Former governor Warren E. Hearnes to be inducted into Hall of Famous Missourians

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Warren Eastman Hearnes, the 46th governor of Missouri, will be inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians at a special ceremony at 9 a.m. today in the chambers of the Missouri House of Representatives in the capitol building.

Hearnes was a Charleston, Mo., native who was governor from 1964 to 1973. He died in August 2009.

Welcoming remarks will be given by House Speaker Ron Richard, followed by remarks by Gov. Jay Nixon, former House speaker Bob F. Griffin and former first lady Betty C. Hearnes.

A bust commissioned by Griffin will be unveiled. The bust is the work of William J. Williams of Bellows Falls, Vt. Williams has sculpted 25 of the busts in the hall, including the first in the collection of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Hearnes' daughters, Julie Hearnes and Leigh Hammond, will unveil the bust.

"I am pleased that the bust of Warren Hearnes will be added to the Hall of Famous Missourians," said Jane Stacy of Cape Girardeau, Warren Hearnes' sister-in-law. "He was devoted to the state and to its people. This is a wonderful way for him to be remembered, and I am most grateful to those people who made this vision a reality."

"It is a privilege to see one of the greatest governors that Missouri has known inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians," Griffin said. "His contributions to education, mental health, civil rights, the arts, tourism, the environment and economic development still touch the lives of all Missourians today."

Initiated in 1982, the Hall of Famous Missourians recognizes Missourians who have made outstanding contributions to the Show-Me State. Located in the third-floor rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol Building, the busts in the collection are showcased on individual pedestals with plaques describing each notable citizen's accomplishments. Honorees are selected only by speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives.

Southeast Missourian writer Lucas Presson contributed to this story.