BE OUR GUEST: HERO OR VILLAIN? DEVELOPER SHOULD WEAR CRITICISM AS A BADGE OF HONOR

Jim Drury hero or villain?

For clarification any time you read anything about Mid America Hotels you are reading about Jim Drury. Jim Drury is Mid America.

Several weeks ago many articles appeared in Speak Out about trees being removed from a road-side park across from the Veterans Home in Cape.

Permission had been granted to Mid America Hotels by the Missouri Highway Department to do all the work with the entire expense paid by Mid America Hotels.

Such harsh words as greed, rape, etc., were used against this project by many people using space in Speak Out. After reading several condemning articles, my thought was "the Lilliputians are after Jim again."

I live about 20 miles from the Veterans Home in Cape. Yesterday I drove to the Veterans Home to look at what all the fuss was about. I had visited friends several months ago who reside there, and had trouble finding the place as it was not visible from any direction and the entrance was a potential death trap.

What I saw yesterday was almost unbelievable. Thousands and thousands of yards of dirt had been removed from all sides of the Veterans Home and this beautiful multi-million dollar structure was plainly visible from every direction. The entrance had been made ultra-safe and the entire area improved. Dirt moving does not come cheap. This project had to cost a fortune. Mid America Hotels (Jim Drury) paid the entire cost.

I have never known a man who is so obsessed with the environment and greenery. He plants trees, bushes, flowers, shrubs, etc., any place he can find to plant them. The Holiday Inn in Cape is a perfect example of his dedication to greenery. I am now looking forward to seeing his finishing touches at the Veterans Home.

Imagine the joy and pleasure the residents of the Veterans Home will get watching the traffic on Highways 55 and 61.

It has been wisely written the only way to avoid criticism is say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. Jim Drury talks constantly (probably in his sleep). He has projects going 365 days each year and Jim Drury is something.

It is Jim's fate to be constantly criticized. He should bear it as a badge of honor.

Jim Drury hero or villain?