Mary Ellen McKee was born August 20,1920 in Atkinson to Dr. Neal McKee and Olivia Sturdevant McKee, and died in Macomb, Illinois on May 25, 1995. Dr. Mary Ellen McKee earned her B.S. degree from the University of Nebraska, her M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin and her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She taught Physical Education for 28 years at the Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. Prior to that she served as a faculty member at Washington State University, the University of Wisconsin, and Duke University. She co-authored two text books dealing with golf instructions and authored many articles in national professional journals. Dr. McKee was the founder of the Sturdevant-McKee Museum in Atkinson, which honors her ancestors.