THE MAGAZINE OF S O U T H E A S T M I S S O U R I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y Spring 2006 “The mission of The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University is to bring the vitality that is Southeast Missouri State University into the lives of its alumni and friends…and it promotes the cause of the University most effectively through its editorial focus on interesting people and interesting ideas… Experience Southeast… Experience Success.” The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University is made possible by members of the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association and donors to the Southeast Missouri University Foundation.
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ne hundred years of Academic Hall! I can’t imagine any better cover story for the first issue of our dynamic new alumni magazine;
a combination of history and future, memories that
set the stage for students and alumni to come.
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As you turn these pages, you’ll see some names that are famil-
CO-EDITORS Doug McDermott Director of Marketing & Constituent Relations dmcdermott@semo.edu
iar and even more that are new. Coach Tony Samuel, our new football coach, shares his vision for the future and the educational
Diane Sides Director of University Relations dosides@semo.edu
style that is infused in Southeast athletics. Rowdy, Southeast’s
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Juan Crites Director of Public Services/Publications Wayne Smith Vice President for University Advancement/ Executive Director of the Foundation Jane C. Stacy Director of Alumni Services & Development Art Wallhausen Associate to the President CONTRIBUTORS Shad Burner Michael Crowden Karen Lloyd Dustin Michael
Julie McCausland Frank Nickell Jim Sinnott Ann Hayes
biggest “red” cheerleader, lets us share in his first birthday. You’ll learn about amazing students and the difference they are making worldwide, and about the growing tourism industry that is painting the Southeast Missouri landscape purple. These stories will bring you back to Southeast and take you forward. That’s our goal for The Magazine of Southeast Missouri
PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Grace Special Collections & Archives, Kent Library Emily Seiler
State University, “to present the vitality that is Southeast.” I am confident that in the coming years, you’ll grow to love
DESIGN Teresa Connell
this magazine and be as proud of it as we are.
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Michael Price, President Joan Gohn, Vice President
Come home soon!
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION Robert Shuck, Chairman Harry Rediger, Vice Chairman
Jane C. Stacy ’72 Director of Alumni Services & Development
L E T T E R S P O L I C Y Southeast Missouri State University Magazine welcomes submissions by alumni and friends. Class notes and letters may be edited for length and content. Please send all correspondence to editor@ semoalumni.com or to The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University, One University Plaza MS7300, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.
ON THE COVER Springtime at Southeast Missouri State University is characterized by rolling green hills, blooming trees and fragrant flowers. Academic Hall is the center of campus and has been a showcase for 100 years.
© 2006 Southeast Missouri State University. Content may not be reprinted without written permission of the editors.
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DEPARTMENTS CAMPUS CHRONICLES 4 ALUMNI ALMANAC 24 CLASS NOTES 27 ROWDY’S NEST 30
Point. Click. Learn. Online learning
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HOMECOMING 31
Tweaking the System Q&A with Coach Tony Samuel
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Alternative Spring Break Trips defy stereotype
100 Years Under The Dome A photo essay celebrating the centennial of Academic Hall
Bottling Success
Southeast Missouri wine makers T H E
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C H R O N I C L E S RIVER CAMPUS LISTED ON NATIONAL REGISTER Southeast’s River Campus, on the site of the former St. Vincent’s College and Seminary, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places, administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, includes districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. The University’s River Campus overlooks the Mississippi River at the foot of the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and soon will house the University’s new School of Visual and Performing Arts. The River Campus includes existing structures, along with 100,000-square-feet of additional space, for music, the fine arts, the Southeast Missouri Regional Museum and an affiliated Missouri Welcome Center. The River Campus is scheduled to open in 2007.
Southeast was recently accredited by the ACEJMC in all five academic areas, including video production.
MASS COMMUNICATION Receives National Accreditation The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) awarded national accreditation to Southeast Missouri State University’s mass communication program in 2005. Five professional-track options in mass communications - advertising, journalism, public relations, radio and video production - met the high standards of the ACEJMC, a feat accomplished by fewer than 20 other U.S. colleges and universities. Of the 3,500 colleges and universities nationwide, Southeast’s program is one of only 107 to receive accreditation in any of the mass communications areas and one of only two in the state of Missouri. The other is the University of Missouri-Columbia.
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ENROLLMENT HITS ALL-TIME HIGH Fall 2005 enrollment at Southeast was at an all time high, exceeding the 10,000 mark. This is the 11th consecutive year of increased student enrollment. These numbers reflect the total number of students, including those on campus and at the regional campuses. Total undergraduate and graduate student enrollment at Southeast was up 7 percent from last year, according to the official fourth-week census report issued in September.
Students get hands on experience in the student-run campus radio station, Rage 103.7 FM.
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The report showed combined undergraduate and graduate student headcount at a record 10,292, up from 9,618 last year. The total undergraduate student headcount was 8,968, up 6 percent from 8,460 last year. Total graduate student headcount was 1,324, up 14.3 percent from fall 2004. While enrollment may be at an all-time high, the University continues its commitment to serving students with small classes and personal attention at all campuses.
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NATIONALLY KNOWN SPEAKERS WELCOMED In celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Southeast was honored to have his son, Martin Luther King III, speak at the Show Me Center January 24. More than 950 people attended the dinner to hear a message from King, a human rights advocate, community activist and political leader. King’s message focused on the work still left to do to realize his father’s dream of equality for all. United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is tentatively scheduled to speak on campus May 3, 2006, in a visit coordinated by Missouri Supreme Court Justice Stephen Limbaugh and State Representative Nathan Cooper. Scalia will deliver an address at 6 p.m. at the Show Me Center. Admission is free and open to the public. Scalia’s visit to the Southeast campus marks the second appearance by a Supreme Court Justice. The Honorable Clarence Thomas visited the campus 10 years ago.
The Donald L. Harrison College of Business is housed in Robert A. Dempster Hall, built in 1996.
Princeton Review Recognizes COLLEGE OF BUSINESS Southeast’s renowned Harrison College of Business was listed in Princeton Review as one of the “143 Best Business Schools,” placing Southeast in the top 5 percent nationwide.
INNOVATION CENTER TO KEY IN LIFE SCIENCES In September, Southeast launched its new Innovation Center, one of only four in the state and the only one not connected to the University of Missouri system. The Center is expected to play a key role in Missouri’s Life Sciences State Plan to become “The World’s Life Science Gateway.” In conjunction with the development of the center, Southeast has been designated as a “Missouri Innovation Center in Plant Life Science.” Internationally known organizations, such as the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, are leading this initiative. Within this partnership of ideas, Southeast will focus on applied research, commercialization and applications that would provide a boost for economic and workforce development. The Innovation Center, with its business incubator component, is allowing science, agriculture, and business faculty and students the opportunity to participate in applied research. In addition, it will expand the current pool of plant sciences and agricultural jobs in the state, particularly in and around the Cape Girardeau area. T H E
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A new interchange will enable the University to develop a new technology park and new demonstration farm.
SOUTHEAST PURCHASES NEW FARM, MAKES WAY FOR TECH PARK Southeast continues to plan new programs in the field of biotechnology in support of the region’s strong agriculture/ agribusiness industry. Preliminary planning, financed by a federal earmark, is under way for development of the existing University Farm into a technology and applied research park, emphasizing the area of plant life science. Dovetailing with this planning, the
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Southeast Missouri University Foundation last May purchased farm property just west of Cape Girardeau that ultimately will become the new home of the Southeast Missouri State University Demonstration Farm. The property is located on the east side of Highway 25, just south of the intersection with Route K in Gordonville. Southeast plans to relocate its current beef cattle operation there and to launch a new row crop operation. The purchase of the farm lays the groundwork for the University to move forward with plans to develop the current 410-acre farm property north of Cape Girardeau along I-55 into a technology and applied research park, according to Dennis Roedemeier, CEO of the Missouri Research Corporation.
FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS BENEFIT STUDENTS, COMMUNITY The University Center, a place for students to relax, get lunch and gather for various social functions, has received a facelift after C O N T I N U E D
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Redhawks women’s basketball team tied for the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title.
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30 years. Among the improvements are an outside “bistro” area with umbrella tables, an outside entrance to the new University C-Store and remodeled office space for student organizations on the second floor. Students also are seeing an improved entrance to the campus from Henderson Street thanks to a widening of the intersection of Broadway and Henderson, a new façade for Houck Field House, paved parking lots and entrance signs to the University. The University installed gateway entrance signage on the east and west sides of Henderson at Broadway last year. Also coming soon to Southeast will be a new Student Aquatic Center. Students lobbied Student Government, which recommended that the Board of Regents approve planning for a new Student Aquatic Center. Plans are in progress and the new facility will include a lap pool and several recreational water amenities. Construction is set to begin this spring with completion expected by April 2007. The $8.2 million facility will be built on the northwest corner of the Student Recreation Center located along New Madrid Street.
