Rotarian honored with holiday

Henry Phelps earned his reputation as a handyman.

"I don't know how many times in my life I've said he can do anything in life he puts his mind to," said his son, Dan Phelps.

"He's remodeled a bathroom, he made a bathroom upstairs. He's just ingenious when it comes to fixing things. People around the neighborhood and across town, if they have a problem with a lawn mower or a sink they call Henry and he'll go there and help them out."

Now there is something he can't fix.

"He's struggling with cancer," his son said. "It's no secret. Everybody knows it."

But Henry Phelps, 88, can still get around town, and today, he'll be at the Show Me Center for a noon Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau meeting. He's a past president and, for 20 years, the club's sergeant-at-arms.

"Henry has been a member of the club since at least 1978," said Lowell Peterson, the club's current president. "Many times, when you have older members, they'll be very active up until they retire. Henry stayed active. ... He's just sort of the stable influence in many of the club activities.

"And he's got a great sense of humor."

The Rev. Jeff Long, pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church, joined the club two years ago and quickly got to know and appreciate that humor.

"I do the weekly newsletter," Long said. "He always hands me the information I need for the guests and visitors from other clubs."

As sergeant-at-arms, Phelps announced the names of guests, visitors and newcomers "and almost always has a joke," Long said. "The jokes are not always politically correct. They're never offensive, but they are funny. Occasionally it's a groaner, but we kind of look forward to it."

Two weeks ago, Phelps announced he was leaving the club.

"There was a audible gasp in the room," Long said. For 20 years, Phelps attended virtually every meeting, arriving early to set out the name badges and sign-in sheet and greet arrivals.

Club members worked to plan a tribute, scheduled for noon today at the Show Me Center. Dan Phelps said his father will arrive at the meeting accompanied by as many as 15 family members and close friends.

Mayor Jay Knudtson will present a resolution at the meeting proclaiming today Henry Phelps Day in the city of Cape Girardeau.

Phelps is closely identified with the club's annual Soap Box Derby races, the go-to guy for parts and tools and last-minute fixes.

Phelps, born in 1918 in Hot Springs, Ark., was just a baby when his family moved to Cape Girardeau.

By age 15, he had gained a reputation as a top-notch auto mechanic. While serving as a sailor during World War II, he worked on a destroyer's refrigeration system. Afterward, he has a career as a maintenance mechanic. Phelps' face became familiar around town while working at area jobs and ushering, for 40 years, at St. Mary's Cathedral.

The cancer his father struggles with "is a bad thing that's kind of a good thing. We have time to make preparations," Dan Phelps said. "Right now he's still ambulatory. He can still get around."

Henry Phelps Day "will be kind of neat. We'll be able to give him some tribute before he dies, instead of after."

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127