'Louis Lorimier' book signing held at Red House

Nearly 30 years after her book came out, Jane Cooper Stacy signed copies of it at the Red House Interpretive Center on Saturday.

The Cape Girardeau resident's 46-page paperbound story titled "Louis Lorimier" served as a promotion for the old Cape River Heritage Museum, where Jeremiah's now is. The book was sold at the museum as a way to keep it operating.

Now it is available at the Red House.

"It's wonderful," said Red House docent Betty Henson. "I really enjoyed it. It's so appropriate for us to sell the book here."

When Red House director Jane Randol Jackson approached Stacy on giving her the rights to publish and sell the book at the Red House, Stacy agreed with the stipulation that she would be given the opportunity to hold a reception to commemorate the book.

Stacy, director of alumni services and development at Southeast Missouri State University, said that when her office at Academic Hall was moved to Kent Library while renovations were underway, it launched her research for the book.

"I checked out everything that was remotely connected to Lorimier," she said. "In retrospect I should've added footnotes, but I didn't want to discourage children from reading it."

The book is written at a fourth-grade to junior-high level but is for anyone interested in learning about Lorimier. While based on fact, the book has conversations with British commanding officers, siblings and Indians along with insight into Lorimier's relationships with Daniel Boone and people with familiar family names like Bollinger.

Stacy believes that Lorimier's success in life was attributed to his ability to see the Indians as individuals. "He learned he ought to be friends with the Indians and trust them," said Stacy. This and his support for the British made him controversial.

Stacy has written for a monthly magazine, The College Student, and cookbooks for the Baptist church. She quit the craft for almost a decade and is considering taking it up again.

"I miss it. I love the historical research," she said. "But the most difficult part of writing is that it eats you alive. It takes over your mental process."

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133