in the Tenth Division Medical Corps of the U.S. Army during World War I. He was honorably discharged Jan. 22, 1919.

Though he planned to pursue a career in business, he turned down an economics fellowship at Cornell University and became a teacher and high school principal in Mt. Vernon instead. He earned a master's degree in 1921 and a Ph.D in 1935 from Columbia University Teacher's College. He married fellow teacher Katherine Thomas in 1920 and spent his summers teaching on the college level.

At left, an unattributed notice published at familysearch.org uses Garinger's University of Missouri yearbook photo and misspells his last name. At top right, Garinger's draft registration card describes him as medium build and height, blue eyes and dark hair. His occupation is "school teaching" but he is not employed.  At bottom right, his Veterans Administration index card lists the address of a Charlotte apartment. - Familysearch.org