Fred Lynch retired in 2018 after capturing images for the Southeast Missourian since 1975, in that time moving from black-and-white to color, from film to digital and to video. The blog title is a nod to an earlier era of news photography and the 4x5 Speed Graphic: It's more important to be there for the shot than to worry about technical details.

Sunny Hill Dairy 1941

Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at 6:00 AM

The Rotary Club held its weekly luncheon meeting on April 14, 1941 in the new retail department of the Sunny Hill Dairy Farm's new plant at 43 S. Boulevard. Members were guests of Louis Blattner, co-partner with his brother, Charles Blattner, in the firm, and a member of the club. This was the first meal served in the spacious modern new plant. (G.D. Fronabarger photo)

April 15, 1941 Southeast Missourian

Rotary Club Holds Meeting in New Home of Dairy Company

Members of the Rotary Club held their regular weekly meeting Monday at the new plant of the Sunny Hill Dairy Farms Co., South Boulevard and Merriwether street, the meal served them being the first food prepared in the new establishment which will have its formal opening soon and will feature a new type of retail service in the community.

Sixty-two members and guests were in attendance, Congressman Orville Zimmerman of Kennett and John S. Lilly of St. Louis, a former Girardean, being among those present. Harold C. Chancellor, manager of the Hotel Idan-Ha, was received as a new member.

Tells of Progress

The program was furnished by Louis C. Blattner who, with his brother, Charles F. Blattner, operates the dairy firm. Mr. Blattner told of the firm's organization in 1915 and traced its development.

By the spring of 1916 the company had 20 cows and for several years raw milk only was sold. In 1930 pasteurizing equipment was purchased and now completely new equipment has been installed, bringing in the homogenizing process and permitting the manufacture of ice cream in addition to the other regular line of dairy products. The firm moved recently from 245 South Frederick street. Prior to 1930 the company was located on South Middle street.

Mr. Blattner traced the expansion of the plant, explaining how his firm is endeavoring to keep pace with the community's growth and demands of the times. The new retail quarters, very attractive, for the serving of ice cream, soft drinks, sandwiches and the like is an additional service of the company. Members of the club were taken on a tour of the plant.

District Meeting

Attention was called by H.I. Himmelberger, president, to the district conference in Columbia next Monday and Tuesday. R. E. L. Lamkin, incoming president of the club, and W. E. Walker will go as the club delegatess. Dr. A. C. Magill, secretary, and E. L. Markham were named as alternates.

Others expecting to make the trip are W. F. Bergmann, Fred A. Groves, C. W. Boutin, A. W. Harrison, H. B. Newman, Allen L. Oliver, Harry I. and Charles A. Himmelberger, George Cherry, Clyde D. Harris, Louis Hecht, Wm. J. Kies and Walter Pendleton.

Here is a previous blog with a photo of the Sunny Hill Dairy truck fleet.

Here is a previous blog with a later photo of the Sunny Hill Restaurant.

Comments

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Does The Missourian still have the quaint style quirk that North and South West End Boulevard are referred to as N. Boulevard and S. Boulevard like they are in the first story?

Nobody could explain to me when and why that started, "it just is."

-- Posted by ksteinhoff on Wed, Sep 28, 2011, at 8:45 AM

Fred Lynch
Ken, you might have been so busy shooting pictures that you missed this editorial published March 25, 1965 that explains the reason. The present practice is to use the entire street name. It seems the style change was made around the late 1970s.

Worth Consideration

A writer in the Public Mind column this week made a suggestion that is worthy of consideration by the City Council.

He took note of the council's plan to give a single name to streets which abruptly change names at an intersection, and mentioned two street names he felt should be continued.

First was Washington avenue, which will become Normal avenue. The writer urged that efforts be made to name some prominent street for the first President so his name can be perpetuated in Cape Girardeau.

It was the writer's suggestion that West End Boulevard might properly become Washington Boulevard.

This is deserving of consideration. Few things about the city are more confusing to a newcomer, or to a person seeking an address, than to be told it is on North West End Boulevard or South West End Boulevard, and then to learn there also is a North End Boulevard.

The directions on the street name are perplexing, even to those who have been here for some time. It is for this reason that The Missourian uses only North Boulevard and South Boulevard in giving street addresses there, dropping the official West End.

At the time Boulevard was established, it was the very west end of town and the name came naturally. But now the city has long since grown beyond this one-time boundary and the need for the name does not exist.
That's funny. I probably asked that question about the time that response was written and I got the standard newspaper style answer, "Just because."

I like the name West End Boulevard BECAUSE of the way it suggests that was the outer limits of Cape Girardeau. It brings home just how much the city has grown.

It's much like an area here in West Palm Beach called Westgate. At the time it was founded, it was the far western gateway to the city.

Thanks for doing the research.

-- Posted by ksteinhoff on Wed, Sep 28, 2011, at 11:05 AM

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