CIVIC LEADER DONALD FORD DEAD AT 52

Donald K. Ford was remembered Thursday as a civic leader who was deeply committed to the community, as a gifted musician, and as a man who was his friends' biggest supporter.

Ford, 52, of 2706 Plymouth died Thursday after a lengthy struggle with bone marrow cancer.

Ford was director of university development at Southeast Missouri State University and chief operating officer of the University Foundation from 1991 until the disease forced him to retire in 1995. He underwent two bone marrow transplants and was determined to live long enough to walk his daughter Kate down the aisle at her wedding, which he did July 12.

"I will remember how brave he was," said Nancy Mattingly, cancer program coordinator at the Southeast Missouri Hospital Cancer Center.

"When he was getting treatments he always would be talking with the other patients and sharing stories. He became quite a patient advocate."

Mattingly had known Ford since childhood. "He always was one to have a positive attitude with his life," she said. "He felt he was going to do great things in life and he carried it with him until his death."

His father, Walter Henry Ford, was mayor of Cape Girardeau for 12 years. His mother was Mary Frances Masterson Ford. Both are deceased.

His brother Jerry is a former state representative who is currently a lobbyist. His other brother, Walter Joe "Doc" Ford, owns Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Ford was something of a musical prodigy who was playing drums in a jazz combo with the likes of top local musicians Bill Ewing, Tony Carosello and Louis "Doc" Ent while only a freshman in high school. In 1958, he performed two shows a night six nights a week with Ted Lewis of "Me and My Shadow" fame at the old Colony Club in East Cape Girardeau, Ill.

He also was a talented athlete who played outfield on the 1962 Central High School state championship baseball team.

After graduating from high school, Ford performed awhile in California with former Cape Girardeau musician Bob Sisco, who was backing well-known musicians like Ray Anthony and Earl Grant.

He taught math at Cape Central Junior High School for three years before enlisting in the U.S. Army, serving as a percussionist with the 399th Army Band at Fort Leonard Wood. In 1971, his Army band played in Chicago's ticker-tape parade for the Apollo 15 astronauts.

Ford's brother Jerry, who had led a local big-band orchestra for many years, says Don was as good as most any of the big-name drummers. "When he was at the trap set, he elevated the group to a whole different level."

Leland "Freck" Shivelbine, a longtime local musician and owner of Shivelbine's Music Store, said, "He was a wonderful guy ... and truly professional drummer."

Don Ford didn't pursue a career as a professional musician because "the responsibilities of a family came first," his brother Jerry said.

Donald Ford and Carolyn Penzel were married in 1968.

Ford had a diverse professional career, also working in the family business, Ford and Sons Funeral Home, now owned by Walter Joe Ford. He also worked for Mercantile Trust of St. Louis, and as vice president and director of marketing at Lenco Inc., which was then owned by his brother Jerry.

He was associated with Mass Mutual Life Insurance Co. before signing on as development director at Southeast, where he had been assistant director of the financial aid department in the late 1970s.

He was an ideal director of development, said Dr. Kala Stroup, who then was president of the university. "His deep commitment to Southeast Missouri and ties to the Cape Girardeau community made him extremely effective in promoting the university," said Stroup, now president of the state Coordinating Board of Higher Education.

"...It was a joy to work with him, but his integrity and commitment to the university are the things I remember most."

Another person who worked closely with Ford at the university was Jane Stacy, director of Alumni Services.

"It was my privilege to know and love Don and work with him," she said. "He had a zest for living. Even in the worst of times he could turn that into the best of times."

Rosemary Crisp, who worked with Ford on the President's Council and Copper Dome Society at Southeast, spoke of his dedication to the university and to Southeast Missouri. "He contributed so much, and how he loved it," she said.

Local musicians loved playing with Ford. "In the municipal band, you could always tell when he was there," said Dr. Fred Goodwin, a longtime member. "The parts were played properly, crisply and tastefully."

Ford was a member of the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band for 39 years in addition to playing in numerous local jazz combos and bands, including his brother's Jerry Ford Orchestra.

"He was a first-class human being in addition to his artistic talent," Goodwin said.

Vi Keys, a longtime Cape Girardeau musician and music store owner, said Ford was "one of the finest musicians and finest gentlemen."

Jerry Ford Orchestra vocalist Pat Blackwell had performed with Ford in various musical settings since he was 14. "There's something about being in a band with someone for 40 years," she said. "A bond develops. It's almost like a close relative."

His brother had a lot of drive, Walter Joe Ford said. "From a kid on he was very focused on the things he wanted to accomplish in life.

"...He was very ethical and a good brother. I guess you can't say much more about a person."

Jerry Ford said his brother was "the best friend I ever had. He was the biggest supporter I ever had. He loved everything I ever did."