WORLD WAR I VET TURNS 100

A 100th birthday party for E.L. "Hap" Goodman will be held at 2 p.m. today at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau.

Goodman is one of four surviving World War I veterans at the home and one of about 20,000 survivors of that war nationwide.

Special guests at the celebration will include the other World War I survivors at the Veterans Home:

-- Wiley Macke, age 94;

-- Clem Walker, age 97;

-- Roy Gill, age 98.

Various elected officials and representatives of veterans organizations will also be in attendance.

Goodman, who served in the Army field artillery, is a member of Cape Girardeau American Legion Post 63. The post has provided a donation for a special birthday cake, gift, bingo prizes and decorations for the party.

In addition to the Veterans Home celebration, an open house organized by his family will be held Saturday from 2-5 p.m. at the Bob Goodman residence (1606 Hillemann Dr.) in Scott City.

Goodman was born in Carmi, Ill., on May 26, 1894. He was married to Ethel Viola Goodman, who died in 1963. He has five children, 18 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

After World War I, he moved to Scott City and began working on the railroad, retiring after 40 years.