Ashcroft booked for Lincoln Day

John Ashcroft is coming to Cape Girardeau.

He's the keynote speaker for Lincoln Day, at 6:30 p.m. March 8, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women.

Jackson residents John and Donna Lichtenegger had a lot to do with that. The Lichteneggers have known Ashcroft since the early 1970s.

John Lichtenegger managed Ashcroft's campaign for state auditor in 1974.

"We got married in the middle of that campaign," Donna Lichtenegger recalled. "We had a one-day wedding/honeymoon. We didn't have a reception, and we got right back to Jefferson City."

Lisa Reitzel, president of the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women, said Ashcroft's appearance is "a very big deal and we're grateful to the Lichteneggers for arranging it."

She said John Lichtenegger will introduce Ashcroft. Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder is also scheduled to make a few remarks Sunday. Donna Lichtenegger said she was present when he announced his decision to step back from the governor's race. She called him a "fine man" and said his announcement was "the most selfless thing I've ever seen a politician do. It was the most gracious speech I've ever seen."

Reitzel said Kinder is one of a number of speakers who will be keeping their remarks brief to allow Ashcroft time to share his experiences before, during and after Sept. 11.

Ashcroft, a Chicago native, grew up in Springfield Mo. The former U.S. attorney general and U.S. senator served as Missouri's governor from 1985 to 1993. Now he's chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Ashcroft Group. Ashcroft's company specializes in management and financial consulting, government investigation and something called "high-stakes litigation."

His first local Lincoln Day appearance was in 1973. He opened for Undersecretary of Agriculture J. Phil Campbell. In 1978, Ashcroft, then state attorney general, headlined the dinner; he returned in 1987 as governor.

"We think a lot of him. He's a really good man," Donna Lichtenegger said.

She said tickets to the dinner are priced to be affordable by pretty much anybody "to listen to somebody who held such an extraordinarily high-level office talk about living through one of the most tumultuous periods we've had in the United States in a very, very long time."

Holly Lintner, treasurer for Cape Girardeau County Republican Women, said she's not too worried that the dinner coincides with Southeast Missouri University's spring break and March Madness. Ashcroft is expected to draw as many as 1,000 people.

"We are so psyched," Lintner said. "He's a great uniter and I know he has really great stories to tell about Sept. 11."

Tickets cost $20 per person or $35 per couple and include food catered by Celebrations Restaurant and Bar.

The Cape Girardeau County Lincoln Day dinner is at the Arena Building, 410 Kiwanis Drive (in Arena Park), in Cape Girardeau. For more information and tickets, call Lintner at 200-4073.

Advance tickets are being sold at Horizon Screen Printing, 430 Broadway, or JCS/TEL-LINK, 1606 N. Kingshighway, both in Cape Girardeau; or Cashbook-Journal in Jackson. To order tickets by mail, send a check to Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club, P.O. Box 431, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702. Tickets at the door will cost $25 each.

---

Every city and county official I've talked with on the post-ice-storm cleanup is asking for patience from those residents with debris. Collecting all the trees and limbs and disposing of them is expected to take weeks, if not months.

Questions, suggestions or tips for Lost on Main Street? E-mail pmcnichol@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 127