GEORGE, FRED NAETER WILL JOIN THE DISTINGUISHED RANKS OF MISSOURI NEWSPAPER HALL OF FAME

When George and Fred Naeter took a steamboat trip from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau in 1904, they may have known about the potential of going into the newspaper business, but they had no way of knowing how they would influence this sleepy river town with its college for teachers.

The two brothers from small towns in northern Missouri saw the opportunity here. With the help of a third brother, Harry, they revived The Daily Republican which, in 1918, became what is now known as the Southeast Missourian. That same year, Harry's newspaper career was cut short by his untimely death.

Thanks to the efforts of longtime managing editor John Blue, the nomination of George and Fred Naeter will result in a happy occasion this September when the Missouri Press Association will induct the pair into the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame.

A sizable contingent of Naeter relatives is expected to be on hand at the MPA convention in Kansas City for the occasion. Along with family members, there will be other Hall of Famers, still living, who will recall the high regard in which the Naeters were held across the state.