PUBLIC RADIO EXPANDS TO ST. LOUIS AREA A 195-foot radio tower built on Simms Mountain helped to broadcast the new KSEF 88.9 FM, “SouthEast in Farmington” radio station. KSEF is a repeater station for KRCU 90.9 FM, Southeast Missouri State University’s Public Radio station. KSEF will expand KRCU’s reach to Farmington, Fredericktown, Potosi, Festus, southern St. Louis County and part of Ste.
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Genevieve County, said Dan Woods, KRCU general manager.
even better 2005-06 season as she was named the OVC’s Most Valuable Player. Follow their journey and relive all the excitement by logging on to gosoutheast.com.
“The addition of KSEF 88.9 FM will allow Southeast Public Radio to provide our programming to an additional 1.5 million people in the University’s northern service region,” Woods said.
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS SIGNED
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL REACHES MILESTONE The Redhawks women’s basketball team ended their historical season at the 2006 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Facing one of the premier women’s basketball programs in 13th-ranked Stanford, the Redhawks eventually fell to the Elite 8 team, 72-45 in their first round match-up at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Despite the loss, the Redhawks tied for the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title, the first in the program’s history. They defeated OVC rival Tennessee Tech in the OVC Tournament Championship game for their first OVC Tournament title and earned the OVC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, also a first for the program. Head Coach B.J. Smith led the Redhawks to their second-straight 22 win season as they set a school record for the most OVC games won. Senior Tatiana Conceicao followed her stellar 2004-05 season with an
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An historic agreement was signed between Southeast and Sichuan Normal University and Hunan Normal University. This agreement allows students from the three universities to combine the best of Western and Chinese education. This program allows for one year of study in China, two at Southeast, followed by a final year of study in China. Southeast officials also entered into an agreement last month with SoonChunHyang University in Korea that will provide a dual degree pro-
ATHLETICS UPDATE: Edgar named Southeast’s basketball coach. Details on PAGE 28
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point.click.learn. Online courses provide learning anytime, anywhere
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niversity officials expect the number of students taking online courses and earning online degrees to continue to increase, given the flexibility online course work offers to students balancing jobs, extracurricular activities and family responsibilities. In spring 2006, Southeast is offering 171 Web courses with 3,485 students enrolled. The number of Web courses being offered has climbed from 129 in spring 2005 and from 147 in fall 2005. In fact, nearly 10 percent of University courses are now offered online. Online degree programs provide students the freedom to take classes and study anytime and anywhere without the hassles of commuting. Students can work at their own pace, completing degrees within their own time frames. Dr. David Starrett, dean of the School of University Studies and director of the Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning, says the University’s mission and strategic plan necessitated online courses and online degree programs. “The idea that came from planning-meetings was to increase educational access to our 26 county service region,” Starrett said. “We have students who cannot get here for various reasons. What we’ve done is provide an additional mechanism for students to get here. “We’ve increased the access to education and it seems to be working well. Numbers show we’re getting out to the different counties in our service region.” With this continued growth in online enrollment, Michelle Kilburn, director of Southeast Online, must look at all associated resources to determine how the University proceeds with online learning. “What we’re working on is making sure we have the services available and enough seats available to students,” Kilburn said.
gram between the two institutions.
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ational research shows the average online degree student is 34 to 37 years old, works full time, is married with children and usually has had some prior college experience but no degree. According to Kilburn, the make-up of Southeast students taking online courses varies. “We have a mix of students taking courses, from nontraditional to traditional,” Kilburn said. “For instance, the age of our online students averages between 24 and 30, which skews lower than the national average. “We have a visually impaired student taking online courses. We have students who left for whatever reasons and are returning to reconnect with Southeast.” Starrett agrees that the student population is highly diverse. “It’s not just the workforce going back to school or the mother going back to school,” Starrett said. “It’s the high school student getting ahead by taking online courses. It’s military personnel serving overseas taking courses. It’s a community college student enrolled in the 2 + 2 program taking courses.” The mix of students enrolled online does pose risks, though. “It’s a bit harder to identify online students, in some ways,” Starrett said. “They’re in all kinds of majors and don’t necessarily have the discipline connection. “In the next few semesters we’ll graduate students who have never stepped foot on campus. So, a question arises, ’How do you graduate them?’ Those types of services are what we’re looking into. The key is offering all students the same learning experience and services. It’s challenging, but we’re meeting those challenges head on,” Starrett said.
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Marcus Davis of St. Louis is a full-time information technology specialist who will graduate in May with his online bachelor of general studies.
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n surveying students enrolled in online courses, Starrett and Kilburn have delineated two primary concerns. The first student concern is that online courses entail too much busy work, some of which is not connected to course objectives. Secondly, some students feel no connection to the course instructor, citing a perceived lack of engagement and feedback. In turn, this leads to feelings of isolation, helplessness and lack of course direction. In response, Starrett and Kilburn work closely with instructors to address student concerns. “The big mistake made is professors trying to fit their course as-is directly online,” Starrett said. “It’s like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. Our biggest strategy is to have professors think about what they’re trying to accomplish with the course. Thus, delivery of the material is much different even if the ultimate objectives are the same.
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“We work strongly with faculty on communication, feedback, talking with students and the instructor’s presence in a course,” explains Starrett. “It can be as simple as an online message board, saying ’I’m still here’ several times a week. Students can access the instructor, expectations are laid out; the instructor gives feedback on tests and assignments via messageboards.” In addition, the University works with online instructors to review courses. Each online instructor must participate in a twoweek workshop that tackles the issue of how to teach online. Of course, the workshop is online, making the instructor an online student. According to Starrett, a key element of the workshop is to make one thing go wrong. The idea is to force the student (instructor) to panic. Consequently, the instructors get a real experience of what their students go through, including possible feelings of isolation, stress and feeling helpless.
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Starrett likens taking courses to watching a movie. “Traditional classroom courses are a community experience. It’s like going to a movie,” Starrett explains. “You partly know when to laugh or cry based on what everyone else is doing. So, it’s a community experience.” “When you watch a movie at home by yourself, it’s a totally different experience. Online courses are the same thing,” Starrett continues. “You don’t have the same community aspect of learning going on. You’re more isolated and, so, there has to be more happening. We work with faculty to remind them students are watching the movie at home, so you have to add the laugh track to give better clues of the direction of the course.” E M P LOY E R R E S P O N S E S TO ONLINE DEGREE PROGR AMS
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cademic experts say the legitimacy of online degrees is still uncertain in the business world and traditional academia. Recent studies suggest an online degree does not carry the same prestige or value on a resume as a traditional one. A study by Louisiana State University’s associate dean of graduate studies and research, Margaret DeFleur, and Florida State University professor Jonathan Adams found that employers place more value on online degrees from mainstream universities than degrees from virtual universities. Kilburn believes the legitimacy of Southeast’s online degrees is without question. “Southeast focuses on the quality of our online courses. The same professors who teach on campus teach online,” Kilburn says. “Professors and students correspond with one another and interact. Courses are not traditional correspondencetype courses. Our focus is that the quality of online courses is the same as face-to-face courses and that the online learning experience is similar to that of traditional classes.” Starrett concurs with Kilburn. “An online degree from Southeast is no different from a traditional degree. Our courses do not differ content-wise. Online degrees and traditional degrees are the same education. Consequently, we don’t label the degrees differently. Employers should not have to worry or question that the degrees or education are different. They’re not.”
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he Magazine talked with three very different online degree students to hear their take on this new format for education: Marcus Davis of St. Louis, a fulltime information technology specialist who will graduate in May with his online bachelor of general-studies; Tracey Loftis of Grandin, Mo., who is taking online courses after a 14 year pause in her education; and Rachel Rife of Pevely, Mo., a Southeast cheerleader who lives on campus.
What circumstances led you to choose online studies? M: I am married and work a full-time job. An online degree works for me because I can still attend classes. The difference is that I don’t have to commute to school and I can learn on my own time. I’m also able to spend time with my family. Even though I’m taking classes, it really helps that I can be in the same room as my wife so we can spend time together while I do my work.
R: Sometimes it’s difficult to fit all of the classes that I need because they are offered at the same time. So instead of choosing between the two, I just take one in-class and one online.
T: I did not have any extra time for a two-hour trip one-way to attend college on campus. I can also work around work and family activities and do my homework when I choose.
Did you feel a connection to your professors? M: I do feel a connection to some professors. It varies depending on the professor, just as it would in a face-to-face class. I felt a connection to some students as well. Like the professors, it all depends on what you have in common, if your personalities match and so on.
