The Laws Observatory of the University of Missouri is an example of the small university observatory that under lean financial circumstances succeeded for a number of years (1890-1920) as a successful research institution. Productive research appears to have been due to the temperament of the individual astronomers who had the ability to find projects which could be accomplished with small telescopes, minimal equipment, and few other resources. In these circumstances, a handful of students began careers in astronomy at the University of Missouri.