A light: Elsie Gaden Sterling

Effective ... a light in the lighthouse for difficult times ... a loving mentor ... someone you wanted to make proud ... one who brought people together for the common good.

Born to William and Pauline "Pollie" (nee Slaughter) Temple, Elsie was born in 1912 in Nixburg, Coosa County, Alabama. A few years later, William and Pollie pulled up roots to journey north and try out life in Cape Girardeau. It was a tough life for a landless, Southern,Black farmer. His brother John preceded him to the city, and the large quarry (Edward Hely Crushed Stone Co.) promised steady work. With seasonal opportunities as hired farmhands, the brothers eked out a humble living and raised their families.

Father William entered a 99-year land lease agreement with Aquamsi Land Co. for a lot on Pecan Street in Smelterville ($5/year plus annual property taxes). With money saved, he built a house and thus began the Temples' positive influence in the neighborhood.

Dedicated Baptists, the Temples were among the founding members of the congregation that would become New Bethel Missionary Church. William was deacon; Pollie led many women's missions aid groups; the four Temple sisters' musical harmony blessed many gatherings with duets, trios and choirs. Undoubtedly, Elsie honed her leadership gifts and people skills in the church environment. She was good at it. Much of New Bethel's earliest church history is recorded by way of newspaper articles, submitted by "Elsie Temple, Reporter". From August 1929 onward, Elsie's articles in the St. Louis Argus newspaper effectively doubled Cape Girardeau's Black community news, with coverage of both uptown and southside news.

Although her surname changed three times by marriage (to George Rogers, Herbert Gaden and Jesse Sterling), the community affectionately knew her simply as "Miss Elsie". Her only child died at an early age. Instead, she nurtured a whole neighborhood of children and teens. An uptown domestic worker by day, her concern and involvement with and for the youth of her own neighborhood occupied her time in summer and after school. Her reputation and cross-cultural savvy made her the perfect liaison to bring better opportunities.

In 1959, a coalition of churches, civic organizations and concerned citizens organized a board of directors -- consisting of lawyers, doctor's wives, professors and community members -- to initiate "The Civic Center" to serve the impoverished multiracial community of Smelterville in South Cape. Elsie was invited to serve on this board. The initial plan was simply a Saturday only, fair-weather, playground program, but soon expanded into a year-round variety of programs, first situated in an old warehouse building located on South Sprigg and La Cruz streets.

The story and expansion of the Civic Center is a topic for future articles, but Miss Elsie Gaden's influence and effective leadership spanned nearly 30 years of its programmings.

Then, in the early 1970s, to better prepare the youngest for success in school, Miss Elsie went to college, earned her associate degree and qualified to function as Head Start preschool teacher/director. With her leadership, a Head Start program was available at the southside Civic Center.

Demonstrating her interests and involvement in all of what made Cape Girardeau a good place to live and serve, Elsie Gaden Sterling was involved in Church Women United, Eastern Star, Golden Age Senior Citizens, Successful Homemakers, Professional Women's Club and Republican Women.