R: Unfortunately, no. I didn’t feel the connection to my online professors. You never actually see them, they never see you, and the only communication you generally have with them is on forums or the course homepage.
T: I am a shy person, so I think I actually have a better rapport with the instructors online…Not that the professors are intimidating, but I am very reluctant to speak out in a classroom setting. But in the online environment, I don’t worry as much about asking questions.
When did you normally work on your online course work? And where? R: Usually in the morning when I’m not working or in classes. In my dorm room.
M: Normally I work in my living room after getting home from work…except when I have to retreat to a quiet bedroom to take an online quiz or exam.
Would you recommend online studies? R: I would recommend online courses to anybody willing to try them.
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Marlon A.“Tony” Samuel, assistant coach at Purdue University and former head coach at New Mexico State University, was named the new head football coach at Southeast Missouri State University Dec. 21, 2005. Diane Sides and Doug McDermott, co-editors of Southeast Magazine, sat down with Coach Samuel in March to get the scoop on his move to Cape Girardeau and his goals for Southeast Football.
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So how long have you actually been in Cape Girardeau? Well, I was hired in January, so we’ve only been here a short time.
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Have you found a house yet and brought the family here? No. We’ve looked. We just haven’t found anything we really like yet. We’re going to wait a little bit. My problem is I just sold a house and bought a house in Indiana in June.
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So you know a lot about buying houses? I’ve bought a couple. I’m pretty fortunate. I don’t move as much as the average coach. I’ve got my two quick moves in...You know, the longer you stay in one place, the more you get familiar and get to tweak things. Yeah, I just don’t like moving to be quite honest.
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So now that you’ve been in Cape for a little while, and you’ve had a
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chance to meet your players and look at the program, can you give us some of your thoughts about what you see and where you think this program is headed? Well, it’s too early. School didn’t start until January 17th, so that whole month, you meet the players and just try to get things in order here. We started conditioning with the players, and we start spring ball this coming Monday, March 6, so that’ll be the first time to really start assessing, you know. We will go Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 a.m. because there’s a lot of class conflicts.
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What do you look for in new players, what characteristics? They all need to know how to work hard, and they’ve got to be good kids. There’s no real one characteristic, you know. Players come in all shapes and sizes…I’ve seen people throw labels on playerscertain height, certain weight, certain this, certain that, and you get preconceived ideas about people, you know. It’s stuck there in the back of your mind…So I’d rather go on and open my eyes. I even try not to ask too much about the kids. I
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like to make my own assessment so I don’t know the direction and all that.
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You signed 16 new recruits on the first day of the National Letter of Intent. Can you tell us a little bit about the recruits you signed? Anything in particular with these new recruits that you think are going to add to the program as far as what you’ve seen already? Well now, that’s a different question because we were trying to get kids that could run; playmaker type of kids… Those kinds of kids you can put all over the field. I like to know that they’re tough kids;
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that they’ve got good work ethics. You watch them on film and they’re just flying all over the place…And I just feel like we need to speed up the team a little bit-get that infused in there. We’re also still getting more and more offensive linemen. We still really haven’t signed a quarterback, so we’re just taking our time until the right one pops up. There’s one out there, we’re just waiting for him.
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Did I hear a story when you were interviewing for this job about how the local barber shops tie in with your recruiting techniques? Well, a barber shop just ties in with everything. You go in a neighborhood and
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go in a barber shop. The people in the barber shop would have known about a good player in a day or two. Even if the kid doesn’t get his haircut there, the uncle or brother or dad or the cousin or somebody does. You sit around and you talk. They just want you to call it a haircut. Some people call it gossip, but I know it’s a way of “being in the know.”
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Ranks third in career victories at New Mexico State
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Instrumental in New Mexico State’s ranking of 13th in graduation rates among NCAA Division I-A football programs at 76 percent
Two national championship titles: Nebraska 1994, 1995 Most recently coached Rob Ninkovich, Purdue football team’s Most Valuable Player of the Year 2005 and second team All-Big Ten
Did that approach help you in finding some of these players? Well, kind of. Sort of. It was so sudden. I mean we had to come in January and sign kids on the first Wednesday of February, so we ended up listening to a lot of word of mouth. Well, you know how coaches do…You just have to keep pushing it, have enough contacts, have enough phone calls, out there sending e-mails and stuff. Something’s going to come back for you.
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A couple of players are following you from New Mexico, aren’t they? Yeah, a couple of kids transferred in.
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So they may have a bit of a head start after having played under you because they know a little bit about your coaching style and your expectations. Yeah, they do, but kids are kids. You tell them what your expectations are. They only have two choices-do it or don’t do it. They usually fall in line, and what people find is a lot of times, when they’re that age, they really want somebody to channel them in the right direction and give them the proper instruction, give them a consequence for doing wrong. If you do that enough, they’ll do it. And the ones that don’t want to do it,
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Only coach in NMSU history to draw more than 100,000 fans to Aggie Memorial Stadium in a season twice
How have you found the campus spirit in your short time here? It’s pretty good, pretty good. There’s a lot of hope going on right now, so it’s pretty good.
to-faculty ratio. I talk about the style of coaching that we do, because it’s important for the kids to understand there is a difference in style. There’s military style. There are a lot of different styles. They break you and build you back up. They teach you step by step.
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you really need to find that out, too…You don’t want to run them off, but if they buck the system and don’t do what they’re supposed to do when they’re supposed to do it, you probably need to draw a line for them and tell them they’ve got to go. Is that your philosophy? Do you have a mentor philosophy as a coach? A lot of assistant coaches I hired are guys that have played for me. Some were teammates. I like to work within a system. I like to have people that have a little bit of an understanding of the system and what I like to do and how I like to do it. I didn’t invent all of this stuff, you know. I’m a product of the system, too. Then you tweak the system to your liking as you go. That’s why a
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Is that contagious to your players that are signed up? Are they anticipating the excitement? I didn’t really get into all that with the players, to be quite honest with you. I talk more about opportunity to play, opportunity to get a degree, nice town, not too big of a place, not too small of a place, relatively low crime compared to some of the big cities and all that. Very ideal academic situation, small size classes, got a ratio of, I think, 16 to 1 student-
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What’s yours?
I try to teach and explain. My degree was in education, so I’ve always tried to teach and make sure that it’s understood. I’m not a big yeller or screamer kind of guy, you know, but I’m pretty direct. Sometimes I’m brutally honest. That’s what people tell me once they get to know me.
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You coached under the legendary Tom
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vSPRING BREAK TRIPS DEFY STEREOT YPE This year, some Southeast students chose to go on spring break trips that made stereotypically wild spring break partiers seem a little unimaginative and dull. Channeling their energies into service and civic awareness instead of mindless decadence, these students not only contradict the expected image of spring breakers, they embody a core tenet of Southeast’s University Studies curriculum by setting an example for the community. T H E
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BEACH REACH One such trip was led by Kevin Pollack, a 2003 Southeast alumnus who owns a local landscaping business and is currently serving an internship at the Baptist Student Union. He guided a group of students to Panama City Beach for community service and fellowship. “We took 25 students,” Pollack said. “Twenty-one from Southeast and four from Southwest Baptist University. We spent the whole week doing service, taking care of spring breakers.” Once there, the contingent joined a larger effort focused on reducing the occurrence of drunk driving and ensuring safety. C O N T I N U E D
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“You’ve got a situation where people are traveling the streets all night long, going bar to bar,” he said. “Everyone’s drunk. It’s very unsafe. So we set up a logistics center at the Laguna Beach Christian Retreat, where we stayed, and from there we took calls from people who needed rides and sent vans to pick them up.” Pollack said the system is both efficient and organized. “We had street teams handing out cards with our number, and we had a fleet of as many as 10 vans,” he said. In addition, the group served free allyou-can-eat pancakes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. With its two-fold mission of providing safety and pancakes, it’s difficult to question the power of group members’ contributions, or the purity of their motives. “God takes care of us,” Pollack said. “We want to give back by taking care of others.” SOCIAL JUSTICE IN ACTION Power can also manifest itself as knowledge, which is what the Rev. J. F. Friedel better known as Father J - hoped his alternative spring break trip achieved this year. He and 10 Southeast students traveled to San Benito in south Texas and spent four days investigating issues surrounding the U.S./Mexico border. Some of those issues included the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), poverty, immigration and asylum. Fr J and Catholic Campus Ministries (CCM) kept up the long-time tradition of assisting refugees at La Posada Providencia, a shelter run by the St. Louisbased Catholic Sisters of Divine Providence. The group of students ministered to the needs of refugees who have been released from an Immigration and Naturalization Service Detention Center. La Posada is a shelter set up to provide room and board for refugees awaiting their hearings in the immigration courts of the southeastern section of the Rio Grande Valley. Friedel, director and chaplain of CCM and adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science, Philosophy and Religion, said the trip was educational. “Students helped out with what needed to be done at the shelter,” he said. “They had the opportunity to share the stories of
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people of faith.” And while he is the first to admit that little will be resolved as a result of this spring break trip, Father J suggested that’s not the point. “Our students came home transformed,” he said. “They learned lots, but in some ways, they’re very conflicted. I don’t create lots of answers. I don’t know them. But I do know that not being aware of the issues won’t solve them.” The videos these spring breakers shoot won’t be the kinds of spring break videos that sell on late-night cable TV. That is partly because they don’t fit the stereotype. Mostly, though, it’s because these types of trips are tough to put a price tag on.
