First ladies unite

Last week in Jefferson City a most remarkable nonpartisan event was attended by 600 people. Over $500,000 was raised and was (to my knowledge) only reported in the Jefferson City daily newspaper in any significant manner (though it was also press released).

The event? A luncheon with the first ladies of the state, which was held June 25 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and also included an in-depth tour of our Governor's Mansion (all three floors).

A number of people attended from Southeast Missouri, including former first lady Betty Hearnes, who lived in the mansion from 1965 to 1973 as the wife of then-governor Warren Hearnes of Charleston.

Five of the seven living former first ladies were in attendance along with our current first lady, Melanie Blunt. All of the ladies were featured in videos they had made about their days of raising a family and hosting dignitaries in the mansion. The five former first ladies in attendance were Betty Hearnes; Carolyn Bond, former wife of Gov. Kit Bond (1973-1977, 1981-1985); Jean Carnahan, wife of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan (1993-2000); Pat Wilson wife of Gov. Roger Wilson (2000-2001); and Lori Holden, wife of Gov. Bob Holden (2001-2005). Each of these women also spoke to the group for a few minutes about the importance of preserving the historic mansion, which has seen first-hand so much of our state's history.

Former first lady Janet Ashcroft was in Europe with her husband, former governor John Ashcroft (1985-1993). Former first lady Theresa Teasdale, wife of Gov. Joe Teasdale (1977-1981), was unable to attend.

The current first lady, Melanie Blunt, conceived the idea of having all the first ladies together to set the stage for the latest restoration undertaking and was hostess for the event.

As reported to me, it was truly a special event.

The money raised goes to the preservation and interior restoration of the Governor's Mansion.

The scaffolding is already up around the building, and roof repairs have begun.

Why so little media coverage?

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Stan Crader of Marble Hill is the author of "The Bridge" about growing up in Bollinger County (available at local bookstores), which has sold more than 10,000 copies. Crader is getting a little help from his friends.

Young Life sent out a flier about the book (whose proceeds are being donated to Young Life and Teen Challenge of Mid-America, thus prompting a friend's donated quarter-page ad in the Midwest issue of The Wall Street Journal.

I understand Crader is writing a sequel to this "glimpse of rural America through the eyes of a young boy during the summer of 1967."

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Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has been in the news quite frequently recently in his duties as acting governor while Governor Blunt has been out of state attending meetings, including a meeting with Bombardier Aerospace to promote a possible Kansas City plant.

Kinder has dealt with calling out the Missouri National Guard to help in flood-stricken area, and the signing of many recently passed bills including one helping to finance some autism efforts on which he had worked closely. Kinder was also honored last week by the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program.

On June 20 Kinder received one of the top St. Louis Business Journal awards for his government efforts in 2007-2008.

The printed program remarks included the following comments: "He is more active than any lieutenant governor I have seen in the past," said Daniel Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. "He has always been a great asset to St. Louis and to the whole state."

In 2007 Kinder orchestrated the first Tour of Missouri bike race. The event garnered nationwide attention and brought $26 million into the Missouri economy. This year, Kinder was a strong supporter of House Bill 2393, an economic development bill attracting megaprojects to the state through tax credits.

"What is really remarkable is that, although he comes from Cape Girardeau, he takes time to get to know St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield -- the urban areas of the state," said Kathy Osborn, executive director of the Regional Business Council.

Kinder's "At a Glance" bio listing in the program reads as follows:

• Age: 54
• Up for re-election in 2008
• As lieutenant governor, serves on the following boards and commissions: Missouri Tourism Commission (chair), Missouri Rx Plan Commission (chair), Governor's Advisory Council for Veterans Affairs (chair), Personal Independence Commission (co-chair), Missouri Housing Development Commission, Missouri Community Service Commission, Board of Fund Commissioners, Board of Public Buildings, Second State Capitol Commission and Special Health, Psychological and Social Needs of Minority Older Individuals Commission.
• Attended Southeast Missouri State University and University of Missouri-Columbia; graduated from St. Mary's University of Law, San Antonio, Texas

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In a recent front-page article, Wally Lage, the chief operating officer of Rust Communications, was recognized for his selection for the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Among the many reasons listed for his much deserved selection, there were two that were not mentioned that are quite significant. One concerns the honor of being the only three-time president of the top newspaper buying group in the industry, and the other is that he is probably proudest of his marriage of 41 years to Dori and their four children and six grandchildren.

Wally is serving a third year as president of PAGE (Publishers Associated to Gain Economy), the largest buying cooperative (about $300 million in sales) of more than 500 independently owned daily newspapers in 50 states. He started the PAGE supplier evaluation committee and served as chairman for 15 years. He has been a member of the PAGE board of directors since shortly after its founding nearly 25 years ago.

Congratulations, Wally.

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The following are some interesting bits of selected information from a private newsletter:

1. Note that more Europeans are looking to the U.S. for private health care ... high quality at a lower price. One growth area: Second opinions by U.S. doctors.

Moreover, European investors aren't deterred by the weak U.S. economy. Belgian-based InBev's bid for Anheuser-Busch is a recent, high-profile example.

2. Employers continue to send jobs abroad, but where they go is changing ... .

Mexico is becoming more popular, along with the Philippines, Brazil, Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic. India is losing some of its luster as wages go up ... 10 percent to 15 percent in the past year ... and more workers reject night hours which are often necessary to meet the demands of U.S. customers and companies.

Meanwhile, manufacturers are starting to turn away from China as costs for fuel pushing up shipping. Each rise of $1 in the price of oil adds 1 percent to the cost of transporting goods. In some cases, it's cheaper to keep production in the U.S. Some firms are eyeing Mexico to make furniture and rubber, steel and paper goods.

Gary Rust is chairman of Rust Communications.