Book about growing up in Bootheel to be sent to area schools

A collection of stories titled "Canalou: People, Culture, Bootheel Town" soon will be delivered to area schools by the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University.

Richard Montgomery of Sikeston, Missouri, made a $7,500 gift to the center to ship 500 copies of the book in November to schools throughout the region.

Montgomery is a longtime friend of the book's author, Dan Whittle, a native southeast Missourian who lives in Tennessee. He spent much of his career as a newspaperman covering local, national and international events. Dr. Frank Nickell, former director of Southeast's Center for Regional History, convinced Whittle to publish a book about his life and his stories. The Center for Regional History published the book in 2013.

"Canalou: People, Culture, Bootheel Town" may be purchased for $20 at the Center for Regional History, from Amazon.com and at local bookstores, including the Book Rack and the Sikeston Depot Museum.