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...these experiences helped each student gain a new perspective and help broaden their view.
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the refugees. Students helped teach basic vocabulary to refugees or did other projects, but we primarily take them to learn about some larger issues.” “We’ll talked with legal aid workers and attended court cases,” he said. “It involved watching some people being deported and others receiving permission to stay.” Father J explained that not all those who try to enter the U.S. from Mexico are Mexican citizens, or even Hispanic, for that matter. Often, they are citizens fleeing persecution from hostile governments. He added that cases regarding asylum are handled differently than those regarding immigration - and usually carry graver consequences. “If they can’t make a good enough case,” he said, “they’re sometimes sent back home, where they’ll be killed.” During the stay, the group plans made two sorties into Mexico to explore “how the other side lives.” “We wanted to go beyond the towns on the other side of the border,” Father J said. “There, the students saw that people are living in one-room houses with dirt floors.” Father J said that the purpose of the trip was to raise awareness, to expand students’ minds, hearts and spirits and make them ask questions. “We just go down there, investigate issues and raise questions,” he said. “Then, we try to decide how to respond to them as
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G E T T I N G T H E I R H A N D S D I R T Y: Building homes and relationships Following the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, several students participated in efforts to assist in the clean up of New Orleans Kim Holman, student ministries assistant at La Croix Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau, helped facilitate the trip, and said the mission assisted those in New Orleans not only in a physical sense with their homes, but in an emotional sense as well. “For many people in New Orleans, it is a sign of hope to have people from around the country volunteer to come and help clean up their communities,” she said. “La Croix scheduled this mission trip during Southeast’s Spring Break so that students and faculty who have wanted to do something to help after Hurricane Katrina would have a chance to do so. Another group of students traveled to Wilmington, N.C., taking part in a Habitat for Humanity effort to build a house with students from Cornell University. Students built the house with the family who will eventually live in the home. Coordinator for Student Involvement and Leadership Sara Stonewater said the trip not only made a difference for the family, it will made a difference in students’ lives. “The purpose of this trip was really two-fold,” she said. “First, we wanted students to gain the experience of working with Habitat [for Humanity] and to spend one week focusing on serving others. The other goal was to take a group of students to a place they may not have visited before. In all, I think that these experiences helped each student gain a new per-
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March 27, 2006
to show citizenship. He spent the last four months in a detention center in the United States and the three months before in a detention center in Mexico.
Last week, along with eight other students, I took my Alternative Spring Break with Catholic Campus Ministry to a refugee camp called La Posada Providencia in San Benito, Texas. Our group-along with the refugees-ate meals together, did odd jobs together, played basketball and volleyball together, learned together, prayed together, sang together, shared stories with one another, and most importantly, became friends.
At any given moment, I can pick up my cell phone and call any member of my family. These men and women cannot. Most of these refugees can remember a time when there was not enough food to eat in their countries. People at war would refuse to sell food to each other. Many people starved. As we ate meals together, I wondered at the amount of food we had. Very seldom had I thought about not having enough to eat. To me, the idea of not having enough to eat came from my brothers eating all the Little Debbie cakes before I got one. To these men and women, not having enough to eat meant having no beans, rice or clean water.
By the end of the week, these people, who seven days prior I had not known, became a huge part of my life. These people showed me the strength of the human spirit while teaching me to love larger and to think bigger. When we first arrived at La Posada, the thing that struck me the most was how the refugees treated one another. They were so kind to one another. I assumed they were family. I later found out that they had not become “related” until they got to the United States. Most had met each other at the detention camp (or in my mind, the prison for the innocent). The refugees ranged in ages from 17 to 35, and were all from different parts of the world, but nevertheless were family. Mohammed, Abdul, Gulled and Hassan are from Somalia. Mabrat is from Ethiopia. Oscar is from Honduras. Peter is from Cuba. Frankie and Dennis are from Guatemala.
MY THOUGHTS ON
At the camp, food was bought for ten cents a pound. Our meals always consisted of red beans and rice along with other dishes of vegetables and some type of meat. At the end of the meal, we would separate the leftovers from our plates into different piles: bones and meat for the dogs; and rice, beans, and vegetables for the chickens. The water with which we did the dishes was taken out to water the garden. Nothing at La Posada is wasted.
THE WORLD
As we ate dinner together, they started telling us their stories. None of the Somalians knew where their families were. Their families were parts of clans that were being prosecuted in Somalia for not being one of the two major clans at war with one another. Hassan told us that he watched as his mother and brother were killed. He fled the country when he was 15. He does not know where the rest of his family are. Gulled fled to eight different countries before coming to the United States. Mohammed had not been back to Somalia since he was eight. He stayed with a farmer in Kenya as he grew up, but was forced to leave Kenya when forced
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The hardships in these men and women’s lives have not dampened their spirit. As we asked Mohammed how he kept going after not knowing where his family was and being treated as a criminal, he looked up from his plate, his eyes watery and said in perfect English,“It’s all in the past. What I must do is put those things behind me and use them for the betterment of humanity.” I fill my life with worries of trivial events and this man is concerned with the betterment of humanity. I came to help teach the refugees English and he was teaching me about life. Emily Seiler is a Southeast junior from Benton, Mo., majoring in family and consumer science education.
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DOME Celebrating a century of Academic Hall Every student who has attended Southeast Missouri State University has had a memory of the grand old building. For some, it is the building where they met the “love of their lives.� For others, it was a teacher or an administrator in the building who gave them a vision for their future. For some students, the grounds of the building harbor memories of military drills, photographs on the steps after graduation and sled rides down the snowy terraces. People from the region may remember the first
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musical performance they ever saw or the first play. Many remembered meeting President William Howard Taft on the grand steps. For others, the sounds of the chimes bring back the memories of college days. Academic Hall has served as a beacon to generations of students, the vast majority of Southeast Missouri public school teachers and thousands of visitors to the Cape Girardeau area.
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BUILDING HISTORY When Academic Hall was constructed in 1904 and 1905, it was a testament to the educational ambitions of a number of visionary individuals in the Cape Girardeau community and the Southeast Missouri region. The college, The Third District Normal School, had been established in 1873 to renew the educational system in Southeast Missouri after it had virtually ceased to exist with the start of the Civil War. The Third District Normal School was established on ten acres, just west of the small Cape Girardeau community of 3,200 people. The land for the school was donated by German immigrant and builder, Joseph Lansmon, and by 1875, a college structure called Academic Hall, was constructed on the highest point of the ten acres. This red, brick Gothic building served as the entire college from 1875 until it burned shortly before midnight April 7, 1902. The burning of the original Academic Hall (now referred to as Old Normal) was one of the greatest fires in Cape Girardeau’s history. Hundreds of people were reported to have gathered along Normal and Pacific to watch the flames consume the community’s prized structure. The Cape fire engine, pulled by a team of horses, was reported to have become stuck in the mud near the fire station at the corner of Frederick and Independence. The building was a total loss. At a meeting the day after the fire, the 42-year-old president of the college, Washington Dearmont, and president of the Board of Regents, Louis Houck, announced that school would continue with classes held in a number of commu-
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ACADEMIC HALL FAST FACTS Stone used in the construction of Academic Hall was quarried from the area that is now a faculty/staff parking lot on Henderson Street affectionately known as “the pit.” More than 1,000 cubic yards of concrete were used for the underground tunnels and foundation of Academic Hall. The wood used to construct the dome is from Poplar trees grown in Southeast Missouri. The main floor is decorated by mosaic tiles of bluebirds, the State Bird of Missouri. The building was scheduled to be completed in 1905, but college executives kept adding new features to the contract, including slate blackboards, which were a real luxury in 1905.
nity buildings, including churches, schools and the Common Pleas Courthouse. Only one day of classes was missed due to the fire. C O N T I N U E D
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Students were not allowed to use the front steps of Academic Hall, but were required to use the basement entrance or the back entrance. Students were not allowed to speak in the halls of Academic unless it was in a whisper.
