Ever wonder what became of science fair winners?

Winners in the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair, accompanied by their instructors and officials of the annual event, departed by plane Tuesday, May 5, 1959, for the National Science Fair in Hartford, Connecticut. Shown as they prepared to board a Central Airways plane are, from the left, Corona Jansen, Sister Jean Ann and Sister DeLellis of Cape Girardeau Catholic High, James Singleton of Cape Girardeau Central High, pilot Arthur Woolson of Centralia, Illinois, pilot John Higgins of Cape Girardeau, professor E.L. Bahn Jr., of State College, professor Edward Blumenberg of Cape Central and John L. Blue, The Southeast Missourian's representative. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

After 67 years, the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair is still going strong.

As a child, I remember visiting Houck Field House with my siblings and mother to view the exhibits. The science, however, didn’t rub off on me. I was never good at that “sciency” stuff. But I remember looking with awe at those displays and being impressed by the talented young people who put them together.

For the most part, I’m sure, those talented young people grew into talented adults. Proving that point, I found an article that tracked the top award winners from the first 17 science fairs.

Published Friday, April 5, 1974, in the Southeast Missourian:

KEEP TABS ON TOP WINNERS AT PAST SCIENCE FAIRS

When the two top award winners in the 18th annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair are named tonight, they will join a long list of previous winners who have gone on to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair.

The regional science fair, co-sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University and The Missourian, dates back to 1957 and in each year since, two persons have been named to compete in the international science fair. A total of 29 individuals have won top honors at the fair here and five of these persons won twice.

Following is a sketch of the past winners and their present status.

1957 — Ben Hartsfield, Jackson, research engineer for Aro Research and Development Co., Tullahoma, Tennessee, graduated from University of Missouri-Rolla with degree in mechanical engineering; Bob Ormsby, Doniphan, dentist in Poplar Bluff.

1958 — Dan Golightly, Cape Girardeau Central, researcher for National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, received doctorate degree in analytical spectrocity from Iowa State University, Ames; Robert Goin, Chaffee, operating X-ray maintenance service in St. Louis.

1959 — Corinna Jansen, Cape Girardeau Notre Dame, now Mrs. Elmer Obermann, Dutchtown, employee of Florsheim Shoe Co. at Chaffee; James Singleton, Cape Girardeau Central, was last known to be serving with the U.S. Navy.

1960 — Robert Goin, Chaffee; Bill Wilkison, Sikeston, process chemist working on methanol, vinyl acetate and acrylates, Celanease Corp., Houston, Texas, plant.

1961 — Bill Wilkison, Sikeston; John David Rigdon, Chaffee, attending medical school at University of Missouri-Columbia, former biology teacher at Cape Girardeau Central.

1962 — John David Rigdon, Chaffee; Stuart Landrum, Farmington, insurance agent, Coghill Insurance Agency, Farmington.

These are the major winners at the 1963 Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair, co-sponsored by The Missourian and State College. Front row, from the left, are: Bill Kuster, Cape Girardeau Central High, Navy Science Cruiser; Kirby Keller, College High, and Walter Gist, of Poplar Bluff, representatives to National Science Fair-International; David DeSpain, Farmington, Physics and Chemistry Handbook. Back row, from left: Darryl Middleton, Central High, a Junior Division first award winner; Jim Stone, first alternate, Science Cruiser; Robert Sheets, Central, a Senior Division scholarship winner; James Ingle, Hayti, Senior Division scholarship winner; Ray Keller, second alternate, Navy Science Cruiser. A number of award winners returned to Houck Field House immediately after the awards presentation and were not available for the photograph. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

1963 — Kirby Keller, Cape Girardeau University High, working on Ph.D. degree at Iowa State University, Ames; Walter Joe Gist, Poplar Bluff, completed work last April on Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at University of Missouri-Columbia, as Naval Reservist with rank of lieutenant junior grade, has since taken three months of schooling in engineering at San Diego Naval Station, is now stationed aboard USS Oklahoma for 1 1/2 years homeported in Japan, also received B.S. degree in nuclear and electrical engineering from University of Missouri-Columbia.

1964 — Jim Stone, Cape Girardeau Central, working on Ph.D. at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, received master’s degree in physics from University of Michigan and B.S. degree in physics from Ohio University, Athens; Jim Watson, Sikeston, pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Dubling, Virginia, received A.B. degree from Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, and master of divinity degree from Columbia Seminary, Decatur, Georgia.

1965 — Allen E. Long, Sikeston, an accountant in Sikeston; Ronald Summers, Sikeston, graduate student at University of Maryland, presently involved in foreign studies program in Heidelberg, Germany, has received B.S. degree in physics.

1966 — Bettye J. Fortner, South Pemiscot High at Steele, now Mrs Kenneth Henderson, Columbia, working as medical technician at Veterans Hospital, Columbia; Leon Johnson, South Pemiscot High, high school science teacher at Baptist Academy, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1967 — Thomas Messer, Cape Girardeau University High, will receive an M.D. degree in December from University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, tentatively plans to go to England after graduation and do some study in dermatology, begin his internship next summer and have four or five years residency in internal medicine with a subspeciality in cardiology, received B.S. degree in math and science from Southeast Missouri State University; John Long, Cape Girardeau Central, graduate student at St. Louis University School of Law.

1968 — Bonnie Zook, Cape Girardeau Central, completed training as medical secretary at Vocational-Technical School here last April; Thomas W. Headrick, Sikeston, received a master’s degree in civil engineering from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1973, is currently employed by Rocky Mountain Tree-Cast Concrete Co., Denver, Colorado.

1969 — Donald Rice, Ironton Arcadia Valley, senior, Southeast Missouri State University, majoring in biology; Kelly Wright, Southland High, Cardwell, employed by Production Credit Association at Caruthersville, attended Arkansas State University.

1970 — Donald Rice, Ironton Arcadia Valley; William G. Goehmann, Jackson, sophomore, University of Missouri-Columbia.

1971 — Thomas Lemmons, Sikeston, freshman, Abilene Christian College, Abilene, Texas, majoring in music.; Glyn Jarrell, Dexter, pre-veterinarian student, junior, Southeast Missouri State University.

1972 — William G. Goehmann, Jackson;. Mary Frenzel, Ironton Arcadia Valley, sophomore, Washington University, St. Louis.

1973 — Rick Borchelt, Cape Girardeau University High, senior at the school this year; Charlie Mantel, Chaffee, freshman, Southeast Missouri State University.

The two top winners of the 1974 regional science fair were Rick Borchelt, senior at University High School, and Joe Morgan, junior at Woodland High School in Lutesville.