UNIVERSITY HOSTS OVER 2,000 TEACHERS FRIDAY FOR MSTA'S DISTRICT MEETING

More than 2,000 educators from Southeast Missouri will meet Friday at the Show Me Center for the 117th annual District Teachers Meeting.

As part of the meeting, members of the Southeast District of Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) will elect new officers and will honor educators from the area.

JoAnn Hahs of Oak Ridge will be named the new Southeast District MSTA president. She serves as first vice president and will take over leadership of the district from Larry McCann of Poplar Bluff, who will preside at the meeting.

Mary Wilhite, teacher at L.J. Schultz Middle School in Cape Girardeau, will be honored as Outstanding MSTA Member in the Southeast District for 1992.

Two teachers will be honored for meritorious service: Jack D. Tucker, principal at Webb Elementary School in East Prairie, and Judy J. Roberts, librarian at Caruthersville School District.

Educators will meet in a general session 9 a.m. to hear keynote speaker Forrest J. "Frosty" Troy, editor of the Oklahoma Observer, an independent journal of politics, government and social issues. He is also a commentator for American Public Radio.

Troy served as associate editor of the Tulsa Tribune and also headed the Tribune's state capitol and Washington bureaus.

Troy speaks across the nation on his three favorite topics the free enterprise system, education and politics.

Gene Brunkhorst, Southeast Missouri State University education professor and chairman of arrangements for the teachers meeting, explained that the annual gathering offers teachers a lot more than a day away from the classroom.

"We have a motivational speaker to help inspire the teachers," Brunkhorst said. "And it is a time to recognize newly-elected officials. Teachers also hear programs based on own particular interests.

"It's also a time for the teachers to get chance to visit old friends and of course view a large book exhibit. We have about the third largest book exhibit in the state."

MSTA has approximately 3,500 members in 19 counties of Southeast Missouri.