Community Q&A 9/23/04

Name: Rodger Brown

Lives in: I have lived in a lot of places; the Philippines, Singapore, China and several states in the United States. But I was born in Cape Girardeau, and keep coming back to where my heart is. Cape Girardeau is like a Norman Rockwell painting, it just makes you feel that you belong there.

Family: I will be married to the same woman for 36 years on Nov. 16. My wife, Debbie, and I have three children and three grandchildren all living in the area.

Job: We own a small company, Terra Dynamic, LC, that sells parts for construction and mining equipment. It is something of an oddity in that we have no customers in Cape Girardeau. We sell parts worldwide, but not in Cape Girardeau, so no one knows about us. I am also the director of Operation Troop Support, and that takes a lot of my time these days.

What do you like most about the area? It is the best kept secret in the country. We enjoy a way of life that people in other parts of the country and the world are always trying to find but always seem to fall short of. Those who live here are friendly and willing to help a stranger, without asking for something in return. This is the America most people have pictured in their minds when the "American dream" is mentioned, and we live here.

Favorite Food: My problem is trying to decide which food is not my favorite.

Favorite TV Show: This is like trying to say which day of the week is your favorite. I like to surf the channels until I find something of interest, most often that will be a movie.

Best advice: "For everything you gain, you have to give up something."

Person you most admire: That would have to be my youngest brother, Dan, who died as a result of colon cancer. He never complained about his fate, or felt sorry for himself even once. When I asked him about how he felt knowing he had terminal cancer, his reply was "It's just another adventure in life."

What would you do if you won the lottery? Stop buying lottery tickets.

Pet peeve: Inconsiderate drivers, who do not think about the consequences of their actions.