Spirit of America nominee - Leland J. 'Freck' Shivelbine

NOMINATING ORGANIZATION: Jay Knudtson, Cape Noon Lions Club

NOMINEE'S CHURCH, CHARITABLE AND SOCIAL MEMBERSHIPS:

First Presbyterian Church of Cape Girardeau.

Charitable and Social, see below.

WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THIS NOMINEE DEMONSTRATES THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA?

It is my great honor nominating Leland J. "Freck" Shivelbine for the Spirit of America Award on behalf of the Cape Noon Lions Club. Mr. Shivelbine has been a lifelong resident, businessman, philanthropist and community leader in Cape Girardeau.

Mr. Shivelbine was born in Cape in 1926, attending Cape Girardeau Central High School and later Southeast Missouri State University. He joined the Navy in 1944 training to be a Navy pilot before Truman dropped the bomb, effectively ending the war and Freck's pilot training program.

Shivelbine's Music has been an anchor in downtown Cape since 1947, when it began as M & S Music. On July 1, 1949, the store became Shivelbine's Music when at age 23 Freck went into business with his father, Wm. A. Shivelbine.

Shivelbine's Music has provided affordable musical instruments to over 100 schools each year in Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Northeast Arkansas helping enrich the musical lives of hundreds of thousands of students over the past 70 years.

Mr. Shivelbine has been a member of the Cape Noon Lions Club since 1950, serving as President from 1963-1964. He served on the boards of the Arts Council of SEMO, The Glenn House, Old Town Cape (helping launch Tunes at Twilight), and the River Heritage Mural Association. He's received multiple awards including, the Old Town Cape Excellence in Preservation Award, the Cape Chamber Small Business of the Year Award in 2001, and in 1998 the Otto F. Dingeldein Award, which honors the individual whose artistic achievements have made a considerable impact on the cultural enrichment of the Community.