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OPTIMISM AND GROWTH There was a very real fear in the community after the destructive fire of the Old Normal that the college would be relocated to either Ste. Genevieve or the Arcadia Valley. But debate over relocation ended when Sen. Robert B. Oliver, a Cape Girardeau attorney who was chair of the Missouri Senate Committee on Normal Schools, was able to secure a $246,000 appropriation to rebuild the college. This appropriation was the largest ever made for education in the state and assured the continuation of the college in Cape Girardeau. The Board of Regents decided to build a structure that would make a statement of optimism and growth. The new Academic Hall would be combined with three other buildings, two of which were already under construction: a science building, completed in 1902 (now Carnahan Hall) a training school building completed in 1902 (now the Foreign Languages Building), and a new power plant (now Serena), to make a campus of four substantial structures. St. Louis architect, Jerome Legg, was selected to design the structure. Legg’s building would have been impressive even with a standard sloped roof, but the addition of a coppered dome that rose to a height of 138 feet above the ground, made the structure mag-
nificent. It was a grand statement and instantly became the symbol of higher education in Southeast Missouri. The general contractor for the structure was Edward F. Regenhardt who with his partner, Allen Maule, submitted a bid for the structure of $174,840. On Sept. 14, 1904, the local newspaper reported, “Mr. Regenhardt invited us to take a drive to the quarries west of the Normal Campus and there showed us a solid block of marble, nine and one half feet long, six and a half broad and four and a half thick, which contained 222 cubic feet
of marble, weighing 21 tons. This block was raised from the bottom of the fifty foot level and set down at the door of the mill ready to be placed under the saws. This will be sawed into lintels 9’ long, 22" broad and 13" thick for the Academic Hall. We expect to live to see the day when a Missouri new State Capitol will be built from this quarry.” The building was scheduled to be completed in early 1905, but college executives kept adding new features to the contract. One such added feature was the slate blackboards which were a luxury in 1905.
APRIL 7, 1902
MAY 6, 1902
MAY 26, 1902
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APRIL 14, 1903
Old Normal burns.
Board of Regents votes to rebuild on the same spot, construction not to exceed $15,000.
Board visits burned-out site and questions strength of remaining walls. When local contractor, Edward F. Regenhardt, strikes the foundation from inside the basement, the walls quiver and bricks fall. Board rejects all plans for the burned facility.
Rep. R.B. Oliver, who lived across the road from the Old Normal, leads the battle in getting the Missouri House of Representatives to pass a general appropriations granting Old Cape Normal $246,000: $200,000 for the new building and $43,300 for salaries and maintenance. Upon the passing of the legislation, Cape celebrates with a parade through the city honoring Rep. Oliver.
Gov. A.M. Dockery signs general appropriations bill which supported not just the construction of Academic Hall, but was a symbolic recognition of normal school as a part of the state system of higher education in Missouri.
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D O M I N AT I N G T H E LANDSCAPE Academic Hall and its dome were clearly recognized not only in Cape Girardeau, but throughout the region. When the building was finished at the end of 1905, it was the largest public building in the state of Missouri, even larger than the state capitol building at that time. There was no building between St. Louis and Memphis that so
dominated a community or a landscape. The size of Academic Hall enhanced the developing growth of the entire community, as merchants and investors saw this as an impetus to the town’s future. Immediately after the construction of the building, from 1906 to 1931, the most rapid growth in the history of Cape Girardeau occurred. The growth pulled the town to the west. Broadway replaced Harmony Street as the main C O N T I N U E D
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ACADEMIC HALL FAST FACTS In 1905 when Academic was finished, classes were held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. and from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. In 1906, the library in Academic Hall contained 4,000 volumes with a reading room which would accommodate about 200 students. In 1905, all students were required to take one year of physical training consisting of two hours a week without credit. Academic Hall and the dome do have a sprinkler system. Dr. Mark F. Scully, president from 1956 to 1975, was deathly afraid of fire and had the sprinkler system installed at the same time the air conditioning was installed. The Houck Statuary, purchased for the college by Louis Houck, president of the Board of Regents, at the 1903 World’s Fair in St. Louis, were originally positioned in the hallways of Academic and the hallway was referred to as “Statuary Hall.”
APRIL - MAY, 1903
JUNE 1903
AUG. 19, 1903
DEC. 2, 1905
Architect J.B. Legg and several Board members travel throughout Illinois and Iowa studying school and college buildings.
The Board accepts architectural plans from J.B. Legg with construction costs not to exceed $175,000.
The Board accepts the contractor bid from Regenhardt & Maule of Cape Girardeau for $174,840.
Academic Hall is opened to the public and more than 5,000 people visit.
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It is true that a woman fell over the balcony in Academic Hall at the academic honors ceremony in 1979. The 61-year-old woman was attending the ceremony on May 13 for her son, the valedictorian of the graduating class, having a 3.974 grade point average. When leaving her third row seat on the balcony, she tripped and fell backwards, falling 13 feet to the empty seats below. She suffered a fractured arm and leg, and was immediately rushed to St. Francis Hospital, where she fully recovered. An incident like this had never occurred before in the history of the University, and additional railings were installed after the incident. The lights in the main hallway today are original, purchased in 1903 at the World’s Fair in St. Louis.
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east-west outlet, leading to the development of Capaha Park, Arena Park, Highway 61, the Marquette and Idan-Ha Hotels, KFVS Radio, a new hospital, a new newspaper plant, Houck Stadium and so on. In 1924, the local newspaper boasted that there had been 343 new houses built in Cape Girardeau in just one year - “a house a day” was the proud headline. For approximately $175,000, Regenhardt built the commanding structure which contained: • A 1400-seat auditorium - a number greater than the total of all students enrolled (490) and faculty employed at that time • Two gymnasiums - one for women and one for men • A library, holding 4,000 volumes, which occupied the east end of the main floor and held a number of pieces of Houck statuary from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair • A museum, which housed the enormous Beckwith Archaeological Collection • A bookstore located at the east end of the basement • All of the administrative offices: the business office and the office of the president - located then as they are now • 27 classrooms • Three rooms for literary and social groups A STRONG CORE Academic Hall served as the point around which everything evolved. Students both began their careers at Southeast through the Admissions Office located in Academic Hall and ended their careers by walking across the stage in Academic Auditorium for graduation ceremonies. Faculty and staff were hired, fired, and some retired from offices within the Hall. From the early years, pep rallies were held for the sports teams in the main hallway. In Academic Auditorium, musical and dramatic presentations were given by both students and community members alike. Academic Hall was the cultural center of Southeast Missouri, and for such a small town, the achievements were impressive. Academic Hall saw such notable Americans as Jane Addams; senator and presidential nominee George McGovern; humorist Art Buchwald; syndicated columnist William Buckley; Tonight Show host Jay Leno; singers Mary ChapinCarpenter and Sheryl Crow; American historian Henry Steele Commager; President William Howard Taft; tenor Mario Lanza; explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd and a wide assortment of state and area officials. The acquisition by Sen. Oliver of the money for construc-
MEMORIES IN CHALK Today, only a few Southeast students are lucky enough to climb the stairs to the top of the Academic Hall Dome, but it wasn’t always that way. For years, maintenance staff, faculty, students and community members left their mark on Academic Hall in chalk. The original carpenters of the dome started writing their names in chalk on the wooden boards. There are names written at the tallest point of the dome. It is surmised that only the workers who erected the structure could have placed their names in that location. The oldest visible name is on the second set of steps and dates from 1911. Floyd Havener was hired in the mid 70s to paint outside of the building. Instead of painting, he spent time chalking his name in huge letters around the inside edge of the dome. Vernon Chapman, Facilities Management director at that time, saw Floyd’s name in the gigantic markings and promptly fired him! Floyd had worked for the University a total of three days, but has the largest chalked name within the dome.
tion of Academic Hall was vital, not only to the history of Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri State University, but also to the Missouri educational system of regional schools. From a situation of uncertainty about the continuation of the college in the Cape Girardeau community to a grand, copperdomed building of great magnitude, was a major achievement. It assured the continuity and growth of the Third District Normal School, the Southeast Missouri State College and Southeast Missouri State University. Those original visionaries believed the college would grow into the building. The building made and continues to make a statement to the future.
JUNE 1905
JAN. 12, 1906
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MAY 1906
Total enrollment for the year ending June, 1905, was 490. The enrollment for the years 1905 and 1906, up to October 1905, exceeded all previous numbers.
J.B. Legg reports to the Board of Regents that Academic Hall is complete.
The state officially accepts the building with formal ceremonies and speeches. Announcement is made that R.B. Oliver will give $1,000 to establish the Oliver Fund with the annual interest to be appropriated in two equal prizes - one for the best essay and one for the best oration by members of the senior class.
