Ladd Wendelin is an educator, former mayor, self-taught artist, and a native of Oberlin, Kansas. 

Born May 21, 1981, Ladd grew up in rural Herndon, Kansas, where he spent many leisurely days playing with his two younger sisters, Greta and Rory, exploring his grandparents' farms along the Beaver and Sappa Creeks.  An avid sportsman and naturalist, his father, Norman, exposed Ladd to the wonders of the natural world through countless volumes of animal books and encyclopedias, a VHS set of David Attenborough's Trials of Life, and Marty Stauffer's Wild America on PBS. 

At a young age, Ladd’s imagination was also fueled by Saturday morning cartoons, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and countless hours spent reading books at the library. As he grew up, Ladd found inspiration in music and the performing arts, including vocal performance and theater. 

In 2004, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Interpersonal Communication at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. Following graduation, Ladd moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he appeared in dozens of plays and musicals while writing as a theater critic for the Lincoln Journal Star. He earned his teaching certification in English in 2012 and, in addition to other pursuits, has taught middle and high school level courses in a variety of subjects in Nebraska, Kansas, and California. 

In 2013, Ladd moved back to his hometown of Oberlin, where he began writing for the Oberlin Herald as a reporter. He also served as the Mayor of Oberlin from 2014 to 2019. 

In May of 2024, Ladd was approached by the Friends of the Library about a potential mural project in the stairs leading into the Youth Room. A series of rough sketches (seen at the base of the stairs) was produced and approved by the Library Board in July of that year, and the project was greenlit. 

The Jungle Books is Ladd’s most ambitious work to date, encompassing more than 300 square feet of wall and ceiling space and featuring over 265 individually hand-drawn animals. The mural depicts 54 animal groups — including 18 mammals, 8 birds, 4 reptiles, 2 amphibians, 10 fish, and 12 invertebrates — representing ecosystems from across the globe, from the tropical rainforests of Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia to coastal waters, deep oceans, the American West, and the Australian outback.

The sheer size of the wall and painting techniques necessary to communicate character, color, and the jungle itself was a challenge, but not an impossible dream. While also teaching full-time, Ladd spent anywhere from a few days to weeks on each animal, settling for a blend of realism with expressive features in each animal. Inspired by a wide-range of inspirations, work continued on the mural over the next year and a half, and Ladd signed the completed work on December 8, 2025 (after 586 days and 1,400 hours of painting). 

Throughout the span of the cement canvas, viewers can see a shared love of literacy amongst the animals—a love Ladd hopes young library visitors will also share.