Our Master Guides lead regular public tours, as well as private tours for groups and on niche topics. For more information on tours, please contact our office at 314-381-0750 or email Dan Fuller at dfuller@bellefontainecemetery.org.
Tom Allen
Tom became hooked on the cemetery at the “Bellefontaine in Bloom” event in 2011. Since that event, Tom has been a Master Guide leading visitors through the cemetery and arboretum. Tom enjoys sharing the stories and history of Bellefontaine Cemetery and the city of St. Louis, and he believes that tying people to places and events is what helps bring these stories to life. He is also interested in the iconography and sculpture found at Bellefontaine Cemetery. In addition to his work for Bellefontaine, Tom is an active member of the 1904 World’s Fair Society and a member of the Professional Tour Guide Association of St. Louis
Cathleen Beekman
Cathleen first became interested in Bellefontaine when she crossed passed with Carol Shepley, author of the book Movers, Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales From Bellefontaine Cemetery. The author tutored students in Cathleen’s classroom in the St. Louis Public School District. The book piqued Cathleen’s interest in the cemetery, and she joined the fledgling Bellefontaine Cemetery guide group five years ago. Cathleen saw an opportunity to learn about St. Louis history through the people buried there. It also provided a springboard to learning about memorial architecture and trees. Whether guiding a walking tour, car caravan, or bus tour, Cathleen interjects notable and notorious women as well as many civil war participants. Often, she will tailor the route to the interests of the tour participants. Cathleen is always amazed at the beauty of Bellefontaine.
Professor Jon Davey
Professor Jon Daniel Davey Ph.D., A.I.A. is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Architecture at Southern Illinois University. Jon has been guiding tours through Bellefontaine for 33 years. As program director of Kid Architecture, he has developed and conducted workshops on the design of the built environment. In addition to his volunteering for Bellefontaine, he has developed and conducted 78 travel and study programs throughout Europe, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, India and Cuba.
Adie Dietz
Adie is a life-long resident of St. Louis. He attended Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS) and Princeton University. He is the author of Snippets of St. Louis, a guide book of St. Louis attractions. His specialties include Lewis and Clark, mausoleum architecture, and cemetery notables.
Jerry Garrett
Jerry is a retired hospital accountant from the St. Louis area. Jerry’s passion has long been that of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He is very versed in all things Lewis and Clark and is an excellent resource for this important part in America’s history. Jerry has been giving tours at Bellefontaine Cemetery for five years, and has seen the touring of the Cemetery continue to grow and evolve. He is always researching Bellefontaine and the St. Louis area, looking for interesting and entertaining tidbits to interject into his tours.
Dan Fuller
Since 1997 Dan has been active with his family history, tracing his own family back to the 1840’s in St. Louis and the 1640’s in the New World. His approach to family history includes learning about the time periods of his ancestors, which gives him particular insight into the everyday lives of people in historic St. Louis.
In addition to being active at Bellefontaine, Dan is a docent at Tower Grove House, the country house of Henry Shaw which in turn became the Missouri Botanical Garden. Additionally, Dan has been a docent for many House Tours in the Shaw, Lafayette, and Compton Heights neighborhoods. Dan is also an active member of the 1904 World’s Fair Society and a certified member of the Professional Tour Guide Association in St. Louis.
Not only is Dan a Master Guide, he is also our Volunteer Coordinator. To contact Dan about tour information, to set up a private tour for your organization, or to learn about volunteer opportunities at the cemetery email him at dfuller@bellefontainecemetery.org.
Lauren Schoellhorn
Lauren Schoellhorn is a passionate and dedicated ninth year educator. She first discovered Bellefontaine Cemetery in 2005 as an undergraduate at the University of Missouri St. Louis while completing her degree in secondary education. After falling in love with the cemetery and its history while writing a senior paper on the cholera epidemic of 1849, Lauren became dedicated to bringing historic cemeteries such as Bellefontaine “to life” as resources for social studies educators. Her graduate thesis, “Bringing History to Life: Exploring Historic Cemeteries as Primary Classroom Resources,” earned her a Master’s Degree in Secondary Social Studies education from Webster University in 2012. Lauren now works at Webster University as an adjunct professor in addition to her full time career as a social studies educator in the Rockwood School District. Lauren often uses the characteristics of historic cemeteries as primary resources for the students in her classrooms.
Lauren’s tours of the cemetery include a potpourri of notable residents, local, national and world histories, sculptural and artistic iconography, and architectural styles.
Mary Ellen Vander Linden
Prior professional positions, combined with her love of history, led Mary Ellen to North St. Louis and Bellefontaine Cemetery. She began bringing people to North St. Louis about 30 years ago. Her trips included a discussion of the community and its assets with visits of the water towers, the Pink Sisters convent, and the burial sites of her favorite people in Bellefontaine and Calvary cemeteries. Over the last few years, Mary Ellen has focused on Bellefontaine as her knowledge of its history and its people has expanded.
Guests to Bellefontaine first recognize her enthusiasm for the cemetery. Mary Ellen puts the information that she has learned into the context of St. Louis, Missouri, and the United States. Who were these people? What was happening when they lived and died? Why are they important or interesting? Is the monument special? What makes it special?