LOCAL LEADERS TELL STORIES OF READING HABITS THROUGH YEARS

Community leaders were asked who or what got them reading at an early age, about the importance of reading and about how their reading habits have changed over the years.

John Fidler, chief executive officer, St. Francis Medical Center:

"The Bible influenced me greatly. Other influences included any of the Ayn Rand books, especially `The Fountainhead' and `Atlas Shrugged.' I was attracted to her philosophy of individualism and freedom. I read the works of Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. My family also had a strong tradition of telling stories orally. These would be centered on a lesson on values, usually with my grandparents' telling stories that drove home lessons on values."

Chap Arnold, Scott City civic leader and member, Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority:

As a kid, I was interested in the Civil War. That was most of my reading. Then I got interested in [German Gen. Erwin] Rommel and later in Eisenhower. I was born in the early '40s, when there was so much military history being made, so I was attracted to reading history and works emphasizing patriotic themes. I love biographies, mostly of military figures. In school, I hated to read because I disliked the subjects. I was an alternate to West Point for two years but never made the cut. Today, I continue reading biographies. I enjoy reading how people achieve success, whether in business or any other endeavor. I especially enjoyed books about Henry Ford and Sam Walton. We buy lots of periodicals, usually just to read for pleasure. My wife does most of the book-buying, or the kids will get me something they think I'll be interested in.

Mike Beecher, news director, KFVS-TV:

"I lived in Waterloo, Iowa, and grew up reading the Des Moines Register. The Register is the statewide newspaper Iowa depends on. I also read lots of magazines, including National Geographic. Through its pictures, I felt as though I traveled the world. Some others I read that influenced me included `Gulliver's Travels' and `Uncle Tom's Cabin.' The latter was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and since she had my name in there, I thought I better read what she wrote. I was always intrigued by the lives of U.S. presidents and read whatever I could about them. Among the most influential for me were Herbert Hoover, a native Iowan, and Jack Kennedy's book, `Profiles in Courage.' As an Irish Catholic, I read books about the lives of the saints. I read lots about baseball and golf. Professionally, I read an awful lot today. I recently completed a master's degree out of Loyola University in New Orleans in theology. There was an enormous amount of reading for that, lots of history and philosophy. The syllabus for just one course would be more than you want to hear about. Today I read widely among the industry trade publications in the media field -- they are just burgeoning. I find I must read to stay abreast of rapid changes. I had lots of Latin in high school, and must say I benefited from sort of a classical education. I did some translating from Latin. For relaxation I read fictional, short stories and novels now. I was a big Jack Kerouac fan in college. In addition to other news publications, Atlantic Monthly is a publication I try not to miss."

Albert M. Spradling III, mayor of Cape Girardeau and practicing lawyer:

"As a kid I read lots of things, including the Hardy Boys series, comic books, anything I could get my hands on. Basically, Peach Willer instilled in me my reading habits at an early age. She was my first-grade teacher at Franklin School and also my great aunt. I read Boys Life in connection with Scouting and also some of my mother's magazines that were around the house, such as Life, Time and Look. Later I really enjoyed reading Sports Illustrated. What's changed over the years is I spend so much time reading the professional literature that I don't have time to read the novels and other pleasure reading. City Council reading is enormous for all members. Beyond that, the mayor gets a ton of material, more than I thought before I got this job. In my law practice there are just tons of professional stuff to read. I get U.S. News & World Report plus two or three golf magazines. Also I read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Southeast Missourian on a daily basis."

Harry Rediger, manager, J.C. Penney Co.; immediate past chairman, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce; vice chairman, St. Francis Medical Center Board of Directors; past president and campaign chairman, Greater Cape Girardeau United Way:

"The Bible was a major influence. As a kid I read Robert Louis Stevenson's books, works like `Robinson Crusoe,' `Treasure Island.' Also Mark Twain. I read `Huckleberry Finn' and anything else by Twain. Other than the Southeast Missourian, I'm afraid I don't read as much as I should anymore. This is unfortunate, but time is a problem in that regard."

