Library-Historical
Staff
Cathy Dagenhart Baugh was born in Richmond, Virginia, and grew up in Henrico County. She came to the Shenandoah Valley to attend James Madison University. After graduation she taught in the Henrico County Public Schools, at the Hatcher Child Development Center in Richmond and the Cherrydale Christian School in Arlington. She returned to the Shenandoah Valley in 1986. After teaching in Page County, she completed the Master of Arts in Teaching at JMU in history and secondary education with a concentration in state, local and regional history. Her career interests became focused on history, especially the early religious history of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. She worked on several independent historical and archival research projects before coming to work as an assistant in the Menno Simons Historical Library at EMU. She enjoys using her background in education and local history to assist students and researchers. She and her husband, Richard, have two children, Gwendolyn and Evan, who are both college students. She enjoys reading, gardening, choral music, and exploring the Shenandoah Valley.
Lois is a native of Prince George’s County, Maryland. At age 12 she moved with her family to Harrisonburg, her father’s hometown, and there graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School and EMU.
She worked as a student assistant in the Menno Simons Historical Library and after college graduation as a half-time employee. Her Harvard degree in Germanic Languages and Literatures, and her library science degree with a concentration in rare book librarianship were both aimed at enhancing her work in the MSHL.
Lois joined the faculty in 1963, teaching German and Latin in addition to her work in the Historical Library. As language offerings were reduced, her time was totally assigned to the MSHL. She became librarian there in 1990, following the death of Grace Showalter.
She regularly assists with the Sunday worship services at Oak Lea Nursing Home as usher (pushing wheelchairs) or organist. She is a member of the Curator Committee at Valley Brethren Mennonite Heritage Center. She is one of Virginia Conference’s representatives to EMALA (Eastern Mennonite Associated Libraries and Archives).
Lois enjoys playing piano and violin/fiddle, riding bike, hiking and camping, reading to and playing with her grandchildren, maintaining her cabin near Singers Glen, ham radio, playing Scrabble and other word games.