- A third steamer Cape Girardeau was christened 100 years ago (3/26/24)
- Cape Girardeau christens its namesake (3/19/24)
- The humanist philosophy of Lester Mondale (3/12/24)1
- Cape Osteopathic Hospital opens its doors (3/5/24)
- 8 killed and a million dollars damage done in 1924 tornado (2/27/24)1
- Jackson's militant priest, county recorder at odds over marriage licenses (2/20/24)
- Streaking fad comes to Cape (2/13/24)2
Mrs. Roosevelt speaks
Recently, while scrounging through our photo files in the Missourian archive, I ran across a picture of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt from 1936.
What surprised me was that, although it shows her standing with a number of Cape Girardeans, the photo wasn't made by longtime Missourian photog G.D. Fronabarger. Apparently, the newspaper decided not to send a correspondent to Kansas City to cover a teachers meeting. Instead, an Associated Press photographer snapped this picture at the behest of the Missourian publishers.
From left to right are Dean Vest C. Myers of the Cape Girardeau Teachers College; Mrs. Roosevelt; Mrs. W.W. Parker; Dr. W.W. Parker, president of the college, and Hattie Eicholtz, alumni secretary of the college.
Here's the Page One story that ran about the event:
Many of you may know that Mrs. Roosevelt visited Cape Girardeau in 1957. This time, she spoke at the 82nd annual meeting of the Southeast Missouri Teachers Association before an estimated crowd of 2,300 at Houck Field House. Although I've hunted for the photos that ran on that occasion, I haven't had any success. Here's the coverage from Oct. 19, 1957:
This wasn't Mrs. Roosevelt's first visit to Cape Girardeau.
In 1920 she accompanied her husband here as he campaigned for vice president. Check back in this space next week for that story.
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