2008 Woodie Awards
All eyes on Ray Jagger
Nathan Becker
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: TruLife
Ray Jagger leans back in his chair after placing his mug on the desk, letting go of the telephone handset-shaped handle that tells the tale of only one of his professions.
And although he isn't wearing a hat at the time of this interview, Jagger is the proverbial man of many.
Jagger is the current University director of telephone services, but he also moonlights as an Adair County deputy sheriff, Novinger Northern volunteer firefighter and serves on several local and state emergency management boards.
"I have a sheriff's uniform and a fire department uniform, but you seldom wear them," Jagger said about what's in his closet. "I've got a badge or two with me most of the time, but I'm not much into uniforms, basically because you've got to switch back and forth too quick."
But Jagger, whose degree is in forestry from the University of Missouri-Columbia, didn't begin his career at Truman as anything involving phones, emergency management or forestry, and he wasn't even looking for the job.
In August of 1980, Jagger got a call from Tom Shrout, the University's director of external affairs, because he had seen Jagger's photos published in Mizzou's student newspaper. Jagger had been studying photojournalism at Mizzou after completion of his forestry degree.
"Somehow or other, [Shrout] saw some of my pictures and he said, 'Ray I'd like for you to come shoot pictures for me,'" Jagger said.
Jagger said that during his tenure as the University photographer, he wrote scripts for videos that eventually led to him collaborating with then University President Charles McClain on some speeches McClain would give.
When McClain left, Jagger's tenure as the campus photographer was cut short. He said taking pictures is still something he loves.
"If you didn't have to travel, I'd do it for a living," Jagger said. "Most of the folks I went to photojournalism school with, they're traveling all over the world, and they've been a whole lot of places I haven't for at least an hour."
And although he isn't wearing a hat at the time of this interview, Jagger is the proverbial man of many.
Jagger is the current University director of telephone services, but he also moonlights as an Adair County deputy sheriff, Novinger Northern volunteer firefighter and serves on several local and state emergency management boards.
"I have a sheriff's uniform and a fire department uniform, but you seldom wear them," Jagger said about what's in his closet. "I've got a badge or two with me most of the time, but I'm not much into uniforms, basically because you've got to switch back and forth too quick."
But Jagger, whose degree is in forestry from the University of Missouri-Columbia, didn't begin his career at Truman as anything involving phones, emergency management or forestry, and he wasn't even looking for the job.
In August of 1980, Jagger got a call from Tom Shrout, the University's director of external affairs, because he had seen Jagger's photos published in Mizzou's student newspaper. Jagger had been studying photojournalism at Mizzou after completion of his forestry degree.
"Somehow or other, [Shrout] saw some of my pictures and he said, 'Ray I'd like for you to come shoot pictures for me,'" Jagger said.
Jagger said that during his tenure as the University photographer, he wrote scripts for videos that eventually led to him collaborating with then University President Charles McClain on some speeches McClain would give.
When McClain left, Jagger's tenure as the campus photographer was cut short. He said taking pictures is still something he loves.
"If you didn't have to travel, I'd do it for a living," Jagger said. "Most of the folks I went to photojournalism school with, they're traveling all over the world, and they've been a whole lot of places I haven't for at least an hour."
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