RETIREMENT PLAN TO HONOR EX-MAYOR

Howard Tooke umpired Babe Ruth and Connie Mack League games in Cape Girardeau for about 10 years and was a Cape Girardeau city councilman and mayor even longer.

Those are jobs fraught with controversy and short on thanks.

"They thank you when they win," he says, smiling and remembering back to the baseball games and all the political battles.

Today, Tooke will be recognized by the Board of Trustees of the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System on the occasion of his retirement from the board. And there is no controversy about the job he did for the organization.

When Tooke became a member 20 years ago, the amount of money in the system was relatively small. Today the system is approaching $2 billion in assets.

"I give a tremendous amount of credit for that to Howard Tooke," says Bob Cumley, president of the board.

Tooke notified the board of his retirement a month ago. "I'm getting too old to drive to Jefferson City," the 80-year-old former lumber mill owner said.

The board, which usually convenes quarterly in Jefferson City, will meet today and Friday in Cape Girardeau so that Tooke's contributions can be officially recognized.

He was chairman of the board during two of his 20 years of service. He also served on the organization's legislative and investment committees.

The system is the pension plan for city and county employees in the state. Seven people serve on the board of trustees, one of whom is the governor's appointee. Tooke has been that appointee since Christopher Bond was governor.

Being in government service was the last thing on his mind until he ran for the city council in 1968, Tooke said. "I was pretty naive about it all," he recalled.

To begin with, he had flunked public speaking in high school. "I had never made a speech in my life," he said.

Tooke became mayor of Cape Girardeau a year after his election to the council, just as civil unrest lay siege to the city over the issue of low-income housing. The lumber mill he was part owner of was burned down by an arsonist, and Tooke had several protesters put in jail.

He is perhaps best known for bringing the Show Me Center to Cape Girardeau, though he says then-Southeast Missouri State University president Bill Stacy deserved more of the credit than he got.

But this, too, was controversial, because one group wanted the center placed on the west side of town instead of next to the campus. The Tooke camp prevailed and he is glad it did.

"It would be a terrible mess if that building were out there today with all those traffic problems," he said.

In all, he was on the council 18 years and spent 13 years as mayor. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Missouri Senate and the county commission. "I was not a politician," he said. "I don't have the temperament to do the things you have to do to get elected."

Besides having his name chiseled in the Show Me Center edifice, Tooke also is a member of the Southeast Missouri Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

He finds that amusing since he has never played a game of baseball in his life. But as an umpire he knew all the rules and he showed up, once umpiring six games in a day.

"They appreciated my durability," he said.

He showed up at home, too. Tooke and his wife, Frances, celebrated their 60th anniversary last December.

Cumley, the assistant city manager of Springfield, said Tooke's knowledge about stocks and bonds and the financial world has been invaluable to the board. "He's a very astute individual. He's able to relate very well to professional money managers."

Cumley said the rest of the board has always looked to Tooke to make sure the right questions were asked about the system's investments.

Besides that, Cumley said, "He's a wonderful human being."

Tooke somehow managed to become chairman or president of just about every board he has ever belonged to.

"There are lots of people in this world who don't want to be the top man," he said. "It takes more work. You also get blamed for a lot more than you get credit for."