The dedication of Academic Hall was held during Commencement Week of 1906. Activities included a declamatory contest, a baccalaureate sermon, an oratorical contest, an alumni address, a reception, and the dedication ceremony which included remarks by the Honorable Joseph W. Folk, governor of Missouri; the Honorable Alexander M. Dockery of Gallatin, Mo., former governor of Missouri; and music by the Normal School Chorus and the Normal School Military Band.
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Bob Breuer ’71, checks the hygrometer on his newest batch of wine at Tower Rock Winery in Altenburg.
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SOUTHEAST MISSOURI IS FERTILE GROUND FOR WINE MAKERS When asked why he became a wine maker, Hank Johnson, owner of Chaumette Winery and Vineyards in Coffman, Mo., smiled and pointed to a small, framed cartoon on the wall of his 1700s-style French Colonial winery. The comic drawing, which hangs above a photo taken during his first grape harvest in 1994, depicts a woman strongly questioning her male companion: “Let me guess…You had it up to here with the world of business so you packed it all in and startI expected fellow growers to ed your own winery?” While this comic provides laugh when I said I was from some insight into Johnson’s leap Missouri, but the first person into winemaking, there are as many reasons for becoming a I told grabbed me by the vintner as there are winemakers. arm and asked, ’What’s your One motivation they all share, however, is a desire to see secret? How do you do it?’ dreams bottled into success. Bob Breuer ’71, owner of Tower Rock Winery in Altenburg, Mo., attributes his start in the business to souvenirs he collected with his wife, Cheryl. “My wife and I began a collection of
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wine glasses from every winery we visited,” Breuer said. “One time, we drank some persimmon wine that was served in a mug. “Cheryl looked at me and said, ’We can do this.’ So we thought ’why not?’ We bought land and started growing grapes,” Breuer said. Both Johnson and Breuer are members of a growing group of entrepreneurs in Southeast Missouri who have changed their life’s direction, opening vineyards and wineries, contributing to a huge Missouri industry. C O N T I N U E D P A G E
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According to the Missouri Wine & Grape Program, a part of the state’s Department of Agriculture, Missouri currently has more than 850 acres bearing grapes and produces more than $26 million in wine sales annually. John Robinson, director of the Missouri Division of Tourism, says the Missouri wine industry can be summed up in two words: expansion and agri-tourism. “Agri-tourism is a buzz word that we have heard more and more lately,” Robinson said. “Actually, it has been here as long as the wine industry has been in Missouri. “It invites people to come and enjoy the country side and to discover the elements of an agricultural product,” Robinson said. “In Missouri, that means coming to a vineyard, talking to the winemaker and learning about the winemaking process from grape to bottle.” Johnson sees agri-tourism growing as wine makers work together to collectively establish Southeast Missouri as a “destination.” “There are a few things that must be included. Fine dining and smart shopping are two,” Johnson said. “We’ve got that. “Bed and breakfasts and real estate developments are two others that are integral, and they’re on the way.” Johnson also said additional outdoor activities, such as hiking and equestrian programs, would be a complement to the industry. Ryan Pascoe ’04, serves as the manager of the tasting room at Crown Valley Winery in Coffman, and said live music provides a boost to their customer volume. “On a Saturday afternoon in May or October, we might have 400 guests because of the live music,” Pascoe said. “A hundred of those travel with the bands from areas like St. Louis, and the rest come from around the area to hear them play and enjoy wine and music in our amazing environment.” While these services provide a valueadded component to vintners, neither Johnson nor Breuer ever expected them to be as integral to their businesses as they have become. “Our plan was never to do this,” Johnson said. “I said many times that I wasn’t going to make wine. I was happy as a grower, but something happened. We did the math, and it just looked good.”
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The viticulture program will not only increase the vineyard and winery business locally, but will impact students’ lives…
Ryan Pascoe ’04, helps in the bottling process at Crown Valley Winery.
“In the beginning, we started with just making wine and distributing it,” Breuer said. “Eventually, we realized that to attract more people, we needed to offer more varieties of wine, and more gifts and winemaking supplies.” Distribution of regional wines is still a major part of the business, however. Matt Bredenkoetter ’05, has been hired by Crown Valley Winery to serve as a sales
representative specializing in the St. Louis market. “I travel to St. Louis and try to get Crown Valley wines on the shelf at major retailers,” Bredenkoetter said. “The market for our product is really growing.” Johnson agrees that Southeast Missouri wines are increasing in popularity outside the region. “The expansion out of state is just beginning,” Johnson said. “Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois and Louisiana are gradually taking on our wines.” Johnson believes that wine from this region can compete with larger players such as those from Napa Valley, Calif.
HISTORY OF MISSOURI WINE A century ago “American wine” usually meant Missouri wine, and St. Louis was the nation’s center for world-class quality.
In 1837, German settlers established the town of Hermann on the southern banks of the Missouri River, west of St. Louis. The ground around Hermann, although too rocky for many crops, was well suited to growing wine grapes. Missouri’s dramatic four-season climate presented a considerable challenge. Typical European wine varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon were too delicate for cold winters and hot summers. The settlers, determined to produce quality wine in their new home, began systematically experimenting with hardy local vines, and developing techniques for grafting our local stock with European vines. “I think Missouri has been special for the last 155 years,” said Jim Anderson, execu-
tive director of the Missouri Wine & Grape Board.“Uniqueness of the German movement into Missouri then the Italians and the French; so Missouri has been a great melting pot for ideas of making wine and growing grapes in this country and especially in Missouri. These settlers and workers brought a lot of customs and traditions in with them when they settled.” That spirit of persistent, hands-on experimentation is one reason Missouri wines have become so richly varied.
By 1848, Hermann’s wineries were producing over 10,000 gallons annually, rising to 100,000 gallons over the next decade.
By the 1880’s, wine connoisseurs in America and Europe were enjoying two million gallons of Missouri wine each year. By the 1870’s vineyards were flourishing in the nearby communities of Rolla and Dillon, and at the turn of the century,
Ryan Pascoe ’04, and Matt Bredenkoetter ’05, share a dream to open a winery some day and their work today is solid preparation.
“On my first wine trip, I expected fellow growers to laugh when I said I was from Missouri,” Johnson recalls, “but the first person I told grabbed me by the arm and asked, ’what’s your secret…how do you do it?’ “They are knowledgeable people who understand that because of climate, we have to work harder to get our grapes to grow here, so they want to learn from us.” “The science is so different, but so fun,” Johnson said. That science is at the core of Southeast Missouri State University’s emerging viticulture program, which started last year.
Italian immigrants at nearby Rosati had planted vineyards for wine grapes and, later, juice grapes for Welch’s.
By the end of the Civil War, Missouri was the numberone wine producer in the nation, shipping wines across the country and exports reaching as far away as Europe. It was during this period that France experienced devastating problems with phylloxera, a tiny root louse that destroyed grapevines, putting the entire French wine industry at risk. A Missouri state entomologist recommended sending phylloxeraresistant American rootstocks to Europe to be grafted with French cuttings. Missouri sent millions of this extremely hardy hybrid root stock to France saving the French wine industry. The thriving Missouri wine industry, consisting of about 100 winer-
Hank Johnson, owner of Chaumette Winery and Vineyards in Coffman, Mo., shares a large vision for the development of Southeast Missouri as a wine destination.
Housed in the department of agriculture, courses in viticulture are attracting students interested in the field who come from a variety of backgrounds. Mimi Kingery is a senior majoring in chemistry who has worked in her family’s
ies in the early 1900s, was dealt a near-fatal blow in 1919 with the passage of the 18th Amendment beginning the era of Prohibition. When the law was repealed, 13 years later, little remained of the industry. Negative after-effects of Prohibition, in the form of high liquor taxes and license fees, lingered for decades. The restoration of several original wineries and vineyards in the 1960s finally signaled the rebirth of commercial wine production in our state.
In 1965, Jim and Betty Held began making wine again in the massive, vaulted cellars of their historic Stone Hill Winery. Over the next three decades, Jim and Betty Held restored Stone Hill’s reputation as an internationally acclaimed winery. Three of their children are now carrying on their family’s proud tradition.
vineyard, Bonanza Spring Winery in Poplar Bluff, since they opened nine years ago. Kingery’s mother, Holly ’79, wishes the program had been available before they got into the grape-growing business. C O N T I N U E D
Mt. Pleasant Winery, located in Augusta overlooking a beautiful Missouri River valley, followed Stone Hill’s lead in restarting operations. Other determined growers and vintners soon followed suit, and gradually our industry was reborn, but the rejuvenation of an industry decimated by Prohibition took decades.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, Missouri wineries continued their determined drive to regain their former stature, fighting an uphill battle in an essentially unsupportive commercial and consumer environment. So they petitioned Missouri’s state government for assistance in promoting the rebirth of Missouri viticulture. In 1980 the Missouri Wine Advisory Board was formed and a state enologist was hired.