Jim Wente, administrator, Southeast Missouri Hospital:

"Most of my reading interest developed in high school through literature courses. I enjoyed anything by Robert Louis Stevenson, and then took a course in Shakespeare in college. I really enjoyed that. I have a degree in accounting and am a certified public accountant, and there was obviously a lot of reading there. Most of my professional reading today is in management of health care, which is changing very, very rapidly. We are implementing total quality management, Deming style. We're trying to manage so that there are more and more opportunities for all our people, more and more chances to delegate. So it's vital that I not fall behind on the changes in my field. I try not to miss either Modern Health Care or Trustee magazine, which is published by the American Hospital Association."

Kala Stroup, president, Southeast Missouri State University:

"I suspect that the ones I remember the most were the books I read in Western Civilization in college. John S. Mill, `On Liberty,' comes to mind. Books about ideas, plus biographies. A Truman biography sticks in the mind, as does one on Sara Bernhardt, about her life in the theater. As a child I read all the Nancy Drew stories at the library in Geneseo, Kan., the small town where I grew up. This was back in the days when you couldn't take the books home; you had to read them there. That's what got me in the habit of reading at an early age. Today I read an enormous number of professional journals and other work-related materials."

Neyland Clark: superintendent, Cape Girardeau public schools:

"I read all the Hardy Boy series and all Sherlock Holmes stuff and then graduated to Shakespeare in high school and college. Shakespeare became a major influence for me. His works remain a real pleasure for me now. Today, I very much enjoy reading mystery novels for relaxation, and professionally I read the Harvard Business Review and scores of professional journals. You need to do it all the time, and if you don't continue reading as widely as possible you just can't keep up. With my kids, when they were little, they never wanted to go to bed on time. We always let 'em stay up an extra 20 or 30 minutes if they wanted to read. If not, it was lights out right away. We found this to be a good incentive to encourage strong reading habits."

Charlotte Craig, Cape Girardeau County public health nurse:

"I was so enamored with horses that almost the only books I read as a child were `Thunder,' `My Friend Flicka,' `Black Beauty' (later made into the movie starring Elizabeth Taylor, which I may have seen a hundred times). I think that reading is what formed a great deal of my personality and my passion for horses. It also pointed me toward getting involved with the Humane Society, which is one of my major involvements today. In high school I read Leon Uris `Exodus' historical novels and really was fascinated with that type of book. Currently I'm reading Lillian Jackson Braun, who writes mysteries similar to Perry Mason, mysteries that always involve cats. I do enjoy John Grisham's novels. Professionally, I read the American Journal of Nursing and the Nursing Outlook. We have two Tennessee walking horses, and I still love to ride and to read about horses. I subscribe to two different horse magazines, Horse Illustrated and Equs. I'm also into antiques in a big way and subscribe to Early American Life and Country Living magazines. We take a personal finance newsletter called the Bottom Line that is helpful with subjects such as the stock market and other investment subjects."

Steve Engles, owner of KBSI-TV 23:

"As a kid I read the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, all the classic children's books. As a boy I just liked to read the newspaper, even at 8 or 9 years old. That turned me on to becoming a paperboy. Beginning at age 11, I delivered the Oakland Tribune for three years. I found out what it was like for a subscriber to miss delivery of his or her paper. Today, I read two newspapers daily, and on weekends, three. I read four trade publications weekly. I don't get to do a lot of it during the day. I find good reading time either early in the day or over lunch by myself, and in an hour or so I can get through some of the trades. I read rapidly. On the weekends I pick up Newsweek and devour it. I make a promise to myself not to read the trade, industry and professional stuff on weekends. I escape to something else in the way of lighter reading."

