Jean Cantwell talks to Jim Barber about her role in starting Tri-Lakes Community Theatre, often referred to as TLC, in Branson, Missouri. This interview took place in Jean's home in Branson, Missouri on September 21, 2017. Unfortunately, Jean passed away six months after this interview on March 20, 2028.

This article (link below) by Jean also goes into detail about the beginnings of Tri-Lakes Community Theatre, an organization that is now part of The Branson Arts Council, Inc. (dba, Branson Regional Arts Council).

https://bransonarts.org/tri-lakes-com....

Jean was born on October 20, 1925, in Logan, Illinois, to Grace (Clem) and Carl Barker. She moved with her parents to West Frankfort, Illinois, where she spent her childhood and graduated valedictorian from Frankfort Community High School in 1943. Jean earned academic and music scholarships to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in 1947. While a student at Northwestern, she played regularly with the Chicago Women’s Symphony and filled in with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Jean was first chair oboist of the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra all four years and was named “Most Outstanding Woman in the Music School”.

After college, Jean was the band director of the Elementary and Junior High School band in West Frankfort and then joined the music faculty at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. While at Stephens, she received a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and met her husband, Clay, in Columbia where he was in law school at the University of Missouri. They married in 1952 and in 1954 made their home in Branson. Jean joined the faculty at the School of the Ozarks (now College of the Ozarks) and continued to play the oboe in a trio and in recitals, as well as in the Springfield Symphony. She also performed on the saxophone.

While caring lovingly for her husband and children, Jean also contributed greatly to the thriving Branson community. She was involved with many local organizations but was particularly interested in the arts. She was instrumental in forming the International Rose O’Neill Club and was a founder and member of the Bonniebrook Historical Society, dedicated to preserving the homestead and educating about the life of artist Rose O’Neill, the creator of the Kewpie doll. Jean was appointed by the governor of Missouri to the first Advisory Board of the Missouri State Council on the Arts and later appointed to the Council. Jean was the organizing president of the Tri-Lakes Community Theatre (TLC) and the organizing president of the Taney Arts Council (now the Branson Regional Arts Council, which includes TLC Theatre). Jean was the organizing president of Blossoms of Branson, an initiative to encourage businesses and homeowners to beautify the Ozarks by planting flowers, bulbs and flowering shrubs. Jean also promoted education for women as a member of P.E.O. and served as president of the Missouri State Chapter of P.E.O. She was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Branson.

Jean received numerous awards during her lifetime, including the Missouri Arts Award in 1992, the Missouri Humanities Council Award in 2013, and the Mary Award (along with her husband) in 1991 from the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. Jean wrote many published magazine articles about teaching woodwinds and on Rose O’Neill. She wrote a musical about the life of Rose O’Neill that was produced at the School of the Ozarks. She was interviewed by Barbara Walters on “The Today Show” and appeared on the TV show “To Tell the Truth.”

While Jean’s unstoppable creative energy allowed her to contribute so much to her community, her effervescent joy and optimism stemmed from her Christian faith and from her happiness within her family. She encouraged and supported her children and grandchildren to pursue their passions. Jean set the example for a life lived to its fullest.

Jean is survived by her son, Brad Cantwell and wife Debbie, of Springfield, MO; her daughter, Lisa (Cantwell) DeGraaff and husband Bob, of Columbia, MO; four grandchildren, Justin Cantwell, Courtney (Cantwell) Burns and husband Jeff, Brett (Cantwell) Sirianni and husband Nick, and Robert DeGraaff and wife Page; and five great-grandchildren, Kaylee, Reagan and Mia Burns, and Jacob and Taylor Sirianni. Jean is also survived by two nieces, Cathey Siebenlist and Lana Crum. Jean was preceded in death by her husband Clay and daughter Sherry.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Branson, 420 West Main, Branson, MO 65616, or to the Bonniebrook Homestead and Museum, 485 Rose O’Neill Rd., Walnut Shade, MO 65771, or to the Branson Regional Arts Council, P.O. Box 2004, Branson, MO 65615.