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A new tax on wine enabled the establishment of The Missouri Wine & Grape Board, which began working with winemakers to develop grape varieties suitable for Missouri viticulture.
In 1980, Augusta became the first viticultural area in the United States officially recognized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Since then, the winegrowing regions around Hermann, the southwest Missouri Ozark Mountains and highlands, and the south central region around St. James have also been designated Official Viticultural Areas. Missouri vintners’ tireless experimentation with new grapes and new processes is yielding increasingly diverse, complex and sophisticated wines - wines easily earning top awards in domestic and international wine competitions.
Parts reprinted with permission of the Missouri Wine & Grape Board: www.missouriwine.org
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Alumni 70 and older share memories, go back to the 40s
Fountain of Youth For college students today, events of the 1940s come alive only in movies or books. More powerful, though, are the stories of former Southeast students who vividly recall this era. With Ed Janosik as a catalyst, The Diamond Club, an interest group of the Alumni Association, was formed in 2003 to provide alumni 70 years and older, the opportunity to share memories and celebrate their Southeast connection. “I attended the 2002 homecoming and found myself wishing that there was somewhere for people in my age group to meet and have a good time,” Janosik said. Janosik contacted the Alumni Association with his idea, and he was directed to Paul Vance who had planned the 60-year reunion of the class of 1942. Together, the men organized and funded the first reunion in 2003, and its attendance has grown to a record 88 alumni in 2005. According to Janosik, the event’s location at the fully restored former Marquette Hotel is a key element to the success of The Diamond Club. “Sometimes I wish we could have it in a bigger place, but the Marquette is just so full of memories,” Janosik said.“It’s as though when people walk into the Marquette they are entering a time machine, which moves them back to the 1940s. It starts quietly, but as people begin to laugh and reminisce, the years seem to just melt away.” The Marquette was the main hotel in Cape Girardeau and gathering place of Literary Societies (today’s fraternities and sororities) for formal events during the 40s. It even housed students for a period of time. “There is a need to come back for Homecoming,” said Jane Stacy, director of alumni services and development.“The nostalgia it provides plays a major role in helping people remember their dreams.” For at least one night each year, the Marquette is the fountain of youth for this fun-loving group of Southeast alumni. They share memories and laughs in the same place where many of those memories were first created.
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hether they’re recruiting students, making career connections, networking with legislators, or arranging a reunion weekend, alumni and friends serve as valuable ambassadors, sharing their enthusiasm and personalizing the University. Currently, five Missouri alumni groups are active in St. Louis, Jefferson County, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Perry and Ste. Genevieve Counties. One international group is active in Panama. Groups are currently forming in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Alumni leadership is being sought for expansion in To express interest in alumni groups, contact the Alumni Association at Nashville, Chicago, Houston and 573-651-2259 or email alumni@semo.edu throughout Florida. Becoming active in an alumni group strengthens ties to Southeast and helps to shape the way prospective students, legislators and opinion leaders think about the University in order to make better informed decisions.
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“West coast visits reunite alumni,” provide opportunity to share stories
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t wasn’t gold that was struck during the Alumni Association’s February visit to California and Nevada, but rather conversations shared among alumni of fond memories and affection for Southeast. “More than 20 people welcomed us with open arms,” said Jane Stacy, director of alumni services and development, “and were we happy to see them?!” Stacy said these areas definitely have enough alumni to form To volunteer to lead new alummni groups, call Jane Stacy at 573-651-2930 alumni groups (formerly chapters) and they are in need of a few people to stand up and take the lead for these groups.
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“Corporate community lends a hand” W E H AV E A L A R G E C H A L L E N G E A H E A D O F U S , B U T W E ’ R E R E A D Y T O FA C E I T H E A D O N .
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group of St. Louis area senior business professionals, many of whom are dedicated Southeast alumni, have formed the corporate planning committee to serve Southeast in the areas of corporate fund-raising, and marketing and awareness. The group’s goal is to champion the mission of Southeast Missouri State University in St. Louis with outcomes of increased business alumni involvement, corporate support and stronger brand awareness for the University. “From this core business perspective, we need to continue and enhance Southeast’s reputation in St. Louis,” said Dennis Payne ’74, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Directory Operations. “This means enrollment, career placement and alumni support.”
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Bill Holland, director of corporate relations, who serves as the staff contact for this committee is excited about the proactive steps members are taking to enhance Southeast. “It is very exciting and gratifying to have alumni who are leaders of growing businesses For more information on the corporate planning committee, agree to help the University in contact Bill Holland at the St. Louis business com(636) 449-5064. munity,” Holland said. “Their credibility and commitment have been a cornerstone of our efforts. We are grateful for their time and talent.” “We have a large challenge ahead of us, but we’re ready to face it head on,” Payne said.
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Want to see more class notes? We do, too! Submit your class notes at
Kay Hall (Flavin) ’67, and husband, Richard Hinkebein ’71, retired in 2004. Hall and Hinkebein reside in Warrensville, Mo. Diane Jordan ’69, is a placement officer and instructor with Metro Business College in Cape Girardeau. Jordan resides in Jackson, Mo.
1970s Oran Morgan ’70, recently completed a master of science in information assurance degree from Norwich University, Northfield, Vt., and became credentialed as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. Morgan is a security program manager for IBM Global Services UNIX and Intel Services Delivery Team. He resides in Plainfield, Ill., with wife, Peggy (Crabtree) ’70. Donna Neilson ’74, is a contracting officer with the Defense Contract Management Agency in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Neilson resides in San Antonio, Texas. Janet Eckles (Perez) ’75, was featured in the March 1, 2006, issue of The New York Times for her work as an inspirational speaker and author of, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. Fara McSpadden (Holder) ’77, ’85, is assistant director of the Learning Enrichment Center at Southeast Missouri State University.
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Karen McCaskey (Johnson) ’85, is a supervisor at MAXIMUS, Inc. McCaskey resides in Rancho Cordova, Calif., with husband, David, and son, Brandon. John Wilson ’85, is a contact programmer/analyst for Ferguson Consulting, Inc. Wilson resides in Wildwood, Mo., with wife, Brenda. John Hensel ’86, president and CEO of Hensel Enterprises, a human performance group of companies, recently released, YOU, Inc., a book focusing on personal entrepreneurship and achieving one’s potential. Hensel resides in Palm Beach, Fla. Douglas Osborn ’87, is a territory manager with Fred Oberlender & Associates. Osborn resides in Tulsa, Okla., with wife, Debbie. Tom Neff ’88, is an environmental review coordinator with the City of Kansas City in Kansas City, Mo. Neff resides in Morningside, Mo., with wife, Leah, and two sons, Ian and Nikolai. Kendra Troncale (Kaufmann) ’89, is a financial associate with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Perryville, Mo. She was recognized for ranking sixth in the nation for 2005 annual core health sales and in February 2006 for ranking third in monthly core health sales. Troncale resides in Perryville, Mo, with four children, Robert, Nicholas, Teresa and Vincent. O F
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Scott Huegerich ’90, won the Golden Eagle Award for “The World’s Greatest Fair,” a documentary he co-directed on the 1904 World’s Fair. The award was presented by CINE, a group that awards excellence in documentary filmmaking. Former winners include Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas and Ken Burns. Chad Haferkamp ’94, is manager of IT financial systems at Metro BiState Development Agency in St. Louis. Haferkamp resides in O’Fallon, Mo., with wife, Rosalind, and three children, Mikayla, Megan and Matt. Jennifer Weidenbrenner (Venker) ’94, is children’s librarian and assistant director of Rantoul Public Library, and was appointed to the American Library Association’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee and the Illinois Library Association’s IREAD committee. Weidenbrenner resides in Paxton, Ill., with husband, Ryan. Jarrod Leffler ’95, completed his doctoral degree at St. Louis University in clinical psychology and finished his clinical internship at Harvard Medical School/Children’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. He is currently completing his postdoctoral training at The Ohio State University Medical Center in the area of childhood mood disorders and has accepted a position at
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Columbus Children’s Hospital. Leffler resides in Pickerington, Ohio, with wife, Megan. Kendra Mitchell (Foster) ’96, is a policy analyst with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget in Atlanta, Ga. Mitchell resides in Loganville, Ga., with husband, Trevor. Greg Phillips ’97, is a regional marketing manager with Fox Cable Networks in St. Louis, Mo. Phillips resides in St. Charles, Mo. Michael Windeknecht ’97, is an area manager for XTRA Lease, LLC. In his nine-year-career with the firm, Windeknecht has worked in four different major cities, and is currently based in the Dallas area. Windeknecht resides in Irving, Texas, with wife, Tammy ’99, and children, Jordan, Valerie and Hannah. Merri Cross (Soong) ’99, is director of corporate marketing and communications for St. Louisbased commercial real estate firm, Gundaker Commercial Group. Cross resides in St. Louis with husband, John.
