TRAVELERS GATHER FOR STATE CONVENTION

The United Commercial Travelers of America will celebrate its 100th anniversary in Missouri this weekend when the state convention opens at Drury Lodge.

Cape Girardeau Council 534 will host the three-day convention, which will run Thursday through Saturday. George Points, grand counselor for the state of Missouri, will preside.

The official opening will be held Friday morning with a welcome by Mayor Gene Rhodes. Immediately following, will be a service honoring members who died last year. A ladies luncheon will begin at noon.

A banquet is scheduled Friday night at which former State Sen. Al Spradling will serve as master of ceremonies.

Andrew Papas and his wife, Mary, of Sacramento, Calif. will attend the Cape convention as special envoys from the Supreme Council in Columbus, Ohio. He will install the new officers Saturday morning.

Papas is a past supreme counselor, having served six years on the supreme board of governors.

The Grand Council of Missouri was instituted Dec. 12, 1891 in Kansas City with three councils: Kansas City, St. Louis and St. Joseph. The first grand session was held in St. Joseph in May of 1892.

The Cape Girardeau Council was instituted June 6, 1913. It held its first grand session in June of 1920. That convention was headquartered in the IdanHa Hotel.

United Commercial Travelers of America was originally an organization exclusively for traveling salesmen or "drummers." It is now a fraternal organization open to men and women from all walks of life in the United States and Canada. Its main projects are aid to retarded citizens and cancer assistance.