John Mehner, president and CEO, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce:

"The only thing I read growing up were sports books. I read all the books about the Green Bay Packers: `Run to Daylight,' Jerry Kramer's `Instant Replay' and others. I loved `Paper Lion' by George Plimpton; Bob Gibson's story, called `From Ghetto to Glory,' and a biography of the great basketball player, Bob Cousy, called `The Last Loud Roar.' In college I was headed toward a career in law enforcement, so I read everything by Joseph Wambaugh: `Choir Boy,' `The Black Marble.' Today, I read few books. I make time to read so many newspapers and magazines -- that's my pleasure reading now. I read Business Week, Newsweek, Time, Sports Illustrated. I'm a heavy newspaper reader, including the Southeast Missourian, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and I'm a weekly subscriber to the Washington Times national edition. The thing that fascinates me is to compare how different publications play the same stories; the different emphasis or coverage that one publication will give versus another. That becomes very interesting."

Carol Keeler, KZIM radio and member, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors:

"As a child I read Richard Scary's children's stories plus all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series. I definitely was reading Essence, Ebony and Black Enterprise magazines (the last an entrepreneurial magazine). Because of my early reading, I began writing poetry, which became a good avenue of expression for me. I wanted to be a poet. I continue to read avidly now, and just finished a book called "Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored" by Clifton Talbert. I like ethnic books, and read a lot of books to stay up on subjects for the talk show that I host. I try not to miss Time and Newsweek, The New Republic, and I still read Black Enterprise when I can find time for it in the Cape Public Library. I spend lots of time there, as reading is one of my most enjoyable pastimes."

Karen Hendrickson, vice president, Southeast Missouri Hospital, and member, Missouri State Board of Nursing:

"I've always been interested in biographies. Raising a family, I never had much time to read for pleasure. I primarily read professional materials today, especially personal and professional development materials. I was taught the necessity of reading in school in order to become knowledgeable about whatever career you might choose to follow. All my life I've been a student and a believer in lifelong reading. Now, I'm in the doctoral program at the University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University), in education, with an emphasis in leadership. I read because there is no separation between professional and personal lives. Today I read Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and the Southeast Missourian, among other periodicals. I was raised to believe that you had to read to stay informed. Health-care knowledge is turning over about every two years. I have a lot of reading to do to stay abreast of the different leadership and management styles for about 1,300 employees, which is important for me since I'm personally responsible for 700 people at the hospital."

Mysie Keene, chairman, Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority:

"As a child I liked to read everything. In elementary school, I'd get my book reports done in the first month, usually, for the entire term. I read the Five Star books that were a little more challenging. I love historical novels. Frances Parkinson Keys wrote about New Orleans and the South. I love William Faulkner and have read most of his works. I especially enjoy books about America, from the Revolution up to and through the Civil War period. Today, I read mostly non-fiction, mostly books and periodicals. Everything from gardening to how to manage your finances. I read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Southeast Missourian. One magazine I especially enjoy is an all-purpose one: Southern Living. I read U.S. News & World Report, and I used to read Forbes and really liked it, but ran out of time. I'm an omnivorous reader. I read while I eat, one thing you can do if you live alone."

Dan Overbey, executive director, Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority:

"I always enjoyed reading from the start, so it wasn't really work. I read the Hardy Boys. I also enjoyed reading through some children's encyclopedias. They would explain, with lots of pictures, how things work. I became very interested in transportation, especially boats and trucking, and also railroads. Most of my reading today is non-fiction. At graduate school at the University of Texas, I probably learned as much in the library as I did in class. I would try to get my assigned reading for classes done right away, then go to the library and read as much supplemental material as possible. As my family has grown, my reading time has suffered. Much of my reading today is professional: trade and industrial publications that are either weekly or monthly, probably 10 or 12 of these. That's down from the number I used to read; you just run out of time. One great benefit of regular reading is improved writing skills. An important part of my job is reading the newspapers locally. We take all the local and daily newspapers in the region. I need them to keep up with what's going on."