Sander lauded for 'calm, common sense' in leading health board

Leo Roland “Rollie” Sander is being praised for his 22 years of service on the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center Board of Trustees and particularly his tenure as chairman during the ongoing pandemic.

Sander, 81, died Saturday at Saint Francis Medical Center after experiencing breathing difficulty earlier in the day while watching a basketball game in which his grandsons were playing.

His passing was said not to be COVID-19 related.

“I met Rollie in 1975 when we were both teaching in the Jackson schools,” said Georganne Syler, a fellow health center trustee.

“(Sander) taught civics at Russell Hawkins Jr. High, and he lived what he taught students about citizenship in his own life,” said Syler, who called the longtime educator and businessman “approachable” and “entertaining to know.”

Sander took his seat on the county health board in 1999 while Charlotte Craig was the center’s director.

“(Former County Commissioner) Gerald Jones approached Rollie about a vacancy on the health board and it took only one meeting for (Sander) to know he was home,” said Craig, health center director from 1975 to 2012.

“He really cared about the (PHC) staff because he knew nobody gets wealthy working in public health,” said Jane Wernsman, who has directed the health center since Craig’s retirement.

“(Sander) looked for ways to help the staff get the benefits they were entitled to in order to make the job more attractive,” Wernsman said.

“(Sander) had a common sense approach, was down to earth and had the best interests of the public at heart,” she added.

Fellow PHC board member John Freeze remembers their first meeting at family-owned and operated Sander Nursery near Gordonville.

“About 40 years ago, I first met Rollie while buying some shrubbery,” recalled Freeze, who has been a health board trustee for five years.

“I instantly liked him and (Rollie) was one of the nicest men I’ve ever met,” said Freeze, adding, “It made you happy just to be around him.”

Alluding to the sometimes contentious public meetings that followed the health center’s July coronavirus-driven mask mandate order, Freeze said Sander’s behavior set the tone for all board members.

“(Sander) had a calming effect on people,” Freeze said, “and his overall demeanor kept us calm and focused.”

“Rollie provided steadfast leadership,” said Syler, referencing Sander’s chairing of PHC board meetings at the Osage Centre that sometimes drew as many as 60 spectators.

“Most of the attendees were not happy and none of us on the board had ever faced the backlash we’ve seen in the past year,” she added.

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said Monday the County Commission will not appoint Sander’s successor until after the April 6 municipal election.

The appointee will serve until April 2022 when someone will be elected to fill the remainder of Sander’s term, which is up in 2023.

Those interested in being named to the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center Board of Trustees for the temporary appointment may send a letter of interest to the Cape Girardeau County Commission at commish@capecounty.us.