2000s Lisa Eckert (Arnson) ’00, is a teacher at Sikeston Junior High School, and she resides in Sikeston with husband, Jay, and daughter, Haley. Elizabeth Finley (Niere) ’00, is an accounts receivable manager with Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier in St. Louis. Finley resides in St. Louis, with husband, Paul ’99, and children, Cecelia and Josephine. C O N T I N U E D S P R I N G
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A T H L E T I C S Leslie James (Dingman) ’00, is a field archivist for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office and the Local Records Program, working in the southwestern part of Missouri. James resides in Clever, Mo. Chris Roetheli ’03, is a financial analyst for US Bancorp Investments in St. Louis. Roetheli resides in St. Louis. Julie McCausland ’04, ’06, currently membership and marketing assistant with the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association, has recently accepted a position with University of Houston-Clear Lake as coordinator, alumni and community outreach and communications. McCausland will reside in Seabrook, Texas. Sean Gallagher ’05, is currently volunteering in Brooklyn, N.Y., for City Year through the AmeriCorps volunteer program. City Year is offering Gallagher the opportunity to work with third- and fourth-graders in mentoring and tutoring. Program participants help to reclaim public spaces, organize after school activities, and learn about civic leadership. Kaleb Johnson ’05, was recently accepted to the Mississippi College School of Law. Johnson’s father, Thomas ’80, is also an alumnus.
Class notes of military personnel are being sought for use in an upcoming issue. Visit semoalumni.com to submit your class note today.
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Edgar named Southeast men’s basketball coach
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n April 13, 2006, Scott Edgar, assistant basketball coach at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, was named the new men’s head basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University. Edgar is a veteran coach whose teams have advanced to postseason play 17 times in his 25-year collegiate coaching career. In Division I programs, Edgar’s head coaching record is 108-95. He is 56-16 in the Ohio Valley Conference. He has three postseason appearances and has twice been named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year. He has recruited, signed or coached 17 professional players. For the full story on Edgar’s coaching past and his plans for the future, visit ww.semo.edu/news/ index_9643.htm
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Alumni honor Southeast by their successes. Southeast has honored the following alumni with awards in 2006.
Southeast is proud of its military serving overseas.
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The Young Alumni Merit Award is presented to alumni under the age of 37 who have brought distinction to Southeast and to themselves through career and community achievements and service. Recipients are: Larry Eby ’91, Sikeston, Mo.; Scott Giles ’94, Dardenne Prairie, Mo.; Russell Grammer ’98, Cape Girardeau;
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Stephanie Manning (Spalinger) ’95, Wildwood, Mo.; Dr. Jennifer McCluskey (Layton) ’94, St. Louis, Mo.; Darlene Nelson (Harfst) ’93, Villa Ridge, Mo.; Dr. Stephen Owen ’96, Christiansburg, Va.; Chris Simmers ’99, Jackson, Mo. St. Louis area alumni who were honored with Southeast Salutes awards are: Terry Benassi ’68, Chesterfield; Annette Heller ’67, Chesterfield; Bradford Layton ’75, Creve Coeur; Susan Solovic ’78, St. Louis; and the late Mark Munsell ’96.
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Osborne at Nebraska, who I guess probably has one of the greatest reputations for football in the country. Are you still in contact with Coach Osborne, who now, I guess, is Congressman Osborne? Did you talk to him before you took this job and has he given you any kind of advice since you’ve taken this job? What role does he play in your life? Well, I told him back in November, I think it was, that I was planning on getting back into being a head coach. When I took the job here, he was out of the country. So I just left him a message on his phone. He’s running for governor now, so he’s on the business side, but we keep in touch. He’s a great man.
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What was your greatest moment when you played under Coach Osborne at Nebraska? Do you have one particular time that stands out in your memory as a player? The last game of my career, we came from behind and won a real tough game at North Carolina. Playing on national TV was always big, and playing in some of those great wars-playing against Oklahoma was always one of those great story college
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rivalries. And I was fortunate to start in two of those. No one particular moment just has hauled off and jumped out at me.
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You talk about liking the system and philosophies at Nebraska. Are there any things you were taught by coaches, certain bits of knowledge that they passed on that stick out in your mind? There’s so much. It’s kind of funny the things you learn. I really just get to apply it when the situation comes up. There’s always something you remember. I just spent one year at Purdue and I learned a bunch of nice new tricks there. I learned how to treat players from Coach Osborne. He was very, very fair. I came up under a system of loyalty. Very, very loyal to the cause, so to speak. We all approached it the same way-that the game was bigger than us.
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“We’ve been bottling wine since July 2005,” Holly said, “and I wish Mimi could have been involved with the program earlier because what she’s learned has been invaluable.” “The class I’m taking is Mimi and Holly Kingery very good,” Mimi said. “It actually has brought me a better understanding of what our family has been trying to do and the science behind it. “Learning about soil, soil nutrients, what can and should be planted, fertilizing, climate; you name it, we cover it in class.” Holly believes the business component of what Mimi is learning is valuable also. “Mimi has brought home in a short time what it has taken us many mistakes to realize on the business side, bottling and selling wines.” Dennis Roedemeier, director of the Missouri Research Corporation (MRC), is championing Southeast Missouri State University’s involvement in the wine movement. “If you look at increasing industry involvement and research at the University like a football team, Southeast is the team and the MRC is the quarterback,” Roedemeier said. The MRC is developing a research park north of Cape Girardeau on I-55 at the site of the former University Demonstration Farm that Roedemeier hopes, in addition to other manufacturing and commercial developments, will be the site of a vineyard. “It’s proven that by bringing industry near the University, products will create a revenue stream which will drive continued product research, which will drive extended opportunities for our students to learn. “The viticulture program will not only increase the vineyard and winery business locally, but will impact students lives like Ryan and Matt who are the future of this industry and our region,” Roedemeier said. Southeast Missouri viticulture is a pure combination of science and art that, when nurtured, blended and made available to consumers, will no doubt grow success.
LETTERS ou! y m ro f r a he o t ts. s. h e v g o u l o h word t r W ed u Yo Your
Got your pen ready? Your letters will help make The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University a success. Share your thoughts, your memories of Southeast or your recommendations on the publication. Write to: editor@semoalumni.com or to The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University, One University Plaza MS7300, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
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hen you’re constantly wired on overpowering, weapons-grade Southeast spirit like I am,
it’s not always easy to settle down for a quiet moment of reflection. Still, long bus trips with the Southeast sports teams lend themselves to that kind of thing, and as I watch a red-tailed hawk lazily riding the updrafts high above the highway, I can’t help but consider how far from the nest I’ve come. After all, it’s barely been a year since I broke out of that eggshell, and what a year it’s been. In what seems like only a blink, I went from fluffy fledgling to enthusiastic figurehead - a change that saved me from having field mice regurgitated into my beak to what appears to be a lifetime supply of nachos, hotdogs, pretzels and other delicious concession stand items. Watching that highway hawk become a speck in the sky, I have to admit that if I hadn’t demonstrated an instant, borderline fanatical obsession with Southeast athletics, it’d be me up there, darkening the landscape and inadvertently terrorizing the good people of the Bootheel. Or worse, spending all day in a crummy apartment, trying to live down my nude role as a pterodactyl in Jurassic Park III and waiting for calls from Sesame Street that never come. Worse still, Southeast teams would take the field as the Fighting Okra, or with some other lame name. I shudder in revulsion to the bottom of my majestic, red-feathered, fired-up-forSoutheast soul. Thankfully, I can put these worries aside. It’s a good hawk life I’m living - nonstop sporting events, plenty of interaction with fans, a lot of great travel … plus, I’ve done some pretty awesome stuff, like when I threw out the first pitch at the Redhawks’ baseball game in Memphis last May. I’ve got the plaque to prove it! Not to mention, the Southeast community has welcomed me with open arms. They even threw me a birthday party. That birthday cake was phenomenal. Better than regurgitated field mice any day.
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School and career, family and friends… Connections make the difference.
October 20-22
Homecoming 2006 celebrates the alumni and student connection to Southeast and the career connections that foster success. Make your travel arrangements now! See visitcape.com for accommodation information.
• Reunions by career field • Parade • Southeast Football • Parties, gatherings and more!
Interested in your career being represented with a reunion? Contact the Alumni Association at 573-651-2259.
Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association One University Plaza MS 7300 Cape Girardeau, MO 63701-4799
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Permit No. 1000